NPR News 2013-10-10 加文本

NPR News 2013-10-10

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Speer.

The White House says President Obama will nominate Federal Reserve Vice Chair Janet Yellen to succeed current Chair Ben Bernanke when he steps down in January. The president's expected to formally announce the nomination at the White House tomorrow. Economist Diane Swonk with Mesirow Financial says Yellen brings vast experience to the job.

She was once a Council [of] Economic Advisers chair under President Clinton. She also was a former Federal Reserve board member in the 1990s during the great boom, a very different era for the Federal Reserve, and she was president of the San Francisco Fed and actually took a cut in pay and her pension to join the board of the Federal Reserve at a critical time.

Yellen, a 67-year-old former professor, if confirmed by the Senate, would become the Fed's first woman chair. Obama chose Yellen after another top candidate, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, took himself out of the running.

President Obama says he regrets canceling his Asia trip in order to stay in Washington to deal with the partial government shutdown. NPR's Jackie Northam reports the president was to meet with Asian leaders to help cement a 12-nation trade deal.

President Obama had hoped to make some progress on the Trans-Pacific Partnership during his Asia tour. Mr. Obama said he doesn't know for sure he would have been able to resolve issues surrounding the free trade talks, but that it didn't help, that he wasn't there to try. When asked at a White House press conference how he was reassuring foreign creditors like China and Japan worry whether the US is going to avoid defaulting on its debt, Mr.Obama would only say: “Obviously, my message to the world is, the United States always has paid its bills, and it will do so against.” Mr.Obama said he did not think there will be lasting damage internationally because of the current crisis. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Washington.

Clear to respective sides in the shutdown fight appeared dug in in their positions, House Speaker John Boehner saying Republicans will not take part in what he termed “unconditional surrender.”

Reports North Korea’s restarted a plutonium reactor at its main nuclear facility ratcheting up tensions in that region, North Korea threatened back in April to restart the reactor.

Following this summer's acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teen Trayvon Martin, Florida's legislature's considering changes to the state's Stand Your Ground law. NPR's Greg Allen reports a new bill would require statewide standards.

Florida's Stand Your Ground law came under national scrutiny after police in Sanford citing it as a reason why they waited for weeks to arrest and charge neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. In a rare show of bipartisanship in Florida’s Senate, the Republican author of Stand Your Ground teamed with the Democratic majority leader to suggest changes described as small but important. Democrat Chris Smith said one area they agreed on was a need to send a message to neighborhood watch groups.

“It'll let them know what is responsible behavior as a neighborhood watch.”

Although the NAACP supports the bill and the NRA says it doesn't oppose it, the prospects for even these minor changes are uncertain. The chair of the House committee that would hear says he doesn't want to change “one damn comma of the law.” Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami.

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A second team of chemical weapons inspectors is heading to Syria to help those who are already on the ground there. That was the announcement today from the chief of global chemical watchdog group that is overseeing the destruction of the country's chemical weapons stockpile as mandated by the UN Security Council. The announcement comes as inspectors are seeking to destroy Syria's estimated 1,000 tons of chemical weapons in the midst of a civil war.

When it comes to math, reading and computer skills, Americans lag behind their counterparts in 22 industrialized nations. NPR's Claudio Sanchez has the results of the first-ever international survey of adult competences.

Researchers with the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development tested 166,000 people in areas such as problem solving, literacy and numeracy. In literacy, the US trailed 12 countries with Japan, Finland and the Netherlands in the top three. In terms of math skills, US adults did worse than adults in 18 countries. Only Italy and Spain did worse. Researchers say these skills are critical for future job growth and the global economy. The survey also found that a majority of adult in countries that did well—Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands—were enrolled in job training and continuing education. Adults in poor performing countries were more likely to be unemployed or working for minimum wage with little or no access to education and job training. Claudio Sanchez, NPR News.

California judges ruled Japanese automaker Toyota will have to face trial over claims it failed to adequately warn the public about reports of unintended acceleration involving some of its vehicles. A US district court judge denied the company's motion to dismiss claims brought by the estate of a woman who lost control of her 2005 Camry after it sped out of control and then slammed into a school.

I'm Jack Speer, NPR News in Washington.