NPR 2008-08-16

President Bush again blamed Russia for the week-long crisis in Georgia and called on Moscow to withdraw its combat troops. He spoke 1 as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in the Georgian capital, pushing for implementation 2 of a French-brokered cease-fire. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports.

Mr. Bush said the US stands by Georgia because that country has cast its lot with the West, opening its economy and holding elections. He accused Russia of a Cold War mindset marked by "bullying 3 and intimidation 4". "Begin to repair its relations with the United States, Europe and other nations, and to begin restoring its place in the world, Russia must respect the freedom of its neighbors." Russia's president Friday accused the US of antagonizing Moscow. He claimed US support for a new missile defense 5 facility in Poland is aimed at reining 6 in Russia. President Dmitry Medvedev also asserted Georgia's two separatist region South Ossetia and Abkhazia likely will never be part of Georgia again. Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Washington.

The Food and Drug Administration said today it is sticking to its position that the chemical found in baby bottles does not pose a health threat. More on the story from NPR's Richard Harris.

Bisphenol A rose to the top of some people's worry lists after one federal agency, the National Toxicology Program said there was "some concern" about the chemical. It is somewhat similar to the hormone 7 estrogen, so in certain doses it can have biological effects. However the FDA has maintained that so little leaches 8 out of plastic baby bottles, the linings 9 of food cans and other common plastics that people shouldn't worry about it. The agency has now reaffirmed that position in a draft review of the chemical, but that doesn't satisfy people who are concerned about it. Canada is planning to ban the chemical and California is considering restrictions 10 as well. Richard Harris, NPR News.

The AFL-CIO and a number of other labor 11 groups are calling on the Federal Election Commission to look into whether retail 12 giant Wal-Mart sought to pressure employees on how to vote in the upcoming election. The request comes on the heels of a Wall Street Journal report that said while the retailer 13 held meetings to warn managers and supervisors 14 about what might happen, should Democrats 15 win in the fall, Wal-Mart for its part says it did nothing wrong and said the government will find that if it chooses to investigate the matter. At issue in the case is whether by discussing a law that would make it easier for workers to unionize, the retailer was seeking to dissuade 16 employees from casting votes for Democratic candidates.

A key index of consumer sentiment improved slightly this month in part due to a dip in  gas prices. However, the slight rise in the Reuters/University of Michigan index did little to ease fears consumer spending is likely to weaken further later in the year. The index rose slightly, up five tenths of one percent.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 44 points to end the week at 11,659. The NASDAQ fell a point, the Standard&Poor's 500 was up five points today.

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Output at the nation's mines and factories rose slightly in July. The Federal Reserve says the two tenths of a percent increase was a result of increased manufacturing activity. The biggest increase was in motor vehicles and parts, up for a third straight month. Warmer than normal weather also boosted electricity usage. The government says factories, mines and utilities were operating at nearly 80% capacity.

Jerry Wexler has died as a producer at Atlantic Records. Wexler helped shape the sound of the 20th century. Jerry Wexler suffered from a congenital heart disease. He died early this morning at his home in Sarasota, Florida. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.

If you own an album or MP3 by Ray Charles, Dusty Springfield or Aretha Franklin, there is a good chance it was produced by Gerry Wexler. Wexler was a New York City kid who loved Jazz and Soul. He served in World War II, then became a music journalist at Billboard 17 magazine, where he coined the term "rhythm and blues 18". He also refused during the McCarthy era to compile a blacklist dossier on the folk group the Weavers 19. So Wexler left for Atlantic Records and started producing hits. Wexler insisted that Soul and R&B were commercially viable 20 for a broad audience and he was a major architect of its sound. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

Mrs. Fields Cookie chain announced today it plans to file for bankruptcy 21. The company which in addition to its cookie business also licenses 22 and franchises 23 the TCBY Yogurt chain says it's begun soliciting 24 votes for a prepackaged reorganization plan. Company says it is unable to make an interest payment on its debt in September.