NPR 2008-06-14

NBC newsman Tim Russert is being remembered today both by his colleagues and by the politicians whom he interviewed, among them President Bush. Russert died suddenly this afternoon while at work. The cause of death is not known. Informed of the news in Paris, President Bush called Russert "an institution in both news and politics for more than two decades”. Competitors like Bob Schieffer, host of the CBS show "Face the Nation", say he will be missed. "Oddly enough, in addition to being head-to-head competitors, Tim and I were very close friends and we have been close friends for a long,long time. He was the best, er, he was just the best at what he did. And quite frankly 1, he probably made "Face the Nation" better because I had to compete head-to-head with him every week.” Russert was born in Buffalo 2, New York and joined NBC in 1984. He took over the helm of the NBC show "Meet the Press" in 1991. Russert received numerous awards over his years in broadcasting. Tim Russert was 58.

 Officials in Des Moines, Iowa say they have now issued  a voluntary evacuation order for much of the downtown there as well as areas bordering the river as water levels continue to rise. Authorities say they are recommending the evacuation by 6 p.m. local time with the river expected to crest 3 about two hours after that. Meanwhile, (in) the town of Cedar 4 Rapids, Iowa, some 100 miles to the southwest,  more than 3,000 homes and a downtown hospital have been evacuated 5 as the rains fall and Cedar River continues to rush through city streets.

 Wisconsin village that has been severely 6 flooded twice in the last ten months is considering moving to higher ground. Wisconsin Public Radio’s Steve Roisum reports.

 Gays Mills evacuated its downtown and over 50 homes have water on the first floor. Village board member Pat Brockway has had enough. He says simply building homes higher won't completely fend 7 off  water from the Kickapoo River. Brockway would like to see Gays Mills move to its industrial park about a mile away and buy additional land there. "We just can't keep going through this. You know, year after year, I mean, even though if you raise them, how high is high enough if you build a dyke 8, how high should we… If you build the dyke 50 feet, you know, maybe the water will be 52 feet next year.."  The Gays Mills community will discuss moving their village at a meeting Tuesday night. Nearby Soldiers Grove 9 moved around 30 years ago. Some homes there did get flooded this week. For NPR News, I'm Steve Roisum  in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

 Presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain are continuing to haggle 10 over the schedule for a proposed series of town hall debates. Obama's campaign manager said in a statement today that the Democratic candidate offered to meet McCain in five joint 11 appearances between now and November. However, only one was apparently 12 a town hall meeting. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee 13, has been pushing for the pair to appear in ten town hall sessions that would be unscripted with questions from voters.

 On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 165 points to close at 12,307. The NASDAQ was up 50 points. The S&P 500 rose 20 points.

 This is NPR.

 The Irish people have rejected a treaty that the European Union claims is vital for its future effectiveness. The effect of the vote goes well beyond Ireland’s shores. Larry Miller 14 reports from London.

 Before the Irish referendum, the European Commission president said there is no plan B and a rejection 15 by Ireland would have a very negative effect for the EU. Opponents warned that the European Union reform treaty would take away Irish sovereignty. Some feared that might limit Ireland's right to control its taxes and maintain its ban on abortion 16. So, that was denied. The treaty began life as the proposed EU Constitution. When that was rejected in Dutch and French referenda, it was remodeled and renamed as a treaty. It would only need to be ratified 17 by governments. Ireland was the only EU member that let its people make the decision. Because all 27 EU countries need to approve the treaty, the Irish “No” vote means there is no clear way to achieve the reforms. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

 Singer R. Kelly was acquitted 18 of all charges against him today after less than a day of  jury deliberations in his child pornography trial. Jury verdict ending what has been a six-year ordeal 19 for the R&B singer. Kelly, who was found not guilty on all 14 counts against him, wiped away tears and hugged his attorneys after the verdict was read. The Grammy Award-winning singer had to face 15 years in prison if convicted on all the charges against him. Prosecutors 20 have claimed the videotape, mailed to a Chicago newspaper, showed the singer engaged in graphic 21 sex acts  with the then 13-year-old girl. Both  Kelly and the now 23-year-old  alleged 22 victim have denied they were the ones shown on the tape.

 Chrysler says it plans to begin listing its certified 23 used car inventory 24 on eBay following the lead of giant General Motors, which announced a similar deal in February.