NPR 2008-06-08

Hillary Clinton has ended her campaign for the presidency 1 and endorsed 2 rival Barack Obama. She made the announcement at the National Building Museum in Washington today before hundreds of supporters. NPR's David Greene has more.

Hillary Clinton said this was not the party she planned, but that she liked the company. She told her supporters that she's ready to fight to get a Democrat 3 in the White House. "I am standing 4 with Senator Obama to say: Yes, we can!" She mentioned Obama more than a dozen times in her speech and told her millions of supporters that they should get behind him too. 61-year-old Marti Haub is a retired 5 nurse and Clinton supporter from Maryland. She said she is close to backing Obama. "I am getting there, I am getting there. I’m, I’m a loyal Democrat, always have been." Haub said she is holding out hope that Clinton will be Obama's running mate. David Greene, NPR News, Washington.

The Coast Guard has joined efforts in Central Indiana to rescue people stranded 6 by floodwaters. The region has been inundated 7 by rain, up to 10 inches in some areas. Flash flood warnings have been posted in 15 counties. The same storm system has also been dumping rain and causing wind damage in Ohio and parts of Michigan.

Authorities in China say the threat of flooding from a lake that was formed by last month's earthquake has receded 8 somewhat as water was drained off into a nearby channel. NPR's Rob Gifford reports from Chengdu.

Some 200, 000 people have already been evacuated 9 to higher ground, and hundreds of thousands of others were prepared to move. But in a report suggesting that the draining of the lake was going well, the official Xinhua News Agency quoted a local military commander, saying in the foreseeable future, there's no risk of the dam collapsing 10. Meanwhile, Xinhua announced that a medical team would be sent to the quake zone to perform reverse sterilization 11 operations for thousands of couples who lost their only child in the quake and want to have another. The report also said that the domestic and foreign donations after the quake had reached 6. 3 billion dollars. Rob Gifford, NPR News, Chengdu, China.

Firefighters in North Carolina now have a massive wildfire about 30% contained. The blaze has charred 12 about 30, 000 acres in and around the National Wildlife Refuge. A state Forest Service spokesman said the fire might smolder 13 for months as it burns decayed vegetation that's a key component 14 of the soil in the area. North Carolina Governor Mike Easley has declared a state of emergency in three counties. For the past few days, smoke from the blaze has blown northward 15 into heavily populated areas along Virginia's coast.

At a meeting in Japan, the US and four other nations are urging oil-producing nations to boost their production to help ease oil costs. The meeting involves the United States, China, Japan, India and South Korea. Together, they account for more than half of the world's consumption of energy. They are pledging to develop new clean energy technologies.

This is NPR News from Washington.

In Britain, a Church of England report is claiming that the Labor 16 government policies in the country are responsible for a spiritual, civil and economic crisis in Britain. Larry Miller 17 reports from London.

The 180-page Church of England report charges the British government with discriminating 18 against the official state religion, asserting that Christianity is taking a back seat to Islam and other minority faiths and is not registering on the government's policy-making radar 19. It says there is evidence of deep-seated hostility 20 to the church, excluding it from important areas of policy and research while seeking Muslim input 21. The hard-hitting report entitled "Moral, But No Compass" is endorsed by the head of the church, the Archbishop of Canterbury. While sharply critical of the government led by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for more than a decade, the report praises the opposition 22 Conservatives for their strident approach to fighting poverty. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

There was a dramatic upset in the Belmont Stakes today as heavily-favored Big Brown was beaten by a long-shot, Da'Tara. Big Brown had never lost a race before today. In the last time he raced against Da'Tara, he trounced him. But at the final turn today, it was clear the colt was having problems. Jockey Kent Desormeaux was interviewed on ABC Sports. "I got him out early and we just cantered along down the backside. There was a couple of times when he thought it was time to go and jumped into the bridle 23. By the time we, long before we went into the last turn, I had no horse. " Desormeaux stood up in the stirrups. Big Brown finished dead last. Big Brown's trainer had bragged 24 before the race that his horse's win was a foregone conclusion.