NPR 2009-08-11

The leaders of Mexico, Canada and the United States have wrapped up a brief summit meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico. President Obama also held a one-on-one meeting with Mexico's President Felipe Calderon where the two discussed the unprecedented 1 wave of drug-related violence in Mexico. Michael O'Boyle reports from Mexico City.

 The skyrocketing body count in Mexico's army-led war against the country's drug cartels has been raising doubts about the strategy on both sides of the border. But Mr. Obama on Monday said he was confident Mexico can win the fight against the gangs.

 "We'll work to make sure Mexico has the support it needs to dismantle 2 and defeat the cartels. And the United States will also meet its responsibilities by continuing our efforts to reduce the demand for drugs and continuing to strengthen the security of our shared border."

 Some US lawmakers want to hold back military aid to Mexico until the army answers charges of human rights abuses by its troops. Mr. Obama said he was convinced Calderon will be able to keep waging his battle while still protecting basic rights. For NPR News, I'm Michael O'Boyle in Mexico City.

 The White House has launched a new Internet initiative it says it hopes will counter some of the misinformation out there about efforts to rework health care. And the White House website launched today. It would seek to challenge what the administration has termed myths about the health care initiative, including claims it would result in rationing 3 of care, euthanasia or an end to Medicare. President's advisor 4 David Axelrod says of the criticisms, they are little more than rumors 5 or scare tactics.

 Police spokesman says divers 6 have found additional pieces of a private plane that crashed into the Hudson River after striking a sightseeing helicopter. The wreckage 7 from the single-engine Piper was found in some 60 feet of water in the middle of the river, according to the New York police spokesman. Divers sent into the water near the crash site this morning had had to stop their search due to strong currents and limited visibility. Nine people were killed in Saturday's crash. The bodies of two people who were on the plane have yet to be recovered.

 Latest sign of troubled commercial real estate market, Los Angeles-based Maguire Properties says it can't pay the mortgages on a billion dollars worth of office buildings. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

 Maguire is one of the largest office building owners in Southern California. It says for seven of those buildings, its loans are facing imminent 8 defaults and it’s handing control of them over to its creditors 9.

 "In the end, you're gonna see many more stories like these." Pat Newport is a housing economist 10 at IHS Global Insight. He says the commercial real estate sector 11 is in big trouble right now. Like many home owners, many real estate companies borrowed too much against their properties and they just overbuilt. "Too many buildings are put up, too many hotels, stores, malls and also there was the price bubble in the market that was just as big as a housing bubble." So many of these buildings are worth less than what the companies owe on them. That's why so many companies are defaulting and all that’s going to put a drag on construction and the economy over the next year.

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 According to Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, it has concluded its probe into what killed singer Michael Jackson. However, an official with the office said today the results are not being released yet. Coroner's office official says police have asked the cause and manner of Jackson's death remain sealed while detectives continue their investigation 12. Jackson died June 25th at his rented home in Beverly Hills. Investigators 13 have been trying to determine to what extent prescription 14 drugs may have played a role in his death.

 A cargo 15 ship with a Russian crew has not been heard from or seen for nearly two weeks. Jessica Gallaher has details from Moscow.

 Russian officials say the Maltese-flagged boat carrier "Arctic Sea" did not arrive as planned at a Algerian port on August 4th. They say that no communication or data from the ship have been received since July 28th. The 4,700-ton vessel 16 with at least 12 Russian crew members was boarded off the coast of Sweden on July 24th by attackers posing as policemen. The crew was tied up for 12 hours. Officials then say the attackers disembarked. The vessel is operated by a firm based in the Russian port of Arkhangelsk. Some Russian officials say they fear pirates are responsible for the disappearance 17 of the ship. For NPR News, I'm Jessica Gallagher in Moscow.

Toronto-based Nortel Networks is getting a new CEO. The company which is currently in liquidation 18 announced today CEO Mike Zafirovski is leaving after being named the head of the company in 2005. Former executive with Motorola and General Electric, he tried to transform the troubled company. But he says the current slowdown changed the company's outlook dramatically.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 32 points today. The NASDAQ was down eight points.