NPR 2009-08-03

Treasury 1 Secretary Timothy Geithner says in order for the nation to have a sustained economic recovery, the administration will have to reduce the massive federal budget deficit 2. NPR's Audie Cornish has the story.

 The federal deficit is now more than a trillion dollars, Secretary Geithner says that in order for a full economic recovery, future deficits 3 have to be reined 4 in. Whether that could eventually lead the Obama administration to consider tax hikes, Geithner wouldn't say."We can't make these judgments 5 yet about exactly what it's gonna take and how we're gonna get there." The Treasury Secretary made the comment on ABC's This Week. Geithner also said the administration's support extending unemployment insurance, because employers are not hiring back workers as quickly as anticipated. The economic stimulus 6 package earlier this year, had already extended the program, but still, more than a million and a half Americans would have used up their benefit by the end of this year. Audie Cornish, NPR News, the Capitol.

 Three American troops were killed in eastern Afghanistan today when their convoy 7 was ambushed 8 by insurgents 9. Just yesterday, three other U.S. troops were killed by a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson has the story from Kabul.

 NATO says militants 10 killed the U.S. troops during a gunfight after their convoy struck a roadside bomb. Officials refused to say where in eastern Afghanistan the attack happened. Yesterday the roadside bomb attack that killed three other American troops took place in Kandahar Province in the south. Today's attack brings to nine the number of Western troops killed in the past two days. In July, 74 international troops were killed in Afghanistan, making it the deadliest month since 2001. The spiking 11 violence this summer was expected, given the arrival of additional international troops here and the upcoming presidential elections which the Taliban has vowed 12 to disrupt, roadside bombs are the militants' weapon of choice. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR News, Kabul.

 Some human remains 13 found buried in the desert of Iraq have been positively 14 identified as those of the last American servicemen still listed as missing since the first Gulf 15 War. Navy pilot Michael "Scott" Speicher was shot down on the first night of that war back in 1991. In Arkansas, Nels Jensen, former classmate of Speicher’s said, he and others had held out hope that Speicher might have survived the crash and might have been held captive. "It's gonna be hard for family naturally. Um, after all these years and some of the friends have given their hopes up and, and you know, this massive roller coaster ride, we all were on." U.S. military at first had listed Speicher as Killed in action and then ten years ago changed to missing or captured. U.S. Marines were led to his remains by an Iraqi citizen who said he was present when Speicher's body was first found after the crash and then buried by Bedouins.

 This is NPR News from Washington.

 Police in Tel Aviv are searching for the gunman who opened fire at a club for gay teenagers there yesterday. Two people were killed and at least 11 others were wounded in the attack.

 Swiss diplomats 16 are talking with Iran's foreign ministry 17 in an effort to confirm the status of three American hikers who are reportedly in custody 18 there. Iran's state-run television says the three were detained Friday when they crossed into Iran from northern Iraq. Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran.

 Britain's deputy prime minister says gender 19 equality should be required at the highest levels of government in that country. Larry Miller 20 has the story from London.

 Men in power cannot be trusted, claims Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Harriet Harman now in charge while Gordon Brown is on vacation. Harman has spearheaded a controversial new equality bill that gives employers a legal right to favor a female candidate over an equally-qualified man. She told the Sunday Times men cannot be left to run things on their own. And that's a thoroughly 21 bad thing to have a man-only leadership policy. She insists that in a country where women regard themselves as equals, they are not prepared to see men who running the show themselves. Harman says she tried to change Labour Party rules to make it mandatory 22 that a woman always be given one of the two top jobs, prime minister or deputy prime minister. But that was rejected by the male leadership. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

 The Obama administration says the government's popular "cash for clunkers" auto 23 trade-in program will be suspended this week unless the Senate follows the lead of the House and approves an additional two billion dollars in funding. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he is optimistic the Senate will act quickly.