NPR 2009-07-06

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Craig Windham.

A plane carrying the ousted 1 president of Honduras Manuel Zelaya is reportedly being denied permission to land in that country. Honduras's civil aviation director says the plane has been diverted to El Salvador. The BBC's Stephen Gibbs has more.

Interim 2 president Micheletti has called for Honduras's neighbors to show restraint as this crisis escalates 3. At Tegucigalpa Airport, thousands of those that support President Zelaya have attempted to form a welcoming party. But a security corps 4 on and around the area has prevented most from getting through. The BBC's Stephen Gibbs reporting.

Vice 5 president Biden says the Obama administration misread the severity of the economic troubles it inherited in January, but he says it's too soon to say whether a second economic stimulus 6 package will be needed. NPR's Jennifer Ludden has the story.

When officials were selling the current stimulus plan, they predicted that unemployment would peak at about 8%. But the latest figure is 9.5%, the worst level in more than two decades. Biden was asked to explain this on ABC's "This Week".

"We and everyone else misread the economy. The figures we worked off of in January were the consensus 7 figures and most of the blue chip indexes out there." Some analysts 8 were calling for another stimulus package, but the vice President said money from the first one is only beginning to be spent and the pace of that will soon pick up. He said several thousand highway projects will get underway. In September, programs to expand broadband, high-speed rail and a new electric grid 9 will take effect. Biden said the bill has also increased benefits for 12 million people out of work. Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Washington.

President Obama departs Washington in a couple of hours for a summit with his Russian counterpart in Moscow.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is offering a word of caution that President Obama not take on too much at too great a financial cost. NPR's Paul Brown has more.

Powell was the top military officer under the first President Bush and Secretary of State under the second President Bush. He supported a Democrat 10, then Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. He said he always votes for candidates he considers best regardless of party. On CNN, Powell expressed no regret about supporting Mr. Obama, but he said he is now worried about the scope of the president's agenda.

"You can't have so many things on the table that you can't absorb it all and we can't pay for it all." Powell said he's talked with people in the administration about his concerns. He said the first priority for government is to effectively serve the nation's needs. But he said the government should be as small as possible and should be affordable 11. Paul Brown, NPR News, Washington.

A key group of religious leaders in Iran is calling the results of that country's disputed presidential election invalid 12. The statement is seen as defying Iran's supreme 13 leader. Also today opposition 14 leader Mir Hossein Mousavi detailed 15 what he says was widespread fraud in the election.

This is NPR News from Washington.

The second stage of the Tour de France Bicycle Race ended today in the hills of Provence in southeastern France. Mark Cavendish of Britain was today's leader. Frank Browning has the story.

The 117-mile ride from Monaco into the steep and often winding 16 hills of Provence was tight all the way and offset 17 by a crash near the end of the afternoon. Cavendish, who was 1,300 feet from the accident, was not injured and finished the racing 18 four hours 30 minutes for Team Columbia. Tyler Farrar of Wenatchee, Washington riding for the Garmin-Slipstream team finished second. Seven-time winner Lance Armstrong, who was attempting a comeback after three years' absence from the Tour de France, finished far behind in 80th place. Monday's race stretches 122 miles from Marseilles, France's second city to La Grande Motte, the Mediterranean 19 tourist town built on the once mosquito-infested swamps of the Camargue. For NPR News, I'm Frank Browning.

Police in Nashville say the shooting death of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was a homicide. The 36-year-old McNair was found dead yesterday of multiple gunshot wounds. His 20-year-old girlfriend was at his side with one bullet wound to the head and a handgun nearby. But police spokesman Don Aaron says investigators 20 are not yet ruling the shooting a murder suicide.

"As we talk to witnesses, as we look for laboratory testing, as we wait the results of testing from medical examiner's office , all options are gonna remain on the table. We are not gonna be close-minded into one particular scenario 21."

Aaron says investigators are looking into whether the shootings were the result of a lovers' quarrel. McNair was married and had four children.