NPR 2009-04-08

From NPR News in Washington, I’m Jack 1 Speer.

President Barack Obama made a brief visit to Iraq today where he met with the Iraqi leaders and US troops. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports from the Iraqi capital.

"Bad weather stopped the president from traveling by helicopter outside of a US military base at Baghdad’s airport. Instead, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani came to him by car. President Obama and Maliki met for about 30 minutes. They discussed Iraq's political progress and the continuing security challenges here. The two leaders made statements after the meeting. Mr. Obama called for all Iraqis to be integrated into the government and security forces, a reference to the slow assimilation of Sunni paramilitaries into Iraq's police and army. Maliki said Iraq was now a stable enough country for international investment. Earlier President Obama spoke 2 to US troops, he lauded 3 the troops’ work here in Iraq adding to cheers. It is time for us to transition to the Iraqis. They need to take responsibility for their country and for their sovereignty. Next year, approximately 100,000 US troops will leave Iraq. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR News, Baghdad.

Even as rescuers continued to push aside rubble 4, looking for more victims of the strong earthquake that hit central Italy this week, the region was rocked by an aftershock today. The latest tremor 5 sent emergency personnel and residents fleeing. 6.3 magnitude quake that struck the pre-dawn hours Monday is being blamed for 228 deaths and more than a 1000 injuries. Today’s aftershock, according to Italy's news agency ANSA, claimed at least one more life. The epicenter of the aftershock was in the same area as the main quake, a mountainous region some 70 miles to the northeast of Rome.

As the US economy remains 6 weak and unemployment rate rises, the number of homeowners falling behind on their mortgage payments also continues to go up. That's the assessment 7 from the executive with the credit monitoring firm Equifax who says in February around 7% of homeowners with mortgages were at least 30 days behind on their loans. That's an increase of 50% from a year ago.

Investors 8 sent stocks lower today. The Dow along with the other major stock market indexes fell more than 2%. Investors are worried about weak corporate 9 earnings 10. More from NPR's Wendy Kaufman.

After a big four-week rally in March, the market has pulled back, off a bit yesterday and substantially more today. Investors are bracing 11 themselves for grim corporate earnings reports that are being released over the next couple of weeks. Earnings at S&P 500 firms are likely to fall 37% according to Thompson Reuters. That would mark the eighth straight decline in quarterly profits. Earnings at the big banks will be keenly watched. Several analysts 12 have warned that the banks will reveal large potential loan losses. And they suggest that the performance of the banks is key to the entire market. Investors are likely to be frustrated 13 by the lack of forward looking guidance from many big companies. Those companies are simply unwilling 14 to make any financial predictions. Wendy Kaufman, NPR News.

On Wall Street the Dow shed 186 points today; the NASDAQ was down 45 points; the S&P fell 19 points.

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South African leader Jacob Zuma said he has been vindicated 15 after prosecutors 16 moved to drop corruption 17 charges against him today. The head of South Africa's ANC party at a news conference in Durbin said the 8-year-battle by prosecutors to convict him was "political and manipulative". And he said the suggestion of a cloud hanging over him despite the dismissal was a media fiction. Zuma's ANC party is widely expected to win an April 22nd election. The decision to drop charges came after prosecutors said they uncovered abuses of the legal process by ally's former President Thabo Mbeki.

Israeli police today shot and killed a Palestinian driver in east Jerusalem after police said he tried to run over several officers. The policemen were guarding the sloughed 18 off home of a gunman who killed three Israelis with a construction vehicle in July. Linda Gradstein reports.

"Police came in force to the east Jerusalem villages of Sur Baher to partially 19 demolish 20 the home of Hussam Dwayat. Police said they could not demolish the entire home fearing that nearby houses would collapse 21 and so sealed off the rest. In July, Dwayat had taken a huge yellow Caterpillar 22 front-loader that he worked with on a construction site and killed three Israelis in Jerusalem. A police spokesman said as they sealed the house, a Palestinian man attempted to run over several policemen who opened fire and shot and killed the driver. Several policemen were slightly wounded in the legs. Clashes broke out after the shooting as angry residents threw stones at police who responded with teargas. For NPR News, I'm Linda Gradstein, in Jerusalem.

Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy who’s currently undergoing treatment for a malignant 23 brain tumor 24 tossed out the first ball at Boston’s Fenway Park today. With fans cheering, Kennedy threw out the ceremonial pitch in the Red Sox home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. The game was to be played yesterday but delayed by weather.