NPR 2009-03-10

President Barack Obama today moved to officially lift the Bush administration's restrictions 1 on human embryonic 2 stem cell research. The move reverses a 2001 directive from Mr. Obama's predecessor 3 in the White House. At a signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House, the President said today medical miracles do not simply happen by accident. "Promoting science isn't just about providing resources, it's also about protecting free and open inquiry 4. It is about letting scientists like those who are here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion 5, and listening to what they tell us." Under the previous rules, stem cell research was limited to the 21 stem cell lines produced before 2001. The president in an effort to address critics of such research said that the order will not open the door to human cloning which he called “profoundly wrong” and he promised strict guidelines regarding the use of embryonic stem cells.

 Georgia's Republican Governor Sonny Perdue, meanwhile, has opposed to such a stem cell research and a Republican-controlled legislature there is moving toward restrictions. From Georgia Public Broadcasting in Atlanta, Susanna Capelouto reports.

 State lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it illegal to create and use Georgia embryos 8 for any reason other than fertilization. Scientists could still bring them in from other states. Georgia's Republican Governor Sonny Perdue says he does not agree with President Obama's move to lift a ban on funding stem cell research. "As a veterinarian, I am a scientist, but I believe that we can cure the major diseases through basic science research without sacrificing our grown embryos." Officials with the university system worry that if passed, the measure could limit research. They say it could also hurt Georgia’s strength in the bio-science industry. In May, the state will host the 2009 Bio International Conference. For NPR News, I'm Susanna Capelouto in Atlanta.

Drug makers 7 Merck and Schering-Plow have announced a multi-billion dollar merger 9. Doug Doyle with member station WBGO reports.

 It's a deal that gives the New Jersey 10 pharmaceutical 11 companies more firepower to compete in a drug industry facing stiff competition and intense cost pressures. Today's deal would bring together the maker 6 of asthma 12 drug Singulair with the maker of allergy 13 medicine Nasonex. The latest merger comes only a few weeks after Pfizer announced it had agreed to pay 68 billion dollars for Wyeth. Big companies are struggling because of the slumping 14 sales as blockbuster drugs of the 90s are losing patent protection. Merck's top executive, Chairman and CEO Richard Clark will lead the combined company. As a result, Schering-Plow will be the surviving corporation but will take the name Merck. For NPR News, I'm Doug Doyle in Newark.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 79 points to end the session at 6,547, declines beat advances by about a 2-to-1 margin 15. The NASDAQ was down 25 points today. The Standard & Poor's 500 dropped nearly 7 points.

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Bolivia's president today announced the expulsion of another US diplomat 16. President Evo Morales is alleging 17 the second secretary at the U. S. Embassy in La Paz conspired 18 with opposition 19 groups. Francisco Martinez is a career diplomat. Last week Morales publicly accused Martinez of involvement with a Bolivian police officer he said infiltrated 20 the country’s scandal-plagued state oil company on behalf of the CIA. The US government called the accusation 21 unfounded. In September, Morales expelled U. S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg accusing him of inciting 22 political opposition.

 Mass transit 23 was more popular in the US last year. Ridership was up 4% over 2007, but the reasons are unclear. NPR's Dave Mattingly has more.

 The figures come from the American Public Transportation Association. It says ridership on buses, subways and commuter 25 rail in 2008 was the highest since 1956, nearly 11 billion trips on mass transit. But there is disagreement on why. Some believe it reflects a shift in the country's travel habits; others argue it's temporary that the weak US economy and higher gasoline prices prompted more people to leave their cars behind and take the bus, subway or train. Gas prices peaked at more than 4 dollars a gallon nationwide last July before plunging 26 to less than 2 dollars on average. Dave Mattingly, NPR News, Washington.

 Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez underwent arthroscopic surgery today to repair a tear in his right hip 24. The doctor who performed a one hour and twenty minute procedure at Vail Valley Surgical 27 Center in Colorado says the surgery went as planned. Yankees general manager says he expects Rodriguez to be back on the field again some time in May.