NPR 2009-06-03

Brazilian officials are confirming that floating debris 1 spotted 2 earlier today in the water including what they say appears to be an airplane seat and an orange buoy 3 are from missing Air France jetliner. Brazil's defense 4 minister says a search plane today found a three-mile-long band of wreckage 5 floating in the Atlantic. The plane with 228 people aboard including two Americans went missing Sunday. It's believed the aircraft ran into a wall of thunderstorms. US military was joining in the search for signs of the plane which disappeared off the coast of Brazil on Sunday. According to the US Southern Command, a navy reconnaissance plane is taking off to help Brazilian military pilots in their search.

Supreme 6 Court nominee 7 Sonia Sotomayor sped through a series of private meetings today on Capitol Hill with key Democratic and Republican senators. One issue the senators are still debating is how soon to begin formal confirmation 8 hearings. More from NPR's David Welna.

President Obama wants the Senate's consideration of Judge Sotomayor finished by early August. But after meeting with her, Jeff Sessions, the Judiciary Committee's top Republican asked why the rush.

"I am not prepared to say that we can get it done before August, and so I will be meeting with Senator Leahy tomorrow. He's been, er, very open about talking about it, now I look forward to talking with him. But there is quite a record here." 

Sessions pointed 9 to the need to review more than 3,600 court cases Sotomayor's taken part in during 17 years on the federal bench as well as an unknown number of her unpublished opinions. Senate majority leader Harry 10 Reid who also met with the judge said he too thought setting arbitrary deadlines for her confirmation could end up causing problems. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

President Obama leaves tonight on a trip he hopes to use to redefine the US relationship with the Muslim world. NPR's Michele Kelemen has details.

President Obama begins this trip in Saudi Arabia where he is to meet King Abdullah to talk about energy, the Arabic-Israeli conflict and Iran, but the highlight is likely to be the second stop, Egypt, where he will make a much anticipated speech. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said it will be about resetting 11 relations with the Muslim world.

“We don't expect that everything will change after one speech. I think it will take a sustained effort, and that's what the president is in for.”

President Obama has been promising 12 the speech ever since the campaign and expectations are high that he'll offer some concrete ways to promote Middle East peace. Analysts 13 say his choice of Cairo also puts pressure on the president to address concerns about human rights and democracy. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

A closely watched pending 14 home sales number for the month of April took a big bump-up, giving some reason for optimism: perhaps things in the housing market are turning around.  Index from the National Association of Realtors was up 6.7%, the biggest rise in almost eight years.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 19 points. The NASDAQ was up eight points.

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A man who has been identified as a Muslim convert has pleaded guilty in the shooting death of an army private at an Arkansas military recruiting center. Official say Abdul Hakim Muhammad has been ordered held without bail 15 after he entered the plea in connection with the shooting death of Private William Long and the wounding of a second man. The incident took place yesterday at a military recruiting center in Little Rock. Law enforcement officials say an FBI-led terrorism task force had been investigating Muhammad since his return to the US from Yemen. No decision has yet been made on whether to file federal charges in the case.

South Korean media are reporting that North Korea is pushing ahead to test fire  more missiles while its leader reportedly anointed his youngest son as heir to the country's 24 million people. From Seoul, Doualy Xaykaotha has more.

The Yonhap news agency and two major South Korean newspapers are reporting that North Korea's leader has chosen Kim Jong Un as the country's next leader. Scott Snyder with the Center for US-Korea Policy said the third son is designated.

"But at the same time, there is a structure that has been affirmed in the National Defense Commission that appears to be really playing a leading role and maybe what could be called a kind of collective leadership.”

He was speaking at a forum 16 in Seoul on US and South Korean relations. Reportedly, Pyongyang is already calling the son "Commander Kim" in a new song lauding 17 the 26-year-old. For NPR News, I'm Doualy Xaykaotha in Seoul.

Crude oil futures 18 prices, after a recent strong run-up, settle back down somewhat today. Crude oil futures for July delivery closed down three cents a barrel to end the session at 68.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

I'm Jack 19 Speer, NPR News in Washington.