NPR 2009-05-15

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

Chrysler wants to get rid of nearly 800 of its dealers 3. The company is asking a bankruptcy 4 judge to approve the move next month. NPR’s Frank Langfitt has more.

To bring its distribution network in line with the shrunken market, Chrysler wants to slash 5 25% of its dealers. Jim Press is Chrysler's vice 6 chairman. He says the decision comes down to supply and demand. “We do not have enough production or sale to keep all of the dealers alive and prosperous and profitable.” Some dealers are expected to try to fight closure in bankruptcy court. James Arrigo is a Dodge 7 dealer 2 in Florida. His business isn’t on the list of those Chrysler wants to shut down, but Arrigo says the company shouldn’t take such a drastic action. Instead, he says Chrysler should continue to encourage voluntary consolidation 8 among dealerships. “Quite frankly 9, I think there was a better way to do this, probably to take a little bit of longer period of time.” A judge is expected to rule on Chrysler’s request in June. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, Washington.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is saying today that while she knew as early as 2003 the government was waterboarding terror suspects and did nothing to stop it. She also said she and other lawmakers were misled by the CIA. At a press conference in Washington, Pelosi said, during a 2002 CIA briefing, she was told explicitly 10 that such techniques were not being used, and only learned months later the waterboarding was being carried out by interrogators. Pelosi said the fact she did not speak out at the time was a result of secrecy 11 rules. Republicans including House minority leader John Boehner meanwhile take exception to Pelosi’s remarks saying they raised questions.

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch says he will veto same-sex marriage measures headed to his desk if lawmakers don’t bolster 12 protection for religious groups or institutions that oppose gay marriage. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Josh Rogers has more.

Governor Lynch’s comments came at a closed-door meeting with reporters. They broke the Democrats’ week-long silence on same-sex marriage, a period in which his office has been deluged 13 with calls from supporters and critics from across the country. Lynch has repeatedly said he believes marriage is between a man and a woman but said today he has responsibility to consider the issue through a broader lens. “We must act to protect both the liberty of same-sex couples and religious liberty  in their current form. I don’t believe these bills accomplish those goals.” The same-sex marriage bills passed by lawmakers here would allow churches to decide whether they conduct religious marriages for same-sex couples. But Governor Lynch says to win his signature, the bills will need clear language to ensure people wouldn’t be forced to violate their religious principles. For NPR News, I’m Josh Rogers in Concord 14, New Hampshire.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 46 points to end the session at 8,331. The NASDAQ was up 25 points, closing at 1,689.  The S&P 500 was up nine points to close at 893 today.

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Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has unveiled a state budget plan. He says it includes a more than 15-billion-dollar shortfall. The governor says he will have to close, that gap has to be closed with deep spending cuts to both health and education programs through the shedding of thousands of jobs. Schwarzenegger also said the state will have to sell a 6-billion-dollar revenue anticipation 15 note to help balance its books. He said the state budget shortfall could reach more than 21 billion dollars if voters reject budget-related ballot 16 measures as part of a special election next week.

Federal investigators 17 say the pilot and co-pilot of a commuter 18 plane that crashed near Buffalo 19 last February may not have realized the plane’s air speed had reached dangerously low levels. 50 people were killed in the accident. NPR’s Brian Naylor reports.

The cockpit voice recorder of the twin-engine plane operated by Colgan Air showed the pilot and the co-pilot chatting as they made their approach to Buffalo Niagara Airport on the night of February 12th. Investigators say the flight crew did not realize the plane was about to enter an aerodynamic stall until a warning system that shakes the pilot’s control stick went off. National Transportation Safety Board member Deborah Hersman said an audible stall warning device might have helped. “I think this crew went from complacency to catastrophe 20 in 30 seconds.” Members of Congress, meanwhile, are urging the FAA to reevaluate pilot training programs in the wake of evidence that a lack of training may have contributed to the crash. Brian Naylor, NPR News, Washington.

Crude oil futures 21 prices ended the session higher today. Crude oil futures rose 60 cents a barrel to close at $58.62 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

I'm Jack Speer, NPR News in Washington.