NPR 2009-03-01

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Barbara Klein.

President Obama is defending his 3.6-trillion-dollar budget proposal. In his Saturday address, the President said he expects resistance to the enormous spending proposal and he's ready to fight for it. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

President Obama said the spending plan he sent to Congress this week reflects the priorities of the voters he met on the campaign trail. But he acknowledged not everyone shares those priorities. Mr. Obama said while opponents are gearing up for a battle over the budget, he is too. "I didn't come here to do the same thing we've been doing or to take small steps forward. I came to provide the sweeping 1 change that this country demanded when it went to the polls in November. That is the change this budget starts to make, and that is the change I'll be fighting for in the weeks ahead." The President's plan to finance some initiatives with higher taxes on wealthy Americans and new fees on greenhouse gases has already run into criticism from Congressional Republicans. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

Some charitable organizations say they’ll be hurt by Mr. Obama's budget plan. Larry Kopp, president of a consulting group for non-profits says the proposed budget would decrease the amount of charitable donations people can deduct 2 from their taxes. "There's no question that the tax code is going to affect large-scale, you know what they call high net worth individuals and their willingness to donate to nonprofit and charitable organization." Kopp also says demand is up during this economic crisis and donations are down.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki today said he welcomes President Obama's plan to withdraw US combat forces by August of 2010. Maliki said Iraq's military has proven its ability to assume security responsibility when American troops leave.

Authorities in Iran have arrested and detained an American freelance reporter.  Roxana Saberi has reported for NPR, the BBC and other news organizations. The 31-year-old moved to Iran six years ago. NPR's Kate Davidson has more.

Roxana Saberi was arrested in Teheran almost a month ago. Her father Reza Saberi is originally from Iran. In an interview to air Sunday morning on weekend edition, he described the last time he heard his daughter's voice. "It was February 10, when she called from an unknown place and said that she has been kept in detention 3." The family says it still doesn't know where Saberi is being held or what the charges are. They've stayed quiet until now in hope she would be released. Iranian officials revoked 4 Saberi's press credentials 5 more than a year ago, but she continued to report. In December, the Committee to Protect Journalists called Iran the “sixth leading jailer of journalists.” The group's website said that more than 30 journalists were investigated or detained in Iran last year. Kate Davidson, NPR News, Washington.

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California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency because of a prolonged drought. The declaration calls for water rationing 6 and conservation in urban areas and could redirect water to farms. Still many farmers say it could be too late for this year's harvest. Meanwhile, in an effort to jump-start California's deeply depressed 7 real estate market, Schwarzenegger is offering a hefty tax break to first-time homebuyers. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates has more.

In his weekly Saturday address, the governor acknowledged the alarming condition of California real estate.

"In some neighborhoods, rows and rows of homes sit vacant. New developments have been halted in their tracks." And Schwarzenegger says it's not just new construction is hurting. "1.6 million jobs in California rely on building, buying, remodeling and furnishing homes. Getting our housing industry moving again is one of the best things that we can do to protect and create jobs." Hoping to do that, the governor is offering first-time homebuyers a $10,000 tax credit if they buy a home between March 1st, 2009 and March 1st, 2010. The offer has a 100-million-dollar cap the governor warned, so early buyers will have first shot at the one time fund. Karen Grigsby Bates, NPR News.

Business tycoon 8 Warren Buffett, considered one of the nation's most astute 9 investors 10, announced in an annual report today that his company has just had its worst year. In a letter to stockholders of Berkshire Hathaway Corporation, Buffett said 2009 will also be a difficult year. But he also told investors that the US economy will be fine in the long run.