NPR 2010-08-05

Opponents of California's ban on gay marriage are celebrating a federal judge's decision to overturn the law. Mary Bernardo is an attorney with Massachusetts-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders 1 who says the argument against same-sex marriage is weak.

"And I hope that will give people a chance to think the issue anew and talk to people in their own communities, talk to the gay or lesbian people they know, their friends or their relatives and reconsider the issue."

But US District Court Judge Von Walker says he'll hold off suspending the ban, pending 2 appeal until after he gets written arguments from both sides.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is summoning members back to Washington for a special session during their summer recess 3 to vote on a bill to avert 4 widespread teacher layoffs 5. NPR's David Welna says Republicans are no longer blocking the bill.

Senate Democrats 6 managed to break a GOP filibuster 7 of the bill sending $10 billion to hard-strapped states to avert teacher layoffs and another $16 billion to help with Medicaid payments. Two Republicans also voted to end the filibuster. One of them was Maine's Olympia Snow who said the Senate can't pass the bill alone.

"If it is an emergency—as the majority has indicated—then I suggest they as well, recall the House of Representatives come back and take it out."

Hours later, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent out a Twit, announcing she will be calling the House back into session early next week to, in her words, save teachers' jobs. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

Elena Kagan appears certain to win confirmation 9 to become the next US Supreme 10 Court justice. The full Senate is set to vote on her nomination 11 tomorrow. Many Republicans call her 'too liberal' and 'an activist 12', but five Republicans have joined almost all Democrats and two independents in saying publicly they will support her.

The government says most of the four million barrels of oil that spilled into the Gulf 13 of Mexico has been collected or dispersed 14. But as Eileen Fleming of member station WWNO in New Orleans reports, a government report also indicates that the effects on wildlife will likely be felt for years.

The report by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric 15 Administration says about a quarter of the oil that spilled remains 16 in the Gulf. NOAA Administrator 17 Jane Lubchenco says most of dissolved naturally or with the use of chemical dispersants.

"We have no evidence that there is any oil that is sitting on the bottom or sinking down to the bottom, but oil that did not rise to the surface, that was not light enough to make it to the surface. It's the oil that has been dispersed either naturally or chemically."

Lubchenco says the oil spill has affected 18 wildlife. She says blue-fin tuna, for instance, are in their spawning 19 season. She says eggs exposed to oil would probably have died. Testing continues for a large amount of oil that may be floating under the surface. For NPR News, I'm Eileen Fleming in New Orleans.

This is NPR News.

A 26-year-old Chicago man is facing charges of plotting to go to Somalia to aid a group linked to al-Qaeda. Federal prosecutors 20 say Shaker Masri told an FBI informant that he wanted to become a suicide bomber 21, and that he needed help buying weapons abroad. Masri was arrested last night, hours before he planned to take a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles.

A judge in Ontario, Canada's refusing a US extradition 22 request and ordered the release of a man held there since 2005 on terror charges. The judge says Abdullah Khadr's rights were violated after Pakistani intelligence officials arrested him in 2004.

Forty of the nation's wealthiest individuals and families say they plan to donate at least half of their wealth to charity either during their lifetime or after their deaths. NPR's Pam Fessler says the group of billionaires hopes the public pledge will inspire others.

The billionaires made the pledge at the prodding 23 of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, who'd already decided 24 to give most of their money to charity. The list also includes T. Boone Pickens, Michael Bloomberg, Ted 8 Turner, George Lucas and some lesser 25 known billionaires. Buffett says he expects others to sign on in the coming months.

"So it will be more philanthropy, and smarter philanthropy in the future is the goal."

Several of the billionaires said in statements that they'd been lucky in life and wanted to help others, although (it) could be decades before some of the money actually reaches a charity. Still, non-profit experts are encouraged. They say having such a high-profile group making such a prominent pledge could get other people to think more about giving up some of their wealth for a good cause. Pam Fessler, NPR News, Washington.

US investors 26 were encouraged by news that 42,000 jobs were added last month. The Dow gained 44 points.

I'm Shay Stevens, NPR News from Washington.