NPR 2010-07-12

BP says it's making progress today on an undersea operation to install a new containment 1 cap on its blown-out well in the Gulf 2 of Mexico. Yesterday, the company removed a cap as part of a plan to place a tighter-fitting cover over the well that can capture more oil. While the installation process continues, oil is spewing mostly unchecked. Meanwhile, US Attorney General Eric Holder 3 says the Justice Department has started interviewing witnesses as part of its investigation 4 into the spill. NPR's Kathy Lohr reports the government wants to make sure it has information about any company that could be held responsible for the massive spill.

Holder says the Justice Department has asked BP and Transocean, the company that drilled the well, to preserve documents related to the April 20th explosion and to their activities since. In a Sunday television interview on CBS's "Face The Nation", Holder said officials are accumulating documents and talking to witnesses, and he defended his decision to publicly acknowledge the investigation.

"We thought it was appropriate to let the American people know that the federal government was understood what was going on here, and that we were using the full panoply 5 of our powers to open both a criminal investigation and a civil inquiry 6."

Holder says the probe is an effort to make sure no tax dollars pay for the cleanup, and that anyone responsible is held accountable. Kathy Lohr, NPR News, New Orleans.

Also, the Justice Department isn't ruling out a second lawsuit 7, challenging Arizona's immigration law. Holder says if there's evidence racial profiling is at work, it could happen. The Obama administration sued the state last week, saying it's encroaching on federal responsibilities for dealing 8 with immigration. The Arizona law requires police to question a person's immigration status if there's reasonable suspicion the person is in the country illegally.

West Virginia Democratic governor is moving closer to sorting out what to do about the late Robert Byrd's Senate seat. As NPR's Giles Snyder reports Joe Manchin's decision is expected this week, and it's likely to be closely watched by Senate Democrats 9.

Manchin says it's highly likely that he'll run for Byrd's seat. But first he's got to deal with the succession process. There's been a lot of debate over what state law allows. Last week, the state attorney general issued a legal opinion, saying that state law allows Manchin to call for a special election this fall. Others argue that a vote to replace Byrd can't be held earlier than 2012. Now, Manchin's top attorney says he's advised him to put the issue to rest by calling state lawmakers to West Virginia's capital to clarify the process. Senate Democrats are keeping an eye on things. Byrd's death last week at age 92 has complicated their efforts to win final congressional approval of a bill overhauling 10 financial regulations. The bill is a top priority of the Obama administration. Giles Snyder, NPR News, Washington.

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The Voice of Yankee Stadium for more than half a century died today at his home on Long Island. Bob Sheppard started as public address announcer for the team in 1951. His first lineup included Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle 11 and Yogi Berra. Yankee's management is expected to release additional details about Sheppard's passing later today.

It may soon cost money to go to summer school in New Jersey 12. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports the state legislature passed a law, okaying a fee plan for summertime classes. But the governor has yet to sign the bill.

The proposed bill would allow school districts to charge for both remedial and enrichment courses during the summer. Prices would vary, depending on a family's income. But lawmakers say they had no choice but to charge for summer school due to the drastic cuts to the state school districts. Local district officials have been trying to charge for summer school tuition for some time. They say their remedial course programs have been running in the red for years. But an insecure part of the education code did not allow fees charged the district's students. The New Jersey School Boards Association endorsed 13 that fee plan. The governor's office did not return a call seeking comment. But if Governor Christie does sign the bill, the law wouldn't go into effect until next year's summer school session. Carrie Kahn, NPR News.

Photographs on the blogs of a couple of Cuban journalists and a media site show a stooped but smiling Fidel Castro. They're the first to show him in public since he got sick four years ago.

A latest Lundberg Survey finds the average price of a gallon of regular has dropped nearly four cents over the past two weeks. It stands at $2.73 a gallon. The lowest average price among cities surveyed is in Jackson, Mississippi.

Renita Jablonski, NPR News, Washington