NPR 2010-07-09

The AP is reporting all ten people accused of spying for Russia pleaded guilty in a New York courtroom at this hour. The hearing is expected to spur the largest US-Russian spy swap 1 since the Cold War. Officials tell NPR the ten will be swapped 2 for spies in Russia, including a Russian-born research scientist, who's convicted of spying for the US. He's said to be already in Austria, and the AP is also reporting two administration's sources are now saying Russian government will release four people in the spy swap.

Florida's governor has called a special session of the state legislature to consider putting a proposed constitutional amendment 3 before the voters, banning all offshore 4 drilling in state waters. From Miami, NPR's Greg Allen reports.

The special session would be held later this month and deal with just one issue: whether to put a referendum on the ballot 5 in November, that will prohibit all oil and gas drilling in state waters between three and 11 miles off the Florida coast. Drilling in state waters is already prohibited under Florida law. But before the massive spill in the Gulf 6, Republican leaders in the legislature were moving to lift the ban. Florida Governor Charlie Crist, a former Republican, now running as an independent for the US Senate, says that's why he believes a special session is necessary.

"I know it's already barred statutorily, but I also know that just a year ago they tried to change that statute 7 and drill holes three miles off the coast of Florida."

Republican leaders in the legislature oppose putting the drilling ban on the ballot. So far, Crist hasn't found a sponsor for the amendment in the state House. Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami.

In Afghanistan, two coalition 8 soldiers were killed by insurgents 9. NPR's Quil Lawrence reports an Afghan police official was also assassinated 10 in Kabul.

Gunmen ambushed 11 the Afghan police intelligence chief outside his home in a suburb west of Kabul. Mohammad Gul was in charge of tracking insurgents and preventing bombings in the western half of the capital. His driver also died in the attack. US military sources said that at least one of the two foreign soldiers killed today was American, but offered no other details. June was the deadliest month for international forces in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion, and so far July is keeping the same pace. Officials say the increase is partly due to stepped-up operations against Taliban insurgents across the country. American military officials continue to investigate the circumstances, which led to an airstrike yesterday that accidentally targeted Afghan National Army soldiers in Ghazni province. Quil Lawrence, NPR News, Kabul.

New claims for unemployment benefits dropped sharply last week, down by 21,000 to a seasonally 12 adjusted 454,000. The Labor 13 Department says that's the lowest level since early May.

On Wall Street, the Dow rose more than 1% in late trading today on gains from McDonald's and industrial shares. Just before the close, the Dow was up 92 points at 10,111, the NASDAQ was up by 11 points at 2,171, and the S&P 500 was up seven points at 1,067.

This is NPR News.

The late Senator Robert Byrd's Senate seat can be put on the West Virginia ballot this November. Governor Joe Manchin asks the state attorney general to give a legal opinion on the issue. Manchin says he didn't want voters to have to wait until 2012, when Byrd would have faced reelection. And he says he may run for the seat himself, but he won't let himself be appointed.

The number of high school students who smoke declined in the past decade. But in recent years, it's going down at a slower rate. That's according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NPR's Brenda Wilson has more.

The big drop in the last decade is among high school students who say they've ever tried a cigarette, from 70% to about 60%. But teens who have a cigarette once a month or daily have been slower to give up the habit. For example, a fifth of the teens surveyed by the CDC, who say they smoke once a month, didn't really change. The increase in the once-a-month and daily smoking occurred during the 1990s, at a time the report notes when tobacco companies expanded promotional efforts, offering discount prices, distributing items with product logos and sponsoring musical and sports events. These activities were restricted by laws enacted 14 just last year, but the CDC says they should be combined with prevention strategies, such as mass media campaigns and increased taxes on tobacco. Brenda Wilson, NPR News.

The first red panda cub 15, born at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. in 15 years, has died. Zoo officials say they don't know the cause. The 21-day-old male cub was found yesterday morning. Officials kept a close eye on him because of the heat, but they say the heat didn't kill the animal. They do know there is a 50% mortality rate for red panda cubs