NPR 2010-06-15

President Obama’s back on the frontlines of the oil spill; this time it's Alabama. He's in Theodore, one of the Gulf 1 Coast's largest staging areas to stockpile and ship out supplies.

"We are minimizing the short-term impacts, and we're making sure that we've got the resources to fully 2 recover."

The president speaking to reporters after getting a status report on the spill now estimated to be more than two million barrels since April. The public is expected to get a progress report from the president when he delivers his speech from the Oval Office tomorrow.

A different kind of disaster's unfolding in other parts of the South. The death toll 3 from Friday's flash floods in Langley, Arkansas is now up to 20. It was uncertain earlier. The latest victim was one reported missing since last week. Captain Mike Quesinberry says rescuers are still looking.

"There's still folks in the woods. They're still doing the things just in case there's someone else out there."

In parts of Oklahoma City, people are waiting through waist-deep water while others have to swim from one tree branch to the next to get to land. Flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall today. The latest from Michael Cross of member station KOSU.

The people of central Oklahoma awoke Monday morning to ten inches of rain in about six hours, which resulted in impassable roads and damage to some homes and businesses. Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett says the metro 4 area isn't prone 5 to flooding, but it's impossible to stop with the amount which fell in such a short time.

"We can handle ten inches of rain but not when it falls in a six-hour period. You need that ten inches spread out over a day or maybe two days, and it would be fine, but when you get that flow at that point, you know, your infrastructure 6 just can't handle it."

And more rain is expected, and Mayor Cornett says he hopes it will be more sporadic 7 to keep the rivers from overflowing 8. The city's airport has remained open, but some flights were canceled. For NPR News, I'm Michael Cross in Oklahoma City.

Israel is setting up an independent commission to investigate the recent raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. As Dan Karpenchuk tells us, Canada's former top military lawyer has been asked to help.

Canada's former Judge Advocate General Ken 9 Watkin will be one of two foreign observers for the proposed inquiry 10. Watkin served as a Canadian forces legal officer for more than 25 years. He's been involving several probes arising from the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. He was also a legal adviser 11 to an inquiry into the brutal 12 killing 13 of a teenager at the hands of Canadian soldiers in Somalia in 1993. In Ottawa, the foreign affairs minister, Lawrence Cannon 14, welcomed Israel's decision to set up an independent commission, adding that Watkin is particularly well-suited to take part. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

Wall Street's losing sight of gains. At last check, the Dow was down 20 points at 10,191. NASDAQ Composite Index unchanged, settling at 2,244.

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A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that eating brown rice can substantially reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes 15. NPR's Alix Spiegel has details.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health studied rice consumption in more than 150,000 women and about 40,000 men. They found that people who ate brown rice instead of white rice were at much lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The researchers estimate that by replacing even 50 grams of white rice with the same amount of brown rice per week, you can reduce the risk by about 16%. Other whole grains can have an even more powerful effect. Replace 50 grams of white rice with barley 16, for instance, and the risk falls 36%. The authors write that the average American already consumes more than 20 pounds of rice a year, and that rice consumption in America is steadily 17 increasing. Alix Spiegel, NPR News, Washington.

Spirit Airlines has canceled flights through Wednesday because of a pilot strike. Spirit aircraft have not flown since pilots walked out on Saturday because of a pay dispute. At one time, the airline had hoped to keep flying through the strike. Pilot union leader Sean Creed 18 says no new talks are planned as of Monday. Meanwhile, thousands of airline passengers have been stranded 19.

Senate Democrats 20 want BP to set aside $20 billion in an escrow account to pay for damages from a leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico. Lawmakers have given BP CEO Tony Hayward until Friday to respond.

Last check on Wall Street, Dow's now down 21 at 10,191. NASDAQ unchanged, 2,244.

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