NPR 2011-08-16

 President Obama is on an economic bus tour through America's heartland , looking to build support at a time when voters were way down by high unemployment and reports pointing to more trouble ahead for the economy. NPR's Scott Horsley says the president is trying to make headway in Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.

 
At an outdoor town hall meeting in Cannon 1 Falls, Minnesota, Mr Obama says the US remains 2 the envy of the world despite its less x economic record. He argues there's no shortage of debt that government could take to reduce the high unemployment rate. And he complains that part of gridlock in congress is keeping those ideas bottled up.
 
"There's nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed 3. What's broken is our politics".
 
Mr Obama repeated his call for extension of the payroll 4 tax cut, new trade agreements and financing republic works projects. On Tuesday he'll host a forum 5 devoted 6 to rural economic development in Iowa, Scott Horsley , NPR news, travelling with the president.
 
Still no major relief insight for the housing market if today's report is any indication. Home builders remained pessimistic there will be a turnaround. The National Association of Home Builders says its index remains  unchanged on August 15. But chief economist 7 David Crowe says some home builders are finding a couple of areas of opportunity.
 
"A few builders are going into remodeling. That 's one bright spot right now and the multifamily sector 8 and the apartment rental 9 sector is showing a little more light as we get more renters in market place."
 
Any reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment and it has not reached that level since April of 2006. 
 
Flags are flying at half staff in Indiana for the 5 people killed and dozens more injured over the weekend when a stage collapsed 11 at the Indiana State Fair. Today the ground is turned into a memorial gathering 12 attended by victims' families, politicans and first responders. Sarah Wittmeyer reports from member station WFIU that the death toll 13 Saturday could have been higher if not for the many spectators who quickly pitched in the hall.
 
It's been called a fluke but adverse 14 to win that tour staged at Indiana State Fair Saturday left behind a trail of devastation 15 as the stage crashed down. Spectators waiting to see a concert by the country music duo surgerland rushed to lift scafolding off people and helped those who were injured.  Junie Byrd's son Nathan was running the spotlight 16 on the top of the stage. He died in the collapse 10.
 
"Everybody left anything. He was sent by Jesus, whether they are strangers or anybody. And he was a hardworker."
 
The fair was closed Sunday at the respect for the victims but at today's ceremony governor Mitch Daniels said it was important for Hoosiers to get back to the business of living. For NPR news, I'm Sarah Wittmeyer in Bloomington Indiana.
 
This is NPR news.
 
Oil continues to spill into the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. NPR's Philip Reeves reports it's one of largest x in the last decade.
 
Oil's leaking from a flow line to a platform operated by Shell UK just over 100 miles east of the Scottish coast. Shell's not sure how much it has been spilt since the leak began last Wednesday. But it estimated about 1300 barrels. This is small when compared with the Golf of Mexico disaster but say Shell and also Britain's energy department substantial by the standard of operaters in the North Sea. Shell expects the spilt oil to be broken up by wave action before hitting shore. But environmental groups remain worried it will harm wild life at sea. Philip Reeves, NPR news, London.
 
The Associated Press is reporting a theft of thousands of sacks of food aid intended for Somalia's famine victims. It says the UN world food program is investigaing how the food ended up solding in markets. The same neighbourhoods were people dying of hunger. The AP reports said in one of the refugee camps some families alleged 17 food aid will be snatched from them once journalists took their picutres with it. WFP says there's no way that can suspended this operation given the scale and intensity 18 of the famine crisises. UN says more than 3 million Somalis need food aid.
 
Google is acquiring Motorola Mobility 19 giving the internet browsing 20 giant direct control over the maker 21 of many of its Android phones. The 12.5-billion- dollar deal is Google's biggest acquisition yet.
 
Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up more than 200 points nearly 2% at 11,483.