NPR 2011-04-08

Scathing 1 criticism today from Congress's Republican leadership as the White House stands firmly opposed to the latest stopgap measure to pass the GOP-led House today. House Republican Leader Eric Cantor argues GOP's been blocked at every turn in its attempts to avert 2 a partial government shutdown this weekend.

"Let's be real. The adult thing to do here is to keep the government functioning. It is to pay our troops, and it is to get Americans back to work."

NPR's Audie Cornish gives us a closer look at this controversial bill that passed the House today.

This stopgap bill was approved on a House vote of 247-181. It would fund federal agencies for another week. It would fully 3 fund defense 4 operations and ensure that American troops would be paid in the event of a government shutdown. But it also proposes another $12 billion in spending cuts and controversial policy provisions related to abortion 5 and other matters. Senate Majority Leader Harry 6 Reid said he wouldn't pass it.

"It's a nonstarter over here, Mr. President. Doing that is a sure way to close the government. There are no more short-term extensions."

And the president has vowed 7 to veto it. Negotiations 8 on a long-term spending measure to cover the rest of the fiscal 9 year continue. Audie Cornish, NPR News, the Capitol.

Prosecutors 11 in Barry Bonds perjury 12 trial are finished making their closing arguments against the former baseball player, who holds the game's home run record. NPR's Richard Gonzales reports prosecutors argue Bonds flat out lied in saying he didn't knowingly take steroids.

The main point of the prosecution 13 summary is that it's implausible for Bonds to have been injected with steroids because there are records show that he hadn't in the system. It's implausible that he'd been injected with steroids and not knowing it. And the government is alleging 14 that he knew he was getting steroids, and that he lied about it. And he lied about it because he wanted to salvage 15 his career.

NPR's Richard Gonzales in San Francisco.

A couple of upbeat economic reports are out with evidence that more people are spending for the spring as fewer Americans put in for unemployment. More details from NPR's Tamara Keith.

The number of people making first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell again last week to 382,000. Economists 16 say applications in the 375,000 range are a sign of sustained hiring, and it could be that improving jobs picture is helping 17 retailers 19. Wholesale 20 club Casco posted a 13% rise in same-store sales in March, much better than analysts 21 had been expecting. Analysts have been warning March retail 18 sales could be anemic. It will still be some time before we know exactly how sales for the month turned out. Government data are due next week. Tamara Keith, NPR News, Washington.

US stocks losing ground before the close, Dow was down 17 at 12,409, and NASDAQ was off four at 2,796.

This is NPR.

Northern Japan is reeling from a powerful aftershock nearly a month after suffering a devastating 22 9.0 earthquake. This latest quake measured at least 7.1, but no major injuries or damage were reported.

Six Kenyan leaders accused of committing war crimes in post-election violence are making preliminary appearances in The Hague to hear the charges against them. Teri Schultz reports on the International Criminal Court's first steps to bring justice in a case the Kenyan government itself is fighting.

The Kenyan government tried to stop prosecution by The Hague Tribunal, saying it would try the six suspects itself. But with no progress in Nairobi towards setting up such a court, the ICC was authorized 23 to take over the case against the prominent Kenyans, who include former government ministers, a police chief and a radio broadcaster. They are accused of orchestrating crimes against humanity, including murder, rape 24 and persecution 25, causing many deaths and the displacement 26 of hundreds of thousands of people in the violent aftermath of disputed 2007 elections. Judges will decide September 1st whether to hold a trial. ICC Chief Prosecutor 10 Luis Moreno-Ocampo says the message he wants to send is that one cannot commit atrocities 27 to gain or retain power, not in Kenya, not in Libya, and not in the rest of the world. For NPR News, I'm Teri Schultz in Brussels.

Responding to today's attack from Gaza, the Israeli prime minister says he won't "shy away from taking all necessary action, offensive and defensive 28, to protect Israeli citizens." Banjamin Netanyahu is condemning 29 a Palestinian missile strike on a school bus in southern Israel. At least two people were hurt, including a minor 30. Israeli forces fired back. Palestinian medics say one man was killed and several people, including a child, were wounded.