NPR 2011-05-16

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jim Howard.

At least 13 people are dead in anti-Israeli protests along the Lebanese and Syrian borders and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The violence comes on a day called Nakba, the annual observation of the day Israel was created in 1948. From Beirut, the BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones has this report.

Protest organizers hope that the demonstrations 1 that have occurred throughout the Arab world in the last few months would encourage a big turnout on this Nakba Day. And they were not disappointed. Tens of thousands of Palestinians and their supporters from both Lebanon and Syria marched to the border fence. In Lebanon, several hundred people reached the fence and threw stones over it. The protesters were chanting "We will return to Palestine." In Syria, some people breached 2 the fence and crossed over into the occupied Golan Heights. The Israelis responded by firing at the protesters in both locations.

The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones reporting from Beirut.

Senator John Kerry arrives in Islamabad today en route from Kabul, where he said relations with Pakistan are at a critical moment following the killing 3 of Osama bin 4 Laden 5 at a secret compound in Pakistan. From Islamabad, NPR's Julie McCarthy reports that tensions are at an all-time high as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman sits down for what are expected to be tough meetings with the Pakistanis.

Senator Kerry arrives as the anti-American rhetoric 6 becomes more bellicose 7. A marathon debate in parliament on the feelings of Pakistan's discredited 8 military and intelligence agency, the ISI, ended Saturday with the country's lawmakers condemning 9 the United States. They unanimously denounced US drone strikes as a violation 10 of sovereignty equivalent to the US raid on bin Laden's compound. The ISI chief denied intentional 11 negligence 12 in not detecting bin Laden. Pakistan's role in identifying other high-valued terror suspects in Pakistan is expected to be high on Senator Kerry's agenda. The go-between for the Obama administration is well liked here, but Kerry is also reported to be bringing a stern message from Washington. Julie McCarthy, NPR News, Islamabad.

At least four of the massive floodgates of the Morganza Spillway in Louisiana are now open, sending floodwaters in the direction of smaller communities instead of the state's two larger cities. National Guard Colonel Daniel Bordelon says these are tough times for residents in the path of the planned flooding.

"It's a very stressful situation for them, but surprisingly, we've had no incidents of any kind, any kind of problem. Everyone's been orderly, stressed, maybe a little sad, but they're, they're really helping 13 themselves and allowing us to help them too."

Residents in communities along the levees of the spillway have been packing up their belongings 14 and moving out of the area after days of warnings from officials.

Political posturing 15 is beginning in earnest over the federal debt limit. House Speaker John Boehner says there's no reason for negotiators to wait until the eleventh hour to reach an agreement. He says he's ready to cut a deal now. What he's looking for is an exchange to lower the federal spending by the amount the debt limit has increased.

This is NPR News.

The head of the International Monetary 16 Fund is pleading not guilty, according to his attorney, to charges that he sexually assaulted a hotel maid in New York. Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested yesterday and removed from an Air France flight moments before it was set to leave New York.

NASA will try again to launch space shuttle Endeavour tomorrow morning. The mission is Endeavour's last and the second-to-last for NASA's shuttle fleet. NPR's Richard Harris has details of Endeavour's mission.

Endeavour's six-person-crew is planning to bring a physics experiment and other gear up to the International Space Station. The mission is supposed to last for 16 days, and it includes four spacewalks. It's garnered 17 extra attention in part because it's slated 18 to be the second-to-last shuttle launch ever and partly because shuttle commander Mark Kelly is married to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was gravely wounded during a shooting in Arizona. The mission has been delayed because of mechanical problems, but assuming it goes up as planned, the next and final shuttle launch should be good to go in early- to mid-July. Richard Harris, NPR News.

President Obama is set to deliver the high school commencement speech at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, Tennessee tomorrow. Students at the school live with high crime, intense poverty and broken families. The school's principal says the president's visit validates 19 the hard work of the school's students.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he knows what he wants and he knows what he doesn't want. He says he's serious about his campaign for president. Appearing on NBC, the Georgian Republican says he has no interest in being anyone's vice 20 presidential pick.

Wisconsin Republican Representative Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, says he is considering a run for the US Senate. Appearing on CNN, Ryan says he could make his decision known this week.

I'm Jim Howard, NPR News from Washington.