NPR 2011-03-02

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

Senate Democrats 1 are endorsing 2 a two-week spending bill aimed at averting 3 a partial government shutdown on Friday. This is the House near the vote on budget cuts to keep the government operating.

US warships 4 are repositioning closer to Libya. In the event, a humanitarian 5 crisis breaks out amid an uprising against leader Muammar Gaddafi. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before a congressional panel today that civil strife 6 could erupt if Gaddafi refuses to step down.

"In the years ahead, Libya could become a peaceful democracy or it could face protracted 7 civil war, or it could descend 8 into chaos 9. The stakes are high."

Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency's saying that the situation at the Libya-Tunisia border is at a point of crisis. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports more than 140,000 refugees and migrants have fled to Tunisia and Egypt during the last ten days.

UN refugee spokeswoman Melissa Fleming says tens of thousands of people are waiting on the Libyan side of the border with Tunisia; some for as long as three days.

"They are obliged to spend the night outside in the bitter cold without shelter. We are very concerned that a large number of sub-Saharan Africans are not being allowed into Tunisia at this point."

Fleming says she fears racism 10 could be a factor in keeping the African refugees from entering Tunisia. She says it's crucial to move the thousands of refugees away from the overcrowded border to avoid a humanitarian crisis, but transportation is scarce. The UNHCR so far has erected 11 1,500 tents, which can shelter 12,000 people. For NPR News, I'm Lisa Schlein in Geneva.

Sighs of relief in Findlay, Ohio after the Blanchard River crested 12 less than 5.5 feet above flood stage today. Still, parts of the city remain underwater. Macrae Silo co-owns a restaurant in town. She says her business is fine, but attracting customers is a whole of a story.

"We're dry. I mean, there's no reason I can't open. The only other problem is staff getting around town. It's bizarre cuz this town is like, is like little pockets of islands, you know, like you'll be, you know, to take 40 minutes to get to the other side of town cuz you have to reroute and go all around."

A federal investigation 13 of a deadly gas pipeline 14 in San Bruno, California is focusing on why there were no automatic shutoff valves to limit the damage of the explosion last September. More details from NPR's Richard Gonzales.

In hearings before the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, a PG&E official acknowledged writing a memo 15 downplaying the importance of automatic or remote-controlled shutoff valves. The memo says such valves would have little or no impact on increasing human safety or protecting properties. Eight people died in the San Bruno blast, and more than 50 were injured. The hearings are scheduled to run through Thursday. Richard Gonzales, NPR News.

Dow's down 140.

This is NPR.

Fashion house Christian 16 Dior says it is firing its famed designer John Galliano for making racist 17 and anti-Semitic comments. Eleanor Beardsley in Paris reports the designer was already suspended for allegedly insulting a couple in a Paris bar over the weekend.

What transformed the suspension into an outright 18 dismissal is a video that surfaced, showing Galliano using vile 19 language to insult someone. In the video, he also says he likes Hitler, adding, "You people wouldn't be here. Your mothers, your forefathers 20 would all be gassed." The video has shocked the fashion community just as it convenes 21 for a fashion week in Paris. The video surfaced just as Galliano was being questioned by Paris police about an incident over the weekend, where he allegedly hurled 22 racist and anti-Semitic insults at a couple. In a statement, Christian Dior said it had a zero-tolerance policy for racism and anti-Semitism. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

A 30-mile stretch of Florida interstate is open again after closing because of a wildfire. Authorities expected rain today to help crews battle with the brushfire, which has charred 23 more than 10,000 acres in Brevard County. The blaze prompted voluntary evacuations. Two hunting camps and several mobile homes were destroyed.

The head of the Treasury 24 Department is asking Congress to pass legislation within two years to overhaul 25 housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In prepared testimony 26 to the House Financial Services Committee today, Timothy Geithner warned that if Congress doesn't take action, uncertainty 27 in the housing market will grow.

The latest from Wall Street. Dow's down nearly 140 points, more than 1% at 12,087; the NASDAQ is down 47 points at 2,735.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.