NPR 2011-07-26

The Senate will take up a Democratic plan denied to raise the debt limit high enough to get passed next year's election. NPR's David Welna reports House Republicans are proposing a rival plan that would require an increase to the debt ceiling early next year.

Senate Majority Leader Harry 1 Reid says his debt ceiling plan cuts spending by 2.7 trillion dollars over the next decade. Beyond the amount, the debt ceiling would be raised, and it contains no new tax revenues.

"The proposal provides everything the House Republicans have said they needed for an agreement to avert 2 default and cut the deficit 3. I hope my colleagues on the other side will still know a good deal when they see it."

Still, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell backs the six-month debt limit increase proposed by House Speaker John Boehner.

"There's absolutely no economic justification 4 for insisting on a debt limit increase that brings us through the next election."

Congress has little time to reach an agreement before the deadline to raise the debt ceiling next Tuesday. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

President Obama's looking to shore up support among Latinos, some of whom criticized the president for not delivering on certain promises of his last campaign, namely a revamp of immigration laws. Today, Mr. Obama appeared before the Latino civil rights organization, the National Council of La Raza, to reaffirm a pledge.

"I promised you I would work tirelessly to fix our broken immigration system and make the DREAM Act a reality."

Addressing the high number of deportations raising concern in a Latino community, the president said the laws had to be enforced, and he could not change them himself. To that, members of the audience shouted: "Yes, you can! Yes, you can!"

Hundreds of thousands of people reportedly rallied across Norway today to honor the 76 people killed in a bombing and shooting rampage last week. The self-confessed perpetrator, Anders Behring Breivik, pleaded not guilty in court today. One of the revelations in today's hearing in Oslo is that the suspect says he has other members of a terrorist cell ready to launch attacks. Terri Schultz reports on how Norwegian authorities are now dealing 5 with that information.

One of the reasons Anders Behring Breivik wanted an open hearing is so he can get even more publicity 6 for his extreme right-wing views. One of the reasons the judge closed that procedure to the public is because Breivik had been boasting of having collaborators. And just in case he's telling the truth, officials are not going to give him the chance to pass information through the media. They're not revealing any details about what organizations might be involved. Breivik was remanded in solitary 7 confinement 8 for four weeks. He can have no visitors, letters or even news for another four weeks after that. In late September, he'll go back before a judge. Breivik admits the acts but not that they are crimes. For NPR News, I'm Terri Schultz in Oslo.

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was down 88 points at 12,593; NASDAQ was down more than 0.5% or 16 points at 2,843.

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The City of Dallas may be able to boast one more thing—23 days of triple digit 9 temperatures, if that is something to boast about today. The predicted high was 104 degrees. From Dallas, NPR's Wade 10 Goodwyn has this story.

About the only place you want to be in Dallas is in the pool. And if you're wise, you'll jump in the morning hours or the evening when it's still 100 degrees. But the sun has gone down.

"Hey, look!"

While the Northeast has sweltered these last few days, Dallas has laughed. But it’s a bitterer laugh. When the temperature gets back to normal this weekend in New York, it will be back to normal in Dallas too. 104 Monday. Tuesday 105. Wade Goodwyn, NPR News, Dallas.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says he is satisfied with the progress made to stabilize 11 Japan's damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. John Matthews in Tokyo reports on the aftermath of March's deadly earthquake and tsunami 12.

Yukiya Amano, chief of the UN's nuclear watchdog, says Tokyo Electric is well on its way to stabilizing 13 the situation and its nuclear plant on schedule. The Japanese government agrees, saying the melted-down reactors 14 are on track to achieve 'cold shutdown' by January. However, the government warns that a complete cleanup effort could take years. With growing public sentiment in support of waiting Japan for nuclear energy, efforts to restart offline plants and ease fears of power shortages are running into trouble. After two recent shutdowns, only 16 of Japan's 54 atomic reactors are online. For NPR News, I'm John Matthews in Tokyo.

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