NPR 2011-09-24

 Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has applied for full membership of the United Nations, winning broad applause in the halls of the General Assembly today. Israel's prime minister, though, says that's not the way to peace, as NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

 
Abbas proudly held up his letter asking for UN membership, even though the US has threatened to veto and Israel says it's just an attempt to avoid peace negotiations. Speaking through an interpreter, Abbas told the world body years of peace talks have failed to bring Palestinians closer to anti-Israel's occupation.
 
"This is a moment of truth. Our people are waiting to hear the answer of the world. Will it allow Israel to continue the last occupation in the world?"
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired back, pointing out that Israel did pull out of Gaza and now faces missile attacks from the militant group Hamas. He called on Palestinians to negotiate for their state and recognize Israel’s security needs. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, the United Nations.
 
Top executives from a California company at the center of the debate over the Obama administration's push to create green jobs have declined to testify before Congress. Lawmakers are investigating the more than a half-million-dollar loan the now-bankrupt solar energy company Solyndra received. NPR's Giles Snyder reports the two Solyndra executives invoked their Fifth Amendment rights.
 
Lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee didn’t give much information out of Solyndra CEO Brian Harrison.
 
"I have been advised by my council that it's the better course for me to assert my constitutional right to decline to answer questions under the Fifth Amendment."
 
The company's Chief Financial Officer Bill Stover also declined to testify much to the frustration of lawmakers from both parties. Lawmakers are looking into whether the Obama administration may have violated the law when Solyndra's loan was restructured back in February. Giles Snyder, NPR News, Washington.
 
President Obama’s working to undo parts of No Child Left Behind, the law considered a signature legacy of President George W. Bush's administration. Mr. Obama has announced a plan that would allow states to do away with the approaching 2014 deadline for states to show all children are proficient in reading and math provided the states meet certain conditions also aimed at better preparing students for the world post-graduation.
 
"We can't let another generation of young people fall behind because we didn't have the courage to recognize what doesn't work, admit it and replace it with something that does."
 
The president took aim at Congress, saying he’s stepping in only because lawmakers have not worked hard enough to improve the law which had passed with strong bipartisan backing. Today criticism of President Obama's plan was coming from both Republicans and Democrats.
 
Before the close on Wall Street, Dow was up 37 points at 10,771. 
 
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Actress, singer, songwriter Vesta Williams has been found dead of unknown causes. NPR's Allison Keyes tells us she was best-known for her powerful vocals and a string of R&B hits in the 1980s.
 
The singer known simply as Vesta had one warper of a voice. (Imagination. I thought it would have been real…) She had her biggest hit with 1989's "Congratulations." The Ohio-born entertainer was found dead Thursday night at an El Segundo, California hotel room. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office says prescription drug bottles were found in the room. But there were no signs of foul play. Vesta worked with musicians ranging from Sting to Chaka Khan, appeared in the 1993 film "Posse" and played Jackée Harry's best friend in the sitcom "Sister Sister." Vesta Williams was 53 years old. Allison Keyes, NPR News.
 
Italy's appeals trial of American Amanda Knox is in closing arguments, with the former student hoping overview of DNA evidence will help overturn her murder conviction. Knox and her former boyfriend were serving 26 years and 25 years in jail respectively for the 2007 death of Knox's roommate Meredith Kercher. The prosecution is expected to wrap up its arguments tomorrow.
 
The Vatican says Pope Benedict’s been deeply shaken by the suffering of clerical sexual abuse survivors with whom he met today in Germany. His meeting was part of a four-day tour that the Vatican hopes will help restore people's faith in the Catholic Church in Germany.
 
I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.