NPR 2008-06-28

The US government will pay nearly six million dollars to settle a lawsuit 1 related to the FBI's investigation 2 of  the anthrax attacks of 2001. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports.

The settlement ends a four-year case brought by bioweapons expert Steven Hatfill. The FBI described  Hatfill as a person of interest in its investigation after searches of his house appeared on television and his name appeared in the press. Hatfill accused government officials of intentionally 3 leaking information about him. The case eventually involved journalists who were asked to reveal their sources. The government is not admitting any wrongdoing in the settlement. The Justice Department says the government remains 4 resolute 5 in its investigation into the anthrax attacks, which killed five people. Hatfill said he had nothing to do with the attacks and the publicity  made it impossible for him to get a job. The government will pay 2.8 million dollars up front and an additional three million over 20 years. David Kestenbaum, NPR News.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama appeared together in the small town of Unity 6, New Hampshire today, apparently 7 hoping to put some of the bitterness and rancor 8 from the campaign behind them. Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee 9, said the next chapter for the party should be about defeating Republican John McCain. "Today, I could not be happier and more honored and more moved that we are sharing the stage as allies to bring about the fundamental changes that this country so desperately 10 needs." Hillary Clinton urged her supporters to support Obama in his race for the White House. Obama praised both Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, as allies and pillars of the Democratic Party.

A day after the historic Supreme 11 Court decision overturning Washington DC's ban on handguns, the National Rifle   Association announced today it's suing the City of San Francisco, seeking to overturn that city's handgun ban in public housing. The NRA has also filed suit in Chicago, challenging a similar gun ban to Washington's of several other suits, challenging similar laws in nearby suburbs. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision yesterday, struck down DC's gun ban, maintaining it violated an individual's constitutional right to bear arms.

Consumer spending shot up last month as Americans started cashing in their economic stimulus 12 checks. NPR's Dave Peninally reports.

The Commerce Department reports today that after-tax incomes rose by 5.7% in May, that's the largest rise in disposable incomes in 33 years. The figures represent the spending of  more than 48 billion dollars in stimulus checks that went out. The result was an eight-tenths of one percent surge in consumer spending, the biggest gain since last November. The rebates 13 are going to 130 million households in the administration's hope that the stimulus checks would help offset 14 the weak economy. But some economists 15 are concerned that the infusion 16 of cash will only be temporary, increasing the risk that the economy would fall into a deep recession. Dave Peninally, NPR News, Washington.

Another down day on Wall Street: the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 106 points today.

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Zimbabwe's opposition 17 leader Morgan Tsvangirai is saying he believes negotiations 18 are still possible with his rival, President Robert Mugabe, though he said that has been complicated by, what he termed, " an illegitimate election". Tsvangirai made his comments in the capital of Harare as voting took place in a presidential run-off with essentially 19 just one candidate taking part--- President Mugabe. Tsvangirai is boycotting 20 the run-off election against Mugabe because of state-sponsored violence. Many Zimbabweans also boycotted 21 the election which has been denounced as a sham 22 by leaders in the West.

A week after two Bear Stearns hedge fund managers were arrested for allegedly misleading investors 23, prosecutors 24 are looking to add to the original charges. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports.

Officials close to the investigation told NPR that federal prosecutors could file additional indictments 25 against Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin  as early as next week. Investigators 26 have been speaking to Barclays  Bank, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America, among others, to find evidence of whether Cioffi and Tannin  misrepresented their funds' prospects 27 in order to get financing. Bank of America guaranteed some of the debt in the fund in the spring of 2007, just as the mortgage market started to go south. Cioffi and Tannin pleaded not guilty last week to charges they deceived investors. Prosecutors say they painted a  rosy 28 picture of their funds' prospects while privately 29 thinking the funds were going to collapse 30. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

Senate has chosen banker Elizabeth Duke to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve today, breaking what has been months of political deadlock 31 over vacancies 32 on the Board of Governors. Senate today also approved the nomination 33 of former Congressional Budget Office Deputy Director Donald Marron to be a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers 34.