NPR 2009-04-29

More public places are being shut down in Mexico as authorities attempt to stem the spread of swine flu. Officials say as many as 152 people have died, 20 cases have been confirmed to be from the virus. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports from Mexico City.

Officials in Mexico City closed all restaurants in the capital to diners. Patient will only be allowed to carry-out-food. The mayor also ordered all gyms, sports clubs, swimming pools and pool house closed. Hundreds of lawmakers donned surgical 1 masks during a closed-door legislative 2 session. Health workers checked everyone before entering the Mexican Congress and all were asked to wash their hands and put on masks. Schools remain closed and many residents of the city of 20 million people are heeding 3 authority's calls and staying indoors. Mexico City's notorious traffic is extremely light, with few people on the streets. Carrie Kahn NPR News, Mexico City.

Treasury 4 Department is reported to have worked out a tentative deal with Chrysler's biggest secured creditors 5 that could keep the company out of bankruptcy 6. People briefed on the arrangement say that 6. 9 billion secured debt owned by big banks and hedge funds would be cancelled in exchange for 2 billion dollars in cash, meanwhile, the United Auto 7 Workers union under a proposed deal. Union members still have to vote on by tomorrow. It would become the majority stakeholder in Chrysler, owning 55% of the company. The auction 9 includes employee concessions 10 in exchange for company payments to union-aligned retiree Health Care Trust. It has been voted on by the automaker's 26, 800 hourly workers.

Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania stunned 11 Washington today, announcing he would run for re-election next year as a Democrat 12. NPR's Brain Naylor reports.

The 79-year-old Specter, a moderate Republican faced a difficult primary challenge next year from the conservative. He said the decision to switch parties was painful, but that his political prospects 13 as a Republican were bleak 14.

"As the Republican Party has moved farther and farther to the right, I've found myself increasingly at odds 15 with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party."

Specter's switch means Democrats 16 will have a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate if Democrat Al Franken prevails in Minnesota. President Obama was said to be quite pleased with Specter's decision. Brain Naylor, NPR News, Washington.

At a time many companies are cutting their dividends 18, computer giant IBM says it's raising its quarterly payment to shareholders 19 by 10%. Big Blue announced today it will increase its cash dividend 17 by 5 cents to 55 cents. The Armonk, a New York-based company also plans to open 5 new analytic 20 centers this quarter, three in the financial hubs of London, New York and Tokyo. Those three facilities will focus on financial risk.
On Wall Street today, the Dow was down 8 points; the NASDAQ lost 5 points today.

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US Attorney General Eric Holder 8 said he has asked European officials to accept to free Guantanamo Bay detainees. And one minister to meet him in Prague predicted he would get his wish. Holder met with a number of European officials as he seeks to update extradition 21 and legal cooperation treaties as the US prepares to shutter 22 the military detention 23 facility. Currently around 240 inmates 24 are being held in Guantanamo, as many as 60 may not be sent back to their home countries because of concerns they could be mistreated.

A stadium, a hotel and a mountain are among the 11 most endangered historic places announced today by the National Historic Preservation 25 Trust. NPR's Elizabeth Blaire reports.

That's Miami's Marine 26 Stadium, Century Plaza 27 Hotel in Los Angeles and Mount Taylor in New Mexico. The Preservation Trust comes out with the list every year to bring national attention to historically and culturally significant sites it believes it faces serious threats. There is Lana'i, the small secluded 28 Hawaiian island, where in the early 1920s, James Dole 29 developed a vast pineapple plantation 30. According to the Preservation Trust, Lana'i made the endangered list because its private owners planned to demolish 31 historic buildings to make way for large scale development. There are now a total of 211 sites on the endangered list. The Preservation Trust says that only six have been lost, but many others still need protection. Elizabeth Blaire, NPR News.

US Senate today has confirmed Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius as Health Secretary, filling a crucial spot in President Barack Obama's cabinet amid growing fears of a possible swine flu outbreak. Senate gave majority support to Sebelius, brushing back Republican opposition 32.