NPR 2009-6-28

NATO and Russia are resuming formal military cooperation on a range of security threats. John Psaropoulos has the story from Athens.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop 1 Scheffer said that NATO and Russia have restarted military-to-military contacts in an effort to address pressing security concerns. Those contacts have been frozen since last August when Russian troops occupied a part of the Republic of Georgia. But Russian and NATO officials have now agreed to restart the NATO-Russian council during an informal meeting on the Greek island of Corfu .The council will focus on some of the most sensitive issues for US foreign policy, such as defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan, fighting piracy 2 off Somalia and stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the breakthrough was due to the fact that both sides recognize they need each other. For NPR News, I'm John Psaropoulos in Athens.

President Obama is praising the House for narrowly passing a major climate and energy bill last night. In his weekly radio address today, Mr. Obama urged the Senate to follow suit. NPR's Scott Horsley has more.

President Obama says the sweeping 3 climate bill approved by the House would spark a clean energy transformation 4 in the United States. By capping green house gas emissions 5, he says the bill would create an economic incentive 6 for alternative energy sources including wind, solar and nuclear power.

"There is no longer a question about whether the jobs and industries of the 21st century will be centered around clean, renewable energy. The question is, which country will create these jobs and these industries.  I want that answer to be the United States of America."

Mr. Obama said the cost of the bill will be born by polluters who emit green house gases. But under the House passed bill, most pollution credits will be given away rather than auctioned 7 off as the president initially 8 proposed.  Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

The physician who was reportedly with Michael Jackson when the entertainer died is to be interviewed by police investigators 9 today. But an attorney for Dr. Conrad Murray says his client is not a target of any investigation 10. The Reverend Jesse Jackson says Michael Jackson's family wants to have their own autopsy 11 conducted because of unanswered questions about the sudden death. The Los Angeles County Cororner's office completed an autopsy on Jackson yesterday, but it's awaiting the results of toxicology and other lab tests. Jackson's fans have been mobbing social networking and other internet sites to share their feelings about his death. And clinical psychologist Jill Webber says those online discussions can be helpful.

"People tend to move through the stages of grief quicker and show better overall adjustment when they are able to share their experience with others. You know, just verbally, just feeling access of support and shared experience."

At Jackson's mansion 12 today, two moving vans pulled up and the workers carried out a number of items.

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Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is reportedly pledging to make the US regret its criticism of the government's crackdown on demonstrators following Iran's disputed presidential election. In a speech to members of Iran's judiciary, Ahmadinejad said the response of the Iranian nation will be in his words crushing and the response will cause remorse 13. Opposition 14 leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi has rejected proposals for a partial recount of votes from the election. He renewed his demand that the election results be voided and a new election be held.

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai is calling on the Taliban to get involved in that country's upcoming presidential election. NPR's Jackie Northam has more from Kabul.

During a press conference hear in the capital Kabul, President Karzai urged the Taliban and other Islamist militants 15 to participate in the upcoming elections and vote for the country's future leader. The Taliban quickly responded to Karzai's request, saying its militants would disrupt the voting, but said there would be no attacks on places where there will be civilian 16 casualties, such as polling booth. Tens of thousands of national and international troops will be stationed across the country on voting day. Campaigning got underway over a week ago, but so far it’s been lackluster. A recent survey shows Karzai with a commanding lead in the polls. And although the US has not publicly backed any of the 41 candidates running in the election, many Afghans believe Washington is throwing a support behind Karzai. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Kabul.

The US Supreme 17 Court will finish its work for the session on Monday. It will also be Justice David Souter's last day on the bench. Three cases are left to decide including a closely watched discrimination lawsuit 18 by white firefighters who say they have been unfairly being denied promotions 19.

I'm Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.