NPR 2010-05-29

President Obama walks Louisiana's Fourchon Beach where evidence of the country's worst oil spill washed up onshore.

"You can see these little, these little balls. These are the tar 1 balls that they're talking about."

The president confronted with growing anxiety and anger over the spill later announced to reporters on Grand Isle 2 that he was stepping up efforts to counter imminent 3 threats.

"In accordance with input 4 from folks down here, I've directed Secretary Napolitano and Admiral Allen to triple the manpower in places where oil has hit the shore or is within 24 hours of impact."

Meanwhile, BP is reporting progress in its latest attempt to stop the leak. Chief Executive Tony Hayward says the method of pumping mud into the leaking well are showing signs of working. But officials say it may take another 48 hours to know for sure.

The White House says that former President Bill Clinton was enlisted 5 to see if Pennsylvania Democrat 6 Joe Sestak would drop his primary challenge to Senator Arlen Specter in exchange for a non-paying appointment to an administration advisory 7 board. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

White House counsel Robert Bauer says there was nothing wrong about offering Sestak "additional responsibilities of considerable potential interest to him and value to the Executive Branch". Bauer says Sestak, a sitting congressman 8, declined the offers when Mr. Clinton presented them. Sestak himself made the allegation last February. He went on to defeat Specter and he's never said what job was offered. Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee want a special counsel to investigate. Peter Overby, NPR News, Washington.

Actor Gary Coleman has died. Family members say the former child star of the hit TV sitcom 9 "Diff’rent Strokes" passed away today at a Utah hospital after suffering a brain hemorrhage. Gary Coleman was 42 years old.

Consumer spending goes flat after six months of gains. The Commerce Department reporting today that even stronger retail 10 sales in April couldn't make people spend enough to make a big difference in those numbers. However, Hugh Johnson of Johnson Illington Advisors 11 says the government finds people are at least saving their money.

"They have actually a positive savings 12 rate of 3.6%, or that's cutting into some of the spending that they are doing; in other words, they're doing all of the things we have tried to encourage them to do or the right things to do."

Consumer spending is closely monitored because it accounts for about 70% of total US economic activity.

Taking a look at numbers from Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average still losing ground down 123 points at 10,136, NASDAQ Composite Index down more than 20 points at 2,257, S&P 500 down 14 at 1,089.

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Guatemala's Pacaya volcano, erupting and spitting stones and ash for a second day, it forced hundreds of people to evacuate 13. Authorities say at least one person was killed when the volcano erupted last night. Local media reported the victim was a television journalist who suffered head wounds when he was hit by falling lava 14 rocks.

Police in the Jamaican capital Kingston are calling on a dozen suspected gang leaders to turn themselves in to authorities. An all-out assault this week on one of the leaders Christopher Coke brought Kingston to a standstill and left at least 71 people dead. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports.

The Jamaica constabulary called for the leaders of gangs across Kingston to hand themselves over to police. The gangs are suspected of coming to the aid of Christopher Coke after the government issued a warrant for his arrest. Coke is wanted in the United States on drugs and weapons trafficking charges. He is also the don of Tivoli Gardens in West Kingston. Hundreds of Jamaican soldiers and police fought several days of street battles with residents before regaining 15 control of the neighborhood. Mr. Coke so far has eluded 16 capture. Despite fire fights that left dozens dead and bullet marks all over Tivoli Gardens, police say they only managed to seize six weapons in this week's massive operation. Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Kingston.

Australia is suing Japan over whaling. Canberra authorities are turning to the International Court to block Japan from Antarctic whaling, saying it violates international obligations. The dispute further complicates 17 relationship between these two important trading partners. Japan's Foreign Ministry 18 called the suit "regrettable".