NPR 2009-02-14

The economic stimulus 1 package is moving toward  final passage. The House voted 246 to 187 today to pass the 787-billion-dollar bill. NPR's Audie Cornish reports from the Capitol.

The House passed the stimulus plan a little more than three weeks after President Obama called for such action in his inaugural 2 address. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Mr. Obama for his leadership on the issue. "It is a day for us to feel some sense of satisfaction that，working together under our new president, we were able to pass legislation today that is transformational for what it will do to our economy." The bill includes the president's signature measure, providing a payroll 3 tax credit of 400 dollars per person. Despite President Obama's pleas for bipartisanship, not one Republican supported the bill. Audie Cornish, NPR News, the Capitol.

Senate lawmakers are exited to begin voting on the measure tonight. It then  goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

Federal investigators 5 looking into last night's crash of a commuter 6 plane near Buffalo 7 now say the black box recorders recovered from the wreckage 8 showed violent pitching almost immediately after the aircraft's flaps were put down for  landing. Steve Chealander is an investigator 4 with the National Transportation Safety Board. "They saw icing on the windshield and the leading edge of the wings, because you can look out the window, look back at your wings. That's how they saw that. And right after that, significant pitch and roll, severe pitch and roll is what, is words that were ever used." The plane crashed into a house and exploded into flames, killing 9 all 49 people aboard plus another person on the ground. The investigators have been focusing on what role weather played in the crash since there was light snow and fog at the time the plane was making its approach. The aircraft was a relatively 10 new Bombardier Air Dash 8. It was only registered last April.

As investigators continue to try to determine what caused flight 3407 to crash last night, representatives from Continental 11 Airline will be meeting today with families of those aboard the airplane. NPR's Robert Smith has more on that story.

Throughout the night, families and friends of those who were killed arrived at the Buffalo Niagara Airport. They were taken to a senior citizens center nearby where counselors 12 were on hand. There is no list yet of the victims but details have been released about the four-person crew. Captain Marvin Renslow had been with the operator of the flight Colgan Air for three years. The first officer Rebecca Shaw had logged more than 2, 000 hours of flight time with the carrier. There were two flight attendants and an off-duty pilot also on the plane. One confirmed person on the plane was Beverly Eckert, a 911 widow and activist 13. Last week she met with President Obama about handling terrorist suspects. Robert Smith, NPR News, New York.

Peanut Corp. of America, the company linked to a nationwide salmonella scare that has claimed at least nine lives and left more than 600 others sickened has filed for Federal bankruptcy 14 protection. Nationwide outbreak was traced to one of the company's plants in Georgia. Second plant in Texas was shut down this week.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial Average fell 82 points today.

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Witnesses in Baghdad say it was a scene of panic fear and grief after a suicide bomber 15 detonated an explosive device inside a tent filled with women and children on a pilgrimage to a Shiite city south of Baghdad. According to Iraqi officials, at least 40 people were killed and more than 60 others were wounded. The attack by a female suicide bomber is the deadliest to occur in Iraq so far this year. And the third straight day of bombings targeted at Shiite pilgrims came despite what's described as heavy security along the pilgrimage route.

Supreme 16 Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was released from a hospital today, eight days after undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer. NPR's Nina Totenberg has more on Ginsburg's prognosis.

The justice returned home today with good news, her cancer was diagnosed as stage one with the most favorable prognosis. According to the court, doctors found no cancer in any lymph nodes and no metastasis. Amazingly, the tiny one centimeter tumor 17 originally found in a routine screening earlier this month turned out to be benign 18. But surgeon Murray Brennan in an exploring of pancreas did find an even tinier lesion that was cancer. As a result, doctors removed part of Justice Ginsburg's pancreas and her spleen. She was released from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital today in New York and is now recuperating 19 at her Washington DC apartment. She said she plans to be back on the bench when court reconvenes for arguments February 23. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.

Satellite radio company Sirius XM said today it has been able to refinance some of its outstanding debt. But it said unless it can also get additional refinancing, it may have to file for bankruptcy protection as early as next week. Sirius says it was able to exchange around 172.5 million worth of senior notes.