NPR 2009-01-19

"This land is your land. This land is my land. From California to the New York Island." The sound of tens of thousands of people singing along with Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen at a concert this afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial. The concert featuring music and inspirational speeches, a dramatic prelude 1 to the inauguration 2 of President-elect Barack Obama. Mr. Obama told the crowd that the nation faces daunting 3 challenges, and dealing 4 with them will take more than a month or a year, and will likely take many years. "Along the way there will be setbacks and false starts and days that test our resolve as a nation. But despite all of this， despite the enormity of the task that lies ahead, I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure that it will prevail, that the dream of our founders 5 will live on in our time." Many in the crowd of the concert had waited for hours in the cold after standing 6 patiently in long lines at security check points. Earlier today, Mr. Obama traveled to Arlington National Cemetery 7, where he placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and stood solemnly as a bugler 8 sounded taps. Mr. Obama and his family also attended services at the Baptist Church in the nation's capital this morning.

Hamas has agreed to join a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but only for a week unless Israel withdraws its military forces from the territory. The announcement came after Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire, ending an offensive that has left hundreds of Palestinians dead. Ten Israeli soldiers and three Israeli civilians 9 were also killed. NPR's Anne Garrels has more from Jerusalem.

This morning, militants 10 in Gaza launched several rockets into southern Israel in defiance 11 as Israel's announcement it would cease fire. There were no injuries. Israeli officials had anticipated there would be some attacks with Hamas wanting to have the last word on the ground. Israeli officials say the next few days will be critical in determining whether the ceasefire holds or not. While Hamas is demanding Israeli troops leave within a week, Israel has given no timetable for withdrawal 12. Israeli officials have said much depends on what the international community does to stop arms smuggling 13 into Gaza through Egypt. And there is another issue which remains 14 in dispute, when and how much Israel will open its border crossings into Gaza. Anne Garrels, NPR News, Jerusalem.

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown is set to announce new steps to help banks in that country survive the credit crisis after a massive bailout last fall failed to jump-start lending in Britain. Banks receiving financial help will reportedly be required to pass the money on to borrowers.

This is NPR News from Washington.

The National Transportation Safety Board says an analysis of the flight data recorder from the US Airways 15 jetliner that made an emergency landing in New York's Hudson River shows that both of the plane's engines lost power at the same time. The data and voice recorders were retrieved 16 after the plane was hoisted 17 out of the river late last night. Searchers are still looking for the plane's missing left jet engine.

Russia and Ukraine have reached an agreement to end their dispute over natural gas, a dispute that has left hundreds of thousands of Europeans enduring freezing temperatures without heat for almost two weeks now. NPR's Moscow correspondent Gregory Feifer reports.

Under intense pressure from the European Union, suffering its worst energy crisis, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin emerged from late-night negotiations 18 with his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko to say they'd settled the bitter price dispute disrupting gas deliveries to Europe. Putin said Ukraine had agreed to pay more than double what it paid for Russian gas last year, and would pay what European countries are charged next year. Tymoshenko said the two sides would draw up a contract for signing by Monday. Europe relies on Russian gas crossing Ukraine and was held hostage by what many saw as a political struggle between energy-rich Russia and pro-Western Ukraine. Gregory Feifer, NPR News, Moscow.

In the first of today's National Football League conference championship games, the Arizona Cardinals 19 lead the Philadelphia Eagles 24-6. The winner goes to the Super Bowl to face either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Baltimore Ravens 20 who play later today.