NPR 2009-06-01

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Craig Windham.

A senior State Department official says Cuba has agreed to open direct talks with the United States on a range of issues including immigration matters and cooperation on anti-drug trafficking efforts. The official called the opening "a very positive development." The announcement came just as Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was about to depart for Latin America, her third trip to that region this year.

Republican and Democratic senators have different views on the timing 1 of confirmation 2 hearings for Supreme 3 Court nominee 4 Judge Sonia Sotomayor. President Obama wants her confirmed by early August, but Republicans are resisting that deadline. More from NPR's David Welna.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called on CNN for an open-ended confirmation process. "I don't think we should start with a presumption 5 of exactly what the end date is gonna be." And on NBC, Jeff Sessions, the Judiciary Committee's top Republican pushed back on finishing Sotomayor's confirmation process by early August. "I think that's rushing it. I believe that she has over 3, 000, maybe 4, 000-plus opinions that need to be examined. And I think there's no need for us to do that." On the same program the Senate Judiciary Committee's Democratic chairman Patrick Leahy indicated he wants the confirmation hearings sooner rather than later. "One thing that, that is going to influence the timing of when I will set this hearing is all these attacks are going out against her. She can't answer them." Still late he said the Senate will set its own timetable. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

One of the nation's only providers of late-term abortions 6 was shot and killed this morning during a church service in Wichita, Kansas. Doctor George Tiller was 67 years old. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.

George Tiller was gunned down at his church, Reformation Lutheran, at about 10 o'clock in the morning. Tiller had long been a target for radical 7 anti-abortion activists 8, one of whom shot him in both arms about 15 years ago. His clinic in Wichita has been blockaded and bombed. Tiller was also dogged politically by pro-life activists in Kansas who had him investigated twice, to (no) avail, by grand juries. One of his fiercest opponents, Operation Rescue, immediately condemned 9 Tiller's murder. Earlier this year, Tiller said he continued doing his work because of his family support. He said two of his daughters, now physicians, asked him who else would stand up for these women, if not him, who? Tiller was survived by 4 children, 10 grand-children, and his wife of 45 years. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

Treasury 10 Secretary Timothy Geithner is in Beijing where he'll hold two days of talks with Chinese leaders. He said the administration is committed to working at a new relationship with China following a series of trade disputes. Critics charged that China's economic policies have contributed to the loss of millions of jobs in the US. But China is also the biggest creditor 11 of the United States, and the Obama administration is hoping China will help resolve the increasingly tense dispute with North Korea over that country's nuclear program.

This is NPR News from Washington.

A majority of General Motors bondholders have agreed to a sweetened deal that will have them swap 12 27 billion dollars in unsecured debt for stock, giving them a 10% ownership stake, with an option to increase that share. The offer was structured by the Treasury Department which has not commented yet on the bondholder response. GM is widely expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy 13 protection tomorrow. President Obama is expected to make remarks to the nation about the auto-maker's fate tomorrow morning.

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown says he is shocked how far members of Parliament have gone in using taxpayer 14 money to pay for personal expenses. Brown is pledging to make sweeping 15 reforms to prevent a repeat of that scandal. Larry Miller 16 reports from London.

Prime Minister Brown says British lawmakers will be forced to accept a legally binding 17 code of conduct in what he called "a clean-up of Parliament." He said that clean-up will extend to all public institutions, including the BBC. The Prime Minister insisted it's the end for what he termed "a 19th century gentlemen's club with self-regulation." Over the last month, each day brought new revelations about expense claim abuse, big and small. Some lawmakers took public money for mortgages they didn’t have; one tried to claim back 8 dollars he put in a church plate at a memorial service. More than a dozen lawmakers  agreed not to run for re-election, and some may be criminally prosecuted 18 for fraud. Brown said an independent body will review every expense claimed over the last four years. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

Rafael Nadal had won 31 straight matches at the French Open tennis tournament over the years, but he was upset today by a 24-year-old Swede. Nadal says he will accept the defeat as he has his victories, with calm.

I'm Craig Windham.