NPR 2010-07-22

The White House is apologizing to Shirley Sherrod, a black USDA employee, who was forced to resign this week after being accused of racial bias 1 against a white family decades ago. On CNN today, Sherrod accepted the apology.

"I accept the apology. You know, I’m bigger than some of them. I can move beyond this."

Sherrod says she was ousted 2 after a video surfaced with her making controversial remarks. It turns out the speech for March was actually edited by conservative bloggers, prompting some of her critics to retract 3 their statements.

While the flap over Sherrod appeared to briefly 4 overshadow the White House's landmark 5 victory earlier today, President Obama signed into law an overhaul 6 to the country’s financial regulations.

"So, all told, these reforms represent the strongest consumer financial protections in history."

The president says the law will crack down on abuses in the mortgage industry, requiring clearer information about possible risk borrowers and demand greater accountability on all sides.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are trying to delay action on an extension to unemployment benefits, saying Democrats 7 haven’t figured out how to pay for it. A final vote may be delayed until late tonight.

Weather is complicating 8 plans for permanently 9 plugging a leaking oil well in the Gulf 10 of Mexico. NPR’s Joe Palca reports a hurricane may be forming near Puerto Rico that could enter the Gulf.

If a major storm does form, and if it heads for the Louisiana coast, oil company BP would probably have to suspend all operations around the well for 10-14 days. For now, equipment remains 11 in place above the well. A temporary cap continues to prevent any more oil from leaking into the Gulf. And if weather allows, BP could start as soon as Friday to begin a procedure known as a "static kill" that would be a more permanent solution to plugging the well. The company still plans to use a newly drilled well to do what’s called a "bottom kill" on the leaking well, but that procedure probably won’t start until next month. Joe Palca, NPR News, Washington.

British scientists believe they have identified a 'monster' star, perhaps the heaviest ever discovered. As Larry Miller 12 reports from London, the star called R136a1 makes the Earth look pretty small.

The team of the University of Sheffield scientists say they’ve used both telescopic evidence and information from the International Space Station to create an understanding of the star. Astrophysicist Paul Crowther is the team leader.

"There are bigger stars in terms of physically 13 bigger. This is just the heaviest. The sun weighs around about a million times more than the Earth, and so this weighs about 300 millions times more than the Earth."

Crowther says the star used to weigh even more, but it's still twice as heavy as any previously 14 discovered. It’s about 165,000 light years from the Milky 15 Way galaxy 16. For NPR News, I’m Larry Miller in London.

Dow’s down more than 100. This is NPR.

Ousted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is not testifying in his federal corruption 17 trial as the defense 18 rested its case without calling any witnesses. The move might have surprised those who became used to hearing the former governor speak extensively about his case outside the courtroom. Blagojevich reflected on that.

"I’ve learned a lot of lessons from this whole experience and perhaps maybe the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that I talk too much."

Blagojevich had pleaded not guilty to charges including scheming to sell or trade President Obama’s old Senate seat.

West Virginia voters will elect a new senator this November to the seat left vacant after Robert Byrd died last month. Emily Corio reports the short race includes no Republican candidates so far.

Republican Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito announced today that she will not run in the special election and will instead focus on winning reelection to the House this November.

"I had made a commitment, and I’m one of those kind of people like most West Virginians who stick to their commitment."

That leaves West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin and former Congressman 19 Ken 20 Hechler, who served in Congress with Byrd, as the only candidates listed in the race. They will compete in the August 28th Democratic primary. For NPR News, I’m Emily Corio in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today announced a new round of sanctions against North Korea. Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were in the South Korean capital Seoul, where tensions with North Korea have been rising.

Last check on Wall Street, Dow was down 110 points at 10,120, NASDAQ down more than 30 at 2,187