NPR 2012-05-02

 President Obama has just arrived in Afghanistan in what was an unannounced trip on this anniversary of the US raid that led to the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin 1 Laden 2. Mr. Obama and his Afghanistan counterpart Hamid Karzai are expected to approve the agreement of a plan, a strategic plan, before the president gives a speech on the war effort for television audience in the United States.

 
Five men suspected of plotting to bomb a bridge near Cleveland, Ohio are now in federal custody 3. Today the FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen Anthony said the public was never in danger because an undercover agent had provided the group with phony explosives.
 
"Purchased two inert 4, I say, inert, improvised 5 explosive devices, IEDs, which were presented as C4-based remote activated 6 IEDs.”
 
Several in the group are self-described anarchists 7 whom authorities say have not been linked to global terrorism.
 
“Occupy Chicago. People over property. Occupy Chicago. People over property.”
 
That's not just the windy city that's seeing massive May Day rallies. People are gathering 8 all over the world to demand economic justice. Rival rallies have divided the streets of Paris just five days before the French go to the polls to choose a president. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports that President Nicolas Sarkozy is trying to cash in on a holiday. He didn't celebrate in the past.
 
International Workers Day, also known as May Day, is usually feted by workers and trade unions traditionally allied 9 with the political left. But this year Sarkozy held a massive counter-celebration in which he claimed to represent real workers, not those who prefer to collect unemployment benefits in state handouts 10. Also the far-right National Front party of Marine 11 Le Pen held its traditional May Day rally around the statue of Joan of Arc, France's Catholic Patron Saint. Sarkozy desperately 12 needs support from the far-right if he is to beat Socialist 13 front-runner Francois Hollande. But Le Pen told her supporters she wouldn’t endorse 14 either candidate and would instead cast a blank ballot 15 in protest. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.
 
Another investigative body is looking into allegations of inappropriate behavior inside the Secret Service. Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector 16 General has reportedly launched its own investigation 17 into the Colombian prostitution scandal that landed a dozen US agents in trouble. At least eight of them lost their jobs. Meanwhile, the agency is taking steps to restore the secret part of its duty. Retired 18 agents have been asked to stop speaking with the media and active agents have deactivated 19 their Facebook accounts.
 
At last check on Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average up 110 points at 13,323. 
 
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A judge in New York says a hotel maid's lawsuit 20 against Dominique Strauss-Kahn can proceed. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports the maid accuses the former head of the International Monetary 21 Fund of sexual assault. 
 
Strauss-Kahn had argued that the suit should be dismissed because he had diplomatic immunity 22. But the woman's lawyers argued that immunity didn't apply because Strauss-Kahn was in New York on personal business, visiting his daughter. Strauss-Kahn was once considered a leading candidate for president of France. But his career came to an abrupt 23 halt nearly a year ago in a Time Square hotel. Strauss-Kahn acknowledged having sex with the woman, but denied that he forced himself on her. He initially 24 faced criminal charges, but prosecutors 25 decided 26 the woman in the case lacked credibility because she had misrepresented her background as well as some details about her encounter with Strauss-Kahn, Jim Zarroli, NPR News, New York.
 
Union workers at a caterpillar 27 manufacturing plant in Joliet, Illinois are on strike. They hit the picket 28 lines earlier today after rejecting the latest contract from management. About 800 workers from the plant are demanding better pay and health care benefits.
 
"Once" leads the Tony Award poll with 11 nominations 29. The celebrated 30 musical is based on a love story between an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant. In New York, the Tony committee gave ten nods each to “Nice Work If You Can Get It" and “The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess.” “Peter and the Starcatcher” about the origins of Peter Pan gets nine nominations. “Newsies” and “Follies” have each earned eight. CBS will broadcast Tony Awards on June 10th. 
 
I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.