NPR 2012-06-05

 Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Democratic challenger Tom Barrett are campaigning hard on this last day before the state's historic recall election. As Wisconsin Public Radio's Shawn Johnson reports Walker says he is cautiously optimistic. 

Walker began his day touring a plastic manufacture near the strongly democratic city of Madison, saying he was not conceding any votes. The latest poll released by a firm that does work for democrats 1 shows a tightening 2 race with Walker up by 3% points. Walker says he always thought it would be close.
Anybody who says that they can predict the outcome really hasn't been following Wisconsin. Because if anything, the only thing that's predictable is that we've been unpredictable over the last year and a half. 
 
About a dozen campaign staffs are scheduled between Walker and his challenger Tom Barrett ahead of the vote. Election officials expect voter turnout Tuesday could hit 65%. For NPR News, I'm Shawn Johnson, in Madison.
 
 
The Associated Press is reporting, Jerry Sandusky, the former Pen State coach accused of sexually abusing children will not be allow to delay the start of his trial. Today, the Pennsylvania Supreme 3 Court reportedly denied Sandusky's request. Jury selection is scheduled to begin tomorrow.
 
 
The grim work of recovering bodies is underway in Lagos, Nigeria where a plane crashed into buildings. All 153 people onboard the aircraft were reportedly killed. The death toll 4 on the ground remains 5 uncertain. Nigeria has declared three days of national mourning for what the government's calling, its worst aviation disaster in nearly 20 years. 
 
 
China is accusing the US of meddling 6 in its domestic affairs. NPR's Louisa Lim reports this is the state department urges China to free all those still held 23 years after the Tiananmen Square crackdown on June 4th, 1989.
China's Foreign Ministry 7 expressed strong dissatisfaction with the US call. The State Department had urged Beijing to provide a full accounting 8 of all those killed, detained or missing during the violent suppression of the 1989 demonstrations 9. Spokesman Mark Toner  had also called for China to stop harassing 10 protestors and their relatives. But in Beijing, many activists 11 were put under strict surveillance in the run-up to the anniversary.  Controls on the Internet were also stepped up, with references to term, such as kindle 12 and today blocked. In an extraordinary coincidence, the Shanghai stock exchange closed down 64.89 points, so even the world's Shanghai steel market were blocked. Louisa Lim, NPR News, Beijing. 
 
 
Let's take a look at what's happening on Wall Street. The Down is down 18 points at 12,100; NASDAQ gaining ground slightly, up 5 points at 2,753; and the S&P 500 down 1 point.
 
 
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The heavy losses, world market suffered last week are being extended, triggering a new round of fears about the global's ability to avoid a recession. The financial crisis in Europe persist. In Eurozone's latest snapshot of employment, the jobless rate in the 17 nations that use the  Euro, remain at its record high of 11% in April.
 
 
The US is seeing a slight increase in its unemployment rate, while factory orders are down for a second straight month and new reports are suggesting that the economic powerhouse of China is experiencing a slowdown in growth.
 
 
The wild fire raging in southwestern News Mexico has now burnt more than 400 square miles and it's 18% contained. Fire crews are using a back burning strategy to rid the landscape of dead and down trees ahead of the flame's path. As ** from member station KUNM tells us, crews are seeing some success.  
Helicopters are dumping ping-pong-size canisters of ignition materials in rugged 13 canes 14 where firefighters have little access. Fire Information officer Linda Torgerson Gonzales says most of the western perimeter 15 of the blaze, where fire activity is more extreme, has been successfully contained, meaning the fire will die down as it runs out of fuel.
The rest of the fire perimeter is pretty well creeping and following the crews are on top of ** and following it. 
Gonzales says barring a significant change in the weather forecast, crews will continue to make progress. Low humidity higher than normal temperatures and winds at 20-30 per hour are in the forecast this week, which could complicate 16 firefighter efforts. For NPR News, I'm **.
 
 
US stocks mixed, Dow down 19; NASDAQ up 5.