NPR 2012-06-19

 President Obama says the latest parliamentary vote in Greece offers a positive prospect 1 for restoring financial confidence in euro. NPR’s Scott Horsley reports Europe is the main focus of an economic summit meeting that Mr. Obama’s attending in Mexico.

 
President Obama says the results of the Greek election with a pro-eurozone party winning the most votes increased the chances for forming a new government in Greece, one that’s able to work with other European countries to stabilize 2 the continent’s shaky finances.
 
“In order that they can continue on the path of reform and do so in a way that also offers the prospects 3 for the Greek people to succeed and prosper 4.”
 
Any big agreement on the eurozone will likely have to wait, at least until a European summit later this month. But Mr. Obama and other world leaders gathered here in Mexico are looking for some assurances that Europe will not continue to be a drag on the global economy. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Los Cabos, Mexico.
 
As worries mount over Europe’s impact on the US economy, Republican Mitt 5 Romney is placing full blame for the lagging recovery squarely on President Obama’s polices. He is on a six-day swing through territory that went President Obama’s way the last election. This time, Romney’s hoping to sway support among those voters who are frustrated 6 with the pace of job growth.
 
“If there’s ever been a president who’s not been able to provide the American people a fair shot, it’s this president, and that’s why we’re gonna replace him with someone who will go to work to get us working again.”
 
Mitt Romney during a campaign stop in Wisconsin earlier today before his campaign bus rolled into Iowa.
 
Militants 8 in Egypt’s Sinai Desert launched an attack today on Israel’s southern border, killing 9 one Israeli. Daniel Estrin reports from Jerusalem that Israel also launched air strikes in Gaza, killing at least four Palestinians.
 
Israel’s military says construction workers were driving near the border when militants detonated a bomb and opened gunfire, killing one. Israeli troops returned fire, and a militant 7 carrying a bomb blew himself up. Egypt’s Sinai Desert has become more volatile 10 since the Egyptian president was ousted 11 last year. Israeli officials suspect the assailants slipped into Egypt from the nearby Gaza Strip. Also today Israel carried out air strikes in Gaza which killed at least four Palestinians. Islamic Jihad claims some of them [were] its members. Israel’s army said one of the air strikes targeted militants about to fire a rocket into Israel. For NPR News, I’m Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem.
 
A suicide bomber 12 has struck a Shiite funeral in the Iraqi city of Baquba, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 40. Authorities say several senior members of the military were among those paying final respects to a Shiite tribal 13 leader when the bomber struck.
 
At last check on Wall Street, the Dow’s down 14 points at 12,753, NASDAQ up 27, S&P 500 gaining three points.
 
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More than 1,700 firefighters are up against an unrelenting wildfire burning in the mountains of Northern Colorado. It has grown to about 58,000 acres. Grace Hood 14 of member station KUNC reports the fire’s been labeled the most destructive in Colorado history.
 
The fire was started over a week ago by lighting 15 and began spreading quickly. Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith says hot-dry and windy conditions could complicate 16 efforts, adding that fighting the fire isn’t a single battle but a campaign.
 
“This campaign is going to go on for sometime, and we’re gonna have some good days, and we’re gonna have some tough days.”
 
The High Park fire’s sharing heavy air tanker 17 resources with two other wildfires in southern Colorado and Wyoming. For NPR News, I’m Grace Hood in Fort Collins, Colorado.
 
Federal safety regulators are expanding their investigation 18 into possible fires that can occur in the doors of several Toyota models. NPR’s Craig Windham reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is adding 600,000 Camrys and other Toyota vehicles to the probe.
 
The Camrys added are from the 2008 and 2009 model years. The other vehicles include some Yaris subcompacts and Highlander 19 Hybrids 20 that brings to 1.4 million, the number of Toyota vehicles included in the probe. All use the same power window switch in the driver’s side door. The safety agency says in some cases those switches can overheat and cause fires. Toyota and the government have received 161 complaints of such fires. Nine people have been hurt. An engineering analysis of the problem is underway, but so far there’s been no recall. Craig Windham, NPR News, Washington.