NPR 2011-07-20

There's a new reason for hope in the talks over raising the debt ceiling. As NPR's Ari Shapiro reports, a bipartisan group of senators has revived the proposal that now has President Obama's blessing 1.

The president says this Senate plan puts lawmakers from both parties on the same playing field as the White House. Both have proposed a series of cuts and revenue increases to eliminate trillions of dollars in deficits 2 over the next decade, but the president warns there are still tough negotiations 3 ahead.

"Just because we might agree in principle with a range of issues with six senators, or seven senators, that doesn't get us out of the House of Representatives, that doesn't get us out of the Senate. There's going to have to be a broader agreement on the part of all the leadership that we're going to get this done in a serious way, and we've got a tight deadline to do it."

That tight deadline is two weeks away. After August 2nd, the US could go into default. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, the White House.

House Republicans are forging ahead, with their bill calling for a constitutional amendment 4 of balanced federal budget in exchange for raising the debt limit. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says this plan will get the nation's fiscal 5 house in order.

"House Republicans were voted into office to change the culture in Washington, and we will not support the other side's request or the president's request to increase the debt limit without meaningful reforms to the system."

Debate is under way in the GOP-led House. The bill is expected to stall in the Senate, where Democrats 6 have the majority.

A protester lunges at Rupert Murdoch with a full plate of foam 7 today as the media tycoon 8 and his son James testify before members of the British parliament about allegations that Murdoch's UK newspapers engage in phone hacking 9 and police bribery 10 to get stories. The protester was quickly whisked away. Murdoch's former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks 11 later faced questions as Larry Miller 12 reports.

Brooks testified it wasn't until 2009 that she learned the extent of phone hacking at the News of the World despite being its editor seven years earlier when it was happening. Brooks, who was arrested Sunday, was asked if she bribed 13 police for information.

"I have never paid a policeman myself. I have never sanctioned or knowingly sanctioned a payment to a police officer."

Also testifying, Rupert Murdoch denied responsibility for News of the World activities and claimed he was lied to by those he trusted.

"The behavior that occurred went against everything that I stand for."

Murdoch says he's not considering resigning. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

French investigators 14 reportedly have questioned one of the daughters of former IMF chief accused of raping 15 a French writer. Camille Strauss-Kahn, a Columbia University graduate student, is said to be a friend of the writer who filed a legal complaint earlier this month.

Before the close on Wall Street, Dow was up more than 200 points.

This is NPR News.

The world's largest scientific conference on HIV/AIDS underway in Rome today launched an appeal to authorities in Tehran to release an Iranian doctor from prison. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports the doctor is a leading AIDS activist 16 in a country with a large number of drug users.

The Alaei brothers Arash and Kamiar were arrested in 2008 and convicted on charges of communicating with an enemy government. Their apparent crime was traveling to international AIDS conferences and meeting with health workers to find solutions to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Kamiar Alaei was sentenced to three years and released after nearly 900 days in jail. Arash Alaei was sentenced to six years in prison and remains 17 detained in Tehran. Kamiar Alaei told the Rome Conference how he and his brother helped educate Iranians on HIV/AIDS prevention in a country where 70% of the population is under the age of 30. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

The Israeli navy is in control of a French ship that attempted to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. This was the latest in a series of confrontations 18 at sea between commandos and pro-Palestinian activists 19. Israeli officials say no resistance was reported in the latest incident.

Well, US stock markets have been making gains today, buoyed 20 by strong earnings 21 reports out this week, as well as strong home construction data and investors 22 increasingly optimistic about a resolution in the debt talks in Washington. At last check before the close, the Dow was up more than 200 points, 1.6% higher, at 12,587, and the NASDAQ was up more than 2% at 2,827.