NPR 2011-08-17

 President Obama is reaching out to the nation's heartland to help him identify ways to encourage more economic growth in rural communities. To that end, the president hosted a forum 1 today on rural development at a community college in northeastern Iowa as NPR's Scott Horsely reports.

 
Iowa already enjoys an enviably low unemployment rate of just 6%. But the president says this state's economy is not as strong as it could be. He announced a variety of steps to encourage rural business development, including increased capital and help for hospitals trying to recruit doctors. His administration's also been working to expand broadband Internet service to millions of rural customers.
 
"It's helping 2 people sell goods, not just down the street but across the country and around the world."
 
One dairyman taking part in the forum complained that government regulations are discouraging job growth. He urged to freeze on any new rules from the EPA. Scott Horsely, NPR News, with the president in Peosta, Iowa.
 
After slowing down the first half of the year, some parts of the economy are faring better than others. Steve Beckner of Market News International has a look at how two major areas are doing so far in the second half of the year.
 
Housing remains 3 the weakest sector 4 of the economy as shown by July residential 5 construction numbers from the Commerce Department. Housing starts are down 1.5% to an annual rate of 604,000. That's not as bigger drop as feared, but building permits, a leading indicator 6 of future home construction, are down more than twice as much. On the other hand, the Federal Reserve says July industrial production is up more than expected. Output by the nation's factories, mines and utilities is higher by 0.9%, helped by a jump in auto 7 manufacturing. Car making had been disrupted due to supply line interruptions caused by Japan's tsunami 8 in March. For NPR News, I'm Steve Beckner.
 
Heavy machine gunfire is heard across the besieged 9 Syrian city of Latakia which has been under military assault for the past four days. Activists 10 fighting to overthrow 11 President Bashar al-Assad accused troops of killing 12 35 people so far in Latakia. The military operation is part of a broad government effort to end the five-month-old uprising.
 
The president of Yemen is pledging to return home despite repeated calls by members of the opposition 13 to stay away. Ali Abdullah Saleh said in a televised address from Saudi Arabia that he will not surrender to critics whom he calls "war merchants and street looters." Saleh has been recovering from wounds sustained in a June attack on his palace compound, fears rising that his return will lead to a civil war.
 
After three days of gains on Wall Street, US stocks were down before the close with investors 14' focus on growth in the global economy after Germany announced its economic growth stalled in the second quarter. The Dow was down 77 points at last check at 11,406. 
 
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Earlier, we reported President Obama was in Iowa meeting with voters. The newest Republican presidential candidate was also mangling 15 with voters in Iowa today. Texas Governor Rick Perry was in Dubuque, where he said that some of the reasons the economy has not improved under President Obama is because it is "overtaxed, overregulated and overlitigated."
 
Newly released documents are shedding light on the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Phil Latzman with member station WLRN in Miami tells us they show that last-minute changes by the US may have doomed 16 the 1961 mission to overthrow Fidel Castro.
 
The newly declassified 17 documents were made available by a Freedom of Information lawsuit 18 filed earlier this year by the Washington-based National Security Archive. Among the revelations in them, a CIA operative accidentally fired on friendly pilots during the invasion, and US officials authorized 19 the use of napalm on Cuban targets. The records also show the Kennedy administration dramatically scaling back the covert 20 operation for fear it would be traced back to the US government. About 1,300 Cuban exiles were used in the attempt to overthrow the Castro government that began in April 17th, 1961. They were defeated within a span of 72 hours. The release includes four of the five volumes. A fifth remains classified. For NPR News, I'm Phil Latzman in Miami.
 
Police in northeastern Illinois are investigating an explosion at a natural gas pipeline 21 company. They say five people were injured this morning at the Herscher plant.
 
Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was down 77 points or more than 0.5% at 11,406, and the NASDAQ was down more than 1% at 2,523.