From NPR News in Washington, I`m Jack Speer.
Rain * residents of the Midwest experiencing some of the worst flooding there in 15 years, are getting little relief. In the town of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, people have been out of their homes in some cases since last week. After the Cedar River overflowed its banks, Michael * says he wants to return home but also says in some ways he fells fortunate. “What can I do, I mean * right now, so little to prevent selves could *, you know, * the danger.” Downstream in Iowa city Iowa, things are a bit better while some 400 homes there have suffered damage and a number of buildings on University of Iowa Campus were flooded, the town`s levees appear to be holding. NPR`s Martin Kaste has more reports on the conditions.
“Right now you can`t even get off the * into town, what I mean * because that they agree just don`t use * into a big lake. So, it`s hard to get around town right now, you probably get some traffic background that is * cars waiting together to across the * bridge, one of the few bridges still open right now. So there are obstacles, there`s standing water and people have to pick their way around the city very quickly right now.”
NPR`s Martin Kaste, the flooding in the Midwest has been blamed for a number of deaths and costs millions of dollars in damage to homes and crops. In some areas, flood water have also created * in farm chemicals in switch.
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama says he`s expecting to visit Afghanistan and Iraq before the election, he spoke by phone with Iraq`s Foreign Ministers. NPR`s Michele Kelemen reports.
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says Obama reassured him in their phone conversation, that there wouldn`t be as the Iraqi official put it reckless decisions to pull out US troops. “We have read that the main challenge is to continue this progress, the buildup on the Iraq security forces to * sufficient, and this really would mean that there would be less the lines on US troops forces and they can come home.” He told NPR that he updated Obama on the negotiations of the future US presence in Iraq, Zebari also met with Republican John McCain who again criticized Obama`s talk about the need for a time-table for withdraw. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.
Presidential hopeful John McCain again called for an * federal * offshore oil and gas drilling, that means to bring down the energy prices, speaking in Arlington, McCain said that the state should be given incentives including a greater share of the royalties paid by companies if they agreed to open their waters to drilling. “There is off our *, that, there should be open to expiration and exportation, and I hope we can take the first step by lifting more * in order to do so”, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.
On Wall Street, the Dow was down 38 points. This is NPR.
Investment Bank Lehman Brothers today revealed a quarterly loss number that was pretty much in line with analysts` estimates, the nation`s fourth largest investment bank has * for its latest quarter, it lost 2.8 billion dollars. Primarily is a result of massive losses on its trading and hedging positions, Lehman says to the quarter ending May 31th, it lost dollars and 14 cents a share that`s compared with net income of 1.27 billion dollars, the same period a year ago.
Four-time Academy Award winner Stan Winston has died, Winston was the special effects pioneer behind such cinematic spectacles as drastic park aliens the terminator. He * cancer, he was 62 years old. NPR`s N* D* has more.
Stan Winston has been remembered today as a legend who creative of legends, The Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, The Aliens and Aliens, The Terminator and The Terminator, The Predator and The Predator, Edward Scissorhands in that movie, all were brought from the script to the screen by Winston. The Virginian native arrived in California the late 16th, who dreams of making * as an actor. However, was a makeup apprenticeshipat Walt Disney Studios that launched his Hollywood career. By the early 17th, he started his own makeup and effects company, television gages like two Emmy nominations which led to film gages and to ten Oscar nominations. Winston won four of them. Whose diagnose for the mouthful myeloma 7 years ago, he kept creating until near the end. The costume for Iron Man, this summer`s block buster, is the Stan Winston design. *, NPR News.
It went into a sudden death, but Tiger Woods put out the victory today, the US opened victory *, Woods defeated * immediate after making * on the final hole to push the * into sudden death, was Woods` third US open victory.
I`m Jack Speer, NPR News in Washington.
