【整理】BBC2008-04-15 

From NPR news in Washington, I am Jack Spear.

President Bush and democratic congressional leaders are at odds over legislative priorities. But it is after the House rejected the president’s attempt to force a vote on a controversial trade deal with Colombia. NPR’s Debbi Alley reports. President Bush today said a free trade agreement with Colombia is dead unless House speaker Nancy Pelosi schedules a vote on the deal. But Pelosi responded that first congress should address the worsening economy. Democrats and I have told the president last Wednesday than ready to work with him to bring a Colombia free trade agreement to the floor. But the time has to be the timing of American working families not the timing of the president of the USA who seems / to their economy and security. Pelosi has called for an expansion of a program that helps US workers who lose their jobs because of foreign competition. President Bush wants congress to make his tax cuts permanent.

Senators Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton both called for tougher trade policy toward China as they campaigned for steel workers votes in Pittsburgh today as head of next week’s Pennsylvania primary. NPR’s Scot Horsley has more. Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton sound remarkably similar as they promised to defend American manufacturing jobs. Both said they will stop China for manipulating its currency and putting US workers at a disadvantage. They also took some swipes at each other while addressing a gathering of steel workers in Pittsburgh; Clinton has been criticizing Obama for saying a California Fund raising event that some US workers are bitter than clinging to guns and religion and anti-immigrants settlement as a result. I don’t think he really gets it that people are looking for a President who stands up for you and not looks down on you. Most of the workers in the audience didn’t seem to mind Obama’s remarks. One woman sheered him on saying we are bitter. Scot Horsley NPR news, Pittsburgh.

There is still no guarantee will go through but the country’s No. 3 airline is said to be prepared to announce as soon as tomorrow. It has reached to an agreement to merge with No. 5 airline and the company will create the world’s largest carrier. Individual said to be familiar with talks said the boards of Atlanta-based Delta and Minnesota-based Northwest are meeting today because of the rising cost of jet fuel all the major airlines are under increasing financial pressure. Northwest pilots / say they will oppose any deal that doesn’t put their interests first.

Blockbuster announced they have made a more than 1 billion dollar offer for a / city. The head of Blockbuster James Tee said combining the two companies will create retail chains that could sell portable devices on the entertainment for them. Tee says the / support Blockbuster board member Carl Icon who be a major source of financing for the deal.

On Wall Street today the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 23 points to close at 2302; the NASDAQ was down 14 points; the S&P 500 fell 4 points. This is NPR. The Bush Administration announced plans today to order an additional 200 million dollar of emergency food aid designed to help alleviate shortages in Africa and elsewhere. Quoting the whiter House, move make additional funds available comes a day after top finance officials around the world called for urgent action to stem rising food prices amid signs of social unrest in some areas including Haiti. Increasing commodity cost was pressure on a number of aid organizations.

Italy’s controversial right-wing media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi won a third term as Prime Minister today defeating the center-left democratic party of Rome’s popular former Mayeor Walter Veltroni. NPR’s Sobi reports from Rome. Veltroni considered defeat following projections of a victory from Berlusconi’s coalition but the biggest winner maybe Berlusconi’s even more controversial ally the Northern League, an activist anti-immigration moment that’s pushing for secession. The party doubled its votes in much of the north and political allies believed it would be the arbiter in the new government. The 71 year old media tycoon has promised to cut taxes and / Italy’s huge death but he also has to tackle a disastrous economic situation with zero growth, increasing poverty and soaring food prices. When asked in power, Berlusconi said Italian record by serving a full five-year term as Prime Minister. But critics say he failed to carry out long-needed economic and institutional reform. S J NPR New, Rome.

After being held by the US military for more than 2 years, officials confirmed today that they will release Associate Press photographer Bloc Hussein. The military confirmed Hussein being sent free on Wednesday. Hussein was detained by the marines in 2006. I am Jack Spears, NPR News in Washington.