NPR 2009-6-10

A large bomb that exploded at a luxury hotel in Peshawar, Pakistan has claimed the lives of at least 11 people and left 55 others wounded today. Officials say militants 1 attacked the Pearl Continental 2 Hotel popular with foreigners with guns and a truck bomb. Intelligence officials say it appears some of the attackers were also able to scale the wall of the hotel and entered a compound and opened fire just before the bomb went off. Dozens of cars were also destroyed in the blast. The bombing is the latest in a string of attacks in Pakistan which officials say appear to be a retaliation 3 for an offensive against Taliban militants in the Swat Valley.

Treasury 4 Department said today it will allow ten of the nation's biggest banks to repay some of the funds they received as part of the troubled asset relief program last year. More from NPR's Yuki Noguchi.

The banks will repay 68 billion of the 199 billion in capital investments the government made at the height of the financial crisis. Although the banks have resumed some lending, the government was concerned about their continued health. So the banks were required to raise billions in private funds without the backing of a federal guarantee. The government did not name the ten banks repaying the funds, although it likely includes the healthiest including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of New York Mellon and American Express. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said the funds including several billion in dividends 5 will return to government coffers, but they may still be needed to shore up other problem banks including some smaller ones. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.

A House panel has voted to recommend an impeachment 6 of a federal judge in Texas. Judge Samuel Kent has admitted lying about sexual assaults on two women who worked for him. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.

Judge Kent was the first sitting judge to face sex crimes charges. In a week, he will begin serving his sentence of nearly three years in prison, but Kent still has a job. Impeachment is the only way a federal judge can be removed from office and now the House has moved one step closer to impeaching 7 Kent. A panel voted 10 : 0 on four articles of impeachment-those  essentially 8 charges. They alleged 9 that Kent sexually assaulted two women and lied about it to federal investigators 10. One woman was his case manager; the other his secretary. As a federal judge, Kent has life tenure 11. He had offered to resign in a year, but that still would have given him an annual salary and benefits. Members of the House panel voting on impeachment rejected that offer. Kent told them in a letter that if he is impeached 12, he will be penniless. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, Washington.

A bankruptcy 13 court judge in New York has approved plans by bankrupt automaker Chrysler to cut ties with 789 of its dealers 15, however, the dealers have already indicated they will appeal. Chrysler yesterday had its sale to Fiat 16 temporarily put on a hold by the Supreme 17 Court, which said it needs time to reduce its dealer 14 networks by 25%. High Court is reviewing complaints filed by Chrysler creditors 18.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down a point. The NASDAQ gained 17 points.

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As searchers continued to find additional bodies and wreckage 19 from an Air France jetliner that went down in the waters of the Atlantic. Investigators are looking at speed monitors aboard the airplane. Early attention is focused on the monitors as perhaps playing a role in the May 31st crash by feeding false information to computers aboard to the doomed 20 jetliner. So far searchers said they'd pulled a total of 28 bodies from the sea along with various pieces of wreckage including a portion of the downed plane's tail section.

US employers plan to stabilize 21 hiring activity in the third quarter of the year. From member station WUWM in Milwaukee, Marti Mikkelson reports.

The latest Manpower survey shows 15% of employers plan to hire more workers in July, August and September, while 13% expect to cut staff. Manpower surveyed more than 28,000 employers across the country. Chief executive officer Jeffrey Joerres says attitudes toward hiring remains 22 virtually the same since the second quarter. He says employers are watching the economy with guarded optimism, hoping a few stable quarters will spark a recovery. Job prospects 23 look best in construction, wholesale 24 and retail 25 trade while employers in government, education, and health services anticipate a downturn in hiring. Hiring is relatively 26 stable in the south, mid 27 west and north east. The west has a weaker outlook compared to the second quarter. For NPR News, I'm Marti Mikkelson in Milwaukee.

Nation's airlines did a better job of arriving on time in April. That's according to the US Department of Transportation which says airlines reported a combined on-time rate of just over 79%. That is up from the previous month and well ahead of last April's 77.7%.

I'm Jack 28 Speer, NPR News in Washington.