NPR 2010-06-09

The government is confirming that BP's giant oil spill in the Gulf 1 of Mexico has been producing plumes 2 of oil deep below the water surface. We have more from NPR's Debbie Elliott.

NOAA administrator 3 Jane Lubchenco says the agency has evaluated water samples taken near the blown-out oil well. "And NOAA is confirming the presence of very low concentrations of subsurface oil at sampling depths ranging from the surface to 3,300 feet." When independent scientists first reported finding the undersea plumes, NOAA said they could not be confirmed. But Lubchenco now says the agency has always known that oil was under the surface and was trying to determine where it was and how much of it is there. She says the underwater oil is at very low concentrations. The finding further complicates 4 BP's efforts to contain the spill at sea and protect shorelines along the Gulf Coast. Debbie Elliott, NPR News, Orange Beach, Alabama.

Americans are voting in 12 states holding primaries or runoffs. The vote comes as a new survey finds people are increasingly opposed to incumbents 5 this election year.

While political contests are underway across the US, President Obama is reaching out to a vital voting bloc 6 in elections, senior citizens. And today, it was all about the new health care law. At a senior center in suburban 7 Maryland, the president addressed concerns about the law's impact on Medicare.

"You can live out your golden years with some basic peace of mind and health coverage 8 that you can count on. That was the promise of Medicare, and the Affordable 9 Care Act renews and strengthens that promise."

At least 20 states are part of a lawsuit 10 to overturn that law.

Tens of thousands of American troops may be struggling with brain injuries caused by explosions, yet military doctors have not diagnosed or treated many of them. That's the conclusion of an investigation 11 by NPR and ProPublica. NPR's Daniel Zwerdling has more.

The investigation found that military doctors often failed to diagnose TBIs on the battlefield. Many haven't been trained to do it, but it's also because many commanders don't believe that a soldier is hurt if he can't see broken bones or blood. Our investigation found troops who can't read or remember or comprehend instructions any more months or years since they were hit by blast waves. Yet military doctors said the soldiers' problems were psychological, and they've denied proper treatment. An army researcher Remington Nevin has been trying to warn commanders that soldiers are falling through the cracks.

"This is an issue which is causing real harm, and the senior levels of leadership that should be responsible for this issue either don't care, can't understand the problem due to lack of experience or are so disengaged that they haven't fixed 12 it." Daniel Zwerdling, NPR News.

Dow's up more than 100.

This is NPR.

Joran Van Der Sloot, the main suspect in an American teen's disappearance 13 five years ago, reportedly confesses he killed a Peruvian woman over a week ago. Local media are citing police saying that the Dutchman tearfully admitted to murdering Stephany Flores exactly five years to the day that Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba. Van Der Sloot was arrested twice in the Holloway case, but authorities say there wasn't enough evidence to hold him.

A new survey reveals employers in the US expect modest hiring gains during the third quarter of this year. The survey is from the Milwaukee-based temporary services firm, Manpower Inc. Chuck Quirmbach of Wisconsin Public Radio has details.

The Manpower's survey of 18,000 US employers shows 18% expect to increase their payrolls 15 over the next three months while 8% plan to cut jobs. The rest expect no change or aren't sure what they'll do. Manpower Vice 14 President Melanie Holmes says 11 of the 13 employment sectors 17 that were surveyed planned to add workers.

"This positive news is broad-based from an industry sector 16 perspective. The only two that did not report positive hiring are government and health education services."

Holmes also says all four US regions expect a net increase in hiring. She says this is the third quarter in a row for a positive jobs outlook. For NPR News, I'm Chuck Quirmbach in Milwaukee.

US stocks get a late-session lift. At last check, the Dow was up 123 points at 9,939. NASDAQ down a bit around three points at 2,171, S&P 500 up 12 at 1,062.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.