NPR 2009-6-02

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack 1 Speer.

As part of General Motors's bankruptcy 2 announcement this morning, the automaker said it will idle or close 14 manufacturing plants including one in Spring Hill, Tennessee, that's where the Saturn 3 brand was developed in the mid-80s. From member station WPLN in Nashville, Blake Farmer reports.

The last of Saturn production left town in 2007. The brand's exit from its birthplace was tempered by GM's commitment to invest a billion dollars in retooling 4 the plant. Local Union chairman Mike Herron says workers are disappointed that the plant will be idled, but Spring Hill is well positioned. "Everything in that facility is new. Its state of the art and it's ready to go ahead to build new products, and so we feel very comfortable as we move forward that you know we've got all of our ducks in a row." The plant now is a symbol for the Chevrolet Traverse, but that ends in November. 2,500 employees will be laid off indefinitely. Herron says Spring Hill will compete with other sites for a new assignment, possibly a new small car for GM. He notes that’s where Spring Hill got its start 25 years ago, developing a new fuel-efficient car to help the automaker compete with imports. For NPR News, I'm Blake Farmer in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

As President Obama prepares for a trip this week that will include visits to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, one of the issues the White House hopes to advance, Middle East peace, remains 6 contentious 7. Israel's Prime Minister today rejected a US demand for a settlement freeze while mobs of Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian labors 8 and burned West Bank fields. In an interview with NPR, the White House stated the president said he is well aware of the challenges involved, but said that should not dissuade 9 the sides from talking. "There is not a sense that we expect only compromise on one side. It's going to have to be two-sided. I don't think anybody would deny that in theory. When it comes to the concrete, then the politics of it get difficult, both within the Israeli and Palestinian communities. But look, if this was easy it would have already been done." Mr. Obama leaves Washington tomorrow.

The American Civil Liberty Union asked the federal appeals court in New York to allow the release of disturbing pictures of detainee abuse which the Obama administration wants to keep under wraps. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports.

The filing is the other shoe to drop in a legal battle between the ACLU and the Justice Department. The government says releasing photographs of abused detainees would stoke anti-American feelings in the Middle East and in South Asia. In particular, it mentioned the volatile 10 situation in Pakistan as a reason not to release the photographs. ACLU for its part pointed 5 out that an appeals court and district judge have already ruled that the public has the right to see the photographs. The Obama administration had initially 11 planned to release the pictures, and then last month the president changed his mind. The ACLU has sought to release the pictures as part of a freedom of information request that dates back to the Bush administration. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News, New York.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 221 points.

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According to a US official, North Korea appears to be readying a missile that would be capable of reaching the US. And there were signs the country's government may be readying a test launch. The comments will seem to confirm a previous report by South Korea's news agency about a pending 12 long range missile test. North Korea last month drew international condemnation 13 for a series of missile launches and for also carrying out what the country says was an underground nuclear test. South Korea's news agency has reported Pyongyang could be ready to fire the missile within the next week.

Two army recruiters have been shot outside an Army-Navy recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas. Police say they are trying to determine a motive 14. From member station KUAR, Kelly McNeil reports.

Little Rock police say a black SUV pulled up to the recruiting office as the recruiting assistants stood outside. One soldier was killed outright 15. The other was hospitalized. Police Lieutenant 16 Terry Hastings says the driver opened fire with an assault rifle. It's unclear whether the shooter knew the victims or was targeting the recruiting center. “That vehicle left. Our officers stopped it. We have taken the suspect in custody 17. He’s in our detective division. Right now we are interviewing him. We have no motive for the shooting. And that is something we are working on today as we get deeper into the investigation 18.” Police are not looking for any other suspects. For NPR News, I'm Kelly McNeil in the Little Rock.

Pieces of a pottery 19 found inside a cave in southern China could turn out to be some of the earliest evidence of development of ceramics 20 by ancient people. The findings were reported in this week edition's Proceedings 21 of the National Academy of Sciences. Officials say the pottery found in the Yuchanyan Cave appears to the earliest examples found so far dating back as far as 18, 000 years, though human figurines dating back 35, 000 years have been found in the Czech Republic.

I'm Jack Speer, NPR News in Washington.