From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

 

　　Air traffic controllers are being spared further furloughs after government felt the rough of a traveling public affected by hundreds of flight delays. Today the U.S. House voted 361: 41 in favor of a measure allowing the Federal Aviation Administration to tap into unused funds to pay their air traffic controllers. The bill passed the Senate late yesterday and President Obama is expected to sign the legislation today.

 

　　Today, Barack Obama became the first sitting president to address Planned Parenthood's annual conference. NPR's Ari Schapiro reports President Obama assured the organization that he has their back and that they are going anywhere.

 

　　The president used this speech to promote his health care law. This fall people can begin signing up for insurance exchanges to get health coverage. Obama asked for Planned Parenthood's help spread in the world, especially, among women. And he said it won't be easy acknowledging the push back that the organization's leader Cecile Richards has described.

 

　　Cecile describes Planned Parenthood as the only organization that she has ever been at where there are opponents who, in her words, literally get up every day trying to figure out how to keep us from doing our work. Now if she'd worked in the administration, she'd be more familiar with this phenomenon but..

 

　　Obama argued that attacks on Planned Parenthood are really attacks on women. Ari Schapiro, NPR News, the White House.

 

　　President Obama says he won't permit the use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians but says the U.S. evidence of that is preliminary. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports that Syria was high on the agenda as President Obama met Jordan's King Abdullah this afternoon.

 

　　President Obama has called the use of chemical weapons a game changer, but he is not signalling any dramatic change in policy just yet. He says he will be prudent as U.S. officials examine the evidence.

 

　　Obviously, horrific as it is when mortars are being fired on civilians and people are being indiscriminately killed, to use potential weapons of mass destruction on civilian populations crosses another one.

 

　　President Obama discussed Syria with Jordan's King  Abdullah who says Syria is becoming more fragmented. The Jordanian leader says 0.5 million Syrian refugees have fled to his country. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　In Bangladesh, families are frantically searching for loved ones still missing since a garment factory in Dhaka collapsed, killing more than 300 people. The BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan reports there was one glimmer of hope when survivors were located.

 

　　I spoke to a senior fire service department official in shelter where I go and they said in one room they found about 23 people in one group under the rubble. So that gave lots of hope and confidence for the rescue teams, you know there were lots of tears around the place. That's the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan reporting.

 

　　This is NPR News.

 

　　An elderly woman has been killed in a collision northwest of Pittsburgh involving a freight train and a transit bus. Its passengers included people with developmental disabilities. Ten people were hurt in the Evans city incident. Police say the bus apparently  stopped on the tracks prompting a warning from the train engineer just before the crash. They are investigating whether dense fog was a factor.

 

　　The government reportedly is announcing its second civil fraud lawsuit against Novartis in less than a week. Reuters News Service is reporting that the Swiss drug maker is accused of paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to doctors in exchange for prescribing drugs.

 

　　With the first round of the NFL draft in the books, NPR's Mike Pesca reports it was a big day for the members of offense who rarely touch the ball.

 

　　More than a quarter of all players taken nine out of 32 were offense alignment with tackle Eric Fisher out of Center Michigan going number 1 overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. But if it was a banner day for the protectors, the protected were largely ignored. No running backs and only one quarter back were drafted yesterday that could be Florida state's Eric Manuel who was selected by the Buffalo Bills was something of a surprise. Other signal-callers, Geno Smith of West Virginia and Ryan Nassib of Syracuse's can be selected today, as Heisman Trophy runner-up Manti Te'o. Rounds two and three of the draft occurred today, the final four rounds are held on Saturday. Mike Pesca, NPR News, New York.

 

　　Before the closing bell, Dow was up 12 points at 14,730; NASDAQ was off 11 at 3,279; and the S&P 500 was down three points at 1,582.

 

　　I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, in Washington.