keystone XL is controversial, because the oil would carry has significantly larger green house gas footprint than conventional crude. In a new assessment, the State Department says it’s about 17 percent higher. Still, assistant secretary of state Kerri-Ann Jones says that oil is likely to get market with or without Keystone pipeline. 

“Approve any single project is unlikely to significantly affect the rate of extraction of the oil and the oil sands, or the refining of heavy crude on the US Gulf Coast.”

Environmentalists and energy analysts say the document leaves the door open for Secretary of State John Kerry to reject or approve the project. There’s no deadline for his decision. Elizabeth Shogren, NPR News, Washington. 

 

President Obama met with business leaders at the White House, urging them to do more to hire people who haven’t been out of work for a long time. NPR’s Scott Horsley reports it’s the latest and serious move by the White House acts on its own when Congress will not. 

So far the Obama administration has been stymied in its efforts to get Congress to keep sending unemployment check to those who have been out of work 6 months or more. Obama says he will keep pressing lawmakers, calling those checks and economic lifeline. Meanwhile, though the president urge a quart of American to do its part to put people back to work. The president says companies should be careful not overlook job applicants, even they have been unemployed for an extent of period. 

“Just because you have been out of work for a while, that doesn’t mean that you’re not a hard worker.”

Study suggests long-term unemployed are less likely to be interviewed for jobs than people who haven’t been out of work just few weeks. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House. 

 

The Thomson Reuters university in Michigan consumer’s sentiment in debts fell slightly to 81.2 this month. Confidence was down among households with annual incomes below 75,000 dollars. But economic outlook group chief economist Bernard Baumohl says the numbers don’t match with economic reports released earlier this week. 

“What we really want is some consistencies. In this report, it tells us our consumers feeling and we got this mixed result this week on consumers modes, and not particularly can turn back today’s report either.”

Still any downturn indexes potentially caused for concern, that’s because spending by consumers dropped off 2/3 of the overall US economic activities. 

 

Tweeter has its buying out about 900 patents from IBM, the company contending the deal were allow Tweeter greater electro property protection and its ability to innervate. San Francisco-based Tweeter holds just a handful of patents, IBM, meanwhile, has more than 41,000. 

 

On Wall Street today, the Dow was down 149 points, to 15,698; the NASDAQ dropped 19 points. 

 

This is NPR. 

 

A Roman Catholic diocese facing numerous clergy child sex abuse claims has now announced it will file for bankruptcy. The diocese in Helena, Montana which faces lawsuits, claiming clergy members have abused as many as 362 children over a period of decades, says charged with 11 filings will help results pending claims. The diocese covers west Montana, employing about 200. It also accused the diocese shielded offenders and should have known these threats they posed. 

 

Public powerful tax-exempt group crossroads GPS and its secret donors are the center of a lawsuit filed today by 3 liberal groups. NPR’s Peter Overby says the suit will force the federal election commission to regulate Crossroad as a political committee. Some commissions are so far declared to do. 

Crossroads GPS was found by Republican Party strategists. It’s a tax-exempt social welfare organization and does dozens to close donors. In 2010, Crossroads drew nearly 17 million dollars worth of edge, directly promoting Republican and attacking Democrats. Its total for 2012 was 71 million. The lawsuit says FEC should treat Crossroads as a political committee in making a public identify to donors. The 3 Republican commissioners in FEC earlier concluded the Crossroads didn’t meet the threshold for regulation. Peter Overby, NPR News, Washington. 

 

Authorities in New York say 2 men have been arrested while a number of others are reportedly still in large after a day-time robbery in an upscale jewelry store. Officials say the suspects were arrested less than a day after robbers wielding a hammer stormed a cardiac jewelry store at fifth avenue in Manhattan. Smashing the display cases and seized 16 watches, value between 2,500 and 60,000 dollars apiece. 

 

I’m Jack Speer, NPR News in Washington.