NPR 2008-09-10（在线收听）

More troops will be heading home from Iraq. President Bush made the announcement today in Washington. NPR's JJ Sutherland reports from the Pentagon.

The president said the situation in Iraq has changed dramatically. "Civilian deaths are down, sectarian killings are down, suicide bombings are down, and normal life is returning to communities across the country." As a result, he's ordered a reduction of about 8,000 troops in the country. But he also said he'll be sending more forces to Afghanistan, where violence has done anything but recede. A Marine battalion will head there in November and an army brigade in January. The redeployment of troops hasn't satisfied Senate Democrats though. Majority Leader Harry Reid says the president is out of touch with the reality of Afghanistan and should have shifted more troops there. JJ Sutherland, NPR News, the Pentagon.

Members of Congress are concerned about how well the Justice Department has prepared for November's elections. The Senate Judiciary Committee had a hearing today where some senior officials from the department testified. NPR's Ari Shapiro has more.

Senator Ben Cardin is a Maryland Democrat. He said deceptive election practices have flourished in the last two elections. "We've seen flyers that tell people if they have outstanding parking tickets, they are in jeopardy of being arrested. We've seen the wrong Election Day handed out. And we've seen information that's been deceptive as to endorsements and they've been handed out in minority communities. " Cardin said the Justice Department has to punish people who do those things to prevent others from intimidating minority voters in the future. The acting head of the department's Civil Rights Division said there are some ongoing investigations related to those cases. Grace Chung Becker said the Justice Department wants to know if those sorts of incidents happen again this year. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, Washington.

A published report today says Alaska Governor Sarah Palin charged the state a travel allowance for more than 300 nights spent at home. According to the Washington Post, the GOP vice presidential candidate also billed the state more than $40,000 for travel by her husband and children. Report comes at a time that Palin is coming under intense scrutiny. State officials, however, maintain the claims where per diem expenses were allowed because her duty station is in the capital in Juneau but she lives some 600 miles away. The newspaper also points out Palin's travel expenses pale in comparison to those of her predecessor Frank Murkowski, who according to the Post, charged the state $463,000 for airfare in 2006.

Shares in financial giant Lehman Brothers tumbled by double digits today on reports talks over a possible investment by a Korean bank may have broken down, making it less likely the fourth largest Wall Street investment bank will be able to raise needed capital.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 280 points to end the session at 11,230. The NASDAQ was down 59 points today to close at 2,209. The S&P 500 fell 43 points.

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The Iowa Attorney General has now filed child labor charges against the owner and managers of a kosher meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa. Complaint against Agriprocessors alleges more than 9,000 violations of Iowa's child labor law, which the office claims occurred from September of last year through May of 2008. According to the complaint, the violations at the plant involved 32 children under the age of 18 and seven who were 16 years old or younger. The plant was the site of one of the biggest immigration raids in US history in May when nearly 400 people were arrested.

Shareholders of the former energy company Enron will receive more than $7.2 billion. The settlement will come from the financial institutions that participated in financial schemes which eventually bankrupted the company. NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports.

It is the largest settlement ever reached in a securities fraud case, with well over a million investors, shareholders and debtholders who will share in the distribution. The agreement is part of a multi-billion dollar lawsuit against Citigroup, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, among others, which helped Enron hide its debt and inflate its earnings in complex financial schemes. Several defendants have not settled, including Merrill Lynch, Barclays and Credit Suisse First Boston as well as former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling now serving more than 24 years in federal prison. Enron was at one time the nation's seventh largest company. The bankruptcy in December of 2001 put thousands out of work. More than $2 billion in pensions and $60 billion in market value went up in smoke. Wade Goodwyn, NPR News.

Crude oil futures fell $3.08 a barrel to settle at $103.26 a barrel in New York.