NPR 2009-12-22（在线收听）

From NPR news in Washington, I'm Craig Windham.

President Obama is praising Senate Democrats for what he called a big victory for the American people a vote to advance legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

The president applauded the early morning vote in which all 60 members of the Democratic Senate Caucus agreed to move forward the health care bill. Mr. Obama said the measure would help seniors, families and businesses and he used numbers from the Congressional Budget Office to rebuff the Republican argument that health care overhaul will produce more red ink.

This cuts our deficit by 132 billion dollars the first ten years and by over a trillion in the second. That argument that opponents are making against this bill does not hold water.

The Senate vote suggests Democrats have the filibuster to prove majority they need to approve the health care bill before Christmas. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House.

Transportation Secretary Ray La Hood has announced new rules that bar airlines from keeping travelers stranded on planes delayed in airport for longer than three hours. In the first half of this year, passengers on 613 fights had to wait for longer than that before finally departing.

Airlines have been struggling today to get travelers home, travelers who were stranded by the massive snow storm that walloped the east coast over the weekend. But that’s easier said than done. Adam Reaker is at the New York airport trying to get home to Denver.

I had fight Saturday that got cancelled. I had fight yesterday that got cancelled. Now, they are trying to make me stay until Wednesday. And that's with United, and I am trying to see if American will take my fight tonight.

Federal Aviation Administration says there have been only minimum fight delays on the major airports on the east coast today.

The high speed train line connecting London to the European continent will resume service tomorrow after being shut down for three days. The rail line experienced a number of breakdowns stretching back to last week when more than 2000 passengers were stranded in the tunnel under the English Channels some for up to 15 hours. Frank Browning reports from Paris.

The Euro Star breakdown has disrupted travel between London and Paris and Brussels for more than 40,000 people, many of whom still remains stranded on both sides of the English Channels....