NPR 2009-01-21（在线收听）

Led by a phalanx of motorcycles, President Barack Obama was greeted by a crowd of tens of thousands today as the presidential motorcade moved down Pennsylvania Avenue. Many waited outside in the cold for eight hours or more just to get a glimpse of the nation's 44th president. NPR's Scott Horsley was there, he says the President and First Lady Michelle Obama emerged from a limousine to thunders of applause.

"They really won over the top when the presidential limousine stopped and President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama stepped out and began walking hand in hand down the center of Pennsylvania Avenue. The crowds lined up, can't beat, cheered madly and the President and First Lady walked along Pennsylvania Avenue for about five blocks before getting back into their limousine. All along the way, military troops and law enforcement officers have been saluting gracefully. And spectators behind them have been cheering not so gracefully with great enthusiasm".

NPR's Scott Horsley at today's inaugural parade.

More than 13,000 people from all 50 states were taking part in the parade which covered a route of around a mile and a half, stretching from the US Capitol to the White House, where the President arrived a short time ago.

Earlier today with the huge crowds standing by the National Mall to witness the history, Mr. Obama took the oath of office, with  Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, then speaking at the Capitol. Mr. Obama delivered his inaugural address. He referred to a tattered US image abroad by saying a new era's at hand.

“To all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more." President Obama said the nation must ”choose hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.” The 47-year-old president spoke for just under 20 minutes.

It was a somber moment during President Obama's post-inaugural luncheon at US Capitol when Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts fell ill. Kennedy was taken by ambulance to Washington Hospital Center where a spokeswoman says he is awake and answering questions. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.

Senator Kennedy, who is battling a brain tumor, collapsed in the Capitol's Statuary Hall as members of Congress honored the new president with the traditional luncheon. Mr. Obama went to Kennedy's site and spoke of the 76-year-old senator during his remarks.

"I would be lying to you if I did not say that right now a part of me is with him. And I think that's true for all of us." The president said his prayers were with Senator Kennedy, his family and wife Vicki. Debbie Elliott, NPR News, Washington.

On Wall Street, the major stock market averages each lost four percent or more today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 332 points.

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Thousands of people were hamstrung by chaotic bus and metro system and blocked from exiting near the parade today. They found shelter, however, in Smithsonian Museums. NPR's Laura Sullivan has that story.

After a day of long lines, the lines after the inauguration only got longer. This time for people trying to find warmth inside the nation's most prestigious museums, most look like refugee camps as hundreds of people crowded in. At the Dillon Ripley Center, a largely underground museum, people lined the walls, squatting under priceless pieces of art, kicking off their shoes and layers of clothing. The bathroom lines were half an hour long, security gave up on bag checks and many said they would stay here until the roads re-open later. Laura Sullivan, NPR News on the Mall in Washington.

Italian automaker Fiat confirmed today it's agreed to take a 35% stake in struggling US automaker Chrysler as an exchange for access to technology and overseas markets. The deal announced jointly by the two car companies comes just 18 months after private investment firm of Cerberus capital management bought Chrysler from German automaker Daimler. With the deal, Chrysler which last month got a 4-billion-dollar cash infusion from US government gains access to Fiat's technology for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles and a distribution system outside the US.

General Mills, Kroger and Safeway are joining the growing list of companies pulling items amid a nationwide salmonella scare. The announcement comes as the Food and Drug Administration says it’s traced an outbreak which has sickened more than 470 people in 43 states to peanut butter and peanut paste made at a Georgia plant owned by Peanut Corporation of America. Peanut butter sold to consumers by the jar is not included in the recall.