NPR 2010-06-04（在线收听）

BP says it may find out in the next 12 to 14 hours whether its latest attempt to cap a devastating oil spill works. CEO Tony Hayward concedes it's risky. Earlier, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen announced that the damaged pipe spewing crude from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico was successfully cut, allowing for a cap. But NPR's Carrie Kahn reports it took shears after a diamond saw kept getting stuck.

The shears did the trick and finally cut the damaged riser pipe, but the cut was not as clean as officials had hoped. Allen says that means when a containment cap is lowered over the severed pipe, the seal may not be as tight.

"We will have the option to use undersea dispersants to deal with any oil that might not be captured. It will be a kind of a test-and-adapt phase as we move ahead but a significant step forward this morning."

The White House told BP to go ahead and begin building five more sand berm barriers off the Louisiana shore. Local officials have been pushing BP for weeks to build the berms or give the state money to construct them which they say will be the best line of defense against the encroaching oil slick. Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Buras, Louisiana.

Across Turkey people are expressing outrage against Israel, once a close regional partner. Thousands attended the first funerals today for the nine people killed in an Israeli raid of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Monday. Eight activists were Turks; one was an American of Turkish origin. Linda Gradstein also tells us that Middle East envoy George Mitchell is doing what he can to keep attempts at reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks from collapsing.

Speaking in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Mitchell said the incident underscored the need to make progress in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Mitchell yesterday met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and is shuttling between Jerusalem and Ramallah to try to get direct talks restarted. Mitchell spoke as the United Nations and other countries urged Israel to accept an independent commission of inquiry. Israeli officials say the army can conduct its own investigation. For NPR News, I am Linda Gradstein in Jerusalem.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, still under fire for signing an immigration law opponents call racist, says she and President Obama will find a way to resolve concerns about border security.

"I believe that we are protecting the people of Arizona, and beyond that, I believe we are protecting the people of America. We need to secure our border."

Brewer visited the White House today. She recently signed a law that requires police to check people's immigration status.

Fans say goodbye to another Golden Girl, award-winning actress Rue McClanahan in the role of sexy vixen Blanche Devereaux in the TV hit Golden Girls. She died today after succumbing to a stroke. She was 76 years old.

From Washington, this is NPR News.

A group of religious leaders is protesting a new show by Comedy Central which they believe will mock Jesus. The cartoon called JC is one of many projects and is not guaranteed to air. NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty has more.

Comedy Central has often ridiculed Jesus, the Pope and evangelicals in its various shows. Now it's developing a South Park-like cartoon with Jesus as its central character, much to the dismay of a group of Christian and Jewish leaders. Tony Perkins at the Family Research Council accuses Comedy Central of a double standard.

"Why does Comedy Central give such deference to Islam while mocking Christianity? Is it because they confuse the civility of Christianity with weakness? And I think if that's the case, they may be shocked."

The group called Citizens Against Religious Bigotry has asked more than 250 large television advertisers to refuse to sponsor the show. More than 90,000 people have signed a petition protesting it. Barbara Bradley Hagerty, NPR News.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig will not reverse a bad call that cost tigers Armando Galarraga a perfect game yesterday. The umpire who made that call, Jim Joyce, has apologized to Galarraga.

Some analysts are calling the latest reports on the economy "encouraging". The government reports that last week slightly fewer newly unemployed Americans put in for jobless insurance than the week before, and productivity in first quarter rose, though not as sharply as first reported. The gain has been revised down from 3.6% to 2.8%.

Last check on Wall Street, Dow was up five points at 10,255.