From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Speer. 

 

With a looming government shutdown now less than two hours away, the House and Senate are essentially kicking the ball back and forth, House lawmakers again voting to tie continuing spending resolution to President Obama’s health care law. NPR's Tamara Keith has more. 

 

House Republicans are strategizing their next move. They’re back in their basement meeting room in the Capitol, coming up with a plan, figuring out what to send back to the Senate. There are a couple of options, not clear which one they’ll take. They could send back the same thing they're sending over right now, they could send back some other changes to the health care law, or they could send back a short-term clean continuing resolution to keep the government funded maybe just for a few days while negotiations continue. 

 

Within minutes of the House vote, however, the Senate again voted to strip out the amendments, sending a clean version of the funding bill back to the House, which again has begun debate. This point at least a partial government shutdown seems to be almost inevitable. 

 

President Obama, meantime, had a clear message at the White House today with the possible looming government shutdown, the president telling respective sides to put aside their differences over his health care law and pass a measure that will keep the government running. In an interview with NPR, the president says he’s not delaying the health care law just because some Republicans don't like it. 

 

“The notion that we would even delay them getting that kind of peace of mind, potentially going to a doctor to get treated for illnesses that they currently have simply because the Republicans have decided, ideologically, that they’re opposed to the Affordable Care Act is not something that we're gonna be discussing.” 

 

Full interview with President airs on Morning Edition tomorrow. 

 

A federal court has barred Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio from arresting people for smuggling themselves. That, as NPR's Ted Robbins explains, has been the hard-line sheriff's justification for arresting some immigrants. 

 

As in another places, local law enforcement officials in Arizona turn over undocumented immigrants to federal immigration officers. But in 2005, Arizona also made it a state crime to smuggle immigrants. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in America, decided that meant undocumented immigrants already in the country could be arrested for smuggling themselves. His department has charged more than 2,000 immigrants under that rationale. Now a federal judge in Phoenix says it's a direct conflict with federal law. The court barred future arrests of people who are not smuggling others. Ted Robbins, NPR News. 

 

Bank of America is agreeing to pay out 32 million dollars to settle charges it made or authorized harassing debt collection calls to customer cellphones. Some are believed to be the largest cash payout ever under 1991 law meant to protect consumers from unwanted calls. 

 

A lower start to the week for Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 128 points today; the NASDAQ was down ten points. You’re listening to NPR News from Washington. 

 

Authorities in Colorado are now confirming five hikers were killed today by a rockslide on a trail in the south central part of the state. One other person, a 13-year-old girl, was reportedly pulled out with injuries and flown to a nearby hospital. Authorities say the rockslide took place this morning on a trail in the Pike and San Isabel National Forest southwest of Denver. The slide occurred on an easily accessible trail (that) provides a view of the falls and the Chalk Creek Valley. 

 

Kenya's parliament says security and intelligence officials will be testifying about the deadly attack at a shopping mall in Nairobi. The Red Cross says 39 people are still missing. Authorities insist only the bodies of dead terrorists remain inside the mall. NPR's Gregory Warner reports. 

 

The announcement of the hearing comes as a leaked intelligence report seen by NPR showed Kenyan intelligence officials were aware last year of a terrorist plot in the Westgate mall. The report even describes a likely method of attack, where "the operatives storm into a building with guns and grenades." But when militants stormed the Westgate mall, Kenyan security forces seemed caught off guard. Initially believing they were responding to bank robbers, police were first outmatched. Security forces then took the upper hand, but Kenyans familiar with the operation say the forces were not equipped to continue their assault after sunset. By night, the terrorists reportedly regrouped and rearmed, killing more civilians and stretching out the siege for four days. Gregory Warner, NPR News, Nairobi. 

 

Police in New York City say they are looking for two people. They think they have parachuted onto a Lower Manhattan street near the World Trade Center site. Private security guards reported seeing two parachuters land in front of the Goldman Sachs headquarters around 3:00 AM. Not clear is whether they jumped from a plane or a building.