Morning Edition - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

AMERICA'S HOSTS: Steve Inskeep, Renee Montagne; NEWSCASTS: Carl Kasell, Jean Cochran
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HOST: Donna Apidone; NEWSCASTS: Steve Shadley

Here are some highlights of today's show:

California has a new Assembly Speaker as of today.  KXJZ's Jenny O'Mara talks with Democrat Karen Bass this morning at 6:33 and 8:33.

Israel is commemorating the 60th anniversary of its independence. Co-host Renee Montagne talks to Michael Oren, a Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem-based research group Shalem Center, about what this anniversary means to Israelis and Palestinians. They also discuss how much hope there is for peace talks between the two sides. This story airs at 6:10 and 8:10. Tomorrow, we'll hear from a Palestinian columnist about his perspective on 1948--a time many Palestinians refer to as the "catastrophe."

Co-host Steve Inskeep talks to NPR's Frank Langfitt about yesterday's earthquake in China. Langfitt has covered China and spent more than five years in the country as a correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. In the same segment, the death toll continues to climb in Myanmar. The military government is still refusing to allow foreigners experience in managing humanitarian crises from reaching survivors of the cyclone. Co-host Renee Montagne talks with Frank Smithuis in Yangon of Doctors Without Borders, about the relief effort.  Those stories are at 6:40 and 8:40.

When gas prices go up, Congress tries to do what it can to make them go back down.  The Senate today votes on two measures. Proposals from Democrats and Republicans would stop the federal government's practice of adding 70-thousand barrels of oil a day to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.  The Republicans plan would also expand domestic oil production. That's at 7:40.

Thanks for listening!