Morning Edition on WAMC

Listen to Paul Caiano's WAMC Regional forecast.  Paul Caianois a meteorologist at WNYT Newschannel 13. He graduated from SUNY Albany in May of 1993 with a B.S. in the field of Atmospheric Science/Meteorology.

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The Stanley Cup finals start tonight, between the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have only made it to the finals once before in their 45-year history. And so here in a town that lives for the Lakers and Dodgers, hockey fans are relishing their moment. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

Well the Spurs are in the NBA record books and halfway toward another appearance in the NBA Finals…

TNT had the coverage of Game 2 last night in San Antonio, where Tony Parker poured in 34 points, in guiding the Spurs to a 120-111 dismantling of the Thunder.  The Spurs set an NBA record with their 20th consecutive win bridging the regular season and the playoffs.  The Thunder, who trails in the series two-games-to-none, hosts Game 3 tomorrow night.

Tonight, Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Heat the Celtics.  Miami leads the series 1-0. 

A new cyber-spying program called Flame has been spreading across the Middle East. A Russian security company called Kaspersky Labs discovered the virus. Some experts believe Flame was developed by the makers of the virus Stuxnet.

The people of Ireland vote Thursday on a European treaty that imposes strict budgetary rules on eurozone nations. It's triggered a heated debate in Ireland about whether austerity measures are working. The Irish government says rejecting the treaty would cut Ireland off from future EU bailout funds, and isolate the nation.

In Spain, retail sales for April plunged to a seasonally adjusted 9.8 percent from a year ago. It's the fastest decline on record. The drop in sales is being blamed on Spain's severe austerity program.

The Japanese government has launched a campaign aimed at selling bonds to help fund reconstruction of areas hit by last year's earthquake and tsunami. It recruited the popular girl band AKB48, known for hits like "Baby Baby Bay," to help promote the bonds.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has left Myanmar for the first time in more than two decades. Her first trip out of the country formerly known as Burma is on a short hop to Thailand to meet with refugees and attend the World Economic Forum on East Asia.

Mitt Romney won the GOP presidential primary in Texas Tuesday night. By some counts, that gives him the last delegates he needed to formally secure the Republican nomination. He celebrated in Las Vegas with a campaign event and a fundraiser. But his victory was overshadowed by campaign surrogate Donald Trump who has a gift for finding the spotlight.

The U.S. and several governments worldwide have expelled Syrian diplomats in a coordinated protest against last weekend's massacre of more than 100 civilians in the village of Houla. The diplomatic fallout has spread to California, where Syrian Consul General Hazem Chehabi announced his resignation from the post. For more on his decision, Renee Montagne talks to Chehabi.