Morning Edition from NPR

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And anyone listening in on yesterday's debate at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, you might have wondered whether the Cold War was really over.

At issue, whether to repeal trade a law aimed at pressuring the Soviet Union to allow Jewish emigration.

As Peter van Dyk reports from Moscow, remarkably it's a law that continues to have serious trade implications even today.

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The Israeli film "Footnote" has racked up a pile of awards - Best Screenplay at Cannes, nine awards at Israel's Oscars, and a nomination for Best Foreign Language film at the Academy Awards.

Film critic Kenneth Turan says it's all deserved.

KENNETH TURAN: "Footnotes"'s subject matter sounds dry, unlikely, even obscure. The film is set in Jerusalem's Hebrew University and deals with the implacable rivalry between two scholars of the Talmud, the complex and sacred text of the Jewish religious tradition.

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Now for our last word in business: crooner.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

JOSEPH KOBZON: (Singing in foreign language)

MONTAGNE: Joseph Kobzon has been called Russia's Frank Sinatra for his voice and also for his suspected mob connections. That's why the U.S. has banned him from entering the country since 1995.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is in Afghanistan on a long-planned trip that has turned into something of a fence-mending mission. A U.S. soldier is accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians. That attack is the latest in a series of negative events involving U.S. forces.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

India must cut back its imports on Iranian oil by June 28 or face U.S sanctions. A new law targets Iran's central bank, which is used for oil transactions, and it penalizes foreign countries that ignore the sanctions.

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And after the latest financial bailout of Greece, Europe is now worried more about Spain. That country has also been overspending for years, in violation of EU budget rules.

To look at the implications, Lauren Frayer brings us this report from Madrid.

LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Before the ink was dry on a new European fiscal pact, Spain was already asking for a pass. Its deficit last year was nearly triple what EU rules allow.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Tax hikes and tighter regulation are in store for gas and oil drillers in Ohio, if the governor there has his way.

Yesterday, Republican John Kasich called for sweeping changes and stricter controls in handling the state's shale gas boom.

Tim Rudell of member station WKSU reports Kasich is normally anti-regulation, but is making an exception.

TIM RUDELL, BYLINE: Governor John Kasich told oil and gas companies to show him the money.