Morning Edition

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Tax revenue coming from shale, oil, and gas development has many states very happy, but the boom is also putting a strain on regulators. There are not enough of them to inspect all the drilling sites. Colorado, for example, has 17 inspectors for more the 47,000 active oil and gas wells. Kirk Siegler reports from member station KUNC.

KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE: Each day, Jim Precobb(ph) of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission logs about 400 miles in his state-owned truck.

JIM PRECOBB: It is absolutely staggering.

The Marvel Comics superheros smashed the domestic revenue record with a $200.3 million debut. It's by far the biggest opening ever.

Vice President Joe Biden said he is "absolutely comfortable" with gay couples who marry getting the same civil rights and liberties as heterosexual couples. President Obama does not publicly support gay marriage.

Yemeni officials have announced that an airstrike in Yemen Sunday killed a top al-Qaida leader. The suspect was on the FBI's most wanted list for his role in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole warship.