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The Two-Way
7:35 am
Wed April 4, 2012

After Ferocious Texas Tornadoes, Two Incredibly Welcome Words: 'No Deaths'

Credit Tom Pennington / Getty Images
In Arlington, Texas, Tuesday afternoon, David Lowe carried his daughter's dog, Phoebe, away from the rubble.
History
7:27 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Museum Tracks Titanic Mania Over Unsinkable Ship

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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The Two-Way
7:05 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Baylor Women Are Perfectly Great; Finish Season 40-0, Win NCAA Title

Credit Justin Edmonds / Getty Images
Brittney Griner (#42) of the Baylor Lady Bears blocks a shot attempt by Kayla McBride (#23) of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during Tuesday night's NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game in Denver.

Looking not just to win the NCAA Division I women's basketball championship, but also to be the first team to win 40 games in one season and to do it without a single loss on the way, the Baylor Lady Bears achieved all that last night with an 80-61 win over Notre Dame.

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The Two-Way
6:40 am
Wed April 4, 2012

With Wisconsin Win, Romney Moves From 'Likely' To 'Almost Certain'

Credit Scott Olson / Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney celebrated last night with supporters in Milwaukee.

His wins Tuesday in Washington, D.C., Maryland and — most importantly — in Wisconsin has produced a subtle shift in the way Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is being referred to by the news media.

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Around the Nation
4:39 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Dramatic Storms Strike Dallas-Fort Worth Area

Originally published on Wed April 4, 2012 2:47 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

A flight departure board at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport yesterday told the story. One word was repeated again and again: cancelled, cancelled, cancelled.

INSKEEP: That was just one sign of chaos, as up to a dozen tornadoes spun through the area. Amazingly, nobody was reported killed.

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Around the Nation
4:00 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Alaska Legal Program Resolves Divorces Quickly, Amicably

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Alaska is trying to limit the pain of divorce. A program called Early Resolution aims to help couples settle their cases quickly and amicably. Alaska Public Radio Network's Annie Feidt attended an Early Resolution session.

ANNIE FEIDT, BYLINE: This is a serious story about the legal system and divorce. And one thing you do not expect to hear during an afternoon in court is laughter.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #1: So I just started recording, if that's okay.

JACOB CARPENTER: Yeah.

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Business
4:00 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Business News

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with a Silicon Valley lawsuit.

Facebook has fired back in its patent dispute with Yahoo. The social networking site says Yahoo products, including the photo-sharing site Flicker, are infringing on 10 of Facebook's patents. Facebook's legal action is a counter-claim to a suit filed by Yahoo last month, also claiming 10 patent infringements. The pending court battle is a distraction for Facebook as it prepares to go public - a move that could see the company valued at up to $100 billion.

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Election 2012
4:00 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Mitt Romney Sweeps Maryland, D.C., Wisconsin Primaries

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning.

Let's assess where the presidential race now stands. Mitt Romney made it through last night with three wins and no surprises, in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

MONTAGNE: Rick Santorum won nowhere but isn't giving up. In a moment we'll ask NPR political correspondent Mara Liasson how much longer this race can go on.

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Election 2012
4:00 am
Wed April 4, 2012

After Dismal Primary Day, Santorum Retreats To Pa.

Transcript

DAVID WELNA, BYLINE: I'm David Welna in Mars, Pennsylvania. If there was bad news for Rick Santorum last night from the primary results, his supporters who flocked to a suburban hotel ballroom didn't want to know about it.

(SOUNDBITE OF RALLY)

WELNA: Santorum told them only half the game has been played so far, and that it was good to be back in this stronghold of conservative voters, just 20 miles from where he grew up.

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Sports
4:00 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Baylor Beats Notre Dame 80-61 For NCAA Women's Title

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

On a Wednesday, it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

The Baylor Lady Bears have their title and a piece of history too. Last night in Denver, Baylor won a women's college basketball championship that many expected. The Lady Bears beat Notre Dame 80-61 to go undefeated and then became the first team in NCAA history to win 40 games in a season. NPR's Tom Goldman reports the player who led Baylor all year was the star once again.

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Business
4:00 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Nokia Aims For Comeback With New Phone

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And this weekend Nokia rolls out its newest smartphone to the American public. It's called the Lumia 900. Nokia is trying to break its way back into the high-end mobile phone market it once dominated. In this fight against Apple iPhone and Google's Android, Nokia is the underdog now.

And as NPR's Steve Henn reports, it has joined up with Microsoft in its bid to make a comeback.

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Business
4:00 am
Wed April 4, 2012

The Last Word In Business

The New York Times reports that Williams-Sonoma, the maker of cooking pots and appliances, now wants to get you out of the kitchen and into the backyard. The Agrarian Collection includes everything you need to grow your own food.

Business
4:00 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Murdoch Resigns From British Satellite TV Giant

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

After many months of bad new and devastation to its stock price, the British satellite TV giant BSkyB will try to move forward under new leadership.

NPR's Philip Reeves says this follows the resignation yesterday of its chairman, Rupert Murdoch's son, James.

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: James Murdoch announced his departure, acknowledging he's worried his role in Britain's phone-hacking scandal was threatening to hurt BSkyB. He doesn't want to be a lightening rod in a storm. That storm shows no sign of passing any time soon.

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Business
4:00 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Private Colleges Branch Out To Other States

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

American universities, like American companies, have been looking to expand into new markets. They open campuses overseas. And now many private colleges are looking for growth back home, building satellite campuses around the United States. Now, any given public college may spread campuses across a state, but private institutions reach across state lines. Here's Monica Brady-Myerov from member station WBUR.

(SOUNDBITE OF APPLAUSE)

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Law
3:19 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Gay Marriage Lawsuit Presses For Survivor Benefits

Herbert Burtis met the person he wanted to marry in college, in 1948. But since the object of his affection was another man, they had to wait until 2004 for the ceremony, when Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriages.

"It's a long engagement," Burtis says, laughing. "We thought it was time that we made each other honest people."

His spouse, John Ferris, died four years ago. When Burtis went to the Social Security office to apply for survivor benefits, the clerk told him the federal government did not recognize his marriage.

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Around the Nation
3:18 am
Wed April 4, 2012

College Student Pieces His Way To Lego Mastery

Europe
3:06 am
Wed April 4, 2012

The Secret To Germany's Low Youth Unemployment

Originally published on Wed April 4, 2012 2:47 pm

For as long as he can remember, German teenager Robin Dittmar has been obsessed with airplanes. As a little boy, the sound of a plane overhead would send him into the backyard to peer into the sky. Toys had to have wings. Even today, Dittmar sees his car as a kind of ersatz Boeing.

"I've got the number 747 as the number plate of my car. I'm really in love with this airplane," the 18-year-old says.

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U.S.
3:05 am
Wed April 4, 2012

Activist Puts Albany Neighborhood On The Bus Map

Credit Marie Cusick for NPR
Willie White pushed for the creation of a new bus route for his previously underserved neighborhood in Albany, N.Y.

Originally published on Wed April 4, 2012 2:47 pm

The New York state capital, Albany, is a gathering place for the state's most powerful people.

But in the city's poor and predominately black South End neighborhood, many residents once felt powerless.

They had repeatedly asked for better public transit for South End, an area plagued with poverty and crime not far from New York's gated governor's mansion.

Today, the city's Route 100 bus glides easily up Morton Avenue, a steep hill in the South End neighborhood. Many feel there would be no Route 100 if not for the efforts of local resident Willie White.

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Sports
3:04 am
Wed April 4, 2012

U.S. Rhythmic Gymnastics Star Readies For London

Latin America
3:03 am
Wed April 4, 2012

An Upgrade, And Bigger Ships, For The Panama Canal

Two giant ships move through the Panama Canal's two parallel channels at the Miraflores locks, heading toward the Pacific Ocean.

The orange and white Bow Summer is a tanker. The deck of the Ever Dynamic is stacked high with burgundy and blue shipping containers. More boats like these are backed up in both the Pacific and the Atlantic waiting to enter the narrow waterway.

Global trade has grown dramatically, but the Panama Canal — one of the most vital transit routes — hasn't changed its basic structure since it opened in 1914.

But that is about to change.

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