WSDL-FM: Steve Inskeep

The fledgling U.N. monitoring mission in Syria is under sharp criticism from activists who say the team is failing to enforce the terms of the agreement drafted by special envoy Kofi Annan. Violence is down in some areas but flaring up in others.

The Secret Service announced Wednesday night that three people involved in misconduct in Colombia would be leaving the agency. Agents, as well as military personnel, are alleged to have hired prostitutes in advance of President Obama's recent trip to there.

At Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers sent the retired space shuttle Discovery into the sky for a final time. On top of a jumbo jet, it was flown to Washington, D.C., bound four a museum run by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

In the French city of Toulouse, police have a suspect in Monday's killing of three Jewish schoolchildren and a rabbi.

The NFL has revealed that the New Orleans Saints maintained a bounty pool to award players for delivering game-ending injuries to the opposition. Franchises and fans are waiting to see what the penalty will be, and what kind of message it sends the league.

As the Republican presidential candidates concentrate their efforts on Super Tuesday, both parties are gearing up for what could be a down-to-the-wire race for control of Congress. National opinion polls show Democrats and Republicans are tied after voters were asked which party they want to see in control.

In Yemen Tuesday, voters are casting ballots in a one-candidate presidential election. They hope it may bring an end to a nearly year-long political crisis that's sparked much violence among various heavily-armed factions as well as pro-democracy protesters.

Twitter is supposed to have turned the world into a global village. But new research shows that our Twitter ties are considerably more parochial than most of us imagine. People no longer define their communities by where they live but by common interests.

The Obama administration officially lays out its economic blueprint for the next fiscal year on Monday. He'll announce the 2013 budget at Northern Virginia Community College, where he'll push for more investment in community colleges and job training.

Assuming all goes as planned, at least 49 states will have signed on to a broad settlement between the banks and state attorneys general over robo-signing. Troubled homeowners may see some benefit, the banks will get some immunity provisions and the Obama administration is hoping to get some credit for negotiating the deal.