Ammonia, the controversial additive in beef dubbed "pink slime" is used in a wide range of processed foods; health officials okayed it almost 40 yrs. ago & it's in foods that include cheese, baked goods & chocolate. President Obama signs into law a bipartisan bill to kick-start small business growth; it is designed to make it easier to raise capital; he also promises strict oversight to ensure investors are protected. Activists working to kill a bill they say would gut science education in Tennessee; opponents say it casts doubt on widely-accepted scientific principles, including biological evolution & climate change. The Canadian government orders a review of retailer giant Target's plan to expand there; it involves looking at whether the store's "cultural" sales, for example books, will contain enough Canadian content. More than half a million Apple computers may be infected with a virus, according to a Russian anti-virus firm; the company reports that about 300,000 of the computers are in the U.S.; Apple released a "security update" on Wed. The U.S. remains unapologetic for difficulties faced by banks since the U.S. tightened sanctions against Iran; Asian nations & companies are struggling to get paid; the sanctions are in place because of Iran's defiance over its nuclear efforts. At least 1 rocket is fired from the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula & lands in Eilat, an Israeli resort; no injuries reported but the attack comes on the eve of Passover --1 of the busiest seasons in Eilat. The Pentagon, again, charges Khalid Sheikh Mohammed & four others with plotting the 9/11 terror attacks; they face death before a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay. A federal judge sentences 5 former New Orleans police officers to years in prison; they were convicted of deadly shootings in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. President Obama signs the STOCK Act into law; it bans insider stock trading among members of Congress & other top federal officials. The CT state senate votes to end the death penalty; if the state approves it, it would be the 5th state in 5 yrs. to abandon capital punishment. 9 of the nation's top medical associations unveil the "Choose Wisely" campaign; it's an initiative to cut over-used, unnecessary medical tests. Rescuers in the Dallas-Ft Worth area continue to search for anyone trapped after Tuesday's violent weather; the Nat. Weather Service estimates 6 to 13 tornadoes may have ripped through the region; there is significant property damage. A clean sweep for Mitt Romney in Tuesday's GOP presidential primaries in MD, WI & Washington, DC; Romney now has more than half the delegates needed to secure the nomination. A rocket carrying a top-secret payload takes off from CA's Vandenberg Air Force Base; it's carrying classified cargo for the National Reconnaissance Office.html The 1st group of American Marines are now in Darwin, Australia; the deployment is part of a plan to beef up U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific. Oakland police say alleged shooter One Goh was upset about teasing he received for his poor English skills; they say he went to Oikos Univ. to find an administrator; he is accused of killing 7 & injuring 3. The Big 3 U.S. automakers report strong sales in March; industry wide sales in the U.S. were up almost 13% in Q1, 2012--the strongest since Q1, 2008. GOP primaries in MD, WI & Washington, DC today; polls suggest Mitt Romney is the overwhelming favorite in MD & DC, but Romney holds only a single-digit lead over Rick Santorum in WI. Police have a suspect in the shootings that claimed 7 lives & injured 3 at Oikos Univ. in Oakland, CA; former student 43 yr. One Goh is the alleged gunmen. Syria pledges to withdraw military troops from its towns by April 10; on Mon. in Beirut, international envoy Kofi Annan briefed UN reps on the plan for an April 12 ceasefire. The Supreme Court rules that anyone who is jailed may be subject to a strip search; it sided with security needs over privacy rights; the case involved a NJ man whose arrest stemmed from an error in state records. The head of the General Services Administration is stepping down & 2 deputies are fired over excessive spending for a training conference in Las Vegas; one function of the GSA is to keep check on how taxpayer money is spent. A teacher's aide in MI fired for refusing to reveal her Facebook password to supervisors; the problem began when a parent complained about a picture & caption on her site. The GOP presidential hopefuls face in 3 primaries tomorrow --Maryland, Wisconsin & Washington, DC; Romney predicts a sweep; Gingrich & Santorum insist they'll continue until one grabs the needed 1,144 delegates. Sec. of State Clinton announces aid for the people of Syria & supplies for opposition activists; it's a new push by the U.S. & allies to pressure Pres. Assad & his deadly regime. Russian transportation officials are at the scene of a plane crash in Siberia; at least 31 are dead, 12 survive. A Mayo Clinic study indicates melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is skyrocketing among young adults; rates are 6 times higher than 40 years ago. Wal-Mart announces it's slashing grocery prices by $1 billion in 2012; it's hoping it will bring customers in to buy food, then fan out across the store to make other purchases. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launches 2 separate engine fire investigations; it's checking 2011 Chevy Cruzes & 2010 Jeep Wranglers. Tonight's Mega Millions world record jackpot is worth, at least, $540 million & could be higher; right now, the cash option is just about $390 million; the odds of winning are almost 176 million to 1. Former President George H.W. Bush endorses Mitt Romney; he channels country singer Kenny Rogers, telling the other GOP presidential hopefuls to "know when to fold 'em." The Republican-controlled House passes the GOP's 2013 budget plan; it includes changes to tax code & Medicare; it has little chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate. Insurgents attack a NATO supply convoy in western Afghanistan; the 3 hour firefight claims an estimated 37 lives from both sides. The U.S. suspends planned food aid to No. Korea; the decision comes as Pyongyang preps a long-range missile launch despite international warnings. Subway customers in San Francisco don't have the everyday selection of $5 foot long sandwiches anymore; sources say the increase in minimum wage is the reason. New arrest video surfaces of George Zimmerman, accused shooter of teen Trayvon Martin, showing Zimmerman's nose not broken & back of head not bruised, contradicting police report stating those injuries. Obama lawyer makes impassioned plea to 9 U.S. Supreme Court justices to uphold the President's healthcare law to protect chronically ill Americans. Court expected to rule by June. Deranged pilot Clayton Osbon is formally charged with disrupting a flight crew as more details emerge about his incoherent rage about religion aboard JetBlue. Newt Gingrich insists he will fight Mitt Romney to the bitter end, but today fired his campaign manager, cut spending by 1/3 & canceled travel plans to focus on internet messaging. Pope Benedict leaves Cuba after speaking to 300,000 people, telling Fidel Castro that Cuba must change but the U.S. should help by dropping trade embargo. "Weirding weather" is the new term for extreme weather believed caused by global warming. Melting sea ice in the arctic believed to be affecting temperatures. Newt Gingrich is struggling to keep his campaign alive; the GOP presidential hopeful scales back staff & travel & plans to use more internet, videos & social media. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney should use his head & remember what year he's living in; the comments follow Romney's remarks calling Moscow -- America's “No. 1 geopolitical foe.” International envoy Kofi Annan says Syria accepts peace plan proposal; the U.S. is skeptical because of Pres. Assad's record of "over-promising & under-delivering." The EPA proposes the 1st federal limits on greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants; they come as the electric power sector migrates from coal to natural gas. National Hurricane Center officials are encouraging consumers to stop taping windows when prepping for a hurricane; the experts believe the practice may increase danger. The Mega Millions jackpot soars to an estimated record-setting $476 million for Friday; no tickets in last night's drawing matched the winning numbers. No. Korea pushes forward with its plan for a satellite launch next month despite warning from Pres. Obama; its defiance coincides with global nuclear security summit in So. Korea. Kofi Anan, the UN-Arab League Envoy to Syria, crisscrosses the globe to end the bloody conflict there; today he's in China looking for support. Legislation to help growing businesses raise $$ is expected to pass Congress today; the President backs it but not all Democrats agree with the plan. 2 separate studies indicate stomach surgery can improve and/or reverse Type 2 diabetes; 3 procedures that reduce the size of the stomach were tested. The FTC wants Congress to make sure consumers' digital data is protected from misuse; the agency wants legislation that includes "privacy" as the automatic setting for commercial data practices. Southwest Airlines blames the cost of jet fuel for an increase of up to $10 per round trip ticket; it's the 3rd hike this year. The Supreme Court hears arguments over the next 3 days on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care reform legislation; the eventual rulings may guide how Americans receive medical care. President Obama issues stern warnings to No. Korea & Iran over their nuclear arms standoffs; he made his remarks just ahead of a global nuclear summit now underway in Seoul. Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) & Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) call on Washington to investigate if employers asking for Facebook passwords is legal; last week, Facebook issued a warning against the practice. Jesse Jackson calls slain teen Trayvon Martin a "martyr"; he's the 17 year old shot last month in FL by a neighborhood watch volunteer police describe as white; the victim was black. French officials file charges against the brother of a gunman who killed Jewish schoolchildren; the charges against Abdelkader Merah include accomplice to murder; his brother Mohamed was killed by police after claiming responsibility for the crimes. The families of 16 Afghan villagers allegedly killed by an American soldier are compensated for their loss; the U.S. paid $50,000 for each victim of the March 11 rampage. Whitney Houston's death is ruled an accidental drowning, combined with cocaine use & heart disease. The constricted arteries that doctors found are common in heavy drug users. Thousands march for justice in Sanford, Florida, demanding an arrest in the killing of black teen Trayvon Martin. Sanford's police chief takes unpaid leave to restore calm & new prosecutor is appointed. Sgt. Robert Bales is expected to be charged with 17 counts of murdering Afghanistan civilians in a shooting spree; that's one more than the 16 previous known victims. Divers find five more bodies on the sunken luxury cruiser Costa Concordia that sank 2 months ago. The captain remains under house arrest for manslaughter, shipwreck & abandoning ship. Pope Benedict visits Mexico on Sunday. An alter has been built that can accommodate up to 700,000 people. Rick Santorum said Mitt Romney is not a real Republican & if he becomes the GOP candidate, Republicans would be better off voting for Obama. French police set off 3 explosions at home of suspected killer of Jewish children & 4 others, but the home is silent for 2nd day. Authorities believe he is a radicalized Islamist & may have taken his own life. Last minute snag worked out for quarterback Tim Tebow trade from Denver Broncos to NY Jets, who now have two front line QB's. Tebow"s #15 jersey was a top seller last season. Vote of no-confidence for the police chief in Sanford, Florida after the shooting of an unarmed black teen in a gated community. Hundreds demonstrated in NYC in solidarity with Trayvon Martin's parents. Fighting erupts again in the Syrian city of Homs, which the Assad government had declared under control. Unclear if rebels provoked or if troops tried to drive rebels out. Two California men on a gay cruise docked on Caribbean island of Dominica were arrested for having sex on the deck. They were spotted from shore in a country where sex between two men is illegal. NFL suspends New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton for a full year without pay for offering bounties to players who injure opposing players & knock them out of the game. French police find & exchange gunfire with "self-styled Al Qaeda jihadist" suspected of killing 4 Jewish civilians & 3 soldiers. Mitt Romney wins the Illinois primary by a margin of 3-2. His strength was in Chicago & its suburbs, especially well educated voters. Fed Reserve chairman Bernanke to warn Wednesday weakness in Europe's economy is contaminating the U.S. economy. Eurozone buys 1/5 of American exports. In the last moments of Trayvon Martin's life, the unarmed black teen told his girlfriend by cellphone he was being followed & was scared. Martin was gunned down in a gated Florida community by a neighborhood watch officer. Five rockets in 5 minutes delayed. Bad weather postpones NASA launches overnight. Next window is tonight. Mission to test space winds. A Delaware 6th grader is allowed back in school after being banned for dyeing her hair pink. Her parents okayed her going pink to celebrate good grades. The ACLU got her reinstated. French police search for a gunman on a bike who wore a video camera around his neck; he killed 4 people at a Jewish school & is linked to other racist shootings U.S. Justice Department to investigate the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, 17 by a neighborhood watch officer in a gated community; case gaining national attention & protests. Illinois is the next primary prize for the GOP presidential candidates with 54 votes. Romney has 519 - Santorum 239. 1,144 needed to win nomination. The FAA is moving towards allowing electronic devices to be used aboard aircraft, including tablets, e-readers and music players which don't emit signals. North Korea invites nuclear inspectors back as it prepares a satellite launch, seen as "back door" weapons test. This could violate food-for-peace agreement with West. 80,000 items in Albert Einstein's personal archives are being put on line, including a plan to keep peace in the Middle East written in 1929, using a secret committee of 4 Arabs and 4 Jews. A teacher & 3 children killed, 5 wounded by gunman at a school in southern France; part of a string of shootings believed to be hate crimes against Jews. The rebel uprising in Syria is reaching the capital of Damascus; fighting reported today in neighborhoods housing government buildings & homes of Syrian leaders. Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, is isolated in a Kansas prison; he could face the death penalty as the Taliban exploits the incident, implying a conspiracy. Brazil seizes passports of Chevron oil workers to prevent them from leaving country. New oil sheen found from spill as Brazil drills offshore to become major oil producer. U.S. high school graduation rate rose 3.5% in the past decade; 3 out of 4 students now successfully complete high school. Tonight NASA expects to fire 5 rockets in succession to measure winds in space; will cause a light show for eastern seaboard viewing.