Morning Edition

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Japan is far from back to normal, after an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster devastated the northeastern part of the country a year ago. U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos talks to Steve Inskeep about his latest visit to the hard-hit region of Tohoku.

Americans have worked for years to position themselves as protectors of Afghans against murderous insurgents. But on Sunday, a U.S. Army sergeant surrendered after a shooting rampage that left 16 people killed — including women and children.

Mississippi and Alabama hold Republican primaries Tuesday. The two Southern contests are crucial for former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Residents of the Gulf Coast are warily evaluating the BP settlement deal in the Deepwater Horizon case. Some were hurt during clean-up of the oil spill, others lost their businesses and still others lost family in the rig explosion. But they are coming to different conclusions about whether the deal is a good one.

A U.S. soldier is in custody after he allegedly killed 16 Afghan villagers Sunday. The incident is one more blow to an already fragile relationship between the United States and Afghanistan. There are also questions of what the incident will do to the U.S.strategy in Afghanistan.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

In this country, many American kids are preparing for standardized tests. They're among the rites of spring and they cause a lot of stress. One Indiana school tries to manage that stress by obsessing over the test a little less. Rather than teaching every single thing on the test, they just teach how to take one. Here's Kyle Stokes of NPR member station WFIU.

KYLE STOKES, BYLINE: Quick - name the literary genres you learned about in school.

The No. 1 seeds in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament are: Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina and Michigan State. Of the field of 68 teams, Kentucky is considered the best.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

For all the difficult relations the United States has with Iran, the two countries share many ties, including millions of Iranian-Americans. Ryan Seacrest and Bravo make them the focus of a new reality show called "The Shahs of Sunset." It examines the lavish lifestyles of some in Southern California's Iranian-American community. Amy Walters reports.

Officials in Beijing are telling government departments to stop buying Audis, and instead drive the Red Flag, which is China's version of the luxury sedan. It used to shuttle Communist luminaries like Chairman Mao. It was, however, phased out two years ago as a gas guzzler.