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NPR's Andy Carvin covered the uprising in Libya virtually, but now he'll see the country and its people in person.

Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti meets President Obama at the White House Thursday for talks, just as confidence in Italy's economy is beginning to return. The technocrat who succeeded the flamboyant Silvio Berlusconi is trying to change Italy's image abroad.

The administration announced last year that states can apply to be exempt from some No Child requirements. The first 10, AP says, are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

Officials have been pressing five banks to offer mortgage relief and some financial aid to homeowners who got crushed when the housing bubble burst or were caught up in the "robo-signing" scandal that sped up the foreclosure process.

At 358,000, first-time claims for unemployment insurance were the lowest they've been since March 2008. The report is the latest of several recent signs that the labor market is gaining some strength.

After Rick Santorum swept Tuesday's GOP contests, he headed to Texas. Mitt Romney made a bold move and went to Georgia — Newt Gingrich's home turf.

Health researchers found the the levels trans-fatty acids in some Americans' blood decreased by 58 percent between 2000 and 2009. They say it's a sign that the campaigns to ban food products with trans fats have been working.

When schools in Alberta, Canada, closed for summer in 2009, it put the breaks on the swine flu outbreak in the province, says research from McMaster University. But authorities have to weigh the costs and benefits of preemptive closure, and there isn't always a clear answer.

The $26 billion settlement reached by the federal government, most states and the nation's largest banks to compensate homeowners for abusive foreclosure practices is unlikely to end the housing crisis, analysts say. It could also lead to a new round of foreclosures, which would drive prices even lower.

Washington may soon become the seventh state to legalize gay marriage. But first, it's likely to face a referendum challenge in November. Same-sex marriage will be on the ballot in a handful of states this year, and supporters have yet to win a statewide vote.