NPR 2012-03-12

 US officials are trying to determine exactly what happened in a village in southern Afghanistan early this morning. Afghan officials say an American soldier went on a shooting spree, killing 1 16 civilians 2 including nine children. Siddique Siddiqui is the spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry 3. He says an investigation 4 is underway.

 
“We are looking into it very carefully and seriously. A high-profile delegation 5 of the Ministry of Interior has traveled to the area, and a special team has been assigned to investigate the incident.”
 
US officials say a soldier is in custody 6. In the US, NPR's Sonari Glinton reports both Republicans and Democrats 8 are offering their condolences.
 
As reports of the killing in Afghanistan continue to come in, members of both parties are condemning 9 the attacks. Here’s former House Speaker and Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on CBS's “Face the Nation.”
 
“We obviously want to offer condolences to the families. I think we want to offer compensation. We want to recognize this is a terrible event.”
 
And Senate Majority Leader Harry 10 Reid speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” says American soldiers are under tremendous stress in Afghanistan.
 
“But no one can condone 11 or make any suggestion that what he did was right. It was absolutely wrong.”
 
Both Reid and Gingrich called for the US to continue on its path of withdrawal 12 from Afghanistan. Sonari Glinton, NPR News, Washington.
 
Israel fired rockets into the Gaza Strip again today. Health officials say three Palestinians were killed, including a 12-year-old boy. Palestinians in Gaza fired rockets into southern Israel for a third day. No injuries or damage were reported. 
 
Fresh off a victory in Kansas, GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum next moved on to neighboring Missouri. Isabel Hohl from members station of KRCU reports his visit included a stop in Rush Limbaugh's hometown.
 
Santorum addressed 700 Republicans at a Lincoln Day event in Cape 13 Girardeau, Missouri. He later joked that visiting Limbaugh's hometown is “like a trip to Mecca.” Voter Chris Kinder is still undecided between Santorum and Newt Gingrich, but he likes Santorum's perseverance 14.
 
“It's gonna tough. He’s got a long road to travel still yet, but I mean he’s already proven that he can come from behind. So it's not over yet. We’ll see what happens.”
 
Santorum carried Missouri in February's non-binding primary. Missouri Republicans will choose delegates in a caucus 15 on Saturday. For NPR News, I'm Isabel Hohl.
 
Mitt 16 Romney leads in the number of delegates apportioned 17 in primary and caucus votes so far. The campaign moves to the South this week with primaries in Alabama and Mississippi. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he thinks the Democrats will retain control of the Senate. He told CNN he’s more confident after the announcement that Republican Senator Olympia Snowe will not seek reelection and Democrat 7 Bob Kerrey will run in Nebraska. 
 
This is NPR News.
 
The nation's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, left port for its final voyage today. NPR's Allison Keyes reports the ship is legendary 18 both in real life and on the movie screen.
 
That's the sound of a fighter jet launching from the deck of the USS Enterprise in the movie “Top Gun.” The warship 19, known as “Big E,” is headed to its final deployment 20 in the Middle East. Chief Mass Communication Specialist Steven White is on board.
 
“It is, uh, it's a bittersweet emotion.”
 
He says the 50-year-old warship was one of the first vessels 21 to respond after the September 11th attacks.
 
“We have a long and storied history in answering the nation's call whenever and wherever.”
 
Chief White says this is the eighth ship called the Enterprise, not counting the fictional 22 starships of the same name. As for the final deployment, “this is just, this is not usual for us.” Allison Keyes, NPR News.
 
Japan today observed the one-year anniversary of an earthquake and tsunami 23 that hit its northeast coast. More than 19,000 people died or are still missing and presumed dead. The quake had a magnitude of 9, the strongest recorded in Japanese history. It set up a tsunami that surged to 65 feet in some places, destroying tens of thousands of homes. Officials say there are some 325,000 people still living in temporary housing.
 
Swiss voters today rejected a proposal that would have required their employers to give them more vacation. The minimum paid holiday is now four weeks a year. A referendum called for an increase to six weeks a year. The standard used in many European nations. Companies had warned that the plan would raise labor 24 costs and could put the economy at risk.
 
I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.