NPR 2011-03-24

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country will act aggressively, responsibly and wisely to preserve security, his response to the first major attack in Jerusalem in years. Today, a busy bus stop was bombed. At least one person was killed; as many as thirty may have been wounded. Within hours, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued this reaction.

"Terrorism and the targeting of civilians 1 are never justified 2. And Israel, like all nations of course, has to respond when this occurs."

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Reuters news service is reporting a string of explosions in the eastern part of the Libyan capital. No word yet on possible casualties.

One fan writes on Facebook, farewell to the last diva, one of numerous tributes for Oscar-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor, who died today of congestive heart failure at the age of 79. Her career spanned seven decades of film, stage and television. One of her most memorable 3 roles was in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf.

"You see, George didn't have much push. He wasn't particularly aggressive."

We have this appreciation 4 from NPR's Elizabeth Blair.

Elizabeth Taylor has been remembered for her beauty, her movies and her activism. Elton John said we have just lost a Hollywood giant and an incredible human being. Her son Michael Wilding said his mother lived life to the fullest with great passion, and Barbara Walters, who interviewed Elizabeth Taylor many times, told ABC's "Good Morning America" she had a salty sense of humor.

"She never took herself that seriously, and I don't think that she realized what a great actress she was. Because she was so beautiful, and that's what was noted 5 first."

Elizabeth Taylor's family is planning a private funeral for her later this week. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.

Japanese authorities are warning parents that the water in the area of the damaged nuclear plant is still dangerous for infants but still safe enough for adults. This as the government just begins to assess the financial toll 6 from last week's earthquake and tsunami 7. NPR's Rob Gifford reports it could cost as much as $300 billion to rebuild.

The Japanese government's estimate would make it the most expensive natural disaster ever. The cost is about 6% of Japan's total economic output last year. According to the World Bank, Japan will need up to five years to recover from the damage caused by that tsunami on March 11th. There are also concerns that the damage caused to infrastructure 8 and the uncertainty 9 surrounding the future of the Fukushima nuclear plant could slow Japan's already fragile economic recovery. Many factories remain closed; key rail lines are impassable; and power shortage is still a problem, in addition to the ongoing 10 problems of housing and feeding 450,000 people displaced from their homes by the disaster. Rob Gifford, NPR News, Mizusawa, northern Japan.

Dow's up 70 points.

This is NPR.

New homes are not attracting the buyers realtors had hoped to find this year. Commerce Department reports that sales dropped for the third straight month in February by nearly 17% to a seasonally 11 adjusted annual rate of a quarter million, a record low. Economists 12 consider a healthy pace to be closer to 700,000 new homes sold a year. The median price of a new home has also dropped to its lowest level in the years to just over $200,000. February was also a dismal 13 month for selling previously 14 owned homes.

AirTran shareholders 15 are backing a merger 16 with Southwest Airlines. From WABE in Atlanta, Jim Burress has the latest.

More than 98% of shareholders who cast ballots 17 voted in favor of the merger. Under the $1.4 billion deal, the two airlines will combine operations but keep the Southwest name. Gary Kelly is Southwest's CEO. He says his airline will have to look closely at AirTran's policies and procedures and then decide what changes to make.

“Not everything will go perfectly 18, but I think we've got all the makings of having a very strong combined company once this is all done.”

The Department of Justice must still give its approval. The merger is expected to close in the next few months. For NPR News. I'm Jim Burress in Atlanta.

Well, it may be spring, but winter's certainly hanging on in some parts of the US. A foot of snow is expected in parts of northern Pennsylvania, upstate New York and northwestern New Jersey 19. A lot of schools have opened late or not at all.

Latest from Wall Street: Dow's up 67 points before the close at 12,086.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.