NPR 2012-04-02

 The Senate's top Republican is calling on his party to get behind the strongest presidential candidate and focus on winning in November. Mitch McConnell's comments come ahead of presidential primary voting in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

 
 
“The people in Wisconsin are going to speak Tuesday in the District of Columbia and Maryland. I have not felt that they needed any advice from me as to what to do, but I think it's absolutely apparent that it's in the best interests of our party at this particular point to get behind the person who is obviously going to be our nominee 1 and to begin to make the case against the president of the United States.”
 
 
Senator McConnell spoke 2 on CNN. Win, lose or draw, Wisconsin GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum says he has no intention of surrendering to Mitt 3 Romney. As NPR's Larry Abramson reports, Santorum insists he has momentum 4.
 
 
Congressman 5 Paul Ryan and Senator Ron Johnson both from Wisconsin endorsed 6 Romney over the weekend. Romney is also well ahead in the delegate count. But Rick Santorum told “Fox News Sunday” he still has plenty of time to overtake his rival.
 
 
“This race isn't even at halftime yet. We haven't even selected half of the delegates yet. Governor Romney isn't even halfway 7 to the magic number, and, you know, we look at the calendar, and we feel very, very good.”
 
 
Santorum said it would be a mistake for Republicans to pick a moderate like Romney to go up against President Obama. The former Pennsylvania senator also faces a key primary test on April 24th, when voters in his home state vote. Polls there have Santorum and Romney neck and neck. Santorum says there’s no question he will take Pennsylvania. Larry Abramson, NPR News.
 
 
It's Palm Sunday today, and hundreds of Christians 8 marked the day in Jerusalem. We get more from Daniel Estrin.
 
 
Pilgrims from around the world filled the Church of the Holy Sepulchre this morning. It's the site where Jesus is believed to have been crucified, buried and resurrected. Inside, priests encircled the tomb, wearing ceremonial robes and carrying tall palm fronds 9. Palm Sunday marks the day when, according to the New Testament 10, crowds greeted Jesus with palm leaves as he rode into the city on a donkey. Later today, pilgrims will march behind a white donkey following Jesus’ traditional route from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem's walled Old City. It's the beginning of Holy Week, which ends next Sunday on Easter. Eastern Orthodox Christians mark Palm Sunday next week, and Jews begin celebrating Passover Friday night. For NPR News, I'm Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem.
 
 
This weekend at the movies, ‘The Hunger Games’ held on to its first-place berth 11. ‘Wrath of the Titans’ was a distant second, and in third place:
 
 
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?”
“Snow White.”
 
 
‘Mirror, Mirror’ starring Julia Roberts.
 
 
This is NPR News in Washington.
 
 
Russian emergency services have rescued 675 fishermen from an ice floe 12 in the Pacific Ocean. Peter Van Dyk reports from Moscow that ice fishing is a popular pastime in Russia, and anglers have been known to resist being rescued.
 
 
Russians’ passion for fishing through boreholes in the ice means such rescues are not uncommon 13 when the spring thaw 14 begins, but they rarely involve hundreds of fishermen. The regional emergencies ministry 15 said two helicopters and ten boats took part in the rescue operation, which was launched after the ice floe broke away from the shore and began to drift into the Sea of Okhotsk between Russia's far eastern island of Sakhalin and its Kamchatka Peninsula. About half the anglers were rescued by helicopter; the rest by boat. None of the fishermen needed medical assistance. For NPR News, I'm Peter Van Dyk in Moscow.
 
 
The Azamara Quest has arrived safely at a Malaysian port. Police and embassy officials stood by to help the ship's 1,000 passengers. The luxury cruise ship was stranded 16 at sea for 24 hours after a fire broke out in an engine room Friday. Five crew members were hurt. It's the latest in a series of cruise liner accidents since January. The most severe among them, the Costa Concordia disaster, which left more than 30 people dead.
 
 
Four hundreds miles from a yacht race finish line in San Francisco Bay, a 70-foot Australian yacht collided with a huge wave in rough seas early today. The steering 17 mounting and some communications equipment were swept off the Geraldton Western Australia. Several crew members were hurt with injuries ranging from broken ribs 18 to back and pelvic problems. The Coast Guard is respond(ing).