10 things you need to know today: April 25, 2012

1. ROMNEY SWEEPS PRIMARIES

Mitt Romney swept Tuesday's GOP nominating contests, with projected wins in Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and New York. CNN estimates that Romney now has some 695 of the 1,144 delegates needed and has essentially secured the nomination. Newt Gingrich has said that he'd "assess whether or not there is a path forward" if he did not win Delaware, as some polls had suggested he might. Ron Paul has said that he'll stay in the race until November. Unfazed by his two opponents, Romney declared in New Hampshire, "Tonight is the beginning of the end of the disappointments of the Obama years, and it's the start of a new and better chapter that we will write together." [CNN]

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2. OFFICIALS FIND MAD COW DISEASE IN CALIFORNIA

Authorities have discovered the first new case of mad cow disease since 2006 in a California dairy cow. Because no meat from the animal was slated to join the nation's food supply, "there is really no cause for alarm," according to the Agriculture Department's chief veterinary officer, John Clifford. The sick cow is the fourth ever discovered in the United States. [Associated Press]

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3. ANNAN: SYRIA SITUATION INCREASINGLY 'BLEAK'

U.N. international envoy Kofi Annan says the situation in Syria is "bleak" as government troops reportedly continue their attacks in areas where there are no U.N. observers. Annan said it was "crucial" that that the U.N. quickly deploy the additional 300 U.N. observers that were authorized last week. [The Press Association]

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4. FORMER AIDE TO JOHN EDWARDS TESTIFIES

Andrew Young, a one-time aide to 2004 presidential candidate John Edwards, testified against the fallen Democrat on Tuesday. A star witness for the prosecution, Young spoke about helping Edwards cover up his affair with filmmaker Rielle Hunter, and claimed that the campaign illegally funneled money to her beginning in 2007. [CNN]

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5. PAKISTAN TESTS NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES

Just days after its "archenemy" India successfully conducted a missile test, Pakistan tested a nuclear-capable ballistic missile on Wednesday. According to the Pakistani military, the Hatf IV Shaheen-1A missile was launched into the ocean. [Associated Press]

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6. APPLE PROFIT NEARLY DOUBLES

The tech giant reported a 94 percent increase in quarterly profit, defying concerns about its continued growth and reversing a recent stock downslide. Apple's net income for the quarter was $11.6 billion, surpassing analysts' expectations thanks to growing demand for the iPhone in China and improved profit margins. [Bloomberg News]

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7. TEENS ARE GETTING DRUNK ON HAND SANITIZER

In order to get inebriated, more and more teens have been guzzling hand sanitizer, which usually contains at least 60 percent ethyl alcohol. The dangerous new trend has sent at least eight kids to the emergency room in Los Angeles over the past month. [MSNBC]

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8. GOOGLE'S STORAGE SERVICE 'DRIVE' DEBUTS

Google has launched Google Drive, a cloud-based file storage service, in an effort to compete with Dropbox and other similar offerings. Google Drive gives users 5 gigabytes of free storage compared to Dropbox's 2 gigabytes. [Wall Street Journal]

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9. GLEE PAYS TRIBUTE TO WHITNEY HOUSTON

The late diva got the Glee treatment Tuesday night, with an emotional episode featuring cast renditions of classics like "Saving All My Love For You" and "Say Something." One critic calls it "an episode that ricocheted between deep tension and high ecstasy." [Daily News]

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10. OBAMA SLOW JAMS WITH JIMMY FALLON

The president appeared on Jimmy Fallon's late night show on Tuesday, and talked about students loans as the house band, The Roots, played a rhythm behind him, part of a recurring Fallon feature known as "slow jamming the news." "Now is not the time to make school more expensive for our young people," Obama said over the beat. Fallon chimed in, crooning "Ohhhh yeah. You should listen to the president." [Christian Science Monitor]