10 things you need to know today: April 7, 2012
Virginia reels from a Navy jet crash, a Mega Millions winner claims a big prize, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
1. AUTHORITIES HUNT FOR VICTIMS AFTER NAVY JET CRASH
On Friday afternoon in Virginia Beach, authorities searched for victims in and around the apartment complex that a U.S. Navy jet crashed into earlier in the day. Six people, including the jet's two pilots who ejected, were taken to the hospital following the crash. There are no confirmed fatalities, though three people are still unaccounted for. "It's something I pray everyday that doesn't happen," Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms said of the jet from the nearby Naval Air Station falling from the sky, "but it has." [CNN, Los Angeles Times]
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2. MARCH JOBS REPORT DISAPPOINTS
According to the Labor Department's monthly jobs report released Friday, the economy added just 120,000 jobs in March — far short of the expected 200,000. Unemployment fell to 8.2 percent, the lowest since January 2009, but that reflects the fact the many have stopped looking for work. "I'm afraid the growth rate is slowing down a bit," says economist Austan Goolsbee, a former chief economic advisor to President Obama. [MSNBC]
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3. KANSAS MEGA MILLIONS WINNER CLAIMS PRIZE
The holder of one of the three winning tickets from last week's record-breaking, $656-million Mega Millions jackpot came forward Friday to claim his (or her) $218.6 million share. The winner is a single ticket holder who bought the winning numbers in Kansas and wishes to remain anonymous. The other two winners have yet to claim their prizes. [CNN]
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4. MALI RESTORES CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER
Late Friday, Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo, the junior officer who took control of the country in a coup last month, agreed to return Mali to constitutional rule following intense pressure from neighboring countries. The president of the National Assembly is set to assume the functions of the president until elections are held, but it's unclear how and when those transitions will happen in the politically unstable country. Hours before Sanogo agreed to hand over power, a separatist group in the north declared their independence. [Associated Press]
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5. MALAWI PRESIDENT DIES FROM HEART ATTACK
On Friday, doctors said Malawi's Bingu wa Mutharika had died of a heart attack at the age of 78. First elected in 2004, Mutharika was criticized for being an autocrat and celebrated for helping to boost the impoverished nation's economy with subsidies for farmers. [Washington Post]
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6. SANTORUM'S DAUGHTER RETURNS TO HOSPITAL
Isabella, Rick Santorum's 3-year-old daughter, has again been hospitalized. She has a chromosomal condition called Trisomy 18 and was in the hospital earlier this year with pneumonia. [CNN]
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7. HUNGER GAMES DIRECTOR WON'T RETURN FOR SEQUEL
Hunger Games director Gary Ross has reportedly told the studio that he will not be returning to direct the next installment in the franchise, Catching Fire. It is scheduled to shoot this fall. [Indie Wire]
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8. TEEN SELLS KIDNEY FOR IPHONE
A teenage boy in China reportedly sold his kidney to get money to buy an iPhone and iPad. [Reuters]
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9. PAINTER THOMAS KINKADE DIES
The beloved "Painter of Light" was found dead in his California home on Friday. He was 54, and natural causes would appear to be to blame. [MSNBC]
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10. TIGER WOODS STRUGGLES AT MASTERS
The fallen golf great has been struggling in the opening days of the Masters tournament. After two rounds, he is tied for 40th place, eight shots out of the lead. [USA Today]
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