State and National News

Richard Grenell, a long time Republican hired by Mitt Romney's campaign as a foreign policy spokesman, resigned today. Grenell's hiring made news less than two weeks ago, because Grenell is openly gay.

The New York Times reports Grenell's abrupt resignation comes after he came "under attack by antigay activists in the party."

The Romney campaign cofirmed his resignation saying they were "disappointed" Grenell had resigned for "personal reasons."

I haven't been able to listen to Vic Chesnutt's music much since he took his own life on Christmas Day, 2009. It's just been too heartbreaking. But on a recent, chilly Spring night in D.C. I had my iPod on random and Vic's song "Aunt Avis" came up. It was one of those seemingly innocuous moments when you're off in your own little world and something hits you out of the blue.

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ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. Many days when you're secretary of state, you have to make tough diplomatic decisions. But sometimes you get to bestow big diplomatic gifts.

SECRETARY HILLARY CLINTON: Tonight, I am pleased to announce a gift of 3,000 dogwood trees for the people of Japan from the American people.

(SOUNDBITE OF APPLAUSE)

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AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

For more on the politics of the anniversary of bin Laden's killing, we turn to NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson. And, Mara, while President Obama was flying to Afghanistan, you had Mitt Romney spending the day in New York City. He appeared at a firehouse with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, so obvious connection there between bin Laden's death and the site of the 9/11 attacks.

News Corp. executives Rupert and James Murdoch can give a small sigh of relief, perhaps, that U.K. lawmakers investigating the tabloid hacking and bribery scandal did not conclude they misled Parliament in earlier testimony.

But that may be just about the only relief the Murdochs receive.

The scathing report accuses the company and several of its former top British executives of lying to Parliament and of seeking to cover up widespread phone hacking, computer hacking and bribing of government employees.

The latest skirmish in the so-called war on women has to do with, of all things, interest rates on student loans. More specifically, the effort by House Republicans to offset the cost of a federal student loan bill by cutting funding from a $15 billion preventive health fund included in the 2010 Affordable Care Act.