Morning Edition

When Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was a high school disc jockey, he had to get permission from a Communist youth league to play songs by the British rock band Deep Purple. Before a recent concert in Moscow, Medvedev invited the band to his home.

Mobile phone giant AT&T has announced plans to buy major rival T-Mobile. If the deal goes through, AT&T would dominate U.S. telecommunications. It's reminiscent of when Ma Bell had a monopoly over the industry. Bloomberg New technology columnist Rich Jaroslovsky talks to Linda Wertheimer about the concerns of a monopoly.

In the skies over Libya, NATO will take command of the no-fly zone. U.S. air and sea power will remain a key factor in keeping Moammar Gadhafi's troops from attacking. But on the ground, Libyan rebels are stalled in their efforts to advance on government forces. And civilians are fleeing the front lines of the fighting.

Protests against the Syrian government have been taking place at a small border city. Those leading the protests say that dozens of people have been killed by government troops. The Syrian government has pledged to consider lifting some repressive laws to ease the crisis. Phil Sands, a reporter for the National, an English-language newspaper based in the United Arab Emirates, talks to Renee Montagne about the protests.

It's cherry blossom time in the nation's capitol — throughout Washington, D.C., cherry trees look like pale pink clouds settling on the city's parks and streets. The oldest trees are a gift from Japan, where the flowers have long symbolized the fleeting nature of beauty and life.