Good morning.
The space shuttle Endeavour landed safely in Florida early today, bringing to a close its final mission in space. NASA has posted video of the predawn landing.
Endeavour flew 25 missions and more than 122 million miles over its career. There's one more shuttle mission scheduled before the fleet is fully retired. Atlantis is supposed to lift off one final time in July.
Endeavour commander Mark Kelly said that while "it's sad to see her land for the last time ... she really has a great legacy." His wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) did not travel to the Kennedy Space Center for the landing. She continues to recover at a Houston rehabilitation hospital from the severe injuries she received when a gunman attacked an event she was holding in Tucson on Jan. 8.
-- Obama To Meet With House Republicans:"President Obama will meet with House Republicans Wednesday as the two sides remain divided on an agreement to increase the federal debt ceiling by the August deadline. ... The meeting ... is a rare direct intervention in the fiscal policy debate from Obama, who has set up a separate group headed by Vice President Biden to resolve the impasse between the two parties." ( The Washington Post's 44 Politics and Policy blog.)
-- At Least 37 More Deaths In Yemen:"At least 37 people have died in overnight fighting as clashes intensified in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, doctors and officials say. Violence escalated after a ceasefire broke down between security forces and fighters loyal to Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, head of a tribal confederation." ( BBC News.)
-- More Sick In European E Coli Outbreak:"The number of people reported sick in Germany from a foodborne bacterial outbreak that has already killed 16 spiked over the last 24 hours, with nearly 100 more people suffering from severe and potentially fatal symptoms, according to the national disease control center. ... The World Health Organisation said cases of EHEC have been reported in nine European countries: Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K. All but two cases are either people in Germany, or people who had recently traveled to northern Germany, the organization said." ( The Guardian.)
-- Miami Heat Win Game One: In game one of the best-of-seven NBA Finals Tuesday night, the Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks 92-84. ( Miami Herald.)
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