Morning Edition

2010 Census Launched from Arizona
Officials from the U.S. Census were in Phoenix to launch the 2010 Census. Local official are appealing to the public saying there's never been a more crucial time to complete and return the forms.
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Topics from the Most Recent Show

• Runaway Cars: Driver Error Or Car Malfunction?
  The problems with Toyota's gas pedals have been front page news for weeks now, but what about the people in front of the pedals? Earlier studies have found that the majority of car-surging incidents were actually the fault of the driver. But the recent problems with cars continuing to accelerate haven't been studied yet.
• A Grandmother's Other Role: Midwife
  Graciela Kavulla grew up in Texas near her grandmother, Adelaida. As Graciela recalls, her grandmother was determined to become a midwife. To learn how, a doctor gave her some medical books. But there was a problem: She couldn't read.
• Tehran Halts Travel By Poet Called 'Lioness Of Iran'
  Simin Behbahani, Iran's most prominent poet, was about to board a flight to Paris when police seized her passport. Behbahani, 82 and nearly blind, has not been charged with any crime. Many fear her treatment may signal a rise in repressive tactics by Iran's government.
• Exploring The Taliban's Complex, Shadowy Finances
  Western nations have long criticized Afghanistan's failure to curtail opium production, a main source of income for the Taliban. But counterterrorism officials say the problem is far more complex than just drug money, including diverted charity payments and "protection money" from convoys seeking to resupply U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
• Stakes High For Obama Presidency In Health Care Bill
  President Obama is making a final frenzied push before the health care bill comes up for a vote in the House on Sunday. If the bill fails, he will be severely weakened. He will have failed to deliver his signature initiative and his Democratic Party will look incapable of governing.
• Toyota Deals Get Customers Back To Showrooms
  Thanks to specials like zero percent financing and price cuts, Toyota sales have risen sharply. A recent Edmunds.com dealer survey finds that so far this month, Toyota has regained the same market share of sales it had before the gas pedal recall.
• The Word Is Out: A New Voice For 'On Language'
  This weekend, Ben Zimmer will take over <em>The New York Times Magazine</em> column William Safire originated in 1979 and continued to write until his death last year. Zimmer's first column will be on the word "no."
• Austinites Angle For A Piece Of SXSW Cash Cow
  The South by Southwest music festival bills itself as "the premier destination for discovery." It's also the destination for truckloads of cash, as music and art fans flock to Austin, Texas, each March. Last year's event brought nearly $100 million to the city, according to one analyst.
• Toxic Assets Market Awaits Rebound
  During the peak of the housing market, the value of the mortgages that got stuffed into those complicated mortgage bonds known as toxic assets was more than $3 trillion. But now the market has stalled, in part because many sellers are waiting for the economy to improve.
• Letter From India: 'Queen' Of Poor Flaunts Riches
  The chief minister of India's most populous state came from humble origins, but Mayawati, as she is known, has not been shy about displaying her wealth. Recently, the show of opulence at a political rally &mdash; where she accepted a garland made entirely of money &mdash; seems to have gone too far, even by her standards.
• Global Reality Challenges IMF's Free Market Gospel
  In a notable turnaround, the International Monetary Fund recently acknowledged that some developing countries might benefit from controls on capital inflows. IMF research found that countries with such regulations were better equipped to weather recent global economic crises.
• Boomerang Kids Drive Rise Of Extended Family Living
  A new study finds that the number of people in multigenerational households grew by 2.6 million between 2007 and 2008. The trend is fueled by young adults, but older adults are also slightly more likely to share households. Another factor is the increasingly large share of immigrants living in the U.S.
• Fired Worker Accused Of Disabling 100 Cars
  Police in Texas say a man fired from an auto dealership used an Internet service to remotely disable ignitions and set off car horns of more than 100 vehicles. And in the United Arab Emirates, nascent drivers are learning the rules of the road at a very young age. Kids as young as 5 can take driving lessons in real cars.
• British Students 'Confused' On Historic Facts
  Queen Elizabeth may seem ancient to school children, but did she really invent the telephone? Ten percent of British students think so, according to a survey of science knowledge. They also believe Sir Isaac Newton discovered fire, and Luke Skywalker was the first person on the moon.
• Obama: Dispute Won't Affect Overall Ties With Israel
  President Obama has weighed in on the crisis in U.S. relations with Israel, reaffirming what he called the special bond with the Jewish state, despite the disagreement over Israeli plans to build new Jewish housing in East Jerusalem. The president was interviewed on Fox News Channel.