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In a conversation about what qualities Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee, might seek in a person to fill out his national ticket, GOP consultant Mike Murphy told NPR's Melissa Block the worse thing would be to go for the political equivalent of a sugar high. That happened in 2008 with Sarah Palin. He thinks the GOP learned its lesson. Thus, he thinks Sen. Rob Portman looms large for Romney.

More than 99 million federal taxpayers had filed their returns as of Tuesday, with more than 80 million of those expecting a refund. But if Congress and the president don't act, 2012 could mark the end of more than a decade of rock-bottom taxes.

The Miami Marlins are back in the news. That's no surprise to Frank Deford, who thinks the team is one of the zaniest in baseball.

Four major universities — Stanford, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan — are joining forces with a startup called Coursera to offer free online classes in more than three-dozen subjects. The professors involved hope this kind of online interaction transforms higher education.

The one thing politicians seem to agree on is the value of small businesses — and they love, love, love to talk about them. But the intense focus on small businesses may overstate the economic case.

Daily Beast and Newsweek editor Tina Brown selects two articles about the nature of journalism in the digital age and a book collecting the writing of expatriate Americans, including reporters living in Berlin in the 1930s.

Election officials upheld their ban of nearly half of the presidential candidates running in next month's contest. Among them are two leading Islamist candidates and the intelligence chief for former President Hosni Mubarak. The decision radically alters the race for a post that will shape Egypt's political landscape.

Built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, the Space Needle was meant to be a beacon of the future. To celebrate the needle's 50th anniversary on Saturday, its sloped roof is being repainted its original shade. Some call it sienna — designers have dubbed it Galaxy Gold.

Polls show that most Americans already know who they want for president in 2012. Both campaigns must target the relatively few truly persuadable voters in swing states — those who may actually decide the election. And the race has begun to try and convince those coveted, sometimes quirky minds.

The rocker told NRA members that he will either be "dead or in jail" next year if President Obama is re-elected. Nugent says that was not some sort of veiled threat.