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Sir Harry Secombe, the popular British comedian of both television and radio, has died. A star of Oliver and The Goon Show passed away in Surrey, England, on Wednesday, at the age of 79.

NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports on the reaction of the families of the spy plane crew members released yesterday. After a stop for debriefing in Hawaii, they'll be on their way back to home base on Whidbey Island, Washington.

NPR's Jason Beaubien reports on the struggle between Massachusetts officials who are setting educational standards for the state, and local school district officials who have to enforce them. The mayor of one Massachusetts town feels the statewide testing requirements favor the abilities of affluent students.

Sports Commentator Frank Deford wonders whether the standoff between the U.S. and China will help or hurt China's chances of hosting the 2008 Olympics.

Beth Accomondo, from member station KPBS, reports on several new films that attempt to shed new on Filipino culture in America, and in the process battle the subtle racism against it.

NPR's Tom Goldman reports on the autopsy records of the late NASCAR great, Dale Earnhardt. An independent medical expert says Earnhardt died when his head whipped forward violently after his car crashed into a wall during a race in February . The medical report found no evidence that his death may have been caused by a broken seat belt buckle, as a NASCAR doctor contended.

Andrea Dukakis of Colorado Public Radio reports on the effect of an economic downturn on people trying to get off of welfare. Although the number of people on welfare has decreased since the passage of a federal welfare reform law, a recession could cause caseloads to rise.

The impasse with China over the crew of an American reconnaissance plane has been broken. The plane made an emergency landing on Hainan Island after a mid-air collision with a Chinese fighter jet on April 1st. NPR's Rob Gifford talks to Linda Wertheimer about the news.

Scott Horsley of member station KPBS reports on the stock market rally that sent the Dow Jones industrial average 2.5 percent higher and the NASDAQ Composite Index six percent higher yesterday. It was the first time in nearly a month that the Dow has closed above 10,000. Analysts are reluctant to read too much into yesterday's rally but wonder if it's a sign that the downturn in stock prices may be over.

NPR's Larry Abramson reports that high speed Internet connections can still be pretty pokey, and that several companies are marketing software and gadgets to speed up the pace of Internet use.