Iranian family members enjoy a picnic during the two-week holiday of Persian New Year, Nowruz, at a park in Tehran. (AP Photo)

Obama Video Message to Iran

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The first day of spring in Iran marks the beginning of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, and President Barack Obama took this opportunity to send a video message with good wishes to the Iranian people and tougher political language for Iranian leaders. We learn more from L.A. Times Middle East correspondent Borzou Daragahi.

Paroled Child Killer Moves into Pastor’s Home

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Residents of Chichester, New Hampshire have been protesting the decision of their neighbor, Reverend David Pinckney, of River of Grace Church in Concord, to invite a paroled child killer to live with him, his wife and kids. We speak with Reverend Pinckney about his decision, we also hear from Merrimack County Sheriff Scott Hilliard about the community’s concerns.

Russia Revamps Military

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Russia crushed Georgia in the war last summer but the conflict revealed weaknesses in the top-heavy Russian military. This week, the Kremlin announced a plan to change that by cutting 200,000 officer positions. The plan is drawing protests from politicians and generals who say it will weaken the country. The BBC’s Tim Whewell had rare access to two elite Russian military units and reports on what the changes could mean.

Dying to be Thin

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We speak to young adult fiction author Laurie Halse Anderson about her new book “Wintergirls.” Lia, the book’s narrator struggles with anorexia following the death of her best friend Cassie, who was bulimic. Anderson wrote the book at the request of a doctor friend, and through research learned that obsessive eating disorders affect millions of American young people.

Obama Communication Problems

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If Obama had relied on a TelePrompTer, as he often does, on the Tonight Show last night he might not have made a bad joke about the Special Olympics. We speak with John Carroll, Here & Now Senior Media Analyst and Assistant Professor of Mass Communications at Boston University.

White House Vegetable Garden

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Michelle Obama is breaking ground today on the first White House vegetable garden since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a so-called “victory garden” there during World War Two. The First Lady will get help from 5th graders from the nearby Bancroft Elementary School. We speak with the school’s principal Fay Thompson.

Music from the Show

• Air, “Mike Mills”
• Freddie Hubbard, “Little Sunflower”
• Nathan Milstein, “Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin”
• Radiohead, “There, There”
• Jimi Hendrix, “Machine Gun”
• Sigur Ros, “Nybatteri”