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Supreme Court Justice David Souter has told President Obama he intends to retire at the end of the current term, which will come next month. Souter has been on the bench for 19 years and become a mainstay of the court's liberal wing. That was not what President George H. W. Bush expected when he appointed him in 1990.

President Obama will soon have the chance to appoint a new justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice David Souter is planning to retire at the end of the court's term.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has told nonessential Mexican workers to stay home for a five-day partial shutdown of the economy. The move is an effort to stem the spread of the swine flu that has killed up to 176 people and sickened thousands.

The Neelys, who own Neely's Bar-B-Que in Memphis, Tenn., took NPR's "How Low Can You Go" family supper challenge and created a twist on mac 'n' cheese: cheesy corkscrews with a crunchy bacon topping. Both Pat and Gina Neely grew up in families that had to be economical, so they joked that the challenge would be no problem.

To mark his 100 days in office, President Obama held a prime-time news conference Wednesday. It was the third news conference of his presidency and the first not dominated by the recession. The president promised to keep up the whirlwind pace.

President Obama traveled to St. Louis for a town hall meeting to mark his 100th day in office. Questions dealt with the economy, health care, social security and the environment.

The Commerce Department reports that the nation's economy shrank at 6.1 percent pace in the first quarter, worse than economists had expected. While consumer spending rebounded, businesses cut back sharply and U.S. exports saw their biggest drop in 40 years.

Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday that he is switching parties and is now a Democrat. The switch means that if Democrat Al Franken is declared the winner in the contested Minnesota Senate race, Democrats will have the 60 votes needed to block GOP filibusters.

Ming Tsai, who owns the Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Mass., took NPR's "How Low Can You Go" family supper challenge and concocted a dish of chicken-and-corn fried rice with lemon spinach. Tsai says fried rice is close to his heart because it's the first meal he ever cooked. And his kids love it.

It's hip to be square this weekend at the annual National School Scrabble Competition in Providence, R.I., where middle schoolers are facing off. The team that makes the highest play using the letter Q wins a signed Shaquille O'Neal basketball jersey.