Thursday is the second anniversary of the uprising in Bahrain where tens of thousands took to the streets to demand political changes and greater equality for the island kingdom's Shiite majority. The uprising was put down by security forces aided by troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The government and opposition leaders have begun a dialogue but violence continue, especially in the Shiite towns and cities outside the capital, Manama.

President Obama's nominee for Treasury Secretary Jack went before the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday. Lew appears headed toward confirmation by the full Senate. But he did get some pointed questions from Republicans about his stint as an executive at Citigroup.

President Obama is spending a few days this week pushing his State of the Union message in cities across the country. He began the tour in North Carolina on Wednesday talking about manufacturing and the return of factory jobs.

Toward the end of World War II, allied forces bombed the lightly defended city of Dresden, creating a firestorm that destroyed it and killed tens of thousands of people. The attack was designed to destroy German morale and hasten the end of the war. These days, neo-Nazis are using the anniversary to march and stir up nationalistic sentiment in a bid to boost their political and popular clout.

Authorities in Southern California released some new details Wednesday about the gunfight and fire that apparently ended the manhunt for fugitive former cop Christopher Dorner. He's accused of four murders. While authorities say their search for him is over, they still haven't positively identified the body.

Just in time for Valentine's Day and tax filing season, the independent Tax Policy Center has updated its online marriage bonus and penalty calculator. The new numbers reflect the latest changes in the tax code. Couples considering a walk down the aisle might want to take a look at this before saying,"I do."

The Obama administration has released an online scorecard to help prospective students assess the costs and value of attending individual colleges and universities. Renee Montagne talks to Goldie Blumenstyk, senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education, about the issues the scorecard is trying to address, and what impact it might have.

President Obama visits a preschool in Decatur, Ga., Thursday morning to tout his proposal for universal preschool. Many experts say preschool is crucial to helping children, especially those from low-income families, succeed in school far beyond their early education.

American Airlines and US Airways have agreed to merge in an $11 billion deal that would create the world's biggest airline. For more on the merger.

Renee Montagne has business news.

How antitrust regulators decide whether to block a merger.

How antitrust regulators decide whether to block a merger.

In fashion's first hackathon, developers had just 24 hours to build an app for the industry — the finalists will be presented on the runway at New York's Fashion Week. "Right now the industry could really use some innovation," says Decoded Fashion founder Liz Bacelar.

Forty years ago, New York enacted tough laws in response to a wave of drug-related crime. They became known as the Rockefeller drug laws, and they set the standard for states looking to get tough on crime. But a new debate is under way over the effectiveness of such strict sentencing laws.

International aid agencies are pouring millions of dollars into a large industrial park on Haiti's north coast. The Caracol Industrial Park is intended to create 60,000 jobs and encourage people to move out of the overcrowded capital Port-au-Prince.

It began like a typical Bollywood story. Boy meets girl in pre-Independence India. They fall in love. Her family says no way. So one night, she escapes. NPR commentator Sandip Roy recounts how his great-aunt jumped off a moving train for love, and went on to have a happy 60-year-long marriage.

The DJs at public radio stations listen to a lot of songs every day. Download five of their recent favorites, including songs from The Milk Carton Kids, Cayucas, Chance the Rapper, Miranda Dodson and Katie Mullins.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio delivered the Republican reply to the State of the Union. He needed a drink of water but the bottle was out of reach. While his speech was being broadcast, the senator ducked down, reached off screen, found the bottle, sipped it and resumed. Twitter went crazy.

For hipsters in a Brooklyn neighborhood, it can be tough to get a spot on a romantic tour of a sewage treatment plant. New York's Department of Environmental Protection says this Valentine's Day it had to add an extra tour of the plant because two had filled up quickly.

The government money is from that recent settlement with big banks over their questionable foreclosure practices. Regulators think having the banks do it could help speed up the process. Housing advocates tell The New York Times that the banks will take shortcuts.