NPR News

"After more than 30 years of handing prayer cards to customers aboard its planes, Alaska Airlines has decided the practice is outdated and will stop doing it on Feb. 1," The Seattle Times reports.

A few things struck us about this news.

Samantha Garvey, the homeless teen who came into the national spotlight after she became a semifinalist in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search competition, has had a bittersweet 24 hours.

First the bitter part: When the science prize competition finalists were announced today, she was not on the list.

Gov. Rick Perry is back in Texas, after dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. He's returned battered and bruised, but he still has strong supporters in his home state.

More than two dozen commandoes from the Navy's SEAL Team 6 swept into an encampment in northern Somalia Tuesday, rescuing American Jessica Buchanan and her Danish colleague some three months after they were taken hostage. The two were in the country as aid workers. The SEALs killed nine of the captors and apprehended three others. NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman tells Robert Siegel the latest.

In a wide-ranging discussion with All Things Considered's Robert Siegel, Ron Paul, the Republican congressman from Texas, said of all the GOP hopefuls, he's been the steady one.

"All I know is that the message is powerful," he said in response to a question about the viability of his campaign. "The message is well-received. Our numbers are growing, and we don't go up and down like a yo-yo."

The Keystone XL pipeline is supposed to connect Canada to Texas. But does it also have to connect to a payroll tax holiday?

White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, speaking today on NPR's Tell Me More, said no link should be made because the oil pipeline is not "germane" to legislation involving a tax holiday.

In Los Angeles, the center of the U.S. adult film industry, condom use during the making of porn films will soon be required.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed the controversial ordinance into law this Monday.

Now it's up to the L.A. city clerk to post the new rule, which could happen this week, the Associated Press reports. After the posting, the rule would take effect in 41 days.

Filmmakers would have to agree to comply with the requirement to get a permit to make a movie.

Florida's GOP primary has become a battleground for the four remaining Republican hopefuls in the 2012 presidential race. The state's size and population are much larger than other primary states', and TV advertising is expected to play its largest role yet in the campaign.