Morning Edition

Big name medal winners in high-profile Olympic sports can count on support from sponsors. But not so for lesser known athletes. That's forced some of them to take an unorthodox approach to fundraising.

Japanese automaker Toyota on Wednesday announced its January to March profits quadrupled over last year to $1.5 billion. The company struggled with production after last year's earthquake and tsunami caused huge delays at its factories. With production back to normal, Toyota expects this to be its most profitable year since before the global financial crisis.

The Gold Bullion Development Corporation, a Montreal-based exploration company, will allow its shareholders to have their dividends paid in gold. Company President Frank Basa has been paid in gold for more than 20 years.

Voters in Wisconsin Tuesday, chose the Democrat who will face Republican Governor Scott Walker in next month's gubernatorial recall election. The winning Democrat was Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

In northern Iowa, a group of farmers have banded together to buy nearly 30 miles of railroad track to assure they can get their grain to the ethanol market. Short line tracks are being idled across the country as railroads concentrate on longer trains.

In North Carolina Tuesday, voters approved a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships. North Carolina becomes the 30th state to pass a measure outlawing same-sex marriage.

Officials with Beef Products Incorporated, or BPI, will permanently close three production plants in Iowa, Texas and Kansas by the end of the month. BPI is the maker of finely textured beef. Critics call it pink slime. About 650 people will lose their jobs.

Violinist and music educator Roman Totenberg had a long and distinguished career as a concert violinist, and taught for many years at Boston University and other schools. He was also the father of NPR's Nina Totenberg. He died Tuesday at the age of 101.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene.

There are new developments this morning in the story of the al-Qaida plot to bomb an airplane heading to the United States. It turns out that the man who was thought to be the bomber was actually a double agent, that according to U.S. officials. It is quite a spy tale. Intelligence agencies had an agent inside al-Qaida's branch in Yemen and so they were able to foil the plot, and the bomb is now in U.S. hands.

Special envoy Kofi Annan says unacceptable levels of violence and abuse are continuing in Syria. He said military activities have declined somewhat but the level of violence is still too high. Annan warned about the devastating repercussions if the fragile peace plan failed.