From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Raum.

Rusty words are searching through rubble in several states after a stream of tornados yesterday that demolished small towns tones tractor trailers in the area and broke down power lines from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. Officials say at least 37 people died in 4 states: Kentucky, Ohio, Alabama, Indiana. Mitt Shawn lost his businesses in Henryville, Indiana who' in the basement where several others when a school bus crashed down on top of it.

“I hear walking and a neighbor came over today at news on and they were covered flock from came out. They say they will come over to the basement and we watch over the street, a school anyone could see them all around common in middle went up.”

Kentucky was especially hard hit. Cheri Lawson of member station WNKU reports.

According to Kentucky emergency management, at least 13 tornados touched down in the state causing property damage, hundreds of injuries and deaths. Dannis Quicherlow was independence within the basement of her mother-in-law's house in a small town of Pine Knot when a storm came through.

“We've just started hearing the break in the house. She didn't know what's going on. She was sitting down the basement. And danger was hitting the house and the opposite was just over.”

Governor Steve Beshear declared the state of emergency and deployed the state's national guard Friday evening. He announced plans detoured some of the worst hit areas including county Perry where 3 of the deaths occurred. For NPR News, I'm Cheri Lawson in Cincinnati.

Three Republican presidential candidates in Ohio today. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich all are calling voters ahead of the Super Tuesday primaries. NPR's Tamara Keith says travelling with the Romney campaign.

Recent poll shows Santorum and Romney are very close. And both candidates see a win in Ohio as critical. For Santorum it will prove him can win a big primary. For Romney it will provide momentum something that's been elusive for all of the candidates, it's a primary season. Romney's wife Ann summed it up the rally in Cleveland last night.

“Ohio is important. And Tuesday is an important day.”

Ohio isn't just important to these candidates because of its high delegate county. It's important because this will be a key battleground state in November. Tamara Keith, NPR News, Cleveland.

Republicans in Washington stayed are voting now caucuses got underway about an hour ago though selected 40 delegates to the Republican now in any convention this summer. The caucuses are open to everyone by participants must sign in affidavit identified themselves as Republican and promising that take part in the caucuses for another party.

Activists say Syrian forces today renewed their bombardment of the city of Homs after a month-long siege. Meanwhile, Syria is still refusing to allow the Red Cross to enter the city with needed supplies. The bodies of two foreign journalists killed where covering the bombardment of Homs were turned over to the embassy officials today.

This is NPR News from Washington.

BP expects to pay $7.8 bln to settle lawsuits brought by more than 100,000 people who've said they suffered the damage in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. BP still must resolve claims by the US government Gulf States and Deepwater Horizon. The company that owned the rig that exploded after a BP oil well blew out. Eleven workers died and more than 200 million gallons of oil spill, spoiling sensitive tainted areas killing wildlife and interrupting fish in the region.

Major League Baseball is expanding its play-off season for the first time since 1995. NPR's Tom Goldman reports the number of teams in the postseason will grow from 8 to 10.

The new format answered another wild-card team to each League meaning now there will be 2 wild-card teams in both the American and National leagues. Wild-card are teams who have the best records but don't win the division. The two wild-cards would play one game the loser result, the winner moves on with first round player in series. Baseball officials said the change would let postseason the excitement to 2 more cities it also makes winning the division more important because the wild-card birds would be precarious due to the single elimination game. Baseball still has the fewest number of play-off teams in the American major sports but critic said the change would delude the postseason product in diminishing excitement at the end of the regular season. Tom Goldman, NPR News.

The 48th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race gets underway today with the ceremony run through in Anchorage. The official start will take place tomorrow in the small town of Willow. 69 teams will then head for Nome, 922 miles away. The race traces the past once used to transport siren to stop the diphtheria epidemic.

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News.