Week In The News: Germanwings Crash, Ted Cruz 2016, Yemen Unravels

The co-pilot and the plane in the Alps. Ted Cruz announces 2016 bid. Heinz buys Kraft. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

An airline stunner this week. Horror. Germanwings, down.  The co-pilot, we're told, did it. Now what? In Yemen, Saudi jets go bombing. Fears of a face-off with Iran. In Tikrit, US jets go bombing, ISIS – coordinating with Iran. It’s complicated. Ted Cruz looks for an edge with an early formal announcement for the presidency. Bowe Bergdahl faces charges for desertion. Medicare gets a “doc fix.” Heinz and Kraft will become one great big huge food giant, but Americans are turning elsewhere. This hour On Point: our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.
-- Tom Ashbrook

Kristen Welker, White House correspondent for NBC News. (@kwelkernbc)

Michael Crowley, senior foreign affairs correspondent for POLITICO. (@michaelcrowley)

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR)

New York Times: Germanwings Co-Pilot, Andreas Lubitz, Deliberately Crashed Plane, Prosecutor Says -- "The co-pilot of Germanwings flight 9525 deliberately crashed the aircraft, French officials said Thursday, pointing to voice recorder evidence that he had locked the captain out of the cockpit, ignored his pleas for re-entry and steered down into the French Alps as passengers were heard screaming."

POLITICO: Iran might attack American troops in Iraq, U.S. officials fear — "As negotiations on a possible nuclear deal approach a March 31 deadline, U.S. officials are increasingly alarmed about Iran’s expanding military presence in Iraq — and the threat it may pose to American soldiers in the country. Two scenarios are of particular concern, officials say. One is that a collapse of the nuclear talks could escalate tensions between Iran and the U.S., emboldening Iranian hard-liners and potentially leading to attacks on Americans in Iraq."

The Wall Street Journal: The Republican Presidential Race Is Shaping Up as a Marathon — "The race for the Republican presidential nomination is shaping up to be one of the most drawn-out in a generation. The candidate field looks unusually crowded, with more than a dozen contenders appealing to different slices of the GOP. The rise of super PACs allows candidates to stay in the race longer than before. And nominating rules meant to compress the process may complicate a front-runner’s ability to amass the delegates necessary to win."