NPR News

Good morning.

Our early headlines:

-- Ferry Sinks Off Papua New Guinea: 200+ Rescued, But 100+ Missing.

-- Anger, Blame And Protests In Egypt After Deadly Soccer Riot.

Cue the song "Anything You Can Do," from the musical "Annie Get Your Gun." The Obama and Romney campaigns have for all practical purposes started waging their general-election campaigns against each other.

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits fell by 12,000 last week, to 367,000 from 379,000 the week before, the Employment and Training Administration just reported.

The agency also said that "the 4-week moving average was 375,750, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average of 377,750."

"In the end, it wasn't even close," The Seattle Times writes this morning.

By a 28-21 vote early Wednesday evening, the Washington State Senate approved a bill legalizing gay marriage in the state.