CBS News announced that Mike Wallace, star journalist and pioneer of the newsmagazine show 60 Minutes, died Saturday night. He was 93. Wallace was a tough interviewer who started on staff on the program when it began in 1968. He was known for spending hours preparing for interviews, tough follow-up questions, and ambush interviews with crooks. A CBS News correspondent said Wallace considered himself “nosy and insistent.” He retired in 2006, but did occasional interviews, including with Mitt Romney, Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Roger Clemens.

The United Nations initiative that would stop the brutal government crackdown on Syrian rebels has been set back by new demands that fighters set down their arms before an official troop withdrawal. President Bashar al-Assad had agreed to a troop pullout on Tuesday, April 10, but a spokesman for the government announced that the agreement was a misunderstanding and issued extra requirements of rebel forces. A rebel commander said they would not comply with the new demands, which come after two days of especially extreme violence in which as many as 180 civilians have been killed.

As North Korea prepares for a rocket launch to mark the anniversary of country founder’s 100th birthday, CNN and other media were brought to tour the control center and satellite. North Korean officials claim the launch is peaceful, but South Korea, Japan and the U.S. view it as a test for long-range ballistic missiles and a breach of resolutions made by the United Nations Security Council. North Korea refuses to cancel the launch despite public pressure from China and a suspension on food aid by the American government.

Newt Gingrich said the attacks that have passed between him and Mitt Romney are just “part of the business” of running for president. “I hit him as hard as I could; he hit me as hard as he could,” Gingrich said. “Turns out he had more things to hit with than I did. That’s part of the business.” He added that the two share a common goal. “We are absolutely committed to defeating Barack Obama,” he said. “This is the most important election, in some ways, since 1860. Barack Obama’s a genuine radical.”

Afghan authorities will gain review and veto power over NATO special-operations raids in the country after a new deal is signed Sunday. The agreement was struck to quell anger among Afghans over the raids, and going forward the operations will have to be approved by a joint review board of U.S. and Afghan officials. Under the new rules, Afghan commandos will begin to take the lead in raids to minimize civilian anger over intrusion by foreigners into their homes. According to Gen. John Allen, commander for the International Security Assistance Force, 83 percent of night raids in 2011 succeeded in finding their primary target or an associate.

Police are speculating that revenge might have been a motive in the string of shootings that spread terror in Tulsa’s black community over the weekend. One of the suspected shooters, Jake England, posted on his Facebook that he was upset over his father’s murder two years ago by a black male. The investigators haven’t classified the killing spree that left three dead and two critically wounded as racially motivated, and the FBI says it’s too early to discuss hate crimes, though all five of those shot were black. England is being held along with Alvin Watts in suspicion of the shootings.

A bomber killed himself and at least 38 other people in the Nigerian city of Lagos Sunday. Windows were blown out and motorcycles set on fire by the tremendous blast, which damaged two nearby churches where worshipers attended Easter services. The bomber apparently tried to enter a church parking lot with his vehicle, but was deterred by barricades and a security guard. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but many suspect a radical Islamic sect. Nigeria’s population is divided between a Christian southern region and a largely Muslim north, and churches have been targeted on holidays before.

The death toll from a deadly truck accident outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, climbed to 26 on Sunday. Thirty people were also wounded when the brakes on the truck failed, causing it to roll down a hill and off of a highway before it flipped over. Initial reports said that 20 people had died in the Saturday crash and 40 had been injured in the incident. Such deadly car accidents are not uncommon in Haiti. In January, 29 people died after another truck’s brakes failed and it ran over street vendors on a sidewalk. The truck was carrying merchants and their goods to rural outposts.

Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Charles’s wife, Camilla, has been appointed a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order by the queen. Camilla, who is the Duchess of Cornwall, now holds the highest possible female rank. Observers have noticed that over the years Camilla has become a fixture at the queen’s side and this honor signifies her ever-rising significance within the royal family.

A tearful Bubba Watson came out the victor over Louis Oosthuizen after an exciting final round in The Masters Sunday. After faltering down the stretch, Watson won at Augusta on the second of two sudden-death playoff holes, finishing the tournament with a straight-up wedge shot that put him within two putts of the title. One hundred players took part in this year’s tournament, which included a meltdown by Tiger Woods, who finished in a dismal tie for 40th.

Jennifer Hudson’s presence is likely to affect the trial of William Balfour, who stands accused of killing her mother, brother, and nephew. Nine of the 66 questions on the questionnaire for potential jurors dealt with Hudson, and 20 jurors volunteered to leave when asked if they could follow the proceedings without bias. One prominent defense attorney said: “The risk is that jurors may be watching her rather than testifying witnesses, and they could be influenced by how she reacts. She would be well advised not to engage in any facial expressions or outbursts. That could be grounds for a mistrial.”

A centurion’s gotta do what a centurion’s gotta do. Fake gladiators clambered their way up the Colosseum Sunday to protest new restrictions that prevent them from taking photos with tourists for money. Three days ago, police in Rome fined the costumed combatants for providing a paid service without proper authorization. But since when does a gladiator ask permission? The crackdown is intended to restore a sense of gravity at the ancient site where Roman blood lust was put on full display. But if the Colosseum teaches us anything, it’s that the people love a show, and the gladiators have taken up arms, albeit fake ones, against the ban.

NBC can’t unring this bell. After airing an edited segment of George Zimmerman’s 911 call from the night the Florida neighborhood watch captain shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, the network apologized Saturday. The edited version of the call, which made it appear that Zimmerman identified Martin as black before being prompted by the emergency dispatcher, was “a mistake and not a deliberate act to misrepresent the phone call,” NBC News president Steve Capus said Saturday. According to an internal NBC probe, a producer made the editing call.

A Texas beach party ended in gunplay Saturday after word of mouth drew thousands to the bash 40 miles from Galveston. One person was killed and three wounded, Texas authorities said, when a seaside rager got out of control. According to police, no arrests have been made yet, and the circumstances of the shooting are unclear. There were reportedly fights at the packed shorefest, as well as drug use and heavy drinking, USA Today reports.

The United States has a trump card to play in negotiations with Iran—three years’ worth of intelligence materials gathered by secret drone flights over sensitive locations. Intelligence experts told The Washington Post that there was “never even a ripple” in Iran’s air-defense system when an American drone first penetrated deep into the country to gather information on its developing nuclear program. The National Security Agency also developed a task force of spies and eavesdropping efforts. Together the improved state of American intelligence files on the Islamic Republic strengthen the country’s bargaining power going into fresh nuclear talks scheduled for Friday.

Rick Santorum’s sticking in, as is Newt Gingrich, but in the minds of many Americans, an unofficial general-election race between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama has already begun. And when that fight begins in earnest, super PACs, which can raise unlimited amounts of money from anonymous donors, may take center stage. Republicans have an advantage on the super-PAC front—of the top 10 presidential super PACs, nine back Republican candidates and have netted a total of $116 million. Priorities USA Action, the one pro-Obama super PAC that makes the list, has taken only $6.5 million, giving the Republican candidate a substantial fundraising lead.

Columnist John Derbyshire is out at the conservative National Review after writing a column that many thought was blatantly racist. “[Derbyshire’s] latest provocation, in a webzine, lurches from the politically incorrect to the nasty and indefensible,” said the Review’s editor in a statement. The column was published Thursday in an online magazine. In it, Derbyshire wrote about a talk that he said many white parents have with their children in which they encourage them to stay away from heavily black neighborhoods, saying this advice “may save their lives.” He also wrote in the column that 5 percent of black people are “ferociously hostile” to white people.

Thousands of AT&T workers have agreed to continue to work under an expired contract while negotiations with management at the telephone company continue. The move avoids a strike for the moment. AT&T has plans to cut back its workforce to cut expenses, particularly in its declining wireline business. The labor contracts for 10,000 AT&T workers expired at midnight Saturday. Communications Workers of America, the union that represents the laborers, said there was “some progress” but still “a lot of ground yet to cover” in negotiations with the telecommunications giant.

After one of the most violent days Syria has seen since resistance began to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the government said it wanted “written guarantees” from the opposition before pulling back its troops. The new demand comes two days before a ceasefire agreement backed by the United Nations. One hundred sixty people were killed Saturday, yet the Syrian Foreign Ministry said it would not go forward with the plan to pull back its troops until Kofi Annan, the U.N.’s envoy to Syria, provided it with a written agreement demonstrating “the acceptance by armed terrorist groups of a halt to all violence.” Annan presented a plan approved by the U.N. last week that called for a full ceasefire by April 12.

A spree of shootings that terrified Tulsa, Okla., may have been brought to an end, with police saying Sunday that they’ve arrested two men in connection with the case. Police said Saturday that they believed the series of shootings were linked. Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, will be charged with three counts of murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. The city police and county sheriff’s office worked around the clock with U.S. marshals and the FBI on the case Friday and Saturday.

So what do you do on a date with Kanye West? The Sun reports that the “Theraflu”—no connection to the cold medication—rapper took Kim Kardashian to the famed New York City toy store F.A.O. Schwarz. But as a surprise, West had a section cordoned off so he and his beau could learn to play “Chopsticks” on the store’s floor piano—just like Tom Hanks in the film Big. Why? Because, well, why not? In other news, Kardashian was spotted with what seemed to be a love bite on her neck.

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Easter mass before a massive crowd of worshipers in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday. During his Easter message, the pope, who will turn 85 later this month, called for peace around the world but specifically highlighted the need to end the carnage in Syria. "Particularly in Syria, may there be an end to the bloodshed and an immediate commitment to the path of respect, dialogue, and reconciliation, as called for by the international community," he said. The pope also prayed for all the Syrians who have endured "dreadful sufferings" during the conflict.  

They braved the 80-degree weather, drove hours, and waited for him to speak at the “Easter on the Hill” service. Fifteen thousand attended an outdoor sermon in Georgetown, Texas, Sunday, to hear Tim Tebow speak. The worshippers were shepherded from a local shopping center and college campuses to the venue, which featured Christian rock songs and a large stage. Tebow said the U.S. should return to the idea of “one nation under God.” After Tebow was done speaking, many of those in attendance left—before the main sermon.

Mali’s president has officially resigned after being ousted in a coup last month. “I think that my duty, as it was 22 years ago, is to help Mali,” President Amadou Toumani Toure said in a statement Sunday. “I therefore believe that it is very normal, and I do it without pressure and in good faith. In particular, out of love for my country, I have decided to hand in my letter of resignation, which I will hand in to the relevant authorities to allow the smooth transition.” Dioncounda Traore, the president of the National Assembly, will succeed him as the interim president of Mali.

Uh oh. North Korea has positioned a long-range rocket for a planned launch later this month. The country’s officials insist that the launch is for “peaceful purposes” and will send a satellite into orbit, but South Korea claims that new satellite images suggest it will be a third nuclear test. “Recent satellite images led us to conclude the North has been secretly digging a new underground tunnel in the nuclear test site ... besides two others where the previous tests were conducted,” a South Korean official said.