Born and educated in the United States, how did Anwar al-Awlaki, a charismatic Muslim cleric, go from "all-American boy" to a terrorist spokesman and recruiter for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula? His killing, announced Friday, is seen as a hit against al Qaeda's recruiting and fund-raising. The transformation from an imam who originally condemned the 9/11 attacks to a key al Qaeda operative took place over a number of years, as the war on terror expanded and as he found himself caught up in it. Al-Awlaki was regarded by the United States as one of the biggest threats to homeland security. Under his guidance, AQAP attempted to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009 and in October 2010 dispatched two printer bomb packages from Yemen's capital, Sanaa, that were timed to explode over the Eastern seaboard of the United States, U.S. officials have said/CNN. More here.

• Also: Ron Paul criticizes Obama for drone killing of al-Awkali/The Hill

Question: You ever feel like breaking out into refrain from "Wicked" at times like this -- you know, "Good news, (another) wicked witch is dead"?