Syrian government troops are continuing to bombard the central city of Homs. The United Nations says more than five thousand people have been killed during the 11-month uprising. Syrian activists say the number is much higher. Yesterday, two foreign journalists were among those killed.

Back in October, a group of Republican voters in Arizona gathered at NPR's request to watch one of the early GOP presidential debates on TV. Wednesday night, they got together again. NPR's Ted Robbins watched with them in Saddlebrooke, a retirement community northwest of Tucson, and asked them to share their thoughts.

Mitt Romney is campaigning as a businessman who knows how to turn the economy around — a skill he says he learned during his time turning companies around, as president of the private equity firm Bain Capital.

So today, we're going to take a look at two deals that Bain did while Mitt Romney was heading the firm. This afternoon, we'll tell the story of one of Bain's successes.

SALEM, Ore. – If there's one catch-phrase that's popular in the Oregon capitol these days, it's "mandate relief." Specifically, the kind of mandates that apply to cash-strapped school districts. But as Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports, not everyone thinks it's a good idea to do away with the requirements.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A bipartisan group of Washington lawmakers wants JPMorgan Chase to lower the ATM fee it charges cash welfare recipients. Currently these low- income clients pay 85-cents each time they withdraw cash. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports on how the fees add up.

The U.S. Supreme Court took up the subject of lying on Wednesday.

Specifically at issue was the constitutionality of a 2006 law that makes it a crime to lie about having received a military medal. But the questions posed by the justices ranged far beyond that — from advertising puffery to dating lies.

Take a look at this rock:

That's a 12.76-carat pink diamond that was found at Rio Tinto's Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia. The mine said it is the biggest of its kind found in the country, which is a big deal because that mine produces 90 percent of the global market diamond supply.

The Telegraph reports: