Morning Edition

Activists say dozens of people were killed yesterday in the Syrian town of Homs when government troops opened fire with tanks and machine guns. More than a dozen others were killed elsewhere. Renee Montagne talks to Omar Shakir, a human rights activist, who is in Homs.

New research indicates excessive consumption of sugar leads to an increase in all kinds of chronic diseases. But how much sugar is too much? Would making sugary foods more expensive help to get consumers to cut back?

Elizabeth was just 25 and visiting the then-colony of Kenya, when word came her father the King had died. The royals will celebrate her Diamond Jubilee by visiting the nations that once made up the British empire.

It's the season of the Polar Bear Plunge, when many Americans take a challenge to leap into icy water. If they can find cold water. In Rehoboth Beach, Del., people leaped into ocean water that was 47 degrees — the warmest on record.

Minnesota holds its Republican caucuses on Tuesday. But in the race for the White House, these caucuses are just a nonbinding straw poll.

After several days reeling from a public relations debacle, The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation shifted Monday into recovery mode.

After announcing that it would withdraw funding from Planned Parenthood screening programs last Tuesday — and then reversing that decision three days later — the foundation now faces the challenging task of repairing its image and trying to lure back disillusioned donors.

One of the nation's largest breast cancer charities, the foundation spends tens of millions of dollars annually on breast cancer research, education and screening.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Our periodic look at state finances takes us next to New Mexico. The situation there looks a lot less awful than it did.

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After three years of painful cuts, the state has a projected surplus. The question now is what to do with the money. Here's NPR's Ted Robbins.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

The Republican presidential primary season heads into another phase this week, as Colorado and Minnesota voters choose their candidates tomorrow. Over the weekend, Mitt Romney scored a huge victory in the Nevada caucuses, besting his closest rival, Newt Gingrich, by double digits.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

NPR's business news begins with possible mortgage relief.

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For many chefs, winning the prize we'll talk about next is like winning the Super Bowl. But in the international contest's 26 year history, no American has ever won the Bocuse d'Or. That's D-apostrophe-O-R. The first step in deciding who represents the United States is a nation competition, which was recently held at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Karen Michel was there.