The former Massachusetts governor actually took the day off while former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum tried to capitalize a day after winning the support of most of a group of conservative Christian leaders who met in Texas. Santorum explained to Fox News Sunday why they are backing him.

 

"Because they know that I'm the consistent conservative; I'm someone who's willing to stand up for all of the issues, not just the moral cultural issues."

 

Both former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Governor Rick Perry used their talk show appearances to question Romney's leadership of the Bain Capital Ventures firm, suggesting that his tenure there could become a target for President Obama. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today the days of one-man rule and family dynasties are over in the Middle East. Speaking at a conference in Beirut on democracy in the Arab World, Ban said the old way, the old order no longer apply.

 

"The path of repression is a dead end. The lessons of the past year are eloquent and clear. The winds of change will not cease to blow."

 

He also commented directly to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying "stop killing your people". The UN estimates more than 5,000 people have died since the uprising began ten months ago.

 

Divers found another two bodies off the coast of Italy where a luxury cruise ship ran aground Friday night. Three other bodies were recovered yesterday. Officials say there are still several people whose whereabouts are not known. The captain of the liner is in custody and may be charged with manslaughter in abandoning the ship.

 

One of the eight army soldiers charged in connection with a fellow soldier's suicide will soon find out whether he'll face a court martial. NPR's Giles Snyder reports a hearing in the case is being held in Afghanistan today.

 

Specialist Ryan Offutt is charged with offences including involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide in the death of 19-year-old Private Danny Chen. Investigators say Chen shot himself after weeks of hazing by members of his unit based in Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The hazing included racial slurs and physical abuse. Chen was a native New Yorker of Chinese descent and had only been in Afghanistan for two months when he killed himself. His family had called for legal proceedings related to his death to be held in the United States, but the hearing is being conducted at Kandahar Airfield, a military base for US and NATO operations in southern Afghanistan. Giles Snyder, NPR News.

 

Russia's defense ministry says an unmanned probe that failed in its mission to reach a Martian moon came back to earth today, showering debris over the southern Pacific. The failed Phobos-Ground was one of the heaviest and most toxic pieces of space junk ever to crash to earth.

 

This is NPR News.

 

Two days after France lost its AAA credit rating, President Nicolas Sarkozy called on his nation to be courageous and calm in the face of the financial crisis. Eleanor Beardsley reports it was Sarkozy's first public comments since Standard & Poor's downgraded France on Friday.

 

Sarkozy avoided any mention of the loss of France's prized AAA rating. Instead, he issued a rallying call, saying that a united France committed to reform would make it through. But there's little chance opposition socialists will take him up on it. They've already blamed Sarkozy's policies for the loss of France's AAA. With the presidential election just three months away, the far-right is also looking to use the financial downgrade to its advantage. Marine Le Pen, head of the National Front, accuses Sarkozy of putting the eurozone ahead of the French people, and recent polls show her rhetoric is gaining traction among working class voters. But some pundits say the downgrade could help the president. It could spur voters to reelect Sarkozy if they feel he is the only candidate with the experience to steer France through the crisis. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

 

Police in Anaheim, California say they believe they have the man who killed four homeless men in recent weeks. All four men had been stabbed to death--the most recent one on Friday night. Officials say some witnesses spotted the suspect, gave chase and called the police who then captured him. Police have not provided much information on the suspect or a possible motive.

 

Nome, Alaska may be hours away from a fuel delivery. The town has been iced in for months. Now a Russian tanker is moored a half mile from the harbor. Workers will run a hose the rest of the way on top of the ice to deliver more than a million gallons of fuel. A storm had prevented a fuel delivery in Nome in November, and the next delivery wasn't scheduled until late May or June.

 

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.