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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

This year, more than 3,100 companies flocked to the Consumer Electronic Show to hawk their wares. Thousands of products are launched at the show and many fail, possibly most. Lots of small companies established just for this show will not be back next year.

But as NPR's Steve Henn reports, their hustle is infectious and some of them become tech stars.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Let's stay on politics and another superPAC making news. Comedian Stephen Colbert made a very important announcement on his Comedy Central show last night.

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STEPHEN COLBERT: I am proud to announce that I am forming an exploratory committee to lay the groundwork for my possible candidacy for the president of the United States of South Carolina. I'm doing it.

More than 150 leaders in the conservative evangelical Christian community are getting together Friday and Saturday at a private ranch west of Houston in a last-ditch effort to derail Mitt Romney's march to the Republican nomination.

The meeting, which will feature state and regional leaders as well as prominent pastors and national-profile evangelical stars, is not intended as a Romney-bashing event, says Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and a big voice among conservative evangelicals.

As Newt Gingrich campaigned in South Carolina yesterday, there were signs he was beginning to soften his critique of the private equity career of rival Mitt Romney. Gingrich had come under fire this week from fellow Republicans for his attack on Romney.

David Greene talks with NPR's Mike Pesca about this weekend's NFL match-ups. Tim Tebow will lead the Denver Broncos against the New England Patriots in the marquee game Saturday night.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has completed a four-country tour of left-leaning Latin American nations. His travels come as the West increases pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.

NPR's Juan Forero is in Bogota, Colombia. He's been monitoring Ahmadinejad's travels in this hemisphere. Hi, Juan.

JUAN FORERO, BYLINE: Hi. Hi, Steve.

INSKEEP: So where exactly did Ahmadinejad go?

On Twitter, News Corps. Chief Rupert Murdoch confessed: "We screwed up in every way possible." He added the company learned a lot of valuable and expensive lessons from the purchase of the social networking site.

For almost 70 years, New York City has been home to two opera companies: the well-heeled Metropolitan Opera and its scrappy younger sibling, the New York City Opera. But City Opera has fallen on hard times, and a bitter labor dispute might mean curtains for this beloved institution.

It's hard to tell if the Occupy Wall Street protests had much impact on banks, but banks are doing some de-Occupying within their own ranks. It wasn't as bad as the massive layoffs following the 2008 meltdown, but last year was painful for Wall Street. Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman, Morgan Stanley — almost all the big banks — announced big layoffs, totaling more than 60,000 employees.