State and National News

Earlier this year, the pension plan of a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean became the first public U.S. pension fund to file for bankruptcy. The fund — for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands — had been in financial trouble for years, largely because the government of the islands hadn't kept up with the payments it was required to make into the fund.

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And our last word in business this morning is: Jubilation.

Hundreds of thousands of Britons gathered outside Buckingham Palace last night for the Diamond Jubilee concert, celebrating the queen's 60-year reign. The evening offered a break from Britain's bad economic news and another opportunity to rebrand positively the Royal Family.

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

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And I'm Renee Montagne.

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And here's a reminder of how TV is adjusting to the modern world. Trey Parker, a creator of the animated comedy series "South Park," spoke in Los Angeles at the big E-3 video game industry conference yesterday. And Parker poked fun at the ever wired world of digital entertainment.

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NPR's business news starts with Disney delving into nutrition.

Today, Disney comes out with nutritional standards for food advertised across its platforms. The company has taken flack for contributing to the obesity epidemic by airing ads for junk food that targets kids.

This move marks a dramatic change, but the company's chairman told The New York Times, quote, "this is not altruistic; this is about smart business." Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

Hollywood studios are dealing with big budget flops and the release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation has been postponed until March. Kim Masters, host of The Business, and editor at large for The Hollywood Reporter, talks to Renee Montagne about the summer woes at movie studios.

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This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

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And I'm David Greene.

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And the Senate votes today on legislation aimed at shrinking the pay gap between men and women. It's called the Paycheck Fairness Act.

NPR's Ari Shapiro reports President Obama is using the bill as a tool in the 2012 campaign.

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The massacre in the place known as Houla has kept worldwide attention on the relentless violence in Syria. Western countries and the United Nations blame Syrian government troops and pro-government thugs for killing more than a hundred people, nearly half of them children. NPR's Kelly McEvers made a closer examination of those events and found that's only part of the picture.