Morning Edition

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

One thing about the economic pain Spain, and other EU countries, are now experiencing - it's offering something of a break to President Obama in this campaign season, where he's trying to fend off Republican attacks on his handling of the sluggish American economy. In a White House press conference this morning, the president was able to point to Europe's financial woes as a drag on the economy here in the U.S.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning, I'm David Greene. High school students graduating in Prince George's County, Maryland, got a surprise on their diplomas: a typo. The diplomas celebrated that each of the 8,000 students had completed an approved "progam" of study.

The Washington Post reports that the school system has ordered new diplomas, and apologized. School officials had a pretty good excuse; they blamed vendor error. No word yet on whether a dog was somehow involved.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Now, as we just heard, Russia has stood its ground refusing to join Western powers in their approach to Syria. But Moscow has indicated recently that it's not wedded to Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Mark Katz came by to talk more about this with us. He's a Russia expert and professor of government and politics at George Mason University's Department of Public and International Affairs.

Professor, welcome.

MARK KATZ: Thank you.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne. The U.N.'s envoy to Syria has not given up on his peace plan - even after another gruesome massacre of villagers; even after U.N. monitors were fired upon at a government checkpoint when they tried to investigate the latest killing. Instead, U.N. envoy Kofi Annan is asking for more help to stop the violence in Syria, from the West and from Syria's neighbors.

Tulane University has opened a new health center inside the former Ruth’s Chris Steak House on North Broad Street. Up to 1,500 patients can receive care at the center every month — with or without insurance.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

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

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne. The plan in New York City to ban selling large sugary drinks, Disney's new nutritional guidelines for ads it airs - those are among the latest in a long list of efforts to inspire healthier choices. And that got us thinking about the thought process, conscious and unconscious, that we experience when deciding what to eat and drink.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Our MORNING EDITION colleague Steve Inskeep is in the midst of a revolutionary road trip: a journey through North African nations at the center of the Arab Spring. Now, as Steve was preparing for his trip from Tunisia through Libya and to Cairo, he spoke with a journalist who has covered Libya for years.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Her name is Lindsey Hilsum, author of the new book, "Sandstorm," about last year's revolution that overthrew Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi. Hilsum pays particular attention to that country's women.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Here in Los Angeles this week, the video game industry gathered for its annual convention, the Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3. Companies like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo unveiled new products and games.

For some highlights, we're joined by Harold Goldberg. He's a video game critic who was at the convention all week. Good morning.

HAROLD GOLDBERG: Good morning, Renee.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

OK. Let's go from the futuristic to a show biz monument from the past. The Hollywood Palladium is up for sale, according to according to the Hollywood Reporter. It's well known as a concert venue, hosting musicians ranging from James Brown to the Rolling Stones to Jay-Z. But we want to bring you back to the Palladium's beginnings as a stylish art deco ballroom back in 1940.