WAMU-FM: The Diane Rehm Show: Friday News Roundup Podcast

A midnight shooting at a Denver Theater left 12 people dead. A suspect is in custody. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke described efforts to lower the unemployment rate as frustratingly slow. Housing data indicated a market in recovery, with existing home sales and prices and new home starts all up in June. Senator John McCain criticized attacks by Congresswoman Michele Bachman on a long-time aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. And, without intervention from Congress, the Post Office moved closer to defaulting on payments for future retiree benefits. Jerry Seib of the Wall Street Journal, Susan Page of USA Today and Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post join Diane for the domestic hour of our Friday News Roundup.

In Syria, rebel leaders kill top military officials in Damascus, a brazen attack against the Assad regime. There is growing concern over the country's chemical weapons stockpiles. A suicide bomber kills five Israeli tourists on a bus in a Bulgarian resort town. Officials have identified the bomber as a member of the Iran backed Hezbollah. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton visits Israel to address the Iranian nuclear threat and Egypt's struggle to transition to democracy. And British government officials grapple with a major security shortfall days before the Olympics begin in London. Diane and guests discuss this week's international news.

A high-level defection in Syria divides the Assad regime's inner circle, and the commander of U.N. peacekeeping forces there says violence has undermined their mission. In Pakistan, NATO supply routes to Afghanistan reopen after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States is sorry. The routes were closed after Pakistani soldiers were killed in a U.S. air strike last November. The United States and its allies impose sweeping new sanctions on Iran, and Tehran says the sanctions won't affect nuclear negotiations. Palestinians may exhume the body of Yasser Arafat to investigate claims that he was poisoned. Guest host Susan Page speaks with Yochi Dreazen of National Journal Magazine, Nadia Bilbassy of Middle East Broadcast Centre and Mark Mardell of BBC North America Editor.

Four months before Election Day, another disappointing jobs report: the nation's unemployment rate remains at 8.2 percent. President Barack Obama takes his reelection campaign on the road to the Rust Belt, and announces a trade complaint against China on auto imports. Republican challenger Mitt Romney joins conservatives in saying the health care mandate is a tax, raising a furor over whether he has flip-flopped on the issue. More fallout from the Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act. And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration goes on record to deny the existence of mermaids. A panel of journalists joins guest host Susan Page for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

In Brussels European leaders agree to measures to help financially struggling euro zone members. Egyptian Mohamed Morsi is to be sworn in as the first Islamist head of state in the region since the Arab Spring democracy movement began. Tensions heighten after Syrian forces shoot down a Turkish military plane. And Russian President Vladimir Putin stops in on Israel for brief talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu. James Kitfield of National Journal, Courtney Kube of NBC and Warren Strobel of Reuters join Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal members of the Supreme Court to uphold President Obama's health care overhaul. Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and other Republican leaders pledged to fight for repeal of the law. The House voted to make Eric Holder the first sitting U.S.Attorney General to be held in contempt of congress. New York Congressman Charlie Rangel and Utah Senator Orin Hatch survive hard-fought primary battles. Earlier in the week, the Supreme Court struck down several parts of Arizona's immigration law, but upheld the controversial "show me your papers" provision. Ron Elving of NPR, Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post and John Harwood of CNBC join Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

Greek elections usher in a conservative, pro-bailout party and the new prime minister forms a government. European leaders hold a mini-summit on the debt crisis. In Egypt, protesters gather in Tahrir Square as they await delayed presidential election results. The Arab League presses Russia to halt arms shipments to Syria. And talks over Iran's nuclear program stall. A panel of journalists joins guest host Terence Smith for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

A House panel voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney told a Latino group he would replace and supersede President Barack Obama's immigration plan. Federal Reserve officials extended a program known as "Operation Twist" and said they were prepared to do more if necessary to spur job growth. Doyle McManus of the Los Angeles Times, Jeanne Cummings of Bloomberg News and Ari Shapiro of NPR join guest host Terence Smith for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Russia of escalating the conflict in Syria by supplying the Assad regime with attack helicopters. An audit of Spain's banks showed they need between a 60 and 70 billion euro bailout. And thousands of anti-government protesters marched in Moscow to demand fresh elections and a new president. Tom Gjelten of NPR, Susan Glasser of Foreign Policy magazine and Nathan Guttman of Israel's Channel 1 News join Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney offer dueling speeches from the swing state of Ohio. They present radically different visions on how to fix the economy. Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson says he's willing to spend $100 million to keep Obama from being reelected. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon tells U.S. lawmakers he doesn't know if regulations have made the banking system safer. The Federal Reserve claims the Great Recession set back median family wealth 20 years. And the Justice Department says it will not retry John Edwards. Naftali Bendavid of The Wall Street Journal, Julie Hirshfeld Davis of Bloomberg News and Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune join Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says U.N. monitors were shot at when trying to get to the scene of the latest Syrian massacre. An American drone strike in Pakistan killed al-Qaida's number two in command. Eurozone countries contemplated a rescue of Spain's troubled banks. Matt Frei of the U.K.'s Channel 4 News, Indira Lakshmanan of Bloomberg News and David Sanger of The New York Times join Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker won his recall election in Wisconsin, but exit polls indicated 18 percent of his supporters would vote for President Obama over Republican nominee Mitt Romney in the fall. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank was "prepared to take action" on the flagging U.S. economy. Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic bill calling for equal pay in the workplace. John Dickerson of Slate, Shawna Thomas of NBC News and Jerry Seib of The Wall Street Journal join Diane for a discussion of the week's top national news stories.