Top Stories: Italy Downgraded, Greece On 'Precipice,' Perry In NY

By Mark Memmott

Published September 20, 2011 at 8:40 AM EDT

Good morning.

Our earlier headlines:

-- 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Fades Away, Media Say

-- Murdoch's Media Co. Offers $4.7M To Family Victimized In Hacking Scandal

-- At The UN, Palestinian Bid For Membership Dominates Discussions

Other top stories of the day so far:

-- "S&P Downgrades Italy's Credit Rating." ( The Financial Times)

-- "Greece Nears The Precipice, Raising Fear of Default."( The New York Times)

-- "European Stocks Advance On 'Productive' Greece Debt Talks." ( Bloomberg News)

-- "Rick Perry To Criticize Obama On Middle East." ( USA Today's On Politics blog)

Mark Memmott

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.

See stories by Mark Memmott