[applause] diane rehm.se] the 2013 national humanities medal to diane rehm for illuminating the people and stories behind the headlines. in probing interviews with everyone from pundits to poets to presidents, ms. rehm's keen insights and boundless curiosity have deepened our understanding of our culture and ourselves. [applause] anne firor scott. [applause] the 2013 national humanities medal to anne firor scott for pioneering the study of women in the american south. dr. scott's exploration of the previously unexamined lives of southern women of different races, classes and political ideologies has established women's history as vital to our conception of southern history. [applause] krista tippett. [applause] the 2013 national humanities medal to krista tippett for thoughtfully delving into the mysteries of human existence. on the air and in print, ms. tippett avoids easy answers, embracing complexity and inviting people of every background to join her conversation about faith, ethics and moral wisdom. [a

singer linda ronstadt and public radio host diane rehm were among the recipients. national medal of arts is the nation's highest award given to artists and their patrons. the federal aviation administration proposed a $12 million fine against southwest airlines today for not complying with safety regulations. it's a civil fine related to repairs on boeing 737 jetliners that were returned to service even though they didn't meet regulations. southwest has 30 days to reply. >> woodruff: on wall street today, the waiting game was in effect as traders looked to the end of the week when a slew of earnings reports are released. the dow jones industrial average gained 22 points to close at 16,982. the nasdaq lost more than four points to close above 4,444. the s-and-p 500 gained less than a point to close just under 1,979. still to come on the newshour: differing perceptions on who is actually winning the war in gaza. a bi-partisan push to fix troubles at veterans affairs hospitals. foreigners flee libya amid clashes between rival militias. contrasting economic theories fo

awarding that medal to singer linda ronstadt, film maker jeffrey catsen burg and public radio's diane rehmchelle obama also expected to be there at 3:00 this afternoon, and again, you can watch it streaming live at c-span.org. >> and after six weeks of talks over an capitol hill, house and senate negotiators have agreed on a compromise plan to work toward fixing veterans' health care programs. the chairs of the house and senate veterans aappears committee have scheduled a news conference today to unveil their plan. we'll have live coverage at 1:30 eastern. and the house and senate both meeting today for legislative work at 2:00 eastern time. the house has 16 bills scheduled today including one that deals with airfare fees and one on sanctions against north korea. the senate will be voting on a number of nominations and later this week highway funding. you can watch live coverage of the senate debait here on c-span2 and the house over on c-span. >>> and some developments in the israel/palestinian conflict. u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon just returned from a trip to the middle east. he s