• Kermit the Frog. Miss Piggy. Animal. Statler and Waldorf. The Swedish Chef. The list goes on and on. Everyone has a favorite Muppet. And everyone owes a debt of gratitude to one man for bringing them to life: Jim Henson. On Tuesday, the American creator of The Muppets was honored in Britain with a blue plaque at his former home in north London, which he bought after "The Muppet Show" was commissioned for British television -- 50 Downshire Hill in Hampstead. It's a very simple message: "Jim Henson 1936-1990 creator of The Muppets lived here." Henson, who lived in London from 1979 until his death in 1990 at just 53, was also known for his work on "Sesame Street" and "Fraggle Rock" and as the director of the 1980s movies "The Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth." "The Muppet Show" was filmed at Elstree Studios, a few miles north of the British capital, and led to Henson making the U.K. a creative home for many of his subsequent projects. He even set up a workshop and office space on the same street as his home. The renowned London blue plaque program began more than 150 years ago. The plaques commemorate people who achieved something worthwhile in their lives and who made London their home at some point. There are more than 900 official plaques in the capital. Dr. Rebecca Preston, blue plaques historian at English Heritage, which has been running the program since 1986, said Henson deserved his latest honor. "His creations continue to influence popular culture globally," she said. "The immense body of work that he created and awards that he won are even more impressive considering his untimely death."
• Veteran anchor Jose Diaz-Balart is returning to the MSNBC lineup later this month as host of the 10 a.m. news hour on weekdays, the network announced on Tuesday. Diaz-Balart, 60, was an anchorman on MSNBC from 2014-16. His return is part of NBC Universal News Group Chairman's Cesar Conde's effort to bring more diverse voices to the network. Diaz-Balart, also an anchor for "Noticias Telemundo," has anchored national newscasts in English and Spanish in a journalism career that began in 1983. Hallie Jackson, who has anchored the 10 a.m. hour for five years, will shift to the 3 p.m. hour. Jackson and another MSNBC personality, Joshua Johnson, will both debut shows on the NBC News NOW streaming service this fall. Ayman Mohyeldin will host prime-time MSNBC shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the network said.