The Abbreviated Evening Edition

Due to playing in the mud (don’t ask, trust me it’s messy), the Evening Edition will brought to you by c’est moi.

Lawmakers harden positions on taxes, spending

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans and Democrats dug in their heels on Friday as President Barack Obama prepared to wade into a divisive debate over taxes and spending aimed at heading off a default on the government’s debt.

The White House said Obama will meet separately with Senate Democratic and Republican leaders on Monday in an effort to resurrect negotiations that collapsed when Republicans walked out on Thursday over Democrats’ demands for tax hikes.

Banks move closer to deal on Greek bailout

ATHENS/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Banks and policymakers moved closer to a deal on Friday to help Athens secure funds ahead of a parliamentary vote on austerity next week that Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou must win to avert default.

Despite a refusal by the conservative opposition to back the plan agreed with international lenders and signs of revolt in his own socialist party, Papandreou said he was confident the deeply unpopular package of spending cuts, tax hikes and privatizations would pass.

Asia moves to tap oil reserves

TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian nations moved to release emergency oil stockpiles on Friday as part of a rare global coordinated action by consumer countries to prevent high energy prices from stunting a stuttering economic recovery.

House rejects measure to continue US role in Libya

WASHINGTON – The House refused to vote President Barack Obama the authority for U.S. military operations against Libya on Friday but stopped short of cutting off funds for the mission, a mixed message reminiscent of congressional unease on Vietnam and more recent wars.

Analysis: Boehner faces huge stakes in debt debate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican John Boehner faces his greatest test yet as the leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, one that may determine his political fate and the country’s fiscal well-being.

Obama launches technology partnership to spur jobs

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Friday launched an initiative to develop new U.S. manufacturing jobs by teaming up government with companies and universities to invest more than $500 million in advanced technologies.

NY pols begin to clear way for gay marriage vote

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York’s Senate Republicans are holding an uncommonly long closed-door session on the day they are expected to take up a divisive gay marriage bill.

Much of Friday’s conference was with senators only. By mid-afternoon, staff members had been excluded from the meeting, which is done when senators need to tackle sensitive issues before arriving at a major decision.

15 die as Syrians march demanding Assad’s ouster

BEIRUT – Defying government guns, thousands of Syrian protesters poured down city streets and a main highway Friday to press demands for President Bashar Assad’s ouster. Security forces opened fire, killing at least 15 people, including two children, activists said.

Drivers catch a break as gasoline prices fall

NEW YORK – A summer road trip may not be such a bad idea after all.

Gasoline prices are falling fast. In the past 7 weeks, the average U.S. retail prices has dropped 38 cents to $3.60 per gallon. Another 25-cent drop is expected by mid-July.

Antitrust fixes loom as D.Boerse/NYSE vote nears

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Complex antitrust questions hang over Deutsche Boerse AG and NYSE Euronext just weeks before shareholders decide whether to endorse a blockbuster exchange merger, though no significant regulatory fixes are expected.

Water filling 2,500 homes in Minot as river rises

MINOT, N.D. – The Souris (SUHR’-is) River’s full weight is being felt in Minot (MY’naht), where an estimated 2,500 homes are filling with water as the river has soared nearly 4 feet in a single day.

Mayor Curt Zimbelman said city leaders expect more than 4,000 homes will have significant water damage by day’s end.

FTC launches Google antitrust inquiry

WASHINGTON – Federal regulators have begun a formal antitrust investigation into Google’s business practices.

In a blog post Friday, the Internet search giant said it received notification from the Federal Trade Commission of the review on Thursday.

Data points to underlying factory strength

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New orders for U.S. manufactured goods and a gauge of business spending plans rose in May, easing fears of a sharp slowdown in factory activity.

Durable goods orders increased 1.9 percent after dropping 2.7 percent in April, the Commerce Department said on Friday, with a proxy of business spending also rebounding strongly.

Geithner sees first-half U.S. growth around 2 percent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said first half U.S. growth will likely slow to about two percent because of high energy prices and shocks to the global economy, but the underlying trend is still improving.

After Beheading, Indonesia Bars Maids from Work in Saudi Arabia

A woman, beheaded by the sword thousands of miles from home. This, at last, proved too much for Indonesia. For years, this Southeast Asian nation has been sending its citizens to work in Saudi Arabia and, for years, migrant workers there complained of poor working conditions, abuse and violence. But the surprise execution of Ruyati binti Sapubi, a 54-year old maid accused of killing her female employer, seems to have shocked the country into action. Indonesian authorities, who say Ruyati was routinely abused, are outraged they were not informed of the sentence. They announced on Thursday that Indonesia will stop sending maids to the kingdom – at least for now.

Sarkozy defends Libya operation as House keeps funding

BRUSSELS/TRIPOLI (Reuters) – France rejected on Friday U.S. criticism of Europe’s performance in the NATO operation against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi while the U.S. administration survived Congressional anger in a funding vote.

After decades of war, Sudan’s Abyei defies quick fixes

KHARTOUM/JUBA (Reuters) – When Abdeljalil Abdelrahim talks about Abyei, a war-scarred region in central Sudan prized by northern nomads for its grazing land, he has no doubt it belongs to the north.

U.S., South Korea to keep pressure on Pyongyang

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and South Korea on Friday signaled they would not ease pressure on North Korea’s government, saying Pyongyang must show it had changed its ways before resumption of stalled nuclear talks could take place.

Vietnam releases pro-democracy dissident to US

HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnam has released a dissident writer and pro-democracy activist and deported her to the United States on humanitarian grounds, officials said Friday.

Tran Khai Thanh Thuy was released from prison Wednesday and put on a flight to the United States, an official with the Ministry of Public Security said on condition of anonymity, citing policy.