WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama tried to highlight some good news and tout his economic plan on Friday, but the grim reality of plunging employment and faltering stock markets once again stepped on his message.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration moved formally on Friday to rescind a Bush administration rule to protect health workers who refuse to provide services and information on moral grounds, which had inflamed abortion-rights advocates.

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Russia’s foreign minister on Friday, symbolically presenting him with a red “reset” button to improve ties that sank to a post-Cold War low during the Bush administration.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress on Friday sent President Barack Obama a bill to fund much of the government into next week, after Democrats hit a snag wrapping up a $410 billion measure to pay for the rest of this fiscal year which ends September 30.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional auditors have prepared a highly critical report that questions the “fundamentals” of a roughly $160-billion U.S. Army modernization program led by Boeing Co and Science Applications International Corp, an online trade publication said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. lawmakers have introduced legislation to create a new body that would have the final say on accounting standards, possibly paving the way for a more business-friendly accounting environment.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton raised eyebrows on her first visit to Europe as secretary of state when she mispronounced her EU counterparts’ names and claimed U.S. democracy was older than Europe’s.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior members of the Obama administration’s auto industry task force are meeting on Friday at the White House to review the status of restructuring efforts at General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC, officials said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two top contenders for senior posts at the U.S. Treasury have withdrawn, people familiar with the moves said on Thursday, dealing a blow to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s efforts to build his staff to fight the financial crisis.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will hold an event on Monday at which he will sign an executive order related to stem cells, an administration official said on Friday.