NPR 2011-07-01

President Obama is declining Senate Republicans' invitation to visit the Capitol and speak to them about the impasse 1 in budget talks. White House spokesman Jay Carney said there's no point since the White House already knows Republicans' position. Earlier, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he felt the president needed to hear first-hand why his proposal to make tax hikes part of the deficit 2 reduction effort will not pass.

"Come on up to the Capitol and meet with Senate Republicans. That way he can hear directly from Senate Republicans, directly from Senate Republicans why what he's proposing will not pass."

The impasse on deficit reduction pushes Congress closer to an August 2nd deadline to agree on raising the debt ceiling or default. Senate Majority Leader Harry 3 Reid says that means cast canceling for July 4th recess 4.

"What we have to do is too important not to be here and try to resolve what needs to be done. We really don't have any time to waste."

In Greece, some of the most violent protests to ensnare the capital in recent days weren't (wasn't口误) enough to prevent parliament from passing widely unpopular austerity measures. Critics say average workers cannot afford to take on the deep cuts and tax increases approved by lawmakers this week. But the government says the bills pulled Greece from the brink 5 of bankruptcy 6, allowing it to receive international assistance, and global markets are responding positively 7. At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was up 150 points or more than 1% before the close at 12412; NASDAQ was also up more than 1% at 2774.

General David Petraeus has been overwhelmingly confirmed by the Senate to be the next director of the CIA as NPR's Jackie Northam reports the vote was 94-0.

Petraeus's new job as CIA director will take him far from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, where he has spent much of his time over the past few years. But during his stints 8 as the head of US Central Command and as commander of Multi-national Forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the 58-year-old Petraeus avidly 9 consumed and sometimes questioned intelligence provided by the CIA. His experience in fighting militants 10 will now expand over multiple continents. Petraeus is expected to complete his command in Afghanistan in July and will take up his new role in September. He replaces Leon Panetta, who is due to be sworn in as secretary of defense 11 on Friday. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Washington.

The US confirms three more American soldiers have been killed in Iraq. Their deaths yesterday bring to 14, the number of US troops killed in June, making this month the deadliest for American forces in Iraq in at least two years. The US officially ended combat operations in Iraq last August and focused more on training and support of Iraqi forces.

From Washington, this is NPR News.

MSNBC has suspended political analyst 12 Mark Halperin after he used a vulgar term to characterize President Obama on the show "Morning Joe" earlier today. NPR's David Folkenflik has the story.

You can probably refer to President Dick Nickson, just that way, on live TV. Assuredly uttering the name of former Vice 13 President Dick Cheney would not get you in trouble. But when Time magazine editor at large Mark Halperin used a certain phallocentric synonym 14 for jerk to characterize President Obama's demeanor 15 during a press conference yesterday — it didn't end well. Halperin is a coauthor of the best-selling political book Game Change and a coiner of the instant conventional wisdom. This morning, Halperin laughingly asked whether there was a seven-second delay, and then he made his remarks. There was no such delay, and he appeared shaken when apologizing later. MSNBC apologized to the White House and its viewers and said his suspension was indefinite. David Folkenflik, NPR News, New York.

Police have custody 16 of a Nigerian man who managed to get on a Virgin 17 Atlantic flight from New York to Los Angeles last week with an invalid 18 boarding pass. The FBI identified the stowaway 19 as Olajide Noibi. He was finally arrested yesterday after attempting to sneak 20 onto another flight. Law enforcement officers say they found 10 expired boarding passes in Noibi's bag. Noibi is due to appear in court tomorrow.

In a long-awaited move, the UN-backed tribunal has handed indictments 21 and arrest warrants to Lebanon against suspected Hezbollah members accused of killing 22 Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. Hariri's son, opposition 23 leader Saad al-Hariri, calls it a "historic moment."

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.