In Today’s Times:
- As he called on young Israelis to push their leaders toward peace, President Obama shifted closer to the Israeli government’s stance on long-stalled talks with the Palestinians on Thursday. Earlier, he encouraged Palestinians to engage with the Israelis even if they do not stop building settlements in Palestinian territories, Mark Landler reports.
- With only 20 in office, they may not yet be commonplace, but female senators have become a force on critical legislation and committees, holding the potential to change the tone of a starkly divided Congress, Jennifer Steinhauer reports.
- Before heading home for a two-week recess, the House granted its approval Thursday to a plan to keep the government running through September, as well as passed its version of a balanced budget that would greatly shrink the government, Jonathan Weisman reports.
- The Obama administration is having trouble transforming its drone program to increase transparency and accountability under pressure from activists and foreign officials, an effort that may have little practical effect for now anyway, Mark Mazzetti and Scott Shane report.
Washington Happenings:
- Mr. Obama continues his travels in Israel and Jordan on Friday. Among other things, he is scheduled to have lunch with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and tour the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Later, he will visit Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II.
- The Senate will continue voting Friday on budget amendments.
- Beginning Friday, the Library of Congress in Washington will display a copy of the Gettysburg Address for six weeks as part of its exhibition on the Civil War. The copy was probably given to President Abraham Lincoln’s secretary after the president made the speech.
- George Washington University on Friday afternoon will host a forum about computer attacks, focusing on China and recent reports of hacking at several media outlets.
