Government And Institutions

An hour west of Athens, the pebbly beaches by turquoise waters and pine-covered mountains are nearly empty as the Greek sunbathers who normally pack them stay home amid fears their country's economy could implode.

State regulators have closed Premier Bank, and the deposits of its two branches, in Denver and Aurora, have been acquired by United Fidelity Bank.

Greece's negotiators head to Brussels on Saturday armed with their reform proposals and parliamentary backing to seek a third bailout, but with the shadow of severe dissent from governing lawmakers hanging over them.

Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to make boosting middle class income and wages the focus of her economic agenda.

Three New Mexico cities have been ranked among the top five metropolitan areas in the country with the most export growth, New Mexico Gov. Susan Martinez said.

Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday that he would listen to ways to wipe out a long-term deficit and increase education aid without raising sales or income taxes, but he also insisted that the deficit be addressed honestly and without what he calls "smoke and mirrors." Wolf's comments to reporters, following a speech to the Pennsylvania American Legion convention at a downtown Harrisburg hotel, came on the 10th day his administration is without signed budget legislation that gives it the authority to pay all of its bills in the new fiscal year.

Congressman Paul Ryan says House Republicans are working on a package to extend highway funding through the end of the year.

U.S. stocks are opening higher on speculation that Greece will be able to forge a deal with creditors this weekend to secure its future in the euro.

Congress is considering allowing drivers as young as 18 to drive big rigs across the country.

The Obama administration is making another effort to address religious objections from some employers to free birth control coverage for their female workers.

The New Hampshire Insurance Department is moving forward with changing its rules for health care provider networks, but some insurance companies aren't yet sold on a key part of the proposed approach.

Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc. said Friday that they have extended the timeline for completing the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust review of its plans to combine.

Figures on government spending and debt (last six digits are eliminated).

A judge ruled Friday that California regulators violated some farmers' rights by telling them to stop diverting from rivers and streams, but the state says it can still punish those who illegally take water.

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since late February.

The Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Thursday.

Atlantic City's former Trump Plaza casino is likely to remain closed for at least 10 years following a judge's approval Thursday of a deed restriction prohibiting anyone from re-opening it as a casino.

California has yet to get a handle on potential health and environmental risks from the state's fracking boom, a state-commissioned study concluded Thursday.

U.S. stocks are opening with big gains Thursday, bouncing back from losses a day earlier, as investors speculate that last-ditch talks between Greece and its creditors will produce an agreement.

Democrat Martin O'Malley is making tougher oversight of Wall Street a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, outlining steps to bring more regulations to large banks and tax high-frequency trading.