JIM LEHRER: Good evening. I'm Jim Lehrer.
On the NewsHour tonight: the news of this Wednesday; then, an update on the cease-fire in Lebanon from Independent Television News; a wrap of the three-year mystery over who leaked the name of CIA officer Valerie Plame; a Choices '06 report by Kwame Holman on stem cell politics in Missouri; the details of the latest census data on the rising number of uninsured Americans; and a look at two Nobel Prize writers, the Nazi past of German author Gunter Grass and the legacy of Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz.
JIM LEHRER: At least 66 more Iraqis were killed today in a week of mounting bloodshed. They died in bombings, shootings and other violence across the country.
In the worst attack, a roadside bomb killed at least 24 people in Baghdad's oldest and largest wholesale market; 35 others were wounded. So far this week, more than 200 Iraqis have been killed. Fourteen American troops have died, as well, including a U.S. Marine killed yesterday.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq talked today of shifting security duties to the Iraqis. Army General George Casey spoke in Baghdad.
GEN. GEORGE CASEY, Commander Multi-National Force-Iraq: I don't have a date, but I can see, over the next 12 to 18 months, I can see the Iraqi security forces progressing to a point where they can take on the security responsibilities for the country with very little coalition support.
JIM LEHRER: Casey said Iraqi forces are now 75 percent ready to operate independently, but he would not say when American troops might leave.
A former deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage, was mum today on reports he sparked the CIA leak case. At issue is who identified agency operative Valerie Plame in 2003. Her diplomat husband challenged pre-war intelligence on Iraq.
The latest report on Armitage came in the New York Times. It said he's acknowledged mentioning Plame to a columnist. We'll have more on this story later in the program tonight.
The president of Iran urged Europe today not to support U.N. sanctions against his country. He said sanctions won't work anyhow. The U.N. Security Council has given Iran until tomorrow to stop enriching uranium, but it was widely reported today Iran has not stopped.
In Washington, the State Department announced plans for major powers to meet next week to discuss the issue.
Israel today rejected U.N. appeals to lift the air and sea blockade of Lebanon immediately. Prime Minister Olmert said there'd be no lifting until a cease-fire resolution is fully implemented.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah insisted again it will not free two Israeli soldiers without a prisoner exchange. We'll have more on the cease-fire right after this news summary.
U.N. Secretary-General Annan also pressed Israel today to ease its grip on Gaza. He said the two-month-old offensive there has to end.
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. Secretary-General: Over 200 Palestinians have been killed since the end of June. This must stop immediately. I have made my feelings known in talks with the Israeli officials. Beyond preserving life, we have to sustain life; the closure of Gaza must be lifted.
JIM LEHRER: In Gaza City today, Israeli forces killed four Palestinian gunmen and four civilians in the latest fighting.
Tropical Storm Ernesto dropped heavy rain on south Florida today but did little damage. It weakened to a depression as it headed back toward the Atlantic Ocean en route to the Carolinas.
In the Pacific, Hurricane John drove north just off the Mexican coast, with winds up to 135 miles an hour. The storm lashed Acapulco and other vacation resorts. It was expected to turn out to sea without affecting the United States.
A federal judge today struck down damages of $50 million in a Vioxx case. He ruled the award was grossly excessive. A New Orleans jury granted that sum to a man who took the painkiller and suffered a heart attack. The jury found Merck and company was liable because it failed to warn of an increased risk of heart trouble. The judge let that finding stand but ordered a new trial on the damages.
Kenneth Tomlinson faced questions today about his tenure at the Broadcasting Board of Governors. He chairs the agency that oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.
A State Department investigation found Tomlinson over-billed for his time over two years. It also said he improperly authorized payments to a friend and that he used office time on his horse racing operation.
Tomlinson denied wrongdoing. He left the Board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting last year. There'd been allegations he tried to force more conservative programming, among other things.
The U.S. economy kept growing in the year's second quarter but much more slowly than before. The Commerce Department reported today the gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.9 percent from April through June. That was better than initial estimates, but it's still well below the growth rate of 5.6 percent in the first quarter.
On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained nearly 13 points to close just below 11,383. The Nasdaq also rose 13 points to close above 2,185.
Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz died today in Cairo. He was the first Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize for literature. But he often angered Islamic conservatives with calls for tolerance, and he survived an assassination attempt 12 years ago. Naguib Mahfouz was 94 years old. And we'll have more on him at the end of the program tonight.
Between now and then: the Lebanon ceasefire; Armitage was the one; stem cell politics; and more uninsured.
