RAY SUAREZ: Good evening. I'm Ray Suarez. Jim Lehrer is off.
On the NewsHour tonight: the news of this Thursday; then, analysis of the new rules for prosecuting terrorists debated in the Senate today; a look at two U.S. allies at odds over the war on terror, Afghanistan and Pakistan; tough questioning of Hewlett-Packard executives at a House hearing; and two views of globalization, from Senator Byron Dorgan and columnist Tom Friedman.
RAY SUAREZ: New rules on handling terror suspects headed toward final passage in Congress today. The Senate neared a vote as evening approached in the East. The bill gives CIA interrogators more leeway, and it authorizes military tribunals.
Hours earlier, President Bush met with Republicans at the Capitol Building. He urged them to follow the House lead and pass the bill without amendments. But Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania tried and failed to let suspects appeal their detentions in court.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), Pennsylvania: What this entire controversy boils down to is whether Congress is going to legislate to deny a constitutional right, which is explicit in the document of the Constitution itself, and which has been applied to aliens by the Supreme Court of the United States.
RAY SUAREZ: All the Democrats and three other Republicans sided with Specter. But 51 Republicans, including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said the bill does give adequate rights to suspects.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), South Carolina: This is a war we're fighting, not a crime, and habeas corpus rights have never been given to any other prisoners under U.S. control in the past for a very good reason: It impedes the war effort.
We are not going to turn this war over to a series of court cases where our own troops are having to account for a bunch of junk by the people trying to kill Americans. They will have their day in court, but they're not going to turn this whole war into a mockery with my vote.
RAY SUAREZ: Also today, the House moved to approve a bill to allow electronic surveillance without warrants. The Senate does not plan to consider it before the election recess begins on Saturday. We'll have more on today's Senate debate right after this news summary.
The bloodshed in Baghdad intensified today, as violence spiked during the holy month of Ramadan. Bombings and shootings claimed the lives of at least 21 people. Dozens more were wounded in a car bomb, and many were not expected to live.
Police found 40 more bodies dumped around the city; all bore signs of torture. The Iraqi government warned it will limit vehicle access to Baghdad to crack down on death squads.
Al-Qaida in Iraq acknowledged today more than 4,000 foreign fighters have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003. The statement was an audio message, said to be from Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the group's leader. It followed a U.N. report that fewer outsiders are joining up to avoid killing fellow Muslims.
Today's message offered amnesty to Iraqis who've helped the coalition, but it appealed for experts in unconventional weapons to attack Americans.
AL-QAIDA IN IRAQ SPOKESPERSON (through translator): We are in dire need of you. The field of jihad can satisfy your scientific ambitions, and the large American bases are good places to test your unconventional weapons, whether biological or dirty, as they call them.
RAY SUAREZ: Al-Masri also called for kidnapping Westerners in Iraq. He said they'd be traded for Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman. He's jailed in the U.S. for terror plots in New York City.
Two new reports today sharply criticized the reconstruction effort in Iraq. Special Inspector General Stuart Bowen said insurgent attacks have cost $16 billion in potential oil sales over two years. He also told a House hearing a new police training facility is a disaster, with dripping sewage and cracked floors.
STUART BOWEN, Special Inspector General, Iraq Reconstruction: A week ago, I visited a site at Sadr City, the Baghdad Police College, and it was an extremely disappointing visit. It's essential that we succeed on the security front. The Baghdad Police College is the place where police will be trained.
RAY SUAREZ: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversees Iraq reconstruction. It's begun an investigation into the problems at the police academy; that project cost $75 million.
The U.S. military said today militant attacks in eastern Afghanistan are on the rise. It said incidents in the border provinces of Paktika and Khost have tripled since Pakistan signed a peace agreement with militants this month. Pakistan has insisted the pact is meant to end violence there and stop cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.
The BBC reported today a leaked document accuses Pakistani intelligence of indirectly aiding al-Qaida. The British document urged Pakistani President Musharraf to disband his intelligence agency, the ISI. Musharraf rejected that assessment, as he met with British Prime Minister Blair in London. He said he'd raise the issue with Blair.
Last night in Washington, Musharraf joined Afghan President Karzai at a White House dinner. They've criticized each other over fighting terror. We'll have more on relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan later in the program.
The president of Iran today again rebuffed calls for his nation to stop enriching uranium. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed a crowd of thousands in the city of Karaj. He said, "They asked for even just a one-day halt. We said we won't do it."
He spoke after top Iranian and European negotiators ended talks in Berlin. There was no agreement, but the talks were to continue at a later date.
Police in Colorado confirmed today a gunman sexually assaulted hostages at a high school. The school in Bailey, near Denver, came under attack yesterday. The man took six girls captive, before killing one of them and then killing himself.
Police identified him today as Duane Morrison, a 54-year-old who was living out of his car. The local sheriff defended going after the last two hostages by force after four were let go.
FRED WEGENER, Sheriff, Park County, Colorado: My decision was to either wait, with the possibility of having two dead hostages, or act to try and save what I feared he would do to them. As you have alluded to, we have confirmed he did traumatize and assault our children.
RAY SUAREZ: Police said the motive for the attack remained a mystery today.
Consumers of natural gas could see lower heating bills this winter. The Natural Gas Supply Association said today record supplies will help push down prices. The wholesale price of gas is down nearly two-thirds from a year ago.
Economic growth slowed more than expected in the second quarter. The Commerce Department reported today the gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.6 percent from April to June, but that's down from an earlier estimate.
On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 29 points to close at 11,718. The Nasdaq rose more than six points to close at 2,270.
The mars rover "Opportunity" spent today looking for a good spot to take pictures of a giant crater. It arrived yesterday at the Victoria Crater. Initial images showed a deep, rocky interior and a floor covered with sand dunes. The pictures could help determine if the crater once held water. "Opportunity" and a second rover have explored Mars since 2004, far longer than expected.
That's it for the news summary tonight.
