JIM LEHRER: President Bush and Congress edged closer to confrontation today over firing U.S. attorneys. Mr. Bush offered to let key aides talk to congressional committees. They include Karl Rove, the president's top political adviser, and Harriet Miers, the former White House counsel, plus two more officials.
They would not appear under oath and, as a result, Democrats quickly rejected the offer. The president also voiced support today for Attorney General Gonzales amid mounting calls for him to quit.
GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States: I support the attorney general. I told you in Mexico I've got confidence in him; I still do. He's going to go up to Capitol Hill, and he's going to explain the very questions you asked. You know, I've heard all these allegations and rumors. And people just need to hear the truth. And they're going to go up and explain the truth.
JIM LEHRER: A White House spokesman said reports they're hunting a replacement for Gonzales are "just flat false, period."
But the Senate voted 94-2 today to strip the attorney general of his power to name U.S. attorneys on his own. We'll have more on this story right after the news summary.
Republicans and Democrats warned today they may revoke some of the FBI's power to hunt terror suspects. The Justice Department's inspector general, Glenn Fine, told a House hearing the FBI abused national security letters. He said they were used illegally to collect phone, e-mail, and financial records.
Congressmen on both sides said the FBI has to fix the problem or lose the power.
REP. DAN LUNGREN (R), California: I hope you'll deliver a message that we expect it will be done, I mean, because I don't think if you can't get it done in four months, you're going to have to worry about improving your procedures for NSLs, because you probably won't have NSL authority.
REP. JERROLD NADLER (D), New York: We do not trust government always to be run by angels, especially not this administration. It is not enough to mandate that the FBI fix internal management problems and record-keeping because the statute itself authorizes the unchecked selection of information on innocent Americans.
JIM LEHRER: The FBI's general counsel, Valerie Caproni, said she believes the programs can be fixed in short order. FBI Director Mueller is scheduled to appear tomorrow at a Senate hearing.
Iraqi officials hanged another of Saddam Hussein's top deputies overnight. Former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan was executed for the torture and killing of Shiites in 1982. Later today, Ramadan was buried in Tikrit. He had first been sentenced to life in prison, but an appeals court ruled that was too lenient.
Nearly 50 Iraqis were killed or found dead today, mostly in Baghdad. Two car bombs hit Shiite targets, one at a tunnel in the heart of the city, the other near the main bus station. Sixteen Iraqis were killed in those attacks.
Also today, two more U.S. soldiers were killed in a combat patrol in southern Baghdad.
Five U.S. brigades are going into the city in the new security build-up. In Washington today, Major General Michael Barbero said the total could go higher still.
MAJ. GEN. MICHAEL BARBERO, U.S. Army: Conditions on the ground are going to change, and we have only two of the brigades operational. The third one, as I said, its leaders have just started moving forward. So, as they arrive and the enemy changes and we change our tactics, techniques and procedures, there may be additional assets that may be requested.
JIM LEHRER: As part of the new crackdown, U.S. and Iraqi forces staged a major operation late Monday. They fought with insurgents in a northern section of Baghdad. Witnesses said scores of people holed up in two Shiite mosques.
Iran may be under new pressure on its nuclear program. It was widely reported today Russia has pulled its experts from a nuclear power plant being built in Iran. The New York Times said the Russians demanded Iran stop enriching uranium; that effort could lead to nuclear weapons.
Russia and Iran denied there was any ultimatum. The statements came as the U.N. Security Council began discussing new sanctions on Iran.
Russia today faced its second major disaster in as many days. A fire swept through an elderly home in the south, killing 62 people. Officials said the night watchman ignored two alarms before reporting the flames.
And to the east, the death toll rose to 107, a day after a coal mine explosion in Siberia. Four people were still missing.
The final report on a fatal blast in Texas partly faults a federal safety agency; a federal investigation board released those findings today. The accident took place in March of 2005 at a Texas City refinery owned by British oil giant BP. Fifteen people died, and 170 were hurt.
The report found the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was guilty of poor oversight. It also blamed BP for unsafe conditions.
On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained nearly 62 points to close at 12,288. The Nasdaq rose more than 13 points to close at 2,408.
