JIM LEHRER: Attorney General Gonzales acknowledged confusion today over his role in firing eight federal prosecutors, but he insisted again he was not heavily involved in the decisions. Instead, he said he simply approved recommendations by Kyle Sampson, his former chief of staff.
Yesterday, Sampson told Congress that was inaccurate. He said they discussed the firings several times. Gonzales responded today in Boston.
ALBERTO GONZALES, U.S. Attorney General: From time to time, Kyle would tell me things, that would tell me that this effort was ongoing. I don't recall being involved in deliberations involving the question of whether or not a U.S. attorney should or should not be asked to resign.
I didn't focus on specific concerns about individuals. I am fighting for the truth, as well, and I believe in truth and accountability, and every step that I've taken is consistent with that principle.
JIM LEHRER: Gonzales has come under pressure to resign because of his changing statements. Today, a White House spokeswoman said President Bush has "100 percent confidence" in Gonzales, and she said, "The president believes the attorney general can overcome the challenges that are before him." Gonzales is expected to testify before Congress on April 17th.
The president apologized to soldiers today for problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. It was his first visit there since poor conditions and outpatient neglect were widely publicized six weeks ago. Mr. Bush promised to fix the bureaucratic failures underlying the problems. We'll have more on this story right after the news summary.
In Iraq today, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr blamed the U.S. presence for sparking a new wave of violence. He called for mass protests on April 9th, and he said, "Let the entire world here your voice, that you reject occupation, destruction and terrorism."
On Thursday, 125 Iraqis were killed as suicide bombers hit markets in Baghdad and to the north, and dozens of other victims were found shot.
Another U.S. soldier was also killed yesterday; that made 79 American deaths in March.
Heavy fighting raged today in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Somali and Ethiopian troops battled to clear the city, but Islamic insurgents shot down an Ethiopian helicopter, and bodies littered the streets. Witnesses said hundreds of people have been killed. The insurgents were driven out in December, but violence has steadily increased since then.
Iran stepped up the pressure again today in its confrontation with Britain. It televised new images of British sailors and marines captured in the Persian Gulf one week ago. One of them was shown apologizing.
We have a report from Iran, from Julian Manyon of Independent Television News.
JULIAN MANYON, ITV News Correspondent: This is Iran's latest shot in the propaganda war. More pictures broadcast on Iranian television, this time showing three of the captured sailors.
Beside Faye Turney is Nathan Thomas Summers, and the question once again is, what sort of pressure he's under at this moment? He's asked where he was when he was detained.
INTERROGATOR: Where?
NATHAN SUMMERS, Captured British Sailor: In Iranian waters.
JULIAN MANYON: Off-camera, a voice presses him to admit trespassing.
INTERROGATOR: So you were trespassing to...
NATHAN SUMMERS: Yes, we trespassed without permission.
JULIAN MANYON: Iranian TV also showed new pictures of their gunboats taking the Royal Navy team prisoner. But the centerpiece of this provocative broadcast was a seemingly abject apology from Nathan Summers.
NATHAN SUMMERS: I'd like to apologize for entering your waters without any permission. I know it happened back in 2004, and our government promised that it wouldn't happen again.
JULIAN MANYON: And the Iranians have also released what they maintain is a third letter penned by Faye Turney and addressed to the British public. The letter claims that she has been sacrificed to the intervening policies of the Bush and Blair governments.
At Friday prayers, a hard-line cleric launched a verbal assault on Britain's conduct of the affair. He accused the British government of bullying tactics and warned that Britain could pay a heavy but unspecified price if it continued.
JIM LEHRER: In London, the Iranian embassy said both governments are working to end the standoff. But in Manchester, British Prime Minister Blair denounced the latest display of the British captives.
TONY BLAIR, Prime Minister of Britain: I really don't know why the Iranian regime keep doing this. I mean, all it does it is enhance people's sense of disgust. Captured personnel being paraded and manipulated in this way doesn't fool anyone. And what the Iranians have to realize is that, if they continue in this way, they will face increasing isolation.
JIM LEHRER: The European Union warned it will take "appropriate measures" if the Britons aren't freed. It did not specify what that meant.
There were new revelations today in the friendly fire death of Pat Tillman, the former NFL star-turned-Army ranger who was accidentally shot by his own men in Afghanistan in 2004.
The Associated Press reported today that, within a week, a top general warned against letting the president say it was an ambush. It was nearly a month before Pentagon officials disclosed what actually happened.
An Australian man was formally convicted today of fighting with al-Qaida. A U.S. military judge at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, accepted David Hicks' guilty plea. He could be sentenced to up to seven years. Hicks has been held since being captured in Afghanistan five years ago; that time could count against the sentence, to be served in Australia. In return, Hicks agreed to drop any claims he was abused while in custody.
The alleged mastermind of the USS Cole attacks now claims the CIA tortured him into confessing. The Saudi suspect told a U.S. military hearing at Guantanamo he made up his confession. According to a Pentagon transcript, he said, "From the time I was arrested five years ago, they have been torturing me. I just said those things to make them happy."
The suspect was transferred to Guantanamo last September. The attack on the Cole in 2000 killed 17 U.S. sailors.
The Bush administration announced trade sanctions today on Chinese paper. The case was closely watched by steel, furniture and other companies fighting subsidized Chinese imports. It means Chinese glossy paper used in magazines will face tariffs of up to 20 percent.
For decades, the United States did not impose tariffs on countries without market economies. The Commerce Department said today China has developed beyond that point.
On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained five points to close at 12,354. The Nasdaq rose more than three points to close at 2,421. For the week, both the Dow and the Nasdaq lost about 1 percent.
