RAY SUAREZ: President Bush warned Congress today he'd veto any spending bill for Iraq that includes a timetable for troop withdrawal. A bill containing that provision is expected to reach the president's desk early next week. Mr. Bush said he was "sorry it's come to this," and he invited lawmakers to work with him on a way forward.
Last night, eight Democratic presidential candidates held their first debate and presented a unified front against the president's war policy. We'll have more on the Iraq policy debate right after this news summary.
The Pentagon announced the capture of a senior al-Qaida operative today. Abdul al-Hadi al-Iraqi was transferred to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from the CIA earlier this week. He is an Iraqi native, but worked extensively in Afghanistan with Osama bin Laden. There was no word on when or where he was caught.
There were also al-Qaida captures inside Iraq today. They were arrested in two groups, four near Baghdad and five in Mosul.
Also today, the U.S. military announced three more U.S. Marines were killed Thursday in western Iraq.
The former director of the CIA has charged the Bush administration made him a scapegoat in the Iraq war. Excerpts from George Tenet's soon-to-be released book were reported in today's New York Times. Tenet writes, "There was never a serious debate that I know of within the administration about the imminence of the Iraqi threat." That remark drew a swift denial from White House adviser Dan Bartlett today, who said President Bush weighed all the proposals and their consequences.
Hundreds of Afghan troops and police recaptured a district in eastern Afghanistan today. Taliban fighters fled the area in Ghazni province, after seizing it late yesterday. Heavy fighting there left at least five people dead, including the district's mayor and police chief. Militants also set fire to buildings and cut phone lines.
Police in Saudi Arabia say they've thwarted a series of advanced terror plots today, including a plan to fly airplanes into oil fields. A Saudi interior ministry spokesman said 172 militants are in custody.
Their plans also included suicide attacks on public figures and military zones. A host of weapons and ammunition were discovered in the desert, buried beneath the sand. And more than $5 million were also seized.
President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued warnings today to North Korea. The leaders met at Camp David, Maryland, where they discussed North Korea's promise to shut down its nuclear reactor. Mr. Bush said all those involved in the nuclear talks will hold North Korea accountable.
GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States: Our partners in the six-party talks are patient, but our patience is not unlimited. We're hoping that the North Korea leader continues to make the right choice for his country. But if he should choose not to, we've got a strategy to make sure that the pressure we've initially applied is even greater.
RAY SUAREZ: A deadline to dismantle the reactor passed almost two weeks ago. North Korea is waiting for $25 million in funds to be released by the U.S.
U.S. economic growth slowed in the first quarter of the year to its weakest pace since 2003. The Commerce Department reported today the gross domestic product increased just 1.3 percent from January through March. The slumping housing market was mostly to blame.
And on Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 15 points to close at nearly 13,121. The Nasdaq rose more than two points to close at 2,557. And for the week, both the Dow and the Nasdaq gained 1.2 percent.
The world-class Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich died today in Moscow. He had suffered from intestinal cancer. The cellist and conductor gained renown, not only for his musical mastery, but also for his opposition to Soviet rule.
In 1989, the world watched his impromptu performance during the fall of the Berlin Wall. He also conducted the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington from 1977 to 1994. Mstislav Rostropovich was 80 years old. We'll have more on his life later in the program tonight.
