JIM LEHRER: The Bush administration convened its own summit on global warming today with a challenge. The two-day meeting at the State Department in Washington focused on finding voluntary ways to cut greenhouse gases without economic damage. Secretary of State Rice told the gathering the current system is "no longer sustainable." She said, "We must cut the Gordian knot of fossil fuels, carbon emissions, and economic activity."
The U.S., China and India oppose mandatory cuts in greenhouse gases. The U.N. and most European states favor that approach. We'll have more on this story later in the program tonight.
A bill to expand children's health coverage headed toward final approval today and a presidential veto. The showdown loomed as the Senate debated the S-CHIP program. Democrats wanted to cover 10 million children over five years. President Bush and most Republicans disagreed. Minority Leader McConnell said it would take the program far beyond its original intent of helping the poor.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader: Democrats are counting down the hours so they can tee up the election ads saying Republicans don't like kids. Meanwhile, they're using S-CHIP as a Trojan horse to sneak government-run health care into the states. If Democrats want to expand government-run health care, they should do it in the light of day, without seeking cover under a bill that was meant for poor children, and without the politics.
JIM LEHRER: Democrats rejected that charge. They said too many families cannot afford private insurance even if they're above the poverty line. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio said it's really a question of priorities.
SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D), Ohio: This is $35 billion over five years, $7 billion a year, but just make the contrast, Mr. President. We're spending $2.5 billion a week, $2.5 billion a week in the war in Iraq, yet the president doesn't want to spend $7 billion a year to ensure four million children.
JIM LEHRER: Still, the bill had enough Republican support to gain a veto-proof majority in the Senate. The House fell short of that margin when it passed the bill earlier this week.
Security forces in Myanmar opened fire again today on thousands of demonstrators. The military government said nine people were killed in the day's clashes. It was the second day of a crackdown on protesters, who still call the country Burma. Troops fired automatic weapons at Buddhist monks and others who defied a ban on marching. Overnight, soldiers also raided monasteries, beating monks and arresting more than 100.
The crackdown fueled new diplomatic pressure today. The U.S. announced sanctions on 14 top officials in the Myanmar government. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations demanded the violence end. It said member states were "appalled." And China, one of the government's main supporters, also voiced concern.
JIANG YU, Spokeswoman, Chinese Foreign Ministry (through translator): China hopes that all parties in Myanmar exercise restraint and properly handle the current issue to ensure the situation there does not escalate and get complicated and does not influence the stability of Myanmar and the peace and stability of the region. We hope that Myanmar would be devoted to improving the people's welfare, maintaining national harmony, and properly dealing with its domestic social conflict to restore peace soon.
JIM LEHRER: We'll have more on this story later in the program.
Iraq's Sunni vice president met with the country's top Shiite cleric today for the first time. The goal was to unite feuding factions. Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi talked with Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani in the city of Najaf. Hashemi wanted support for a new Sunni blueprint for political reform. After the meeting, he said Sistani gave his approval.
TARIQ AL-HASHEMI, Vice President, Iraq (through translator): The political reform initiative, which I submitted yesterday, I found that Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has a copy of it, and he read it and analyzed it thoroughly, and gave his remarks, which were, in fact, simple. He generally blesses the initiative.
JIM LEHRER: The Sunni plan calls for filling government jobs according to merit and keeping the army and police out of politics. It also includes a blanket pardon for insurgents if they lay down their arms.
The U.S. Army may speed up its growth plans after being stretched thin by Iraq and Afghanistan. Army Secretary Pete Geren said today he wants another $3 billion to expand the active-duty force. Later, Defense Secretary Gates said he'd likely recommend that plan.
ROBERT GATES, Secretary of Defense: I'm inclined to approve it. My questions have focused principally on whether they can do it, in terms of recruitment, and whether they can do so without lowering standards and, in fact, to begin to move back toward the high standards of not too many months ago.
JIM LEHRER: Last January, President Bush approved increasing the Army's size by 74,000 troops over five years. This new plan would make that happen one year faster.
The Senate today attached a new hate crimes measure to a major military bill. It would expand federal jurisdiction to include violence against homosexuals. Democratic supporters argued it's needed to stop acts of terror; Republican opponents said the matter is best left to the states. The bill already passed the House, but the president has threatened a veto.
The USA Patriot Act faced new legal trouble today. On Wednesday, a federal judge in Portland, Oregon, struck down provisions that allow secret wiretapping and searches. The case involved Brandon Mayfield. He was mistakenly linked to the train bombings in Madrid, Spain, in 2004. Mayfield welcomed the ruling today. He said the government violated his constitutional guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure.
BRANDON MAYFIELD, Mistakenly Linked to Spain Bombing: This is a big decision. This is a momentous occasion and decision. I mean, today as I'm speaking to you, the Fourth Amendment has been restored to its rightful place, where it belongs. And now I do feel there's a sense of a balance between privacy and criminal investigations, liberty and security.
JIM LEHRER: Three weeks ago, a federal judge in New York rejected other parts of the Patriot Act. A Justice Department spokesman said the latest ruling is being reviewed.
President Bush signed two major pieces of legislation today. One gives the Food and Drug Administration greater power and funding to monitor drugs after they're approved. The other increases federal grants for college students. It also cuts interest rates for student loans in half.
Major airlines objected today to paying more to fly during peak periods. The Federal Aviation Administration is considering the idea to ease record flight delays. At a Senate hearing, airline executives said congestion pricing would cut service to small cities and raise fares. They called for limiting private planes and using satellites to help control traffic.
In economic news today, the Commerce Department reported new home sales fell more than 8 percent in August to the lowest level in seven years. And on Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 34 points to close at nearly 13,913. The Nasdaq rose 10.5 points to close at 2,709.
