JIM LEHRER: The Turkish parliament today overwhelmingly approved a possible invasion of northern Iraq. The offensive would target Kurdish rebels who stage attacks inside Turkey.
The vote came as President Bush held a news conference in Washington. He said it is not in Turkey's interests to take military action.
GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States: There's a better way to deal with the issue than having the Turks send massive troops into the country, massive additional troops into the country. What I'm telling you is, is that there's a lot of dialogue going on, and that's positive. We are actively involved with the Turks and the Iraqis through a tripartite arrangement, and we'll continue dialoguing with the Turks.
JIM LEHRER: Before the vote, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki called the Turkish prime minister. Maliki said his government also wants to stop the rebel raids, and he called for further talks. We'll have more on this story right after the news summary.
Leading Democrats in the U.S. House pulled back today from supporting a resolution on Armenian genocide. The proposal has infuriated Turkey. Its government denies there was any systematic attempt to kill 1.5 million Armenians in 1915.
And today, Democrat John Murtha of Pennsylvania said Speaker Pelosi underestimated the opposition in her own ranks.
REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), Pennsylvania: I think that the members have convinced her. I must have had 25, 30 members, Democrats, come to me yesterday and say, you know, very agitated about this coming to the floor right now. They have gotten the message. So I would say, if it were to run today, it wouldn't pass.
JIM LEHRER: Speaker Pelosi has been a strong supporter of the resolution. She said today, "There is still reason for the House to vote," but she made no promises. Instead, she said, "Whether those who have been advocating it want to go to that place remains to be seen."
The U.S. military today announced the death of another American soldier in Iraq; that made 23 killed so far in October.
And the Associated Press reported a U.S. Army brigade will leave Diyala province in December. It's the first major step in cutting back the surge of American forces to Iraq.
The nominee for U.S. attorney general insisted today the president has no power to order torture in terror cases. Michael Mukasey faced questioning at a Senate confirmation hearing. He said a 2002 Justice Department memo that authorized torture was "worse than a sin, it was a mistake." Mukasey is expected to win confirmation easily. And we'll have more on this story later in the program tonight.
The battle over government surveillance in terror cases heated up today in the House. Democrats brought up a bill called the RESTORE Act. It expands court oversight of wiretapping. Republicans warned the red tape would hinder efforts to track down terror suspects. Much of the debate focused on the risk of eavesdropping on American citizens.
REP. ALCEE HASTINGS (D), Florida: The RESTORE Act does absolutely nothing to block or hinder the efforts of our intelligence community. And member after member on the other side are going to come down here and comment that it is hampering our intelligence efforts. Quite the contrary, it enhances their ability to do their jobs effectively and ensures the integrity of their efforts.
REP. ROY BLUNT (R), Missouri: Osama bin Laden calls the United States, we should know it. If Osama bin Laden calls and it turns out to be a call that didn't matter, there are ways to minimize that.
In all likelihood, if Osama bin Laden called, it wouldn't be a matter that we shouldn't know about. You know, if he calls to order a pizza and says, "Deliver the pizza to Cave 56 in Bora Bora," that's something we ought to know at that minute. We should not have to go back to go to court to monitor these calls just in case they call somebody in the United States.
JIM LEHRER: President Bush threatened to veto the bill unless major changes are made. And late in the day, Democratic leaders were forced to pull it from the floor as the opposition mounted. The Senate version is due to be introduced tomorrow.
The Dalai Lama received the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal today. It's the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow. The exiled Buddhist monk appealed again for China to grant autonomy to his homeland of Tibet. The ceremony was held in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.
China sharply criticized the award, but President Bush defended it, saying he supports religious freedom. We'll have more on this story later in the program tonight.
Pope Benedict XVI named 23 new Roman Catholic cardinals today. They included two Americans, Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston in Texas; and Archbishop John Foley, a veteran Vatican official. He currently leads a lay group on the rights of the church in the holy land. The pope also named the patriarch of Baghdad today to be a cardinal.
Next year's increase in Social Security payments will be just 2.3 percent. That announcement today affects some 54 million Americans. It means the average retiree will get an extra $24 a month, starting in January. The annual cost-of-living adjustment is the smallest since 2004.
In economic news, oil prices eased a bit, but the government reported consumer inflation was more than expected in September. And construction of new homes was the lowest in 14 years.
On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 20 points to close at 13,892. The Nasdaq rose more than 28 points to close above 2,792.
