JIM LEHRER: The Republican presidential primary headed today toward a showdown in Michigan.
Polls showed a hotly contested race for the voting tomorrow. One survey had John McCain leading by three points, with Mitt Romney just behind. Another showed Romney ahead of McCain by eight points.
The economy shaped up as the overriding issue in Michigan, a state hit hard in recent years. We'll have more on this story later in the program tonight.
Meanwhile, tensions over race sparked the Democratic presidential campaign over the weekend. One issue involved Hillary Clinton's remarks on Martin Luther King's role in passing civil rights laws. Another involved a new allusion to Barack Obama's admitted drug use as a teenager. We'll have more on this story right after the news summary.
President Bush went to Saudi Arabia today for the first time as president. It was the latest stop on his regional trip, after visiting the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. He urged support for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Back in Washington, the administration formally announced a $20 billion weapons sale to Saudi Arabia. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack defended the sale. He said the Saudis have made a quantum leap in fighting against terror.
SEAN MCCORMACK, State Department spokesman: They have realized that this is a threat to them, as well as to their close friends and allies. So they have done -- they've made great progress in fighting terrorism, picking up individuals associated with terrorist groups, breaking up terrorist cells, cracking down on terrorist financing. That isn't to say there isn't more to be done, and they have to remain vigilant.
JIM LEHRER: The U.S. Congress has 30 days to act if it wants to block the arms sale. We'll have more on Saudi Arabia later in the program tonight.
A coordinated attack struck at foreigners in Kabul, Afghanistan, today. At least six people were killed, including one American.
Militants attacked a luxury hotel with guns, grenades and a suicide bombing. Norway's embassy was holding a meeting there at the time. U.S. and Afghan forces arrived shortly afterward. The Norwegian foreign minister was at the hotel, but he was not hurt. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
In Iraq today, the U.S. military said a new offensive against al-Qaida has killed 60 militants. Nearly 200 suspects have been detained and dozens of weapons dumps captured in four northern provinces.
In other developments, a judge and his driver were shot dead in Baghdad today.
Cities across New England declared snow emergencies today. The region's first major storm of 2008 tied up air travel and shut down the state legislature in New Hampshire, among other things.
Forecasters called for up to 14 inches of snow in some places. Hundreds of schools closed, and nearly 50,000 homes and businesses in several states lost power. The storm was expected to move across Maine this evening and then taper off.
On Wall Street today, stocks climbed on an upbeat earnings reports from IBM. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 171 points to close at 12,778. The Nasdaq rose 38 points to close at 2,478.
