JUDY WOODRUFF: The push for unity after the Democratic presidential race gathered momentum today. Dozens of Hillary Clinton supporters lined up behind the presumptive nominee, Barack Obama. Clinton herself signaled last night that she's ready to do the same.
She e-mailed supporters to say she, quote, "will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama."
In Bristol, Virginia , today, Obama again praised Clinton. And he told the crowd his victory, as the first black nominee of a major party, justified his faith in America.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), Illinois: I'm very proud of that, and I'm proud of America for giving me this opportunity, because, obviously, we all know that it's a sign of enormous growth in this country. But we've still got work to do. Now, just winning a nomination is not the endpoint.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Obama also said today he is not going to be rushed into choosing a running mate.
On the Republican side, John McCain's campaign announced that he raised $21 million in May, his best total so far. We'll have more on the Democrats and their push for unity later in the program tonight.
The Democratic National Committee will no longer take money from lobbyists and political action committees. The new policy came today, putting the DNC in line with the Obama campaign's own practices. A spokesman also announced that Obama will appoint someone to oversee party operations and that Howard Dean will stay on as chairman of the DNC.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates asked the top Air Force leaders to resign today, and they did. They were Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and the chief of staff, General Michael Moseley.
Their resignations followed a series of missteps, including a mistaken shipment of nuclear missile parts to Taiwan. Gates said an internal investigation found even larger problems.
ROBERT GATES, Secretary of Defense: I believe that we needed a change of leadership to bring a new perspective and to especially underscore the importance of accountability in dealing with these kinds of problems.
As I say, I have the highest respect for both men, but I felt the change was needed for a number of these reasons.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Gates said he will name replacements at a later date. We'll have more on this story right after this news summary.
The accused mastermind of the 9/11 attacks appealed today for the death sentence. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was arraigned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, his first appearance since being captured five years ago. He told a U.S. military judge, "I wish to be a martyr. I will, God willing, have this by you."
Four alleged co-conspirators were arraigned, as well. All five face the death penalty, if convicted by a military tribunal. We'll have more on this story later in the program tonight.
A Spanish court today charged 11 suspected Islamic militants with plotting suicide attacks. They allegedly planned to bomb the public transit system in Barcelona. Ten of the men were arrested last January before the bombings could be carried out; the final suspect remains at large.
A U.S. Senate report today directly accused the Bush administration of distorting evidence to justify the war in Iraq. The Intelligence Committee's long-delayed report echoed similar charges made in recent years.
The committee said President Bush and top aides exaggerated links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida. And it said they ignored doubts by U.S. intelligence agencies about Iraq's weapons capabilities.
The Democratic chairman, Senator John Rockefeller of West Virginia, underlined the importance of the findings.
SEN. JOHN ROCKEFELLER (D), West Virginia: You don't get to tell the truth just some of the time when going to war. The American people expect the government to tell the truth all the time.
In too many instances in making the case for war, administration officials distorted the facts or said things that were not supported by the facts, said things that they knew or should have known were not true.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Republicans charged the Democrats on the committee were playing partisan gamesmanship. Senator Kit Bond of Missouri insisted faulty intelligence, not the administration itself, was to blame.
SEN. KIT BOND (R), Missouri: The report released today by the majority is an attempt by my friends on the other side of the aisle to score election-year points.
Even with the majority-only drafted report that twists the statements of policymakers and cherry-picks the intelligence, the report essentially validates what we've been saying for years, that the intelligence was flawed. The majority consistently leaves that out of their conclusions.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Two Republicans on the committee voted for the report. But White House spokeswoman Dana Perino also said that the real problem was flawed intelligence, and she said officials have worked to fix the problem.
Leaders at a U.N. summit on food agreed today to lower trade barriers and to boost production. The three-day gathering in Rome focused on how to fight rising prices and falling supplies. Aid groups had called for stronger steps, including curbs on turning crops into fuel instead of food.
There were new claims today that the military regime in Myanmar is blocking aid to cyclone victims. The human rights group Amnesty International accused the government of forcing people to do menial labor in exchange for food. The group also said authorities are still diverting aid from those it was intended to help.
American and British diplomats were attacked and detained for a time in Zimbabwe today. The U.S. ambassador said they were driving north of the capital, Harare, to see victims of political violence. He said police stopped them, slashed their tires, and beat up a driver.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called it "absolutely outrageous."
SEAN MCCORMACK, State Department Spokesman: Our reporting back indicates that there were members of the army, that there were members of the Zimbabwe intelligence organization, as well as what are referred to as war veterans, I guess these are, quote, unquote, "retired military types."
So you have an armed mob that accosts, detains a convoy and beats one of the employees from our embassy there. That is not a random occurrence.
JUDY WOODRUFF: McCormack said the U.S. would raise the incident at the U.N. Security Council in New York. The U.S. and Britain have accused Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, of orchestrating violence against his opponents ahead of a runoff election this month.
Continental Airlines became the latest air carrier to announce cutbacks today mainly due to soaring fuel prices. The Houston-based airline said that it will slash 3,000 jobs, nearly 7 percent of its workforce. It will also retire 67 older planes and reduce overall capacity by 11 percent. In addition, the airline's top two executives will give up their salaries for the rest of the year.
Ford Motor Company made cuts of its own today. A company e-mail said that white-collar salary costs will be cut by 15 percent starting August 1st. It was unclear exactly how many workers might lose their jobs. Nearly 24,000 salaried employees work for the Michigan-based automaker.
Oil prices shot back up today, but they took stocks along for the ride. Oil gained nearly $5.50 in New York trading to finish close to $128 a barrel. That sent oil stocks higher, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained nearly 214 to close at 12,604. The Nasdaq rose more than 46 points to close just under 2,550.
