JIM LEHRER: Major automakers reported a major drop in business today. They said rising gas prices and a sluggish economy hurt sales of trucks, minivans, and sport utility vehicles in June.
Chrysler was hit hardest, with sales down nearly 36 percent. Ford was next, reporting a drop of 28 percent last month. General Motors' sales fell 18 percent, but it managed to stay number one in the U.S. market. That's because number two, Toyota, was down 21 percent. Honda's U.S. sales were actually up 1 percent, as its gas-saving hybrids did well.
Oil hit another record today, after a warning from the International Energy Agency. It said world supplies will stay tight for the foreseeable future. In response, oil was up almost a dollar in New York trading to settle just under $141 a barrel.
A summit of African leaders called today for a national unity government in Zimbabwe. President Robert Mugabe has insisted he won Friday's run-off, but the African Union urged him to negotiate with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who quit the run-off in the face of violence.
The European Union announced today it will only accept Tsvangirai as president. We'll have more on this story right after the news summary.
The presidential campaign turned to courts, guns and religion today. NewsHour correspondent Kwame Holman has our report.
KWAME HOLMAN: Republican John McCain warned about judges Democrat Barack Obama might name as he addressed the National Sheriffs' Association in Indianapolis. He pointed to last week's Supreme Court decision outlawing executions for child rape, while acknowledging Obama disagreed with the ruling.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), Arizona: My opponent may not care for this particular decision, but it was exactly the kind of opinion we could expect from an Obama court. Should I be elected president, I will look for accomplished men and women with a proven record of excellence in the law and a proven commitment to judicial restraint.
KWAME HOLMAN: Later, McCain left for a three-day visit to Colombia and Mexico focusing on trade and immigration.
Obama meanwhile focused on government collaboration with faith-based and neighborhood groups. He spoke to reporters at a community ministry in Zanesville, Ohio.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), Illinois: The fact is the challenges we face today from saving our planet to ending poverty are simply too big for government to solve alone. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach.
I'm not saying that faith-based groups are an alternative to government or secular nonprofits, and I'm not saying that they're somehow better at lifting people up. What I am saying is that we all have to work together.
KWAME HOLMAN: But Obama also cautioned he still supports the separation of church and state. He said groups that receive federal money must abide by that principle. Obama will campaign tomorrow in Colorado.
JIM LEHRER: Militants in Iraq staged a series of attacks in the east today. Seven people were killed in Diyala province, where officials said al-Qaida fighters are trying to regroup.
And the Associated Press reported 546 Iraqis were killed or found dead nationwide in June. That was up slightly from May, when 515 Iraqis were killed.
In Afghanistan, coalition forces reported they killed 33 insurgents overnight. A U.S. military official said helicopters and a bomber attacked large groups of fighters in the eastern Khost province, near the Pakistani border.
More than 2,100 people have been killed in the Afghan violence this year. Most were anti-government militants.
The Rhode Island State Supreme Court today threw out a landmark verdict on lead paint. In 2006, a jury had found three companies liable for manufacturing and selling a toxic product. The state wanted hundreds of thousands of homes and buildings decontaminated, but the high court ruled the companies had no control over how the paint was used. Lead paint was banned from residential use in the United States in 1978.
On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 32 points to close at 11,382. The Nasdaq rose 12 points to close at nearly 2,305.
