Terrorist Suspects and the November Election
Yesterday, the House passed new rules for detaining, interrogating and prosecuting suspected terrorists. They are key to President Bush's national security agenda, which Republicans plan to showcase during the mid-term election campaigns. Today, Bush went to Capitol Hill, urging Senate approval of the bill. While even some Republicans say the measure might be thrown out by the courts, most Democrats are lying low to avoid being called "weak" on security. Are the Democrats sacrificing principles or are they really tougher than Republicans want to admit? Has preoccupation with the November elections made this a do-nothing Congress? What's the likely impact on voters?

• Making News: Shiite Death Squads beyond Control of Iraqi Government
  US military officials complain that the government of Iraq is thwarting efforts to stop Shiite death squads from executing Sunnis. Meantime, the Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr may be losing control of militias in his Al Mahdi army.
• Reporter's Notebook: Tiger Poaching Flourishing in India and China
  Tigers are an endangered species, and they could be gone in a few years, unless the governments of India and China crack down on poaching. But environmental groups have photographs of Chinese police officers laughing and posing with people wearing clothes made from the skins of Indian tigers. They say the trade in poached animals crosses the boarder from India through Chinese-controlled Tibet.

Is Iraq Helping or Hurting the War on Terror? listen listen listen
President Bush has declassified about three pages of a 30-page National Intelligence Estimate saying the Iraq war is a "cause celebre" that has has helped produce a new generation of Islamic radicals and increased the threat of terrorism. It also says that if the jihadists appear to have lost in Iraq, fewer will be inspired to keep fighting. The President says selected portions of the NIE were leaked to reporters for political reasons. We hear how Democrats and Republicans are interpreting the report less than six weeks before the November elections. Different parties drew different conclusions about how to proceed in Iraq. Is President Bush right that the US is winning?" Is it time to pull out? Are there any good options left?

• Making News: Bullish Market Pushes Dow toward Record
  The stock market is taking a lot of Wall Street regulars by surprise. Instead of declining in recent weeks, as some had predicted, the Down Jones Industrial Average is close to its highest finish on record. Will it break 12,000?
• Reporter's Notebook: Cancellation of Idomeneo Enrages Germans
  One of the "key judgments" of the partly declassified National Intelligence Estimate is that "jihadists regard Europe as an important venue for attacking Western interests." But Berlin's opera company has sparked bitter controversy by canceling an opera which might be offensive to Muslims. In Idomeneo, Mozart suggests that religion -- any religion -- can produce superstition and inhumanity.

Are America's Elections Free and Fair? listen listen listen
In America, the right to vote is supposedly sacred, but conflicting laws and shady practices cast doubt on the fairness and accuracy of many elections. Electronic voting machines are the latest cause for concern about technological snafus, ill-trained poll workers, and opportunities for partisan manipulation. Using computer software, Texas Republicans and California Democrats have drawn district boundaries that virtually guarantee who wins and who loses. After the vote-count debacle in Florida, which decided the year 2000 presidential election, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act--or HAVA. What's happened to election reform?

• Making News: Bush Meets with Afghan President, Denies Iraq War Spurs TerrorismPresident Bush said today he has declassified the National Intelligence Estimate that reportedly said America has become less safe from terrorism than it was before the war in Iraq. Bush spoke at the White House after a meeting with Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan.
• Reporter's Notebook: Is There a Campaign-Season Ploy behind Falling Gas Prices?For months, energy consultants warned that increasing gasoline prices might never come down. Now, some of those same consultants say there might be a dramatic plunge after all. As prices decline, President Bush's poll numbers are inching up. A Gallup poll shows that 42% of Americans think that gas prices are falling because of manipulation by the Bush Administration. Oil experts sneer at the idea of such a conspiracy, saying that market forces are too complex and involve too many people.

Israel, the Palestinians and anti-Americanism in the Muslim World listen listen listen
Last week UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the Israeli-Palestinian issue "carries a powerful symbolic and emotional charge... like no other conflict in the world." There was a sense of optimism, when President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinians would form a "unity government" to negotiate the end of the economic and political blockade imposed by Israel and the western powers. But with Hamas and Fatah bitterly divided over recognizing Israel's right to exist, there may be no "unity government" with which to negotiate. We update the Palestinians' internal struggles and look at the mood in Israel after the bombing of Lebanon. We also get some history of the Israeli-Palestinian issue and why it's the source of so much anti-Americanism around the world.

• Making News: In Effort to Defuse Anger, Pope Meets with Muslim Diplomats
  Pope Benedict XVI told Muslim diplomats today that Christians and Muslims must work together against intolerance and violence. He made clear he was responding to Muslim outrage over a speech he made earlier this month at the University of Regensburg in Germany.
• Reporter's Notebook: Superdome Re-Opens for New Football Season
  Thirteen months ago the Superdome was the central focus of the horrors brought by Hurricane Katrina, and it became symbolic of spectacular failure at all levels of government. Katrina ripped part of the roof off the Superdome, which was then filled with refugees. There was a shooting and a suicide, bodies stored in a refrigerator, and nobody allowed inside without a biohazard suit. Tonight, the New Orleans Saints will play their first home game of the year and--for the first time in team history--all the season tickets have been sold.

The US and Pakistan in the War on Terror listen listen listen
Standing at the White House with President Pervez Musharraf today, President Bush said he was "taken aback" to learn that a US official threatened Pakistan after September 11. Despite that warm embrace, there are serious questions about what's been called a crucial alliance in the war against terror. Afghanistan has complained that Pakistan's recent deal with tribal leaders is a green light for the Taliban. Musharraf took power in a military coup and he's now caught between a drive for westernization and Islamic extremism. Pakistan is getting massive amounts of American aid, but will his divided country allow Musharraf to be a reliable partner?

• Making News: Both Sides Claim Victory in Detainee-Bill Compromise
  President Bush and three Senators have reached an agreement on interrogating suspected terrorists. There are still questions whether the changes will be approved by the House. Both sides say the Geneva Conventions won't be changed, but the CIA will still be able to use harsh methods.
• Reporter's Notebook: Jesus Camp and the Evangelical Youth Movement
  Jesus Camp, which opens today in New York and Los Angeles, has already won awards at film festivals. The documentary is about a North Dakota summer camp called Kids on Fire--now Families on Fire, which prepares Christian children, ages 7 to 13, to be part of God's Army. The film, which shows kids in camouflage and face paint, practicing war dances with wooden swords, captures a fervor that echoes that of the Madrassas in Pakistan and the Middle East that teach an aggressive form of fundamental Islam.

Are America's Vegetables as Safe as They Should Be? listen listen listen
The latest count in the E.coli outbreak is one dead and 146 suffering from cramps, diarrhea and kidney trouble. The "smoking gun" is a bag of contaminated spinach found in the refrigerator of a sick patient in New Mexico. It came from somewhere in California's Salinas Valley, where three-quarters of America's spinach and lettuce are grown. But officials may never know from which farm or how the contamination occurred. They do know that this is the ninth time in 11 years that a dangerous strain of E. coli has been traced to Salinas Valley spinach or lettuce. Who's in charge of protecting consumers from poisoned food? How stringently are standards enforced? Is it time to change the way food is grown and distributed?

• Making News: UN Says Death Toll in Iraq Much Higher than Previously Reported
  In Iraq during July and August the death rate averaged almost 100 a day. Torture by sectarian militias is "out of control." The "generalized breakdown of law and order" is a serious challenge" to the country's institutions. That's from a report by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq's Human Rights office. Richard Oppel is in Baghdad for the New York Times.
• Reporter's Notebook: Diplomacy and Political Theater at the United Nations
  This week, the United Nations has been a forum for America-bashing by the leaders of Iran and Venezuela. Speaking to the General Assembly, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez branded President Bush "the devil," name-calling former President Clinton called "undignified and not helpful." But Venezuela is Latin America's leading candidate for one of five rotating seats on the Security Council. What will that mean for the Council and choosing a new Secretary General?