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06-09-2006

Manhunt Over, U.S. Seeks Stability in Iraq

A U.S. soldier at a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, places in view of the media a photo purporting to show the body of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida-linked militant who led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings, kidnappings and hostage beheadings in Iraq, who was killed Wednesday in a U.S. airstrike, Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced Thursday, June 8, 2006. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) _ The U.S. military displayed images of the battered face of Iraq's most feared terrorist Thursday and Iraqis celebrated with gunfire after American bombs killed the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. It was a long-sought victory for U.S. forces, but officials cautioned of violence ahead _ and a string of blasts proved that prediction almost immediately. Within minutes of the announcement of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki named three key security ministers _ military and political breakthroughs in rapid succession that marked the biggest potential turnaround in Iraq in months.

Poll: U.S. Backing for Troops Steadfast

In this picture released by the US Marine Corps Tuesday, June 6, 2006, the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Michael W. Hagee, who was accompanied by the Corps' top enlisted Marine, Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada, not pictured, speaks to hundreds of Marines and sailors at Camp Taqaddum in Anbar province in Iraq Tuesday, May 30, 2006. The visit was part of a tour of bases in western Iraq where Hagee and Estrada addressed troops and met with commanders at multiple bases and outposts where Marines are currently serving. (AP Photo/US Marine Corps, Gunnery Sgt. Willie Ellerbrock)

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that many Americans perceive the alleged atrocities against Iraqi civilians by U.S. forces as isolated incidents while saying the U.S.-led invasion was a mistake, an unusual disconnect that sets this conflict apart from Vietnam. The survey of 1,003 adults was completed Wednesday, shortly before the announcement that U.S. airstrikes had killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida leader in Iraq, and the Iraqi parliament's approval of candidates for ministers in charge of the army and police.

Black Caucus Opposes Jefferson Treatment

Congressman William Jefferson D-La., speaks at the swearing in ceremony for Mayor Ray Nagin at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Thursday June 1, 2006. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP) _ A drive by the Democratic leadership to strip embattled Rep. William Jefferson of his committee post triggered a backlash Thursday as the Congressional Black Caucus opposed the move and said the Louisiana lawmaker deserves a "presumption of innocence." The caucus chairman, Rep. Melvin Watt of North Carolina, told reporters that some black voters might ask why action was sought against "a black member of Congress" when there was neither precedent nor rule for it.

Iraq War, Hurricane Aid Agreement Reached

Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen listens, center background, listens as Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff discusses national emergency management during an appearance before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill Thursday, June 8, 2006. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)

WASHINGTON (AP) _ House and Senate Republican leaders Thursday finalized agreement on a long-sought $94.5 billion bill to pay for the war in Iraq and deliver a much-needed infusion of relief to Louisiana and other hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast states. The bill won't clear Congress for President Bush's desk until next week, but the official submission of the deal eases Pentagon worries of a money crunch caused by weeks of delays in creating a compromise bill.

Osama Bin Laden Keeping a Low Profile

This is an undated photo of al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, in Afghanistan. (AP Photo, FILE)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) _ Tracking down Osama bin Laden has proven tougher than getting to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi because the top al-Qaida leader does almost nothing to call attention to himself and is protected by a ring of far more faithful followers, intelligence experts said Thursday. The mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks avoids using satellite phones and the Internet. He is likely holed up along the Pakistani-Afghan border in rugged, remote terrain, protected by loyal tribesmen.

Texas to Install Web Cameras on Border

A U.S. Border Patrol agent patrols along the U.S. border near the point of entry at San Luis, Ariz. on Tuesday, June 6, 2006. (AP Photo/Khampha Bouaphanh)

EL PASO, Texas (AP) _ The governor of Texas wants to turn all the world into a virtual posse. Rick Perry has announced a $5 million plan to install hundreds of night-vision cameras on private land along the Mexican border and put the live video on the Internet, so that anyone with a computer who spots illegal immigrants trying to slip across can report it on a toll-free hot line. "I look at this as not different from the neighborhood watches we have had in our communities for years and years," Perry said last week.

CloudSat System Offers View Inside Clouds

This image provided by NASA shows a CloudSat image of a horizontal cross-section of a polar night storm near Antarctica (bottom). Until now, clouds have been hard to observe in polar regions using remote sensing, particularly during the polar winter or night season. The red colors are indicative of highly reflective particles such as water (rain) or ice crystals, while the blue indicates thinner clouds (such as cirrus). The flat green/blue lines across the bottom represent the ground signal. The vertical scale on the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar image is approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles). The blue line below the Cloud Profiling Radar image indicates that the data were taken over water; the brown line below the image indicates the relative elevation of the land surface. The inset image shows the CloudSat track relative to a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) infrared image taken at nearly the same time. (AP Photo/NASA)

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) _ The first images from a $217 million satellite project to measure the moisture content of clouds provided breathtaking views of storms on Earth, scientists said. "For the first time we're seeing inside the clouds," said Graeme Stephens, a Colorado State University atmospheric sciences professor and the principal investigator for the CloudSat project. "We can see tropical storms 15 kilometers deep organized on scales of thousands of kilometers across."

U.S. Consumers Upbeat About Economy

In this April 26, 2006, file photo, credit card signs are posted outside a New York parking garage. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Consumer confidence in the economy rebounded over the month, suggesting that people are taking still-elevated gasoline prices and the specter of even higher borrowing costs in stride. The RBC CASH Index, based on results from the international polling firm Ipsos, showed confidence snapped out of the doldrums and clocked in at 84.1 in early June. That was a big improvement from May's reading of 67.1, a seven-month low.

Beyonce Searching for an All-Female Band

Actress and singer Beyonce Knowles appears onstage during MTV's "Total Request Live" show at the MTV Times Square Studios, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2006 in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, FILE)

NEW YORK (AP) _ Beyonce Knowles needs an all-female band for her upcoming tour _ and fast. Knowles is searching for musicians to play on a tour in support of her second solo album, "B'Day," Columbia Records announced this week. The album will be released internationally on Sept. 4, her 25th birthday, and in the United States on Sept. 5.

Terry Sparks Mavs Past Heat in Game 1

Dallas Mavericks' Jason Terry (31) reacts to a three-point shot he made against the Miami Heat in the first quarter against the Miami Heat in game 1 of the NBA Basketball finals in Dallas, Thursday, June 8, 2006. Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) is at left.(AP Photo/L.M. Otero)

DALLAS (AP) _ The stars struggled, and then they disappeared. Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade _ three of the sport's best couldn't take control in the fourth quarter of the NBA finals' Game 1. So the Dallas Mavericks climbed aboard their Jet: Jason Terry, with a soaring grace befitting his nickname, found the basket just enough to push his error-prone club past the erratic Miami Heat, 90-80 Thursday night to claim the series opener.

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