April 19, 2007

News Roundup

Gonzales testimony. The embattled attorney general defended the Department of Justice's firing of eight U.S. attorneys amid tough questioning from both sides of the aisle. The Gate is liveblogging the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Iraq. A dozen people were killed when a suicide bomber struck a mostly Shiite area of Baghdad one day after similar attacks claimed at least 230 lives. The attack came as Defense Secretary Robert Gates told leaders there that the "clock is ticking" for them to make "faster progress." Meanwhile, a coalition of Sunni insurgents announced the creation of an "Islamic Cabinet" for Iraq, with the head of al-Qaida in Iraq serving as "minister of war."

Congress. The House passed legislation giving the District of Columbia a voting member in that chamber. California Rep. John Doolittle plans to temporarily step down from the House Appropriations Committee after the FBI searched his home "as part of a congressional influence-peddling investigation."

World. In a meeting with NATO and Russian officials, the United States sought to reassure allies about its planned missile shield system, but the talks failed to ease Russia's concerns. The State Department announced that Iran claims to have no information on a former FBI agent who has gone missing there.

Cho video. FOX News decided to stop airing the video of Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui, and other networks have begun scaling back their use of the footage amid a growing backlash. Officials say the video did little to advance the police investigation into Monday's attack.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 3:32 PM
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