Skip to main content
CNN.com
Search
Home World U.S. Weather Business Sports Analysis Politics Law Tech Science Health Entertainment Offbeat Travel Education Specials Autos I-Reports
WORLD header
News update

Thursday, November 9

Adjust font size:
Decrease fontDecrease font
Enlarge fontEnlarge font

Editor's Note: The CNN Wire is a running log of the latest news from CNN World Headquarters, reported by CNN's correspondents and producers, and The CNN Wire editors. "Posted" times are Eastern Daylight.

Mehlman to leave RNC

From CNN Chief National Correspondent John King

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Several Republican sources told CNN Thursday that Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman will not seek a new term as chairman, leaving the committee to select a new leader at its January meeting.

The White House is looking at possibilities to replace him and lead the party into the 2008 presidential campaign cycle, the sources said.

Two sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mehlman had made clear to close associates for some time he was likely to leave after the 2006 elections -- and that there is no dissatisfaction with his performance in the midterm cycle.

A third source confirmed Mehlman's leaving after initially saying it was "wrong to call it a done deal."

"I agreed to say not a completely done deal yet because he hadn't told some people," this source told CNN. "But he is leaving." (Posted 9:56 p.m.)

FBI investigating violent LAPD arrest after video surfaces

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The FBI said Thursday it was investigating a violent arrest by Los Angeles police after a videotape surfaced in which an officer is shown repeatedly striking a suspect in the face as the man complains he cannot breathe.

A "preliminary investigation" has been opened into the 3-month-old incident, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. That is standard procedure in any case involving possible civil rights violations, she said. The findings of the probe will be passed on to the Justice Department, she said.

Los Angeles police are also investigating the Aug. 11 incident, the LAPD said in a statement Thursday. Officers Patrick Farrell and Alexander Schlegel, the officers involved in the incident, have been assigned to administrative duties. (Posted 9:12 p.m.)

Sen. Craig Thomas diagnosed with leukemia

(CNN) -- U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

Thomas handily won his bid for a third term as senator in Tuesday's election. (Posted 8:11 p.m.)

Daughter of 2 workers killed at Texas City plant settles with BP

By CNN's Katy Byron in New York

GALVESTON, Texas (CNN) -- The daughter of two plant workers who died in the BP Texas City refinery explosion of 2005 has decided to settle her lawsuit against the oil giant for an undisclosed amount and $32 million in donations to health care, training, and safety education, the plaintiff and her lawyer announced Thursday.

Eva Rowe's parents, Linda and James Rowe, were among the 15 people who died in the March 23, 2005, oil plant fire.

Until Thursday's announcement, Rowe's suit was the only fatality case from the tragedy that was going to court. Proceedings in the case began earlier this week in a Galveston courtroom and opening statements were set to begin Monday.

Rowe's lawsuit originally sought damages to the tune of $1.2 billion. Neither party would disclose the monetary terms of the settlement beyond the $32 million donated by BP to various causes chosen by Rowe. (Posted 7:09 p.m.)

Allen concedes defeat in Va. Senate race; Democrats take Senate

ARLINGTON, Va. (CNN) -- Former Navy Secretary Jim Webb declared victory in his Virginia Senate campaign Thursday by taking off his son's combat boots, which he had worn throughout his bid to unseat incumbent Republican George Allen.

Allen conceded defeat Thursday afternoon, swearing off a potential recount in the close race and in a move that clinched Democratic control of both houses of Congress.

Webb, 60, won the Navy Cross as a Marine officer in Vietnam and served as Navy secretary in the Reagan administration. But he was an early opponent of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where his son Jimmy is now fighting with the Marines, and campaigned in a pair of his son's combat boots as he blasted Allen's support for the 3-year-old war.

Webb held up those boots -- which he described as "pretty nasty to begin with" -- as a symbolic end to his campaign Thursday afternoon. And he urged President Bush to denounce what he called the nastiness of this year's "unnecessarily brutal" midterm campaigns, which Webb argued are damaging the country. (Posted 7:01 p.m.)

Allen concedes defeat in Va. Senate race; Democrats take Senate

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CNN) -- Republican Sen. George Allen conceded defeat to Democrat Jim Webb in Virginia's U.S. Senate race Thursday, clinching Democratic control of both houses of Congress after this week's midterm elections.

Webb vowed during his underdog campaign that he would not change positions "for a dollar or a vote," and told supporters after Allen's concession that "I will not forget my loyalties."

"I am walking into the United States Senate with the independence to represent the people who have no voice in the corridors of power, and I intend to do that," he said.

Allen trailed Webb by 8,805 votes Thursday afternoon, the Virginia Board of Elections announced -- a margin that grew by about 1,600 votes as the state's election officials began canvassing Tuesday's results. The narrow margin would have entitled Allen to demand a recount, but he said that seeking one would serve "no good purpose." (Posted 5:15 p.m.)

Police: At least 7 bombings in Baghdad kill 18 Iraqis

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Bombings in Baghdad Thursday killed 18 people, Baghdad police said, while mortar attacks killed four more.

Also Thursday, police found 26 bullet-riddled bodies in various neighborhoods of the capital, and gunmen killed a high-ranking police officer and his driver in a drive-by shooting.

And Police Lt. Col. Mohammed Jassim died in a hail of small arms fire, police said.

The mortar attacks were in the Adhamiya Sunni neighborhood of northern Baghdad, where three people were killed and 11 wounded, and in the Khadhimiya Shiite neighborhood of northwestern Baghdad, where one person was killed and 15 were wounded. (Posted 3:41 p.m.)

Bush resubmits controversial Bolton nomination to lame-duck Congress

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House Thursday resubmitted the nomination of John Bolton to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Last year, Bush sent Bolton to the United Nations with a recess appointment after Democrats blocked his nomination. That appointment will expire in January unless the Senate confirms him.

The White House sent the nomination to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday morning.

"I see no point in considering Mr. Bolton's nomination again in the Foreign Relations Committee because regardless of what happens there, he is unlikely to be considered by the full Senate," said the ranking Democrat, Sen. Joe Biden, in a written statement.

Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who was defeated in this week's election, also said he would block Bolton's nomination. --From CNN Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel (Posted 3:29 p.m.)

Rumsfeld faults government structure for impeding anti-terrorist efforts

(CNN) -- The battle against violent extremism will succeed only if the agencies of the U.S. government are empowered to work together more effectively, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday in an address at Kansas State University.

"We can no longer afford to have the Defense and State departments, CIA and Homeland Security, Treasury and Justice, Agriculture and Commerce, each waging their own campaigns, with their own rules and restrictions, each overseen by separate congressional committees and subcommittees," Rumsfeld said.

For the military to emerge victorious in its missions, it must be able to draw on other government entities, he said. "Our military cannot win all alone. They need the help of the other departments and agencies."

The secretary said "outdated restrictions" hampered U.S. efforts to train security forces in Afghanistan. "Building up the Afghan army was harmfully delayed because there was no such category in the U.S. federal budget at the time," he said. (Posted 2:38 p.m.)

More body parts found near WTC site

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Additional bone fragments were found Wednesday near another manhole in the ongoing search for the remains of victims of 9/11 near the former site of the World Trade Center.

In all, 203 body parts -- ranging from small fragments to full arm and leg bones -- were found under a service road at the west edge of the site.

The recent discovery of other remains more than five years after the attacks angered and upset some family members of 9/11 victims, and prompted city officials to plan a year-long search for human remains around what has become known as ground zero.

Since that discovery, the city has reintensified its effort to look for body parts in the area surrounding the "haul road," which was constructed to facilitate truck movement into ground zero between Liberty and Vesey streets. --By CNN's Alex Hurst (Posted 2:20 p.m.)

Israel blames technical glitch in artillery battery for Beit Hanoun bloodshed

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel's military Thursday said a "technical failure" caused an Israeli artillery battery to misfire on civilians in Beit Hanoun, killing 18 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Another Palestinian died in the same military operation early Wednesday, but the death was not a result of the technical glitch in the system that directs artillery fire. An investigative panel presented its findings to the Israel Defense Forces on Thursday.

The IDF has halted all shelling in the area until additional investigations have been completed.

Israel's military said it is targeting militants in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun that have been firing Qassam rockets into Israel. The Israeli military had pulled back from Beit Hanoun late Tuesday, hours before firing at least 10 artillery rounds into the town's center. (Posted 2:14 p.m.)

GOP assumes loss of Virginia, Senate majority, senator says

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Though no formal concession has been made yet in the Virginia U.S. Senate race, Republicans are resigned to facing a Democratic majority the chamber next year, one GOP member said Thursday.

"I think if you ask any Republican in Congress right now, they're working under the assumption that they'll be in the minority in both the House and the Senate," New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu told CNN.

In the last unsettled race of the 33 Senate contests on Tuesday's ballots, GOP Sen. George Allen trailed his Democratic opponent, Jim Webb, by 8,805 votes, the Virginia Board of Elections announced Thursday afternoon. The gap grew from the roughly 7,200 votes Wednesday after 55 of Virginia's 134 electoral districts completed their canvasses of the results.

A Webb win would put the new Senate lineup at 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans and two independents -- Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut -- who have said they would caucus with the Democrats. That would give the Democrats the 51 votes they need to claim a majority for the first time since 2002. (Posted 1:36 p.m.)

Montana GOP incumbent concedes tight Senate race

BILLINGS, Mont. (CNN) -- Montana's Republican incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns on Wednesday conceded the race to Democratic state Sen. Jon Tester, a spokesman for Burns told CNN.

"We finally felt that the numbers were stable enough," spokesman Jason Klindt said. "Yesterday there was just too much movement going on with a close election."

Tester claimed victory Wednesday with a lead of less than 3,000 of the more than 400,000 votes cast.

While the margin is slim, it was below the threshold set by Montana law that would allow Burns to request a recount.

Based on that, CNN had already projected Tester the winner. -- CNN's Political Editor Mark Preston contributed to this report (Posted 1:01 p.m.)

'60 Minutes' Correspondent Ed Bradley dies at 65

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Longtime "60 Minutes" Correspondent Ed Bradley died from leukemia Thursday at Mount Sinai Hospital, stunning friends who didn't know he was critically ill. He was 65.

"I'm mourning over the loss of a good friend and a great talent," retired CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite told CNN.

Bradley spent 39 years at CBS News, and much of that time at "60 Minutes," which he joined during the 1981-82 season, according to CBS. Last year he celebrated 25 years on the show.

Before joining "60 Minutes," Bradley covered the White House, the Vietnam War and other major events. Over the years, he interviewed a who's who of personalities. Among them were President Bill Clinton, Oklahoma City bomber Tim McVeigh, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and entertainers Lena Horne and George Burns. (Posted 12:37 p.m.)

Bush calls on GOP-led Congress to tie up key legislation before leaving

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush called Thursday for the Republican-led Congress to tackle key legislation in its final weeks.

The incoming House of Representatives, elected this week, will be led by Democrats, and the Senate may be as well.

The next few weeks will be "busy ones" for Congress, Bush said, calling on lawmakers to complete work on several bills, including the "terrorist surveillance act" -- the term the White House uses for legislation that would authorize the administration's warrantless surveillance program, which included wiretapping phone calls between people in the United States and suspected terrorists overseas.

The legislation has drawn objections from Democrats and Republicans.

The other legislation Bush cited included federal spending bills, an agreement with India for civilian nuclear technology, and trade legislation. (Posted 11:49 a.m.)

Iraqi insurgents: GOP losses 'a great victory for Iraqi resistance'

(CNN) -- The Islamic Army in Iraq on Thursday called the Republican losses in the U.S. midterm elections that turned the political tide in favor of Democrats "a great victory for the Iraqi resistance."

"Even (U.S. President) Bush admitted so by sacrificing the tyrant (Defense Secretary Donald) Rumsfeld on the altar of the Democrats' sweeping victory. This is further proof of our just cause and that tyranny will be defeated," said insurgent group spokesman Ibrahim Shammari in an interview with the Qatar-based satellite channel Al-Jazeera.

Bush announced Rumsfeld's departure Wednesday, and said he would nominate former CIA Director Robert Gates as his replacement. The nomination must be voted on by the Senate. Rumsfeld stepped down amid heavy criticism of his management of the Iraq war.

"All experts agreed that the war in Iraq played a major role in these elections," Shammari said. "Thus the Iraqi resistance was a determining factor as to who gets elected into Congress and who stays out and who will lead the military. We consider this to be a major achievement for the Iraqi resistance." (Posted 12:21 a.m.)

Military: At least 20 Sri Lankan sailors killed in clash with rebels

(CNN) -- At least 20 sailors from the Sri Lankan navy and an unknown number of Tamil Tiger rebels were feared dead after a sea battle Thursday off the coast of northern Sri Lanka, military sources said.

The fighting began just before dusk about six miles off Point Pedro, located on the government-controlled Jaffna peninsula, after Navy patrols spotted a flotilla of Sea Tiger boats. The Sea Tigers are the rebels' seafaring arm.

The navy patrols intercepted the rebel flotilla, which had set out from its northeastern base at Chalai, the sources said. One Dvora fast attack craft was sunk, and another was engulfed in flames from rebel fire, they said.

Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said the rebels suffered "heavy damage," but was unable to provide casualty counts. --From CNN's Iqbal Athas (Posted 10:29 a.m.)

Olmert blames 'technical error' for bloodshed in Beit Hanoun

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday blamed a "technical error" for the military's tank shelling of Beit Hanoun that killed 19 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, according to a spokeswoman with the minister's office.

The bloodshed happened early Wednesday, hours after Israel announced it had pulled out of the northern Gaza town where it was targeting militants firing Qassam rockets into Israel.

Israeli tanks, poised on the outskirts of Beit Hanoun, fired 10 artillery rounds into the town's center and killed 19 people, Palestinian medical sources said.

Among the dead was a 13-member family that included seven children, the sources said.

The deaths have been labeled a massacre by moderate and hard-line Palestinian leaders, and have prompted outrage among Israelis, Palestinians and the international community.

Hours after the incident, which is under investigation, Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz expressed their regret over the civilian deaths. (Posted 10:17 a.m.)

11 million bottles of store-brand acetaminophen recalled

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A major generic drugmaker said Thursday it recalled a reported 11 million bottles of its store-brand acetaminophen after it found the pain pills might contain metal fragments.

Perrigo, the maker of over-the-counter drugs and nutrition products, said the company had found trace amounts of metal in a small number of products. There were no reports of injuries or illness, the company said.

The recall affects 11 million bottles containing pills that may have been contaminated with metal fragments, a spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration said.

The company said in a written statement that it was recalling 383 batches of the product after some were found to be contaminated but did not say how many bottles it was recalling.

Perrigo's customers include Wal-Mart, CVS, Longs Drug Stores, Kroger, Safeway, Dollar General, Save-a-Lot, the company said. (Posted 10:17 a.m.)

Source: Iowa's Gov. Vilsack to run for Democratic presidential candidate in 2008

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, will file a statement of candidacy to run for the White House in 2008 on Thursday, according to a source close to the governor.

He is the first prominent Democrat to do so.

The announcement comes a day after Democrat Chet Culver won the race to replace Vilsack, who will end his second term as Iowa's governor in January.

Vilsack, who will turn 56 next month, was first elected in 1998, becoming Iowa's first Democratic governor in more than 30 years. (Posted 8:50 a.m.)

Foreign minister: Britain to stay in Iraq while country at 'critical junction'

LONDON (CNN) -- Britain will stay the course in Iraq "as long as that government asks us to do so," to avoid "even greater instability" if troops withdraw prematurely, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said Thursday.

If troops pull out now in this "critical junction at which the fate of that country hangs in the balance...the only winners will be the terrorists," she said in a dual news conference in London with Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Hamad al-Thani.

Beckett drew comparisons between Iraq and Afghanistan and called it a disaster to "walk away" from Afghanistan initially in the 80s, which resulted in a "terrible civil war under a brutal regime." (Posted 8:21 a.m.)

Police: At least six bombings in Baghdad kill more than a dozen Iraqis

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Here is a timeline of Thursday's bombing attacks in Baghdad, which have so far killed 13 Iraqis, most of them civilians:

8 a.m. -- Roadside bomb targets Iraqi army patrol on Palestine Street in central Baghdad, killing one soldier and wounding four other soldiers, police said.

9 a.m. -- Car bomb targets Iraqi army patrol in northern Baghdad, killing two civilians and wounding four -- two civilians and two soldiers.

9:30 a.m. -- Roadside bomb in central Baghdad market kills two civilians and wounds 25 others.

10 a.m. -- Car bomb targeting an Iraqi police patrol in eastern Baghdad wounds two Iraqi police.

11 a.m. -- Car bomb in central Baghdad kills five civilians and wounds 25 others.

1 p.m. -- Car bomb in northern Baghdad market kills three civilians, wounds 12 others. -- From CNN's Arwa Damon (Posted 7:48 a.m.)

Coalition forces in Iraq confiscate and destroy 'extensive' weapons cache

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S.-led coalition forces confiscated and destroyed an "extensive" weapons cache used by militants Thursday east of Ramadi in Iraq's volatile Anbar province, the U.S. military said.

Weaponry found included 15 cases of anti-aircraft ammunition, bomb making material, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds and homemade rockets.

"Intelligence" indicated the area where the troops found the weapons cache was in an "historical location for al Qaeda in Iraq leaders to meet and coordinate operations," the military said.

Ramadi is about 50 miles west of Baghdad.

On Wednesday Iraqi and coalition forces arrested three suspected terrorists and confiscated weaponry used by militants after receiving small-arms fire during a search in a mosque in Anbar province, the military said.

The munitions the troops confiscated included a rocket-propelled grenade warhead, detonation cord and two tanks packed with explosives. An explosives ordnance disposal team destroyed the materials and explosives.

The military said no Iraqi or coalition casualties were reported in the raid but did not report whether any militants were killed or wounded. (Posted 5:18 a.m.)

Bombs explode in six car showrooms in Thai south

BANGKOK (CNN) -- Bombs planted in six separate car showrooms detonated in Thailand's Muslim dominated south Thursday afternoon, officials said.

No fatalities occurred but some injuries were reported, police said. They did not give exact figures on how many were wounded.

The explosions occurred in Yala, which is about 600 miles south of Bangkok.

Thailand's southern region has been the scene of ongoing violence which has claimed the lives of almost 2,000 people in the past two and a half years. -- From CNN's Narunart Prapanya (Posted 3:29 a.m.)

Bush's new pick for Pentagon already schooled in Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush's pick to take over the Defense Department is already involved in planning for the future of the war in Iraq as part of a high-level commission charged with reviewing U.S. strategy in the war.

Bush tapped Robert Gates, who served as CIA director during his father's presidency, on Wednesday to replace embattled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who stepped down amid heavy criticism of his management of the war.

Gates, 63, is a member of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan, congressionally established panel led by former Secretary of State James Baker, a longtime Bush family confidante; and Lee Hamilton, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and vice chairman of the 9/11 commission. (Posted 9:34 p.m.)


Advertisement

Advertisement

Career Builder.com
Quick Job Search
  More Options
International Edition
CNN TV CNN International Headline News Transcripts Advertise with Us About Us Contact Us
Search
© 2007 Cable News Network.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map.
SERVICES » E-mails RSSRSS Feed PodcastsRadio News Icon CNNtoGo CNN Pipeline
Offsite Icon External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pipeline Icon Pay service with live and archived video. Learn more