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    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 Time. U.S. aid worker reported missing in northern Philippines(CNN) -- A search was under way Saturday for a U.S. aid worker missing for nearly a week in the northern Philippines, the U.S. Embassy in Manila told CNN. U.S. authorities are seeking information on Julia Campbell, a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer last seen on Easter Sunday in the town of Banaue in Ifugao province, said embassy spokesman Matthew Lussenhop. Campbell had planned to hike alone on April 8 in a hilly region near Batad, Lussenhop said. The area, about 160 miles north of Manila, is famed for its mountain rice terraces and pine forests. The communist New People's Army also operates in the region, Lussenhop said. U.S. Embassy security officials are working with local police and Peace Corps authorities to find Campbell, he said. Campbell has served as a college teacher in Legazpi, in southern Luzon since she began her Peace Corps service in the Philippines in March 2005. --From CNN's Kevin Drew in Hong Kong (Posted 12:24 a.m.) Breaux says he won't seek Louisiana governorship(CNN) -- In a blow to Democratic hopes of keeping the Louisiana governorship this fall, former U.S. Sen. John Breaux announced Friday that he will not run for the office, after the state's attorney general refused to issue an official opinion on whether he met residency requirements. "I was hopeful that an unambiguous declaration would clearly state what I have believed from the very beginning -- I am a citizen of the state and therefore qualified to run for governor," Breaux said in a statement issued by the Louisiana Democratic Party. "The failure of a clear declaration of my status as a citizen greatly inhibits my ability to conduct a campaign based on the issues instead of the law." After leaving the Senate two years ago, Breaux, a popular centrist who represented the Pelican State for in Congress for more than 30 years, went to work as a Washington lobbyist and bought a house in Maryland, where he also registered to vote and obtained a driver's license. Louisiana Republicans had threatened a court fight over Breaux's eligibility to run, charging that he no longer met a state constitutional requirement that candidates for governor had to have been Louisiana citizens for the last five years. (Posted 11:45 p.m.) Dallas, Fort Worth socked by severe stormDALLAS (CNN) -- An ominous line of black clouds rolled across north-central Texas Thursday, bringing heavy rain, lightning, baseball-sized hail and possible tornadoes into the Dallas-Fort Worth area. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but television coverage showed damage to buildings and several tractor-trailers overturned in an industrial area in Haltom City, about six miles northeast of Fort Worth. Tornado warning sirens blared across the region, and thousands of fans were forced to take shelter at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, where qualifying had been under way for a NASCAR Nextel Cup race on Sunday. The qualifying runs were canceled because of the fast-moving storm, according to the TMS Web site. A tornado warning was in effect for Dallas County until 7:30 p.m.; the area will be under a tornado watch until midnight. Neighboring Rockwell and Tarrant Counties are under a tornado warning until 7:55 p.m. (Posted 8:27 p.m.) N.C. State Bar denies motion to dismiss some accusations against Nifong(CNN) -- A disciplinary committee of the North Carolina State Bar on Friday denied a motion filed by attorneys for Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong to dismiss some of the alleged ethics violations against him in relation to the Duke lacrosse case. Committee members felt that approving the motion would have required them to consider matters outside the scope of the complaint the bar has filed against Nifong, committee chairman Lane Williamson said. Nifong initially led the prosecution of three Duke lacrosse players on allegations they sexually assaulted an exotic dancer at an off-campus party last year. Earlier this week, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper dismissed all charges against the three players and criticized Nifong for his handling of the case. The bar has accused Nifong of withholding DNA evidence from the players' defense attorneys and of giving the court false information. It also maintains he violated ethics rules during media interviews he gave shortly after the woman accused the Duke players of raping her. (Posted 6:08 p.m.) Wolfowitz gets White House vote of confidence amid girlfriend flapWASHINGTON (CNN) -- The embattled president of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, got a vote of confidence from the White House Friday, a day after he apologized for his role in brokering an agreement that sent his girlfriend, a bank staffer, off to a new job at the State Department with a hefty pay increase. Meanwhile, the woman at the center of the controversy, Shaha Riza, has told an internal committee investigating the matter that she never wanted to leave the bank, never sought any special consideration and has suffered "professionally, physically and psychologically" from "unwarranted and malicious" attacks on her. "I have now been victimized for agreeing to an arrangement that I have objected to and that I did not believe from the outset was in my best interest," she said in a letter to the committee, which was released by the bank. Wolfowitz and Riza, who worked in the World Bank's regional office for the Middle East and North Africa, were dating prior to his nomination by President Bush to head the World Bank in 2005. Wolfowitz said the actions he took regarding Riza came after he was told by the ethics committee of the board of the World Bank that a possible conflict of interest existed if she remained at the bank. (Posted 5:58 p.m.A) Cheney's former chief of staff skips motion for new trial, will appealWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorneys for Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, have decided against filing a motion for a new trial and plan instead to challenge his convictions on appeal, according to documents filed Friday in federal court. "Mr. Libby intends to raise in the court of appeals substantial issues of law on appeal of his conviction, including issues that may result in the granting of a new trial," defense counsel wrote in a notice filed in the case. They faced a Friday deadline to file a motion for a new trial in district court. Such a move would ordinarily be accompanied by arguments establishing a basis for judge Reggie Walton to rule in their favor. "However, defense counsel's review of the record leads us to conclude that the issues were adequately presented" at trial, the lawyers wrote. --From CNN's Paul Courson (Posted 5:45 p.m.) Bush administration proposes bill to amend law monitoring government surveillanceWASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration Friday sent Congress a bill that would expand the government's power under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). One provision in the proposed legislation amends the definition of an agent of a foreign power to include non-U.S. citizens in the United States who are believed to possess significant intelligence information but whose ties to a foreign country are unclear. The intelligence community would be able to collect information from such a person if it met probable cause standards. The bill also adds people suspected of proliferating weapons of mass destruction to the list of national security threats covered by FISA. --From National Security Producer Pam Benson (Posted 4:52 p.m.) Birkhead doing 'a great job' with his, Anna Nicole Smith's daughterNASSAU, Bahamas (CNN) -- Larry Birkhead, who Tuesday was declared to be the biological father of the late Anna Nicole Smith's 7-month-old daughter, has been spending time at the home where the child lives with Smith's attorney and partner, Howard K. Stern, and has been "doing a great job" with her, Stern said Friday. "At least informally, the transition period has already begun," he said after a custody hearing. "Larry spent the majority of the last days over at the house getting to know Dannielynn. He's been changing diapers, he's been feeding her, he's been playing with her, and if you ask me, he's been doing a great job." (Posted 3:33 p.m.) Military: 5 soldiers dead on ThursdayBAGHDAD (CNN) -- Three U.S. soldiers were killed Thursday in two incidents south of Baghdad, the military said Friday. In the first incident, a soldier was killed and another was wounded when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb while they conducted a security patrol in the area. In the second incident, two soldiers were killed and seven were wounded when their patrol base came under attack. Two Iraqi interpreters were also killed in the attack. The three deaths bring to five the number of soldiers who died on Thursday in Iraq. Earlier Friday morning, the military announced that a soldier had been killed by small arms fire north of Baghdad. Another soldier died Thursday of "a non-battle-related cause," the military said in a separate statement. (Posted 3:24 p.m.) Justice releases nearly 2,400 pages of documents, saying it is being responsive to Hill demandsWASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Justice Department on Friday provided nearly 2,400 pages of internal documents involving the controversial firing of eight U.S. attorneys, declaring it is being responsive to the demands of congressional Democrats for further document production. In letters to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., and his Senate counterpart, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., a top Justice official insisted the department is providing nearly everything sought in the congressional demands as quickly as possible. "We continued that cooperation today by producing an additional 2,394 pages of documents. Included in today's production are unredacted (not blacked out) versions of some of the documents that we previously produced in redacted form," said Assistant Attorney General Richard Hertling. Those unredacted documents are among those requested in a subpoena issued by the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week. --From Justice Producer Terry Frieden (Posted 3:21 p.m.) U.S. general writes military families about extended deploymentsBAGHDAD (CNN) -- Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, wrote military families Friday about the announcement this week that tours of duty for many troops will be extended to 15 months from 12. "I want to assure you that I understand -- and appreciate deeply -- the sacrifices that you and your soldiers have made and will continue to make in the future," he wrote. In the one-page, four-paragraph, typed letter, Petraeus acknowledged the "tough news" for soldiers and their families, and called the extensions "critical" for the military to "accomplish its mission." (Posted 2:43 p.m.) British soldier killed in southern Afghanistan fighting(CNN) -- A British soldier on a routine patrol was killed in a firefight with Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan Friday, the British Defense Ministry said. The incident occurred in Now Zad, in northwest Helmand province, where British troops in NATO's International Security Assistance Force are based. The soldiers are part of A Company, 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, known as the Vikings. (Posted 2:35 p.m.) Marines will deploy controversial tilt-rotor aircraft into combatWASHINGTON (CNN) -- The military's troubled and controversial V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft will head to Iraq for its first combat tour later this year, Marine officials announced Friday. After 18 years and $20 billion in development, the plane, which almost never entered service, will deploy to western Iraq in September to support Marine Corps combat operations for seven months, Marine officials said. The plane, which is intended to eventually replace the corps' 40-year-old fleet of CH-46 helicopters, can fly like a plane and land like a helicopter, giving the Marines more flexibility in the field, officials said. The aircraft can carry more troops, fly faster and longer, and sustain weapons hits better than its predecessor, according to officials, making it a better and safer option for troops in a combat zone. Critics maintain that despite its resurrection and redesign, its tilt-rotor design may still be too unsafe for the complexities of flying in combat operations. --From CNN Pentagon Producer Mike Mount (Posted 1:58 p.m.) 2 claims of responsibility for Iraqi parliament bombing issued on behalf of same insurgent groupBAGHDAD (CNN) -- Two claims of responsibility for the Iraqi parliament cafeteria attack have been posted on Islamic Web sites by the same insurgent umbrella group. The differing claims -- posted by the Islamic State of Iraq -- employ similar and non-contradictory concepts. But the fact that there are two claims could indicate that the movement is disorganized, and split into factions. Or it could be that the second claim was made because the initial one claimed three members of parliament were killed in the attack Thursday. U.S. and Iraqi authorities Friday said that only one had died. There are about six groups in the Islamic State of Iraq. Al Qaeda in Iraq is one of them, and the Islamic Army in Iraq is another. Evidence of disunity recently popped up in the Arab media. (Posted 1:50 p.m.) FEMA admits $4 million worth of food stockpiled for hurricane season went badWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday that about $4 million worth of food stockpiled for last year's hurricane season went bad because it was not stored properly. The agency pre-positioned about $40 million worth of food in the southeastern United States in advance of the 2006 hurricane season as a result of the criticism it received for not being able to get food and water quickly to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita two years ago. FEMA stockpiled enough food to feed a million people for a week. But, because the agency did not have enough space to keep all the food in its warehouses, it stored some of it in hundreds of trucks. When no major hurricanes materialized, that food -- primarily commercial versions of the military's "meals ready to eat, or MREs -- went bad as the trucks broiled in the sun. A FEMA official said the food that has not gone bad is being given to Second Harvest, a nonprofit organization that feeds the hungry. The story was first reported in Friday's Washington Post. --From CNN Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve (Posted 1:40 p.m.) Corzine improving, still critical(CNN) -- New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine remained in critical but stable condition in a hospital intensive care unit Friday after a highway crash the night before in which he sustained "severe trauma," a doctor said. "There's no way to tell how close he came to more severe injuries, but based on the pictures I've seen of the crash, I think he was lucky," said Dr. Steven Ross, head of trauma at Cooper University Hospital. It does not appear Corzine was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, said his spokesman, Anthony Coley. The governor was a front-seat passenger in an SUV driven by a New Jersey state trooper. It crashed on the Garden State Parkway in Galloway Township, just north of Atlantic City. (Posted 12:20 p.m.) Imus apologizes to Rutgers basketball team, they acceptNEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (CNN) -- Rutgers University President Richard McCormick on Friday said radio broadcaster Don Imus -- who was dropped this week by CBS and MSNBC for inflammatory comments -- apologized to the members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team Thursday night. The apology came during a meeting at the New Jersey Governor's Mansion that included Imus, his wife, Deirdre, the 10-member team, their parents, coaches and administrators, and religious leaders. Head Rutgers basketball Coach Vivian Stringer said Friday that the team accepted Imus' apology and they "are in the process of forgiving." "We find his statements to be unacceptable and this is an experience we will never forget," Stringer said, referring to Imus referring to members of the team as "nappy-headed 'hos." (Posted 11:41 a.m.) Commander: Baghdad crackdown has some bright spots, but 'progress' needs to be sustained 'over the long term'WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. Army commander said Friday that the two-month-old Baghdad crackdown is "showing some early results," but he stressed that "real success is based on sustaining progress over the long term." Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of the Multinational Corps-Iraq spoke to reporters at the Pentagon via teleconference from Iraq. Odierno also said that all of the added troops being sent to Iraq as part of the troop escalation, also called a "surge," will be in place by June. He said he plans to make recommendations in July or August about whether the troop buildup should be maintained into next year to Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. (Posted 11:22 a.m.) Data recorder of sunken Greek cruise ship recoveredATHENS (CNN) -- The data recorder from a Greek-flagged cruise ship that sank off an island in the Aegean Sea more than a week ago was recovered Friday, Merchant Marine Ministry officials told CNN. However, the fate of two French tourists missing since the incident remains unknown. An unmanned remote-controlled vessel, operated by the Hellenic Center for Marine Research, descended about 400 feet under water and plucked the recorder off the ship's bridge. Underwater footage from the dive showed the liner lying on its starboard side, tangled in a web of ropes and escape ladders. Maritime experts have said the Sea Diamond is resting in a sea-filled crater created from a volcanic eruption 3,200 years ago. Officials said a local prosecutor was expected to review the data recorder, which stores real-time data relating to the ship's voyage. There was no immediate word on when those findings would be reported. --From Journalist Anthee Carassava (Posted 11:19 a.m.) U.S. commander points to Iran's Quds Force involvement in IraqWASHINGTON (CNN) -- A top U.S. commander in Iraq on Friday reiterated that Iran is involved in the Iraqi insurgency, but could point to involvement only by an elite Iranian military unit, not the Islamic republic's government. Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of the Multinational Corps-Iraq, spoke to reporters at the Pentagon via teleconference from Iraq. He said that Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds Force is "involved" in "supplying training, money and weapons" to extremist groups. Odierno couldn't say whether the Iranian government officially backed up such involvement. "I'm only willing to say it's clear the Quds Force is involved in what's going on here," he said. "It is clear that they continue to interfere." Other U.S. military officials in recent months have said the Quds Force was involved in Iraq. (Posted by 10:50 a.m.) Imus' wife wants hate mail to Rutgers women's team to stopNEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The wife of disgraced broadcaster Don Imus on Friday revealed that some people are sending hate mail to members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team and said that has to stop. Imus' program "Imus in the Morning" was dropped this week by CBS and MSNBC after a public outcry that began when he referred to team members as "nappy-headed 'hos" the day after Rutgers lost the NCAA championship to the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers. The 10-member team, eight of whom are black, met with Imus and his wife, Deirdre, Thursday night. Details of the meeting weren't released. "They gave us the opportunity to listen to what they had to say, why they are hurting, and how awful this is," Deirdre Imus said. "I have to say that these women are unbelievably courageous and beautiful women." She added, "One thing I want to say is the hate mail that's being sent to them must stop. This is wrong. If you want to send hate mail, send it to my husband." (Posted 10:44 a.m.) Insurgent group claims responsibility for suicide attack targeting Iraq's parliamentBAGHDAD (CNN) -- An insurgent umbrella group posted a claim of responsibility for the suicide attack Thursday at Iraq's parliament complex in Baghdad's Green Zone. The Islamic State of Iraq posted the claim on an Islamist Web site. Al Qaeda in Iraq is part of that group. (Posted 9:11 a.m.) U.S., Iraqi officials: Death count in Iraq parliament blast cut to 1BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. and Iraqi authorities have changed the casualty count from Thursday's suicide bombing attack at a cafeteria in Iraq's parliament to one. "Yesterday's reports were based on initial reports from the scene. During evacuation operations, emergency responders and eyewitnesses reported that casualties were being evacuated in multiple directions," the U.S. military said Friday. Hassan al-Sineid, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's adviser, also confirmed the change on Friday. The sources said the one dead was Iraqi lawmaker, Mohammed Awadh. Earlier there had been reports that at least seven people died, including Awadh. Twenty-two civilians were wounded, the U.S. military said. Al-Sineid said three cafeteria workers and several security officers have been detained for questioning in the attack. While the person carrying the bomb is believed to have died in the explosion, investigators are looking at the possibility the bomber was helped by others with access to the high-security area inside the Baghdad convention center, according to a senior U.S military official and a Shiite parliament member. -- CNN's Arwa Damon contributed to this report. (Posted 8:29 a.m.) NATO soldier dies after firefight in southern Afghanistan(CNN) -- A NATO soldier on Friday morning died from wounds sustained in a firefight that broke out in southern Afghanistan, a statement from NATO's International Security Assistance Forces said. Two others soldiers were wounded and treated at a medical facility. The ISAF said they are not in serious condition. The nationality of the deceased was not immediately released. On Thursday two bomb attacks on NATO convoys in eastern Afghanistan killed two soldiers and wounded a third, according to a separate ISAF statement. The convoys were about five miles apart "conducting independent operations in support of the Afghan government" when they were attacked. The blasts occurred 30 minutes apart. (Posted 6:59 a.m.) 14 detained in Iraq raidsBAGHDAD (CNN) -- Coalition troops conducting raids in Iraqi cities seized 14 insurgents on Friday, the U.S. military said. The arrests -- made in Karma, Mosul, Amiriya, and Baghdad -- targeted the al Qaeda in Iraq network. (Posted 6:10 a.m.) N.J. governor Corzine faces up to 6 month recovery from car crash(CNN) -- New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's injuries in a car crash Thursday evening included a severely broken leg that will require two more surgeries and months of rehabilitation, and it will be days before a breathing tube can be removed so he can speak, according to the surgeon who operated on him. Dr. Robert Ostrum, an orthopedic trauma surgeon at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, said Corzine tolerated the two-hour operation well Thursday night and was moved to the trauma intensive care unit, where he was in critical but stable condition Friday morning. Corzine was a front seat passenger in an SUV driven by a New Jersey state trooper that crashed on the Garden State Parkway in Galloway Township, just north of Atlantic City, said Corzine spokesman Anthony Coley. The governor's left thigh bone was broken in two places, with the femur bone popping through the skin, Dr. Ostrum said. His other broken bones include several ribs on each side, his sternum, collar bone and a slightly fractured lower vertebrae, he said. A plastic surgeon also repaired a large cut on the governor's face, Ostrum said. (Posted 5:20 a.m.) Legal community, opposition protest judicial hearingISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Ignoring a citywide security crackdown, members of Pakistan's legal community and opposition parties rallied outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad Friday to protest the latest judicial hearing into alleged abuses of power by former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. The demonstrators numbered in the thousands and police made more than 500 arrests in similar rallies across the country. Friday's hearing was adjourned by midday and will reconvene on Wednesday. Opposition parties have launched a "Save the Judiciary" movement in support of lawyers, who have been boycotting the courts in response to Chaudhry's removal by President Pervez Musharraf. On March 9, Musharraf suspended Chaudhry, accusing him of misusing his powers. Chaudhry was subsequently placed under house arrest -- outraging many Pakistanis, in addition to the country's attorneys. (Posted 5 a.m.) CBS cans 'Imus in the Morning'NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- CBS said Thursday it fired Don Imus from his radio show after a public outcry regarding slurs he used about the Rutgers' women's basketball team last week. The announcement followed one a day earlier by GE-owned cable network MSNBC that it would no longer simulcast Imus' radio show. Hours after the CBS announcement, Imus met with the Rutgers' team in a meeting the coach called "productive." CBS, which carried Imus on 61 radio stations, had originally said it would suspend Imus for two weeks starting Monday. The Rutgers' team -- including the 10 players, their parents, coaches, administrators and religious leaders -- met with Imus Thursday night at the New Jersey Governor's Mansion. "We were able to really dialogue," said C. Vivian Stringer. "I thought it was productive. I am extremely proud of our 10 young basketball members. I have been througout this entire ordeal." Stringer declined to talk about what was said during the meeting or the CBS decision. (Posted 1:40 a.m.) |
 | Jackson death probe may turn criminal, LAPD saysThe Jackson family knows that the probe into singer Michael Jackson's death could turn into a criminal case, a source close to the family told CNN Thursday. |
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