The CNN Wire: Thursday, July 12

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.

Police: Truck driver suspected of killing 6 in 4 states

(CNN) -- A long-distance truck driver gave statements implicating himself in six murders in four states after authorities found what they believe to be blood inside the cab of his rig, Nashville, Tenn., police said Thursday.

Bruce Mendenhall, 56, an independent truck driver from Albion, Ill., is facing criminal homicide charges in the shooting death of Sara Nicole Hulbert, 25, whose body was found June 26 in the parking lot of a Nashville truck stop, authorities said in a statement.

A police officer traveling to the truck stop to conduct an interview in the Hulbert case saw a tractor-trailer rig on the way "that generally matched the description of a truck being sought for investigation in the case," the police statement said.

Detective Sgt. Pat Postiglione followed the truck into the parking lot of the truck stop and knocked on its door after it parked. While talking with Mendenhall, he told reporters, he noticed what appeared to be blood spots on the inside of the driver's door. Postiglione said he asked for and received permission to look inside the truck. Inside, he said, he "saw some more evidence that I considered incriminating." (Posted 8:19 p.m.)

Draft of new intelligence report says al Qaeda increasing efforts to get into the U.S.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Al Qaeda is increasing its efforts to get operatives into the United States for an attack and has nearly all the capabilities it needs to carry out such a mission, a draft of a new U.S. government intelligence analysis says, according to two government officials familiar with it.

Those capabilities include a safe haven along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border from which the terrorist organization's leaders can operate, the officials told CNN.

The classified report, called a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), represents the combined analyses of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies. Officials spoke to CNN anonymously because the report has not been finalized.

Several U.S. officials said the final report is expected to emphasize what policymakers have already been saying publicly: al Qaeda is regrouping and remains intent on attacking on the United States.

-- From CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena (Posted 8:11 p.m.)

House backs U.S. withdrawal from Iraq by April 1

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House of Representatives voted 223-201 Thursday to require most U.S. troops to leave Iraq by April 1, 2008.

President Bush vetoed a war-spending bill with a similar withdrawal date in May, and has threatened to spike any new effort to set a timetable for a U.S. pullout. His Republican allies in the House said the new measure has no chance of passage.

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday's mixed report on the progress of war shows it's time for American troops to come home.

"President Bush continues to urge patience, but what is needed -- and what the American people are demanding -- is a new direction," she said. (Posted 6:16 p.m.)

Suit filed against TB traveler

(CNN) -- Eight people who shared a flight with tuberculosis-infected traveler Andrew Speaker on May 24 filed suit Thursday against Speaker in a Canadian court.

Canadian Press reported that the suit was filed in Quebec Superior Court and that the plaintiffs were seeking Canadian $1.4 million (US$1.3 million) in damages.

Speaker, a 31-year-old Atlanta lawyer, caused an international uproar when he disregarded doctors' advice and traveled abroad to get married, potentially exposing his fellow passengers to the disease.

Speaking with CNN from a hospital in Denver, where he is undergoing treatment, Speaker said he is aware of the pending litigation but has not heard from his attorney in Montreal.

Rosalind Yee -- an attorney for the plaintiffs who said her clients include a ninth person related to one of the passengers but who was not on the flight -- said all eight passengers have undergone TB tests since they returned home. One of them, a 72-year-old man, tested positive for TB on a skin test, though it was not clear that Speaker was the source. The man's x-rays were normal, she said, and he is awaiting results of further tests. (Posted 5:27 p.m.)

Christian protesters disrupt Senate's first Hindu prayer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Capitol police arrested three activists from a Christian anti-abortion group Thursday after they disrupted the Senate's opening invocation, which was delivered by a Hindu chaplain for the first time.

Ante Pavkovic, his wife Kathy Pavkovic and their daughter, Kristen Sugar, were cited for disrupting Congress and released, said Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a Capitol Police spokeswoman. All three will face a later court date, she said.

All three were members of Operation Save America, the anti-abortion group formerly known as Operation Rescue. Its leader, the Rev. Flip Benham, praised their actions Thursday afternoon.

Former Newark mayor Indicted on 33 counts of Fraud

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James has been charged with 33 counts of fraud against the city of Newark, according to an indictment filed Thursday by the U.S. Attorney's office in New Jersey.

According to the indictment, Sharpe charged more than $58,000 on city-issued credit cards between 2001 and 2006 for vacations for himself and several female companions to exotic locations such as Martha's Vineyard, Rio De Janeiro and the Dominican Republic, where he attended major sporting events, test drove exotic cars and ate at fine restaurants.

As mayor, James's salary ranged from $171,000 to $203,000 annually, including $25,000 a year for personal expenses and vacations. During his tenure, James also earned another $49,000 a year as a member of the New Jersey state senate.

He claims his visit to Rio de Janeiro in 2006 was to meet with the region's consulate general on city business. He also claims that a $1,400 trip to the Dominican Republic was to "assess the tropical gardens on a resort property there to determine if those gardens could be replicated near Penn Station in Newark," according to the indictment. (Posted 4:57 p.m.)

McCain campaign running out of money

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The already-dire situation for Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign has actually gotten even worse, according to two sources close to the candidate who say the campaign has a paltry $250,000 left.

The McCain campaign will reveal it has about $1.75 million in unpaid debts, wiping out the $2 million in cash-on-hand the campaign currently has in the bank, the sources said.

It was not immediately clear whether the campaign debt must be repaid immediately or whether the debt can be paid back over time, including after the presidential campaign ends.

Even though the Arizona Republican has raised just over $11 million overall in the last three months, his campaign has spent large sums of money, one of the primary reasons for the departure earlier this week of his top two strategists, Terry Nelson and John Weaver.

-- From CNN's Ed Henry (Posted 4:48 p.m.)

British authorities release woman held in connection with attacks

LONDON (CNN) -- British authorities Thursday released one of seven people they had arrested in connection with last month's failed car bombing attempts in London and Glasgow.

An eighth person was arrested in Australia.

Metropolitan Police said the person released was a 27-year-old woman arrested on the M6 highway in Cheshire. She has been identified by sources familiar with the investigation as Marwa Dana Asha, wife of Mohammed Asha, a doctor who was arrested at the same time and is still being held.

British authorities have so far charged only one of the suspects in the case -- Bilal Abdulla, identified by sources as an Iraqi doctor. Abdulla was one of two men who left two car bombs in central London June 29 and rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a terminal at Glasgow's airport the next day, authorities say.

He has been charged with conspiracy to cause explosions likely to endanger life. (Posted 4:33 p.m.)

Rice drops Mideast trip next week

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is dropping the Mideast from her next trip and planning a bigger excursion later next month to talk up the Bush Administration policy on Iraq, her spokesman said Thursday.

Rice was set to leave on Sunday but will now leave Tuesday or Wednesday on a much pared-down trip with stops only in Portugal and Ghana. Her spokesman, Sean McCormack, announced Thursday afternoon that Rice will postpone planned stops to Jerusalem and Ramallah, as well as to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

President Bush announced earlier in the day, at his news conference on progress of the Iraq war, that he was sending Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to the Middle East in August to meet with U.S. allies, to reassure them that the Middle East remains a U.S. priority and to tell Iraq's neighbors that "nations throughout the Middle East have a stake in a stable Iraq." (Posted 3:37 p.m.)

Jeffs indicted on 8 additional Arizona charges

(CNN) -- Polygamist sect leader Warren Steed Jeffs, who is currently awaiting trial in southern Utah, was charged with eight additional felony counts from Arizona in two separate cases, authorities said Thursday.

A grand jury indicted Jeffs May 10 on two counts of sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of incest for alleged incidents occurring in 2002, according to a statement issued by Mohave County Attorney Matthew J. Smith.

On Thursday, another grand jury indicted him on two additional counts of sexual conduct with a minor and two additional counts of incest from 2003. Those offenses took place in Colorado City, Ariz., according to the indictment.

Both indictments state that Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), committed the offenses "as an accomplice." (Posted 3:22 p.m.)

Christian protesters disrupt Senate's first Hindu prayer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Capitol police arrested three people for disrupting the Senate as it opened its session with a prayer from a Hindu chaplain for the first time Thursday, a police spokeswoman said.

"Lord Jesus, forgive us for allowing the prayer of the wicked, which is an abomination in your sight," one man shouted as Rajan Zed, a Hindu leader from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's home state of Nevada, began his invocation to "the transcendental glory of the deity supreme."

A woman interrupted Zed's second attempt with her own prayer "In Jesus' name."

The identities of those arrested were not immediately known.

The chamber's invitation to Zed drew criticism from the American Family Association and other evangelical Christian activists. The AFA had urged supporters to call their senators and ask for Zed's invitation to be yanked, but its president, Tim Wildmon, said his group was not behind Thursday's protest. (Posted 3:18 p.m.)

Holsinger vows to serve all Americans, if confirmed

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr. vowed Thursday that, if confirmed as the nation's next surgeon general, he would serve all Americans regardless of their sexual orientation.

Discussion focused on a paper written in 1991 by Holsinger for the United Methodist Church entitled "Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality," in which he implies that homosexuality is unnatural and unhealthy. "When the complementarity of the sexes is breached, injuries and diseases may occur," he wrote.

Committee Chairman Sen. Edward Kennedy accused Holsinger, 68, of having omitted from his paper studies carried out by the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychology Association, the American Public Health Association and the World Health Organization. (Posted 2:45 p.m.)

McCain Florida campaign worker arrested, accused of offering money for sex

(CNN) - A day after four of Sen. John McCain's top political strategists stepped down, the Arizona Republican's presidential campaign was dealt another setback when the co-chairman of his Florida campaign was arrested Wednesday for allegedly offering an undercover police officer money for a sex act, Titusville police said.

Florida State Rep. Bob Allen faces charges of solicitation for prostitution after he was arrested in a Titusville city park that had been under surveillance, police said.

He allegedly offered an undercover police officer for $20 for the unspecified act.

Allen told CNN affiliate WFTV the incident was "a very big misunderstanding."

"This is a very gross mistake, a very big mistake," he said, adding that this is what the judicial system is for.

Allen said he helped build the park, and was there looking around.

There was no initial comment from the McCain campaign.

In March, the McCain campaign issued a news release on its Florida leadership team, saying, "Allen will serve as a House co-chair for Senator McCain's campaign."

Allen was elected to the Florida House in 2000.

His arrest comes a day after McCain's campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief strategist John Weaver announced their departures in joint statements released by the campaign.

Musharraf vows crackdown on extremists, but no new mosque raids

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- In his first address since the end of a bloody mosque siege, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf vowed to continue fighting Islamic extremism within his country Thursday but said he did not intend to send his forces into other mosques.

"We will resolve to fight against extremism and terrorism no matter what province," Musharraf said. "We will finish it off in every corner of the country."

However, he said he had no intentions of storming other mosques or Islamic schools as part of that crackdown, as Pakistani security forces did to end a week-long standoff at Islamabad's Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque.

"I resolve in the future we will not make the situation like Red Mosque for any other mosque or madrassa," Musharraf said.

His address, which was carried live on Pakistani national television, was not a victory speech, however. (Posted 1:54 p.m.)

Bush: Iraq's military progress will yield more political gains

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House interim report on Thursday showed political progress in Iraq is lagging behind military gains, but President Bush said that makes sense.

"Those who believe that the battle in Iraq is lost will likely point to the unsatisfactory performance on some of the political benchmarks," Bush told a news conference. "Those of us who believe the battle in Iraq can and must be won see the satisfactory performance on several of the security benchmarks as a cause for optimism."

"Our strategy is built on the premise that progress on security will pave the way for political progress. So it's not surprising that political progress is lagging behind the security gains we are seeing."

The report evaluates how well the Iraqi government is meeting 18 benchmarks mandated by Congress as part of a supplemental funding bill it passed in May.

According to the assessment, the war-torn country has made mostly satisfactory progress in meeting eight military benchmarks.

"In eight other areas, the Iraqis have much more work to do," Bush said. "For example, they've not done enough to prepare for local elections or pass a law to share oil revenues." (Posted 12:25 p.m.)

Reaction to President Bush's presentation of the interim Iraq progress report

(CNN) -- The following are samples of reactions to President Bush's presentation Thursday of the interim report on progress in Iraq.

Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate

"Does this White House think that we don't know how to turn on our televisions? Don't tell us we're making progress in Iraq when the last three months have been some of the deadliest since this war began for our brave troops who have sacrificed so much.

"And don't tell us it's progress when the Iraqi leadership has done nothing - nothing - to take the political steps necessary to end their civil war. This war has only fueled the terrorist threat whose strength is now at pre-9/11 levels. It should never have been authorized, never have been waged, and it must end now." Sen. Joe Biden, Democratic presidential candidate and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

"This progress report is like the guy who's falling from a 100-story building and says half-way down that 'everything's fine.' If we continue the way we're going, with (the) President's failed strategy in Iraq - we're headed for a crash landing.

"The total lack of progress on the political benchmarks makes it clear yet again, that the entire premise of the President's Iraq policy is fatally flawed. The President says we are surging forces in Iraq to buy time for the Maliki government to get its act together and win the trust of all Iraqis. That will not happen. Absent an occupation -- which we cannot sustain; or the return of a dictator -- which we cannot support; Iraq cannot be governed from the center."

"We have to stop escalating this war that has no end in sight and start down the path of a responsible drawdown." (Posted 12:16 p.m.)

Benchmark report accuses Iran, Syria of fostering instability in Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration's interim report on Iraq pointed the finger squarely at both Iran and Syria Thursday, saying both have "continued to foster instability in Iraq" by funding extremists or providing a route for foreign fighters to reach Iraq.

The report summary finds that "Iran funds extremist groups to promote attacks against Coalition and Iraqi forces and the Iraqi government." The report was mandated by Congress and seeks to assess security, economic and government progress being made in Iraq through 18 benchmarks.

"We see little change in Iran's policy of seeking U.S. defeat through direct financial and material support for attacks against U.S. military and civilians in Iraq.

"Iran is engaging in similar activities in Afghanistan."

The report was equally harsh in its condemnation of Syria saying Syria is the main route for foreign fighters "especially suicide bombers" who continue to use syria as their man transit route to Iraq.

"The Syrian government also allows major insurgent organizers and financiers to operate in Damascus," the report concludes.

"We continue to assess that nearly 80 percent of suicide bombers are foreign fighters -- with the vast majority traveling to Iraq through Syria -- and to Syria from their home countries by air travel to Damascus."

The report alleges that the networks of foreign fighters that Syria allows to operate on its territory "is able to supply some 50 to 80 suicide bombers to AQI (al Qaeda in Iraq) per month.

"Since January, there have been nearly 280 suicide events in Iraq, accounting for nearly 5,500 casualties, mostly innocent Iraqis going about their daily lives. Syria can and must do more to shut down these networks." (Posted 12:14 p.m.)

Bush says for first time 'perhaps' someone in his administration disclosed identity of Valerie Plame

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Thursday for the first time that "perhaps, somebody in the administration" disclosed the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame.

While Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, was convicted of lying to a grand jury about the leak of Plame's identity, no one has ever been charged with revealing her name in 2003.

"I haven't spent a lot of time talking about the testimony that people throughout my administration were forced to give as a result of the special prosecutor," Bush told reporters during a briefing on the interim Iraq progress report.

"I didn't ask them during the time, and I haven't asked them since. I'm aware of the fact that, perhaps, somebody in the administration did disclose the name of that person.

"You know, I've often thought about what would have happened had that person come forth and said, 'I did it.' Would we have had this, you know, endless hours of investigation and a lot of money being spent on this matter?"

Bush defended his commutation of Libby's 30-month prison sentence as a "fair and balanced decision."

"But it has been a tough issue for a lot of people in the White House, and it's run its course and now we're going to move on," the president said.

Libby was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison, with two years supervised release and a $250,000 fine, when he was convicted earlier this year of perjury and obstruction of justice during an investigation into the leak of Plame's identity.

Bush determined the prison sentence was "excessive" and commuted the prison term on July 2, while specifically saying that the supervised release and fine should remain in effect.

Syndicated columnist and former CNN contributor Robert Novak -- who wrote the July 2003 piece in which Valerie Plame was named as a CIA employee -- later said his sources were then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove. Both cooperated with prosecutors, and neither ended up being charged with a crime.

Rove remains in his job at the White House even though Bush pledged in 2003 that anyone in the White House who was determined to have played a role in the leak would be fired. (

Bush: 'Some measurable progress' in Iraq, awaiting Petraeus report in September

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Thursday there's been "some measurable progress" in Iraq, and he will make any further decisions on the course of the war after he gets the report in September from Gen. David Petreaus, the top commander in Iraq.

He told reporters that Anbar province, the Sunni-dominated region, had been "considered lost" and "because of what we call bottom-up reconciliation, Anbar province has changed dramatically."

An anti-al Qaeda element of Sunni tribesmen has emerged, he said, the U.S. military has said.

There is progress in Diyala province, where there is a big push against insurgents. And, he said, "there are neighborhoods in Baghdad where violence is down." (Posted 11:03 a.m.)

Gates, Rice heading to Middle East next month

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Thursday he is dispatching Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Middle East next month.

"We are enhancing our military presence, improving our bilateral security ties, and supporting those fighting the extremists across the Middle East," Bush told reporters.

"We're also using the tools of diplomacy to strengthen regional and international support for Iraq's democratic government. So, I'm sending Secretary Gates and Secretary Rice to the region in early August."

He said the pair will meet with allies and reiterate the U.S. commitment to the International Compact with Iraq, put together in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt during early May. (Posted 10:53 a.m.)

Bush: strategy built on premise that security progress will pave way for political progress

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Thursday it stands to reason that "satisfactory" performance is being made first in Iraq on benchmarks in the security area.

"Those of us who believe the battle in Iraq can and must be won see the satisfactory performance on several of the security benchmarks as a cause for optimism," Bush told reporters.

"Our strategy is built on the premise that progress in security will pave the way for political progress, so it's not surprising that political progress is lagging behind the security gains we're seeing." (Posted 10:48 a.m.)

U.S. soldier killed near Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier was killed in an attack east of Baghdad, the U.S. military announced Thursday.

The soldier was assigned to Task Force Marne. No other details were provided.

With the death, 3,610 U.S. military personnel have died in the Iraq war including 31 in July.

Bush reports some progress in some areas, some 'more work to do' in others

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush, discussing the interim benchmarks report to Congress, on Thursday said, "satisfactory progress" is being made in eight areas, but "more work to do" in other areas.

"Of the 18 benchmarks Congress asked us to measure, we can report that satisfactory progress is being made in eight areas."

He said Iraqis "have provided the three brigades they promised for operations in and around Baghdad."

And, he said, and the Iraq government is "spending nearly $7.3 billion from its own funds this year to train, equip and modernize its forces."

However, Iraqis have "not done enough to prepare for local elections or pass a law to share in oil revenues." (Posted 10:44 a.m.)

4 bank guards in Baghdad suspected of robbing bank

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Four security guards are thought to have robbed the bank they were guarding late Wednesday, making off with the equivalent of more than $260,000, the Interior Ministry told CNN on Thursday.

The guards worked at the private Dar Al-Salaam bank in Baghdad's Karrada district. The four normally slept at the bank and have disappeared. The Interior Ministry and the Finance Ministry set up a committee to investigate the theft.

From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq (Posted 10:32 a.m.)

Bush administration asserts progress in Iraq on military benchmarks, concedes marks on political progress generally unsatisfactory

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration asserted Thursday -- in an interim report on Iraq mandated by Congress -- that the war-torn country has made mostly satisfactory progress in meeting eight military benchmarks, but has received generally unsatisfactory marks on political progress.

The report summary says Iraq has made mixed progress on two others.

President Bush planned to hold a news conference Thursday at 10:30 a.m. ET to discuss the report's findings.

The benchmarks are meant to help the United States determine its political, economic, and military strategy in coming months following a U.S. troop increase that the administration calls a "surge," that began in February. The last U.S. brigade that is a part of that build-up arrived in Iraq in mid-June.

The report also comes at a time of increasing dissatisfaction by long-term Republican supporters with the Bush administration strategy for Iraq.

Bush ordered nearly 30,000 additional troops to Iraq as part of the so-called "surge" campaign to quell the country's sectarian warfare, and administration officials were calling the interim report a snapshot of what is going on there.

"The report is balanced and sober," said White House spokesman Tony Snow in a written statement. "It documents the challenges faced by U.S. and Iraqi forces, and provides a basis for measuring progress as the surge enters the stage of full implementation."

"These security measures have helped reduce levels of violence in Baghdad and Anbar province -- and should provide some space for the government of Iraq to make progress on key political benchmarks. It also shows important progress in economic and political matters." (Posted 10:31 a.m.)

19 killed in Baghdad mortar attack; 2 Iraqi media workers killed in crossfire From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Nineteen people were killed and 20 others were wounded on Thursday in a Baghdad mortar attack and an exchange of fire after the strike, Iraq's Interior Ministry told CNN.

A mortar slammed a residential building in eastern Baghdad's Amin neighborhood, the ministry said.

Afterward, two Iraqis working for the Reuters news agency arrived at the scene to get pictures, the ministry said.

They were killed in the crossfire in the Shiite neighborhood between U.S. troops and Iraqi insurgents, the ministry said.

Reuters and the ministry confirmed that photographer Namir Noor al-Deen, 22, and driver Saeed Chmagh, 40, were killed. (Posted 10:30 a.m.)

Trans-Atlantic flight diverted due to possible security breach

NEW YORK (CNN) -- An American Airlines flight bound for London was diverted to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport early Thursday after a crew member uncovered a possible security breach, an airline spokeswoman said.

According to American Airlines spokeswoman Sonja Whitemon, a crew member aboard Flight 136 -- scheduled to travel non-stop from Los Angeles International Airport to London Heathrow Airport -- questioned a passenger who she believed she saw bypassing security earlier in the day by traveling on an employee-only shuttle bus heading from the parking lot to the LAX airport employee entrance.

Following that conversation the decision to divert the Boeing 777 was made, Whitemon said.

"The passenger became cause for concern," another American Airlines spokesman, Ned Raynolds, told CNN. "The pilot and crew made a decision to divert to JFK."

The plane, carrying 218 passengers and 14 crew, landed in New York at about 2:45 a.m. ET.

A male passenger from that flight was detained and was being interviewed by FBI agents Thursday morning, FBI officials in New York and Washington told CNN.

The FBI official in Washington said the passenger poses no security threat, and it's not clear if that passenger ever was on the employee bus.

"We have not verified that the individual circumvented security in any way," said TSA spokesman Christopher White. "We're still tracking his every movement from when he parked his car to when he got on the plane."( Posted 10:29 a.m.)

Progress on Iraqi benchmarks mixed

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Iraqi government has met eight benchmarks satisfactorily, eight unsatisfactorily and has made mixed progress on two as the United States tries to evaluate its progress as a government, according to U.S. officials. (Posted 8:30 a.m.)

Avalanche in Swiss Alps kills 6; identities unclear

(CNN) -- Six people were killed Thursday in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps near the village of Lauterbrunnen, a Swiss army spokesman said.

It is unclear if the six are civilians or staff members of the Swiss army, who may have been in the area at the time, the spokesman said.

The avalanche happened around 10 a.m. (4 a.m. ET) and the process of recovering and identifying the bodies is ongoing, the spokesman said. (Posted 7:38 a.m.)

Rio Tinto to buy Alcan in deal to create world's largest aluminum company

By Grace Wong, CNNMoney.com staff writer

LONDON (CNNMoney.com) -- Mining giant Rio Tinto has agreed to buy Alcan in a deal valued at $38.1 billion, a move that would create the world's largest aluminum company and thwart Alcoa's hostile bid for the Canadian company.

Anglo-Australian firm Rio Tinto and Alcan announced the deal Thursday, saying Rio Tinto would pay $101 a share in cash, about a 13 percent premium to where Alcan shares closed Wednesday. The offer trumps the cash and stock bid Alcoa made in May for its smaller rival, valued at about $27.7 billion.

That hostile bid was spurned by Alcan, which said the offer was too low and didn't adequately reflect the company's value. The merger would be the biggest metals deal ever and comes during a time of record deal activity. Worldwide announced mergers have already hit $2.7 trillion in the first half of this year, according to Thomson Financial. (Posted 7:33 a.m.)

Trans-Atlantic flight diverted due to possible security breach

(CNN) -- An American Airlines flight bound for London was diverted to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport early Thursday after a crew member uncovered a possible security breach, an airline spokeswoman said.

According to Sonja Whitemon, a crew member aboard Flight 136 -- scheduled to travel non-stop from Los Angeles International Airport to London Heathrow Airport -- questioned a passenger who the employee saw bypassing security by traveling on an employee-only bus from a parking lot to the LAX airport.

Following that conversation the decision to divert the Boeing 777 was made, Whitemon said.

The plane landed in New York at about 2:30 a.m. ET.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told CNN's "American Morning" an initial report he received indicated the passenger in question was actually an employee traveling in a private capacity.

"I think they're still in the process of sorting this out," he said of airport officials. "It may very well turn out that this is nothing more than a misunderstanding with an employee who used an employee bus to get on a plane for a private flight." (Posted 7:02 a.m.)

Lebanese army shells Islamic militants in refugee camp

From CNN's Anthony Mills in Beirut

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (CNN) -- The Lebanese army pounded a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon with heavy artillery Thursday in what one high-ranking Lebanese security source described as a final bid to oust the Islamist militants entrenched inside.

The Lebanese army, however, denied the shelling constituted a final push, describing the operation as continued pressure on the militants.

Fighting around the coastal Nahr al-Bared camp has been simmering on and off for about eight weeks, but flared Thursday as fresh army reinforcements were brought into the area as part of a final assault, the source said.

The sounds of artillery could be heard as black smoke billowed over the bombed-out refugee camp, some from fires triggered by the shelling. (Posted 6:51 a.m.)

Coalition airstrike targets individuals planting roadside bombs

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- At least five "anti-Iraq force members" were killed in a pre-dawn coalition airstrike launched Thursday while the men were planting roadside bombs in the eastern Iraqi city of Diwaniya, a U.S. military spokesman told CNN.

Six individuals were targeted in the attack, but according to initial reports five were killed. The spokesman added there were no civilian casualties reported.

Meanwhile, Iraq's Interior Ministry told CNN a U.S. air strike killed five militiamen and wounded three others. The ministry said the men were attempting to plant bombs on a road in a neighborhood in Diwaniya -- a predominately Shiite city south of Baghdad.

Separately, the interior ministry said three people were killed and seven others were wounded Thursday afternoon when a mortar round landed on a residential building in Amin, a predominately Shiite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad.

--From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq (Posted 5:39 a.m.)

Israeli soldier killed during army, militant clashes

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- An Israeli soldier was killed and two others were wounded when army forces clashed with armed militants in central Gaza overnight, Israel Defense Forces said Thursday.

The army crossed into Gaza during an operation targeting a terror infrastructure in El-Bureij refugee camp, the IDF said.

The operation is ongoing.

--From CNN's Michal Zippori (Posted 1:45 a.m.) E-mail to a friend