The House is expected to approve a measure Thursday that fully funds the president's $96 billion request but does not set a deadline for troop withdrawal.
There's no shortage of headline-grabbing issues on Capitol Hill this week. The House Judiciary Committee continued to probe the Justice Department's firing of U.S. attorneys, while the Senate struggled in its efforts to pass a funding bill for the Iraq war. But away from the klieg lights, another major brouhaha was just beginning to take shape: the crafting of a new farm bill.
Michelle Obama's decision to drastically reduce her high-paying work schedule to stump for her husband, particularly to boost his support among female voters, has riled some feminists.
AP - President Bush portrayed the Iraq war as a battle between the U.S. and al-Qaida on Wednesday and shared nuggets of intelligence to contend Osama bin Laden was setting up a terrorist cell in Iraq to strike targets in America.
AP - Iraqi police dragged a body from the Euphrates River on Wednesday and said it was one of three American soldiers abducted in an ambush claimed by al-Qaida. The U.S. military has yet to identify the victim and pressed ahead with its search through sweltering flatlands south of Baghdad.
AP - A statement signed by Fidel Castro Wednesday said his weight was stable and he was eating solid foods after months of intravenous feeding that followed several operations, including an initial surgery that did not go well.
A new military and diplomatic plan for Iraq is being prepared by senior U.S. strategists, including the top U.S. general in Iraq, officials told CNN Wednesday. One element is to identify groups, possibly including militias, that the U.S. can strike power-sharing and cease-fire deals with, the sources said. The plan being drawn up appears to depart from the stance that all insurgents must be beaten on the battlefield.
The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to cut in half the number of guest workers that would be allowed into the United States under a controversial immigration overhaul backed by the White House.
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