 By BILL STRAUB Scripps Howard News Service
June 03, 2005
Bush praises military President Bush, following tradition, laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, marking Memorial Day. Bush characterized the United States as a "reluctant warrior," adding, "Across the globe, our military is standing directly between our people and the worst dangers in the world, and Americans are proud to have such brave defenders." President disses Amnesty International President Bush on Tuesday held a press conference - the fifth of his second term. He branded as "absurd" the reports from Amnesty International that the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison being used to house suspected terrorists has become a gulag-style camp. Conviction overturned A unanimous Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out the conviction of one-time accounting giant Arthur Andersen on charges that it shredded documents in the Enron case, maintaining that the instructions afforded the jury were inadequate. Deep Throat surfaces For those who have spent the last few days on Mars, it was revealed Tuesday that W. Mark Felt, who was the No. 2 man at the FBI during the Watergate scandal that brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon, was the celebrated anonymous source known as Deep Throat. It was Felt who helped Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein provide stories that led to the downfall. Armed with this knowledge, kept secret for more than 30 years, we can die in peace. NATIONAL Rampage leaves six dead Scott Moody, 18 and ready to graduate from high school, fatally shot three family members, two friends and himself on Monday in rural Bellfontaine, Ohio. Investigators don't know what led to the rampage. Mudslide in California A hillside dense with houses and weakened by rain collapsed in Laguna Beach, Calif., on Wednesday, sending houses and garages flying and sending the inhabitants of at least 350 residences packing. INTERNATIONAL France says "non" France maintained its position as the world's leading contrarian, casting a "non" vote Sunday in rejecting the proposed constitution for the European Union. This put the entire process into disarray. The Netherlands followed suit later in the week. Prime minister fired In the wake of the EU vote, French President Jacques Chirac fired his prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, and replaced him with Dominique de Villepin, in what was seen as an effort to restore public confidence in the Chirac government. Tycoon convicted Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, founder of the Yukos oil company, was sentenced to nine years in prison on Tuesday after being convicted on tax charges. United States asked to stay The transitional government in Iraq confirmed this week that it has asked the U.S. military to remain beyond the end of the year and announced plans to try ousted strongman Saddam Hussein sometime this summer. Iraqi violence continues Violence continued to escalate in Iraq, with gunmen on Friday killing a Kirkuk city council official while car bombs targeting U.S. convoys in Baghdad wounded six civilians. On Thursday, 48 people were killed, including more than 30 in four suicide bombings. In the past 18 months, according to Iraqi authorities, 12,000 civilians have been killed. American forces suffered 11 deaths this week, bringing the total to 1,670. 19 killed in Afghanistan A suicide bomb was detonated outside a mosque in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, killing 19 people, including the police chief of Kabul. BUSINESS Cox picked for SEC President Bush nominated Rep. Chris Cox, R-Calif., to serve as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, replacing William Donaldson, who announced Wednesday he was stepping down. Business interests hailed the move. Job creation tepid The Labor Department reported Friday that job creation in May proved lower than anticipated, announcing that employers added just 78,000 spots - about 100,000 short of analysts' predictions. Still, the unemployment rate dropped to 5.1 percent, the lowest since September 2001. ENTERTAINMENT Jackson trial nears end In the trial that won't end regardless of how hard you pray, both the prosecution and defense offered final arguments in the child-molestation trial of Michael Jackson. SPORTS Wheldon wins at Indy Dan Wheldon, of Emberton, England, won the 89th Indianapolis 500 auto race on Sunday, grabbing the lead on lap 194 and later grabbing a winner's check for $1,537,805. But for some the real story was Danica Patrick. She ended up fourth - the highest finish for a woman in the race's storied history. The New York Yankees carried a five-game losing streak into Minneapolis Friday night, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the last-place Kansas City Royals. DEATHS Oscar Brown Jr. Oscar Brown Jr., a popular jazz performer, songwriter and playwright out of Chicago, died Monday. He was 78. George Mikan George Mikan, a 6-foot-10 center who became the first National Basketball Association superstar with the old Minneapolis Lakers, died at the age of 80 on Thursday.
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