Poll: Bush, Congress Performance Devilish

Congress doing poor job:

"Americans have a distinctly negative view of the Republican-controlled Congress, with overwhelming majorities saying they disapprove of the job it is doing and that its members do not deserve re-election this fall, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll."

Violence erupts in Gaza:

"Israeli soldiers shot dead five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Thursday on the bloodiest day in the coastal territory in weeks."

News Roundup:

• "Italy on Thursday formally completed its military mission in Iraq and handed over responsibility for security in the Dhi Qar province to Iraqi forces."
• "Auditors say the Interior Department suppressed efforts to recover millions from oil companies they said were cheating the government."
• "The Federal Reserve’s policy makers voted Wednesday to keep interest rates unchanged, committing themselves for the second time in six weeks to the proposition that the slowing economy will eventually damp a still troublesome inflation rate."
• "Former U.S. President Bill Clinton joined a chorus of critics of Bush administration proposals for treating suspected terrorists..."
• "China's human rights record has deteriorated in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, with thousands of people being executed after unfair trials, Amnesty International said..."
• "California sued six of the world's largest automakers over global warming on Wednesday, charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have caused billions of dollars in damages."
• "Future Western droughts could last an average of 12 years, spanning half of the region and severely reducing Colorado River flows that supply millions of people, according to climate projections from a Boulder scientist."
• "A visit to the White House would be considered a once-in-a-lifetime treat for most Americans. For conservative tax strategist Grover Norquist it could be considered a common event."
• "A major security breach has left authorities wondering how secure America's headquarters for much of the War on Terror really is. Two teens evaded police and smashed through an obviously inadequate barrier to gain entry into MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida; home to U.S. Central Command."
• "Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of planning the deadly Sept. 11 attacks along with several other alleged terrorists who allegedly plotted major attacks on the United States, now face hearings at the Guantanamo prison camp within the next three months."
• "DNA evidence frees a man 16 years after he was convicted of raping and murdering a high school classmate when he was 16."
• "Cameron Diaz filed a police report Wednesday accusing a photographer of assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly driving his car at her, police said."
• "The number of Iraqi civilians killed in July and August hit 6,599, a record-high number that is far greater than initial estimates suggested, the United Nations said Wednesday."