To the Point

Turnover of Power in Iraq; Supreme Court on Guant-namo

Two days ahead of schedule, Paul Bremer is on his way home as the US transfers sovereignty to Iraq. American forces began the actual handing over of power to Iraq's 33 ministries some four months ago, completing the process last week. One member of the Iraqi Governing Council said today that intelligence had warned of what he called -major acts of terror- being planned for Wednesday's scheduled handover, but at the NATO summit in Istanbul, Turkey, after being informed with a note, President Bush declared the early turnover a sign of confidence and called Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and President al-Yawar "gutsy" and "courageous." We hear how President Bush explained today-s surprise turnover of limited sovereignty, and get reaction from Baghdad, where the ceremony was secret from the Iraqi people themselves. Reporter's Notebook: Supreme Court on Prisoners in the War on Terror The US Supreme Court heard some controversial cases this year involving detainees in the war on terror. Today, the decisions came down-long awaited, but surprising, nevertheless-with decidedly mixed results for the Bush administration. The Court ruled that the US government does have the power to hold American citizens and foreign nationals without charges or trials, but it also held that the detainees have the right to challenge their treatment in federal courts. We get details on today's judgments from a legal reporter, and analyses from constitutional law experts, and a former State Department official who had urged the Court to intervene behalf of those being held without trial at Guant-namo Bay.