To the Point

Bush, Kerry Support 9-11 Recommendations

At a Senate Committee hearing today, lawmakers of both parties questioned President Bush-s recommendations yesterday for a new intelligence tsar and a counter-intelligence center. Republican Susan Collins of Maine joined several Democrats who said proposed changes might not meet the goals set by the 9/11 Commission. That-s a question also being raised today by John Kerry. Does the President want real reform of America-s intelligence apparatus, or are his proposed changes only cosmetic? Could a new intelligence tsar be in the White House and still be independent? What about power over intelligence spending? Does the 9/11 Commission really have all the answers? Warren Olney hears from the victims' families, a professional intelligence officer, and defense experts on both sides of the issue. Making News: Terror Alert Based on Old Information New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg today dismissed suggestions that recent terror alerts are based on outdated intelligence. He was joined by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge at the Citigroup Center, one of the financial institutions named as a potential al Qaeda target. Josh Meyers, who covers terrorism for the Los Angeles Times' Washington Bureau, says the nature of classified information complicates reporters' investigations into the developing story. Reporter's Notebook: Insurgents Bomb Christian Churches in Iraq Iraq-s Christian population has dwindled since the fall of Saddam Hussein. There have been increased attacks on Christian-owned liquor stores, beauty salons and shops that sell Western music. But yesterday, political leaders and Muslim clerics condemned the bombings of 5 Christian churches, which killed ten people last weekend. Fawaz Gerges, author of The Jihadists: Unholy Warriors, looks at the nature of this changing insurgency.