the bar association, the representatives of the firefighters from new haven and others. i think there are an equal number of witnesses on each side. but it will be available online. >> online. on many, many outlets. >> you can count on the fact that the news hour website you can go there and it will tell you how you can follow the hearings. one other question i wanted to bring up at this point. this is from an a.e. stewart in nevada city, california. why has no senator questioned sotomayor with regard to unequal protection of corporation versus individuals under the constitution? it seems there is a right-wing focus on abortion and guns that spins the hearings away from other issues of equal protection. >> well, i think in this hearing in particular, and as i said earlier, there were certain defined issues that both sides wanted to focus on. and the viewer is absolutely right that very little attention is given, not only in this hearing, but in past hearings, to issues involving corporatio s corporations. and their rights as entities under the constitution. not only unde

the virginia bar association hosts the event. a late-night shooting outside southeast mattress station is under investigation. it happened around 11 at the anacostia metro station. an adult man was shot in head and was transported to the hospital with head injuries, life-threatening. no more information. police are investigating a traffic accident that led to the arrest of the driver. 26-year-old christopher bentley was driving a stolen vehicle when he ran through a red light at the intersection of columbia pike and walter reed drive, striking a car. the driver of the second car was taken to hospital with critical injuries. the investigation into what caused the deadly helicopter crashed in western maryland continues this morning. it went down late thursday night in washington county. we spoke with the victims and have the latest about what might have gone wrong. >> it was supposed to be a fun night, but it turned tragic. three aviation professionals were giving helicopter rides at an event to raise money for troubled youths. can

women's bar association. it was an honor for me to help celebrate her life and accomplishments. >> talk about breaking barriers. >>> what an afternoon. i got caught in that rain. >> tropical in nature. i am going to go up to the rooftop camera. look at that. this is back across roosevelt island. if i have that right, if you go to roosevelt island, there are a couple of oak tree's and there may be a pot of gold over there. >> will that be there after w ?edhwse don't know. le'he cock to see wh storms are located rigow the ht ig we hwevea the sun shining brighy in the west. due east, that is where the cell is moving across the city. more heavy storms up to the north through montgomery county and the same thing with some clearing behind this front. you are going to get a chance to see your own rainbows. a quick check --whatever we call it, weatherbug. hello? 1.3 inches in lexington park. let's get some official numbers for you. 87 and 72, awfully close to the averages. cool weather because of the rain and the clo

that's the american bar association. so i don't think that membership in a group that advocates certain things necessarily should be used to impugned a nominee. >> let me point out to our viewers that there is an asian american bar association, there is a black lawyers association, there are many of these organizations. the question is, when you are on the bench, mercedes, do you follow the law? do you look at the facts? do you look at the facts more deeply? i think the difference between this confirmation and the other two, the first one a breeze, the second one controversial and extended. there are 3,000 cases on appeal that they can look at with her participating in decisions and the question is, she's known as tough. she asks questions, she looks at witness testimony. demeanor cannot be evaluated from transcripts. did she overstep her bounds in those cases? >> one of them -- i'm sorry. one of them in particular with the supreme court overturned her decision. it was such a cornerstone of the challenges she face when i

that will happen at the virginia bar association late their morning.the debate is being held at the homestead resort in bath county. >>> good morning. welcome back to news 4 today weekend edition. we want to start off with a quick look at today's weather. for that we go to eve. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. it is going to be a warm day in our nation's capital today. lots of sunshine, temperatures will be climbing into the low 90s, plus the humidity will stick around. right now it is 70 degrees again. heading up to about 91, 92 today. 66 in clinton. 69 currently in packs river. dew points in the low 60s. upper 50s in spots. those number also also go up. today a southwesterly wind flow which will help to bring in the warm weather. there is a front off to the west that will not effect us until tomorrow. today, sitting pretty. mostly sunny, tomorrow we see showers and storms. some on the strong side. details in a few minutes. >> thank you. >>> the union that represents metro's train operators wants to know more about the investigation into last

the american bar association in a letter this month to the house of representatives echoed bill orton's testimony, explaining that the spreading of budgetary shortfalls has led at times to the neglect of particular portions of collections. for example, the a.b.a. highlights this fact that the law library's subscriptions are months out of date. at the time of his testimony, bill orton's pire -- appeared as a representative of the american bar association which dedicated a committee to specifically address the maintenance, accessibility and relevance of the law library. when pressed as to whether the legal community would pitch in as a partner in financially supporting the law library, his response was, emphatically yes. with with the passage of this bill we enable our partners in the legal community to fulfill that commitment and we give them an avenue in which that can be done. more personally, this bill serves as a tribute to our late colleague, bill orton. during his service in this body, he was a passionate advocate for the law library and its many resources. he recognized the value

for sotomayor, who once again got glowing endorsements, the highest possible from the american bar association. >> for whatever it's worth, i think you're a walking, talking example of the best part of the united states of america. >> even as she was taxed one more time with explaining that wise latina line. >> i regret that i had offended some people. i believe that my life demonstrates that that was not my intt. >> you know what, judge? i agree with you. good luck. >> as these hearings wrap up, all eyes are on next tuesday when the committee will vote. assuming she's approved there, it's on to the full senate. that vote loosely scheduled for early august. live in the newsroom, scott thuman, abc 7 news. >> democratic proposals for health care reform have actually hurt the economy instead of helping it, that's the word from the congressional budget office. the health committee bills could increase public spending instead of reducing it. joe biden told an alexandria crowd today there has never been a better time to overhaul health care. >> another bank that received tarp money is posting second

the event was sponsored by the virginia bar association.today was the alaska governor sarah palin's last day in office. she shocked the political world with her resignation earlier this month. tomorrow she hands over the reins to her lieutenant-governor. is it the last we will see of palin. >> our courageous military and their families. >> sarah palin's farewell tour. >> from the bottom of my heart, especially, this being my last time to speak to valley community as your governor, i do want to tell you sincerely that i love you, i appreciate you, and your support, the support that you have shown my family. ♪ 'o say does that >> at a series of pick knicksni is saying good-bye to her constituents and duties as the state's chief executive preparing to hand the office over to her lieutenant-governor three weeks after the shocking announcement she would step down. >> it would be an theti pap -- >> since then palin has spent time on the water. >> you are not listening to me why i wouldn't finish the final year in office without costing the state

. >> supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor is getting a boost from the american bar association.set to begin next week, the bar association declared her well qualified to serve on the high court. the group's top endorsement is based on sotomayor's integrity, competence and judicial temperament. >> al franken was sworn in yesterday as the junior senator from minnesota. he's been appointed to the judiciary committee, which is considered a high-level assignment nor a new lawmaker. he becomes the senate's 60th democrat, which could make for a filibuster-proof majority. >> the obama administration want tougher standards for the food industry so a new safety group is setting up tighter rules in the production of eggs, poultry, leafy greens. >> and lawn armstrong's team won yesterday's time trial and moved him into a virtual tie for the overauld lead. his deficit is just 220 thousands andth of a second. so they call it a tie. >> wow that, is a short discrepancy, isn't it? >> real close. >> thunderstorms in the midwest and northern plains with hail, gust eve winds and a chance of tornado

and smooth confirmation for a woman that earned the highest possible ratings from the american bar association. supporters say they have impeccable credentials and life story. >> she will be confirmed. i would hope though that senators will make up their mind based on what they hear, in the hearing. we have a fair hearing. >> senator republicans have questions about her record on gun rates, abortion, and race. the appeals court judge said in 2001 that a wise latino woman could reach a better conclusion than a white man. >> i am not going to vote for a judge that believes that personal background, their agenda can affect how they give justice to two parties before them. >> one of her rulings sure to get attention is the case involving job advancement for white firefighters. the supreme court overturned last month. >> tickets for the hearings will be made available to the public. so capital police are warning senators and staffers to expect a crush of people on capitol hill next week. in washington, jennifer davis, fox news. >> very controversial pro-life activist is protesting in the city of ba

committee of the american bar association union nan musly endorsed president obama's nominee.ext monday she will go before the senate judiciary committee to start the confirmation hearing. if confirmed, sotomayor would replace david souter who is retiring. . >> learn more about the south carolina serial killer, patrick burris killed five and shot a cop. he was killed yesterday in a north carolina home. after officers say he fired on them. and wounded an officer. police in north and south carolina are now saying he had a criminal past. and that he had done time for extortion, and larceny. >> the weapon he shot the officer with, last night, is the same officer that all five of our victims, same weapon that all five victims were shot with. >> police are still working to find out why the five victims were his targets. >> new mexico teen is in the hospital after police tase her in the head. the 14-year-old and her mother were in a fight and went to the police station for help. then the girl ran off. right in front of a patrol car. and across the street without looking for traffic.

think it's a joke to imagine the mediocre lawyers that populate the back office, and active in bar associationsent on an elite lawyer mike john yu. >> they remedies barment. we could have a hearing against a judge and talked about that rnths and faculty at john's teaching, want his tenure removed. you have strategies here to essentially drive him out of the public life ap others will come after him. >> one little element. the genesis of those out of a legal stop affiliated with yale law school. the dean of the law school has been nominated by president obama to be the legal advisor for the state department who would be responsible for defending u.s. officials from these kinds of suits and other legal matters. should confirm, quickly, should he be confirmed? >> absolutely not. there are americans who are facing civil suits abroad, like a spanish judge, and i don't see how the same guy who is officially encourageling the lawsuits would defend american citizens against-- >> all right. thanks, we have to take one more break. when we come back hits and misses of the week. (announcer) introducing new

now to talk about the first day of the confirmation hearings bridget bonitez with the hispanic bar association and robert all the constitutionland expert with the heritage foundation. let's talk about today. boring with a capital b. to some extent these guys are going through the motion. the south carolina senator says unless there is major melteddown she will be confirmed. robert alt? >> that is facing the realities of the numbers in the senate. you have a filibuster majority for the democrats. the committee itself, 19 members 12 are democrats, seven are republican. unless there is major issue -- you know i tell you i think the "x" factor in these confirmation hearings might be the gun rights issue. that is the one issue that cuts party lines that might strip off democrats if anything does. >> what about that particular issue, impresses but her. is there some ruling she has made, that comes down on that issue that might be controversial. >> yes, she issued a ruling on panel for the second circuit court of appeals in which she said the second amendment that guarantees the right to bear arms do

>> people look of course at the american bar association, the american bar association has come under some criticism at times for their ratings. but i think people, that's the largest organization that represents lawyers and people still look at those sorts of things. i think that more important, though, is really the nominee, him or herself in looking at that person's record, their scholarly record or academic record, their performance as a lawyer. those are the sorts of thing that is the committee really looked more closely at. i think the a.b.a. tries to play it pretty fairly. and i think each side will use outside interest groups, whether to promote those things or to trump it if they get a bad rating. >> so is that the benchmark, the a.b.a. rating? is that the benchmark that everybody looks to? >> no. i think the benchmark that people look to, and i think rightly so, is what their opinion is after having reviewed the entire record of the nominee. i think the members really take it pretty serious pli and obviously for the supreme court in particular, that's something that's so imp

the american bar association rated judge sonia sotomayor well qualified to be a chief justice. ings about weapons rights. she will be evaluated. >>> a local news reporter just trying to get an interview with an onlooker about the show was interrupted by a "real world" camera man. some people are twittering, blogging and facebooking cast member's every move. >> it's the first time, i think, that "real world" has had to deal with twitter, and it's not good for the "real world" people. >> people who live nearby say the house is becoming a nuisance with all the camera lights on all the time and tour bus drive-by. >>> let me show you what's happening across the west coast. not much happening when you get -- camera number one, by the way. camera number one has been getting us the entire morning. let me show you what's up right now. you can see showers right around montana. showers and thunderstorms will be out there for the better part of the day and then developing again around the northern plains states. moderate risk of severe weather. just bear with us here for a second. we're exp

. >> she received the highest possible rating from the american bar association as more judicial experiencen any nominee in the last 100 years. the support of law enforcement groups. she has a compelling life story. she's a restrained and modest injurist put on the bench by george herbert walker bush and promoted by president clinton. i believe she'll do well. >> she's advocated a view that suggests that your personal experience, even prejudices -- she uses that word, it's expected that they would influence a decision you make, which is a blow, i think, at the very ideal of american justice. >> republicans are expected to focus on topics like discrimination, abortion, and gun rights. democrats are confident she'll be confirmed with a large majority. >>> you've heard that wine is good for your heart. well, it might be good for the brain as well. new research finds that people 75 or older who had one to two drinks a day reduced their risk of dementia by 40%. all kinds of alcohol were included. however, people who had more than just a couple of drinks a day increased their dementia risk, so th

ththe erican bar association h s now given the judgdge s s hiest ratingng well quaualifi.. graded clarence t tmamas ly qualified. ananeven republican senatotor lindsey graham has saiaid, " honenest t thi i could vote for her." let's turn now the washingtgton pt"t" eporter, ththorf the litical blog "t"theix." good e enining >>>> gd evening. we musust also note about sesessnsns tt he was rejectedd y ththrerepuican controlllled judicially commimitt becacaushehe h what they pepercved at open hostility tot civil rights issueues. even a senatat f frohis home ststate teteagainst him. he is the sessions s stae e on sotomayor, i is a abo his own enda more than it is s som chance of raising g letitima esesons about her or deraiaili her nomination?? >> f fstst, have not talked to the senator a aut this,s,o i i not going t get io o dening his s tetentns. i think republican, , in aouou acace. jeff sessions, mitch m mcconllll leader o oththe rty, and cornyn head of the committee,e, t b bas reasass.s. one hand, the basese oththe rty wants a very strtrong seseo be ma against sotomayor. ey

members of the hispanic bar association along ith several others watched the opening statements. they say it is important to have justices with a wide range of background. >> we have extremely proud of her. as someone who has raisen in this country and fulfilled the american deam. she is someone we can be proud of because of her achievements. i think you want role mods of all kinds to be on the supreme court. it says to every young latino and latina and every young child out there i can make it too. >> if confirmed, son will be the first hispanic on the court and the third woman. >> and you are out. the washington nationals have fired manager manny acta after 2 1/2 seasons with the team. dave ross is live in the newsroom with details on what is next for the nats. >> on the surface this would seem to be a no brainer. nats have been historically bad this season. the nats management like manny acta and that's why the decision was not an easy one. >> november 14th, 2006. jim bowden introduces manny acta as the second manager in the history of the washington nationals. after a promisi

bit, judge sotomayor also has a whole lot going for her her wonderful life story, her american bar associationth endorsements from the international association of police chiefs and just about every other major law enforcement organization out there. our friend kansas republican senator sam brown beck has already announced he will not vote to confirm her. he joins us tonight along with the former attorney general of the united states alberto gonzalez and best selling author ann coulter. welcome all. senator brown back is it about abortion your decision not to vote? >> no it's not. i agree he has a compelling personal life story. my view is what she really wants to do is have the court not set up to do. she wants the court to be a super leg slai legislative body in the policy making field like she said in one speech. in the second district circuit court she went on to that. i met with her and i talk with her. she has an activist liberal court. i think that's harmful to the court. i don't think that's what the court is designed to do and i don't think it's good for the country. that's why i anno

the e amicic bar association has now given the judge itithihight rating. ll qualified. it grarad d clence thomas only qualififie and evev r replican senator lindsey graham hasas sd,d,i honeststlyhihink could vote for her." let's turn now to "t"t washington posost"epepter, auauth o of e political blog "the fix." good evening. >> good evening.g. >> w we stst ao note about sesessns that he was rejected by the repupublananontrolled jujudially committee becausesee d d wh they perceived at open hostility y toiviv rights issues. even a senenat f frohis home state voted againsnshihim. i ithe sessions stance onon sotomayor, is it a autut h own agenda m morthth it is some anancef raising legitimate questions about her oror daiaing her nomiminaonon? >> first, i i veve n talked to the senanatoababouthis, so i'm nogogointo get into divining his intentntio.. i think republican, inin aouough plplac jeff sessision m mit mcconnell, leader of the partrt a andornyn head of ththe mmmmite, two basic reasons. one hahandththe se of the party nts a very strong case to o be mamadegainst sotomay

today members of the hispanic bar association went to the d.c. office of a law firm to watch sotomayor's opening statement together. they say the judge's background and her record are a reminder to all citizens that regardless of circumstceths,ny a iins isspole in thisss coy.trun av we he veoidnd aeo more ceovag er he tomofot sayorot confirmation at nbcwashington.com. nfe' itisos maoron thema kg b aacunrond if yunou would likehat and more, you can find it by searching the word sotomayor. >>> new developments tonight in the case of a dead row inmate scheduled to be executed tomorrow. the u.s. supreme court is indefinitely stayed the execution of paul powell. in 2000 powell was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of stacie reid and also accused of trying to kill her sister. his death sentence was overturned in 2001 but he w back on death row after he wrote a letter bragging about the crime to the state prosecutor. following that, powell was retried and sentenced to atdeh. ethupw smeou s c wrtan to idnshe w tcoerertho hear her ment that he

the american bar association has now give the judge its highest rating. well qualified. it graded clarce thomas only qualified. andvenepublican senator lindsey graham has sad, "i honestly think i could vote for her." turned out "the washington post" rter, author o the blog "the fix" gooevening. >> good evening. >> and considered f the federal bunc 23 years ago, but warejected by the republican controlled judiary committee because he had wha they rceived at open hostility to civil rights issues. even a senator fromis home state voted against him. he is the sessions stance on somar, is it about his own agenda more than it is some chance of raising legitima questions about he or derailg her nination? >> first, have not talked to the senate about it. i won't get intohis intentns. i thinrepublican, in a tough place. judge sessions, mitch mcconnell leader of the party, and corn head of the committee, two basic reasons. one hand, thease of theparty wants a ver strong case tobe ma against sotomar. theyelieveome of the statements she made inhe pas about -- from the legislating fr

administration, the obama justice department recommended disciplinary action against hu by the bar associationwo story, latest defense of surveillance is so poorly done the guy really ought to be disbarred just for plain old ineptitude. hu is pushing back after five inspectors general singled him out for special score in his report unveiling bush's activity was far beyond the wiretapping mr. bush admitted to. mr. yoo gets three things wrong in his very first sentence. it was instantly clear after september 11, 2001 that our security agencies knew little about al qaeda's inner works, could not detect its operative entry into the country nor predict where it might strike next. knew little about al qaeda's inner workings? in 1996 one spent six months debriefing the cia about all kind of network company, farms and port operations and told the "new yorker" magazine. for instance, could not detect al qaeda's entry into the country. on august 6, 2001, president bush was explicitly warned that al qaeda had members in the u.s. in march of 1999, german intel gave the u.s. information about al sheehy and

. >> >> reporter: right behind me, two members of the american bar association are testifying.hey are, what you would probably call, friendly witnesses. that association gave sonya sotomayor just about its highest rating. later, as you alluded to, there will be some witnesses for republicans, one of whom is frank ricci, the firefighter from new haven who tried to get an affirmative action test taken away and sonia sotomayor ruled in a way that that isn't going to happen. that is something we are going to see throughout the day. what was most riveting was some exchanges she had with some republicans. look, her nomination, we have been talking about it. her nomination, there is no question she is going to be nominated barring something really unforeseen. the question is, how many republican votes will she get. lindsey graham, somebody who might be one of those republicans, he made pretty clear at the end of the day, he believes she is somebody who is going to follow the law. listen to what he said. >> you are able after all these years of being a judge to embrace a right that you

the witnesses you see are from the american bar association.n we'll hear from michael bloomberg then frank ricci, one of the new haven firefighters who had his suit dismissed by judge sotomayor when she was on the appeals court. so that's some of the drama this afternoon. but i think the big headline today as judge sotomayor is now finished, is that she perhaps picked up some republican support and that's significant. in fact, they were issuing a lot of the praise for her today. in particular, we heard from republican senator, lindsey graham, saying today that some of the things she said just bugged the hell out of me, those are his words. he also said her record is quote unquote, generally in the mainstream and graham adding that you have been very reassuring today. senator john cornyn, republican from texas, also today saying that her judicial record is pretty much in the mainstream. i spoke with a third republican, senator chuck grassley from iowa. he told me that his constituents are running pretty hot against judge sotomayor, but also poin

this as the american bar association issues the jge its top rating. well qualified, as oosed to say, claree thomas, who was st qualified. >>d worsts. anotr cal hero, an arizona state senator and an airfiel rationale for uranm mining of biblical proportions. >> t earth's been here 6,000 years and i know i've been going on and on. it's been here 6,000 yrs, long before anye had environmental laws and somehow it hasn't bee done about. >> this shut up of which speak, when eshat go into fect? all of that and mo now on "countdo." >>> good evening from new york. breang news tonight. oufifth story on the countdown. cia direor leon panetta has told lawmakers that agency officials did indeed mlead congress andid so since 2001. roughly, of the bush , administration. the cia confirming to msnbc d nbc news that dictor panetta told lawmakers that congressas not adequately informed out unspecified post-9/11 activity, assified activity. this c will not say what the briefing was abo. other officials say was not about waterboarding, nor abo interrogation practices. two

members of the puerto rican bar association, they are watching very closely right now. obviously, very proud, at least many of them are, of a fellow puerto rican, sonia sotomayor, about potentially to become the first hispanic on the united states supreme court. only the third woman ever to become a member of the united states supreme court. senator chuck schumer of new york has started asking questions, let's listen in. >> i can make and have made for 17 years. >> okay, good, well, let's turn to that record. i think your record shows extremely clearly that even when you might have sympathy for the litigants in front of you, be as a judge, your fidelity is first and foremost to the rule of law. because as you know, in the courtroom of a judge who ruled based on empathy, not law, one would expect that the most sympathetic plaintiffs would always win, but that's clearly not the case in your courtroom. for example in -- and i'm going to take a few cases here and go over them with you. for example, in inray air crash off long island, sort of a tragic but interesting name fo

. >> reporter: still others like moretta garsafter the hispanic bar association says sotomayor's true legacy is already being felt in the latino community. >> i think when you have a role model of that magnitude, it can't hel but propel others forward. >> reporter: the full vote in the senate is expected to come in the next few weeks. sotomayor will then be sworn in and join the hi court when it -- high court when it begins his session in october. >>> two a developing story right now. suspected homegrown terrorist caught. the feds have arrested a north carolina father, his two sons and four other men all charged with plotting and funding terror attacks around the world. tonight an eighth member of the suspected terror group still on the run. >> reporter: a possible jihad brewing in our own backyard. federal prosecutors say daniel patrick boid worked as a drywall contractor during the day and had military style terror training, something he learned when he was back in pakistan and afghanistan in the late '80s and early '90s. prosecutors say boyd brought his training and terror back to

according to the american bar association and others, she might be the most qualified judge nominated to the supreme court in 70 years. according to the ranking republican on the senate judiciary committee, who himself was denied a federal judgeship by the republican controlled senate judiciary committee two decades for being a racist, she is nothing more than a reverse racist. even after she fully explained herself to him. again. our fifth story in the countdown, the confirmation hearings for judge sonia sotomayor, morphing today into the confirmation hearings of the prejudice, the narrowness, and the intellectual dishonesty of republican senator jeff sessions of alabama. near the start of today's questions, the judge saying of her often-misquoted "wise latina" statement, quote, no words i have ever spoken or written have ever exchanged so much attention. her exchanges with the republican members of the judiciary committee would bear that out, most especially, a lengthy dialogue with ranking republican sessions of alabama. >> i assume, senator, that you are referring to a remark that

>> the american bar association rule on code of conduct does not permit me to talk about a pending casef the delays for a substantial period of time in that decision. and it was that the supreme court was considering a case, a massachusetts case, that had some relevancy or at least had relevancy to the extent that the panel asked the parties to brief further the a plpplicability of that case. >> thank you senator grassley. senator feingold. >> i'm enjoying listening to you, both your manner and obvious tremendous and knowledge and understanding of the law. in fact, i'm enjoying it so much that i hope when you go into these deliberations about cameras in the courtroom that you consider the possibility that i and other americans would like the opportunity to observe your skills for many years to come from the comfort of our family rooms and living rooms. >> you were a very good lawyer, weren't you, senator? >> let me get into a topic that i discussed at length with two most recent supreme court nominees, chief justice roberts and justice alito. that's the issue of executive power. in 2003

she has the highest rating of the american bar association, and one need look no further than her experience, her ability, her temperament or judgment. the president nominated a person with more federal judicial experience than anyone nominated to the u.s. supreme court nearly a hundred years. he nominated somebody with federal trial judge experience, she'll be, incidentally, the only member of the supreme court with federal trial judge experience and of course, she's had tremendous experience in probably the most active prosecutor's office in this country. as the record and her testimony before the committee reinforced, she's a restrained, fair and impartial judge who applies the law to the facts to decide cases. ironically, the few decisions for which she's been criticized are cases in which she did not, did not reach out to change the law or defy judicial precedent. in other words, cases in which she refused to be an activist judge and make law from the bench. in her 17 years on the bench, there's not one example, let alone a pattern, of her ruling based on bias or prejudice or sympathy.

this as the american bar association issu the judge i to rating. well qualifie as opposed say, clarencethomas, who was just qualified. >>> and worsts. anher local hero, an arizozona ste senator andd an airfield rationale for uranium mining of biical prortions. >> the earth's bn here 6,000 years and i know i've beegoing on aon. it's been he 6,000 years, long before anyone had environmental laws and somehow it hasn't been done about. >> this shut up of which you speak,hen does that g into effect? all of that a more nown "countdown." . >>> od evening from new york. breaking news tight. r fifth story on the counn. cia director leon panetta has told lawmakers tha agency officials did indeed mislead congress and did so since 2001. what would be the start, roughly, of the bush administration. the cia confirming to msnbc and nbc news that director panetta told laakers that congress was not adequately informed about unspecified post-91 tivity, classified activity. this cia wi not say what the briefing w about. her offici say it wasot about waterboarding, no

>> absolutely, she received the highest possible rating from the american bar association. has more judicial experience than any nominee in the last 100 years. the support of law enforcement groups. she has a compelling life story. she is a retrained and moderate jurist who was put on the bench by george herber walker bush and promoted by president clinton. she's an exceptional person. let me tell you george, give her high marks. she's met face-to-face with 89 senators. answered all of their questions. i think she's done an exceptional job. >> we'll go straight to "the roundtable" as the panelists take their seats. take a look at these moments from confirmation hearings. >> i'm not going to be pregnant anymore. >> this is a circus, it's a national disgrace, and from my standpoint, as a black american, as far as i'm concerned, it say high-tech lynching. >> no hints, no forecasts, no previews. >> i have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic background, because of religion or because of gender. >> and with that, let me bring

she was appointed in 2009 to the american bar association advisory committee on law and national security. and our third witness is michael edny. he's a counsel to the washington, d.c., office of gibson, dunn and crutcher. from 2007 to 2009, mr. edny was a white house legal adviser to president bush's national security counsel. he assisted in coordinating the administration's response to national security legal issues and controversies. his principal focus was national security related litigation and congressional oversight. mr. edney previously worked in the justice department office of legal counsel. we welcome all three of you to the committee and we appreciate very much your willingness to testify. as is the tradition of our committee, if you'd please rise. i'll administer the oath. do you affirm that the testimony you are about to give before the committee will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god? thank you very much. please have a seat. mr. layoffman, we'll start with you. >> thank you, mr. chairman, senator kyl. thank you for inviting me to testi

she got the highest rating from the bar association. she's been a judge for 17 years. and i think she'll be a very valuable member of the court from a conservative's point of view i don't think she'll be any worse than judge souter so i felt like i wanted to take the senate back to a new place. >> lindsey graham speaking with me earlier in the week. in 1969 measures went where no person had ever gone before. we're marking the 40th anniversary of the first humans ever to walk on the moon. come along for the excitement, the anticipation and the imagination. buzz aldrin is here in "the situation room" with revealing details of his journey. >>> police versus farmers and people eyeing a solar eclipse. just two of this week's hot shots. . >>> it happened 40 years ago this week. a new frontier reached, an impossible challenge met. on july 20, $196$20, $1969, ame planted their feet and their flag on untouched ground. apollo 11's landing on the moon launched a new era of space exploration and scientific discovery and our world changed forever. our washington bureau chief david

the american bar association has given u.s. supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor a boost.she earned a "well qualified" rating from the nation's largest attorneys' group, after its review. at the same time, senate minority leader mcconnell suggested today that sotomayor has let racial bias cloud her decisions. the senate confirmation hearings begin next week. >> lehrer: and still to come on the newshour tonight: teachers in new orleans; new guidelines on stem cell research; and the jackson farewell. that follows our look at the violence in northwestern china between han chinese and the uighurs, a group with ethnic turk roots. we begin with a report from ian williams of independent television news in beijing. >> reporter: armed police flooded urumqi today but could do little to prevent the simmering ethnic tensions again bursting onto the streets. this time, angry mobs of han chinese wielding sticks, pipes and shovels. they headed towards muslim uighur neighborhoods, chanting "defend the country." the riot police eventually blocked their way, later firing tear gas to dispers

that the american bar association gave her the highest rating anyone could receive, and that meant ashe was competent, not just qualified. and it's not me saying that, it's what everybody who has worked with her has said. and she's of good character. >> senator charles grassley is the ranking republican on the finance committee and also serves on the judiciary committee and voted against sotomayor's confirmation today. senator, you just heard lindsey graham. he said, she's not only qualified, she has the aba, ranking. why did you vote against? >> well, nobody -- nobody is going to disagree with the fact that she's qualified and got a good academic background. in fact, you know, it was a tough vote for me, because this is the first time in 29 years that i voted against a republican or democrat nominee to the supreme court. but i did it this time, and so then to answer your question, because all of these good qualifications are very basic. but we want somebody on the supreme court that's going to interrupt law and not make law. and let me explain that it's my job to make law, because y

and the american bar association said it had interviewed 500 people about this claim that she was intemperatehat she was too aggressive on the bench. they had only gotten one complaint. they investigated it by talking to every other lawyer and judge who was in the room at the time and found no basis for it. and that seemed really decisive. >> woodruff: and when she was asked about it in that -- i guess memorable exchange, marcia -- marcia, she diffused it? i mean how would you describe how she handled it herself? >> well, i think she handled that well. she said she is a tough questioner. she said she sits on a hot bench with means it's a bench that has judges who are very active in questioning. she expects lawyers to try to persuade her. and then the democrats did come to her support and say that there were almost an equal number of comments that were positive about her temperment in the same almanac of federal judiciary that the republicans used for the critical comments. >> so just quickly, prospects, what does it look like in the senate, what are you hearing? >>. >> somewhere between 72 an

that is the highest rating that the american bar association can give any judge. they did it unanimously. it is a confidential peer review and evaluation of the professional qualification, ker integrity, professional confidence entered judicial temperament. it has resulted in the highest reading possible. now will give the national law enforcement to give a word and we will be hearing from david heller the national vice president of fraternal order of police and that some point i will slip out because we go into session at 12:00 where they have asked all senators to be there for good they are swearing in a new senator, which is something that happens every so often and i think all senators, republicans and democrats would like to be there. >> is their legal defense fund senator sessions has raised concerns about? >> they can raise concerns of the one. this is a mainstream civil-rights organization, just like mayor bloomberg and others. i am proud of what they have done and there seems to be some people that worry if you have somebody that actually represents peopl

bush used so many sunny stevens, more than 750, that the american bar association criticized it as anbuse of power. -- he used some any signing statements. an independent from denver come hi. caller: 01 to to say i am completely against this health care program. i think it is imperative that u.s. citizens require our government proper management of the already social system of health care which is social security and medicare. when that is managed properly and running smoothly and there is no corruption and fraud, then there would be a time where there would have enough support and enough, an example of what they can do in healthcare. i think this is just being shoved down our throats again like everything else in the last six months. it is very upsetting. host: this is an "the washington post" this morning. aid for a makers gained traction on have. now that the obama administration has been billions on bailouts for gm and chrysler, congress is considering making its first major management decision. gm and chrysler would have to reinstate more than 2000 dealerships that had been slate

the dialogue on freedom, a civic educational initiative that he created alongside the american bar association following terrorist attacks of 9-11. this is very interesting initiative for understanding justice kennedy's jurisprudence. and it's something that i think has been paid insufficient attention. it's been mentioned in a couple of foot notes and articles, and the kind of -- well, it's an example of kennedy at his pompous best, running around, trying to tell american high school students how they should be reacting to the attacks of 9-11. but in tomb act, if you delve into the idea of the dialogue on freedom, it becomes really clear that it's a great way to understand his jurisprudence. the program that is the dialogue on freedom encourages the idea that all viewpoints should be tolerated. and that this tolerance leads to a more enlightened citizenry. in his first amendment opinions, this view translates into kennedy's passionate opposition to government efforts to discriminate against a person's speech based on the content or views of that individual's expression. governments are, as ke

>> people look at the american bar association. it has come under some criticism at times for their ratings, but people still look at those sorts of things. more important is the nominee himself or herself, and looking at that person's record. their performance as a lawyer -- that is what the committee looks more closely at. the aba tries to play it fairly. they will use outside interest groups to promote those things. >> is that the benchmark, the aba rating, is that the benchmark that everyone looks to? >> no, i think the benchmark is how they feel and what their opinion is after reviewing the entire record of the nominee. the members take it seriously. the supreme court is so important for the country and the american people. members taken very seriously. i don't think any of them was beholden to any sort of outside interest groups, whether partisan or non-partisan. they really wanted to look at and review the records themselves for their own purpose so they could make a candid assessment of the record and a good judgment of whe

his republican opponent and he are debating at the virginia bar association today. i feel good about the race. it is a dead heat. four years ago when i was running for governor, i was down in the race. i had both u.s. senators campaigning against me. i had a strong majority of the house delegation campaigning against me. both of the state houses of the legislature were republican. they were campaigning against me. the white house was campaigning against me. but i won. this time, he is in a dead heat. he has to u.s. senators campaigning for him. he has a majority of the house delegation campaigning for him. he has a state senate campaigning for him. the state house has gone from a 30-seat republican margin down to five. that is pretty much a drop. more importantly, he has what he has always been. he is an up front, honest public servant. he grew up in rural virginia and we will break away from this recorded program and go to a live event. at sarah palin is stepping down. earlier this month, she announced her intention to resign. she is about to transfer power over to