Countdown Newsletter -- 03/01/06: Bush & Bin Laden

[Patsy Stone]

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Tonight on Countdown
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President Bush, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said Wednesday he remains confident Osama bin Laden "will be brought to justice" despite a so-far futile five-year hunt. Amid extremely tight security, Bush made the surprise visit in Afghanistan at the onset of a scheduled visit to India and Pakistan. Asked about the search for bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States, and of the president's call for getting him "dead or alive," Bush said the search for bin Laden and his associates continues. "It's not a matter of if they're brought to justice, it's when they're brought to justice," Bush said. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11590973/

Countdown w/ Keith Olbermann broadcasts LIVE at 8 pm et, and the count is never complete without you. Join us.

Federal prosecutors Tuesday reaffirmed their recommendation that disgraced former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham be sentenced to 10 years in prison, rejecting his bid for a lighter penalty because he is a war hero. Cunningham, a Rancho Santa Fe Republican, has pleaded guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes and evading more than $1 million in taxes. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-duke1mar01,1,3181429.story?coll=la-headlines-politics

CBS Corp.'s radio division sued Howard Stern Tuesday, claiming its former star shock jock breached his contract with them when he moved to Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. The lawsuit, which also names Sirius and Stern's agent as defendants, claims Stern improperly used CBS radio's air time to promote his new show with Sirius, which began last month. CBS also claims Stern discussed his plans with Sirius without disclosing them to CBS as required under his contract. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/01/AR2006030100437.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/395796p-335415c.html

Exclusion of O'Neil a Major omission for Hall of Fame. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/13977370.htm
Mr. O'Neil joins Keith tonight.

That's some of what we're planning for tonight's show.

Finally,
DETROIT -- A 12-year-old visitor to the Detroit Institute of Arts stuck a wad of gum to a $1.5 million painting, leaving a stain the size of a quarter, officials say. The boy was part of a school group from Holly that visited the museum on Friday, officials say. They say he took a piece of Wrigley's Extra Polar Ice gum out of his mouth and stuck it on Helen Frankenthaler's "The Bay," an abstract painting from 1963. "Our expectation is that the painting is going to be fine," said Becky Hart, assistant curator of contemporary art. Holly Academy director Julie Kildee said the boy had been suspended from the charter school and says his parents also have disciplined him. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GUMMED_UP_ART?SITE=NWCN&TEMPLATE=STRANGEHEADS.html&SECTION=HOME
He'll also be making a guest appearance on Beavis & Butthead.

-- Carey Fox

Countdown Home: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/

More:
Pakistani security forces backed by helicopter gunships struck a militant hide-out Wednesday in a tribal region near the Afghan border, killing more than 45 fighters including a Chechen commander linked to al-Qaida, officials said. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11613271/from/RS.1/

Violence raged unabated in Iraq on Wednesday as two bomb attacks killed at least 26 people in Baghdad and mortar rounds fell on homes in a nearby town, killing four people. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11617673/from/RS.3/

Tens of thousands of Indians waving black and white flags and chanting "Death to Bush!" rallied Wednesday in New Delhi to protest a visit by President Bush. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11607934/

An explosion in a car in Gaza City on Wednesday killed Islamic Jihad's top military commander in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian police said. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11617388/

Lionel Tate pleaded guilty Wednesday to the armed robbery of a pizza delivery man last spring, which could net him up to 30 years in prison but spare him a possible life sentence for violating probation in the 1999 killing of a young girl. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11619518/

Diets that distinguish between "good carbs" and "bad carbs," are not an effective way of controlling blood sugar levels, a new study suggests. Although made popular by the South Beach Diet and others, the glycemic index has never been fully embraced by most dietitians and remains a point of debate among scientists. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11616968/

At 95, Mr. Smith is trying to get to Washington. He's running for Congress by contesting Democratic primary. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11617273/from/RS.4/

Americans apparently know more about "The Simpsons" than they do about the First Amendment. Only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. But more than half can name at least two members of the cartoon family, according to a survey. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11611015/