Tonight on Countdown
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Donald H. Rumsfeld said today he hasn't considered resigning despite calls for him to do so by a half dozen retired generals, and that whether he should remain as secretary of defense is up to President Bush. Asked at a Pentagon briefing whether he would consider resigning to ease political pressure on Bush and Republicans in Congress, Rumsfeld said, "No." "The president knows, as I know, there are no indispensable men ... He knows that I serve at his pleasure, and that's that."
President Bush on Tuesday nominated Trade Representative Rob Portman as the White House budget director, turning to a Washington insider and longtime friend as part of an effort to re-energize the administration and boost the president's record-low approval ratings.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12369121/Countdown w/ Keith Olbermann broadcasts LIVE at 8 pm et, and the count is never complete without you. Join us.
Two Duke University lacrosse players were arrested early Tuesday on charges of raping and kidnapping a stripper hired to dance at an off-campus party, and the district attorney said he hopes to charge a third person soon.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12366767/How much would the 1906 quake cost today? Price tag would be in the billions, but are businesses prepared?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12319421/Monica Novotny reports: Ghosthunters. Monica accompanied a group of people... professionals by day... ghosthunters by night... as they went to concerned people in NYC to see if their homes or places of employment are haunted.
Hey, 'Who you gonna call?'
That's some of what we're planning for tonight's show.
Finally,
LONGMONT, Colo. -- A man who said he bought a device that let him change traffic lights from red to green has received a $50 ticket on suspicion of interfering with a traffic signal. Jason Niccum of Longmont told the Daily Times-Call that the device, which he bought on eBay for $100, helped him cut his time driving to work. "I guess in the two years I had it, that thing paid for itself," he told the newspaper Wednesday.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TRAFFIC_CHANGER?SITE=NWCN&TEMPLATE=STRANGEHEADS.html&SECTION=HOME-- Carey Fox
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President Bush said Tuesday that "all options are on the table" to prevent Iran from developing atomic weapons, but said he will continue to focus on the international diplomatic option to persuade Tehran to drop its nuclear ambitions.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12370018/Greenpeace said Tuesday in a new report that more than 90,000 people were likely to die of cancers caused by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, countering a United Nations report that predicted the death toll would be around 4,000.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12368859/Israel said Monday that a new "axis of terror" - Iran, Syria and the Hamas-run Palestinian government - is sowing the seeds of the first world war of the 21st century. The Palestinians accused Israel of an escalating and indiscriminate military campaign that targets civilians and entrenches its occupation.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12363428/Illegal Chinese immigrants land in U.S. limbo. Beijing stalls return of 39,000 of its nationals, frustrated DHS officials say.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12174500/Saudi authorities arrested five suspected terrorists linked to February's deadly attack on the world's largest oil processing facility, a security official said Tuesday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12371622/A defense psychologist said Tuesday he concluded Zacarias Moussaoui is a paranoid schizophrenic based on observations of the actions and writings of the terrorist conspirator, a man described earlier as convinced President Bush will set him free.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12371260/HONOLULU - The humuhumunukunukuapuaa officially lost its title as the state fish more than a decade ago but is set to reclaim the honor. A bill reinstating the critter -- known as humuhumu for short -- passed the Legislature on Monday and heads next to the office of Gov. Linda Lingle for a signature.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12371386/'24' has finally hit its stride. Plot may be absurd, but fans anticipate epic showdown.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12304715/