USA
As thousands of Californians, including Gov. Arnold Schwarze-negger (R), filed past the casket of Ronald Reagan at his presidential library in Simi Valley, plans were announced Monday for his state funeral in Washington. President Bush and former President George H.W. Bush will offer eulogies at the National Cathedral, as will Margaret Thatcher and Brian Mulroney, the former prime ministers of Britain and Canada, respectively. TV networks will provide coverage of the service and Wednesday's procession, in which the Reagan casket will travel to the Capitol by caisson.
A memo produced by the Justice Department's legal counsel in 2002 offered a basis for torturing terrorist suspects, The Washington Post reported. The "necessity" of preventing attacks on the US was cited as ample justification in the memo written in response to a CIA request for legal guidance. Despite the memo, the White House said the president directed the military to abide by the Geneva Conventions in handling Al Qaeda and Taliban detainees.
Amid growing concern about extended service in Iraq, more than two dozen disgruntled New England family members met Monday with Lt. Gen. James Helmly, chief of the Army Reserves, seeking answers to why the 94th Military Police Company has spent 550 days there. The relatives were hoping for a July 4th homecoming, but Helmly wouldn't guarantee a return date. The 94th is one of the longest-serving units in Iraq. Its 152 members aren't scheduled to return home until October.
US dependence on Middle Eastern oil and gas is likely to continue for several more decades, the chief of Exxon/Mobil said Monday. Industry estimates show that 50 percent of global energy supplies are in the Middle East, Lee Raymond said while urging the cultivation of suppliers in Russia, the Caspian Sea, and sub-Saharan Africa. Raymond also advocated drilling on federal lands closed to development, such as offshore California and Florida, the Rocky Mountains, and in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Reserve.
The Tampa Bay Lightning became the first Florida team to capture the Stanley Cup by defeating the Calgary Flames Monday night, 2-1, in Game 7 of the National Hockey League finals. Tampa Bay had been one of the league's least successful franchises for much of its 12-year existence. Its victory also ended a long personal drought for veteran left-winger Dave Andreychuk, who had participated in more games than any other player in NHL history (1,759) without winning a title. Calgary had hoped to become the first Canadian team since 1993 to secure the Stanley Cup.
