By the donor, the ministry is a member of the ECFA.
Good morning. Merck will face some tough questions about safety concerns regarding its painkiller, Vioxx, at a Senate hearing today.
Merck pulled Vioxx off the market September 30th in the biggest drug recall ever.
This after a company study found it doubled a person's risk of heart attack and stroke.
Dow member Walt Disney is also in the spotlight today when it reports earnings after the closing bell.
Hurricanes in Florida and disappointing films at the box office may add up to a less profitable quarter for Disney.
Investors may also react to news from the world's biggest maker of semiconductor production equipment.
Applied material says orders and profit this quarter will miss analysts' estimates.
Also on tap today, economic reports on jobless claims, leading economic indicators and manufacturing into Philadelphia region.
After a quick break, take a look at what's next on Wednesday.
Bloomberg's business report is brought to you in part by Sprint.
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Retail and tech shares led the markets higher Wednesday.
This after Kmart agreed to buy Sears for $11 billion.
And Hewlett Packard's fourth quarter earnings beat its own forecast.
The Dow rose 61, the S&P gained 6, the NASDAQ added on 21 points.
It appears that more people are renting videos through the mail.
Netflix, the largest video rental service, said its fourth quarter sales will be higher than expected.
And that is the latest in business news.
At the New York Stock Exchange, I'm Lori Rothman with the Bloomberg Business Report.
And now to a beat, the Simpsons.
Thursday at 6.30 on KIMA, the one to watch.
No matter where the story takes us, we'll be there. You're watching KIMA.
Fighting back, rebels in Iraq reorganize following the American offensive in Fallujah.
Record rainfall triggers fierce flooding in south central Texas.
And politics, diplomacy and impeachment.
It's all there as the Clinton Library officially opens today.
This is the CBS Morning News for Thursday, November 18th.
Thanks for joining us. I'm Susan McGinnis.
In Iraq, a series of deadly attacks by insurgents apparently triggered by American efforts to retake Fallujah.
This morning, the battle for the rebel city is not over yet.
Charlie Dagata is in Baghdad with the latest. Good morning, Charlie.
Good morning, Susan. Another day in Iraq, another day of violence throughout the country,
including another suicide car bomb attack here in Baghdad this morning as U.S. forces continue to face fierce opposition in Fallujah.
Under occupation, but a long way from being under control.
Not only do U.S. forces face the task of flushing out remaining insurgents in the city,
they have to contend with militants who are trying to sneak back in, rearmed and fresh for the fight.
And not just by road. Some insurgents were reportedly caught and shot trying to swim across the Euphrates River,
back to the city to rejoin the battle.
This enemy is very adaptive and they will seek to take opportunities in places throughout the country where they feel they can gain an advantage.
In searches for weapons that could be used by the returning insurgents, Marines made another discovery,
personal belongings of American corporal Wasif Ali Hassoun.
He disappeared from his base in June, later surfaced at the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, and is now back on active duty.
It's not clear how or why his belongings ended up in Fallujah.
And forensic teams are still trying to determine whether the mutilated body of a Western woman
found in Fallujah is that of aid worker Margaret Hassan.
The body was clothed in a purple dress and wrapped in a blanket.
In the video of her apparent execution, Hassan was killed with a single gunshot to the head.
The U.S. military officials here say work has already started.
Army civil affairs has gone into Fallujah trying to put that city back together,
intended to pour something like $100 million into the city in an effort to win over its residents
and in the hope that young men pick up shovels instead of guns. Susan?
Charlie Daggett in Baghdad, thank you.
Dangerous flooding in south central Texas. At least two women have died and a third person is missing.
There have been too many high water rescues to count.
This dramatic save was captured on home video Tuesday night.
Firefighters used their ladder to pull a woman from the rushing water in Austin. She is doing fine.
As much as 11 inches of rain fell over a three-day period, it broke records in some areas.
Firemen had to rescue another woman late yesterday when she drove into high water and got stuck near Fort Worth.
Well, I've been through higher. I'll be alright. And my car stalled.
I think it had to do with the speed in which I was going.
And it wouldn't start again. I said, I'm not getting out. I'll just sit right here until I call somebody.
The waterlogged areas will dry out today under clearing skies.
The head of the CDC says the flu season is starting slowly but warns that could change fast.
The government says it was caught off guard by the flu vaccine shortage,
but it turns out the FDA knew about trouble at the British flu vaccine plant last year.
Cheryl Ackerson reports.
I swear the testimony you're about to give me the truth.
The head of Chiron brought apologies to a congressional committee investigating the flu shot shortage.
We profoundly regret that we have been unable to supply influenza vaccine for this season.
That shortage, due to contamination at Chiron's British plant, forced Maplewood Park Place in Maryland
to launch a virtual scavenger hunt to find enough flu shots.
It didn't take many residents coming to me in the hallway and saying, what are you going to do for me?
You know, I am afraid to say this is pretty critical.
Many others are still waiting, and some in Congress are blaming the FDA,
who simply trusted Chiron to fix contamination problems first exposed last year.
Oh, excuse me. Are you telling us that FDA made no mistakes?
Is that, I mean, this vaccine thing?
Yeah.
No, it never got on the market.
You know, we got a major problem here.
The reason why I ask you these questions is that we cannot deal with a problem
unless we accept the fact that we have one, that we made mistakes.
We're working to get more vaccines.
The CDC had hoped to inoculate 100 million people this year.
Right now, they think they'll be able to squeeze out 58 million doses.
And the news doesn't seem to get better.
Chiron's CEO told Congress there's no guarantee his company will be up and running for next year's flu season.
Cheryl Atkinson, CBS News, Washington.
The White House cabinet shuffle rolls on.
The president nominated fellow Texan Margaret Spellings as the new secretary of education.
It's rumored that Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge will be the next cabinet member to resign,
but Ridge insists he's made no decision.
On Capitol Hill, House Republicans have changed their rules to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
DeLay could face corruption charges from a Texas grand jury investigation that he calls political.
Under the old rules, if he were indicted, DeLay would be forced out.
Now, a House committee would review any indictments and decide.
The election was more than two weeks ago, and the state of Washington still doesn't have a new governor.
When all the votes were counted, it was so close an automatic recall was triggered.
Those results won't be known for at least another week.
Jerry Bowen reports.
And the winner of the Washington state governor's race is?
Senator Dino Rossi has a lead of 261 votes over Attorney General Christine Breguar.
After two weeks of counting in the state's closest governor's race ever, Republican real estate agent Dino Rossi,
his party's fourth choice for the race, was declared the winner over Democratic Attorney General Christine Breguar.
We'll be the first Republican governor in 20 years.
It was the closeness of the race and Washington's law allowing voters to mail their ballots in on election day that slowed the outcome.
Results were further delayed when Republicans went to court to throw out provisional ballots, which they allege could be fraudulent.
To the obvious relief of Democrats, a judge said no.
I have dedicated my life to helping people vote, and it means a lot to me.
But loser Greguar isn't giving up.
So this race is far but over, and we're in it for the long haul.
I hereby order a machine recant.
A victory margin of less than 2,000 votes automatically triggers a recount of the more than 2.8 million ballots cast.
That could be done by Thanksgiving, but the loser of the recount can demand yet another count,
which means for Washington state voters it's not over until it's over.
Jerry Bowen, CBS News, Los Angeles.
Dignitaries and celebrities are in Little Rock, Arkansas today for the opening of the Clinton Library.
The record of Bill Clinton's presidency will reside under glass for all to see, good and bad.
Bob McNamara reports.
The drums are tuned, and the color guard and choirs well rehearsed for a day of pageantry and praise.
The $165 million steel and glass Clinton Library stands on the banks of the Arkansas River on the edge of downtown Little Rock.
The museum, a state-of-the-art record of the Clinton presidency, with an interactive timeline of his eight years in office, the success stories, and scandals too.
It then proceeded to be an investigation about whether or not the president was truthful with respect to an inappropriate relationship with an intern.
The Clinton scandals are expected to give historians steady work.
Was there anything more to Whitewater, for example, than the Starr investigation discovered?
What about Monica Lewinsky? Is there any good juice on Paula Jones?
Here, too, is a full-sized replica of the White House Oval Office, a replica of the Cabinet Room, and a retired presidential limousine.
And last night, it all began with the biggest fireworks display Little Rock had ever seen.
President Bush, his father, and former President Jimmy Carter will take part in the ceremonies.
Just ahead on the morning news, attention Kmart shoppers, the Kmart Sears marriage that will create the nation's third biggest retailer.
First, Dan Rather with the preview of tonight's CBS Evening News.
Tonight on CBS, to test or not to test, the results could tell this star athlete his chances of getting the fatal genetic disease his father has.
Tonight's CBS Evening News.
A sale that is more than fantastic, more than amazing. It's the most incredible Saturday sale ever.
At Sears, wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling savings. So big, we had to make the day bigger.
Doors open early, and from 7 a.m. to noon, save on incredible doorbusters like this DVD player, just $26.99.
Plus, take an extra 10% off all coats, sweaters, and boots before noon, even on sale prices.
The most incredible Saturday sale ever. Sears. Good life, great price.
This is Matthew. Or would you like to be called Matt?
Matt.
Matt-tay-tay. Matt's full of surprises. So is his cancer. It moved from his lymph nodes to his kidney.
So they sent him to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where the doctors invented new ways to treat him,
and now doctors everywhere want to study Matt's treatment to learn how to save other children, so they can grow up to be anything they want to be.
Even a comedian.
Please shop where you see our logo, or go to thanksandgiving.com.
Let's talk about better. When someone says something's better, it's usually just their opinion.
So if you suffer from acid reflux disease, frequent heartburn, and I told you prescription Nexium heals acid-related damage in the esophagus better, you want proof.
And now, your doctor has that proof. Recent medical studies prove Nexium heals that damage better than the other leading prescription medicine.
No wonder they call Nexium the healing purple pill. So call your doctor today and ask if Nexium is right for you.
Because if left untreated, the damage could get worse. Other serious stomach conditions may still exist.
The most common side effects of Nexium are headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Hey, with Nexium, you don't just feel better. You are better. And better is better.
So what did the doctor say? He said the pain that wakes me up at night is from arthritis. Really? He said I should take a leave.
Doctors know a leave stops arthritis pain for up to 12 hours, so pain won't interrupt your sleep. I see the leave work. All night long.
A leave.
Stock soared on Wall Street on news of the surprise merger between Kmart and Sears. The $11 billion deal would create the nation's third largest retailer, Walmart and Target.
Take notice. Kelly Kobieha has more.
Kmart and Sears are betting on power in numbers. The discount retailer and traditional mall anchor store are merging in an $11 billion deal that will give the new company a massive retail presence.
3400 stores across the country. I think it's great. I'm not crazy about Kmart. I hope they do, you know, keep Sears the way it is.
There will be no name change in this retail marriage. The storefront signs will stay the same along with the signature brands and the specialty lines.
But there could be some crossing over. Martha Stewart merchandise is already selling at Sears stores in Canada.
Both retailers have struggled in recent years, but Kmart is starting to bounce back, posting its first profit in three years last March after selling off some 600 stores and cutting its workforce by 57,000.
Longtime mall anchor store and catalog king Sears has tried boosting sales by adding groceries and other items to its shelves.
The company has hoped the merger will give both retailers more buying power and a better competitive edge in pricing. Retail analysts say there's another benefit, a holiday shopping buzz.
It just refocuses consumers back to Sears and makes it a more exciting brand. And this happening just a few weeks before Christmas is great news for retail.
And great news for shoppers, say analysts, with a new merchandise mix, better stores and more promotions to get them in the door. Kelly Kobayashi, CBS News, New York.
Sears stock was up 17 percent after the merger announcement. Kmart's about 7 percent. Overall for Wall Street, the Dow closed higher by nearly 62 points on Wednesday. The NASDAQ added 21.
For the latest on the markets, log on to cbs.marketwatch.com.
Motor Trend's car of the year is nicknamed the Baby Bentley. The Chrysler 300 has been one of America's hot sellers since it debuted in April.
The 300 beat out 23 other new or redesigned cars for the award. It's helped boost Daimler Chrysler sales by nearly 3 percent.
Still to come, your Thursday morning weather and in sports, the Pistons' Taishan Prince lead the charge against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Maybe you should ask your doctor about prescription Celebrex. To learn more, go to celebrex.com.
Pantene full and thick. For thin or thinning hair. Worth a try.
Supposed to have a special pro-vitamin formula. Makes hair look 35 percent thicker. 10 percent would be incredible.
Hmm, it's really there. Really full. Proof enough for me. It's ridiculous how happy this makes me.
Pantene full and thick. That's the beauty of health.
All the smiles. All the enchantment. Now everything you bake can have all the goodness with half the sugar.
Introducing Splenda Sugar Blend for baking. It's part Splenda and part sugar. So cakes are moist, cookies chewy, pastries sweet and flaky.
See? You can have it all. And with half the sugar. New Splenda Sugar Blend for baking. Part Splenda, part sugar, pure magic.
All I want is glasses that are perfect. And if I simply change my mind, you've got to let me bring them back. At Landcrafters, it's their guarantee.
And now all lenses are 50 percent off at Landcrafters. Hurry. Offer ends November 27.
Here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. In New York, mostly cloudy, 56. Miami, partly cloudy, 79.
In Chicago, drizzle and fog with mild, 62. Denver, mostly cloudy, 48. LA, sunny and a pleasant, 73.
Time now for a check on the national forecast. This morning, satellite pictures show storm clouds.