Firefighters climb atop the wreckage of two Metro subway trains that collided Monday in Washington.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

Emergency workers are navigating through wreckage to remove bodies of victims following the crash of 2 Metro subway trains yesterday during rush hour. This accident occurred just before 5pm on an above-ground track in DC near the border with Takoma Park, Maryland.

Dozens of people were treated for injuries at the scene. Officials said both trains were on the same track, headed in the same direction, but the cause of the collision is still unclear. Joe Johns will bring you the latest.

Iranian officials say they have found 'no major fraud' in the disputed presidential election and therefore the results will stand. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be sworn-in sometime between July 26th and August 19th. How will the opposition react?

The video of a young Iranian woman named Neda who apparently died after being shot has become an iconic image of the violence on the streets. What will be the impact of her death on this reform movement?

President Obama holds a news conference this afternoon in the Rose Garden. We’re told his opening statement will deal with health care, Iran and energy legislation, but you can expect him to answer questions on other issues such as North Korea, jobs and healthcare. We’re going to replay the main highlights for you.

Ed McMahon fans must be sad this morning- the longtime Johnny Carson sidekick died at the age of 86. His publicist says he passed away peacefully overnight.

See you tonight at 10pet.

New York Times reporter David Rohde, shown in 1995, escaped from the Taliban.

Penny Manis
AC360 Senior Producer

Iranian authorities warn that protesters who ‘disturb the peace and stand up to security forces’ will be considered a threat to the regime and met with a strong response. A news media blackout has been imposed by the government, so the images we now see are coming from Iranians on the streets taking cell phone videos and the like.

The images are not for the faint of heart. You can hear gunfire and people screaming, in a couple of cases, even protester deaths seem to be recorded, though impossible to 100% verify all the video.

Iran says 17 people have died since the election protests began, but unconfirmed reports say the number could be as high as 150. Hundreds of people have been arrested.

President Obama is taking heat from Republicans for not being more critical of the Iranian government, and there are reports a couple of members of his own cabinet want him to take a stronger stand. What do you think President Obama should do? We’ll be following this story tonight.

A US destroyer is tracking a North Korean ship suspected of carrying illicit weapons and believed to be headed towards Myanmar. If there is firm evidence that Pyongyang is delivering missiles or weapon technology, then it’s a big question for the US in terms of what to do. Should we board? North Korea says that would be an act of war. We're watching this story.

David Rohde, a reporter from the New York Times, is finally free after being held captive for 7 months by the Taliban in northwestern Pakistan. He climbed over a wall in the compound where he was being held, a daring escape. Secretary Clinton issued a statement expressing relief about his ‘return to freedom’. Our correspondent Nic Robertson has been following his story for several months, and he’ll join us tonight.

See you at 10pet!

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks to a crown in Tehran during Friday prayers.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a ‘definitive victory’ in last Friday’s election, and denies vote-rigging. He spoke to thousands of Iranians at a prayer session early this morning.

He praised President Ahmadinejad as a ‘hard working’ leader and blamed western governments and media for undermining the election process. The drama continues in this country! We’ll bring you the latest.

President Obama has a busy day: this morning he addresses the largest Hispanic faith-based Evangelical network in the US. In the afternoon, he blocks time to discuss the importance of being a good dad as a national priority (maybe it’s also a hint to Sasha and Malia to get him a good father’s day present on Sunday).

In the evening, he gets out his funny hat when he addresses the Radio TV Correspondent Dinner. Presidents normally use the latter forum to crack jokes with the media. We’ll show you these clips tonight, we always like a good laugh.

More pot for you! As narcotics enforcement tightens up on both sides of the border, Mexican cartels are stepping up efforts to push more pot into the US and expand marijuana farms already on our turf. Up north, Asian gangs are doing the same with Canadian marijuana. Tom Foreman traces the path pot takes from grower to user!

Chicago has been gripped in gun violence- police have recorded up to 700 shootings so far in the first 5 months of 2009. Sanjay Gupta takes you inside a Chicago hospital Emergency Room, which treats the victims of the shootings. You'll learn a lot from this action-packed report.

Wow that’s a handful, how are we going to squeeze it in a 60 minute show? And that doesn't even include more clips from Anderson's interview with Angelina Jolie pegged to World Refugee Day tomorrow. See you tonight! TGIF.

Anderson will interview Angelina Jolie today, who is in Washington D C to attend a World Refugee Day Event.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

In Iran, supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi will turn Tehran into a sea of black today, as thousands plan to march in dark clothes mourning those killed in protests in the aftermath of presidential elections last week.

Our reporter in Tehran, Reza Sayeh, has been told by officials that CNN cannot cover these demonstrations and is only allowed to file one report out of the country today. It’s unclear if we will see him in our show tonight for this reason, but we are trying to get this story via other internet technologies and experts on Iran.

We had an exclusive interview planned with Angelina Jolie and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today. Both women are in DC and meant to attend a World Refugee Day event.

Anderson was going to interview both of them after this event. Secretary Clinton has been sidelined, though, this time not by dog eat dog politics, but rather, a tough fall she had outside the White House which caused her to break an elbow. OUCH. This means she won’t be at the event or sitting down with Anderson.

We will continue our interview with Angelina Jolie- she will have the spot light to herself and explain the plight of refugees. The situation is more urgent this year due to the global economic crisis which is reducing aid budgets. Nic Robertson will offer one snap shot from Pakistan where the refugee situation is in full crisis-mode, to accompany the interview with Mrs. Jolie.

And we have more pot coverage for you tonight. Drew Griffin couldn’t believe his eyes when he walked into a suburban home and found out it was transformed into a drug factory. On the outside, idyllic houses w/manicured lawns, fences and gardeners paid to trim the bushes. Inside, wall to wall marijuana grow houses. Wait till you catch this!

Hey, I really hope the weather is better in your neck of the woods than NYC. Given that heavy thunderstorms and tornadoes are hitting many parts of the country, though, I would guess not. Everyone grab their umbrellas, brace for the weather, and have a great day. And we’ll see you tonight at 10pet!

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

Demonstrations are planned in Iran following Friday’s disputed election. Journalists have been told to stay in their hotel rooms, and the situation continues to be tense and volatile. The Iranian government is jamming cell phone lines and radio transmissions, as many of the images and 'word from the street' is now coming out via the internet.

We'll follow developments and tell you more about Mir Hossein Moussavi, the opposition candidate, who is at the center is of this storm. Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour and Reza Sayeh, our reporter in Tehran, join us tonight.

It’s a busy day for President Obama at the White House. He will lay out a new set of regulatory measures aimed at preventing another financial crisis. We want details! The President will also sign a memorandum extending government benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

This decision comes after gay rights groups were giving the President heat for not repealing the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” military policy. What will be the fallout from this decision?

Back to Pot-a topic we hope you are learning more about this week. Tonight, Joe John introduces you to King Bong- he’s the ‘great fixer’, the guy running the clinics where most of Oregon’s marijuana prescriptions are doled out. But his real goal is fully legalized marijuana.

He grows, he smokes, and he has a weekly cable show related to the topic. We’ll hear his arguments for legalization, and also hear from those who think he is dead wrong.

Strange story of the day: A Brooklyn man named Thomas Prusik-Parkin is accused of wearing a wig, putting on nail polish, and wearing dresses to impersonate his deceased mother and collect $115,000 in Social Security and rent subsidies. Geez, some people will do anything for a buck.

That’s a full plate, make sure you tune in tonight! We’ll be waiting for you.

Randi Kaye, producer Susan Chun and our crew traveled with police officials as they discovered and destroyed a marijuana garden in California.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

Our series titled, “America’s High: The Case For and Against Pot” continues. Dan Simon talks to a doctor who prescribes marijuana to patients for medicinal purposes. He explains which of his patients are candidates and the process for obtaining this type of treatment. All it takes is a doctor’s letter and a driver’s license!

Approximately 80% of all marijuana grown in CA comes from National Forests or National Parks. Randi Kaye rides with police officials to hunt down these “marijuana gardens” and discovers 7000 marijuana plants with a street value of $3.5 million! She had quite an interesting experience on this shoot, and you may have seen pictures of her on our blog w/the plants. Reporters find themselves in interesting locations sometimes, lol.

We learned something about the Anderson fans yesterday…you all love talking about pot! We hope you appreciate these reports tonight.

Of course, the above will be presented in and around the pressing headlines of the day: In Iran, 7 people have died in election protests in the aftermath of voting a few days ago. Iran’s election authority has agreed to recount some votes in this disputed presidential election, but opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi rejects this idea and wants fresh elections.

Washington is urging Tehran to return to high level talks regarding nuclear ambitions. And speaking of nukes, President Obama meets with South Korean President lee Myung-Bak at the WH today- the 2 have plenty to talk about on the heels of North Korea’s major saber rattling as of late. You know NK leader Kim Jong Il’s ears will be ringing. We'll be tackling these stories tonight.

In the bizarre story of the day: what is up with the 18 yr old held on 19 counts of animal cruelty linked to a month-long killing spree of pet cats in Florida? Ever heard of a cat serial killer? Weird and scary. See you at 10pet!

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

This week we have a series planned for you called, “America’s High: The Case For and Against Pot.”

Anderson presents his interview with Melissa Etheridge who says marijuana helped relieve her pain as she battled cancer. On the flip side, Randi Kaye spoke to a teacher with bi-polar disorder who was prescribed marijuana, but it made her mood swings more severe, she became addicted, and it nearly killed her! Make sure you tune in to hear these stories.

In Iran, protests have erupted following elections 3 days ago. Official results show that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected with more than 62% of the vote, but leading opponent-former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Moussavi-has disputed the results and his supporters are hitting the streets and fighting with police.

Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour is in Iran, and she will join us to put it all into perspective.

President Obama is heading home to Chicago today, but it may not be a relaxing visit with hometown friends. He is there to sell his plan for a government-sponsored public health insurance plan to the American Medical Association. Doctors aren’t so happy about all of his health care reform proposals, and this meeting is sure to be fiery and interesting. We may call in Dr. Sanjay Gupta to help explain his proposals and the pushback against them from the nation's docs.

Here is another snippet I caught this morning: singing sensation Susan Boyle has been pulled out of the ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ live tour, because she has reportedly been advised to rest. Fame comes with a big price, people. Hope the rest of you got some r&r this weekend and make sure you join us tonight at 10pet!

Stephen Tyrone Johns was shot and killed while working at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

88 year old white supremacist James Von Brunn walked through the Holocaust museum doors with a rifle and began firing yesterday. Police hold a news conference today to discuss the official charges against him.

He is a known Holocaust denier who has repeatedly claimed “The Diary of Anne Frank” is a hoax. This shooting took place on a day the museum planned to stage a play based on Anne Frank and right ahead of what would have been her 80th birthday.

Other details: he served 6 years in prison for trying to kidnap Federal Reserve board members because of high interest rates in 1981. Drew Griffin will have more on him and hate groups he is affiliated with tonight. Who is this guy and how many others like him are out there?

Flags are lowered to half-staff at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in honor of the 39-year-old security guard named Stephen Tyrone Jones, who was killed in this shooting. Tom Foreman profiles this man tonight, he died saving other lives.

In Texas, we have learned the last few weeks about the forfeiture laws which mean that cops can pull over drivers, in this case mostly Latino and African-American ones, and take money. The DA is supposed to use this seized cash for ‘official purposes’ but that has not exactly been the case. Unless one considers trips to Hawaii for vacation ‘official’. Wait until you catch this report from Gary Tuchman!

Folks in Iran are hitting the polls tomorrow, the 2 leading candidates are the conservative incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (we know this guy well, he likes to make some ‘colorful’ statements against the West, as a severe understatement) and Hossein Mousavi, the leading reformist candidate. Christiane Amanpour is in Iran and she'll put it all into perspective.

See u tonight at 10pet!

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

President Obama’s “pay-as-you-go’ proposal for federal spending has everyone talking: this rule would basically require Congress to balance any increased spending by equal savings elsewhere.

He says “paying for what you spend is basic common sense…perhaps that why here in Washington, it’s been so elusive”. Wait-is he implying there is no common sense in DC? Can that be? (insert ironic eye-roll).

The President must’ve had a close look at our federal deficit, now heading towards 1.8 trillion dollars this year, which is more than 4x last year’s all-time high. All those zero's, hard to comprehend.

Republican leaders are quick to pounce on the ‘pay-as-you-go’ idea, noting the President’s proposal comes after record spending initiatives by the Obama administration, such as the $787 billion economic stimulus program. Interesting stuff, we may chew on this tonight!

A French nuclear submarine joined the hunt for the ‘black box’ flight data recorders and other wreckage from Air France Flight 447 today, as more bodies are pulled from the Atlantic: 41 total. The bodies will undergo forensic testing in the event they offer clues as to what happened.

North Korea threatens a nuclear offensive against America, claiming it’s a response to US aggression, and US envoy Stephen Bosworth says the US has no intention to force regime change or provoke a fight. In other words, everyone just stay calm! Though the 2 journalists who were sentenced are probably anything but calm, we’re keeping an eye on any news of their fate.

Dan Simon has a super interesting story of a female LAPD cop who was busted for a homicide many years after the murder took place. As homicides in LA are falling to historic lows, LAPD detectives have had unusual freedom to open up cold cases as of late, and this particular one they cracked open led them to one of their own. You just can’t make this stuff up.

Sasha Obama turns 8 years old today. The First Family forgot to invite the AC360 team to the festivities in Paris, maybe they’re worried we will cause too much of a raucous? See u tonight!

Recovery efforts have found several items confirmed to have come from Air France Flight 447.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

We follow the fate of the 2 American journalists sentenced to 12 years in prison with labor. The families of Laura Ling and Euna Lee say they are ‘shocked and devastated’ by this news, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the US government is working to secure their release.

Will our government send a top official to broker a deal? What does ‘prison with labor’ actually mean? We’ll have answers tonight.

Air France flight investigators have recovered 24 bodies from last week’s crash, meanwhile a French nuclear sub and high tech acoustic devices belonging to the US Navy are headed to search for the flight recorders.

If we don’t know what brought the plane down, how can we prevent a future incident? The area they are searching is the size of Nebraska. This is no easy task. Karl Penhaul is on the ground in Brazil w/this story.

We’re waiting to hear what the NAACP is calling a “major announcement on President Obama” today, just ahead of the NAACP’s 100th anniversary convention. Will they be nicer to him than actor Jon Voight was last night?

He didn’t mince words at the GOP fundraiser he hosted, saying he’s “embarrassed” by the President and that this leadership would cause the ‘downfall’ of the country. Who needs professional wrestling when we’ve got politics?

Joe Johns has an incredible 'keeping them honest' story: A veteran spokesperson straight out of central casting, w/a gold-plated resume indicating he was ideal person to push for major veteran issues, winning over everyone from politicians to police chiefs and reporters. But here’s the catch: he was a fraud! How the heck did he convince everyone of his story?

I love this snippet I saw this morning: Apparently there is a man in South Dakota who won a $232 million lottery, and he is so well-known for his kind heart that his neighbors and former teachers worry he may give too much of his newfound money away. Excuse me while I race to the airport and catch a plane to visit him, my new best friend. See u tonight!

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

News out of North Korea this morning: Two American journalists have been found guilty of what that government calls “grave crimes”. They had been covering the plight of defectors living along the China-North Korea border when they were detained and accused of illegal border crossing + spying. They now face 12 years in prison and 'reform with labor', the country’s state-run media said. Sounds like a nightmare, right?

The State Department has reacted, stating concern for the 2 American citizen journalists and urging North Korea to grant their immediate release on humanitarian grounds. This news comes as the Obama administration considers placing Pyongyang back on the list of states that sponsor terrorism following their recent nuclear and missile tests.

We’ll have reaction from the families tonight, and talk to former US officials who have experience dealing with North Korea- is there any chance of freedom for these women? What is labor camp like? Is it possible to negotiate with this country?

17 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of Air France Flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean. Will there be any more clues as to what happened to this plane that went missing? We’re keeping a close eye on this story that has everyone perplexed.

The man accused of killing the Kansas abortion doctor George Tiller issued a warning from his jail cell via cell phone to a news organization: he says similar acts of violence are in the works across the country, causing the Justice Department to order stepped-up security at abortion clinics. Does he have possible accomplices?

Sanjay Gupta has put together a strong report on a top contender for the worst natural disaster in US history, and here’s the kicker: 5 months later-hardly anyone has heard about it, and hardly anything is being done about it.

We are Keeping Them Honest and taking you to Tennessee where one billion gallons of coal sludge has blanketed hundreds of acres of land and community residents are worried about getting sick. We may air this story tonight or tomorrow, depending on the overall news mix, you won’t want to miss it!

See u at 10pet!

Dr. George Tiller was one of the few U.S. physicians who performed late-term abortions.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

Welcome to the end of the week! Tonight we air: A Woman’s Choice: A Nation Divided. There has been intense interest in the murder of Dr. Tiller and the many abortion-related questions that bubbled to the forefront following his death. We pulled this coverage into one solid hour so you could wrap your head around this story fully.

We’ll offer a profile of Dr. Tiller and the suspect Scott Roeder, an insightful look into the fringe organization called ‘Freemen’, plus Dr. Sanjay Gupta is on hand to offer his special medical insight. It's going to be a great show!

Erica Hill is in the mix w/live news hits: President Obama is in Germany, continuing to push for Middle East peace but also remembering the cost of war. He is the first US president to visit Buchenwald, a Nazi forced labor camp. And it is personal. A great-uncle, Charles Payne, helped liberate a nearby camp Ohrdruf, in April 1945.

There is confusion over missing Air France Flight 447. Debris recovered earlier in the week appears to be nothing more than sea trash, NOT part of the doomed airplane. Investigators think a malfunction in the flight control system could have caused the crash, but nothing solid yet. What the heck happened to that plane?

Police in Thailand believe actor David Carradine may have died from accidental suffociation or heart failure, the 72 yr old actor was found hanging in his hotel room closet. Very sad. I remember fondly his role in 'North and South'-that fabulously cheesy mini-series in the 1980’s, know which one I’m talking about? Or am I just aging myself. He will be missed.

And we are keeping a close eye on the fate of journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, detained in North Korea on spying charges. We hope for the best, no word yet on their fate.

See you tonight peeps! And hope the weather is better in your neck of the woods than the rain here in NY. But hey, it’s Friday.

US President Barack Obama holds the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit after it was presented to him by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

President Obama delivered a speech to the Muslim world today. Our favorite analyst David Gergen called it “the Mt Everest of speeches”. The purpose: to ‘reset Middle East relations.”

The President said, "I know there are many-Muslim and non-Muslims-who question whether we can forge this new beginning," emphasizing that "it is easier to start wars than to end them. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share."

For those of you who were up last night watching Anderson’s impromptu birthday party in the show and therefore missed the speech early this morning: never fear we will bring you the most important highlights tonight and hash it out with our top panel of guests. We will also show you pictures of the President visiting the Pyramids. Will he/won't he jump on a camel? That would be super fun.

Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee are on trial in North Korea. They've been detained in the country after being accused of illegally entering North Korea and acting as spies. Will they be free or spend years in prison? We’ll be watching, and hoping for the best.

Many of you are still writing to us on the blogs and viewer comments about the killing of late-term abortion doctor George Tiller. See, we really do listen to you! We are talking about adding a segment on this story again tonight- as a hot-button issue in this country, there are so many angles to tackle abortion and the murder of this doctor.

A fun tidbit: Did you know President Obama’s royal welcome in Saudi Arabia the other day included a gigantic gold necklace so big and splashy that White House aides joked it could solve America’s debt problem if turned into a pawn shop? The necklace is officially called the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit, the kingdom's highest honor. It's so massive that when the President draped it over his neck, it nearly reached down to his waist. Good times. I would like one of those.

See u tonight!!

Laura Ling, a Current TV reporter, was working with fellow journalist Euna Lee on a story about North Korean defectors.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

President Obama receives a warm welcome in Saudi Arabia this morning. It’s the first stop of his 5-nation tour of the Middle East and Europe. He is trying to send a new message from the United States overseas.

When you talk about ‘reaching out and touching someone’ though, I’m not sure he had Al Qaeda in mind. The number 2 guy from this terrorist group, Ayman al-Zawahiri, urged Egypt to reject president Obama- it is in Cairo that he will deliver his big speech to the Muslim world tomorrow.

Now, Arab TV network al-Jazeera is playing an audiotape reportedly from Osama Bin Laden, the voice criticizing President Obama’s policies toward Muslim countries. We’ll have more on the President’s trip tonight.

Anderson is speaking with the families of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the 2 journalists detained in North Korea. Their trial takes place around our show time, and sister Lisa, plus husbands Ian and Michael are speaking out, making public pleas for their release. Anderson has this story tonight.

There are other stories we are choosing from tonight, having TOO many options is a good problem for a producer to have though, let me tell you. Christiane Amanpour has an emotional story on a Palestinian doctor, trained in Israel who regularly brings witness accounts of the medical crisis facing the people of Gaza to Israel living rooms, but things got very personal when he also lost his 3 daughters.

There is also the custody case we are following in Brazil: an American father fighting to get his son back after his wife left him 5 yrs ago, ran off to Brazil, re-married a lawyer down there, passed away, and since then this New Jersey dad has been fighting to get his son back from that country and back into his own custody.

See u tonight!

President Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visit an Istanbul mosque in April.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

Good morning everyone!!
President Obama heads to the Middle East tonight, his first stop is Saudi Arabia where he will meet with King Abdullah, and then onto Cairo where on Thursday he’ll deliver his 3rd speech to the Muslim world.

He sees this trip as an opportunity to repair the relationship with this section of the planet, one that’s in “need of substantial improvement” according to WH spokesman Robert Gibbs. (Does that sound like most of your relationships too?) Candy Crowley will have this report tonight.

The mystery of Flight 447 continues as new details emerge this morning: Other commercial pilots claim they saw what looked like a fire in the Atlantic Ocean yesterday, while the US government is scouring satellite data to pin-point Air France Flight 447’s last location. The relatives of the 228 people on board are being told to expect the worst. We'll have the latest.

It’s not just autoworkers who are in a crunch following the bankruptcy of GM: All the lawsuits filed against the company by those injured in GM car-related accidents may have trouble pursuing their claims and are hoping the government can build in a protection for their case. within the bankruptcy deal. Joe Johns will be keeping them honest!

Judge Sotomayor hits the Hill today-she is meeting with Congressional folks to convince them that she is the best woman for the job of Supreme Court Justice. We’ll be watching her moves.

They call themselves the Underground Undergrads- a forgotten generation that feels oppressed and privileged at the same time. They are children who immigrated to the US illegally with their parents. One young woman specifically has been accepted to many prestigious graduation schools but can’t go because she is undocumented. Thelma Gutierrez has this story.

Anderson anchors out of LA tonight, he is shooting a story out there which will air tomorrow about the 2 journalists detained in North Korea.

See you at 10pet!

Dr. George Tiller was one of the few U.S. physicians that performed late-term abortions.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

A Kansas late-term abortion doctor named George Tiller was gunned down at his church in Wichita, Kansas-he was a long-time target of anti-abortion activists. There is a suspect in custody, Scott Roeder, held without bail and charged with first-degree murder.

Attorney General Eric Holder is ordering increased security for other individuals and abortion facilities across the nation following this shooting. Gary Tuchman is flying to Kansas to give you the latest on this story tonight.

GM is filing for bankruptcy-it will be the 3rd largest in US history. As part of the reorganization, the US government will gain 60% stake in the new company, and the pricetag for tax-payers is $30 billion. GM will cut 20,000 jobs and a dozen plants will go dark by the end of next year. Ali Velshi offers his analysis on all this.

An Air France passenger jet is missing, the airline says it received a message from the lost plane signaling an electric problem while going through an area of thunderstorms and turbulence. There were 228 people on board. This plane left Rio De Janeiro last night, and should’ve arrived in Paris early this morning. There is a search underway near the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha.

We are never lacking in political news as well–Judge Sonia Sotomayor has a big week ahead. She will go to Capital Hill to woo Congressional members and make her case for confirmation.

British singing sensation Susan Boyle finished second on the show “Britain’s Got Talent” over the weekend. It was an anticlimactic ending for millions of fans who fell in love with her following a performance that became a huge Youtube hit. UK media report she is “exhausted and emotionally drained” and has been taken to a clinic. Oh, the price of fame. Richard Quest joins us tonight to offer his take.

See you at 10pet!

Kavya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas, reacts to winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

President Obama will announce the creation of a “cyber czar” to oversee the protection of our nation’s computer infrastructure. This person would coordinate the effort to protect government and private computer systems from hackers, criminal gangs, terrorists and spies.

The Department of Homeland Security says attacks on government and private computer networks went from approximately 4,000 four years ago, to more than 72,000 attacks last year. That's quite an increase-wow! We are thinking of booking a guest segment on the real threat to our nation’s computers and make sense of these numbers-stay tuned!

It’s another day, and another missile test in North Korea. Kim Jong Il’s regime has test fired a short-range missile from its east coast not too long ago-it’s the 6th test this week. This latest saber-rattling comes as a high-level US delegation heads to Asia, while the communist regime promises “self defense” if “provoked” by the United Nations.

Gary Tuchman follows a murder mystery at Harvard University-get this: A suspected drug dealer enters an ivy-league dormitory, an attempted robbery ensues, and the end result is a shootout leaving one person dead. At the center of this startling crime is a young woman named Chanequa N. Campbell, who will not be allowed to graduate with her class next week-steps her attorney believes are related to this on-campus killing.

This student believes she is being singled out for ‘looking different and being poor’. Her lawyer contends that if she were a Caucasian student, this probably wouldn’t have happened to her. Gary reports from Boston.

TGIF! Especially for one 13 year old named Kavya Shivashanker, our new national spelling bee champ. She nailed the title by spelling the word “Laodicean” last night, which means ‘lukewarm or indifferent in religion or politics’.

This is not a word that is familiar to those of us at CNN, as we deal with people who are the opposite on a daily basis! At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it for why this tween knows this word and most of us don’t!

See you at 10pet!

Federal policemen in Mexico City escort a bus with arrested officials from Michoacan state Tuesday.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

The President is upbeat on the economy, saying we’re no longer on the verge of economic disaster. That’s some good news to wake up to while sipping your cup of coffee-what do you think of this statement?

We are hearing that a school group from Maryland has been quarantined in China due to H1N1 fears. Not exactly an ideal school trip. We’ll tell you about this story today as we get more details. (ps: whatever happened to just visiting the good ol' Statue of Liberty?)

US and South Korean militaries are on high alert this morning as North Korea issues a direct threat against their warships-meanwhile Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warns this regime it will face consequences for its actions. Where exactly is Kim Jong Il going with all this? What do you think is behind this latest saber-rattling? We’ll be watching this story.

President Obama is trying to establish peace elsewhere on the planet today-he meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and talks are expected to focus on Israeli settlements. Don’t forget last week he met with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu who resisted a freeze on further settlement construction. We’ll see if any news comes out of this meeting.

Key Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, says the GOP is prepared to grill Judge Sotomayor about her judicial decisions, but conceded that the GOP will not filibuster her nomination. Do you think she is a strong nominee for this slot?

Federal forces in Mexico have detained 10 mayors and many other officials in the state of Michoacan for allegedly protecting one of the most violent drug cartels. These officials are believed to have leaked sensitive information and provided protection to La Familia cartel. Michael Ware has this dramatic story tonight and tells you if these arrests will make any dent into the issue of corruption in Mexico.

See you tonight at 10pet! John King is our host tonight.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

A breaking story this AM: President Obama has chosen Federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee for the US Supreme Court. One of our analysts described her as moderate, with leftist leanings. She is 54 yrs old, and would be the 1st Hispanic, + 3rd female Supreme Court Justice. What will her pick mean for the future of Supreme Court cases? We'll tell you tonight.

North Korea fired 2 short-range missiles today, a day after another blast showed up on seismographs with the punch of a magnitude 4.7 earthquake. Russia estimated the force of Monday's blast at 10 to 20 kilotons, in the neighborhood of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs of World War II and far larger than the 2006 test.

What will it take to get North Korea to comply with the international community? What options do President Obama and other world leaders have—sanctions vs. diplomacy? Where does Kim Jong Il get his haircut? Oops, sorry- Freudian slip. We’ll have some of these answers tonight!

The California Supreme Court will announce whether or not to uphold Proposition 8 today, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The justices also decide whether the state will continue to recognize the roughly 18,000 same-sex marriages carried out in 2008.

Since the California court took up this issue, 3 other states have begun granting same-sex couples the right to marry: Iowa, Vermont, and Maine. New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey are poised to follow.
Do you think Proposition 8 should be upheld?

Gary Tuchman has a story about a controversial Texas law that allows police departments and district attorney’s offices to make big profits from detained drivers. He profiles a town that gets big bucks from so-called ‘forfeitures’, and one former District Attorney is accused of giving his secretaries huge bonuses with this money, to the tune of $2 million, because they were loyal to him! I guess this is a county where Secretary Day equals winning the lottery.

It’s a big news day- see u at 10pet!

President Obama wants to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, but Congress wants a detailed plan.

Penny Manis
AC360° Senior Producer

The fallout continues over President Obama’s and former VP Dick Cheney’s speeches in which they offered competing views on how to keep America safe. The President asserts he is still cleaning up a ‘mess’ left behind by his predecessor, and defended his plan to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, amidst other terror fighting measures he has enacted since taking office.

Even after he made his case though, the Senate approved a $91 billion dollar bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but only after lawmakers stripped it of cash needed to close Gitmo.

Former VP Cheney defended the policies of the past administration, saying that Gitmo and the Bush administration’s interrogation tactics kept Americans safe. He asserted that president Obama has weakened the country’s ability to fight al Qaeda and extremists. He also said President Obama’s decision to close Gitmo involved “little deliberation and no plan.”

Opinions differ all around on whether the US should house detainees in supermax prisons in the U.S. What do you think? Tonight our panelists from both sides of the aisle will put this week into context for you.

President Obama and John McCain criss cross today when the President delivers a commencement address at the US Naval Academy in Florida. (insert famous Cats song: "Memories"…). John McCain will be in the audience as a parent to one of the graduates. Wonder if they’ll do lunch together afterwards? Probably not.

Other stories: We’ll follow the latest developments on the 4 suspected terrorists arrested in NYC this week. Sean Callebs has a story on how FEMA is threatening to pull all occupied trailers in Louisiana, yet the families in those trailers are homeless and don’t have the funds to rebuild their homes. Ed Lavandera caught up with the first black mayor in Philadelphia, Mississippi who was just elected this week. He was pretty emotional over his win, particularly significant in a town with a history of racial tension.

What other story do you want to see tonight? Let us know. See you at 10pet!