Thousands predicted at D.C. anti-war protest

Thousands predictedat D.C. anti-war protest
WASHINGTON -- A memorial to Army Sgt. Michael Mitchell of Porterville, Calif., who was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004, rests on the grass near the Washington Monument. The memorial is part of "Camp Casey," which was set up as part of this weekend's anti-Iraq war activities in the nation's capital.
Organizers of today's protest predict about 100,000 people will crowd the Ellipse near the White House for a rally and march. Among those expected are Cindy Sheehan, the California mother who drew thousands of protesters to her 26-day vigil outside President Bush's Texas ranch last month.
Anti-war protesters will march to the front of the White House and down to the Justice Department before circling back to the Washington Monument for an 11-hour concert and rally featuring folk singer Joan Baez. War supporters will line part of the march route.
Other anti-war protests are planned today in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle.
Driver in crash said crowdstared like 'demons'
LAS VEGAS -- A man accused of killing two tourists and injuring 12 others on the Las Vegas Strip told police he steered his car into the crowd on the sidewalk because they were staring at him like demons.
Stephen M. Ressa, 27, also told police he saw people with their hands in their pockets and thought they might be armed with guns, according to an arrest report obtained Friday by The Associated Press.
"They were staring at him like they were 'demons,"' the report said. "Ressa admitted he became angry at them, and intentionally steered the vehicle toward them."
Ressa, of Rialto, Calif., was arrested Wednesday shortly after the car barreled through the crowd and crashed into a cement barrier in front of Bally's hotel-casino. He was being held without bail on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
Man agrees to transferexotic animals from farm
FLAT ROCK, Ind. -- A man agreed Friday to transfer several bears and tigers to rescue groups after his squalid exotic animal farm was raided by state wildlife officials.
Dennis Hill, owner of the Willow Hill Center for Rare and Endangered Tigers, agreed to let about a dozen of the animals go.
"I'm going to shuffle cats to some good homes," said Hill, whose property is located about 30 miles south of Indianapolis.
His decision came despite a judge's ruling earlier in the day temporarily blocking the state from removing the animals.
Cheney to undergosurgery in right knee
WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney will undergo surgery today to repair an aneurysm in his right knee and then have a similar operation later on an aneurysm behind his left knee.
Cheney is expected to remain in the hospital for up to 48 hours after surgery at George Washington Hospital Center, said Lea Anne McBride, spokeswoman for the vice president. The aneurysms, known as popliteal aneurysms, are not considered life-threatening and doctors say the surgery is minimally invasive.
"It's not complicated if you're experienced," said Dr. Peter Kalman, professor of surgery and radiology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.
Bilingual Europeans
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Half of European citizens speak a second language, according to a European Union survey released Friday.
The poll, conducted in June across Europe, found that tiny Luxembourg had the highest percentage of bilingual citizens, with 99 percent of those questioned saying they could master a conversation in a second language.
Hungary had the lowest number with 29 percent of its citizens able to speak another language. Britain was second last with 30 percent.
In the United States, by contrast, 9 percent of Americans speak both their native language and another language fluently, according to a U.S. Senate resolution designating 2005 the "Year of Foreign Language Study."
Associated Press