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Senate Republicans expressed confidence in Mitch McConnell's leadership Thursday, one day after the Senate minority leader abruptly froze during his weekly press conference.

As a political debate over the firings of eight U.S. attorneys rages, the White House offers to let Congress interview White House aides Karl Rove and Harriet Miers — but not under oath. Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, rejected the offer and will seek the authority to issue subpoenas.

Police at the U.S. Capitol investigate reports that gunfire was heard at the garage level of the Rayburn House Office Building. So far there is no confirmation of any shootings. Capitol buildings are sealed.

The special grand jury's report differs from the charges filed by the Fulton County DA, including recommending Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler face indictment.

Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom has begun shutting off natural gas supplies to Ukraine after a deadline passed for talks over a price dispute. There are fears that the cutoff could affect gas deliveries to parts of Europe at the height of the winter season. In 2006, Moscow cut off supplies to Ukraine and caused a brief disruption in gas supplies to Europe. NPR's Gregory Feifer talks with Steve Inskeep about Gazprom's decision.

President Bush has called once again for the House to adopt a Senate bill on foreign intelligence — and by noon, Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer was saying the House would take up a bill next week. Whether the bill includes the retroactive legal immunity for phone companies that the president demands was not immediately clear.

Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are back on Capitol Hill Wednesday, in an effort to convince lawmakers to freeze U.S. troop levels in Iraq after a small drawdown in the summer. Petraeus and Crocker appear before the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees today.

President Bush renews his vow to veto any spending bill for the war in Iraq that attempts to set a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. combat troops. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said that if the timetable fails, he will move to cut off funding for the war by March 31 of next year.

Exit polls are showing Lee Myung-bak, a conservative former mayor of Seoul, winning South Korea's presidential election. Voters overlooked fraud allegations in hope that the former Hyundai CEO will revive the economy. Lee, of the Grand National Party, received 50.3 percent of the vote.

The government's latest response to the financial crisis involves taking ownership stakes in financial institutions in order to get credit flowing through the economy again. Treasury Secretary Paulson said he didn't like government ownership of banks, but the alternatives, he said, were "totally unacceptable."