Lou Dobbs Tonight
Friday, May 11, 2007

Tonight, the U.S. military commander in charge of northern Iraqi operations today said more troops are needed to stem rising insurgent violence in Diyala province. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon’s comments came as a political battle was being waged in Washington over whether funding for U.S. forces fighting in Iraq should be tied to a deadline for their withdrawal. We’ll have that story tonight.

Democrats say they've reached a compromise with President Bush that would pave the way for trade deals with Peru and Panama. But did the Democrats cave? Are these so-called free trade deals really free, or will they cost middle class Americans more jobs? We'll have that special report tonight.

Some economists say the reason for fewer apprehensions on the U.S.–Mexico border is a response to a sluggish U.S. economy. A new study says a 27 percent drop in apprehensions of illegal aliens in a year is not strictly because of the deterrent presence of National Guard troops along the border as President Bush has touted, but a slowdown in the housing industry which employs many illegal aliens. We’ll have that report tonight.

Chi Mak, a naturalized American citizen and electrical engineer, was found guilty of conspiring to smuggle U.S. defense secrets to China. The case raises questions about how widespread espionage is in America. We’ll take a look at the ongoing threat to American security and industrial secrets by individuals whose country are intent on accessing those secrets.

And we'll be joined by three of the country's best political analysts: Ed Rollins, former White House political director, Robert Zimmerman, Democratic national committeeman and Michael Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New York Daily News.