WASHINGTON — President Bush said Monday he wants to work with Democrats on compromise legislation to pay for the Iraq war but will carry through on his threat to veto any spending bill that sets a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal.

"I'm optimistic we can get something done in a positive way," Bush said in a Rose Garden news conference with leaders of the European Union.

The bill, which Bush has long threatened to veto, was expected to reach his desk on Tuesday. The House and Senate voted last week to approve the $124.2 billion measure, which also calls for troops to begin being pulled out in October.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., urged the president to reconsider his veto.

"If the president wonders why the American people have lost patience, it is because the news out of Iraq grows worse by the day," Reid said. "When we send the supplemental conference report to President Bush tomorrow, we ask that he take some time to reflect on that somber fact."

State Department report finds sharp rise in terror attacks, deaths in 2006

WASHINGTON — Terrorist attacks worldwide shot up 25 percent last year, particularly in Iraq where extremists used chemical weapons and suicide bombers to target crowds, according to a new State Department report.

Among countries, Iran remains the biggest supporter of terrorism, with elements of its government backing groups throughout the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, giving material support and guidance to Shiite insurgent groups that have attacked Sunnis, U.S. and Iraqi forces, the report said.

In its annual global survey of terrorism to be released Monday, the State Department says about 14,000 attacks took place in 2006, mainly in Iraq and Afghanistan. These strikes claimed more than 20,000 lives — two-thirds in Iraq. That is 3,000 more attacks than in 2005 and 5,800 more deaths.

Altogether, 40 percent more people were killed by increasingly lethal means around the globe.

The report partly attributes the higher casualty figures to a 25-percent jump in the number of nonvehicular suicide bombings targeting large crowds. That overwhelmed a 12-percent dip in suicide attacks involving vehicles.

U.S. military death toll in Iraq rises above 100 for April

BAGHDAD — Five U.S. troops died in weekend attacks, pushing the death toll past 100 in the deadliest month for American forces since December, the military said Monday as a wave of violence battered Iraqi civilians including a suicide bombing at a Shiite funeral.

The attack against the mourners north of Baghdad — claiming more than 30 lives — was the deadliest in a series of bombings and shootings that killed at least 102 people nationwide.

The rising toll for U.S. soldiers also pointed to a potentially deadly trend: More troops exposed to more dangers as they try to reclaim control of Baghdad.

All but one of the latest U.S. deaths occurred in Iraq's capital, where a nearly 11-week security crackdown has put thousands of additional American soldiers on the streets — making them targets for both Shiite and Sunni extremists.

After sunset, thunderous explosions rocked central Baghdad — apparently from rockets fired toward the U.S.-controlled Green Zone. Warning sirens sounded in the heavily protected district, and witnesses saw smoke rising from the area. The U.S. military said it had no immediate information about damage or casualties.

5 al-Qaida-linked men sentenced to life in prison for plotting London bombing spree

LONDON — Five al-Qaida-linked men were sentenced to life in prison Monday for plotting to bomb a nightclub, power plants and a company doing work in Iraq — a plan that exposed links between their terror cell and the suicide bombers who attacked London's transit system in 2005.

The five, all British citizens, were convicted Monday of plotting to attack the London targets with bombs made from a half-ton stockpile of fertilizer after a yearlong trial in which prosecutors and an FBI informant claimed the group was linked to al-Qaida leaders. It was Britain's longest terror case.

Surveillance teams tracking the five men stumbled onto the transit attackers over a year before they killed 52 commuters on July 7, 2005, but officials failed to piece together intelligence in time to halt the blasts.

Though agents slipped a tracking device on transit bombing ringleader Mohammed Siddique Khan's car and heard him pledge to carry out violence against non-Muslims during bugged conversations, Britain's MI5 spy agency halted surveillance — deciding he was not a priority.

Details of ties between the plotters and the subway bombers were kept secret from the jury to ensure a fair trial. The links were revealed in closed sessions and confirmed Monday by government officials and police.

Army Corps of Engineer is asked to explain award of New Orleans pump contract

NEW ORLEANS — When the Army Corps of Engineers solicited bids for drainage pumps for New Orleans, it copied the specifications — typos and all — from the catalog of the manufacturer that ultimately won the $32 million contract, a review of documents by The Associated Press found.

The pumps, supplied by Moving Water Industries Corp. of Deerfield Beach, Fla., and installed at canals before the start of the 2006 hurricane season, proved to be defective, as the AP reported in March. The matter is under investigation by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

In a letter dated April 13, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., called on the Corps to look into how the politically connected company got the post-Hurricane Katrina contract. MWI employed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, President Bush's brother, to market its pumps during the 1980s, and top MWI officials have been major contributors to the Republican Party.

While it may not be a violation of federal regulations to adopt a company's technical specifications, it is frowned on, especially for large jobs like the MWI contract, because it could give the impression the job was rigged for the benefit of a certain company, contractors familiar with Corps practices say.

The Corps' January 2006 call for bids for 34 pumps used the wording on how the pumps should be built and tested, with minor changes, found in MWI catalogs.

Tenet says U.S. must do more to lessen Iran's growing influence in the Middle East

NEW YORK — Former CIA Director George Tenet says the United States needs to revitalize the Palestinian-Israeli peace effort and do a better job leveraging its own diplomatic and economic strength to offset Iran's growing influence in the Middle East.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Tenet said discussions about Iraq need to be broadened to consider the entire region — with an eye toward "cauterizing and minimizing" Iranian political influence.

His to-do list for the Bush administration is long: "Change the political dialogue. Create a better sense of hope for the region. Talk to the regional partners about issues they care about."

"The Palestinian-Israeli peace process has to be resuscitated at some point," said Tenet, whose new memoir, "At the Center of the Storm," provides details about his involvement in the peace talks during the Clinton administration.

Tenet said Monday that he worries about Iranian influence for a number of reasons, including Iran's sway over Syria and an influence in Palestinian politics that affects Israeli security.

Reality TV producer Mark Burnett marries 'Touched by an Angel' actress Roma Downey

MALIBU, Calif. — "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett and "Angel" Roma Downey have tied the knot. The couple were married Saturday in a private ceremony at their home. The ceremony was officiated by Downey's "Touched by an Angel" co-star Della Reese, an ordained minister, the couple's publicist, Jim Dowd, confirmed Monday.

"It was wonderful to have shared our big day with our family, Roma, myself, our children and our parents," Burnett, 46, told People magazine in an interview. "It was so meaningful and so intimate."

A small plane hired by Downey, 47, towed a banner that read: "...and they lived happily ever after."

Burnett's sons from a previous marriage, James, 13, and Cameron, 10, were best man and ring bearer. Downey's daughter, Reilly, 10, from a previous marriage, was a bridesmaid.