Bush to Hold 1st News Conference in 4 Mos.


WASHINGTON - President Bush scheduled a news conference on Tuesday, his first after a string of major developments, including his naming of two Supreme Court justices, two massive hurricanes, and the lowest approval ratings of his presidency.



The president was meeting with reporters in the Rose Garden in his first full-fledged news conference since May.

Bush was to open the news conference with a statement summarizing recent developments and calling on Congress to work with him on pressing ahead on his agenda, the White House indicated.

It came a day after Bush moved on Monday to fill a second Supreme Court vacancy, choosing White House counsel Harriet Miers to fill the vacancy of retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

It followed his nomination of John Roberts to be chief justice of the United States. Roberts was confirmed by the Senate and took his seat on the court on Monday.

Bush has seen his approval ratings plunge in polls over the past few months, pulled down by continued violence and increasing American casualties in Iraq, and a slow and flawed government response to Hurricane Katrina, one of the strongest storms to ever hit the U.S. Gulf Coast.