Team fighting bioterrorism puts on a fresh battle face
WASHINGTON -- Federal health officials have begun reorganizing their approach to fighting bioterrorism amid criticisms that the effort has been marred by mixed messages, bureaucratic infighting and lack of experience.

Three screeners fired, one resigns over lapse at O'Hare
CHICAGO -- Three security workers who allowed a man carrying knives, a stun gun and tear gas through a checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport were fired Wednesday.

U.S. pursues money behind terror
Raids in America and Europe are aimed at two Islamic financial networks.

Bush, Blair reaffirm resolve
WASHINGTON -- President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, allies in the war on terrorism, confidently offered back-to-back pledges of victory on Wednesday, no matter how long it takes.

Victim's 911 call full of distrust and fear
"They never let us know whether the thing was anthrax or not," the postal worker says. Hours later, he is dead.

Bush selects number of warheads to trim
WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Wednesday that he had decided how many nuclear weapons he could safely cut from the U.S. arsenal -- a big step toward an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

U.S. commando raid botched, reports say
A former top U.S. commander bolsters news accounts that the Special Operations mission went awry.

House passes bill for Radio Free Afghanistan
WASHINGTON -- The House approved legislation Wednesday that would create a Radio Free Afghanistan to tell the United States' side of the story in the war on terrorism, broadcasting news and information in the country's two main languages.

Democrats ready to challenge spending cap
WASHINGTON -- Democrats in Congress headed Wednesday toward a major confrontation with President Bush over tax and spending policy, vowing to defy his threat to veto legislation that provides additional money to counter terrorism in the United States.

Rebels on horseback press offensive
The anti-Taliban forces use horses to charge tanks in push on Mazar-e-Sharif.

Israeli forces end occupation of Ramallah
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Israel ended its three-week occupation of Ramallah, the Palestinian government and commercial center, Wednesday as part of a gradual pullout from parts of six West Bank towns seized last month.

Confident enough, Pakistani president begins trip abroad
Gen. Pervez Musharraf takes his case for a more targeted war to Paris, London and New York.

New mayor is rich, mysterious
NEW YORK -- Michael Bloomberg, one of the two or three richest men in this richest of U.S. cities, awoke as the mayor-elect of this large and fragile metropolis.