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© St. Petersburg Times, published November 8, 2001
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.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating Saturday's lapse at the United Airlines checkpoint staffed by employees of the private Argenbright Security.
Federal officials have called it a major security breakdown.
The three employees, including a supervisor, were fired for reasons related to the security lapse, and an X-ray screener resigned, said Brian Lott, a company spokesman.
The company said four other employees suspended after the security breach would be reinstated in jobs at O'Hare. The seven knives, stun gun and tear gas were found by United employees during a hand search at the gate.
Argenbright is under contract with United and American at O'Hare and provides similar services at a number of other airports.
Subash Gurang, 27, of Chicago, a Nepal native in the United States on an expired student visa, was arrested by Chicago police after the items were found in a plastic bag that he apparently intended to carry aboard. He was charged with two misdemeanors and released on bail.
FBI agents arrested him later on a federal felony charge when he returned to the airport to retrieve his luggage. He was scheduled to appear today at a hearing before a U.S. magistrate.
WASHINGTON -- Overwhelming majorities of Americans continue to back President Bush and the war in Afghanistan. At the same time, doubts are growing about an expanded Afghan conflict and the government's efforts to deal with terrorism at home, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
As Bush prepares to address the country tonight on homeland security, his overall job approval rating stands at 89 percent, unchanged in the past month. Nine of 10 Americans continue to support the military action in Afghanistan, also unchanged in recent weeks.
Almost one month into the campaign, the public believes the war is going reasonably well, despite the absence of clear military advances and growing misgivings among some allies. One in four Americans -- 23 percent -- believe the conflict is going "very well" for the United States and its allies. Another 62 percent say the war so far has been "fairly" successful.
But the survey also found that support for Bush and for the war has become more qualified and more partisan as the public's impulse to rally around their president has been tempered by the realities of a shooting war and continued terrorist threats at home.
Two-thirds of those interviewed said they "strongly approve" of how Bush is handling his job -- a decline of 11 points in the past month. Nearly all that decline is due to eroding support among Democrats. Currently, about half, 49 percent, strongly approve of the job Bush is doing, down 17 points from early October.
The public's appetite for a long war also appears to have ebbed.
Seven in 10 Americans support sending a significant number of U.S. ground troops into Afghanistan. But support for a larger war drops to 52 percent when those surveyed were asked if they would favor sending in ground troops if the result was a long war with many U.S. dead and wounded.
Democrats were more reluctant to accept large numbers of casualties in order to launch a major ground war in Afghanistan: 37 percent say they would, while 57 percent disagree. Independents were divided, while seven in 10 Republicans favored sending in ground troops even if it leads to a major war.
This is a dramatic change from the days immediately after Sept. 11, when a Post-ABC News survey found that strong majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents were ready to wage a major war.
VICTIMS AID: A city-run charity that has collected $80-million is expected to begin sending money to families of police and firefighters lost in the World Trade Center by Thanksgiving. "Each family -- certainly each family that has children -- will be getting a check for at least $100,000," said Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who will oversee the Twin Towers Fund after he leaves office Jan. 1.
MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING: As many as 1.5-million people in the New York City area will be offered free counseling to help them cope with the Sept. 11 attack, state officials announced.
RESCUERS' HEALTH: The deputy medical officer for the New York Fire Department said the department will do long-term research on so-called "World Trade Center cough" and launch a campaign to get firefighters to quit smoking. The ailment is a persistent, dry cough and sore throat from breathing the dust from concrete, glass and other contaminants.