Feds back off cell phone terror charges

DETROIT, Michigan (AP) -- Last winter, federal authorities warned local officials to be on the lookout for anyone buying large numbers of prepaid cell phones -- devices that could become potential tools for terrorists.

FEMA: Trailer locks a security risk

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- As many as 110,000 trailers housing hurricane victims on the U.S. Gulf Coast may need additional locks after the discovery that one key can be used to open many of the temporary homes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.

'Explosion of diversity' sweeps U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- America's growing diversity has reached nearly every state.

Report: X-ray machines don't detect explosives in shoes

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government's new order that all airline passengers put their shoes through X-ray machines won't help screeners find a liquid or gel that can be used as a bomb.

Seniors shafted in Oprah show ticket scam

UPPER MARLBORO, Maryland (AP) -- A travel company operator pleaded guilty to bilking about 60 people, mostly senior citizens, by selling them bogus tickets and charter bus trips to Chicago, Illinois, to see the "Oprah Winfrey Show."

'This wasn't a job for him, it was his life'

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Dan Young, director of CNN/US's field operations, died Sunday after a battle with leukemia. He was 47. During 24 years at CNN, he worked as a photographer on some of the biggest and most dangerous assignments of his time.

Bush: Mideast truce an 'important step'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush declared Lebanon a front in the "global war on terrorism" Monday, equating the Israeli battle against Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas to the U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Feds: Student was left to die in a ditch

FARGO, North Dakota (AP) -- Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. stabbed college student Dru Sjodin, slit her throat and left her to die, a federal prosecutor told jurors Monday.

Jerry Springer and Tucker Carlson to dance on TV

NEW YORK (AP) -- Talk-show hosts Jerry Springer and conservative Tucker Carlson of MSNBC will be among the celebrities competing on the third season of ABC television's "Dancing With the Stars."

Flight evacuated at LAX

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Police safely evacuated an Alaska Airlines flight on Monday after a report that a "suspicious item" was found on board, a Los Angeles International Airport spokeswoman said.

Reported U.S. bird flu no threat, feds say

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Scientists have discovered the possible presence of bird flu in the United States -- in wild swans near the banks of Lake Erie -- but it does not appear to be the worrisome strain that the government has long feared.

Coast Guard increases security around bridge

CARO, Michigan (AP) -- The U.S. Coast Guard has increased patrols near the bridge connecting Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas after prosecutors said they believe three men jailed on terrorism charges were targeting the five-mile-long span.

Lamont: Attacks on war policy 'offensive'

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The thwarted terrorist airline plot in Britain is sparking a bitter new round of finger-pointing in Connecticut's bruising Senate race.

Bush in talks on overseas challenges

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush was huddling with top diplomats and military advisers Monday on the inaugural day of a Mideast truce, with a list of challenges spreading far beyond the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

'Don't ask, don't tell' takes highest toll at Missouri base

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An Army base in Missouri used the "don't ask, don't tell" policy to kick out more soldiers than any other military installation last year, followed by an Army base on the Kentucky-Tennessee border and a naval base in Virginia.

Chicago saying au revoir to foie gras

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- These are dangerous times for waterfowl in Chicago.

Campers: Boy who died refused food

MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- A 13-year-old cadet at a private military academy who died while camping at a state park refused food throughout the excursion, the father of two fellow cadets said Sunday.

Reno homes saved from wildfire

RENO, Nevada (AP) -- Officials declared victory Sunday over a wildfire that just missed two upscale subdivisions in the Sierra foothills west of Reno.

Chertoff: No sign plotters targeted U.S.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- "Current evidence" does not show the people involved in an alleged plot to blow up airplanes planned to conduct any operations in the United States, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Sunday.

Machete-wielding woman outside White House

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A 32-year-old woman wielding a machete was arrested Sunday outside the White House, the Secret Service said.