The September 11th attack
U.S. putting pressure on Afghanistan's Taliban
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is signaling that time is running out for Afghanistan's Taliban militia to avoid being targeted for war, demanding leaders hand over terrorist Osama bin Laden or face America's "full wrath."
Associated Press
President Bush and his officials sought to draw a sharp line between nations that are allies and those that are targets as conflict draws nearer following last Tuesday's airborne attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The Empire State Building glowed in patriotic colors last night as smoke continued to rise from the rubble of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.
The diplomatic pressure on Afghanistan came as Bush urged Americans to go back to work and get on with their lives.
"Just like the farmers and ranchers and business owners and factory workers have a job to do, my administration has a job to do," the president said as returned to the White House yesterday afternoon. "We will rid the world of the evildoers. We will call together freedom-loving people to fight terrorism."
There were plenty of signs the nation was getting back to business.
The New York Stock Exchange and the Mercantile Exchange, as well as City Hall and other government buildings and courthouses in New York were to reopen today.
"We think we're ready for it," Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Sunday. "Some of it obviously ... is trial and error." Investors anxiously awaited the markets' reopening.
Baseball returns tonight with a flurry of U.S. flags that will adorn players' caps and uniforms. "God Bless America" is set to replace "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" as the traditional crowd sing-along during the seventh-inning stretch.
As Americans sought to move forward, the investigation into the twin terrorist attacks continued.
Authorities arrested a second man as a witness in connection with the plot. They have detained 25 people in the investigation for possible immigration violations.
Many of the men have links to bin Laden, according to U.S. officials. Yesterday, bin Laden denied playing a role in the attacks.
Bush shrugged off the denial and said, "No question, he is the prime suspect. No question about that."
Associated Press
Hope of finding survivors in the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center was dying.
A New York City police officer guards a corner near the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan. The exchange, shut down since Tuesday's terrorist attack, is scheduled to reopen today.
As of yesterday, 180 were confirmed dead at ground zero in New York; the number of missing was 5,097. In the Pentagon attack, 188 were believed dead.
Federal emergency workers at both sites were trying to balance the need to move quickly through the rubble with their duty to pluck out any evidence they came across.
The U.S. warnings to Afghanistan intensified yesterday as the administration zeroed in on bin Laden and the Taliban.
"The government of Afghanistan has to understand that we believe they have, indeed, been harboring a man who committed and whose organization committed this most egregious act," Vice President Dick Cheney said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"They have to understand, and others like them around the world have to understand, that if you provided sanctuary to terrorists, you face the full wrath of the United States of America."
Secretary of State Colin Powell used the same "full wrath" language in his TV appearances. Powell said the Taliban faces a simple choice: Deliver bin Laden or face near-certain retaliation.
Meanwhile, the United States turned to Pakistan as a potential ally in hunting down bin Laden. Pakistan sent senior officials to neighboring Afghanistan to warn the Taliban that it faces a massive assault if it does not hand over the fugitive, a top Pakistani official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Bin Laden has been indicted in the 1998 bombing of two U.S. embassies in east Africa and linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
The administration also pressed for more tools to combat terrorists at home and abroad.
Stressing the need for swift action, Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller consulted with congressional leaders by phone and in person at FBI headquarters.
"We need ... to elevate the penalties for those who would harbor or assist terrorists to at least the same level as the penalties for those who would harbor, assist those who have been involved in espionage," Ashcroft said from Camp David, Md. People who harbor terrorists now face five-year prison terms.
Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced a task force of experts to report back by Oct. 1 on ways to increase airport and airplane security, particularly the security of cockpits. He also said all oil and natural gas pipeline operators had been directed "to take steps to implement security measures."
Yesterday morning, Bush worshipped at the Camp David chapel, joining millions of Americans who went to church seeking comfort in prayers five days after the devastating attacks.
