Hussein rejects Bush’s ultimatum: On Tuesday, Iraq President Saddam Hussein publicly rejected Bush’s ultimatum, which would give Saddam and his sons until Wednesday to leave Iraq before facing war. Hussein, 65, said that the “‘American, English and Zionist invading aggressors’” would face defeat and “‘a holy war’” if they tried to invade at this time. Meanwhile, the capital city of Baghdad has emptied in anticipation of an imminent conflict with only certain government buildings carrying on an appearance of business. According to a New York Times story, the Iraqi people seem resigned to a war sooner rather than later, and they may be looking for a war that would end in their liberation. “One retired chemical engineer working as a taxi driver told a fare that he had listened to Mr. Bush. ‘People are waiting for America,’ he said, taking both hands off the wheel to simulate applause.”
United States returns to high terror alert: As the country returns to a high level of alert, local, state and federal officials have increased security at “sensitive sites.” Tom Ridge, secretary of homeland security, discussed taking safety measures in such areas as ports, air travel and food supplies. Many states are seeking an appropriate balance between enacting security measures and dealing with budget concerns. Clifford Ong, director of Indiana’s Counter-Terrorism and Security Council said, “If we know of a threat we will meet it and deal with the checkbook later, but absent a threat, we have to make real decisions on what we can do with National Guard and state police overtime.” After President Bush’s speech, a confidential F.B.I. memorandum was issued on Monday that discussed the strong opposition to a war against Iraq and said, “‘Al Qaeda may be in the last stages of planning for large-scale attacks.’” One government official speculated that, while homeland security is a concern, such terrorists might be more likely to strike against U.S. interests abroad, since this action would “be easier to pull off.”
Virus may be the cause of mysterious illness: The World Health Organization, a unit of the United Nations, said on Tuesday that they have discovered a virus that may be the cause of a mysterious respiratory illness affecting hundreds in Asia and some other countries. “Using electron microscopes, two laboratories in Germany and a third in Hong Kong reported finding particles that seem to belong to a large family of viruses, paramyxoviridae, that includes the viruses that cause croup, respiratory disease, measles, mumps and other ailments.” But, it seems that federal officials are not all willing to identify this virus as the cause of what doctors are identifying as severe acute respiratory syndrome. Since Feb. 1, the W.H.O. has reported 219 cases with four deaths from nine countries, and Chinese officials have reported an additional 305 cases with five deaths from November to Feb. 1. However, 13 of the 57 cases in Vietnam have improved enough to be removed from the critical list.
Data compiled by Paige Wassel with information from the New York Times.