National Briefing

Cards will speed border crossings

Americans who frequently cross the northern and southern borders for work or pleasure will be able to use U.S. passport cards embedded with radio-frequency ID chips to speed their passage.

The departments of State and Homeland Security announced that the wallet-sized cards were being distributed for land and sea travel between the United States and Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The cards won’t be valid for air travel.

Safe landing for Paul, colleagues

A Continental Airlines flight with former presidential candidate Ron Paul and six congressmen aboard made an emergency landing in New Orleans after losing cabin pressure. The seven, all from Texas, were trying to get to Washington, D.C., ahead of a vote on an aviation safety bill when the incident occurred, a spokesman for one of the representatives said. No injuries were reported.

Bond for missing toddler’s mother

The mother of a missing 2-year-old is a person of interest in an Orlando case that is beginning to look like a homicide, prosecutors said.

Casey Anthony, 22, is charged with child neglect and lying to investigators. Circuit Court Judge Stan Strickland set her bond at $500,000. Her daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, has been missing since mid-June.

From Times Wire Reports