Events at a Glance

ANTHRAX

The U.S. anthrax scare took another unexpected turn as health officials announced they have identified the first case of illness outside the postal system or a business targeted with a contaminated letter. The case of skin anthrax in a New Jersey bookkeeper raises the prospect that more Americans could be at risk. A New York woman also is in serious condition with a suspected case of inhalation anthrax.

MILITARY FRONT

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld offered an aggressive defense of the care that the military is taking to avoid nonmilitary casualties in Afghanistan. It is an attempt to rebut the growing perception in the Islamic world that U.S. bombs are targeting civilians.

PAKISTAN

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is set to begin meetings with mainstream political parties in an effort to contain growing pressure against his military government’s support of the ongoing airstrikes in nearby Afghanistan.

POLITICS

President Bush ordered a review of immigration laws, a move that is likely to produce new rules intended to keep out suspected terrorists and that may further empower authorities to track and deport foreigners already in the U.S. The White House conceded that the administration’s focus on counter-terrorism would delay a drive to relax immigration regulations for Mexican workers.

HOMELAND SECURITY

For the second time this month, the FBI put out an extraordinary alert warning Americans that it has “credible” reason to believe there could be terrorist attacks against the U.S. in the next week.