USA

May 20, 2002

It is "almost a certainty" that Osama bin Laden's terrorist network will try again to attack US targets, and Americans should be vigilant, Vice President Cheney warned. "It could happen tomorrow, next week, next year. But they're going to keep trying," Cheney said in an interview on "Fox News Sunday." His comments came amid criticism of the Bush administration's response to warnings of an attack in advance of Sept. 11. On Saturday, the White House said a rise in intercepted communications among Al Qaeda cells had raised concerns a new plan may be in the works. The FBI issued a separate warning of a possible plot to bomb apartment buildings, but, as in previous cases, said its information was "nonspecific." (Related stories, pages 1, 3.)

Columbine High in the Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo., held graduation ceremonies for the last students present for the April 20, 1999, massacre that became synonymous with gun violence in schools. On that day, two students killed 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives. Above, Sean Graves, who was seriously wounded in the attack, walks with the aid of crutches to receive his diploma. He had used a wheelchair for most of the past three years.

Ruling they were victims of discrimination, a federal jury awarded nine white firefighters in Chicago more than $2.3 million in back pay and damages Friday. The city had lowered the men's scores on a lieutenant's exam 16 years ago under a policy known as "race norming," aimed at eroding perceived bias in the tests. The practice was made illegal under the 1991 Civil Rights Act. Forty-five firefighters now have won similar suits against the city; 75 others have filed claims.

A man who made threats against an air show in Chattanooga, Tenn., was arrested at the event Saturday, dressed in an Air Force uniform and carrying what were described as two suspicious briefcases. A bomb squad detonated both, and a police spokesman said they did not contain explosives – but may have earlier. Max Willy Sommer was charged with criminal impersonation and criminal trespass and released on $3,000 bond.

Kentucky Derby champion War Emblem was on course for horse racing's coveted Triple Crown, after winning the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore Saturday. If the thoroughbred can add a Belmont Stakes victory, he would be the 12th horse in history to sweep all three races, and the first to do so since Affirmed in 1978. The Belmont takes place June 8 in New York.