Events at a Glance

MILITARY FRONT

The United States has deployed a small number of ground troops in Afghanistan as part of a stepped-up effort to help opposition forces seeking to overthrow the Taliban regime, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld confirmed.

ANTHRAX

Anthrax infections in two East Coast women--the nation’s 15th and 16th anthrax victims--with no known links to contaminated letters led some government officials to express concern that the disease might be spreading through general mail.

BRITAIN

Prime Minister Tony Blair urged Britons to stiffen their resolve as a new opinion poll indicated a drop in public support for the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.

POLITICS

Lawmakers confronted the Bush administration about its decision to put out an extraordinary terrorism warning, questioning whether the FBI’s alert could do more to alarm than protect the public. In Los Angeles, the LAPD downgraded its alert status after reviewing the FBI warning.

HOMELAND SECURITY

Acknowledging that airport security remains deficient, Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced a zero-tolerance policy, instructing Federal Aviation Administration agents to close security checkpoints, empty boarding areas and delay flights to correct security breaches they may discover in screening passengers and baggage.