USA

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned residents from Florida to Maryland that tropical storm Jeanne, which was blamed for 700 deaths in Haiti, could threaten the storm-battered Southeast coast by Saturday or Sunday. Computer models differ on its possible track. One has it tracking out to sea, the other heading west by early Thursday.

President Bush was scheduled to meet with Pakistan's President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a key ally in the war against terrorism. While visiting New York, Musharraf promised to rid his country of Al Qaeda, but said the US must do more to win the confidence of Muslims. Bush, when asked earlier this week about a CIA report warning of a possible civil war in Iraq, said the agency was "just guessing" in laying out various scenarios. Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, who has been highly critical of the administration's handling of Iraq, was concluding a two-day campaign swing in Florida, where he was to focus on protecting retiree benefits.

An Arizona border crackdown, begun in March, will continue beyond Sept. 30, its original end date, and some agents, prosecutors, and helicopters will be transferred permanently to what Homeland Security Department officials characterized Tuesday as a hotbed of illegal immigration.

The Federal Reserve announced the third modest interest rate hike of the year Tuesday. Encouraged by signs of economic growth, the Fed increased the interest that banks charge each other on overnight loans from 1.50 percent to 1.75 percent.

Although NASA says its twin Mars rovers are "well past warranty," the agency said it will fund a six-month extension of their scientific mission, which began on the Red Planet in January.

A federal judge in New York Tuesday instructed homemaking icon Martha Stewart, who last week asked to begin a five-month sentence as soon as possible, to report to prison Oct. 8. The judge recommended that Stewart, who was convicted of lying in a stock scandal, serve her sentence either in Danbury, Conn., near her home, or in Coleman, Fla.

A London-to-Washington United Airlines flight was diverted to Bangor, Maine, Tuesday, after the name of passenger Yusuf Islam, fomerly known as singer Cat Stevens, was discovered on a government watch list. He was interviewed by federal agents and denied admission to the US. Officials did not say why he is a security risk.