To the Point

Alleged al Qaeda Operative and the 'Dirty Bomb'

Yesterday, America celebrated an intelligence success with news of the arrest of a former Chicago gang member accused of plotting with al Quada terrorists to detonate a radioactive bomb somewhere on US soil. Although 31-year old Alex Padilla, now known as Abdullah al Muhajir, did not have the resources to make a "dirty bomb," his arrest has created a media firestorm and changed politics in Washington. First, we get background on the suspect, his terrorist ties, and the continuing threat of low-level nuclear weapons, from a New York Times journalist, and terrorism and nuclear experts. Then we assess the response of the Bush administration with the Washington editor of The Nation and the president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Newsmaker: Denver in a Hot Spot While mass evacuations are still possible in the suburbs of Denver, that potentially devastating wildfire has slowed its spread, at least momentarily. Reporter Michael Booth, who can see the fire from his window at the Denver Post, reports on the cause and devastation of this and eight other major conflagrations that are blazing across the Rocky Mountain state. Reporter's Notebook: Death of Gambino Crime Boss John Gotti The boss of one of the nation's largest and most influential organized crime families is dead at the age of 61. John Gotti died yesterday of cancer in federal prison. Pulitzer Prize-winning Newsday columnist Jimmy Breslin offers a surprising assessment of the legend known as the "Teflon Don."