To the Point

Is New Orleans Facing Another Disaster?

As Tropical Storm Rita heads toward the Gulf of Mexico, the lower Florida Keys have been ordered evacuated. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the federal government's point man in New Orleans, yesterday warned Mayor Ray Nagin that he was moving too fast to repopulate his city. Today, President Bush urged Nagin to slow repopulation to a city where levees are at risk from even a moderate rainfall. Meantime, the President's vow to rebuild has raised the question of how much taxpayers will be asked to spend and where the money will come from. Despite his caution that federal funds will be spent "wisely," his promise is causing a split in his own Republican Party. What are the prospects for New Orleans? We get updates on politics, public health and the weather. Making News: North Korea Pledges to Drop Nuke Programs North Korea has agreed to give up its nuclear weapons program in what US negotiator Chris Hill calls a "win-win situation." At the White House President Bush said the key is "verification." Seoul-based Don Kirk, who's covered political, diplomatic, and economic issues on the Korean peninsula since 1972, says America's concession to respect North Korea's right to nuclear power marks a significant step in negotiations. Reporter's Notebook: Power Struggle Begins in Germany Despite predictions, German voters yesterday produced the "most inconclusive" results since the end of World War II. Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union got 35% of the popular vote, just 1% more than Chancellor Gerhard Schr-der's Social Democrats. That margin is too narrow for Schr-der to concede defeat or for Merkel to govern. Michael Naumann of Die Zeit says Germany may end up with a political stalemate similar to that of Italy.