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Chertoff says U.S. at al-Qaida risk

CHICAGO, July 11 (UPI) -- The United States faces an increased risk of a terror attack by al-Qaida, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the Chicago Tribune.

His comment to the newspaper's editorial board came as ABC News also reported the White House has called a security meeting Thursday to assess the risk to government facilities.

"I believe we are entering a period this summer of increased risk," Chertoff said. "Summertime seems to be appealing to them (al-Qaida)."

He said there is an intelligence assessment "not of a specific threat, but of increased vulnerability," the newspaper said.

He said information Britain shared with the United States over recent foiled terror attacks showed changes in the terrorist' tactics.

"If you look at that picture you see an enemy that is improving itself just as we're improving ourselves," he said. "They can't afford to remain static just as we can't afford to remain static."

U.S. Republican rift on Iraq grows

WASHINGTON, July 11 (UPI) -- Senior U.S. Republicans are trying to rein in senators who are siding with Democrats trying to establish policy on the war in Iraq.

At a speech Tuesday in Cleveland, U.S. President George Bush appealed to lawmakers to hold off on legislative responses at least until September, when the top commander in Iraq, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus delivers a progress report on the military and political efforts there.

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney attended the weekly closed-door Republican luncheon on Capitol Hill to appeal for party unity, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

One of the Republicans unhappy with the Bush administration's approach, Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, said the status quo wasn't working.

"I think we should continue to ratchet up the pressure -- in addition to our words -- to let the White House know we are very sincere," he said in the Post article.

Among compromise measures being circulated in the Senate is changing the role of the military to counter-terrorism, which would require far fewer troops in Iraq, the report said.

D.C. Madam releases phone records

WASHINGTON, July 11 (UPI) -- The public release of phone records belonging to alleged Washington D.C. Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey has some working overtime in the dig for dirt.

"I've got the air conditioning on and my coffee cup beside me and we'll be plodding through the list," Lori Price, the editor of Citizens for Legitimate Government, a liberal Web site, told The Washington Post.

Within hours of the release Monday, a U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., acknowledged his telephone number was on the list. Vitter referred only to a "serious sin" in his past but didn't say if he used the escort service. Vitter issued his statement after a reporter working for Hustler magazine contacted him in what the sex magazine said was its search for "moral hypocrites," the Post reported Wednesday.

After a U.S. federal judge released the records last week, Palfrey's lawyer gave them to 50 interested individuals or groups who wished to remain anonymous, the Post said. The records, from the years 1993 through 2006, also are on the Web site for Palfrey's legal defense fund.

Va. County to check immigration status

WASHINGTON, July 11 (UPI) -- Prince William County near Washington D.C. has approved one of the toughest immigration policies in the United States.

The board of county supervisors passed a resolution requiring police to ask about immigration status in all arrests if there is probable cause to believe that a suspect has violated federal immigration law.

The resolution passed Tuesday night also requires county staff to verify a person's legal status before providing some public services, the Washington Times reported Wednesday.

Board Chairman Corey A. Stewart, a Republican, said the board stepped "up to the plate" on immigration enforcement after the federal government failed to do so.

"We know this is a federal issue," Stewart said. "But I think the citizens have a right to expect that their local government and the state government are going to do whatever they can to address the problem."

Endeavour 'hard down' on Launch Pad 39A

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 11 (UPI) -- Space shuttle Endeavour completed its 3.4-mile, seven-hour journey to Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida early Wednesday.

The rollout of the shuttle from the center's Vehicle Assembly Building started at 8:10 p.m. EDT Tuesday aboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's massive crawler-transporter. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday and was "hard down" at 3:02 a.m.

The shuttle's STS-118 mission to the International Space Station -- scheduled for an Aug. 7 launch -- would be the first flight of Endeavour since 2002.