United States Officials

Dumping dictators is tough. In a recent study commissioned by the Central Intelligence Agency, the authors found that practically no authoritarian leaders since 1945 have taken early retirement. Most have been ousted from power by coups and revolutions, or they died in office. And in nearly every case study by the CIA, political instability usually preceded and almost always followed attempts to dislodge the dictator.

WASHINGTON - The militant organization that was once the scourge of the U.S. militarycampaign in Iraq and probably is responsible for more than 100 deaths in the country over the last few days has set its sights on launching attacks in the United States, intelligence officials said. Al Qaeda in Iraq released a message this week that threatened to strike at the "heart" of the United States, and several associates of the group have been arrested in the U.S. and Canada in the last two years, said American officials, a sign that the organization has tried to establish a network in North America.

The following are excerpts of the briefing , conducted Tuesday by Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III at the White House, on the Iran arms sale . Meese (opening statement): What is involved is . . . the United States providing the arms to Israel and Israel in turn transferring the arms, in effect selling the arms, to representatives of Iran.

Denouncing attacks on his integrity as "uncalled-for and unwarranted," Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt told a House committee Thursday that he is being victimized by "a half-baked theory of improper political influence" involving his department's rejection of a proposed Indian gambling casino in Hudson, Wis.

Denouncing attacks on his integrity as "uncalled-for and unwarranted," Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt told a House committee Thursday that he is being victimized by "a half-baked theory of improper political influence" involving his department's rejection of a proposed Indian gambling casino in Hudson, Wis.

WASHINGTON - The militant organization that was once the scourge of the U.S. militarycampaign in Iraq and probably is responsible for more than 100 deaths in the country over the last few days has set its sights on launching attacks in the United States, intelligence officials said. Al Qaeda in Iraq released a message this week that threatened to strike at the "heart" of the United States, and several associates of the group have been arrested in the U.S. and Canada in the last two years, said American officials, a sign that the organization has tried to establish a network in North America.

A moderate earthquake measuring 4.7 struck the Canadian province of Quebec early Friday and was felt in parts of the northeastern United States, officials said. There were no reports of damage or injuries, the National Earthquake Information Center said.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service arrested more than 200 illegal aliens who used fake immigration documents to get permanent jobs in the United States, officials said in Atlanta. Those arrested were charged with first-degree forgery under Georgia law and with making false statements under federal statutes.

WASHINGTON - About 100 U.S. troops have deployed to the West African country of Niger to help establish a drone base for surveillance missions, in the latest step by the United States to aid French forces battling Islamic militants in neighboring Mali. In a letter to Congress on Friday, President Obama said the deployment would "provide support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali, and with other partners in the region.

Dumping dictators is tough. In a recent study commissioned by the Central Intelligence Agency, the authors found that practically no authoritarian leaders since 1945 have taken early retirement. Most have been ousted from power by coups and revolutions, or they died in office. And in nearly every case study by the CIA, political instability usually preceded and almost always followed attempts to dislodge the dictator.

The following are excerpts of the briefing , conducted Tuesday by Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III at the White House, on the Iran arms sale . Meese (opening statement): What is involved is . . . the United States providing the arms to Israel and Israel in turn transferring the arms, in effect selling the arms, to representatives of Iran.

Drug traffickers ditched a plane loaded with 2 tons of marijuana on an isolated ranch near the Gulf of Mexico after experiencing difficulties en route to the United States, officials here said Tuesday. The aging DC-4 airplane, which apparently began its flight in Colombia, was discovered with its landing gear mired in mud 10 inches deep 70 miles south of the U.S. border city of McAllen, Tex.

A 35-year-old Reston, Va., woman, who requested anonymity, is at least eight weeks pregnant in what is believed to be the first successful impregnation of twins from frozen embryos in the United States, officials said. "I think the chance of this resulting in a live birth is extremely high," said Dr. Robert Schulman, director of the Genetics and IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) Institute in Fairfax, Va.