U.S. ready to make flights safer

WASHINGTON - Delta Air Lines announced thousands of layoffs Wednesday in a jarring prelude to a new administration bid to restore confidence in air travel following the terrorist attacks. Pakistan reported broad agreement with the U.S. military on a plan to strike Osama bin Laden's camps in Afghanistan. \nWith an American armed forces buildup in motion, a crowd of thousands stormed the abandoned U.S. Embassy compound in Afghanistan's capital, burning President Bush in effigy and chanting words of support for bin Laden. \n"I consider bin Laden an evil man," Bush said at the White House, referring to the person the administration has named the leading suspect behind the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington. A man "so dominated by evil," he added. \nThe largest investigation in FBI history led to the arrest of nine people in three states Wednesday on charges of fraudulently obtaining licenses to transport hazardous materials. The arrests in Missouri, Michigan and Washington state followed FBI warnings that terrorists may strike next using chemical or biological weapons. \nAlso, a federal magistrate ordered a Virginia man, Mohamed Abdi, held without bail. Prosecutors said Abdi's name and phone number were found in a car registered to one of the 19 suspected hijackers.