USA

Intelligence linking Yasser Arafat to a militant terrorist group was "key" in President Bush's decision to dump the Palestinian leader, The New York Times reported. It said reports showed the administration that Arafat had authorized a $20,000 payment to the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the militants responsible for last Wednesday's suicide bombing at a Jerusalem bus stop. Intelligence showed that Arafat had "continued to play a double game" and, as a result, all senior administration officials agreed to the language in Bush's speech, the newspaper said.

A federal judge entered a plea of not guilty for Zacarias Moussaoui, who was arraigned Tuesday on a revised charge for his role as the "20th hijacker" in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In the Alexandria, Va., courtroom, a defiant Moussaoui refused to enter a plea for himself, declaring "I have nothing to say to the United States." Judge Leonie Brinkema denied Moussaoui's request for a change in venue. Moussaoui is seeking the assistance of controversial Texas lawyer Charles Freeman. Federal prosecuters are seeking the death penalty.

Amtrak trains were still carrying passengers as the troubled carrier's original shutdown deadline arrived Wednesday. The rail line announced it would stay operational through the beginning of the Independence Day holiday but would face a severe fiscal crisis around July 4 if the federal government does not guarantee a $200 million loan. Lawmakers from both parties are trying to appropriate the money in a supplemental spending bill now being negotiated by the Senate, House, and the administration.

In eastern Arizona, the worst wildfire in the state's history stalled a half-mile west of the threatened town of Show Low. Bulldozers dug a 90-foot-wide trench while workers scorched a barrier of forest in an effort to deprive the "monster" fire of fuel. In a single week, the fire has charred an area larger than Los Angeles. In Colorado, hot weather and shifting winds frustrated workers fighting a blaze near Durango. New flames damaged buildings, closed a highway and forced more evacuations. But near Denver, a giant wildfire set by a forest service worker now is more than 70 percent contained, reports said.

Massachusetts voters will have Republican Mitt Romney on the ballot in this year's governor's race after the state Ballot Law Commission unanimously rejected a residency challenge by Democrats Tuesday. It ruled the plaintiffs had failed to show that Romney abandoned his longtime residence in a suburb of Boston while helping to organize last winter's Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.