Airline- Removal of agent not based on ethnicity

BALTIMORE -- President Bush said Friday he will be "madder than heck" if investigators find that American Airlines removed an Arab-American Secret Service agent from a flight because of his ethnicity.

The armed agent was asked to leave the flight on Tuesday at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

The airline has denied the agent's ethnicity played a part in the decision. Instead, it cited difficulties in confirming his identity.

"There's an inquiry going on as to specifically what took place," the president said at his Crawford, Texas, ranch. "If he was treated that way because of his ethnicity, that will make me madder than heck."

Bush said he had spoken with the agent, who was a member of the president's security detail. "I told him how proud I was that he was by my side," Bush said.

25th family settles with gunmen's parents

DENVER -- The parents of slain Columbine High School student Cassie Bernall have settled out of court with the families of gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

Bradley and Misty Bernall's lawyer, James Rouse, would not disclose the terms of the settlement Thursday.

The Bernalls become the 25th family to settle with the parents of Harris and Klebold.

The Bernalls and other families of Columbine victims claimed that the gunmen's parents should have realized the boys were preparing the 1999 bloodbath. In all, 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High in Littleton were killed before Harris and Klebold committed suicide.

EEOC sides with agents alleging discrimination

PHILADELPHIA -- The federal government is suing Allstate Insurance Co., accusing it of forcing thousands of agents to give up their right to sue the company for age discrimination or other issues.

After a year of failed negotiations with the nation's second-largest insurer, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused the company of illegally converting the agents to private contractors. To continue working as independent contractors, the agents had to sign a waiver giving up their right to sue Allstate over job issues.

The EEOC, in the lawsuit filed in federal court here Thursday, said the waiver violates non-retaliation clauses of federal labor law.

Allstate spokesman Bill Mellander said Friday the company believes the waivers will be found to be fair and legal.

Water line break causes traffic and flight delays

LINTHICUM, Md. -- A water-main break near Baltimore-Washington International Airport early Friday closed the only road leading to the terminal building, causing massive traffic jams and delaying all inbound and outbound flights, an airport spokeswoman said.

The break occurred at about 4:30 a.m. along Interstate 195 near an exit that leads to the arrival and departure drop-off areas, BWI spokeswoman Melanie Miller said. Frigid temperatures caused the water to freeze and make the road impassable, she said.

Officials offered no estimated time when the main will be repaired or when traffic will be allowed through.

Van involved in deadly accident taken apart

NEW YORK -- Police took apart a commercial van Friday to determine if some defect caused it to lurch out of control in Herald Square and kill seven pedestrians outside of Macy's.

The van's driver told police at the scene Thursday that the gas pedal had stuck. Sidney Weinstein,76, was questioned and released, with no immediate charges filed.

Weinstein was making a delivery Thursday when a police officer ordered him to move the van, which was double-parked in front of a bus stop. The van abruptly accelerated and plowed into a crowd of people in the crosswalk. The van then slammed into the back of a bus.

The death toll climbed to seven Friday with the death of a woman injured in the accident.

-- From wire reports