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Economy on the front burner

Bush, shown here reading to third graders, plans to start the year with a focus on the economy and education.

SUMMARY:

The "E's" have it for President Bush, who has committed to concentrating on education and the economy, and he will begin pushing that agenda Saturday. But Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle started 2002 with a fresh assault on Bush's tax cut plans. In New York, the medical examiner determined the identities of the remains of seven people found at the World Trade Center site.

UPDATE:

Scott McClellan, White House deputy press secretary, said Bush's "first priority" this year will be urging Congress to pass what the White House now calls an "economic security" plan, measures to help laid-off workers and tax cuts to give a boost to the economy. (Full story)

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle delivers a speech Friday, but has already launched an election-year debate over the economy with a fresh slap at President Bush's tax cuts and a call for a "growth agenda" for a country hammered by terrorism and recession. "We can shortchange critical needs, such as strengthening homeland security, or we can raid the Social Security surplus and borrow money to pay for them," he said. "We cannot have it both ways." (Full story)

The bodies of seven more firefighters pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center have been identified. The New York Fire Department has pulled back on plans to prohibit firefighters from leaving their companies to go to the trade center site when firefighters' bodies were found. (Full story)

KEY QUESTIONS:

Can the agencies charged with preventing and detecting terrorist attacks keep pace with the ingenuity of organizations that want to commit such acts?

What effect will the delay in passing an economic stimulus bill have on the economy?

• Summary   • Update   • Key questions   • Who's who   • Victims   • Impact

REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS   •  Emergency information   •  Partial list of victims   •  Victims story archives

CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

Should the federal government issue national security alerts in response to undisclosed, vague threats?

What is the government doing to fortify homeland defense? Click here for more

What are tips to know in the wake of the attacks? Click here for more

WHO'S WHO:

George W. Bush: U.S. president Click here for more.

Laura Bush: First lady of the United States, she has become more visible since the terrorist attacks, making public appearances urging parents and teachers to help reassure children that everything is being done to try to keep them safe. Click here for more

Tom Ridge: Director of the U.S. Office of Homeland Security, a new Cabinet-level position Click here for more

Richard Clarke: Head of efforts to safeguard information systems for the Office of Homeland Security Click here for more

Wayne Downing: Retired Army general tapped as deputy national security adviser Click here for more

Joe Allbaugh:The chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Click here for more

Dr. David Satcher: Surgeon General of the United States

Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan: Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Click here for more

Rudy Giuliani: Former mayor of New York

Michael Bloomberg: Mayor of New York

Anthony A. Williams: Mayor of Washington

Dr. Ivan Walks: Director of the Department of Health for the District of Columbia

Paul O'Neill: Treasury secretary

Norman Y. Mineta:Transportation secretary

Jane Garvey: FAA administrator

VICTIMS:

The latest figures provided by federal and local officials give the following numbers of people dead or missing from the September 11 attacks:

WORLD TRADE CENTER: According to New York City officials, the estimated number of dead -- including the 157 on the two hijacked planes -- is 2,936: 593 confirmed dead; 363 missing with no death certificates issued; and 1,980 death certificates issued for victims whose remains have not yet been identified. The initial death estimate was as many as 6,500 people but the number has shrunk for several reasons, including elimination of duplicate reports.

PENTAGON: 64 dead on hijacked plane; another 125 missing and presumed dead

PENNSYLVANIA: 44 confirmed dead on hijacked plane

IMPACT:

The attacks of September 11 have sparked new debate about balancing the protection of U.S. citizens with the protection of the civil rights of those suspected of terrorism.

While the United States is proud of the freedoms and the legal rights guaranteed by the Constitution, authorities and many citizens have argued those people who seek to destroy America do not deserve such protections while they represent an ongoing threat to the country. Others argue that it is those very freedoms which the terrorists seek to curtail, and that to limit individual rights provides them with a victory.

While those arguments continue, so do the threats against U.S. interests. Security remains high at airports, certain industries and many government facilities.