The chief of the New Orleans police has resigned after facing four weeks of criticism over his force's handling of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Superintendent Eddie Compass gave no reason for his decision, but there have been suggestions that he misread the situation by over-emphasising the degree of lawlessness after the storm.
Earlier, the former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Michael Brown, was sharply criticised after trying to lay much of the blame on other people for the poor initial response to the disaster.
Mr Brown admitted before a Congressional hearing that he had made some mistakes.
But he also blamed local politicians, saying he had been unable to persuade the New Orleans Mayor, Ray Nagin, and the Governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco, to order residents to evacuate.
