Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Attorney General John D. Ashcroft issued a joint statement late yesterday indicating that they have settled their tiff after Ashcroft surprised Ridge with some statements about terrorist threats at a news conference on Wednesday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64374-2004May28.html

Ridge and other Homeland Security officials were miffed that on Wednesday Ashcroft, while asking Americans to look out for seven alleged al Qaeda associates, issued an updated terrorist threat warning. At one point he said al Qaeda is "90 percent" complete in its attack planning.

Under the Homeland Security Act and Bush administration rules, only Ridge is supposed to communicate with the public about such threat warnings -- and he was not using such language.

"We're aware some of this week's press reports could have created confusion in the minds of the public by attempting to highlight perceived differences between the departments of Homeland Security and Justice," a Homeland Security official said, choosing his words carefully. "We wish to put aside any differences and demonstrate we're on the same page and unified in our efforts to prevent acts of terrorism."