Morning Buzz: Nov. 19, 2007

Fran Townsend, President Bush's homeland security adviser, is joining the exodus of officials from the administration by stepping down from her post after more than 4 years.

The death toll from Thursday's cyclone in Bangladesh has risen to more than 3,000 and could soar as high as 10,000 once rescuers reach outlying islands. Reports of the mass casualties took several days to arrive in Dhaka because of downed telephone lines and washed-out roads.

Detroit could very well be America's most dangerous city, according to a new and controversial study released yesterday. The "City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America," published by CQ Press, shows Detroit pushing past St. Louis, last year's winner. Critics labeled this interpretation of crime data as "an irresponsible misuse," and Detroit law enforcement said the study failed to put the statistics in proper context.