(CNN) - A hostage situation at Maine State Prison ended Monday night with an inmate freeing his two hostages, authorities said.

The ordeal began about 2:30 p.m. Monday when inmate Michael Chasse took two people hostage at the prison in Warren, Maine, authorities said. Chasse freed the hostages Monday night "with minimal or no injury," they said.

"I'm thankful that the crisis has ended without loss of life," Governor John Baldacci said in a statement. "The Department of Corrections and State Police should be commended for their handling of a very dangerous situation."

The hostages were a prison staff member and an inmate, said Denise Lord, associate commissioner of the Department of Corrections.

(CNN) - Former NATO supreme commander Wesley Clark said Monday he stands by his criticism of Sen. John McCain despite a wave of criticism from the Republican presidential candidate's allies and Democratic contender Barack Obama's campaign.

"As an American and former military officer, I will not back down if I believe someone doesn't have sound judgment when it comes to our nation's most critical issues," Clark, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, said in a written statement Monday evening.

McCain's supporters have complained about Clark's Sunday comments on CBS' "Face the Nation," when Clark said McCain's experience as a Navy pilot and prisoner of war did not necessarily qualify him to serve as commander-in-chief.

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) - An Illinois man was charged with possession of a potentially deadly neurotoxin commonly found in species of puffer fish after the FBI led a raid at his home Monday.

Edward F. Bachner, 35, of Lake in the Hills, was charged with one count of illegal possession of a toxin, according to a federal complaint filed in U.S. district court. Bachner was arrested upon accepting a small amount tetrodotoxin delivered by an undercover federal official at his home, the FBI said.

Tetrodotoxin is a neurotoxin that in large doses can cause paralysis and death. It's often linked to consumption of puffer fish, a delicacy from the water of the Indian and Pacific oceans that can prove fatal if not prepared properly, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Bachner, using the alias Edmond Backer, attempted to purchase 98 milligrams of tetrodotoxin through the Web site of a New Jersey chemical company, according to the FBI. Calls late Monday to Bachner's home and business went unanswered.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bush on Monday ordered additional disaster assistance for Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois - states reeling from storms, floods and, in some cases, tornadoes since early this month.

Under Bush's order, the federal share of relief has been increased from 75 percent to 90 percent of the total eligible costs for emergency protective measures under the public assistance program.

(CNN) - Negotiators tried Monday to defuse a hostage situation at a prison in Warren, Maine, after an inmate took two people hostage during the afternoon.

David Framer, spokesman for Maine Governor John E. Baldacci, told CNN that the inmate of Maine State Prison took the two hostage at around 2:30 p.m.

"This is a serious situation," Denise Lord, associate commissioner of the Department of Corrections, said in a written statement. "Our first priority is to protect the lives of the people involved. We will do everything in our power to make sure no one is hurt."

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Internal Revenue Service is taking the unprecedented step of seeking Swiss bank records in search of what it suspects could be up to $20 billion worth of assets hidden by U.S. taxpayers.

Justice Department lawyers said late Monday that they had filed court documents in Miami asking a judge to allow the IRS to get information from the banking giant UBS. U.S. investigators are seeking permission for the first time to serve what are called "John Doe" summons to obtain information about possible tax fraud against taxpayers whose identities are not known.

Information stemming from a guilty plea by a former UBS banker last week in Miami suggests the Zurich-based bank had "undeclared" accounts of U.S. taxpayers estimated at about $20 billion. U.S. tax laws require any accounts abroad worth more than $10,000 to be reported - and penalties call for up to half of the amount in a hidden account to be forfeited.

The U.S. government is trying to cooperate with the Swiss government and the bank, Deputy Assistant Attorney General John DiCicco said. But he added, "We are prepared to seek enforcement if that process is not successful."

NEW YORK (CNN) - Reconstruction of the World Trade Center site is over budget and won't be finished by the 10th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks that destroyed the landmark twin towers, the owners reported Monday.

"While significant progress has been made, the schedule and cost estimates of the rebuilding effort that have been communicated to the public are not realistic," Christopher Ward, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, wrote in a letter to New York Gov. David Paterson. Paterson asked for a status update on the construction efforts earlier this month.

The complex was destroyed when al Qaeda operatives flew hijacked jetliners into the twin towers on September 11, 2001, killing more than 2,700 people. The Port Authority, which owns the site, listed 15 separate issues it said had slowed reconstruction efforts, including security and policing plans and contracting strategies for rebuilding the subway stations that sat beneath the site.

"Progress has been made. Ground Zero has gone from a standstill to a busy construction site, but the rebuilding effort is not where it should be and it is not where we promised it would be," Paterson said in a written statement after Monday's announcement.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI sent a bulletin to state and local officials Tuesday saying there is no indication of any planned terrorist attack in the United States this holiday weekend, but it advises them to be vigilant just in case.

"There is no specific credible intelligence that terrorist organizations are planning attacks against the homeland during Fourth of July celebrations," according to a homeland official who has seen the document.

But the bulletin says that because of the number of large gatherings and increased travel over the holiday period, authorities should heighten their vigilance, in particular for indicators of pre-operational surveillance and planning.
–From Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) - The number of deaths in Iraq among civilians, Iraqi soldiers and insurgents continued to decline during the month of June, according to data from the country's Health, Defense and Interior ministries.

Nearly 450 civilians were killed during the 30-day span, but that was an 11 percent decrease from May, when just over 500 lost their lives.

The Iraqi military lost 21 soldiers, while 123 insurgents were reported to have been killed.

A slight increase was seen with the number of American casualties during the month. As of Monday, 29 soldiers had been killed - eight more than May's total, which was the lowest in four years.

LIMA, Peru (CNN) - The trial of former President Alberto Fujimori opened here Monday with his former intelligence chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, declaring his boss innocent of the charges he faces.

"I came here to clarify that Mr. Fujimori has no responsibility with the actions cited in this process," Montesinos told court magistrates.

The trial, held in Ate Vitarte on the outskirts of Lima, marks the first time the two men have been in the same room since they both fled the country eight years ago.

Fujimori, 69, faces charges that range from bribery and corruption to murder and human rights abuses that carry a potential penalty of 30 years in prison. He has denied the charges.