In the War on Terror, the Department of Homeland Security studies threats to the United States and determines which targets are most likely to be hit, which are the easiest or hardest for terrorists to hit, what the casualty counts might be, etc.  Think CTU on "24".

While Americans can work up a pretty good sweat regarding traitors to Jack Bauer, will anyone get upset at ABC News for releasing an "Official Use Only" threat assessment produced by DHS?  Here is the footnote on the cover page.

(U) Warning: This document is UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (U//FOUO). It contains information that may be exempt from public release under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). It is to be controlled, stored, handled, transmitted, distributed, and disposed of in accordance with DHS policy relating to FOUO information and is not to be released to the public, the media, or other personnel who do not have a valid “need-to-know” without prior approval of an authorized DHS official.

In it's excitement to prove that the DHS is screwing New York and Washington by cutting their anti-terror grants, ABC News "obtained" and published a recent detailed report on the terrorist threat to the U.S. rails system. 

There really isn't a need to tap American's phones to find out who's giving info to al-Qaeda.  ABC News is publishing helpful hints for all the world to see.

The ABC report also mentions that, "New York's rail terminals and commuter rail lines are at the top of the terrorist hit list, according to a Department of Homeland Security strategic report".

First of all this is misleading because the report that was leaked to them was only concerned with the U.S. rail system, commerical and public.  It did not concern itself with other threats (to air traffic, nuclear power plants, ports, etc.) so there is no way to know if the targets mentioned are at "the top of the terorirst hit list".  What about schools or malls?  Secondly, it actually says that it would be more likely that an attack would occur on a train traveling between cities (which are generally not traditional commuter lines like the LIRR or Metro-North), and not in the rail terminals themselves.

Feh.