At Reagan National airport just outside Washington this morning the runways were still lined with ploughed snow from the biggest storm to hit the city in 80 years.
It was freezing cold and a bright but powerless sun was glinting off the US Capitol building in central DC, which could be seen about six miles away across the Potomac River.
I was at Reagan National because Federal authorities had just introduced increased random screening for all flights destined for the US from around the world.
For passengers from 14 countries in particular, however, the searches will be compulsory.
The 14 are the four countries cited by the US state department as sponsors of terrorism - Sudan, Syria, Iran and Cuba - plus a further 10 "countries of interest" which officials say are "terrorism-prone": Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.
![[QODLink]](http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/Images/2012/5/24/2012524105149565734_16.jpg "The Brotherhood and Mubarak")
