user: question: Authorities evacuated a small town in northern Iowa and waited out a fire at an agricultural chemical company Thursday after warning that the blaze involved sulfuric acid. At least four people complained of breathing problems as a plume of smoke rose over the town of Northwood, near the Minnesota state line, said Sgt. Scott Bright, a spokesman for the Iowa Highway Patrol. Officials in Worth County ordered Northwood's roughly 2,000 residents to leave town, sending them to towns to the south until an all-clear was given Thursday afternoon. Bright said that the facility where the fire broke out houses chemicals used for crop dusting and that some of those chemicals were believed to contain sulfuric acid. Firefighters decided to let the blaze burn itself out, and the column of smoke it put out wasn't expected to affect neighboring communities, he said. During the evacuation, buses brought Northwood residents to a community center in Kensett, about six miles down U.S. Highway 65. But the facility was "by no means overwhelmed," said Don Preston, pastor of Bethel United Methodist Church in nearby Manly. "The facility is sort of breathing people in and out," Preston said. "They get off the buses, and a lot of people, especially the longtime residents, have family and friends nearby, and they come and pick them up." Northwood City Clerk Amber Julseth said that about 230 people had been staying at the community center early Thursday afternoon, and "everyone is OK." The evacuation orders were lifted by midafternoon, said Lori McNalley, the city clerk in Kensett. An April fire at a fertilizer company in West, Texas, killed 15 people -- mostly firefighters and paramedics -- when a stock of volatile ammonium nitrate detonated. The blast showed up on seismographs and flattened much of the small town south of Dallas. CNN's Bill Kirkos contributed to this report.

answer: NEW: The evacuation order has been lifted for Northwood, Iowa, official says. Chemical fire cleared out the Iowa town. Firefighters let the blaze burn out. Four people have complained of breathing problems.
question: President Obama will address the future of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Thursday morning in a speech at the National Archives. The Guantanamo facility houses terror suspects, and lawmakers don't want them in the U.S. In a speech that is being billed as a major address, Obama is also slated to discuss issues of state secrets, transparency and protecting national security, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said. Former Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the most outspoken critics of Obama's policies, is scheduled to give an opposing argument Thursday morning. Cheney has charged that Obama's national security decisions have left the United States more vulnerable to attack. Obama's address is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET at the National Archives. Cheney will speak before the conservative American Enterprise Institute at 10:45 a.m. Obama is hoping to rally support behind his national security measures after angering some with his decision to resume the Bush administration practice of military tribunals and by reversing course on his decision to release photos of alleged inmate abuse at Guantanamo. On Wednesday, Obama was dealt another blow when the U.S. Senate passed a measure that would prevent detainees at Guantanamo Bay from being transferred to the United States for now. The measure passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in a 90-6 vote. A similar amendment has already passed the House. It was attached to a supplemental war funding bill. Following in the steps of House Democrats, Senate Democrats rejected on Tuesday the administration's request for $80 million to close the Guantanamo facility. They instead asked that President Obama first submit a plan spelling out what the administration will do with the prisoners when it closes the prison. Obama, in one of his first official duties as president, announced that he would close the prison by January 22, 2010. Congressional Democrats, however, are now attempting to avoid an onslaught of criticism from Republicans, who argue it would be reckless to shutter the prison before deciding where to transfer the detainees. FBI Director Robert Mueller told members of Congress earlier Wednesday that he is concerned about the potential dangers that may result from the release of detainees in the United States. In response to a question from Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Mueller said he is concerned about the potential for fundraising to support terrorist groups and the radicalization of others, as well as the potential for attacks within the country. Mueller also said that while he is not concerned about dangerous terrorists escaping from maximum security federal prisons, he is concerned about the potential of activities being directed from within prison walls, and he cited such actions by dangerous gang members. Attorney General Eric Holder, the president's point man overseeing the Guantanamo plan, sought to downplay the FBI director's concerns and the Senate vote to bar funds. "The concerns that have been expressed by the director and concerns expressed by other people will all be taken into account in formulating the plan that we will ultimately use," Holder told reporters late Wednesday. "We're not going to do anything that's going to put the American people at risk," he said. The attorney general continued to express confidence that the Guantanamo Bay prison camp will be permanently closed by Obama's deadline. iReport.com: Sound off on Obama, Cheney speeches. "We will have conversations with Congress, and I'm confident that as a result of those conversations, the necessary funds will come our way," Holder said. At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs echoed Holder's promise. "The president understands that his most important job is to keep the American people safe and that he is not going to make any decision or any judgment that imperils the safety of the American people." CNN's Terry Frieden and Kristi Keck contributed to this report.

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assistant: White House says Obama is not going to make any decision that imperils safety. Senate votes 90-6 on a measure to prevent Gitmo detainees from going to the U.S. A similar amendment has already passed the House. Obama announced that he would close the prison by January 22, 2010.