Summary: The Bush administration on Thursday advocated giving federal agencies from the Pentagon to the Department of Justice a greater role in the nation's disaster response playbook. The Justice Department, which now shares responsibility for disaster law enforcement efforts with the Homeland Security Department, would be primarily charged with that even in less severe disasters. The Justice Department is in charge of the F.B.I. and has longstanding relations with the local and state police and may be able to more rapidly deploy huge numbers of law enforcement officers to help maintain public order.

Summary: Knowing the multitude of Hurricane Katrina failures, the Bush administration advocated the federal agencies from the Pentagon to the Department of Justice a greater role in the nation's disaster response playbook. The Justice Department, which now shares responsibility for disaster law enforcement efforts with the Homeland Security Department, would be primarily charged with that even if there is less severe disasters. The Justice Department, who is in the charge of the F.B.I. and has longstanding relations with the local and state police, may be able to more rapidly deploy huge numbers of law enforcement officers for helping and maintaining the public order.


Summary: Frances Fragos Townsend, President Bush's domestic security adviser, said that enlisting help from federal agencies made sense. The Homeland Security Department and its Federal Emergency Management Agency will continue to be the lead federal player in disaster response efforts, according to the blueprint proposed by Ms. Townsend. Townsend said the White House would in fact create a Disaster Response Group to make sure that if there are any disagreements or any bureaucracy, there's a mechanism here at the White House to break through that.

Summary: Frances Fragos Townsend, President Bush's domestic security adviser, said that enlisting help from federal agencies made sense. Ms. Townsend said the White House would in fact create a Disaster Response Group to make sure that if there are any disagreements or any bureaucracy, there's a mechanism there at the White House to break through that. A new National Operations Center that provides situational awareness for all federal agencies would also be set up, taking away some of the duties now handled by the Homeland Security Operations Center, which only opened in July 2004.


Summary: Michael Greenberger, a law professor and domestic security expert at the University of Maryland, said that this might simply be rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Professor Greenberger also said the changes might dilute the homeland security secretary's powers. Mr. Greenberger further added that the pendulum was swinging, and it was swinging to someone being in charge of the response by the whole government, working out of the White House, not in the Department of Homeland Security.

Summary: Michael Greenberger, a law professor and domestic security expert at the University of Maryland, said that the changes might dilute the homeland security secretary's powers. In his words the pendulum is swinging, and it is swinging to someone being in charge of the response by the whole government, working out of the White House, not in the Department of Homeland Security.


Summary: Michael Greenberger, a law professor and domestic security expert at the University of Maryland, said that this may simply be rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Summary: Michael Greenberger, a law professor and domestic security expert at the University of Maryland, said that this might simply be rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.


Summary: This new approach, which could send troops to a disaster zone, has provoked opposition by some governors, including Jeb Bush of Florida and Haley Barbour of Mississippi, who have argued that the states should lead the response.


Summary: David Heyman, director of the Homeland Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that once the changes were in place, the Homeland Security Department would have more reliable federal partners to orchestrate its response.

Summary: David Heyman, director of the Homeland Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a research group in Washington, said that once the changes were in place, the Homeland Security Department would have more reliable federal partners to orchestrate its response.


Homeland Security Department
Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security
Homeland Security Program
Homeland Security Operations Center

Summary: The Homeland Security Department and its Federal Emergency Management Agency will continue to be the lead federal player in disaster response efforts. The Justice Department, which now shares responsibility for disaster law enforcement efforts with the Homeland Security Department, would be primarily charged with that even in less severe disasters. David Heyman, director of the Homeland Security Program, said that once the changes were in place, the Homeland Security Department would have more reliable federal partners to orchestrate its response.

Summary: Frances Fragos Townsend said the White House would create a Disaster Response Group to make sure that if there are any disagreements or any bureaucracy, there's a mechanism there at the White House to break through that. A new National Operations Center that provides situational awareness for all federal agencies would also be set up, taking away some of the duties now handled by the Homeland Security Operations Center, which only opened in July 2004.


Summary: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff did not attend. The White House inquiry provides little detailed criticism of the performance of top leaders after the storm, including President Bush and his staff, Mr. Chertoff and Michael D. Brown, the former FEMA director.

Summary: Unlike a report released last week by a House committee that investigated the response to the hurricane, the White House inquiry provides little detailed criticism of the performance of top leaders after the storm, including President Bush and his staff, Mr. Chertoff and Homeland Security Secretary, Michael D. Brown, the former FEMA director.


Summary: President Nursultan Nazarbayev, struggling to stem a deepening political crisis, accepted the resignation of his chief national security officer one day after five members of an elite national security squad were arrested in connection with the killing of a leading opposition politician.

Summary: President Nursultan Nazarbayev, struggling to stem a deepening political crisis, accepted the resignation of his chief national security officer on Wednesday, one day after five members of an elite national security squad were arrested in connection with the killing of a leading opposition politician.


Summary: Ronald A. Safran, who was the senior partner in the Xerox audits of 1998 and 1999, agreed to pay $150,000 fines. In addition to the fines, he was also suspended from practicing before the S.E.C. Mr. Safran remains a KPMG partner.

Summary: Michael A. Conway along with Ronald A. Safran, who was the senior partner in the Xerox audits of 1998 and 1999, agreed to pay $150,000 fines each. In addition to the fines, they were suspended from practicing before the S.E.C., which means that they could not audit public companies. Mr. Safran could reapply in three years. Mr. Safran remained a KPMG partner.


Summary: Paul R. Berger, associate director of enforcement for investigations, added that the Xerox fraud was a wide-ranging four-year scheme to defraud investors.

Summary: The associate director of enforcement for investigations, Paul R. Berger, said that the Xerox fraud was a wide-ranging four-year scheme to defraud investors.


Summary: Ashok Nayyar, worked in Citigroup's leveraged finance area for 17 years. At Citigroup, clients of Mr. Nayyar, 44, included Cablevision and Koch Industries, the industrial company.

Summary: Morgan Stanley said yesterday that it had hired two senior bond executives from competitors Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. Ashok Nayyar, who worked in Citigroup's leveraged finance area for 17 years, will join Morgan Stanley as a managing director and co-head of leveraged and acquisition finance. At Citigroup, clients of Mr. Nayyar, 44, included Cablevision and Koch Industries, the industrial company.


Summary: Morgan Stanley, in a bid to bolster its growing high-yield business, said yesterday that it had hired two senior bond executives from competitors Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. Ashok Nayyar, who worked in Citigroup's leveraged finance area for 17 years, will join Morgan Stanley as a managing director and co-head of leveraged and acquisition finance. At Citigroup, clients of Mr. Nayyar, 44, included Cablevision and Koch Industries, the industrial company.

Summary: Morgan Stanley said that it had hired two senior bond executives from competitors Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. Ashok Nayyar, who worked in Citigroup's leveraged finance area for 17 years, will join Morgan Stanley as a managing director and co-head of leveraged and acquisition finance.


Summary: Morgan Stanley's chief executive, John J. Mack, to attract a new wave of investment banking talent to build a business in areas he has targeted for growth. For Mr. Mack, the new hires counter a series of senior executive departures to rival banks and start-up investment boutiques. Charged with the daunting task of revamping Morgan Stanley's struggling brokerage division, Mr. Gorman, had a meeting with Mr. Mack.

Summary: The hires reflect a renewed push by Morgan Stanley's chief executive, John J. Mack, to attract a new wave of investment banking talent to build business in areas he has targeted for growth. For Mr. Mack, the new hires counter a series of senior executive departures to rival banks and start-up investment boutiques run by former Morgan Stanley bankers. Charged with the daunting task of revamping Morgan Stanley's struggling brokerage division, Mr. Gorman, after an initial meeting with Mr. Mack last Friday, has spent the week meeting with the firm's top-producing brokers.


Summary: At Citigroup, clients of Mr. Nayyar, 44, included Cablevision and Koch Industries, the industrial company. Last year he helped arrange $11 billion in financing for Koch's acquisition of Georgia-Pacific.


Summary: Farid Dawood, a market strategist, and a financial analyst said it would be abnormal if such a big deal did not meet any criticism, but Dubai Ports can do a better job than anyone.

Summary: Farid Dawood, a market strategist and financial analyst based in Dubai, said that it would be abnormal if such a big deal did not meet any criticism, but Dubai Ports could do a better job than anyone.


Summary: Steven Brill, the founder of Verified Identity Pass, which has run a pilot program in Orlando, Fla., since last June, has said that those who pay an annual fee to undergo a background check and get an electronic identity card probably will not have to remove their shoes and jackets, will not have to take laptops out of their cases and will get an expedited passage through security.

Summary: Steven Brill, the founder of Verified Identity Pass, has said that those who pay an annual fee to undergo a background check and get an electronic identity card probably will not have to remove their shoes and jackets, will not have to take laptops out of their cases and will get an expedited passage through security.


Summary: The president of the Air Transport Association, an airline industry trade group, said at a recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing, that the Registered Traveler program has turned into a shifting and dispiriting exercise. Mr. May said that it had not yet been demonstrated that the program would protect the privacy of those who enroll after submitting to a background check.

Summary: James C. May, the president of the Air Transport Association, said at a recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing that the Registered Traveler program has turned into a shifting and dispiriting exercise. Mr. May said that it had not yet been demonstrated that the program would protect the privacy of those who enroll after submitting to a background check.


Summary: The church was filled with members of the Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus, and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sat at the center of the altar, right next to the minister. When the time came to recognize the elected officials, State Senator Malcolm Smith of Queens introduced the attorney general as "Governor Spitzer," which received spirited applause.

Summary: The church was filled with members of the Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus, and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sat at the center of the altar, right next to the minister. When the time came to recognize the elected officials, State Senator Malcolm Smith of Queens introduced the attorney general as ''Governor Spitzer,'' which received spirited applause. The man expected to challenge Mr. Spitzer for the Democratic nomination for governor, Thomas R. Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, had to settle for a seat in the front pew on Sunday, alongside many other elected officials.


Summary: When the time came to recognize the elected officials, State Senator Malcolm Smith of Queens introduced the attorney general as "Governor Spitzer," which received spirited applause. Mr. Smith, who organized the economic development panel, said that only mayors were invited to speak this year.

Summary: State Senator Malcolm Smith of Queens introduced the attorney general as ''Governor Spitzer,'' when the time came to realise the elected officials, which received spirited applause. The man was expected to challenge Mr. Spitzer for the Democratic nomination for governor, Thomas R. Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, who had to settle for a seat in the front pew, alongside many other elected officials. Mr. Smith, who organized the economic development panel, said that only mayors were invited to speak this year.


Summary: The church was filled with members of the Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus, and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sat at the center of the altar, right next to the minister.

Summary: The members of the Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus filled the church, and Eliot Spitzer, who was the Attorney General, sat at the center of the altar, right next to the minister. Mr. Suozzi's aides noted that he had been told that he could not speak on a panel discussing economic development, even though he had spoken on similar panels at the caucus gathering for several years.


Summary: The man expected to challenge Eliot Spitzer for the Democratic nomination for governor, Thomas R. Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, had to settle for a seat in the front pew on Sunday, alongside many other elected officials.

Summary: Thomas R. Suozzi, who was the governor, the Nassau County executive, was expected to be challenged by the man who had to settle for a seat in the front pew, alongside many other elected officials. 5,000 regular people are there, and they're very interested in the things he has to say as a government reformer, which was said by Mr. Suozzi, to attend an engagement in Nassau County.


Summary: Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow, the chairman of Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators, a nonprofit organization that sponsored the weekend gathering, denied any effort to exclude Thomas R. Suozzi from any activities and said he resented the allegation even being made. Mr. Pretlow said that if there was no room for Mr. Suozzi's reception, it was simply because the rooms were booked.

Summary: Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow, the chairman of Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators, a nonprofit organization that sponsored the weekend gathering, denied any effort to exclude Mr. Suozzi from any activities and said that he resented the allegation even being made. If there was no room for Mr. Suozzi's reception, Mr. Pretlow saidon that it was simply because the rooms were booked. Mr. Pretlow, a Westchester Democrat added that his plan is to say that he's an outsider because he can go out there and said that he is not with those people.


Summary: The man expected to challenge Eliot Spitzer for the Democratic nomination for governor, Thomas R. Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, had to settle for a seat in the front pew on Sunday, alongside many other elected officials. It was not the only time during the weekend gathering that Mr. Suozzi appeared to fall outside the circle of influence. Mr. Suozzi's aides noted that he had been told that he could not speak on a panel discussing economic development, though he had spoken on similar panels at the caucus gathering for several years.

Summary: The man expected to challenge Mr. Spitzer for the Democratic nomination for governor, Thomas R. Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, had to settle for a seat in the front pew. And after being told there was no room for his reception at the conference hotel, where other candidates were campaigning, Mr. Suozzi held one at a restaurant across the street. If there was no room for Mr. Suozzi's reception, Gary Pretlow, the chairman of the Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators said, it was simply because the rooms were booked.


Summary: Attorney General Eliot Spitzer was simply reaping the benefits of choosing a running mate as lieutenant governor who came from the ranks of the black and Puerto Rican caucus, David A. Paterson, a state senator from Harlem. Mr. Paterson, who sat on the other side of the minister at the Wilborn Temple Church of God in Christ, said that there's a sense that now they can have a seat at the table. Both Mr. Paterson and Mr. Spitzer spoke to the gathering on Sunday night.

Summary: Mr. Spitzer was simply reaping the benefits of choosing a running mate as lieutenant governor who came from the ranks of the black and Puerto Rican caucus, David A. Paterson, a state senator from Harlem. Mr. Paterson at the Wilborn Temple Church of God in Christ said that here was a sense that then they could have a seat at the table. Mr. Spitzer said that David was an icon in this party and the fact that David and he were joined together certainly speaks volumes about the issues we will take to the public.


Summary: The Senate was about to pass even stronger legislation calling for the Puebla State governor, Mario Marín, to step down, when the members of his party marched out of the session, denying the other parties a quorum.

Summary: The Senate was about to pass even stronger legislation calling for Mr. Marín to step down, when the members of his party marched out of the session, denying the other parties a quorum.


Summary: The writer, Lydia Cacho, was charged under state law with defaming a textile businessman, Kamel Nacif, in her book, 'The Demons of Eden.' Defamation and slander are criminal charges in Mexico, and Ms. Cacho was held briefly in jail before being released while state prosecutors began their investigation into the charges.

Summary: The writer, Lydia Cacho, was charged under state law with defaming a textile businessman, Kamel Nacif, in her book, ''The Demons of Eden.'' In her book, Ms. Cacho wrote that Mr. Nacif was a friend of Jean Succar Kuri, a man accused of pederasty in Cancún, and was paying for his legal defense. Cacho's arrest between two male voices had been identified as the Puebla State governor, Mario Marín, and Mr. Nacif. Cacho, using an expletive to refer to her. She said that state officials had gone so far as to threaten her with beatings and rape when she was released from jail.


Summary: Cacho's arrest between two male voices that the journalists from the newspaper and the radio station said had been identified as the Puebla State governor, Mario Marín, and Mr. Nacif. Governor Marín has denied that the voice on the tape is his. Members of the lower house of Congress from the other two major parties passed a resolution demanding Governor Marín's resignation, then passed legislation calling for a congressional investigation, arguing that the governor had violated Ms. Cacho's constitutional rights and should be impeached.

Summary: The audiotape that was given to a Mexican radio station and a national newspaper, La Jornada contains recording carrying an ugly conversation celebrating Lydia Cacho's arrest between two male voices that the journalists from the newspaper and the radio station said had been identified as the Puebla State governor, Mario Marín, and Kamel Nacif. Governor Marín has denied in a statement that the voice on the tape is his. Members of the lower house of Congress passed a resolution on Tuesday demanding Governor Marín's resignation, then passed legislation calling for a congressional investigation, arguing that the governor had violated Ms. Cacho's constitutional rights and should be impeached. The Senate was about to pass even stronger legislation calling for Mr. Marín to step down.


Summary: Someone gave an audiotape to a Mexican radio station and a national newspaper, La Jornada, that renewed the debate over Ms. Cacho's arrest.

Summary: Last week someone gave an audiotape to a Mexican radio station and a national newspaper, La Jornada, that renewed the debate over Lydia Cacho's arrest. She told La Jornada that she thinks that the case against her will be dropped, because it was a vengeful act.


Summary: Rubén Aguilar, a spokesman for President Vicente Fox, denounced the statements on the tape as brutal and undignified and announced that the case might be assigned to a newly appointed special prosecutor for crimes against journalists.

Summary: Rubén Aguilar, a spokesman for President Vicente Fox, denounced the statements on the tape as "brutal and undignified" and announced that the case might be assigned to a newly appointed special prosecutor for crimes against journalists.


Summary: The writer, Lydia Cacho, was then charged under state law with defaming a textile businessman, Kamel Nacif, in her book, ''The Demons of Eden.'' Ms. Cacho wrote that Mr. Nacif was a friend of Jean Succar Kuri, a man accused of pederasty in Cancún, and was paying for his legal defense. Cacho's arrest between two male voices that the journalists from the newspaper and the radio station said had been identified as the Puebla State governor, Mario Marín, and Mr. Nacif.

Summary: The writer, Lydia Cacho, was charged under state law with defaming a textile businessman, Kamel Nacif, in her book, 'The Demons of Eden' where she wrote that Mr. Nacif was a friend of Jean Succar Kuri, a man accused of pederasty in Cancún, and was paying for his legal defense.


Summary: Roberto Madrazo suggested that the Fox administration was using the scandal to hurt his campaign, though he later called for an investigation into Mr. Marín's role in Ms. Cacho's arrest.

Summary: Rubén Aguilar, a spokesman for President Vicente Fox, denounced the statements on the tape as "brutal and undignified" and announced that the case might be assigned to a newly appointed special prosecutor for crimes against journalists. The party's candidate for president, Roberto Madrazo, suggested that the Fox administration was using scandal to hurt his campaign, though he later called for an investigation into Mr. Marín's role in Ms. Cacho's arrest.


Summary: Carol Berkman's judgment has overturned the Court of Appeals. She said from the bench to observe Mr. Goldstein with his previous trial counsel, and it appeared to her that he enjoyed an excellent relationship with his attorney. Justice Berkman told Mr. Goldstein that Legal Aid would continue being his lawyer on appeal.

Summary: Andrew Goldstein was back in a Manhattan court last week before the judge, Carol Berkman, whose judgment the Court of Appeals overturned. She had extended opportunity to observe Mr. Goldstein with his previous trial counsel, and it appeared to her that he enjoyed an excellent relationship with his attorney. Lawrence T. Hausman, a Legal Aid lawyer, said that he had spoken to Mr. Goldstein and the defendant's estranged father, a doctor living in Delaware, by telephone, and that they both preferred Legal Aid. Justice Berkman told Mr. Goldstein that Legal Aid would continue being his lawyer on appeal.


Summary: Lawrence T. Hausman, a Legal Aid lawyer, said that he had spoken to Andy Goldstein and his estranged father by telephone and that they both preferred Legal Aid. Mr. Goldstein said that he preferred Legal Aid because they won the appeal. Justice Berkman told Mr. Goldstein that Legal Aid would continue being his lawyer on appeal.

Summary: For these unsung, underfinanced lawyers, there's the Legal Aid Society on one side, and a court-appointed lawyer, Kevin Canfield, the sole practitioner, appointed by the court as a lawyer for the indigent, who represented Mr. Goldstein before the jury that convicted him, on the other to represent Andrew Goldstein in his appeal. Apologetically, he added that he had assured Mr. Canfield that anything could change in the future on this and that he might still stand a chance. Mr. Goldstein said he preferred Legal Aid, because they won the appeal. Apologetically, he added that he had assured Mr. Canfield that anything could change in the future on this and that he might still stand a chance.


Summary: The case, which the prosecution wants to take to the United States Supreme Court, raises the question of whether the underlying basis of expert witnesses' opinions should be examined or what one lawyer likened to a debate.

Summary: The case, which the prosecution wants to take to the United States Supreme Court, raises the question of whether the underlying basis of expert witnesses' opinions should be examined, what one lawyer likened to an "earth is flat" debate.


Summary: Andrew Goldstein was not, by most lights, a desirable client. He had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and he was one of the state's most notorious murderers until his conviction was overturned late last year. Mr. Goldstein was convicted of pushing Kendra Webdale, an aspiring journalist, to her death in front of a speeding train on Jan. 3, 1999. The state's highest court overturned his conviction on Dec. 20, saying he had been denied his Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses against him. Mr. Goldstein chose Legal Aid as his counsel because they won his appeal. Apologetically, he added that he had assured Mr. Canfield that anything could change in the future on this and that he might still stand a chance.

Summary: Andy Goldstein was convicted of pushing Kendra Webdale to her death in front of a speeding train. The state's highest court overturned his conviction saying that he had been denied his Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses against him. A prosecution psychiatrist testified at trial that he pushed Ms. Webdale not because he was insane, but because she resembled a blond woman who had spurned him. Mr. Goldstein said that he preferred Legal Aid because they won the appeal. Apologetically, he added that he had assured Mr. Canfield that he might still stand a chance.


Summary: Mr. Goldstein was back in a Manhattan court last week before the judge, Carol Berkman, whose judgment the Court of Appeals overturned. Justice Berkman pronounced herself indifferent to the wishes of the family but said she did not want to disrespect Mr. Goldstein's wishes. Justice Berkman told him to choose his counsel. Justice Berkman told Mr. Goldstein that Legal Aid would continue being his lawyer on appeal.

Summary: Carol Berkman's judgment was overturned by the Court of Appeals. She said from the bench, to observe Mr. Goldstein with his previous trial counsel, and it appeared to her that he enjoyed an excellent relationship with his attorney. Justice Berkman told Mr. Goldstein that Legal Aid would continue being his lawyer on appeal.


Summary: Six years ago, Mr. Goldstein was convicted of pushing Kendra Webdale, an aspiring journalist, to her death in front of a speeding train on Jan. 3, 1999. The problem came when a prosecution psychiatrist testified at trial, quoting conversations with people who knew Mr. Goldstein, that he pushed Ms. Webdale not because he was insane, but because she resembled a blond woman who had spurned him.

Summary: Mr. Goldstein was convicted of pushing Kendra Webdale to her death in front of a speeding train. A prosecution psychiatrist testified at trial that he pushed Ms. Webdale not because he was insane, but because she resembled a blond woman who had spurned him.


Summary: Kevin Canfield, the sole practitioner, was appointed by the court as a lawyer for the indigent, who represented Mr. Goldstein before the jury. In a hearing earlier this month, Mr. Canfield, a tall, ruddy man, argued that he had a warm and deep relationship with Mr. Goldstein. Mr. Goldstein, speaking slowly, said he preferred Legal Aid when asked by the judge to choose his legal counsel. Apologetically, he added that he had assured Mr. Canfield that anything could change in the future on this and that he might still stand a chance, and with that, Mr. Canfield turned and walked swiftly out of the courtroom, never looking back.

Summary: Kevin Canfield, a tall, ruddy man with a graying crew cut, argued that he had a warm and deep relationship with Mr. Goldstein, cultivated over the course of a long trial. The Court officers led him to his seat at the defense table, where Mr. Canfield stood on one side and a Legal Aid lawyer stood on the other. Mr. Goldstein chose Legal Aid because they won the appeal.  Apologetically, he added that he had assured Mr. Canfield he might still stand a chance.


Summary: Describing on Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's disclosure on last month that city planners were drafting a strategy to cope with this expected growth, Daniel L. Doctoroff, the deputy mayor for economic development, said the city could accommodate a million additional people or maybe more, but only if it began planning for their needs now. He said that they have the capacity through rezoning and underutilized land to go well over that number. Mr. Doctoroff said that it opens up great opportunities only if the growth is smart, if we have the things that make cities worth living in. he said the strategy would explore opportunities for growth both citywide and in 188 individual neighborhoods.

Summary: Elaborating on Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's disclosure, Daniel L. Doctoroff, the deputy mayor for economic development, said the city could accommodate a million additional people or more, but only if it began planning for their needs now. Mr. Doctoroff said the strategy would explore opportunities for growth both citywide and in 188 individual neighborhoods. Among the goals of the plan, Mr. Doctoroff said, are to produce greater geographic diversity more jobs in Downtown Brooklyn, Flushing, and Jamaica in Queens, the South Bronx, Harlem, and the Far West Side and to preserve manufacturing jobs.


Summary: Elaborating on Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's disclosure last month that city planners were drafting a strategy to cope with this expected growth, Daniel L. Doctoroff, the deputy mayor for economic development, said that the city could accommodate a million additional people or more, but only if it began planning for their needs now. He added that  they have the capacity through rezoning and underutilized land to go well over that number. In his State of the City address last month, Mr. Bloomberg said that he will be presenting a ''strategic land use plan'' in April.

Summary: Elaborating on Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's disclosure, Daniel L. Doctoroff, the deputy mayor for economic development, said the city could accommodate a million additional people or more, but only if it began planning for their needs now. In his State of the City address, Mr. Bloomberg said that he would present a strategic land use plan that will explore the potential for growth, identify the constraints and recommend how to provide housing, transportation, energy, and other public works, including parks, to accommodate a larger population, the mayor said.


Summary: When the members of Congress attack the executives of Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and Cisco Systems at a hearing about their China operations, there were three important people who couldn't attend. Microsoft has also been timid, but nothing like Yahoo. Microsoft responded to a Chinese request by recently shutting down the outspoken blog of Michael Anti (who currently works for the New York Times Beijing bureau).

Summary: Congress pilloried executives of Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, and Cisco Systems at a hearing about their China operations. Microsoft responded to a Chinese request by recently shutting down the outspoken blog of Michael Anti. Microsoft also censors sensitive words in the Chinese version of its blog-hosting software, the blogger Rebecca MacKinnon found that it rejected the title ''I Love Freedom of Speech, Human Rights and Democracy" as prohibited language. Microsoft could publish a list of the political terms that it blocks as prohibited language.


Summary: Microsoft also censors sensitive words in the Chinese version of its blog-hosting software; Rebecca MacKinnon, who is the blogger found that it rejected as ''prohibited language'' the title ''I Love Freedom of Speech, Human Rights and Democracy.'' Cisco sells equipment to China used for maintaining censorship controls, but as far as I can tell similar equipment is widely available, including from Chinese companies like Huawei.

Summary: Blogger Rebecca MacKinnon found that Microsoft censors sensitive words in the Chinese version of its blog-hosting software when it rejected the title ''I Love Freedom of Speech, Human Rights and Democracy as prohibitive language.


Summary: Let imagine that Anne Frank had maintained an e-mail account while in hiding in 1944, and that the Nazis had asked Yahoo for cooperation in tracking her down. Chris Smith, who is the representative, called the hearing and drew the Anne Frank analogy, has introduced a bill to regulate Internet companies abroad, but that's an overreaction.

Summary: Suppose that Anne Frank had maintained an e-mail account while in hiding in 1944 and that the Nazis had asked Yahoo for cooperation in tracking her down. Representative Chris Smith, who called the hearing and drew the Anne Frank analogy, has introduced a bill to regulate Internet companies abroad.


Summary: It looks like, which is based on Yahoo's behavior in China, that it might have complied. But when members of Congress attack the executives of Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and Cisco Systems at a hearing about their China operations, there were three important people who couldn't attend. And those three people were -  Shi Tao, Li Zhi and Jiang Lijun, three Chinese cyberdissidents whom Yahoo helped send to prison for terms of 10 years, 8 years and 4 years, respectively.

Summary: Members of Congress pilloried executives of Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and Cisco Systems at a hearing about their China operations. They were Shi Tao, Li Zhi and Jiang Lijun, three Chinese cyberdissidents whom Yahoo helped send to prison for terms of 10 years, 8 years and 4 years, respectively. But Chinese court documents in each case say that Yahoo handed over information that was used to help convict them. Yahoo has acted disgracefully, but the bigger picture is that the Internet is taking pluralism to China and profound change may come sooner rather than later, for unrest is stirring across the country.


Summary: Members of Congress pilloried executives of Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, and Cisco Systems at a hearing about their China operations. Google has offered a censored version of its Chinese search engine, which will turn out the kind of results that the Communist Party would like and thus will not be slowed down by filters and other impediments that now make it unattractive to Chinese users. But Google also kept its unexpurgated and thus frustratingly slow Chinese-language search engine available, so in effect, its decision gave Chinese Web users more choices rather than fewer.

Summary: When members of Congress attacked executives of Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and Cisco Systems at a hearing about their China operations, there were three important people who couldn't attend. But it's a mistake to think of all the American companies as Google appears to have done nothing wrong at all. Google strikes Rebecca as innocent of wrongdoing. Google has offered a censored version of its Chinese search engine, which will turn out the kind of results that the Communist Party would like (and thus will not be slowed down by filters and other impediments that now make it unattractive to Chinese users).


Summary: Representative Chris Smith, who called the hearing and drew the Anne Frank analogy, has introduced a bill to regulate Internet companies abroad, but that is probably an overaction.

Summary: Representative Chris Smith, who called the hearing and drew the Anne Frank analogy, has introduced a bill to regulate Internet companies abroad, but that's an overreaction.


Summary: When members of Congress attack executives of Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and Cisco Systems at a hearing about their China operations, there were three important people who couldn't attend. Cisco also enthusiastically peddles its equipment to the Chinese police. Cisco in China is a bit sleazy but nothing like Yahoo.

Summary: But when members of Congress pilloried executives of Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, and Cisco Systems at a hearing about their China operations on Wednesday, there were three important people who couldn't attend. Cisco also enthusiastically peddles its equipment to the Chinese police. In short, Cisco in China is a bit sleazy but nothing like Yahoo.


Summary: Maria C. Tagliaferro, a company spokeswoman, said that Analog Devices had made the disclosure because they wanted to be completely transparent to their shareholders. She said that the interest rate paid by the company is based on the cost that Analog Devices pays to borrow money. Tagliaferro defended Mr. Fishman's deferred compensation, by saying that it reflected the climb in Analog Devices' stock price during the 11 years, starting in 1995, that his millions multiplied.

Summary: Maria C. Tagliaferro, a company spokeswoman, said that Analog Devices had made the disclosure because it wanted to be completely transparent to its shareholders. Tagliaferro said the interest rate paid by the company is based on the cost that Analog Devices pays to borrow money. Tagliaferro defended Mr. Fishman's deferred compensation, saying that it reflected the climb in Analog Devices' stock price during the 11 years, starting in 1995, that his millions multiplied.


Summary: Jerald G. Fishman, the chief executive, had backed up his truck to corporate headquarters late last year and loaded up the $144.7 million that he was owed in deferred compensation, those who bothered to read the company's proxy, filed on Feb. 2, saw in glorious black and white. In keeping with a practice that is widespread in corporate America and that the Securities and Exchange Commission hopes to change soon is the company had previously not disclosed the amount of Mr. Fishman's deferred-compensation balance as it grew each year. Under the proposed deal, Mr. Fishman agreed to pay $1 million and make an unspecified disgorgement payment.

Summary: Jerald G. Fishman, the chief executive, had backed up his truck to corporate headquarters late last year and loaded up the $144.7 million that he was owed in deferred compensation. Under the proposed deal, Mr. Fishman would pay $1 million and make an unspecified disgorgement payment. In calculating Mr. Fishman's total pay, Analog Devices' compensation committee said it took into account his strong leadership in guiding A.D.I. through the downturn in the semiconductor industry, his position as a leading executive in the semiconductor industry, and A.D.I.'s performance over the past fiscal year relative to its peer companies. As for linking pay to performance, the committee said Mr. Fishman's bonus was calculated based on the company's operating profit before tax as a percentage of its revenue.


Summary: Analog Devices, a semiconductor maker in Norwood, Mass. The revelation that struck Analog Devices' shareholders is to learn how much of their money is being siphoned off by their company's leaders. Analog Devices is also in the midst of settling a matter that was initiated in late 2004 by the S.E.C. related to its compensation practices specifically, to the timing of the company's stock option grants to its employees, officers, and directors. Analog Devices has lost 6.55 percent, annualized, versus a decline of 3.38 percent for the index. In calculating Mr. Jerald G. Fishman, the chief executive's total pay, Analog Devices' compensation committee said it took into account his strong leadership in guiding A.D.I. through the downturn in the semiconductor industry, his position as a leading executive in the semiconductor industry and A.D.I.'s performance over the past fiscal year relative to its peer companies.

Summary: Consider the owners of Analog Devices, a semiconductor maker in Norwood, Mass. The revelation that struck Analog Devices' holders is known in executive payland as a holy-cow moment, that electrifying instant when shareholders learn how much of their money is being siphoned off by their company's leaders. Give Analog Devices a gold star for disclosing the deferred compensation earned by its executives and directors before regulators required it.


Summary: Consider the owners of Analog Devices, a semiconductor maker. Those who bothered to read the company's proxy, filed on Feb. 2, saw in glorious black and white that Jerald G. Fishman, the chief executive of the company, had backed up his truck to corporate headquarters late last year and loaded up the $144.7 million that he was owed in deferred compensation. The revelation that struck Analog Devices' holders is known in executive pay land as a holy-cow moment, that electrifying instant when shareholders learn how much of their money is being siphoned off by their company's leaders.

Summary: Analog Devices, a semiconductor maker in Norwood, Mass. The revelation that struck Analog Devices' shareholders is to learn how much of their money is being siphoned off by their company's leaders. Analog Devices is also in the midst of settling a matter that was initiated by the S.E.C. related to its compensation practices specifically, to the timing of the company's stock option grants to its employees, officers, and directors. Analog Devices' proxy statement, the $144.7 million included gains on stock options he had exercised between 1997 and 2003. The proxy stated that the interest rate paid to Analog Devices' executives in fiscal 2005 was 6.48 percent well above the average long-term rate of 4.64 percent that United States Treasury bonds paid last year. Analog Devices has lost 6.55 percent, annualized, versus a decline of 3.38 percent for the index.


Summary: The proxy stated that the interest rate paid to Analog Devices' executives in fiscal 2005 was 6.48 percent well above the average long-term rate of 4.64 percent that United States Treasury bonds paid last year.

Summary: The proxy stated that the interest rate paid to Analog Devices' executives in fiscal 2005 was 6.48 percent, well above the average long-term rate of 4.64 percent that United States Treasury bonds paid last year.


Summary: Jerald G. Fishman, the chief executive, was seen by those who bothered to read the company's proxy, filed on Feb. 2, was saw in glorious black and white, had backed up his truck to corporate headquarters late last year and loaded up the $144.7 million that he was owed in deferred compensation. In keeping with a practice that is widespread in corporate America and that the Securities and Exchange Commission hopes to change soon, the company had previously not disclosed the amount of Mr. Fishman's deferred-compensation balance as it constantly grew each year. Under the proposed deal, Mr. Fishman would agreed to pay $1 million and make an unspecified disgorgement payment.

Summary: Jerald G. Fishman, the chief executive, had backed up his truck to corporate headquarters late last year and loaded up the $144.7 million that he was owed in deferred compensation. Under the proposed deal, Mr. Fishman would pay $1 million and make an unspecified disgorgement payment. In calculating Mr. Fishman's total pay, Analog Devices' compensation committee said it took into account his strong leadership in guiding A.D.I. through the downturn in the semiconductor industry, his position as a leading executive in the semiconductor industry and A.D.I.'s performance over the past fiscal year relative to its peer companies. The committee said Mr. Fishman's bonus was calculated based on the company's operating profit before tax as a percentage of its revenue.


Summary: In 2000, many college endowments and public pension funds, including Calpers, did not participate in the initial public offering of PetroChina, a subsidiary of the China National Petroleum Company, because of PetroChina's involvement in oil extraction from Sudan.


Summary: David J. Edmondson, the embattled chief executive of RadioShack, offered two apologies to investors yesterday, one for the performance of the company and the other for having lied about his educational background. Mr. Edmondson said that RadioShack failed to achieve its financial objectives in 2005. The company's board initially supported Mr. Edmondson after the newspaper published its report on Tuesday, quoting the college's registrar as saying Mr. Edmondson had attended the school but had not graduated. Since Mr. Edmondson became president of the retailer in 2000, the shares are down 62 percent.

Summary: David J. Edmondson, the embattled chief executive of RadioShack, offered two apologies to investors, one for the performance of the company and the other one is for having lied about his educational background. He said in announcing that earnings were well below Wall Street expectations, said that RadioShack failed to achieve its financial objectives in 2005. But they must move at a much faster pace with a greater sense of urgency. He said the turnaround plan would cost as much as $100 million.


Summary: Gary Balter, an analyst for Credit Suisse said that the results point to a company in a virtual state of collapse. But he did not change his neutral view on the stock.

Summary: Gary Balter, an analyst for Credit Suisse, said that the results are point to a company in a virtual state of collapse. But he did not change his neutral view on the stock.


Summary: Mr. Edmondson said that RadioShack had failed to achieve its financial objectives in 2005 and also added that earnings were well below Wall Street expectations. RadioShack shares fell $1.67, to $19.08, hitting a three-year low of $18.80. The company said it had suspended its share repurchase program, which was greatly increased in 2005, when it spent $625.8 million on repurchases at an average price of about $25 a share, up from $251.1 million at a price of more than $36 a share the year before. The company said part of the shortfall in profit came from a write-down of $62 million in its inventory as part of the revamping plan.

Summary: RadioShack's stock fell to a three-year low. RadioShack shares fell $1.67, to $19.08, hitting a three-year low of $18.80. RadioShack, which failed to meet even its own reduced expectations, said it would no longer offer profit forecasts. The company said it had suspended its share repurchase program, which was greatly increased in 2005, when it spent $625.8 million on repurchases at an average price of about $25 a share, up from $251.1 million at a price of more than $36 a share the year before.


Summary: Delphi's biggest union, the United Automobile Workers, has threatened to strike the parts company if Delphi seeks to terminate its contracts. The U.A.W. said that there were 'many significant issues' to be resolved in the negotiations involving Delphi, G.M. and the union. U.A.W. members earn as much as $67 an hour in wages and benefits, the same as their counterparts at G.M. The U.A.W. reacted angrily to Mr. Miller's initial proposal, which Delphi subsequently withdrew, and workers threatened to strike the company if it asked a judge for the ability to void its labor agreements.

Summary: Delphi's biggest union, the United Automobile Workers, has threatened to strike the parts company if Delphi seeks to terminate its contracts. In its statement, the U.A.W. said that there were many significant issues to be resolved in the negotiations involving Delphi, G.M., and the union. U.A.W. members earn as much as $67 an hour in wages and benefits, the same as their counterparts at G.M.


Summary: Robert S. Miller, Delphi's chief executive, said that this deadline should provide them sufficient time to deal with the complexities inherent in fashioning practical and workable solutions, and an effective agreement that worked for all of them. Mr. Miller, who joined Delphi in July after leading restructurings at a number of other companies, said Delphi could not survive without sharply lower wage and benefit rates. Initially, Mr. Miller said members of the U.A.W. should earn as little as $9.50 an hour, compared with the $27 an hour paid at U.A.W. represented plants.

Summary: Delphi's chief executive, Robert S. Miller, said, this deadline should provide them sufficient time to deal with the complexities inherent in fashioning practical and workable solutions, and an effective agreement that works for all of them. Mr. Miller, who joined Delphi in July after leading restructurings at a number of other companies, said Delphi could not survive without sharply lower wage and benefit rates. Mr. Miller said members of the U.A.W. should earn as little as $9.50 an hour, compared with the $27 an hour paid at U.A.W. represented plants.


Summary: The Delphi Corporation operating in bankruptcy said that it would keep talking with its unions and General Motors in a bid to reach a deal on lower wage and benefit rates. Delphi, which was part of G.M. until 1999, filed for Chapter 11 protection in October. G.M. lost $8.6 billion in 2005, and it announced a plan in November to close all of or part of 12 plants, and cut 30,000 jobs. G.M. estimated that Delphi's bankruptcy could cost it up to $12 billion.

Summary: The Delphi Corporation, which is operating in bankruptcy, said that it would keep talking with its unions and General Motors in a bid to reach a deal on lower wage and benefit rates. A strike at Delphi, which is G.M.'s biggest supplier, would probably cripple G.M. within days and would come at a time when G.M. is struggling. G.M. lost $8.6 billion in 2005, and it announced a plan in November to close all of or part of 12 plants, and cut 30,000 jobs. G.M. has estimated that Delphi's bankruptcy could cost it up to $12 billion.


Summary: The Delphi Corporation operating in bankruptcy said that it would keep talking with its unions and General Motors in a bid to reach a deal on lower wage and benefit rates. Delphi has twice delayed asking a bankruptcy court for the ability to void its contracts to continue negotiations. G.M. estimated that Delphi's bankruptcy could cost it up to $12 billion. The union's president, Ron Gettelfinger, is seeking re-election, and has vowed repeatedly to fight for Delphi workers' rights.

Summary: The Delphi Corporation, which is operating in bankruptcy, said that it would keep talking with its unions and General Motors in a bid to reach a deal on lower wage and benefit rates. If there is no deal, Delphi said, it will ask a judge for permission to reject its labor contracts with its six unions, and also ask to terminate its employee pension plans. Delphi has twice delayed asking a bankruptcy court for the ability to void its contracts, in order to continue negotiations. Delphi's biggest union, the United Automobile Workers, has threatened to strike the parts company if Delphi seeks to terminate its contracts. Delphi, which was part of G.M. until 1999, filed for Chapter 11 protection in October.


Summary: Delphi, which was part of G.M. until 1999, filed for Chapter 11 protection in October. A strike at Delphi, which is G.M.'s biggest supplier, would probably cripple G.M. within days, would come at a time when G.M. is struggling. G.M. has estimated that Delphi's bankruptcy could cost it up to $12 billion.

Summary: The Delphi Corporation, which is operating in bankruptcy, said Friday that it would keep talking with its unions and General Motors in a bid to reach a deal on lower wage and benefit rates. Delphi, which was part of G.M. until 1999, filed for Chapter 11 protection in October. G.M. lost $8.6 billion in 2005, and it announced a plan in November to close all of or part of 12 plants, and cut 30,000 jobs. G.M. has estimated that Delphi's bankruptcy could cost it up to $12 billion.


Summary: United States Treasury says that Treasury securities held by the public that is, by everyone except the Federal Reserve System and other arms of the government rose by $306.4 billion. In 2004, they bought $357.8 billion of Treasuries, 98 percent of the growth in outstanding Treasury securities. The government said they added just $61.2 billion in long-term Treasury securities to their portfolios, well below the $201.1 billion they invested in 2004.

Summary: The United States Treasury says that Treasury securities held by the public -- that is, by everyone except the Federal Reserve System and other arms of the government -- rose by $306.4 billion. They bought $357.8 billion of Treasuries in 2004, 98 percent of the growth in outstanding Treasury securities. The government said they added just $61.2 billion in long-term Treasury securities to their portfolios, well below the $201.1 billion they invested in 2004.


Summary: In 2004, they bought $357.8 billion of Treasuries, 98 percent of the growth in outstanding Treasury securities. But the figures show that in 2005 central banks played only a minor role in buying Treasuries.

Summary: They bought $357.8 billion of Treasuries in 2004, 98 percent of the growth in outstanding Treasury securities. But the figures show that central banks played only a minor role in buying Treasuries in 2005.


Summary: The normally staid industry of plasterboard manufacturing was thrown into turmoil when Compagnie de Saint-Gobain of France bid $6.7 billion for BPB of Britain. After BPB mounted a defense that included reporting what it called ''stunning'' first-half results, Saint-Gobain management accused the company of ''exaggerating its prospects,'' and insinuated that the company would miss its growth goals. BPB ultimately fell to Saint-Gobain for £3.89 billion ($6.8 billion), even though management wanted more, in part because hedge funds that wanted to see the deal go through had amassed as much as a quarter of BPB's stock.

Summary: BPB mounted a defense that reported stunning first-half results, Soon after Saint-Gobain management accused the company of exaggerating its prospects and insinuated that the company would miss its growth goals. The Plasterboard manufacturing was thrown into turmoil when BPB ultimately fell to Saint-Gobain for £3.89 billion ($6.8 billion).


Summary: Paul Gibbs, head of European merger research at J. P. Morgan, said that shareholders were saying, they wanted more. Mr. Gibbs also said that there were companies that hadn't changed and we were XYZ Corporation, we knew what we were doing, we were giving them dividends, so what more they wanted. Those types of companies trade at a discount, Mr. Gibbs said, because they have not become more efficient or improved their corporate governance.

Summary: Paul Gibbs, head of European merger research at J.P. Morgan, said that Shareholders are saying, 'We want more,' ''There are companies that haven't changed, Mr. Gibbs said that the companies whose attitude toward investors is they are XYZ Corporation, they know what they are doing, they are giving you dividends, so what more do you want to do. Those types of companies trade at a discount, he said, because they have not become more efficient or improved their corporate governance.


Summary: Eric Cafritz, was a partner with the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in Paris, and he said that there is just a lot of inefficiency in the European economy. He added that the E.U. and the euro have created opportunities for consolidation that companies in Europe never dreamed of. He further said that if Mittal wins, that will unleash a wave of hostile deals.

Summary: Eric Cafritz, a partner with the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, said that there is just a lot of inefficiency in the European economy. He also added that The E.U. and the euro have created opportunities for consolidation that companies in Europe never dreamed of.


Skilling
Mr. Skilling
Jeffrey K. Skilling

Summary: Kenneth D. Rice, who headed Enron's broadband unit, testified Thursday that former chief executive Jeffrey K. Skilling directed him to paint a positive outlook for the company's board, even as Mr. Skilling knew the broadband division was struggling to survive. Mr. Skilling faces 31 counts of fraud, conspiracy and insider trading, while Mr. Lay faces seven counts of fraud and conspiracy related to the months after he replaced Mr. Skilling as chief executive. Both men sold millions of dollars in stock before the company crumbled, but only Mr. Skilling is charged with improper stock sales.

Summary: Kenneth D. Rice, who headed Enron's broadband unit, testified Thursday that former chief executive Jeffrey K. Skilling directed him to paint a positive outlook for the company's board, even as Mr. Skilling knew the broadband division was struggling to survive. But Mr. Rice, testifying for a third day in the trial of Mr. Skilling and Enron's founder, Kenneth L. Lay, acknowledged under cross-examination that he had no documents or witnesses to support his claim that Mr. Skilling told him to change his presentation. And Mr. Rice later conceded that a document he believes was the less-optimistic draft presentation that Mr. Skilling rejected might have been compiled for another purpose.


Summary: Mark Holscher, a lawyer for Mr. Skilling, asked if he was as certain about preparing that presentation before the May 1 board meeting as the rest of your testimony. The alleged meeting took on a mysterious tone Thursday afternoon when prosecutor Sean M. Berkowitz, the director of the government's Enron Task Force, produced the document for the defense team. Mr. Holscher then asked Mr. Rice why the draft presentation was dated May 9 -- eight days after the board meeting.

Summary: Mark Holscher, a lawyer for Mr. Skilling, asked that whether he is about to prepare that presentation before the May 1 board meeting as the rest of his testimony. The alleged meeting took on a mysterious tone when prosecutor Sean M. Berkowitz, the director of the government's Enron Task Force, produced the document for the defense team, but later, when asked by Judge Simeon T. Lake III if the document was in the government's computer system, he said, he don't know that. Mr. Holscher then asked Mr. Rice why the draft presentation was dated May 9 which is eight days after the board meeting.


Summary: Kenneth D. Rice, who headed Enron's broadband unit, testified Thursday that former chief executive Jeffrey K. Skilling directed him to paint a positive outlook for the company's board. But Mr. Rice, testifying for a third day in the trial of Mr. Skilling and Enron's founder, Kenneth L. Lay, acknowledged under cross-examination that he had no documents or witnesses to support his claim that Mr. Skilling told him to change his presentation. And Mr. Rice later conceded that a document he believes was the less-optimistic draft presentation that Mr. Skilling rejected might have been compiled for another purpose.

Summary: Kenneth D. Rice, who headed Enron's broadband unit, testified that former chief executive Jeffrey K. Skilling directed him to paint a positive outlook for the company's board, even Mr. Skilling knew that the broadband division was struggling to survive. But Mr. Rice, testifying for a third time for Mr. Skilling and Enron's founder, Kenneth L. Lay, acknowledged under cross-examination that there is no documents or witnesses to support his claim, and for that he told him to change his presentation, and was only relying on his memory. And Mr. Rice later conceded that a document he believes was less-optimistic draft presentation that Mr. Skilling rejected might have been compiled for another purpose.


Summary: A House Republican began a broad investigation on an Interior Department program that is expected to give billions of dollars in benefits over the next five years to companies that pump oil and gas on federal territory. That article, drawing on the Interior Department's budget plan for next year, reported that the administration expected to give more than $7 billion worth of ''royalty relief'' to companies producing oil and gas on federal leases in the Gulf of Mexico. In his letter to the Interior Department, Mr. Pombo said the government had not been consistent in carrying out the 10-year-old law, called the Deep Water Royalty Relief Act, and had become embroiled in litigation.

Summary: A House Republican began a broad investigation on Wednesday of an Interior Department program that is expected to give billions of dollars in benefits over the next five years to companies that pump oil and gas on federal territory. That article, putting forth the Interior Department's budget plan for next year, reported that the administration expected to give more than $7 billion worth of royalty relief to companies producing oil and gas on federal leases in the Gulf of Mexico. The program allows the Interior Department, which leases tens of millions of acres of publicly owned land and coastal waters, to let companies pump large volumes of oil and gas in deep waters without paying the government a royalty on their sales.


Summary: In a letter to Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton, Representative Richard W. Pombo, the chairman of the House Resources Committee, demanded memos, correspondence and data on the program and on the negotiations over the law that created it in 1996. Mr. Pombo, a California Republican, said he was beginning the investigation in response to an article published on Tuesday in The New York Times. In his letter to the Interior Department, Mr. Pombo said the government had not been consistent in carrying out the 10-year-old law, called the Deep Water Royalty Relief Act, and had become embroiled in litigation.

Summary: Representative Richard W. Pombo, the chairman of the House Resources Committee, in a letter to Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton, demanded memos, correspondence and data on the program and on the negotiations over the law that created it in 1996. Mr. Pombo, a California Republican, said he was beginning the investigation in response to an article published on Tuesday in The New York Times. He made it clear that a primary purpose of his investigation was to attribute much of the problem to decisions by the Clinton administration to sweeten the incentives in 1998 and 1999.


Summary: Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, have begun their own assault on the Interior Department's management of the program.

Summary: At issue is a program that Congress began in 1996, when both Democrats and Republicans wanted to encourage more exploration and production in deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Oil and gas executives plan to argue that Congress wanted royalty relief to be automatic, regardless of how high prices might climb, for all leases awarded between 1996 and 2000. Congressional Democrats, have begun their own assault on the Interior Department's management of the program.


Summary: It's simply that while Trane climbs a building to paint his name, Chibi-Robo climbs a bookshelf to clean crayon marks. Apparently tidiness makes people happy, so Chibi-Robo spends a lot of time picking up cookie crumbs and empty boxes and scrubbing muddy footprints away with a toothbrush.. To clean the house, Chibi-Robo climbs up power cords, uses books as staircases and glides across gaps between shelves using a rotor blade that pops out of his head. CHIBI-ROBO is developed by Skip Ltd. and published by Nintendo for GameCube at $50.

Summary: Chibi-Robo, a cute, finger-size robot whose goal is to be the world's best personal robot by making people happy, promptly begins work on making his household a happy one. Apparently what makes people happy is tidiness, so Chibi-Robo spends a lot of time picking up cookie crumbs and empty boxes and scrubbing muddy footprints away with a toothbrush, all to please his remarkably sloppy owners. To clean the house, Chibi-Robo climbs up power cords, uses books as staircases and glides across gaps between shelves using a rotor blade that pops out of his head.


Summary: SOME controversy has been stirred up by the action-adventure game Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, with anti-graffiti organizations warning that the game could encourage graffiti vandalism. The game's script, by the fashion designer Marc Ecko, who has incorporated graffiti into his designs, paints a picture as two-dimensional as Trane's murals.


Summary: Getting Up follows the campaign of a graffiti artist named Trane to become the most respected graffitist in the city of New Radius. Trane's goal is to blanket the city with his urban art. Trane will climb drainpipes, jump chasms, or shimmy along ledges to reach his urban canvas. Trane also has to battle competing graffitists and security guards, using his fists or found weapons like boards and crowbars. Trane shows an egotistical disregard for others as he paints murals on highway exit signs and kicks out the neon letters of a city sign to spell out his name.

Summary: Beginning by scribbling his name on the walls of grimy apartment buildings, Trane, the most respected graffitist in the city of New Radius, slowly learns to create huge, colorful murals, instructed by famous real-life graffitists like Futura and Shepard Fairey, who give voice to their virtual selves in the game. When the mayor of New Radius declares war on graffiti, the game portrays this as a nefarious stifling of free speech, but it's unconvincing outrage; Trane is just scrawling his name all over the city, after all. Trane shows an egotistical disregard for others as he paints murals on highway exit signs and kicks out the neon letters of a city sign to spell out his name, but the game seems to consider this admirable behavior.


Summary: Chibi-Robo is about a cute, finger-size robot whose goal is to be the world's best personal robot by making people happy. Apparently what makes people happy is tidiness, so Chibi-Robo spends a lot of time picking up cookie crumbs and empty boxes and scrubbing muddy footprints away with a toothbrush, all to please his remarkably sloppy owners. To clean the house, Chibi-Robo climbs up power cords, uses books as staircases, and glides across gaps between shelves using a rotor blade that pops out of his head. Chibi-Robo has a limited amount of energy and every few minutes must run to a wall socket to recharge, and he is often forced to return to his home base to rest. CHIBI-ROBO  Developed by Skip Ltd. and published by Nintendo for GameCube; for all ages at $50.

Summary: Getting Up would seem at first glance to have nothing in common with Skip Ltd.'s adventure game Chibi-Robo. It's simply that while Trane climbs a building to paint his name, Chibi-Robo climbs a bookshelf to clean crayon marks. Apparently what makes people happy is tidiness, so Chibi-Robo spends a lot of time picking up cookie crumbs and empty boxes and scrubbing muddy footprints away with a toothbrush, all to please his remarkably sloppy owners. Chibi-Robo has a limited amount of energy and every few minutes must run to a wall socket to recharge, and he is often forced to return to his home base to rest.


Summary: Robert Potamkin, co-chairman of the group with his brother Alan Potamkin, said in a telephone interview yesterday that the organization started considering Harlem about five years ago. Mr. Potamkin estimates the total cost of the mall, for buildings and land but not cars, is $50 million to $60 million. At $30,000 a car, what Mr. Potamkin calls inventory adds tens of millions of dollars to the final price tag, he said.

Summary: Robert Potamkin, co-chairman of the group with his brother Alan Potamkin, said in a telephone interview yesterday that the organization started considering Harlem about five years ago. When he inspected the site, he asked marketing officials the name of the smaller bridge next to the Triborough Bridge. They told him it was the Willis Avenue Bridge, which carried 15,000 cars a day, and was not included in the total traffic estimated because it was so small it was considered rounding error. Mr. Potamkin said that most car dealerships don't have 15,000 cars driving by.


Summary: The secretary, Melinda Harmon, now Mrs. Raisch, told the police at the time of the killing in 1982 that her husband had been beaten to death by two black men who broke into their home. In an interview with investigators, Mrs. Raisch changed her story. She implicated Mr. Mangelsdorf and acknowledged having a nonsexual but ''emotionally inappropriate'' relationship with him at MidAmerica Nazarene University. Mrs. Raisch was convicted of first-degree murder last May.

Summary: The former Mrs. Harmon, now Mrs. Raisch, told the police at the time of the killing in 1982 that her husband had been beaten to death by two black men who broke into their home. But when the police dusted off the case file in 2001 and visited Mrs. Raisch in Ohio. Mrs. Raisch was convicted of first-degree murder last May. Shortly before her trial, Mr. Mangelsdorf was also charged with murder and spent a week in jail before being released on a $300,000 bond.


Summary: Moving to Ohio, Melinda Harmon married a dentist, had two children and became active in her church and her children's school. Mrs. Harmon told the police at the time of the killing in 1982 that her husband had been beaten to death by two black men who broke into their home. Mr. Mangelsdorf admitted to participating in the murder of Mr. Harmon, a friend.

Summary: The secretary, Melinda Harmon, moved to Ohio, married a dentist, had two children and became active in her church and her children's school. The former Mrs. Harmon, now Mrs. Raisch, told the police at the time of the killing in 1982 that her husband had been beaten to death by two black men who broke into their home. But in the court hearing, Mr. Mangelsdorf admitted to participating in the murder of Mr. Harmon, a friend.


Summary: The evidence proved elusive, though, and the student, Mark Mangelsdorf, the president of the student body at the time, went on to get an M.B.A. from Harvard and assume top posts at several major corporations. But after years of denials, Mr. Mangelsdorf, 45, of Pelham, N.Y., pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a Kansas court on Monday in the bludgeoning of David Harmon. He faces a sentence of 10 to 20 years, though prosecutors said he could be eligible for parole in about 5 years. Besides adamantly denying an involvement in the killing, he said that he would never accept a plea deal.

Summary: For two decades, the police in Olathe, Kan., were convinced that a male student at the local Bible college had conspired with the secretary to the dean of students to kill her husband. The evidence proved elusive and the student, Mark Mangelsdorf, the president of the student body at the time, went on to get an M.B.A. from Harvard and assume top posts at several major corporations. But after years of denials, Mr. Mangelsdorf, 45, of Pelham, N.Y., pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a Kansas court on Monday in the bludgeoning of David Harmon. He faces a sentence of 10 to 20 years, though prosecutors said he could be eligible for parole in about 5 years.


Summary: The Energy Department no longer has an estimate of when it can open the nuclear waste repository that it wants to build at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Last week the deputy energy secretary, Clay Sell, hinted for the first time that the money that the Energy Department had been collecting from the nuclear utilities since the 1980's might not be enough to pay for the project; the last published cost estimate was $60 billion, in 2001. The department is facing lawsuits from utilities that want to recover extra costs created by the delay.

Summary: The Energy Department no longer has an estimate of when it can open the nuclear waste repository that it wants to build at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and it may never have an accurate prediction of the cost, the secretary, Samuel W. Bodman said that. But it is a first-of-a-kind project, making cost estimates difficult, he said, and the best that the department may be able to do is publish an estimate with a very wide range of error. The department is facing lawsuits from utilities that want to recover extra costs created by the delay.


Summary: Samuel W. Bodman, was the secretary, said at a nuclear power industry conference that his department was redoing research and preparing design for Yucca, which was supposed to start accepting civilian power-plant waste in 1998. But it is a first-of-a-kind project, making cost estimates difficult, he said, and the best that the department may be able to do is publish an estimate with a very wide range of error. He spoke on Monday to hundreds of nuclear industry executives at a conference organized by Platts, an energy information division of McGraw-Hill.

Summary: The secretary, Samuel W. Bodman, said at a nuclear power industry conference that his department was redoing research and design for Yucca, which was supposed to start accepting civilian power-plant waste in 1998. Mr. Bodman spoke to hundreds of nuclear industry executives at a conference organized by Platts. Mr. Bodman had come to talk mostly about the Bush administration's new Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, a plan that includes reprocessing nuclear wastes to reduce their volume and toxicity.


Summary: Mr. Samuel W. Bodman had come to talk mostly about the Bush administration's new plan named Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, a plan that includes reprocessing nuclear wastes to reduce their volume and toxicity.

Summary: Mr. Bodman had come to talk mostly about the Bush administration's new Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, a plan that includes reprocessing nuclear wastes to reduce their volume and toxicity.


Summary: The Energy Department no longer has an estimate of when it can open the nuclear waste repository that it wants to build at Yucca Mountain, and it may never have an accurate prediction of the cost, the energy secretary said it in the conference. Samuel W. Bodman, the secretary, said at a nuclear power industry conference that his department was redoing research and design for Yucca, which was supposed to start accepting civilian power-plant waste in 1998. Some in the industry said, though, that the partnership introduced a new complication for Yucca.

Summary: The energy secretary said on Monday that the Energy Department no longer has an estimate of when it can open the nuclear waste repository that it wants to build at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and it may never have an accurate prediction of the cost. The secretary, Samuel W. Bodman, said at a nuclear power industry conference that his department was redoing research and design for Yucca, which was supposed to start accepting civilian power-plant waste in 1998.


Summary: The Energy Department no longer has an estimate of when it can open the nuclear waste repository that it wants to build at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and it may never have an accurate prediction of the cost, the energy secretary. The deputy energy secretary, Clay Sell, hinted for the first time that the money that the Energy Department had been collecting from the nuclear utilities since the 1980s might not be enough to pay for the project, the last published cost estimate was $60 billion, in 2001. The department is facing lawsuits from utilities that want to recover extra costs created by the delay. Another complication is that the department recently told utilities that they should ship fuel to Yucca in containers that could go directly into the mountain for burial.

Summary: The energy secretary said on Monday that the Energy Department no longer has an estimate of when it can open the nuclear waste repository that it wants to build at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and it may never have an accurate prediction of the cost. Last week the deputy energy secretary, Clay Sell, hinted for the first time that the money that the Energy Department had been collecting from the nuclear utilities since the 1980's might not be enough to pay for the project; the last published cost estimate was $60 billion, in 2001.


Summary: Ross W. Brickley, a pharmacist in Kinston, N.C., said he had requested prior authorizations for hundreds of drugs taken by Medicare patients in more than 20 plans, each with its own policies, forms, and procedures.

Summary: Ross W. Brickley, a pharmacist in Kinston, N.C., said that he had requested prior authorizations for hundreds of drugs taken by Medicare patients in more than 20 plans, each with its own policies, forms and procedures.


Summary: David W. Bernauer, chairman of Walgreen,  one of the biggest drugstore chains, echoed the concern that it is impossible for pharmacists to keep track of all these formularies and prior authorizations.

Summary: David W. Bernauer, chairman of Walgreen, one of the biggest drugstore chains, echoed that concern saying that it is impossible for pharmacists to keep track of all these formularies and prior authorizations.


Summary: Dr. Steven A. Levenson of Towson, Md., the president-elect of the American Medical Directors Association, which represents doctors who care for nursing home residents, said, they had seen signs that Medicare drug plans are using management controls to deter access to medically appropriate drugs, including drugs on their own formularies.

Summary: Dr. Steven A. Levenson of Towson, Md., president-elect of the American Medical Directors Association, which represents doctors who care for nursing home residents, said that they have seen signs that Medicare drug plans are using management controls to deter access to medically appropriate drugs, including drugs on their own formularies.


Summary: President Bush said the government should use its leverage to promote greater standardization of policies and procedures. In his radio address, President Bush described the drug benefit as ''a good deal for seniors.'' Those who enroll will end up spending about half of what they used to spend on prescription drugs each year.

Summary: In his radio address on Saturday, President Bush described the drug benefit as "a good deal for seniors." He said that those who enroll will end up spending about half of what they used to spend on prescription drugs each year and that some people had trouble the first time they went to the pharmacy after enrolling.


Summary: Francis S. Soistman Jr., executive vice president of Coventry Health Care, said when asked about the forms on his company's Web site said that  at the top of each form is a logo that says, ''AdvantraRx: Medicare prescription drug plans made easy.'' After checking with Coventry pharmacists, Mr. Soistman said the forms were justified. He said the forms serve as a checklist of the necessary information needed for their review. Mr. Soistman said prior authorization limits the use of drugs with a potential for abuse like OxyContin and drugs with safety problems like Accutane, an acne treatment that can cause birth defects. In addition, he said, prior authorization is a way to prevent the overuse of high-cost medications and to ensure that they are equally effective, less expensive agents are used first.

Summary: At the top of each form is a logo that says, "AdvantraRx: Medicare prescription drug plans made easy." After checking with Coventry pharmacists, Francis S. Soistman Jr., executive vice president of Coventry Health Care, said the forms were justified because each drug requiring prior authorization has unique clinical criteria that must be met. The forms serve as a checklist of necessary information needed for their review. More generally, Mr. Soistman said, prior authorization limits the use of drugs with a potential for abuse like OxyContin and drugs with safety problems like Accutane, an acne treatment that can cause birth defects.


Summary: Dr. Daniel C. Lyons, senior vice president of Independence Blue Cross, said his company used only one standard prior authorization form for its Medicare drug plans, sold in 13 states under the name AmeriHealth. He later confirmed that the company also had 17 forms for high-cost injectable drugs to treat complex conditions like cancer, hemophilia, H.I.V. infection, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Summary: Dr. Daniel C. Lyons, who is the senior vice president of Independence Blue Cross, said that his company used ''one standard prior authorization form'' for its Medicare drug plans, sold in 13 states under the name AmeriHealth. Later he confirmed that the company also had 17 forms for high-cost injectable drugs to treat complex conditions like cancer, hemophilia, H.I.V. infection and rheumatoid arthritis. In an interview, he said it would be desirable to simplify and standardize the prior authorization process.


Summary: Many analysts predicted that the collapse of the discount carrier Independence Air last month would lead to higher airfares at Dulles International Airport near Washington. The airport had some of the highest average fares in the nation before Independence Air began operating there in 2004, forcing competitors to lower ticket prices. When Independence Air folded, he found, the round-trip fare for same-day flights between Dulles and Buffalo on United Airlines was $158. Dulles to Pittsburgh went to $900, from $78, on United and to $900, from $228, on US Airways.

Summary: Many analysts predicted that the collapse of the discount carrier Independence Air last month would lead to higher airfares at Dulles International Airport near Washington. The airport had some of the highest average fares in the nation before Independence Air began operating there in 2004, forcing competitors to lower ticket prices. Dulles to Pittsburgh went to $900, from $78, on United and to $900, from $228, on US Airways.


Summary: Many analysts predicted that the collapse of the discount carrier Independence Air last month would lead to higher airfares at Dulles International Airport near Washington. The airport had some of the highest average fares in the nation before they began operating there in 2004, forcing competitors to lower ticket prices. Over all, fares have not gone up much since Independence Air closed, industry analysts say.

Summary: Many analysts predicted that the collapse of the discount carrier Independence Air last month would lead to higher airfares at Dulles International Airport near Washington. The airport had some of the highest average fares in the nation before Independence Air began operating there in 2004, forcing competitors to lower ticket prices. Industry analysts say that over all, fares have not gone up much since Independence Air closed on Jan. 5.


Summary: US Airways said that it had agreed with Embraer to change an existing order for 57 Embraer jets. They now says it will place 25 firm orders for the E-170's and take 32 additional options for E-190 jets, which seat about 100. Dulles to Pittsburgh went to $900, from $78, on United and to $900, from $228, on US Airways.

Summary: US Airways said it had agreed with Embraer to change an existing order for 57 Embraer jets. US Airways now says it will place 25 firm orders for the E-170's and take 32 additional options for E-190 jets, which seat about 100.


Summary: Ryoji Nagata was the strong suspect of Ms. Namai's daughter murder case, as Takao Kimei, the policeman who handled the investigation, said that a blood stain and fingerprints suggested so according to this reports. Mr. Nagata, who attended the same high school as the victim, lived a couple of blocks away from the Namai home.

Summary: Takao Kimei, the policeman who handled the investigation, said that a blood stain and fingerprints suggested strongly that the murderer of Ms. Namai's daughter was a certain Ryoji Nagata. Mr. Nagata, who attended the same high school as the victim, lived a couple of blocks away from the Namai home.


Summary: In the next morning, short newspaper articles reported dutifully that the 15-year statute of limitations had expired on the murder of Ms. Namai's 24-year-old daughter, whose name is Michie. The man who had buried the body of Michie, in the snow after stabbing her repeatedly in the neck in 1990 was now beyond the law's reach.

Summary: Namai's 24-year-old daughter, Michie. The man who had buried her body in the snow after stabbing her repeatedly in the neck in 1990 was now beyond the law's reach. The murderer of Namai's daughter was a certain Ryoji Nagata. Mr. Nagata, who attended the same high school as the victim, lived a couple of blocks away from the Namai home.


Summary: Ken Ishikawa, who is 54, in Otaru, a city an hour's drive west of Sapporo. Ken Ishikawa sitting in his living room in Otaru, surrounded by framed photos of his sister wearing the clothes and hairstyle of the 1970's, he said that the family believed she had been kidnapped, perhaps even taken to North Korea. It was only 26 years later, in 2004, that the family caem to learn the truth.

Summary: Ken Ishikawa, 54, whose older sister, Chikako, who had left Otaru to teach music at an elementary school in Tokyo, vanished in 1978. Sitting in his living room in Otaru, surrounded by framed photos of his sister wearing the clothes and hairstyle of the 1970's, Mr. Ishikawa said the family believed she had been kidnapped, perhaps even taken to North Korea. However the truth is that a school security guard, with a grudge against the teachers, choked his sister to death one afternoon and buried her nude body in a hole under his living room.


Summary: As the clock ticked toward the 15th anniversary of her daughter's murder last year, Sumiko Namai offered a $20,000 reward to find the killer. She appeared on television with a clairvoyant, the police posted the suspect's photo on a popular Web sites; and newspapers carried articles on the countdown. The next morning, short newspaper articles reported dutifully that the 15-year statute of limitations had expired on the murder of Ms. Namai's 24-year-old daughter, Michie.

Summary: Sumiko Namai offered a $20,000 reward to find the killer, in her daughter's murder of 15th anniversary. She appeared on television with a clairvoyant; the police posted the suspect's photo on a popular Web sites; and newspapers carried articles on the countdown. The next morning, short newspaper articles reported dutifully that the 15-year statute of limitations had expired on the murder of Ms. Namai's 24-year-old daughter, Michie.


Summary: Convinced that it could not become a modern nation without Western laws, Japan first adopted France's legal system, then switched to the German model because France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War. In the words of Morikazu Taguchi, a professor at Waseda University's law school in Tokyo, if it was said that advanced countries had it, it became an absolute must. In the decades after World War II, Germany and France eliminated the statute of limitations on crimes against humanity.

Summary: Convinced that it could not become a modern nation without Western laws, Japan first adopted France's legal system, then switched to the German model because France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War, said Morikazu Taguchi, a professor at Waseda University's law school in Tokyo. Mr. Taguchi said if it was said that advanced countries had it became an absolute must. In the decades after World War II, Germany and France eliminated the statute of limitations on crimes against humanity.


Summary: All this is a far cry from the Islamic humanism of Ibn al-Arabi, the Andalusian philosopher and mystic, or of Rumi, the Persian Sufi poet.


Summary: They draw on memories of colonization and of the Crusades, when Western invaders ridiculed the Prophet Muhammad as an imposter. The Wahhabis who dominate Saudi Arabia do not believe in honoring Islam's holy men and women or the Prophet Muhammad (they've proscribed the celebration of his birthday).

Summary: When Western invaders ridiculed the religious leader Prophet Muhammad, as an imposter, they draw on memories of colonization and of the Crusades. The Wahhabis who dominate Saudi Arabia do not believe in honoring Islam's holy men and women or the Prophet Muhammad. The Saudi authorities have razed and dug up virtually every site in Mecca and Medina linked to Muhammad, members of his family and his companions.


Summary: John Boehner of Ohio, a polished veteran of the big-money nexus who even pays his D.C. rent to a lobbyist-landlord. Mr. Boehner has been shockingly blasé about the need for Housecleaning. He's been signaling anxious colleagues that the whole issue should be directed toward the ultimate dead-letter office: the House ethics committee.

Summary: John Boehner is the new House majority leader, and from Ohio, the public has a right to expect reform but they experienced the only sign of change that Mr. John who is a, polished veteran of the big-money nexus who even pays his D.C. rent to a lobbyist-landlord. He has been shockingly uncaring about the need for Housecleaning. He's been signaling anxious colleagues that the whole issue should be directed toward the ultimate dead-letter office which is the House ethics committee.


Summary: The key members of the Senate have now caved, agreeing to renew these provisions in exchange for only minimal improvements. At a time when the public is growing increasingly concerned about the lawlessness of the Bush administration's domestic spying, the Senate should insist that any re-authorization agreement does more to protect Americans against improper secret searches.

Summary: Key members of Senate have now caved, agreeing to renew the provisions in exchange for only minimal improvements. When the public is growing increasingly concerned about the lawlessness of the Bush administration's domestic spying, the Senate should insist that any reauthorization agreement do more to protect Americans against improper secret searches.


Summary: Congress has shown backbone lately on the Patriot Act. Congress made some of its most far-reaching provisions temporary so it would be able to reconsider them later on, when the Patriot Act was passed after Sept. 11, 2001. Those provisions were set to expire last December, but Congress agreed to a very short extension so greater civil liberties protections could be added.

Summary: The Patriot Act has been one of the few issues on which Congress has shown backbone lately. When the Patriot Act was passed after Sept. 11, 2001, Congress made some of its most far-reaching provisions temporary so it would be able to reconsider them later on. Those provisions were set to expire last December, but Congress agreed to a very short extension so greater civil liberties protections could be added.


Summary: Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, said officials planned to continue their efforts at securing the United States-Mexico border. Mr. Chertoff said the department planned to focus on illegal immigrants from countries other than Mexico, who have typically been released after apprehension because of shortages of beds. Mr. Chertoff said that those were very sophisticated, hardened criminals who would use violence to protect their criminal businesses.

Summary: The homeland security secretary, Michael Chertoff, who led the news conference, said officials planned to continue their efforts at securing the United States-Mexico border. Mr. Chertoff said the department planned to focus on illegal immigrants from countries other than Mexico, who have typically been released after apprehension because of shortages of beds.


Summary: In recent months, scores of Border Patrol agents have been fired upon or pelted with large stones as well as with cloth-covered stones that have been doused with flammable liquid and set ablaze. The Border Patrol will receive an extra $459 million to hire 1,500 new agents, bringing the total force to about 14,000. An additional $410 million would be allocated to add 6,700 beds for detainees so fewer illegal immigrants would have to be released before being deported.

Summary: Mexican criminal syndicates are stepping up their attacks on American agents patrolling the border as officials of the Homeland Security Department intensify efforts to stem the flow of immigrants and drugs into the United States. In recent months, scores of Border Patrol agents have been fired upon or pelted with large stones as well as with cloth-covered stones that have been doused with flammable liquid and set ablaze. David V. Aguilar, the Border Patrol chief, played a videotape at a news conference on Thursday that featured a patrol car riddled with bullets and agents scrambling for cover as stones rained down on them.


Summary: American officials said that Mexican criminal syndicates are stepping up their attacks on American agents patrolling the border as officials of the Homeland Security Department intensify efforts to stem the flow of immigrants and drugs into the United States. Officials of the Homeland Security Department said they were making headway in detaining and deporting these illegal immigrants.

Summary: Mexican criminal syndicates are stepping up their attacks on American agents patrolling the border as officials of the Homeland Security Department intensify efforts to stem the flow of immigrants and drugs into the United States, American officials said this week. Homeland Security Department officials said that in the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, there were 778 attacks on agents, up from 374 in the previous fiscal year. Officials of the Homeland Security Department said they were making headway in detaining and deporting these illegal immigrants.


Summary: Based on an F.B.I. sting, prosecutors were accusing Tarik Shah of agreeing with an undercover F.B.I. informer to train Qaeda fighters in hand-to-hand combat. But the government did not claim that Mr. Shah had met or had contact with any terrorist operative. Victor L. Hou said that the confidential source, whom the defense has identified as Mr. Alanssi, first identified Mr. Farhane to the F.B.I. in the weeks after 9/11 as having radical views of Islam.

Summary: Based on an F.B.I. sting, prosecutors were accusing Mr. Shah of agreeing with an undercover F.B.I. informer to train Qaeda fighters in 'hand-to-hand combat'. But the government did not claim that Mr. Shah had met or had contacted with any terrorist operative. Mr. Hou wrote that Mr. Farhane, after he was arrested Oct. 26, told investigators that he had introduced Mr. Shah to the informer to help him send money to jihadists overseas. The prosecutors also cast new light yesterday on the role of the government informer, a Yemeni named Mohamed Alanssi, who set himself on fire in front of the White House in November 2004, apparently to protest his handling by F.B.I. agents.


Summary: The evidence that prosecutors presented at Mr. Farhane's bail hearing added significant substance to the government's case against him and three other defendants, including Tarik Shah, a New York jazz musician and martial arts instructor who also is Muslim. Mr. Shah, 43, was arrested and charged with conspiring to teach martial arts to members of Al Qaeda. Based on an F.B.I. sting, prosecutors were accusing Mr. Shah of agreeing with an undercover F.B.I. informer to train Qaeda fighters in hand-to-hand combat. But the government did not claim that Mr. Shah had met or had contact with any terrorist operative. In a letter on Thursday to Judge Preska, Mr. Hou wrote that Mr. Farhane, after he was arrested Oct. 26, told investigators that he had introduced Mr. Shah to the informer to help him send money to jihadists overseas.

Summary: Tarik Shah, 43, a New York jazz musician and martial arts instructor who also is Muslim, was arrested on the charge of conspiring to teach martial arts to members of Al Qaeda. Based on an F.B.I. sting, prosecutors were accusing Mr. Shah of agreeing with an undercover F.B.I. informer to train Qaeda fighters in hand-to-hand combat. But the government did not claim that Mr. Shah had met or had contact with any terrorist operative. In a letter to Judge Preska, Mr. Hou wrote that Mr. Farhane, after he was arrested, told investigators that he had introduced Mr. Shah to the informer to help him send money to jihadists overseas.


Summary: The judge, Loretta A. Preska, referred to transcripts of secretly recorded conversations between a government informer and the bookseller, Abdulrahman Farhane. Judge Preska said Mr. Farhane understood that he was talking about transferring funds to the Middle East to purchase arms and equipment, to be used for jihad against the United States. The evidence that prosecutors presented at Mr. Farhane's bail hearing, in United States District Court in Manhattan, added significant substance to the government's case against him and three other defendants, including Tarik Shah, a New York jazz musician and martial arts instructor who also is Muslim. Judge Preska said recordings from the fall of 2001 make it clear that Mr. Farhane was talking about sending money for wireless communications and advanced weapons for Islamic fighters.

Summary: According to Judge Loretta A. Preska, the prosecutors have audio recordings that capture him discussing specific ways to raise money and transfer it to Islamic fighters battling the United States forces in Afghanistan in the fall of 2001, after the Sept. 11 attacks. Judge Preska said recordings from the fall of 2001 make it clear that Mr. Farhane was talking about sending money for wireless communications and advanced weapons for Islamic fighters. Judge Preska said Mr. Farhane understood that he was talking about transferring funds to the Middle East to purchase arms and equipment, which he knew would be used for jihad against the United States and other Western powers.