Friday, October 25, 2002

National Briefing: Religion. PICKETS FOR BILLY GRAHAM CEREMONY; 1880 CENSUS ON THE WEB;. 11:31:11 PM

National Briefing: Science and Health. NEW BLOOD GUIDELINES;. 11:31:10 PM

National Briefing: New England. RHODE ISLAND: Ex-Mayor Loses Law License;. 11:31:10 PM

National Briefing: South. GEORGIA: Seeking New Trial In Beatings;. 11:31:09 PM

National Briefing: Rockies. UTAH: Court Allows Firing Squad;. 11:31:09 PM

National Briefing: Northwest. ALASKA: Peninsula Floods;. 11:31:08 PM

National Briefing: West. CALIFORNIA: Court Backs Ban On Diesel Vehicles; CALIFORNIA: No Power Surcharges For The Poor; CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles Police Chief Sworn In; NEVADA: It'S A Disaster Area;. 11:31:08 PM

Russia Retakes Theater After Hostage Killings Begin. Officials said that the siege was over, with most of the Chechen guerrillas having been killed and the number of hostage casualties unknown. By Michael Wines and Sabrina Tavernise. 11:31:02 PM

Police Seek Co-Owner of New Jersey Car Linked to Attacks. Investigators continued to look for Nathaniel Osbourne, the subject of an intensive search by investigators who want to know why he is a co-owner of the car that the police say was used in the Washington-area sniper attacks. By Matthew Purdy. 10:31:16 PM

Keeping U.S. No. 1: Is It Wise? Is It New?. President Bush's release of an audacious new strategy last month for defending America against future foreign threats stunned Washington and even some close allies. By Judith Miller. 10:31:09 PM

Flash! White House Split on Housework!. Mr. Bush told an audience in Charlotte, N.C., that Mrs. Bush was in Texas to prepare for the arrival on Friday of President Jiang Zemin of China, and his wife, Wang Yeping. By The New York Times. 10:31:08 PM

Antiwar Groups Massing in Washington. Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected to converge on Washington to tell the Bush administration that they oppose its strategy for a pre-emptive military strike against Iraq. By Lynette Clemetson. 10:31:07 PM

U.S. Vulnerability to Terror Is Still High, Panel Concludes. Former Senators Gary Hart and Warren B. Rudman said that although the country should be on a war footing, it has become complacent about terrorism. By James Dao. 10:31:07 PM

Divided S.E.C. Picks Watchdog for Accounting. The new board overseeing the accounting profession got off to a troubled start Friday when members of the S.E.C. split bitterly over the selection of the board's new leader. By Stephen Labaton. 10:31:06 PM

U.S. Raises Pressure on Russia and France for Iraq Resolution. The United States pressed the Security Council on Friday to approve its tough resolution on Iraq, while French and Russian texts sought to moderate the military threat. By Julia Preston. 10:31:06 PM

Bush and Jiang Vow to Cooperate on North Korea Issue. President Bush and President Jiang Zemin of China publicly vowed on Friday to work together to persuade North Korea to abandon its newest nuclear weapons project. By David E. Sanger. 10:31:05 PM

Barnes & Noble.com Tops Expectations. NEW YORK (AP) -- Barnes & Noble.com said Friday that losses in the third quarter fell by more than half, beating analysts expectations. By The Associated Press. 9:31:56 PM

Network Appliance Sees Storage Industry Growth. Network Appliance said on Friday it sees the computer data storage industry expanding strongly next year despite conditions that have led companies to cut spending on storage. By Reuters. 9:31:56 PM

Nintendo Faces EU Antitrust Fine Next Week. European antitrust regulators next week will fine Japanese video game maker Nintendo and a number of its distributors for sales practices it employed in the mid-1990s. By Reuters. 9:31:55 PM

I.B.M. Builds Circuit with Carbon Monoxide Molecules. I.B.M. scientists have built the tiniest computer circuit yet using individual molecules, a move they say advances their push toward smaller, faster electronics. By Reuters. 9:31:54 PM

USA Interactive Reports a Loss. USA Interactive, the home shopping and travel conglomerate, reported a third-quarter loss on Thursday, but still managed to beat Wall Street expectations. 9:31:53 PM

Children and Parents Breathe a Sigh of Relief. With two suspects facing charges in the sniper shootings, a group of mothers met at a restaurant to talk in person for the first time in weeks. By Kate Zernike. 9:31:53 PM

The Roots of Today's Buddhism. The development of modern Buddhism is traced to a mix of Eastern and Western influences. 9:31:52 PM

Plane Had Anti-Icing Equipment. The twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 100 carrying Senator Paul Wellstone and seven others was equipped to handle the icing problems suspected of causing the crash. By Matthew L. Wald. 9:31:52 PM

Prayers Replace Political Debate. The Mitchell Auditorium at the College of St. Scholastica, where Senator Paul Wellstone was to debate his opponent, was instead filled with prayers and tears. By John W. Fountain. 9:31:51 PM

Frequent Flights and Small Planes Have Made Politicians Vulnerable. Because politicians must cover much ground in little time, they are forced to take travel risks in small aircraft that they would not otherwise. By Katharine Q. Seelye. 9:31:51 PM

A Lifetime Together, Serving the People. Senator Paul Wellstone's wife Shela and their daughter Marcia Markuson and several others killed in a plane crash on Friday worked tirelessly for Sen. Wellstone's campaign. By Jodi Wilgoren. 9:31:50 PM

Succession Rules Leave Few Options. Minnesota's election law addresses most but not all of the legal questions arising from the death of Senator Paul Wellstone. By Adam Liptak. 9:31:50 PM

Democrats See Mondale as Best Hope for Victory. Even as Democrats in Washington mourned the death of Senator Paul Wellstone, they scrambled behind the scenes to press former Vice President Walter F. Mondale to enter the Senate race. By Alison Mitchell. 9:31:50 PM

Paul Wellstone, 58, Icon of Liberalism in Senate, Dies. Senator Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash today while campaigning for re-election, fought for bills favored by unions and advocates of family farmers and the poor. By David E. Rosenbaum. 9:31:49 PM

Sniper Clue Sat for Weeks in Crime Lab in Alabama. The evidence that cracked the sniper case was sitting in an Alabama crime lab throughout the three-week shooting spree. By David M. Halbfinger. 9:31:49 PM

Statement by Maryland Prosecutor on Trial Venue. Following is a transcript of a statement made yesterday afternoon by the Montgomery County, Md., state's attorney, Doug Gansler, as recorded by The New York Times:. 9:31:48 PM

Sniper Suspect Obtained a Rifle Despite a Restraining Order and Gun Laws. Under federal law, John Allen Muhammad was barred from buying or possessing a firearm because his second wife had taken out a domestic-violence restraining order against him in March 2000. By Fox Butterfield. 9:31:48 PM

Officers Stopped the 2 Suspects at Least 3 Times During Spree. Police stopped the men who are now charged in the sniper shootings at least three times, including once here for suspicious behavior, during the three-week rampage. By Jayson Blair with Al Baker. 9:31:47 PM

Those Seeing White Vans Breathe Easier. So Do the Drivers.. The sight of a white van no longer strikes fear or instills suspicion, and driving one has certainly become less stressful. By Sarah Kershaw. 9:31:46 PM

2 Men Could Face Trials in State and U.S. Courts. John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo, the two men suspected of this month's sniper attacks in the Washington area, face a series of trials in at least three states. By Adam Liptak. 9:31:45 PM

The Sniper Suspects: Vagrant and Disciple. John Allen Muhammad's family in Baton Rouge, many of whom had lost touch with him for years, did not know that his life had come unraveled, though some suspected something was not right. By Jim Yardley. 9:31:44 PM

The Devoted 'Stepson'. Details of the destructive relationship between John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo have surfaced since their arrest. By Charlie Leduff and Dean E. Murphy. 9:31:43 PM

Antiwar Groups Massing in Washington. Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected to converge on Washington to tell the Bush administration that they oppose its strategy for a pre-emptive military strike against Iraq. By Lynette Clemetson. 9:31:42 PM

U.S. Vulnerability to Terror Is Still High, Panel Concludes. Former Senators Gary Hart and Warren B. Rudman said that although the country should be on a war footing, it has become complacent about terrorism. By James Dao. 9:31:42 PM

Germany Urges U.S. to Drop Death Penalty Plan. Germany's interior minister urged the Bush administration on Friday to drop its plans to seek the death penalty for Zacarias Moussaoui. By Philip Shenon. 9:31:42 PM

Officer in Punching on Video Is Ousted From Department. An Inglewood police officer who was videotaped slamming a handcuffed teenager against a car last summer has been dismissed from the department. By Barbara Whitaker. 9:31:41 PM

8,000 California Birds Killed in Bid to Stop Virus. State and federal agriculture officials killed the birds in order to a month-old outbreak of a deadly bird virus known as exotic Newcastle disease. By John M. Broder. 9:31:41 PM

Teamsters End 3-Year Strike Against Trucker Without Contract. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that it was ending a three-year strike against Overnite Transportation without obtaining a contract. By Steven Greenhouse. 9:31:40 PM

Maryland County Is First to Move on Sniper Charges. A rivalry among prosecutors to be the first to try the sniper case became evident as Montgomery County moved quickly to place homicide charges against both suspects. By Francis X. Clines with Christopher Drew. 9:31:40 PM

Minnesota Crash Kills Wellstone Amid Senate Fight. Senator Paul Wellstone, the liberal Minnesota Democrat was killed in a plane crash near Eveleth, leaving a void in one of the Senate's most important races. By Jodi Wilgoren. 9:31:39 PM

World Business Briefing: Americas. CANADA: Airline Has A Profit;. 9:31:38 PM

Second European Union Ruling to Block a Merger Is Overturned. A European Union court has overturned a decision by the union's antitrust regulators to block the purchase of Sidel, a French bottle maker, by Tetra Laval, the packaging conglomerate. By Paul Meller. 9:31:37 PM

Another Asian Nation Battling a Crisis. China seems to have mastered the move to capitalism with surprising speed. But its financial sector is still struggling to cope with the waste from decades of socialism. By Keith Bradsher. 9:31:37 PM

Energy Companies Weigh Their Possible Future in Iraq. Though Iraq's future is hazy, energy companies have begun to weigh the roles they might play in the revival of the country's huge but dilapidated oil industry. By Neela Banerjee. 9:31:37 PM

North Korea's Response. Following are excerpts from a press release yesterday from the United Nations mission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea):. 9:31:36 PM

Flash! White House Split on Housework!. Mr. Bush told an audience in Charlotte, N.C., that Mrs. Bush was in Texas to prepare for the arrival on Friday of President Jiang Zemin of China, and his wife, Wang Yeping. By The New York Times. 9:31:35 PM

Germany Urges U.S. to Drop Death Penalty Plan. Germany's interior minister urged the Bush administration on Friday to drop its plans to seek the death penalty for Zacarias Moussaoui. By Philip Shenon. 9:31:34 PM

Iraq Plans to Expel 6 Foreign Journalists Working for CNN. Iraq has decided to expel CNN's correspondents, including the Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf. By Agence France-presse. 9:31:33 PM

Antiwar Groups Massing in Washington. Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected to converge on Washington to tell the Bush administration that they oppose its strategy for a pre-emptive military strike against Iraq. By Lynette Clemetson. 9:31:33 PM

One More Night Under Lights That Never Dim. The 700 people taken hostage by Chechen terrorists in a Moscow theater are in their third night of captivity. Only night never falls; the gunmen have left the lights on since Wednesday. By Sabrina Tavernise. 9:31:32 PM

North Korea Demands U.S. Agree to Nonagression Pact. North Korea demanded on Friday that the United States agree to a nonaggression pact before giving up its nuclear weapons program. By Julia Preston. 9:31:32 PM

Using Computers to Fight Kidnappers in Karachi. Jameel Yusuf has helped the police cut kidnappings in Karachi by 75 percent by using a sophisticated computer program to track phone calls demanding ransom. By David Rohde. 9:31:32 PM

Native Canadians Bask in New Business Climate. Recent discoveries of diamonds and a proposed natural-gas pipeline down the Mackenzie River valley are bringing yet another boom to the Northwest Territories. By Clifford Krauss. 9:31:31 PM

Anti-Semitic 'Elders of Zion' Gets New Life on Egypt TV. An Egyptian satellite television channel has begun teasers for its blockbuster Ramadan series that incorporates ideas from "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," an anti-Semitic epic. By Daniel J. Wakin. 9:31:31 PM

U.S. Vulnerability to Terror Is Still High, Panel Concludes. Former Senators Gary Hart and Warren B. Rudman said that although the country should be on a war footing, it has become complacent about terrorism. By James Dao. 9:31:30 PM

Anticorruption Lawmaker Slain in Japan; Rightist Is Sought. The police were seeking the leader of a local right-wing group on Friday in the assassination of an opposition member of Parliament who was stabbed to death outside his suburban home. By James Brooke. 9:31:30 PM

Pirate Haunt Where Bush Will Meet World Leaders. Cabo San Lucas is a strange place for a summit meeting, visited more by pirates than presidents, where American dollars are turning a natural paradise into a money machine. By Tim Weiner. 9:31:29 PM

Europeans Smooth Over Differences, but Tensions Remain. The 15 leaders of the European Union finessed an agreement on Friday on how to pay for the 10 countries invited to join their club. By Elaine Sciolino. 9:31:29 PM

Israeli Forces Again Seize Control of Palestinian West Bank City. Hundreds of soldiers supported by scores of tanks vehicles swept into Jenin on Friday, in what Israel called a hunt for a terrorist cell. By James Bennet. 9:31:28 PM

Huge Storm Lashes Pacific Coast of Mexico, Forcing Evacuations. One of the strongest Pacific storms to strike Mexico in decades roared ashore Friday afternoon, threatening thousands of people and hundreds of villages. By Tim Weiner. 9:31:28 PM

Fugitive Muslim Cleric, an Outspoken Supporter of Al Qaeda, Is Arrested in London. Britain was reported on Friday to have arrested a fugitive Islamic cleric known as Abu Qatada, wanted in the United States and Europe as an emissary of Osama bin Laden. By Alan Cowell. 9:31:27 PM

U.S. Raises Pressure on Russia and France for Iraq Resolution. The United States pressed the Security Council on Friday to approve its tough resolution on Iraq, while French and Russian texts sought to moderate the military threat. By Julia Preston. 9:31:27 PM

Bush and Jiang Vow to Cooperate on North Korea Issue. President Bush and President Jiang Zemin of China publicly vowed on Friday to work together to persuade North Korea to abandon its newest nuclear weapons project. By David E. Sanger. 9:31:26 PM

Moscow Theater Under the Control of Russian Troops. Russian special forces stormed the theater where Chechen rebels were holding hundreds of hostages, and officials said they were in control of the building. The lead hostage-taker was reportedly killed. By The Associated Press. 9:31:24 PM

Gunfire at Night in a Military Town. Tacoma, which is about 40 miles south of Seattle, has been a military and timber town for most of the last century. And both industries have left their mark. By Charles T. Mudede. 9:31:23 PM

The Chechen War Comes Home. As horrible as it is to watch the video footage from the Moscow streets around the theater where some 700 hostages are threatened with death, it is as bitter to realize that this tragedy could have been predicted ÷ and in fact, was bound to happen. By Yevgenia Albats. 9:31:23 PM

A Liberal With a Wrestler's Stance. Paul Wellstone was a passionate orator, a skilled rouser of rabble over issues he loved and an unapologetic was a passionate orator, a skilled rouser of rabble over issues he loved and an unapologetic populist liberal. By Bill Holm. 9:31:22 PM

What Al Qaeda Learned in D.C.. Certainly our enemies learned this month, as Warren Rudman puts it, "how easy this kind of terrorism is to carry out." Did we? By Frank Rich. 9:31:22 PM

Politicians, Grow Up!. Politicians, Grow Up! To the Editor:. 9:31:22 PM

Commuters' Fair Share. Commuters' Fair Share To the Editor:. 9:31:21 PM

Albany's Big Spenders. Albany's Big Spenders To the Editor:. 9:31:21 PM

Paying the Price of Tolls. Paying the Price of Tolls To the Editor:. 9:31:20 PM

Breaking Free From Oil. Breaking Free From Oil To the Editor:. 9:31:20 PM

Rise in Autism. Rise in Autism To the Editor:. 9:31:19 PM

Languages Aren't Pure. Languages Aren't Pure To the Editor:. 9:31:19 PM

La Guardia's Heir?. La Guardia's Heir? To the Editor:. 9:31:19 PM

Nader on Abortion. Nader on Abortion To the Editor:. 9:31:18 PM

The New York Forecast: A Blizzard of Ads. The New York Forecast: A Blizzard of Ads To the Editor:. 9:31:18 PM

A Rocky Road in the Mideast. A Rocky Road In the Mideast To the Editor:. 9:31:17 PM

For Justice in the Sniper Case. For Justice in the Sniper Case To the Editor:. 9:31:16 PM

Eloise Returns to the Plaza. For grown-up fans, it's comforting to find that as much as some things in the world have changed, Eloise has not. By Jacqueline Thomas. 9:31:15 PM

For Congress in New Jersey. Our endorsements in some particularly competitive Congressional races in New Jersey. 9:31:14 PM

Paul Wellstone. His was a consistent voice for the poor and against what he regarded as adventurism, the kind of voice that seemed to have gone out of style more than 30 years ago. 9:31:13 PM

Judge Webster, Miscast. In a bitter public session yesterday, the five commissioners of the S.E.C. split along party lines in voting for a chairman of a new oversight board for the accounting profession. So much for the idea that the fight to restore investor confidence is a bipartisan effort. 9:31:12 PM

World Business Briefing: Americas. CANADA: Airline Has A Profit;. 9:31:12 PM

Native Canadians Bask in New Business Climate. Recent discoveries of diamonds and a proposed natural-gas pipeline down the Mackenzie River valley are bringing yet another boom to the Northwest Territories. By Clifford Krauss. 9:31:11 PM

USA Interactive Reports a Loss. USA Interactive, the home shopping and travel conglomerate, reported a third-quarter loss on Thursday, but still managed to beat Wall Street expectations. 9:31:11 PM

Bids for Houghton Fall Short of Goal. Vivendi Universal received bids for its Houghton Mifflin publishing unit, but all of them fell short of the $1.7 billion that Vivendi had set as a minimum price. By The New York Times. 9:31:10 PM

Iraq Plans to Expel 6 Foreign Journalists Working for CNN. Iraq has decided to expel CNN's correspondents, including the Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf. By Agence France-presse. 9:31:10 PM

Anti-Semitic 'Elders of Zion' Gets New Life on Egypt TV. An Egyptian satellite television channel has begun teasers for its blockbuster Ramadan series that incorporates ideas from "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," an anti-Semitic epic. By Daniel J. Wakin. 9:31:09 PM

Retailers Like Business Gifts and the Profits They Generate. Department stores, faced with flagging demand for clothing, are turning to gifting. And Saks Fifth Avenue has issued its first ever corporate gift catalog. By Tracie Rozhon. 9:31:09 PM

Another Asian Nation Battling a Crisis. China seems to have mastered the move to capitalism with surprising speed. But its financial sector is still struggling to cope with the waste from decades of socialism. By Keith Bradsher. 9:31:08 PM

Quarterly Loss Widens at Reader's Digest. Reader's Digest Association Incorporated said Friday that its fiscal first-quarter loss widened as it spent more on promotions and marketing. By Bloomberg News. 9:31:08 PM

Teamsters End 3-Year Strike Against Trucker Without Contract. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that it was ending a three-year strike against Overnite Transportation without obtaining a contract. By Steven Greenhouse. 9:31:07 PM

Lockheed Profit Increases 36%. BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 25 (Bloomberg News) ÷ The Lockheed Martin Corporation's third-quarter profit jumped by 36 percent on rising revenue from military programs like the F-35 joint strike fighter and the F/A-22 combat aircraft, the company said today. By Bloomberg News. 9:31:07 PM

Casino Offering Raises $450 Million. Wynn Resorts, the casino company founded by Steve Wynn, raised $450 million in an initial public offering yesterday after cutting the share price as much as 43 percent. By Bloomberg News. 9:31:06 PM

Energy Companies Weigh Their Possible Future in Iraq. Though Iraq's future is hazy, energy companies have begun to weigh the roles they might play in the revival of the country's huge but dilapidated oil industry. By Neela Banerjee. 9:31:06 PM

Williams Cos. Says Traders Gave Out False Data on Energy Prices. TULSA, Okla., Oct. 25 (Bloomberg News) ÷ The Williams Companies, the owner of natural gas pipelines, said today that its traders provided phony information to a journal that compiles gas price indexes used by the industry in sales contracts. By Bloomberg News. 9:31:05 PM

Buffett Quits Board of Gillette to Focus on His Company. The billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett said that he was resigning as a director of the Gillette Company to focus more on his own business, Berkshire Hathaway. By Joseph B. Treaster. 9:31:04 PM

Second European Union Ruling to Block a Merger Is Overturned. A European Union court has overturned a decision by the union's antitrust regulators to block the purchase of Sidel, a French bottle maker, by Tetra Laval, the packaging conglomerate. By Paul Meller. 9:31:04 PM

S.& P. Cuts Its Rating of Ford Debt to Record Low. Standard & Poor's cut Ford's long-term debt rating to its lowest level ever, citing competitive pressures that it fears will hinder the company's efforts. By Micheline Maynard. 9:31:03 PM

Cigna Shares Tumble After Profit Alert. The Cigna Corporation announced that earnings shortfalls and ballooning expenses would cut operating profits sharply this year and next. By Milt Freudenheim. 9:31:03 PM

Divided S.E.C. Picks Watchdog for Accounting. The new board overseeing the accounting profession got off to a troubled start Friday when members of the S.E.C. split bitterly over the selection of the board's new leader. By Stephen Labaton. 9:31:02 PM

Prosecutors to Discuss Charges as Rifle Is Tied to Sniper Killings. Federal, state and local prosecutors will meet today to decide how to proceed against two suspects in the sniper shootings that left 10 people dead. By Francis X. Clines with Christopher Drew. 12:31:13 PM

Minnesota Senator, His Wife and Daughter, Among 8 Dead. Senator Paul Wellstone, one of the foremost liberals in Congress, was killed in a plane crash in northern Minnesota today along with seven others, campaign officials said. By David Stout. 12:31:11 PM

Minnesota Senator, His Wife and Daughter, Among 8 Dead. Senator Paul Wellstone, one of the foremost liberals in Congress, was killed in a plane crash in northern Minnesota today along with seven others, campaign officials said. By David Stout. 12:31:03 PM

Hurricane Kenna Hits Mexico Coast. As the leading edge of Hurricane Kenna started blasting Mexico's Pacific coast, soldiers and civil authorities evacuated thousands of people and closed schools and docks. By The Associated Press. 11:31:13 AM

Buffett Leaving Gillette's Board. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett plans to leave The Gillette Co.'s board of directors, citing the increasing demands on his time. By The Associated Press. 11:31:07 AM

Ford's Debt Rating Is Cut. Standard & Poor's on Friday cut its long-term debt rating for Ford Motor and its finance arm to two notches above "junk" status. By Reuters. 11:31:06 AM

Chechens Say Killings Will Start Saturday if Demand Is Not Met. The guerrillas have threatened to begin executing some of the 700 hostages this weekend if their demand is not met, two people in contact with the rebels said today. By Michael Wines. 9:31:08 AM

Factory Orders Fell 5.9 Percent in September. Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket durable had their biggest decline in 10 months, providing further evidence that the economy is struggling. By The Associated Press. 7:31:02 AM

Stocks Expected to Sag in Early Trading. Stocks are seen falling today as Wall Street awaits a batch of potentially soft economic numbers. By Reuters. 6:31:13 AM

Israeli Troops Enter Jenin. Hundreds of Israeli troops entered the West Bank town of Jenin today in response to a Palestinian suicide bombing that killed 14 people earlier this week. By The Associated Press. 5:31:04 AM

Kenya's Leader Dissolves Parliament. Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi dissolved parliament today, officially starting the campaign for the country's most competitive general elections and closing his tenure as one of Africa's longest ruling leaders. By The Associated Press. 5:31:03 AM

National Briefing: Washington. WHITE HOUSE FENCE JUMPER;. 12:31:44 AM

Drug Agency Weighs Role of Hormone Replacements. The Food and Drug Administration is still wrestling with questions about how to regulate hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women after a study raised safety questions. By Gina Kolata. 12:31:43 AM

Washington's Mr. Fix-It as Overseer of Accounting. William H. Webster, who officials say will be the new ethics overseer of the accounting industry, has a r/sum/ steeped in integrity-enhancing positions. By Neil A. Lewis. 12:31:42 AM

National Briefing: Washington. WHITE HOUSE FENCE JUMPER;. 12:31:40 AM

National Briefing: South. ARKANSAS: Tax Initiative Vote; ALABAMA: Weapons To Be Destroyed;. 12:31:39 AM

National Briefing: Science And Health. ARTHRITIS WIDESPREAD;. 12:31:38 AM

National Briefing: West. CALIFORNIA: Talks On Docks Contract; CALIFORNIA: British Official'S Son Pleads Guilty;. 12:31:37 AM

F.B.I. Asks Co-owner of Car to Come Forward. The Federal Bureau of Investigation appealed Thursday night for the co-owner of the 12-year-old car seized in the sniper investigation to come forward for questioning. By Robert Hanley. 12:31:36 AM

'Duck in a Noose' Is Traced to a Folk Tale. If the caller, presumably the sniper himself, was referring to a Cherokee folk tale, then he was clearly mocking his pursuers. By Celestine Bohlen. 12:31:34 AM

Many Voice Surprise Arrested Men Are Black. With law enforcement officials providing no description of the killer, the underlying view of much of the public was that the sniper was a young white man. By Steven A. Holmes. 12:31:32 AM

Alabama Shooting Is Studied For Clues to a Lethal Debut. The killer whose deadly accuracy gripped a nation for three weeks made his lethal debut on Sept. 21, 850 miles and a time zone away from the Washington suburbs. By David M. Halbfinger. 12:31:32 AM

A Frenzy of Speculation Was Wide of the Mark. The prime suspect in the sniper shootings not only evaded the authorities a long time, he also eluded the stereotypes. By Jeffrey Gettleman. 12:31:31 AM

Cable's Focus on Sniper Helped the Authorities, but Also Drew Harsh Critics. The omnivorous coverage that the cable news networks gave to the hunt for the sniper has thrust them once again into a heated debate over the nature of cable news. By Felicity Barringer and Jim Rutenberg. 12:31:29 AM

Remembering Call to Priest and Quiet Pair. It seems that John Allen Muhammad, the Muslim convert and, according to the authorities, the East Coast sniper, reached out to a Roman Catholic priest last Friday. By Charlie Leduff. 12:31:28 AM

Jurisdictions Will Weigh Options, Including Death. When law enforcement officials meet today to discuss what charges to bring against John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo, the main topic is likely to be the death penalty. By Adam Liptak. 12:31:26 AM

Ex-Wife Finds Her New Life Shadowed by Man She Left. Mildred Muhammad described her ex-husband, John Allen Muhammad, a suspect in the sniper case, as a "demolitions expert" who could "make a weapon out of anything." By Sarah Kershaw. 12:31:25 AM

Officials Say Records Show Gun Was Illegally Owned. John Allen Muhammad, a suspect in the sniper shootings, should have been legally disqualified from buying the weapon linked to the killings. By Fox Butterfield. 12:31:23 AM

After Three Weeks of Tension, Face of Inquiry Wears a Smile. Charles A. Moose, the public face of the task force, has been seen by some as sympathetic, methodical and confident and by others as temperamental, testy and unsure. By Jayson Blair. 12:31:23 AM

A Moment of Happy Fame for a Town. The action that brought residents of Myersville, Md., a town of 1,600, out onto their front steps and porches began at 1 a.m. By Jayson Blair. 12:31:21 AM

Losing Its Terror, Mundane Brings Joy. The early-morning arrests of the two shooting suspects made the most mundane activities seem joyous all around the Washington suburbs. By Kate Zernike. 12:31:20 AM

Lower Medicare Payouts Concern Bush Officials. Bush administration officials say they have become deeply concerned that a cut in Medicare payments to doctors will prompt doctors to quit the program. By Robert Pear. 12:31:20 AM

Harry Hay, 90, Early Proponent of Gay Rights, Is Dead. Harry Hay founded a secret organization six decades ago that proved to be the catalyst for the American gay rights movement. By Dudley Clendinen. 12:31:18 AM

Budget Deficit Is Said to Be $159 Billion. The federal budget deficit for the year that ended Sept. 30 was $159 billion, a sharp swing from the surplus of $127 billion in the previous year. By Richard W. Stevenson. 12:31:17 AM

Gore Calls U.S. Vulnerable to More Bioterror Attacks. Former Vice President Al Gore said today that a "dangerous weakness in our health care system" made the United States vulnerable to bioterrorism. By Robert Pear. 12:31:16 AM

Democrats Expecting Inroads in the West. Demographic changes and a nascent yearning for more activist government since the Sept. 11 attacks have pulled Western Democrats back from the wilderness. By Michael Janofsky. 12:31:15 AM

One Seat Shy of Control, Lott Battles for Senate. Trent Lott's name is not on any ballot this year, but he is running as hard as anyone and has much to win or lose in a battle for control of the Senate. By Carl Hulse. 12:31:14 AM

Scientists Shrink Computing to Molecular Level. Scientists have created what they say is not only the world's smallest logic circuit, but also possibly the smallest that could ever be made. By Kenneth Chang. 12:31:13 AM

Gains in Understanding Human Cells. Scientists have made a significant stride toward understanding how a living cell's operations are controlled by the information in its genome. By Nicholas Wade. 12:31:12 AM

U.S. May Ask Court to Dismiss a $1 Trillion Suit Linking Saudis to Al Qaeda and 9/11. The Bush administration is closely monitoring a private lawsuit accusing members of the Saudi royal family of ties to Al Qaeda. By Philip Shenon. 12:31:10 AM

Synthetic Hormone Outperforms Estrogen in Building Mice Bones. A newly identified synthetic hormone worked better than estrogen to strengthen bone when tested in mice, researchers reported on Thursday. By Denise Grady. 12:31:10 AM

Report Finds U.S. Unprepared for Next Terrorist Attack. Despite months of preparations and the spending of millions of dollars, the U.S. remains extremely vulnerable to a major terrorist attack. By James Dao. 12:31:09 AM

Bush Hits the Trail With Republican Candidates. President Bush made clear on Thursday that his strategy of reclaiming control of the Senate depended on keeping in Republican hands the seats they were giving up. By David E. Sanger. 12:31:08 AM

Suspects Spent Year Traveling, Nearly Destitute. John Allen Muhammad was known to friends for his crushing handshake, his deft touch in repairing fast cars and his temper. By Blaine Harden and Tim Golden. 12:31:06 AM

An Angry Telephone Call Provided One Crucial Clue. The first real break in the sniper case came last Thursday in an angry phone call from a man claiming responsibility for a murder-robbery in Montgomery, Ala. By Eric Lichtblau and Don Van Natta Jr.. 12:31:04 AM