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Headline news and happenings from around the country. Bush Presents Homeland Security Plan, Urges Swift Action by Congress   July 16, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 16 (AFP) - President George W. Bush presented his plan for homeland security Tuesday which could expand executive powers and engage the US military domestically if Congress gives it a green light. .. MORE Greenspan: Recovery Could Be Delayed   July 16, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. economy is poised to return to healthy growth, but the startling stream of accounting scandals that has rocked Americans' faith in corporate leaders could weaken the recovery, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress on Tuesday. .. MORE Police Search for Kidnapper in Calif.   July 16, 2002 STANTON, Calif. (AP) -- Police on Tuesday searched for a 5-year-old girl who was abducted kicking and screaming outside her apartment by a man who drove up and asked for help finding his dog. .. MORE Citizenship Applications Up Since 9/11   July 16, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of people seeking U.S. citizenship has soared since the Sept. 11 attacks, but the government -- placing a greater effort on weeding out potential terrorists -- is taking longer to approve applicants. .. MORE Wolfowitz meets Turkish leaders to win support for Iraq policy   July 16, 2002 ANKARA, July 16 (AFP) - US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz met Turkish leaders on Tuesday in a bid to win support for a possible US strike against the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. .. MORE House leader signals willingness to bolster corporate reform bill   July 16, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 16 (AFP) - Speaker Dennis Hastert said Tuesday Republicans in the House of Representatives may toughen their version of an accounting industry reform bill to match the standards of a Senate bill passed Monday. .. MORE WTC Authority Reveals 6 Proposals   July 16, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- The agency responsible for rebuilding the World Trade Center site announced six proposals on Tuesday, all featuring substantial memorials and office buildings -- but nothing 110 stories tall. .. MORE Feds Plan Terror Information Program   July 16, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government is organizing a program to encourage millions of Americans -- including utility workers and letter carriers -- to be on the lookout for suspicious activity and to report anything unusual. .. MORE Traficant a No-Show at Ethics Hearing   July 16, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rep. James Traficant, facing tough questions about his bribery and tax evasion conviction from a peer panel considering whether to recommend his expulsion, didn't show up for the start of Tuesday's hearing, saying he wasn't told to be there. .. MORE Feds Seek 3rd Indictment of Moussaoui   July 16, 2002 ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- Prosecutors are seeking a third indictment of Zacarias Moussaoui to spell out conduct that could trigger the death penalty for the accused Sept. 11 conspirator, legal sources said Tuesday. .. MORE Rumsfeld orders war plan update, warns about Iraq   July 16, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 16 (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said late Monday he had ordered an update of all US contingency war plans, including those outlining possible military action against Iraq. .. MORE US Senate passes bill to clamp down on corporate accounting improprieties   July 16, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 15 (AFP) - In a 97-0 vote Monday, the US Senate passed a sweeping reform bill designed to make corporate leaders more accountable after a series of financial scandals that have undermined confidence in the US economy. .. MORE Governors Blast Lawsuit at Meeting   July 16, 2002 BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Governors wrestling with the ballooning costs of health care criticized a lawsuit brought by drug manufacturers who want to stop a federal program requiring them to offer discounts. .. MORE U.S. Unveils Homeland Security Plan   July 16, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House is stepping up the offensive for President Bush's version of a Homeland Security Department, sending a cadre of Cabinet secretaries to lobby Congress and unveiling a broad new strategy for confronting terrorism within U.S. borders. .. MORE Mass. Criticizes Boston Archdiocese   July 16, 2002 BOSTON (AP) -- The state attorney general on Monday criticized the Boston Archdiocese, saying church officials have been slow to implement new policies aimed at protecting children from pedophile priests. .. MORE Bush Signed Stock 'Lockup' Letter   July 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two and a half months before George W. Bush sold his stock in a struggling Texas energy company where he was a director, he signed a letter promising to hold onto the shares for at least six months, internal company documents show. .. MORE Yosemite Murder Trial Gets Started   July 15, 2002 SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The trial of a former handyman accused of kidnapping and killing three Yosemite National Park tourists began Monday with prosecutors telling jurors the victims were doomed as soon as they crossed paths with the defendant. .. MORE American Taliban pleads guilty to two charges as defense-government reach deal   July 15, 2002 ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, July 15 (AFP) - John Walker Lindh, the "American Taliban" captured in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty on Monday to two charges, leading the government to drop murder conspiracy and terrorism charges against him. .. MORE "World's biggest crime scene" closes down   July 15, 2002 NEW YORK, July 15 (AFP) - The grim task of sifting through debris from the World Trade Center for human remains and criminal evidence formally ended Monday, with a brief but somber ceremony attended by victims' relatives. .. MORE Pentagon Stands Behind Attack Story   July 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A senior military officer appeared Monday to change part of the U.S version of the July 1 attack that killed dozens of Afghan civilians, but later the Pentagon insisted there had been no shift. .. MORE More Time Given for Manatee Plan   July 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge granted the Bush administration another week to propose a new timetable for protecting endangered manatees from boaters off the coast of Florida. .. MORE Senate Votes on Business Fraud Bill   July 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush told business leaders Monday, "We intend to hold people accountable" as the Senate neared passage of legislation aimed at shoring up investor confidence by creating stiff penalties and jail terms for corporate fraud and tightening oversight of the accounting industry. .. MORE Economy Concerns May Hurt Bush   July 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Concern about the economy may be chipping away at the public's perception that the country is going in the right direction -- and at political support for President Bush. .. MORE Dog Attack Defendant Gets 4 Years   July 15, 2002 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Marjorie Knoller was sentenced to the maximum of four years in prison Monday for the dog-mauling death of a neighbor in their apartment building last year. With time served and good behavior, she could be out in about 14 months. .. MORE Lindh Pleads Guilty, Faces 20 Years   July 15, 2002 ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- John Walker Lindh, the young convert to Islam who left California and fought alongside the Taliban, pleaded guilty to two felonies Monday in a surprise deal that spares him life in prison and ensures his cooperation with terrorism investigators. .. MORE Bush says US economy is strong, but paying price for 'hangover'   July 15, 2002 BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, July 15 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Monday sought to restore confidence in the US economy, describing it as strong despite the turmoil that has sent financial markets reeling. .. MORE US hails murder verdicts in Pearl trial   July 15, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 15 (AFP) - The United States on Monday said it was gratified after four militants were convicted in Pakistan of abducting and murdering US reporter Daniel Pearl, painting the verdicts as evidence of Islamabad's commitment to its antiterror campaign. .. MORE Bush Offers Assurances on Economy   July 15, 2002 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- President Bush, speaking as the stock market plunged Monday, said, "We're suffering a hangover" from economic binges on Wall Street. White House advisers worried about the political fallout from Main Street. .. MORE WorldCom Exec Didn't Want SEC Probe   July 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A top financial officer at WorldCom Inc. told colleagues last month he hoped he never would have to explain accounting irregularities to securities regulators, according to internal documents turned over to Congress. .. MORE Senate Passes Business Fraud Bill   July 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Without dissent, the Senate approved on Monday the most sweeping changes in corporate accountability since the Depression, creating stiff penalties and jail terms for company fraud and tightening oversight of the accounting industry. .. MORE US 'poorly served' by superficial, fragmented China policy: commission   July 15, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 15 (AFP) - The United States is "poorly served" by a fragmented, inconsistent and superficial China policy, wielded in compulsive secrecy and plagued by dismal crisis management, a bipartisan commission warned Monday. .. MORE Pearl killer threatens retaliation as Pakistan braces for backlash   July 15, 2002 KARACHI, July 15 (AFP) - Pakistan on Monday braced itself for a violent backlash as British-born Islamic militant Sheikh Omar threatened retaliation after being sentenced to death for murdering US journalist Daniel Pearl. .. MORE U.S. Stockpiling Precision Weapons   July 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. weapons makers have doubled the production rate of laser-guided bombs, added a shift to assemble satellite-guided bomb tailkits and boosted production at one ammunition factory to its highest level in 15 years. .. MORE Bin Laden alive and well after shrapnel injury   July 15, 2002 LONDON, July 15 (AFP) - Osama bin Laden is alive and in good health despite being wounded in December, a senior Arab journalist said to have close links to the al-Qaeda leader claimed in London Monday. .. MORE Ceremony Ends WTC Remains Search   July 15, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- Workers and victims' family members gathered Monday at a Staten Island landfill to mark the end of a grueling and emotional 10 months for the search of human remains from the collapsed World Trade Center. .. MORE Terror Probe Reveals Shortcomings   July 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lawmakers looking at intelligence failures leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks say they've uncovered numerous problems -- but not a single, massive error that allowed the hijackings to occur. .. MORE Bush Shatters Fund-Raising Record   July 15, 2002 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- President Bush was on track to demolish his own record for a single fund-raising appearance Monday, drawing $4 million for Alabama's financially lagging Republican gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Bob Riley. .. MORE US will not walk away from Afghanistan: Wolfowitz   July 15, 2002 KABUL, July 15 (AFP) - US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz pledged Washington's resolve to play a lead role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan Monday as he warned American troops could remain in the country for years. .. MORE Lindh Decides To Change Plea   July 15, 2002 ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- John Walker Lindh, the American captured in Afghanistan, has decided to plead guilty to charges he aided the Taliban and al-Qaida, his lawyer told a court Monday. .. MORE Pakistan court hands down death sentence for Pearl killer   July 15, 2002 HYDERABAD, Pakistan, July 15 (AFP) - A Pakistani court sentenced British-born militant Sheikh Omar to death by hanging Monday for abducting and murdering US journalist Daniel Pearl, while handing down three life sentences on three accomplices. .. MORE Four Dead in Alaska Plane Crash   July 15, 2002 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A plane carrying senior citizens on a fishing trip crashed in the mountains, killing all four people aboard. .. MORE Teen Shot in Head at Ga. Gun Show   July 15, 2002 NORCROSS, Ga. (AP) -- A 13-year-old boy who was shot in the head while attending a gun show with his father remained in critical condition early Monday. .. MORE New York to post police officers abroad in anti-terror effort   July 15, 2002 NEW YORK, July 15 (AFP) - New York police officials will deploy officers in at least five foreign countries in an ambitious effort to give the city's police force a global reach in its anti-terrorist operations, police sources said. .. MORE Storm Hits Phoenix, Delays Flights   July 15, 2002 PHOENIX (AP) -- A severe thunderstorm cut power to much of Sky Harbor International Airport, and flights were delayed or diverted Sunday night as crews cleaned debris from taxiways and surrounding roads. .. MORE Governors Blast Corporate Scandals   July 14, 2002 BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Governors meeting at a national conference say the corporate scandals shaking Wall Street have also hit Main Street USA -- from plunging revenues that are prompting program cuts to declines in pension funds and layoffs. .. MORE Halliburton CEO says Cheney knew about accounting practices: Newsweek   July 14, 2002 NEW YORK, July 14 (AFP) - Vice President Dick Cheney was aware that Halliburton was posting cost overruns as revenue when he ran the oil services company, the current CEO told Newsweek magazine. .. MORE Two-Car Penn. Crash Kills Five   July 14, 2002 HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Two cars collided on a two-lane rural road, killing five young people and injuring three others, authorities said. .. MORE TWA Flight 800 Memorial Unveiled   July 14, 2002 SHIRLEY, N.Y. (AP) -- Relatives and friends of the 230 people killed in the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 met on a wind-whipped bluff Sunday to dedicate a permanent memorial to the victims. .. MORE Wis. Mulls Disposal of Dead Deer   July 14, 2002 WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) -- Hunters took to the woods again this weekend, hoping to kill every deer in one part of southwestern Wisconsin to halt an outbreak of a fatal disease. Trouble is, wildlife officials still don't know how they're going to dispose of the tens of thousands of unwanted carcasses. .. MORE Report: LAX Gunman Had Money Woes   July 14, 2002 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The man who killed two people at the El Al ticket counter at Los Angeles International Airport had been having money problems and his business was on the verge of collapse, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. .. MORE Report: Taliban Captive Links Radicals   July 14, 2002 SEATTLE (AP) -- A federal investigation into whether a now-defunct Seattle mosque had ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network was prompted by information from a British Taliban fighter in custody at Guantanamo Bay, a newspaper reported Sunday. .. MORE 4 Would-Be Rescuers Die in Lake Erie   July 14, 2002 HURON, Ohio (AP) -- They were no more than knee-deep in the water, seemingly safe from the churning waves being whipped up by an unusually strong wind blowing across Lake Erie. .. MORE U.S. Government Is Top Book-Cooker   July 14, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lost in all the outrage over the corporate accounting scandals is one fact politicians do not like to acknowledge: The auditing problems at American companies cannot rival the bookkeeping shambles of the world's largest enterprise -- the U.S. government. .. MORE Senate to Debate Prescription Drugs   July 14, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The hot-button election year issue of prescription drugs reaches the Senate this week as lawmakers debate making lower-cost generic drugs more available and expanding Medicare to help the elderly pay their pharmacy bills. .. MORE Longest serving political prisoner from Tibet arrives in US   July 14, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 14 (AFP) - The longest serving political prisoner from Tibet, released by Chinese authorities for health reasons last March, arrived late Saturday in the United States where he will undergo medical treatment, his supporters announced. .. MORE Portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh dead at 93   July 14, 2002 BOSTON, July 13 (AFP) - Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh, whose pictures of British politician Winston Churchill, scientist Albert Einstein and author Ernest Hemingway earned him widespread recognition around the world, died here Saturday at 93, according to a local hospital official. .. MORE Young Whale Heads Home to Canada   July 14, 2002 HANSON ISLAND, British Columbia (AP) -- An orphaned killer whale that strayed into Puget Sound last winter and won hearts for her troubled species arrived back in her home waters Saturday. .. MORE New Pentagon operations plan focuses on preventive strikes   July 13, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 13 (AFP) - A secret Pentagon five-year plan directs the military to be ready for preemptive strikes anywhere in the world and to develop even greater precision-strike capabilities, The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday in its Internet edition. .. MORE Bush: Confidence Must Be Restored   July 13, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Restoring confidence in the integrity of business leaders is "perhaps the greatest need for our economy," President Bush said Saturday. .. MORE Bush's approval rating slips amid corporate scandals   July 13, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 13 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush's overall approval rating has slipped to 68 percent from 70 percent amid ballooning corporate scandals that have sent the US stock market into a tailspin, according to an opinion poll made public Saturday. .. MORE Ore. Community Evacuated by Wildfire   July 13, 2002 BEND, Ore. (AP) -- Residents of 200 homes were forced to evacuate Saturday as a raging wildfire burned about 3 miles away, fire officials said. .. MORE Fla. Caseworker Charged in Abuse Case   July 13, 2002 LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) -- The first call to the abuse hot line came Aug. 28, 2000. .. MORE Bodies of Missing Swimmers Recovered   July 13, 2002 HURON, Ohio (AP) -- The bodies of three of the four swimmers who disappeared in Lake Erie while trying to rescue a woman were recovered Saturday. .. MORE Woman Found Guilty in Anthrax Hoax   July 13, 2002 SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) -- A Pennsylvania woman has been convicted of trying to mail anthrax hoax letters to government officials, including President Bush, at the height of last fall's anthrax scare. .. MORE States Brace for Cigarette Backlash   July 13, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- As state after deficit-ridden state ratchets up cigarette taxes, authorities are bracing for some unwelcome consequences in the form of more aggressive smuggling and bolder use of the Internet as a tax-evading tobacco shop. .. MORE Bush, Democrats in air war over corporate governance   July 13, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 13 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and congressional Democrats took to the airwaves Saturday, each to present the solutions to corporate scandals that will likely define a partisan showdown in Congress. .. MORE NY medical examiners say 800 victims of WTC blast will never be identified   July 13, 2002 NEW YORK, July 13 (AFP) - Some 800 of the 2,823 people killed after two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers on September 11 will never be identified, The New York Times reported Saturday. .. MORE Attorney: Jury Probes Seattle Group   July 13, 2002 SEATTLE (AP) -- A federal grand jury is investigating a group affiliated with two defunct Seattle mosques to see if it is connected to the al-Qaida terror network, an attorney for a former mosque member said. .. MORE Church Van Overturns, Boy Killed   July 13, 2002 PINE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) -- A church van loaded with young people crashed after a tire blowout, killing a 12-year-old boy and injuring 12 other people. .. MORE Bush, Lawmakers Argue Over Terror Bill   July 13, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush warned lawmakers Saturday that failure to enact an anti-terrorism spending bill would soon force the military to cannibalize spare parts to keep equipment running, even as some fellow Republicans said the blame lies not with Congress but the White House. .. MORE Bush favorable to expanding, revamping NATO   July 13, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 13 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush said Friday that NATO must shift its focus from containing Russia to battling terrorism, and he renewed his conditional support for adding new members to the alliance. .. MORE China seeks ability to force reunification with Taiwan: Pentagon   July 13, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 12 (AFP) - China is modernizing its military to make possible a forcible reunification with Taiwan and thwart US efforts to intervene, a Pentagon report released Friday said. .. MORE Wis. Building Partially Collapses   July 13, 2002 LOMIRA, Wis. (AP) -- Part of a huge Wisconsin printing plant collapsed Friday night and caught fire, sending flames billowing into the sky, authorities said. .. MORE Wolfowitz to travel to Turkey, Afghanistan   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 12 (AFP) - US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz will visit Turkey for talks on Iraq and other security issues despite political turmoil that has shaken the government of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, a senior US defense official said Friday. .. MORE Anti-Terror Spending Bill Blocked   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senior Republican lawmakers took a rare jab at the Bush administration Friday, saying the Army may have to curtail training exercises as early as next week because White House budget demands have stalled a $30 billion anti-terrorism bill. .. MORE Bush Meets With Biz Fraud Task Force   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush met Friday for the first time with his new task force on corporate fraud and its chairman pledged to go after business criminals "with vigor and an aggressive manner." .. MORE White House: Deficit to Hit $165B   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government will run a $165 billion deficit this year, the first red ink in four years, but surpluses should return by 2005, the Bush administration said Friday. .. MORE Bush Endorses Iran Protest Movement   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Friday the United States endorses the cause of Iranians defying their Islamic government to support a dissident cleric. He denounced the "uncompromising, destructive policies" of the Tehran government. .. MORE Calif. City Torn Over Arrest Video   July 12, 2002 INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) -- Two large TVs hang from the ceiling at Granny's House of Soul Food and this week customers have been paying as much attention to the screens as they have to Granny's BBQ meat loaf, smothered chicken and black-eyed peas. .. MORE Bush Visits His Camp David Neighbor   July 12, 2002 THURMONT, Md. (AP) -- President Bush ventured from his Maryland mountain retreat Friday for a game of hokeypokey with children at a neighboring camp. .. MORE Judge Rules Against Lindh Reporter   July 12, 2002 ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- A judge on Friday rejected a freelance reporter's effort to avoid testifying about his videotaped interview with American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh in Afghanistan last year. .. MORE UN Security Council, United States reach agreement on ICC   July 12, 2002 UNITED NATIONS, July 12 (AFP) - The UN Security Council approved a compromise agreement Friday on the International Criminal Court that would grant US peacekeepers immunity from prosecution on a year-by-year basis. .. MORE Powell to embark on eight-nation South, Southeast Asia tour this month   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 12 (AFP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell will launch a grueling eight-nation tour of Asia this month, hoping to keep tensions between India and Pakistan under control and to bolster the Pacific front of the US-led war on terrorism. .. MORE States Address Death Penalty Laws   July 12, 2002 DENVER (AP) -- With Colorado taking a leading role, some states have begun amending their death penalty laws to bring them in line with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said it is up to juries, not judges, to decide whether a killer should live or die. .. MORE Pentagon report questions China's intentions on Taiwan   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 12 (AFP) - A new Pentagon report to Congress calls into question for the first time China's commitment to a peaceful settlement of its differences with Taiwan and highlights the threat it poses to other neighbors, US officials said Friday. .. MORE Many WTC Victims Won't Be Identified   July 12, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- The man who has led the monumental effort to put names to the remains of the World Trade Center dead has come to the sad realization that the task could end with just 2,000 victims identified. .. MORE FBI: Possible Attack on Texas Oil   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI has advised law enforcement agencies in the Houston area of uncorroborated intelligence suggesting terrorists might be planning an attack against oil refineries in the local suburb of Pasadena. .. MORE Lindh Looks to Suppress Statements   July 12, 2002 ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- John Walker Lindh's lawyers are waging their most important pretrial fight, hoping to keep jurors from hearing the U.S.-born Taliban soldier's statements about meeting Osama bin Laden and knowing of al-Qaida operations. .. MORE House OKs Building Collapse Bill   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Investigative teams with subpoena power would respond to deadly building failures within 48 hours to find out what went wrong and help prevent future collapses under legislation the House approved Friday. .. MORE Senate OKs Ban on Executive Loans   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate adopted a ban on personal loans from companies to their top officials and directors on Friday as it cleared the way for passage early next week of legislation creating stiff penalties for business fraud. .. MORE Service for 'Mayor of the Pentagon'   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hundreds attended a Pentagon memorial service Friday for David O. Cooke, whose work at the U.S. military headquarters over four decades earned him the nickname "Mayor of the Pentagon." .. MORE FBI Expands Search for Terrorists   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- American citizens may be among those serving as behind-the-scenes advisers to al-Qaida cells operating in the United States, law enforcement officials say. .. MORE House Panels End Homeland Plan Work   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A dozen House committees have completed work on the new Homeland Security Department President Bush wants, leaving it to a special House panel to put together one bill that reconciles some major differences with the president on the future role of such agencies as the Coast Guard and the INS. .. MORE Agency Issues Report on Children   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Life is improving for American children, at least a little bit. .. MORE Suspected Taliban Can't Meet Lawyers   July 12, 2002 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- A federal appeals court ruled Friday that a suspected American-born Taliban fighter cannot meet with his lawyers because the judge who ordered the meetings did not adequately consider the government's position that the prisoner is an enemy combatant. .. MORE Governors Look to Tackle Budget Woes   July 12, 2002 BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- It's not your typical subject for political one-upmanship, but it is sure to dominate the debate when the nation's governors convene for their summer meeting. In the words of one state leader: "Who's got the biggest financial problems?" .. MORE Judge Refuses New Church Bomb Trial   July 12, 2002 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- A judge on Friday rejected a request for a new trial from a former Ku Klux Klansman who was convicted of murder last year in the 1963 church bombing that killed four black girls. .. MORE West Nile Virus Found in Louisiana   July 12, 2002 BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Three men have been hospitalized with the West Nile virus, the first human cases of the potentially deadly infection reported in the nation this year, officials said. .. MORE Judge: U.S. Can Detain Witnesses   July 12, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- The jailing of material witnesses in the Sept. 11 investigation was found constitutional by a federal judge, who criticized an earlier ruling freeing a Jordanian detainee. .. MORE Feds Ask to Limit Airline Suit Access   July 12, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to limit public access to some information from injury and death lawsuits filed against airlines over the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. .. MORE Woman Describes Ariz. Fire Ordeal   July 12, 2002 PHOENIX (AP) -- To get through a two-night ordeal of being lost in the wilderness, a woman who set one of Arizona's worst wildfires said she drank water from muddy pools. .. MORE Pakistan arrests bin Laden 'financial adviser'   July 12, 2002 KARACHI, July 12 (AFP) - Pakistani authorities have arrested an alleged financial adviser of Osama bin Laden and two other militants believed to be from his al-Qaeda terror network, a police intelligence officer said Friday. .. MORE Secrecy Surrounds Bush Stock Deal   July 12, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- It is a stock market whodunit that has withstood a decade of scrutiny. Who bought George W. Bush's problem-plagued oil company stock just before its value dropped? .. MORE Colo. to Let Juries to Decide Death   July 12, 2002 DENVER (AP) -- State lawmakers approved a bill Thursday to bring Colorado law in line with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling by letting juries, rather than judges, decide whether a convicted killer should live or die. .. MORE New Info Released on Van Dam Murder   July 12, 2002 SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A judge on Thursday unsealed affidavits in the trial of a man accused of killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, including one in which police allege the defendant told them the desert east of San Diego would be "a great place to dump a body." .. MORE Bush Top Brass Defends Homeland Security Dept   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 11 (AFP) - President George W. Bush's top guns defended in Congress Thursday the creation of a massive new homeland security department out of other federal agencies, but lawmakers used to having a say over these areas are finding it hard to let go. .. MORE Panel Rejects Permanent Cloning Ban   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's bioethics advisers rejected a permanent ban on cloning for biomedical research Thursday, taking a middle ground in the debate over the promise of science versus the perils of research using human embryos. .. MORE Fire Destroys $44.9M Dallas Mansion   July 11, 2002 DALLAS (AP) -- A $44.9 million French chateau-style mansion that may have been the most expensive home in Dallas was destroyed in a fire early Thursday just weeks before its completion. .. MORE Lawmakers Change Bush Homeland Plan   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lawmakers balked Thursday at moving the Coast Guard and the nation's emergency disaster agency into a new Homeland Security Department despite pleas from senior Cabinet officials to stick to President Bush's blueprint. .. MORE U.S. May Need Years for Climate Study   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defending their approach toward global warming, President Bush's advisers said Thursday that costly near-term measures to reduce emissions aren't justified but they will develop a 10-year research plan to better understand climate change. .. MORE Bush Touts Private Drug Plans   July 11, 2002 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Seeking to nudge Congress his direction on prescription drug coverage for senior citizens, President Bush on Thursday promoted a new report by his administration claiming privately run plans are better for patients than government-controlled insurance programs. .. MORE Poll: Democrats Warming Up to Gore   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Al Gore plans to spend some time in July mending fences in Tennessee -- attending an Indy car race at Nashville Superspeedway and campaigning for congressional candidate Lincoln Davis in the sprawling 4th District. .. MORE New Visa Rules May Not Halt Risks   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A man who teaches foreigners techniques for killing U.S. officials wants to come to the United States on an immigrant visa. Is he ineligible? .. MORE U.S. Won't Meet in Iraq About Pilot   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration is rejecting Iraq's offer to discuss the fate of Gulf War pilot Capt. Scott Speicher, missing for 11 years, and instead will ask Iraq if it has any new information. .. MORE NHTSA Studies Odometer Fraud   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than 450,000 people every year buy used vehicles with mileage gauges rolled back, spending thousands of dollars more than they should, according to a federal study of odometer fraud. .. MORE Powell defends senior US diplomat he asked to resign   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 11 (AFP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday defended a senior US diplomat whose retirement he requested this week, rejecting reports that she had been forced from her job as punishment. .. MORE US forces to limit operations in south Afghanistan: Kandahar chief   July 11, 2002 KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 11 (AFP) - US forces will no longer launch their own military operations in southern Afghanistan without consulting top local officials, a leading provincial governor said. .. MORE Meeting of Mideast "quartet" ministers shifted to Tuesday   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 11 (AFP) - A meeting of top officials from the international diplomatic "quartet" on the Middle East set for next week in New York has been delayed for one day for logistical reasons, the US State Department said Thursday. .. MORE U.S.: Most 9/11 Detainees Released   July 11, 2002 NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- The government said Thursday that it has released most of the detainees it picked up as part of its investigation into the Sept. 11 attacks. .. MORE Perot Addresses Calif. Energy Probe   July 11, 2002 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot denied Thursday that his consulting company showed power suppliers how to manipulate California's energy market to drive up wholesale prices. .. MORE California Reaches Power Emergency   July 11, 2002 Scorching heat is testing California's power reserves and raising concerns about more wildfires in the already-dry West. .. MORE Floods Could Be Boon for Texas Gov.   July 11, 2002 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- With high water raging across Texas, Gov. Rick Perry spent much of the past week swooping into San Antonio by helicopter to declare help is on the way, calling out the National Guard, asking President Bush for disaster aid, and comforting flooded-out families. .. MORE Bush Got Harken Low-Interest Loans   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush received low-interest loans in the 1980s from a Texas oil company where he was a director, a practice he asked companies to end as part of his proposal to discourage corporate wrongdoing. .. MORE Cheney Praises Andersen in Video   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A 1996 promotional videotape has surfaced that features Dick Cheney praising now-disgraced Arthur Andersen LLP for going above and beyond routine audits for the company he ran for five years. .. MORE Pakistan says spy plane crashed near US base   July 11, 2002 ISLAMABAD, July 11 (AFP) - A high-flying unmanned surveillance plane crashed near a Pakistan airport that is used by US forces as a base for their operations in neighbouring Afghanistan, security officials said Thursday. .. MORE Foreign Service Man Asked to Resign   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The head of the State Department's consular service is retiring at the request of Secretary of State Colin Powell, the department announced. .. MORE Moussaoui Lawyer Against Death Penalty   July 11, 2002 ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- The court-appointed lawyer for Zacarias Moussaoui is intensifying his efforts to bar use of the death penalty against his client, even though Moussaoui has accused the lawyer himself of plotting his execution. .. MORE House of Representatives okays arming US airline pilots   July 11, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 10 (AFP) - Displeased with the level of airline security, the US House of Representatives voted Wednesday to allow US airline pilots to carry lethal weapons, overriding objections by President George W. Bush's administration. .. MORE House OKs Bill to Arm Airline Pilots   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pilots could carry guns in the cockpit to defend their planes against terrorists under a bill the House passed overwhelmingly Wednesday despite opposition from the White House and airlines. .. MORE Giuliani, Wife Reach Divorce Deal   July 10, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Donna Hanover reached an out-of-court divorce settlement Wednesday, avoiding a public conclusion to their bitter separation after two decades of marriage. .. MORE Bush appeals for personnel "flexibility" in Homeland Security   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 10 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Wednesday urged lawmakers to speed creation of his proposed Homeland Security Department and to give it broad latitude to hire, fire, and train employees. .. MORE Watchdog group sues US Vice President Cheney for alleged stock fraud   July 10, 2002 MIAMI, July 10 (AFP) - One day after US President George W. Bush vowed to get tough on corporate fraud, an anti-corruption watchdog group Wednesday sued Vice President Dick Cheney and his former employer US oil services group Halliburton Co. for alleged fraudulent accounting practices. .. MORE House to Vote on Guns in Cockpits   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Airline pilots could carry guns in the cockpit under an anti-terror bill that Republicans began pushing through the House on Wednesday despite opposition from the White House. .. MORE Alleged Hijack Roommate to Be Freed   July 10, 2002 BALTIMORE (AP) -- A Jordanian citizen who FBI officials believe lived with two Sept. 11 hijackers last year will be released from custody pending an appeal, a federal magistrate ruled Wednesday. .. MORE 4th Shuttle Has Cracked Fuel Line   July 10, 2002 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- NASA's newest shuttle was diagnosed Wednesday as having the same potentially dangerous problem as the rest of the fleet: cracked fuel lines. .. MORE Guilty Verdict in Ga. Sheriff Murder   July 10, 2002 ALBANY, Ga. (AP) -- Former sheriff Sidney Dorsey was convicted Wednesday of plotting the murder of his successor, who was gunned down in his driveway just days before taking office. .. MORE O'Neill expresses fury over scandals   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 10 (AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said Wednesday he and President George W. Bush were infuriated by corporate crooks and would ensure they paid for their crimes. .. MORE Letter May Be Clue in Utah Girl Case   July 10, 2002 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Elizabeth Smart's father said Wednesday he received a letter that he suspects may have come from someone with knowledge of his 14-year-old daughter's disappearance. .. MORE Bush Touts Homeland Security Dept.   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush told federal workers Wednesday they could claim their place in history by embracing his far-reaching reorganization of the government and creation of a Cabinet Department of Homeland Security, an agency starting to take shape in the House. .. MORE S.C. Appeals Plutonium Shipments   July 10, 2002 ABINGDON, Va. (AP) -- Lawyers for South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges told an appeals court Wednesday that the federal government should have conducted more environmental studies before targeting his state for plutonium storage. .. MORE Charges Dropped in Pa. Massacre   July 10, 2002 PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Prosecutors dropped all charges Wednesday against four men accused in a crackhouse massacre that killed seven, but left themselves the option of rearresting the men later. .. MORE College for Deaf Murderer Gets Life   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A former Gallaudet University student convicted of murdering two classmates was sentenced Wednesday to six life terms in prison with no possibility of parole. .. MORE Senators Decry Bioweapon Test Probe   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee criticized the Pentagon Wednesday for delaying an investigation of chemical and biological weapons tests in the 1960s that may have exposed soldiers to deadly agents. .. MORE Hispanic Tapped for Fla. High Court   July 10, 2002 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday named a grandson of former Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista as the first Hispanic on the Florida Supreme Court. .. MORE Justice Dept. Probes Leaks in Lindh Case   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department is investigating whether any government officials leaked sealed documents to the media in the case of suspected American Taliban John Walker Lindh. .. MORE Giuliani Said Near Divorce Deal   July 10, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- An all-night negotiating session between attorneys for ex-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and estranged wife Donna Hanover came close to producing a settlement of their ugly divorce case, attorneys for both sides said in court Wednesday. .. MORE Report Blames Some Fires on Lawsuits   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nearly half the projects designed to reduce fire risks in national forests since 2001 were stalled by appeals, usually by environmentalists seeking to stop logging, an internal Forest Service report says. .. MORE Pentagon expands probe of Pacific chemical, bio arms tests   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 9 (AFP) - An investigation of secret biological and chemical weapons tests conducted by the Pentagon at the height of the Cold War is being expanded to gauge the true scope of possible health damage to US troops, the Defense Department announced Tuesday. .. MORE FBI Searches for Mideast Nationals   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Authorities questioned a former U.S. Embassy employee about an alleged bribery scheme that may have allowed 71 Middle Easterners into the country illegally, including two believed to have lived with Sept. 11 hijackers, a U.S. official said. .. MORE Senate to Debate Prescription Drugs   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The pace is quickening in the Senate on senior citizens' issues, from a new entry in the Medicare prescription drug sweepstakes to fresh election-year emphasis on access to lower-cost generic medicine. .. MORE Congress OKs Nevada Nuke Waste Site   July 10, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- After a favorable Senate vote, the political verdict on Yucca Mountain is in, but the proposed nuclear waste dump in Nevada still faces major hurdles, including lawsuits and a long licensing process. .. MORE Search for Remains at WTC Nears End   July 10, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- The recovery of human remains from the World Trade Center debris will officially end next week when a landfill site is shut down, capping a toilsome effort that began a day after the terrorist attacks. .. MORE Pastor Charged With Beating Student   July 10, 2002 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- A church pastor and his twin brother have been charged with severely beating an 11-year-old boy with a stick as punishment for cheating during his Bible studies. .. MORE Mayor calls for sacking, charges against cop accused of beating black boy   July 9, 2002 LOS ANGELES, July 9 (AFP) - Civic leaders in Los Angeles demanded Tuesday that a white policeman accused of beating a black teenager face criminal charges, as the incident reignited racial tensions in this multi-ethnic city. .. MORE Bush Sets Up Corporate Fraud Team   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush called his new Corporate Fraud Task Force a "financial crimes SWAT team" to root out and prosecute white-collar criminals. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill likened its mission to the work of mob-buster Eliot Ness. .. MORE Bush Seeks More Penalties for Fraud   July 9, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) --President Bush called for doubled prison terms and aggressive policing Tuesday to combat fraud and corruption in scandal-tarred corporate America, promising to do "everything in our power to end the days of cooking the books." .. MORE New Penalty for N.Y. Death Row Inmate   July 9, 2002 ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- The first man condemned under the state's 1995 capital punishment law cannot be executed because the law was unconstitutional at the time his case was tried, New York's highest court ruled Tuesday. .. MORE House Panel Adds Cash to Fight Fires   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A House committee voted Tuesday to provide an extra $700 million for battling wildfires that have raged across more than 3 million acres this year, mostly in the West. .. MORE Minn. Gov. in Hospital for Blood Clot   July 9, 2002 ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Gov. Jesse Ventura was admitted Tuesday to a hospital for treatment of a blood clot in his lung, and was in stable condition, his spokesman said. .. MORE Task Force Chief Used to Defend Fraud   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's choice as the nation's top corporate crime fighter, Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson, has spent much of his career as a private attorney defending clients from allegations of fraud and white collar crime. .. MORE Bush speech fell short, Dems say, as Senate moves on tough accounting bill   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 9 (AFP) - Disappointed with President George W. Bush's speech, which some lawmakers said was short on substance despite his call for a crackdown on corporate wrongdoing, Senate Democrats moved forward Tuesday on tough accounting legislation. .. MORE Powell plans to visit South Asia this month   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 9 (AFP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday he expects to visit South Asia before the end of this month to keep up the pace of the diplomatic drive to cool tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. .. MORE Bush Honors Medal of Freedom Winners   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bill Cosby brought a little humor into President Bush's presentation Tuesday of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the comedian and 11 other leaders in arts, sports, entertainment, politics and journalism. .. MORE Panel Wants Limits on Tax Havens   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A House committee voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to curtail federal contracts for many companies that move offshore to avoid U.S. taxes in the latest political fallout over corporate misbehavior. .. MORE Bush Seeks Stiff Corporate Penalties   July 9, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- President Bush called for stiff new penalties for corporate criminals and a crackdown on boardroom scandals Tuesday, promising in a speech on Wall Street that his administration would "end the days of cooking the books, shading the truth and breaking our laws." .. MORE S.C. Leads Nation in Mobile Homes   July 9, 2002 MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) -- The Rev. Lawrence Beadle's three-bedroom home along South Carolina's Grand Strand is appointed with all the traditional touches: black shutters, a picture window and a carport. .. MORE Senate Nears OK of Nuke Waste Dump   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate pushed toward approval of a plan to bury thousands of tons of radioactive waste inside Yucca Mountain in the Nevada desert on Tuesday, overriding the state's fervent protests and ending a decades-long congressional debate over hazardous waste disposal. .. MORE 'Son of Sam' Killer Denied Parole   July 9, 2002 ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- David Berkowitz, the "Son of Sam" killer who terrorized New York City during the sweltering summer of 1977, was denied parole Tuesday in his first chance for release after 25 years behind bars. .. MORE 3 Attacked After Fla. Gay PrideFest   July 9, 2002 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Two men taunted and attacked a group of men leaving a gay pride celebration, injuring three of them. .. MORE Bush Nominee Faces Senate Hearing   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- When nominated for surgeon general, Dr. Richard Carmona was praised as a Green Beret turned trauma surgeon who once dangled from a helicopter in a mountainside rescue and worked double-duty as a sheriff's deputy. .. MORE Bush Calls Leaders on Mideast Peace   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush spoke with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Israel on Tuesday to press his tough line on Yasser Arafat and his call for Israel to reciprocate for recent Palestinian reform efforts. .. MORE GAO, Alaska Spar Over Oil Cleanup   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Alaska officials say there's little need to worry about potential multibillion-dollar cleanups from oil and gas drilling in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve, since they might not happen for 50 years. .. MORE Volunteers Undergo Vaccine Trials   July 9, 2002 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- With the jab of a needle, volunteers are being injected with a smallpox vaccine as part of government-sponsored experiments that come amid heightened fear of biological terrorism. .. MORE FBI Agents Raid Immigrants' Stores   July 9, 2002 PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Customers usually enter Tariq Hussain's jewelry store browsing for diamonds or gold rings. Recently, he was visited by people looking for something much more sinister. .. MORE Bush said progress being made on Palestinian reform   July 9, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 8 (AFP) - President George W. Bush said on Monday that some "progress" had been made towards reforms in the Palestinian Authority which he has demanded as a condition for the establishment of a Palestinian state. .. MORE Bush vows to get tough on corporate law breakers   July 9, 2002 NEW YORK, July 9 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush is expected to announce tougher measures against executive lawbreakers during a speech Tuesday on Wall Street aimed at restoring trust in corporate America. .. MORE Moussaoui: FBI Planted Device in Car   July 9, 2002 ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- Zacarias Moussaoui wants an independent expert to determine if an electric fan he says mysteriously appeared on his car in the spring of 2001 contained a tracking device planted by the FBI. .. MORE Police launch probe into beating of suspect   July 9, 2002 LOS ANGELES, July 8 (AFP) - Police in Los Angeles launched Monday a probe into the videotaped beating of a black teenager by white policemen in a scene reminiscent of the attack on Rodney King that led to riots here 10 years ago. .. MORE NAACP Slams Election Reform Progress   July 9, 2002 HOUSTON (AP) -- Several states have made little progress in fixing elections problems that left thousands of minority voters disenfranchised in the 2000 presidential election, the NAACP said. .. MORE Files Show Bishop Dismissed Complaints   July 8, 2002 CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- Bishop John McCormack twice dismissed complaints that two priests had molested children in the 1980s and '90s after the two clergymen said they'd done nothing wrong, according to the bishop's deposition in a Massachusetts lawsuit. .. MORE Tape Shows Police Officer Hitting Teen   July 8, 2002 INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) -- A police officer was suspended Monday after he was shown on a videotape slamming a handcuffed teenager onto the back of a car and striking him during an arrest. .. MORE US welcome to extend anti-terror operations in South Asia: India   July 8, 2002 NEW DELHI, July 8 (AFP) - New Delhi said Monday it would not object if the United States extended its stay in the South Asian region as part of its war on terrorism. .. MORE Jury Deliberates in Ex-Sheriff Trial   July 8, 2002 ALBANY, Ga. (AP) -- Jurors on Monday began deliberating the fate of a former sheriff portrayed by prosecutors as so power-hungry he masterminded the slaying of his successor, but characterized by the defense as guilty only of arrogance. .. MORE Bush Vows to Bring Down Iraq Leader   July 8, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush promised Monday to "use all the tools at our disposal" to bring down Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. .. MORE Bush: Bin Laden Status Unknown   July 8, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Monday he does not know if Osama bin Laden is alive or dead. .. MORE Text of Bush's News Conference   July 8, 2002 Text of President Bush's news conference Monday, as transcribed by eMediaMillWorks Inc.: .. MORE Bush Awards Posthumous Medal of Honor   July 8, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush presented a posthumous Medal of Honor Monday to Army Capt. Rocky Versace, a Green Beret who defied his Viet Cong captors and was executed in 1965. .. MORE Bush Defends Past Business Dealings   July 8, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush denounced criticism of his past business practices as old style politics on Tuesday, and said "sometimes things aren't exactly black and white when it comes to accounting procedures." .. MORE Bush Presses for Anti-Terrorism Money   July 8, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush prodded Congress on Monday to fully fund the war on terrorism at home and aboard, saying some accounts could be depleted in a matter of days and that "further delay is intolerable." .. MORE Bush Defends His Texas Oil Dealings   July 8, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush heatedly defended his decade-old dealings as an oil company director Monday amid rising concern about the nation's business scandals. "Sometimes things aren't exactly black and white when it comes to accounting procedures," he said of transactions at his old firm. .. MORE Texas Gov. Says Flood Damage Near $1B   July 8, 2002 SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- With flood warnings out and more rain looming, Gov. Rick Perry said Monday that he expected losses from the deadly flooding across Texas to be near $1 billion. .. MORE Report: 9/11 Victims Need More Aid   July 8, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- Relatives of World Trade Center victims and people who suffered other losses because of the attack need $768 million over the next year in unemployment benefits, mental health treatment and other assistance, a consortium of charities said Monday. .. MORE US defends Afghan policy following VP's assassination   July 8, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 8 (AFP) - The United States Monday vigorously defended its policy on Afghanistan, after the assassination of the Afghan vice president provoked fears for President Hamid Karzai's young government, a key cog in the US anti-terror drive. .. MORE U.S. Accuses Castro of Duplicity   July 8, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department on Monday accused Cuban President Fidel Castro of duplicity for showing up at a U.S. Independence Day party in Havana while denying the Cuban people their freedoms. .. MORE NY firefighter's families honoured guests in France   July 8, 2002 PARIS, July 8 (AFP) - Several New York firefighters and the families of their colleagues who died in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center arrived in Paris Monday for a two-week visit hosted by their French counterparts. .. MORE Studies Promising on New AIDS Drug   July 8, 2002 BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- A new drug that attacks the AIDS virus in an entirely different way could dramatically restore the health of HIV patients whose infections have outfoxed all existing medicines, research indicates. .. MORE Safety Overlooked for Teen Workers   July 8, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Brad Hurtig's first day on the job was his last. .. MORE NYC Companies Lobby for Federal Aid   July 8, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- New York City businesses still recovering from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center are hiring Washington lobbyists to help tap into federal aid flowing from Capitol Hill. .. MORE Florida High Court Delays Executions   July 8, 2002 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Two executions set for this week were put off Monday by the Florida Supreme Court so it can consider whether the state's capital punishment law is constitutional. .. MORE Future for Terror Aid Law Uncertain   July 8, 2002 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- On the very day last month that Mohamad Hammoud became the first person convicted under a 1996 law that bans aid to terrorist groups, a federal judge in California declared the statute unconstitutional. .. MORE Texas Tire Dump Raises Fire Fears   July 8, 2002 ATLANTA, Texas (AP) -- More than 30 million tires have reached the end of the road amid the pine forests of northeastern Texas. And state environmental officials are worried. .. MORE Louima Case on Closing Arguments   July 8, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- An ex-patrolman accused of helping torture Abner Louima in a police precinct bathroom made the mistake of thinking his fellow officers would never turn him in, a prosecutor said Monday. .. MORE Bush Winds Up Birthday Vacation   July 8, 2002 KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (AP) -- President Bush played one last round of golf Monday in the early morning mist of the Maine coast before returning to Washington for a week of ceremony and political challenge. .. MORE LAX Suspect's Wife Says He's Innocent   July 8, 2002 CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- The wife of an Egyptian who gunned down two people at the Los Angeles airport said Monday that her husband is innocent and that he gave no hint of violence in a phone call hours before the shooting. .. MORE Many Young HIV-Positive Men Unaware   July 8, 2002 BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- A study of young gay and bisexual men in major U.S. cities found that more than three-quarters of those infected with HIV were unaware they had the AIDS virus. .. MORE Impending storm threatens flooded Texas with more rain   July 8, 2002 NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas, July 8 (AFP) - Texans were bracing for more rain on Monday after floods left thousands homeless and claimed at least 12 lives. .. MORE Bush Hedges on Afghan Military Role   July 8, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration is turning aside suggestions that it increase the U.S. military role in Afghanistan following the assassination of an Afghan vice president. .. MORE Ariz. Forest Fire Fully Contained   July 7, 2002 PHOENIX (AP) -- After weeks of battling the largest wildfire in Arizona history, firefighters from around the country were being reassigned to other states or sent home as the fire was finally contained Sunday. .. MORE Shark Victim Recovery Slow, Steady   July 7, 2002 PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -- Before the Sept. 11 attacks, the anthrax letters and the steady drumbeat of terror alerts, much of the nation had focused its attention, and fear, on sharks. .. MORE Census Tracks Grandparent Caregivers   July 7, 2002 THURMONT, Md. (AP) -- Hunched on the living room floor in front of a Lego set, 5-year-old Michael Simmons turned and waved at his grandmother. "Look, Grandma," he said, holding a newly built toy in hand. .. MORE FBI Looks to Tape in Utah Girl Case   July 7, 2002 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The FBI is trying to enhance a security videotape from a hospital parking lot a half-mile from the home where a 14-year-old girl was taken from her bedroom at gunpoint. .. MORE Bush Readies Corporate Scandal Plan   July 7, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Jailing crooked executives and strengthening laws against corporate wrongdoing are needed to restore Americans' confidence in big business, lawmakers said Sunday as they surveyed the wreckage of companies such as Enron Corp. and WorldCom Inc. .. MORE Co-Designer of Boeing 747 Dies   July 7, 2002 SEATTLE (AP) -- Everette Webb, one of the four aeronautical engineers who designed and created the world's first jumbo jet, the Boeing 747, has died. .. MORE Enron board shares blame for company's collapse: Senate report   July 7, 2002 WASHINGTON, July 7 (AFP) - The board of fallen energy giant Enron was aware of the managers' dubious financial practices and should share blame for its spectacular collapse, a US Senate subcommittee concluded in a report out Sunday. .. MORE U.S. Muslims Look Help Refugees   July 7, 2002 ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) -- Muslim refugees torn from their homelands by war and other violence face a daunting task trying to forge new lives in the United States, advocates said at a weekend conference. .. MORE Bush Says Pledge at Church Service   July 7, 2