Monday October 2, 2006

The Final Word: “Government ~~In Action~~ Inaction”

(The media experiment in which we conjoin the headline and last paragraph of each bylined article in the A-section of today's New York Times.)

Page 1

Roberts Court May Be Defined in Second Term:

Two cases present interpretive issues under the Clean Air Act. In Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, No. 05-1120, 16 states and other parties are challenging the Bush administration's view that Congress has not authorized federal regulation of motor vehicle emissions that contribute to global warming. The question in Environmental Defense v. Duke Energy Corporation, No. 05-848, is what the law requires of utility companies seeking to modernize aging power plants.

Archbishop's Call for Court Blessing Steers Clear of Issues:

As the archbishop stood with one man, the other, holding the camera, said happily, "Here's to the union of church and state!"

Archbishop's Call for Court Blessing Steers Clear of Issues: The archbishop laughed, but gently corrected him. "No," he said, "remember, I said they were two distinct spheres."

Former Pages Describe Foley as Caring Ally:

"You all have proven without a doubt that you are not only courageous Americans but wonderful young people," Mr. Foley said on June 6, 2002. "I salute you and I thank you, and I hope you will join me, too, in saluting everyone in the page program that has made this year a resounding, phenomenal learning experience and success for you. God bless you all."

Global Sludge Ends in Tragedy for Ivory Coast:

Africa has long been a dumping ground for all sorts of things the developed world has no use for. "This is the underbelly of globalization," said Jim Puckett, an activist at the Basel Action Network, an environmental group that fights toxic waste dumping. "Environmental regulations in the north have made disposing of waste expensive, so corporations look south."

Trading Votes for Pork Across the House Aisle:

Mr. Murtha, for his part, argued that his experience brokering votes would be an asset if Ms. Pelosi became the speaker. Running the House with a slim majority would require bipartisanship and party discipline. "I come across a little tougher," he said. "And I do have a lot of people that vote with me on an awful lot of issues."

Wal-Mart to Add More Part-Timers and Wage Caps:

"Sometimes they work two nights a week and two days a week," he said. "If there is an issue with a schedule, they can approach me. It's something we will work to solve. If they need this day off, I am happy to give it to them."

Hardball Ain't the Only Game in Brooklyn Anymore:

He wants to raise his son in an environment where baseball is played all the time, where the competition is fierce and the rewards are great. He lives in California.

Other News

Review of Messages Sent by Congressman Begins:

"The money is in the control of Mr. Foley," Mr. Forti said. "Whatever he decides to do with it is up to him."

Laws Involving Contact With Minors Allow Prosecutors a Broad Range of Discretion:

And Mr. Foley is not the only person who could possibly face prosecution, Professor Berman said. "If there were people who knew about him or protected him," he said, "some sort of complicity or conspiracy charge is certainly viable."

Democrats See a Chance to Turn the Tables:

Since the revelations of Mr. Foley's behavior, Democrats have been particularly forceful in singling out Mr. Reynolds, whom they see as an architect of Republican attacks against them. Mr Reynolds is facing a challenge from Jack Davis, a wealthy businessman who has vowed to spend at least $2 million of his own money in the contest and whose campaign has seized upon the Foley episode to attack Mr. Reynolds.

Embattled Brazil Incumbent Fails to Win First-Round Ballot:

The balloting took place with the country in a somber mood after the crash of a passenger plane with 155 people aboard deep in the Amazon jungle on Friday.

Fastow a Key for Plaintiffs in Bank Suits:

Hours in front of a microphone being peppered with questions might be a relief for Mr. Fastow. He is currently in solitary confinement in a Houston detention center, awaiting assignment to a prison. His cell is so filthy that Mr. Fastow, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, has taken to doing pushups with his feet on the bed and his hands on the sink, said Mr. Smyser, who last visited him on Saturday.

State Fines New York Clinic $16.5 Million in Medicaid Inquiry:

This year, at the governor's urging, the Legislature set aside money for 81 positions to monitor Medicaid fraud. But in a report in June, auditors with the federal Department of Health and Human Services said that Mr. Pataki's changes, while laudable, were not sufficient to make up for years of staff cuts and lax enforcement.

Wait Ends for Father and Son Exiled by F.B.I. Terror Inquiry:

The United States attorney's office in Sacramento, which prosecuted the Hayats, has declined to comment on the investigation other than to acknowledge that agents wished to speak with the Ismails. A Homeland Security spokesman said he had no information about the case.

International

Report Cites Bid by Sunnis in Bahrain to Rig Elections:

Bahrain's predominantly Shiite opposition groups say the report is a smoking gun and have demanded a full investigation. "All of this fits within our own political reading," said Ibrahim al-Sharif, chairman of the Democratic Action Society. "What he did for us was connect the dots and show the extent of the effort. It's fair to say everyone is shocked by the result."

Social Democrats Defeat Governing Party in Austria:

With these inconclusive voting results, Austria finds itself in a position similar to Germany after its election last year. The two major parties may be forced into a grand coalition, since the extreme right parties have discouraged talk of a coalition with the People's Party. In a television interview on Sunday, Mr. Schüssel focused on the problems dogging Chancellor Angela Merkel. "Looking at Germany," he said, "one can see it is not so easy."

U.S. to Cut Guatemala's Debt for Not Cutting Trees:

An agreement under the program with Belize set aside 23,000 acres of new forest preserves and has helped to manage an additional 270,000 acres. One of two deals in Panama helped preserve the Chagres River Basin, which is a major source of water for the Panama Canal.

Tokyo Journal: Splitting a Hip Neighborhood, in More Ways Than One:

"Many are sitting by silently as the neighborhood dies," said Masami Kobayashi, a professor of architecture at Meiji University here who has tried to persuade the city to accept less disruptive alternative road plans with no success. "In 10 years, we will regret having done this."

Peru's Leader Uses 2nd Chance to Rewrite Legacy:

Mr. García's drift toward the center has been eased by his inheriting an economy thriving from demand for exports, like silver and zinc. Still, details are sparse as to how he will address persistently high poverty levels while he speaks with admiration of Roosevelt's New Deal. Social spending in Peru is just 8 percent of gross domestic product, far behind other countries like Bolivia and Colombia, according to the Apoyo Institute, a research organization.

Midair Collision Probably Led to Brazil Crash, Officials Say:

Lisa Hendrickson, a spokeswoman for ExcelAire, said the company was working with Brazilian authorities to determine when its employees might return home.

Shiite Politicians Grow More Critical of Iraq's Government:

Some Shiites say that the Americans, who still control security, have made it hard for the government to act. Parts of the government "still feel paralyzed," said one Shiite politician, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he did not want to be seen as critical of the leadership. "Neighborhoods are being attacked by armed groups. Threats are passed on to families."

Serbia Asserts Its Sovereignty Over Kosovo in Legislation:

The institutions include a Parliament and a three-member presidency representing each of Bosnia's main ethnic groups: Orthodox Christian Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and Catholic Croats.

Incumbent Leads in Zambia Presidential Voting:

"For Sata, the problem is that Mwanawasa was able to get some votes in every province, even where he did bad," he said. "But Sata only campaigned in urban areas," he added, and so was almost shut out in some rural regions.

Rice Heads to Mideast to Buttress Palestinian Leader:

Mr. Woodward said the starkest warnings were made in a July 10, 2001, meeting in the White House between Ms. Rice, then the national security adviser, and George J. Tenet, then the director of central intelligence. Through spokesmen, she has rejected Mr. Woodward's account of the meeting, saying Mr. Tenet did not issue such a blunt warning at the meeting and expressed none of the frustration attributed to him in the book.

National Report

Series of Laws Toughen Animal Protection in California:

The state's new cockfighting law, meanwhile, comes after several neighboring states passed tougher measures, driving the illegal fights into California, which had previously doled out only light sentences for offenders. Under the new law, a second conviction can be a felony, resulting in prison time or a $25,000 fine.