Tuesday October 3, 2006

The Final Word: “Bong Hits in the NYT Staff Lounge Edition”

(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.)

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Pressure Grows for G.O.P. Over Foley Scandal:

At the news conference Monday night, Mr. Roth, Mr. Foley's lawyer, denied that Mr. Foley had ever had inappropriate physical contact with minors. "Mark Foley has never, ever had inappropriate sexual contact with a minor in his life," Mr. Roth said. "He is absolutely, positively not a pedophile."

Papers Knew of Foley E-Mail: "I hate to give up sources, but to the extent that I know the political parties of any of the people who helped us, it would be the same party," Mr. Ross said, referring to Republicans.

Across Nation, Housing Costs Rise as Burden:

Manhattan appeared to have the second highest number of male couples living together, following Los Angeles.

N.Y. Group Pushes to Make Lower-Priced Housing an Issue: "We're very cautiously optimistic with Spitzer," said Jumaane D. Williams, executive director of Tenants and Neighbors, a member of the coalition. "He's said some good things, and it's a good start. But there's so much more that needs to be done."

Man Shoots 11, Killing 4 Girls, in Amish School:

"You think something like this will never happen, especially in a place like this," said Mr. Bieler, who is Mennonite, and says the Amish community makes him and others feel welcome. "You pray that it won't happen. But you just never know. You can't know. And that's hard to accept."

Schools Gird for Security: Heightened concern about gangs, guns and violence changed that in the early 1990's, long before Columbine, he said, adding: "It's unfortunate for the students who have to go to school in this environment, but they adapt. We have to be very diligent."

After Afghan Battle, a Harder Fight for Peace:

"The soldiers were operating as part of a combat patrol that made contact with enemy extremists," the United States military said of the clash, which occurred late Monday in the province's Pech district.

Colliding With Death at 37,000 Feet, and Living:

But laughs, such as they were, died out by now as we thought again and again of the bodies still unclaimed in the jungle, and how their lives and ours had intersected, literally and metaphorically, for one horrible split second.

Cockpit Recorders Found in Amazon Wreckage: Brazilian officials said that they expected the salvage and cleanup efforts at the crash site to take weeks, and that they had invited investigators from the United States National Transportation Safety Board to help. Liz Verdier, a Seattle-based spokeswoman for Boeing, said Sunday that two of the company's investigators would join the team traveling to Brazil this week.

Bridging a Racial Rift That Isn't Black and White:

Mr. Williams replied: "That sounds good. That sounds good. We'll do that."

Other News

C.I.A. Chief Warned Rice on Al Qaeda:

Mr. Cheney recalled in an appearance on "Meet the Press" on Sept. 10: "George Tenet sat in the Oval Office and the president of the United States asked him directly, he said, 'George, how good is the case against Saddam on weapons of mass destruction?' The director of the C.I.A. said, 'It's a slam dunk, Mr. President, it's a slam dunk,' "

2 American 'Worm People' Win Nobel for RNA Work:

He and Dr. Fire began collaborating in the late 1980's because they had developed similar techniques for working on the roundworm. Their partnership, though long distance, is still in effect. "We spend hours and hours sharing information and talking about our work, so long that my ear would hurt," Dr. Mello said.

Bush, Fund-Raiser in Chief, Hits the Trail in Earnest:

"He is loved by his base," she said, "and they support him."

Iraqi Leader Unveils New Security Plan Amid Rising Violence:

The local committees will report to a "central commission for peace and security," which will work with Iraqi armed forces. There will also be a new commission for monitoring the news media, but no other details were available. The plan will be reviewed by lawmakers every month.

California Attorney General Appoints Overseer of Reforms at J. Paul Getty Trust:

Jack B. Siegel, a Chicago lawyer who is an expert on nonprofit law, said he was somewhat surprised that the attorney general's findings were not more critical of the Getty. "The focus seems to be on — I don't want to say trivial things — but on very specific things like travel reimbursement," Mr. Siegel said. "They don't really seem in this to be addressing fundamental governance issues, about the overall way things are run."

Russia Severs Transport Links With Georgia:

In his appearance with reporters on Monday, Mr. Saakashvili repeatedly referred to what he called "freedom wine," vowing that Georgia would be undeterred by Russian economic or diplomatic pressure.

Baseball Before Breakfast in Taiwan:

"Maybe I can go to one," he said. "I heard Wang lives in Connecticut, and it's close to Yankee Stadium."

International

A Coming Papal Visit Focuses Anger Among the Turks:

With the pope's visit just two months away, he said, "Time is necessary for the mistake to be completely forgotten."

Cairo Journal: A Hand on the Ladle, and a Eye Out for the Law:

He walked over to get some more bread as Muhammad kept ladling.

2 Killed as Palestinian Factions Clash for 2nd Day:

Ms. Rice, who will visit Saudi Arabia and Egypt first, will seek to find ways to ease the travel restrictions Israel has imposed on Palestinians and their goods, particularly in Gaza, the diplomats said. She brokered an agreement on Palestinian movements last November, but it quickly broke down.

Early Results of Bosnia Vote Reinforce Ethnic Split:

The European Union has told Bosnia that, in order to move toward possible membership, it must reform its Constitution to simplify its political structures and create a single national police force. Talks among Bosnia's political parties on both topics became deadlocked earlier this year.

News Analysis: In Brazil Balloting, Leader Finds His Base May Turn to Sand:

This time, though, Mr. da Silva has to take part in debates, "no matter what the dangers," Mr. Figueiredo said. "The risks are higher for him and the situation favors Alckmin, because he's not carrying the ethical burden that Lula is, but Lula has to show he does not disrespect voters."

Hungary's Premier Schedules Vote on His Future:

After a tape of the speech was broadcast nationally, violent antigovernment protests broke out in Budapest and other cities.

Riots Spread as Incumbent Widens Lead in Zambia Vote:

Mr. Sata appealed Monday for calm. "We are not going to do anything that will destroy Zambia," he said.

Council Backs South Korean for U.N. Secretary General:

Jayantha Dhanapala, 67, of Sri Lanka, a former under secretary general for disarmament, withdrew Friday after drawing only three positive votes in the third balloting.

National Report

Political Action: Twists and Turns:

In the battle for the Senate, new polls showed Democrats either ahead of or neck and neck with Republicans in Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia, all Republican seats. Republicans are pinning their hopes on their financial advantage — the Republican National Committee plans to spend more than $60 million on House and Senate races, far more than the Democratic National Committee — and on the party's expertise at turning out voters.

Overheard:

"The release was meant to be favorable to Oompa Loompas," he said. "They are hard-working, industrious people."

Expelled Boy Shows Up at School Armed, Then Flees:

A growing number of guns in schools has been a pressing issue in Clark County, which, with 300,000 students enrolled at 325 schools, has the fifth-largest school district in the country. Last Thursday 50 members of the school police protested at a school board meeting, seeking the hiring of more officers.

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