Obama hosts labor leaders, will undo Bush orders

President Barack Obama, reaching out to the working and middle classes as he seeks to revive the economy, is reversing a number of George W. Bush's executive orders that critics regard as bad for labor unions.

Labor leaders were to visit the White House for a second consecutive day Friday, where, a union official said, Obama was to abolish four of his predecessor's directives that unions opposed and then reintroduce Vice President Joe Biden's task force focused on the middle class.

Both were meant as a way for the new administration to connect with workers at the end of a week that has seen U.S. companies announce thousands more jobs cuts.

…

Road runners set to flock for eagle aid

Running is for the birds, at least as far as the EagleFoundation is concerned. The nonprofit organization that buys landfor bald eagle roosts is planning to take off with its annualmarathon tomorrow.

A 26-mile run will start at 8 a.m. from the preserve nearCassville, Wis., along the bluffs of the Mississippi River. Therewill also be a 10K at 9 a.m. and a 5K fun run at 2 p.m. The fee is$8. From Chicago, take Interstate-90 to the U.S. 20 bypass atRockford, ride U.S. 20 to East Dubuque, then head up U.S. 61-35 northto Wisconsin 133 to Cassville. (815-594-2259)

PINSTRIPE TYPES: Corporate types who shed pinstripes forracestripes will hold the indoor U.S. Corporate …

Mark Martin Leaving Roush for MB2

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Mark Martin will leave Roush Racing at the end of this season to drive a partial NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule for MB2 Racing, The Associated Press learned Thursday night.

Team owner Jack Roush, who has fielded a Ford for Martin in NASCAR's top series since 1988, will make the announcement Friday morning at Talladega Superspeedway, according to a source who asked that he not be identified because all details of the deal have not been finalized.

MB2 general manager Jay Frye has scheduled a press conference for later Friday morning at the Talladega track, where the Cup cars will race Sunday.

Martin will share the ride in the No. 01 Chevrolet with …

Petroleum Development names James Trimble to board

Oil and gas company Petroleum Development Corp. said Friday it appointed James Trimble to its board of directors, effective Sept. 12.

The appointment raised the number of board members to nine …

Rental franchise `Rolls' out fleet of luxury automobiles

ATLANTA Renting a sports car is going in style; renting aRolls-Royce is wallowing in it.

Such an opportunity for opulence now is available in Atlanta,where the local Budget Rent-A-Car - yes, Budget - recently unveiled afleet of exotic automobiles for rent.

There's a Rolls-Royce, Jaguar and Ferrari plus a stable ofMercedes, Porsches, BMWs and Corvettes for those who have enjoyedlooking but were too afraid - or poor - to touch.

"The idea of renting prestige and classic cars came from ourcustomers," said Roger Gelder, president of Budget's franchise inmetropolitan Atlanta. "They would stand at our office and watch therush-hour parade of Mercedes, BMWs, …

Twenty years on the air

When I arrived at The Weather Channel (TWC) in the fall of 1982, a mere 6 months after startup, everything was new. As with any company that is new, the earliest days were full of experimentation, creativity, and most of all excitement. The on-air presentations were spontaneous and often entertaining in a very diverse way, as the station searched for the consistent look that has become its stock in trade. Of course, any time you have more than one meteorologist together in a room you automatically have excitement and enthusiasm about the weather. When these two elements came together in the same place at the same time with active weather, the atmosphere was lively indeed. Holidays …

Continental Airlines to receive $413 million for extended credit card deal with Chase

Continental Airlines Inc. said Thursday it will get a $413 million initial payment under its cobranded credit card deal with Chase Bank USA, adding to the carrier's cash cushion as it prepares to book severance and other charges in the coming months.

The agreement with Chase extends the credit card deal through the end of 2016, Houston-based Continental said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Of the initial payment, $235 million covers the advance purchase of frequent flyer mileage credits.

Continental said it expects to have between $3.2 billion and $3.3 billion on hand at the end of the second quarter.

Including fuel taxes …

Fresh Start

CAPTION …

Black actor, football stars help Jesse give to needy

Black actor, football stars help Jesse give to needy

Black actor Eddie Bo Smith and former Chicago Bears football Star Otis Wilson helped the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. distribute more than 500 free Christmas food bags to the needy.

Wilson, who currently heads the Otis Wilson Foundation, said he's proud to help give food to the indigent. "The Lord has blessed me with the career and my family, and this is my way of supporting what Rev. Jackson and Rev. Willie Taplin Barrow are doing."

Smith, who has played in the Fugitive and other …

Fitch cuts Hungary's outlook to negative

Fitch Ratings, a global credit rating agency, says it has downgraded Hungary's outlook from stable to negative because the global financial crisis has increased the country's credit risk.

Hungary's currency, the forint, has fallen nearly 20 percent against the euro over the last three months, while the Budapest Stock …

Children's mentor in running for award

A father of three, who gives up his spare time to help and guideyoungsters, has been nominated in the first Pride in Bath awards.

Mark O'Shaughnessy, 47, from Odd Down, volunteers with MentoringPlus, working to support children who may have few other adults totalk to.

He is in the running for the Mentor of the Year title, whichrecognises people who have gone the extra mile to help someone elseachieve their potential.

He is now helping his second mentee, a 13-year-old boy.

Mark, who works in the music industry, said: "I feel privilegedand honoured to have been nominated. "I try to be a friend for theyoung people I mentor, and be there for them …

Palestinian Parliament May OK Coalition

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - The new Hamas-Fatah coalition was to set to clear a final formal hurdle Saturday before taking on the challenge of persuading a skeptical world to end a crippling yearlong boycott of the Palestinian government.

Presenting the government's program to parliament, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said the coalition wants to set up a Palestinian state in the lands Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast War. He said the Palestinians affirm the right to resist occupation, but will also seek to expand a truce with Israel.

The platform fell short of international conditions for acceptance, including explicit recognition of Israel and renunciation of …

Applying compost to suppress tomato disease

COMPOST USERS FORUM

Tests in British Columbia show significant reductions in root rot disease and improved crop yields by addition of greenhouse compost.

Though there have been many advances in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods and resistant plant varieties, crop disease is an ongoing problem that continues to challenge growers in the greenhouse vegetable industry. Historically, here in British Columbia for example, diseases such as Fusarium crown rot in tomatoes have accounted for significant crop losses. New diseases continue to develop, creating more problems. Following a project that developed methods of producing high-quality compost (see "On-Site Composting of Greenhouse Crop Residuals" October, 2002 BioCycle), a study was undertaken to assess potential disease suppression capabilities of the compost.

The study included two main components - seedling growth tests and a yield test. In both cases, spores of the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici (FORL) were introduced into the growing medium and tomato plants were monitored for growth, health, and yield, depending on the test. A comparison was made between plants grown in conventional growing medium and medium amended or replaced with compost.

The compost was produced from a mixture of greenhouse plant waste, spent growing medium, and bark amendment, using a pilot-scale, invessel composting system and in some cases a laboratory-scale system. The exact composition was varied between batches - and included such feedstocks as tomato leaves, cull fruit, bark, sawdust and recycled compost coarse material. Materials were composted for about four weeks in the vessel with a peak temperature of about 65(deg)C, then cured for several months, and screened.

For this study, seeding into plugs made from compost, or rock wool plugs amended with compost, was compared to conventional rock wool plugs covered with vermiculite. Seedlings were evaluated after several weeks for plant height, root disease score and other parameters. Root disease score ranged from 1 to 5, 1 representing no signs of disease, and 5 representing a dead plant with typical symptoms of crown and root rot. Tests were conducted first in the University of British Columbia Plant Science Pathology Greenhouse, then moved to growth chambers for better environmental control.

Six individual seedling disease tests were conducted. The first two were "dry runs" to help establish the method. To compare treatments in terms of disease, a significant amount of disease must be created, at least in some of the plants. In one test, three plug types were compared: conventional rock wool with vermiculite covering, rock wool with compost covering, and compost with vermiculite covering. The first symptoms of crown and root rot began to appear four weeks after seeding, then developed so that after six and seven weeks, the disease was very apparent in some of the seedlings. Reduced disease symptoms were evident in compost-amended treatments, but no clear relationships with shoot height were apparent. Other tests clearly showed re

duced disease in seedlings treated with compost. The increased root disease in the rock wool inoculated treatment was significantly greater than in the noninoculated control, and amongst inoculated treatments, root disease in the compost-amended treatments was significantly lower than in the rock wool treatment.

Another growth chamber test compared rock wool plugs with compost-- amended plugs, where the seed was "sandwiched" between two layers of compost on top of a shortened rock wool plug. Several batches of compost were compared. The visual scoring of disease clearly showed reduced disease in seedlings treated with compost. The increased root disease in the rock wool inoculated treatment was significantly greater than in the noninoculated control, based on the root disease score. Again, amongst inoculated treatments, the root disease in the compost-amended treatments was significantly lower than in the rock wool treatment.

Impact Of Compost On Yields

The yield test, conducted in the UBC Horticulture Greenhouse, investigated the effect of adding compost to the conventional sawdust growing medium on yield, over a full growing season, and under severe disease pressure from fungus inoculation. The experimental set-up attempted to duplicate to the best extent possible the conditions in a typical commercial hydroponic greenhouse. Though the horticulture greenhouse is a modern glass research greenhouse, the climate and irrigation could not be controlled to the same extent. Nutrient solution was delivered from a manually mixed tank through drippers controlled by a timer; later in the season, feeding was controlled by a photo-sensitive controller. No artificial lighting was provided.

Among the two fungus-inoculated treatments, amendment with compost resulted in a 55 percent improvement in total marketable yield over the conventional treatment. This was primarily a result of premature death of a number of plants due to disease in the conventional treatment. When the yield per plant was calculated, taking into account one dead plant believed to be infected prior to starting the trial, the increase in yield was 74 percent, and statistically significant. Statistical analyses also showed that the 50 percent decrease in yield of the inoculated conventional treatment compared to the noninoculated control is significant. The ten percent decrease in yield for the noninoculated compost-amended treatment compared to the noninoculated conventional treatment was not statistically significant. The data also suggest a larger fruit size for compost-amended medium, but this difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusions From Comparative Tests

Significant reduction of crown and root rot disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici in susceptible tomatoes was achieved by addition of the greenhouse compost to seedling plugs or blocks, and by mixing with the sawdust growing medium. For propagation, the compost can be used as a rock wool plug covering, or a rock wool plug replacement. For growing, the compost can be mixed with sawdust growing medium; a mixture of 2:1 sawdust to compost by volume was shown to be effective. The reduction in disease resulted in 55 percent improved total yield over a full growing season under high disease pressure. In the absence of high disease pressure, addition of the compost to the growing medium did not have a significant effect on yield.

Based on the microbial counts, the compost likely increased the microbial population and bacteria to fungi ratio in the growing medium; this may have contributed to the suppressive effect, however determining the suppression mechanisms would require further study.

Positive effects were observed with several different batches of compost produced using the in-vessel composting systems; this encouraging result suggests that the disease suppression effects observed are reproducible using the appropriate materials and composting process. The results of this study will help provide greenhouse vegetable growers with alternative solutions to manage soil-borne disease.

[Sidebar]

Comparative trials with different batches of compost indicated that disease suppression effects are reproducible using varied feedstocks and composting processes.

[Author Affiliation]

W. Cheuk, K. V Lo, R. Branion, B. Fraser, R. Copeman and P. Jolliffe

[Author Affiliation]

William Cheuk, Dr. K. Victor Lo and Dr. Richard Branion are in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Bud Fraser is with Vision Envirotech International Company Ltd. in Vancouver, B.C. Dr. Robert Copeman and Dr. Peter Jolliffe are on the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Agroecology Program at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Picture perfect for Marquette '77 McGuire's fun, feisty national championship team had a style all its own

One thing about basketball team photos is that every one looksbasically the same. Tall guys stand in the back in uniforms, stiffly.Coaches stand on the ends. Short guys and water boys in front, maybeon the floor.

And then there was the team photo of the 1977 Marquette Warriors,the national champs.

All 11 players, and no coaches, no water boys. They're in tuxedos,standing around or lounging in some antique white convertible. Itlooks like an old prom photo, with clothes so out-of-date--ruffledshirts and wide bow ties--that you would regret those clothes today.

Still, somehow, even today, these guys look cool. That team willnever go out of style.

And it certainly will never have regrets.

That car is a 1934 Parker," said Bo Ellis, a star on that team. Iremember. I've got my gray slacks, gray vest, gray tie, black tux. Itwas all just another spinoff of coach [Al] McGuire's insanity."

It's time to remember and honor that insanity, and that team'smark, as Marquette is back in the Final Four for the first time sincethat year. The Golden Eagles, as they are called now, will playKansas on Saturday.

Do you know what was the defining moment of that 1977 team? Itcame in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Marquette was losingby three at halftime against Cincinnati, and forward Bernard Toonewas a little angry with McGuire.

Coach would holler at you, and you were welcome to holler back,"Ellis said. So Coach says something to Bernard during the game, andBernard yells back. At halftime, Coach is still ticked. I'm sittingin front of my locker with my towel over my face, and all of a suddenI hear them arguing again.

I look up and Coach is standing over Bernard, saying, If you eversay anything like that again I'll kills you.' He says it just likethat, kills. Then Coach slaps Bernard in the face, and Bernard getsup and they tussle a little until someone takes Bernard out of theroom. And Coach just sat there saying, I'll kill him. I'll kill him.'That was just another one of those Al McGuire moments."

Today, that is called abuse. In 1977, under McGuire, it was toughlove. McGuire was tough, and his players loved him. It was the team'spersonality, accepted all the way around. Toone came back hot in thesecond half, and the team was sparked. Marquette won by 15 andstarted its roll toward the title.

Few teams live through history. It's hard to remember a lot ofthese national champions; after a while they all blend together. Theold UCLA teams stood out for the dominance. We don't forget ChrisWebber's meltdown, calling a timeout the Fab Five didn't have andhanding the title to North Carolina. We don't forget Jimmy Valvanorunning crazy around the court after North Carolina State beat PhiSlamma Jamma.

And we don't forget Al McGuire's Marquette.

But what made that team stand out? What is its mark on history?

Fun.

In a sport lacking individuality at the time, it just looked likethis team and this coach were having lots of fun.

Each of the players was different, and it appeared to be anunkempt, ragamuffin group," said Joe Moran, McGuire's biographer whowrote You Can Call Me Al. Some of them had long hair, and theiruniform shirts were hanging out over the shorts. Those were theuniforms that Bo Ellis designed [with McGuire's permission].

They just seemed to be different from everybody else. Dean Smith'sguys dressed in suits and ties for breakfast. Al's guys came down injeans and T-shirts. Al would wear those wild jackets, and othercoaches would be in sans-a-belt slacks."

Actually, Moran said, in the championship season McGuire hadstopped wearing the checked jackets, as he cut a deal with a localmen's store to provide him with clothes.

Yeah, we did have fun," Butch Lee, who lives in San Juan, PuertoRico, said Tuesday from his home. That was one of the bestexperiences I've ever had. I played with the Lakers in 1980 and wewon the championship, but that was nothing [compared with] Marquette.In the pros, you have your own family, your own fan club. In college,your teammates are like your brothers."

That family was Lee, Ellis and Toone, and Jerome Whitehead, BillNeary, Jim Boylan, Ulice Payne, Jim Dudley.

The Warriors started the season ranked No. 2. But after a 4-0start, McGuire announced he would retire at the end of the season topursue a business career.

He took us to a restaurant for lunch, and that's something henever did," said Ellis, a Chicagoan who still lives in town. So weknew something was wrong. Coach starts talking about how he wasfeeling, his career, his health. So he said I've come to theconclusion that at the end of this season ...'

Then he started catching himself, and he grabbed for air. Hecouldn't say it. He broke down and didn't want us to see him, so hejust left."

Marquette lost its next two games before starting to win again.The season was still fun, but something was missing.

Still, Lee said McGuire was working his magic.

Sometimes, he'd be walking to practice and instead of making aright turn to the gym, he'd make a left," he said. I remember himcoming into practice, walking around the court and then walking rightback out. That's how he used to shake things up, take the pressureoff."

Late in the season, the Warriors lost three straight home games.And going into the final game, at Michigan, they still weren'tconfident about getting into the NCAA tournament.

They ended up being the second-to-last team chosen. In thetournament, they kept squeaking by, and the pressure was building.After beating Kansas State by one point, McGuire accused the NCAA oftelling officials to give him technical fouls. They won the semifinalgame at the buzzer. And they beat North Carolina 67-59 in the titlegame, with McGuire, the tough guy, crying in the end.

The odd thing here is that sports coaches are notorious thieves.The San Francisco 49ers won a few Super Bowls, and now everyone isrunning the West Coast offense. Michael Jordan shaved his head, andeveryone followed.

But no one stole from McGuire. Not his charisma. Not his fun.

Maybe his picture can never be copied.

E-mail:gcouch@suntimes .com

Mormon church president will be laid to rest Saturday

The Mormon church's famous Temple Square is prepared to accommodate tens of thousands of mourners Saturday when the faith's beloved president Gordon B. Hinckley is laid to rest.

Hinckley died Sunday at the age of 97, the oldest leader of the 13 million member church.

The funeral at 11 a.m. (1800 GMT) Saturday will be held in the church's 21,000 seat downtown conference center, which was built during Hinckley's tenure to accommodate the growing church. Overflow seating will be available in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and at least two other buildings on the campus.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a Mormon, is taking time off the campaign trail to attend the funeral. Politicians from Utah, Idaho, California, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon were expected to attend, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, also a Mormon.

The funeral is expected to last just over an hour and include remembrances from Hinckley's children and other church leaders. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir will sing.

On Friday, faithful Latter-day Saints came by the thousands _ some standing in line for nearly three hours _ to walk by Hinckley's open casket to pay their respects during two days of public mourning.

Many in attendance called the occasion bittersweet, saying they were sad for themselves, but comforted in their belief that the church president had been reunited with his wife Marjorie, who died in 2004.

A sealing ceremony performed inside Mormon temples binds families together for time and all eternity, said Jana Riess, a Mormon convert and the Cincinnati-based co-editor of "Mormonism for Dummies."

"I don't want to be too cliche, but this idea that Mormons hold fast to their eternal families makes an enormous difference in how they feel about death."

Mormons also differ from other Christians in their belief that heaven will not be a place of rest, but one where the work of the church and individuals will continue _ something Hinckley often mentioned in his speeches to members.

"We have things to do. Mormonism is a religion of activity and of mission," said Riess. "Part of that mission will be taking place in the afterlife. We believe people will still have the opportunity to make spiritual choices."

Hinckley will be buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, alongside his wife.

Hinckley's successor is expected to be named next week.

Amnesty says Sri Lanka fails to probe abuses

The Sri Lankan government has never seriously investigated human rights abuses allegedly committed during 25 years of civil war and needs to rapidly overhaul its justice system to bring peace to the country, Amnesty International said Thursday.

The London-based rights group said the problem was even more urgent in the wake of the government's defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels last month in a bloody offensive that left more than 7,000 civilians dead, according to the United Nations.

Human rights groups and diplomats accused the government of shelling heavily populated civilian areas and said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebel group held thousands of civilians as human shields, shooting those who tried to flee. Both sides denied the accusations.

"If communities that have been torn apart by decades of violence and impunity are to be reconciled, the Sri Lankan government should initiate internal reforms and seek international assistance to prevent ongoing violations and ensure real accountability for past abuses," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific director.

In a report released Thursday, Amnesty called for the establishment of an international commission to investigate those allegations, saying that past government probes into abuses have gone nowhere.

"The Sri Lankan authorities have had little success in providing accountability for abuses against civilians committed by the LTTE; they are even less likely to effectively investigate and prosecute their own forces for violations of human rights and humanitarian law," Zarifi said.

The government has repeatedly brushed off such calls saying it would interfere with the country's sovereignty.

Government officials did not immediately return phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Last March, an international panel of experts established to advise the latest commission of inquiry resigned, saying the government lacked the political will to properly investigate alleged human rights abuses.

The commission was not properly funded or staffed, its hearings were poorly organized, officials refused to cooperate and there was no effective witness protection program, the group said.

The cases being investigated by the commission included the 2006 execution-style slaying of 17 aid workers for the French organization Action Against Hunger and the 2005 assassination of former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, allegedly by the rebels.

The Amnesty report accuses the government of interfering with past investigations, by using bribes, threats and even murder to eliminate witnesses.

The vast majority of human rights violations are never investigated and those that are rarely end in conviction because hearings drag on, witnesses refuse to testify and in some cases even the prosecution does not show up, the report said.

Meanwhile, the country's human rights commission has been stripped of its authority, local rights activists have been threatened, the U.N. has been obstructed and the press has been stifled, the group said.

Prosecutor seeks life term for Italy slay suspect

Prosecutors on Saturday sought conviction and life in prison for an Ivorian man accused in the slaying of a British student in Perugia, the defendant's lawyer said.

An American suspect in the case again proclaimed her innocence in the same hearing.

"It was expected" that prosecutors would seek a harsh penalty, said Valter Biscotti, a lawyer for Rudy Hermann Guede, the Ivorian accused in the case.

At his lawyers' request, a fast-track trial is being conducted for Guede. He has acknowledged being in the bedroom where Meredith Kercher's body, stabbed in the neck and lying in a pool of blood, was found in November 2007 in the house she rented with American student Amanda Knox, 21.

Fast-track trials can sometimes result in lighter penalties. But prosecutors asked the court Saturday to convict Guede and mete out Italy's stiffest punishment _ life imprisonment. Italy does not have the death penalty.

The case has received heavy publicity in Italy, in Britain, and in the United States, where Knox is a University of Washington student.

The court deciding Guede's fate is also hearing arguments to determine if Knox and her former boyfriend, Italian student Raffaele Sollecito, should stand trial for the slaying. A ruling on prosecutors' request for their indictment is expected toward the end of October.

All three suspects have repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the slaying, which took place in Perugia, a university town which a large foreign student population.

Knox again proclaimed her innocence in court Saturday.

She asked permission during the closed-door hearing to make a declaration in English, the Italian news agencies ANSA and Apcom reported from Perugia. In remarks that were translated into Italian, she told the court, "I am innocent," the reports said.

Sky TG24 TV, without citing sources, said Knox cried as she spoke and contended she had been pressured by police during interrogations.

Italian TV showed a brief, partial view of Knox as she given a microphone to address the court. Only her hands, busily gesticulating as she addressed the court, could be seen. There was no audio.

Knox and Sollecito have been jailed as suspects since shortly after the slaying. Under Italian law, they can be jailed for as long as a year during the investigation.

Knox and Sollecito, 24, have given conflicting statements.

Sollecito has said he was at his own apartment in Perugia. He said he does not remember if Knox spent the whole night with him.

Knox has insisted she was not at home during the slaying. But one point, she also told prosecutors she was in the house the night of the slaying and covered her ears to muffle Kercher's screams while a Congolese man who owns a pub in the town killed Kercher. The Congolese man was initially jailed, but authorities released him, saying he was no longer a suspect.

Former Finnish NHL player Karalahti faces prison sentence in drug case

Former NHL player Jere Karalahti was charged Tuesday with being involved in smuggling amphetamines into the country in a case involving 19 people, including a motorcycle gang.

The Espoo District Court opened the case against Karalahti and other suspects in a local prison for security reasons. If found guilty, Karalahti could face up to six years in prison.

The 32-year-old Karalahti was charged with being involved in smuggling four kilograms (nine pounds) of amphetamines into Finland. He also allegedly provided euro20,000 (US$29,500) for smuggling operations, prosecutors said. He has denied all the charges.

The drug ring is suspected of smuggling about 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of amphetamines and hundreds of grams (ounces) of cocaine from Estonia to Finland last year.

District prosecutor Erkki Huhtala said officers had tapped "thousands of phone calls" during the investigation, although Karalahti's phone was not tapped.

"He (Karalahti) featured quite heavily in phone contacts with the main suspects," Huhtala said. "Last summer, he was involved in more than 400 phone calls with the chief suspect so that says quite a lot about the relationship."

On Nov. 6, Karalahti's team, Karpat, took him off the ice during a practice session for police questioning. Three days later, he was arrested on suspicion of committing a serious drug offense.

The Finnish Hockey League temporarily banned Karalahti in December.

Karalahti left the NHL in 2002 after being suspended for six months for his third violation of the league's substance abuse policy. He played 121 games from 2000-02 for the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators.

Karalahti joined Karpat last year after agreeing to follow the club's strict rules on alcohol and drugs, putting him in contention for a return to Finland's national team for the upcoming world championships in Canada. Karalahti was voted an All-Star defenseman at the 1998 and '99 worlds.

Luke Donald enters US Open as atypical world No. 1

BETHESDA, Maryland (AP) — Luke Donald isn't the typical No. 1 player in the world.

He got there not by winning a lot of tournaments but by consistently placing in the top 10. His victory last month at the BMW PGA Championship in his native England was only his second stroke-play win in the last five years.

And he's proof you don't have to be a long hitter to take over the top spot. Donald plays a precision game that relies on accuracy and putting.

Donald is seeking his first win in a major this week at the U.S. Open.

Asked about Donald's rise to No. 1, defending champion Graeme McDowell says "it's refreshing to see that the game is not being outpowered."

Immigration chief apologizes for staffer's racially offensive costume

A top federal immigration enforcer has apologized after awarding "most original costume" to a Homeland Security employee who dressed in prison stripes, dreadlocks and dark face makeup for a Hallowe'en gathering at the agency.

Julie Myers, assistant secretary overseeing Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, was part of a three-judge panel that lauded the costume, worn by a white employee, last Wednesday. She also posed in a photo with the man.

Myers apologized to employees last Friday in an e-mail, saying some costumes were found to be offensive. She also telephoned the National Association of African Americans in DHS to inform the group of what had happened, according to a letter sent to association members by the group's vice president, Sjon Shavers.

"I and the senior management at ICE deeply regret that this happened," Myers said in her e-mail, which Homeland's public affairs office provided to The Associated Press on Monday. "As the head of the agency, I have the responsibility to ensure every employee is a valued member of the ICE team."

Shavers, vice president of the African-American group and an ICE special agent, said he learned of the incident from Myers, and his group has received no complaints.

"These kinds of things, incidents, happen all the time, so we handle them on a case-by-case basis," he said.

The agency Myers heads is responsible for apprehending and jailing violators of immigration and customs laws, including conducting raids at work sites to round up undocumented workers.

The employee who wore the costume was not identified, but ICE spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said he was counseled by his supervisor. He was not wearing blackface, but was wearing makeup that was a darker color than his skin, Nantel said. Myers and others who saw him could not tell he was wearing makeup. They learned he wore makeup when some employees complained later that day.

"It became clear to the leadership of the agency later on that afternoon that he had in fact had face paint on," Nantel said.

The photo Myers took with the employee and any others of the offensive costume taken by the official photographer were deleted, Nantel said.

Lisa Navarrete, a spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza, said it was completely appropriate for Myers to apologize.

"He was clearly trying to not be Caucasian. How dark or light he is, is beside the point. It is a costume that people did find and would find offensive that was sanctioned by the executives," Navarrete said. "There's obviously a sensitivity issue that ICE needs to address with its own staff."

James Ryan, a spokesman for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, could not discuss the case specifically, but it is against the law to create a hostile work environment based on race or national origin. Establishing the existence of a hostile environment, he said, requires proof of repeated incidents, and nothing was done about the incidents after they were reported.

Nantel said all ICE employees, including Myers, undergo diversity training. In her e-mail, Myers reminded employees to comply with diversity training and said managers should distribute the agency's equal employment opportunity and diversity policy.

___

On the Net: Immigration and Customs Enforcement: http://www.ice.gov

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: http://www.eeoc.gov/

Surprise SC Senate candidate campaigning _ finally

South Carolina's surprising U.S. Senate candidate, Alvin Greene, is finally campaigning.

Greene is scheduled to speak 4 p.m. Sunday at the monthly meeting of the local NAACP branch in his hometown of Manning.

It appears to be the Democrat's first campaign appearance.

Greene says he campaigned before his shocking June 8 primary win, when the unemployed Army veteran beat a longtime politician with the full backing of the Democratic party. But he won't say where he spoke.

Greene has talked to reporters, getting lots of attention for his idea to jump-start South Carolina's economy by making Alvin Greene action figures.

Interest in Greene's appearance has grown so much that the NAACP has moved the meeting from a church to the local junior high gymnasium.

Florida spring training side trip: Davis Islands

TAMPA, Florida (AP) — For travelers in town for spring training games, Davis Islands already makes for a fine side trip, with its picturesque marina, quaint restaurants and shops, and views of the bay. Now that Yankees great Derek Jeter lives there, however, baseball fans have an added incentive to go.

Jeter's 30,815-square-foot (2,863-square-meter) waterfront mansion was officially completed last month, reportedly to the tune of $7.7 million. Reportedly the largest residence in Hillsborough County, it's so big that local residents have taken to calling it St. Jetersburg.

The structure, which overlooks Hillsborough Bay and can be seen clearly from the Bayshore Boulevard sidewalk on the other side of the inlet, takes up two lots and has seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a pool, two three-car garages and two boat lifts. The mansion is surrounded by a 6-foot (1.8-meter) security wall — for which Jeter had to get a variance to go higher than the 4-foot (1.2-meter) limit allowed for by local ordinance — prompting locals to call it the Great Wall of Jeter.

The upscale island neighborhood — technically two islands — in South Tampa is accessible by way of Davis Boulevard, the neighborhood's main drag just over the Davis Islands Bridge connecting it to the mainland not far from downtown. Jeter's place is on Bahama Circle heading east toward the waterfront off of the boulevard.

The strip features about a dozen shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. Some island residents say Jeter has been spotted at the restaurant 220 East, located appropriately at 220 E. Davis Blvd, which serves American and European cuisine. He's also been seen at the Anchor Bar at 304 E. Davis Blvd., which serves pub food for under $10 per entree.

If you're having breakfast, try The Pink Flamingo, a tropical-themed diner at 304 E. Davis Blvd.

The island boasts a number of Mediterranean Revival Style homes and commercial buildings worth taking a look at. While you're there, take a stroll east from Davis Boulevard via one of the residential side streets to the marina to check out the boats. From there, continue east to the channel to get a view of Harbour Island, Channelside and the Port of Tampa.

On the web: www.tampabay.metromix.com

Pro-NKorea paper accuses Obama of hostility

President Barack Obama's administration should abandon its "hostile" policy toward North Korea if it wants to have a dialogue, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper said Monday.

Pyongyang's standoff with the U.S. and other nations over its nuclear and missiles programs has intensified since it defiantly launched a rocket on April 5.

North Korea claims it put a satellite into orbit, but critics accused the regime of testing long-range missile technology.

The U.N. Security Council condemned the launch and imposed sanctions on three North Korean companies as punishment. That prompted North Korea to abandon ongoing disarmament negotiations with five other nations, and to threaten to carry out nuclear and missile tests.

"The Obama government is now sending the wrong signal to North Korea," the Japan-based Choson Sinbo newspaper said Monday, accusing the U.S. of spearheading the U.N. criticism behind the scenes.

The Choson Sinbo said new dialogue would be possible only after Washington relinquishes its "outdated, confrontational relations" with North Korea.

The paper, considered a propaganda mouthpiece for North Korea, also cited U.S. threats to punish the country for any nuclear and missile tests as proof of a "hostile" policy toward the communist nation.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday he is "frankly, surprised and disturbed by the kind of rhetoric coming out of North Korea in recent weeks."

He said they have effectively isolated the country internationally.

Obama's top envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, warned Friday of unspecified "consequences" of any new North Korean atomic test. He urged the country to return to talks with the U.S.

Bosworth is in the region to discuss how to defuse rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. He flew to Tokyo earlier Monday after spending four days in the South Korean capital and visiting Beijing. He was set to travel to Moscow on Tuesday.

The two Koreas technically remain at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The U.S., which fought alongside South Korea, still has some 28,500 troops in the country.

___

Associated Press Writer Pauline Jelinek in Washington contributed to this story.

Palace Red-Faced Over Forbidden Souvenir Sales

It's good news-bad news time for Queen Elizabeth.

The good news? Lots of positive PR for opening BuckinghamPalace to the public.

The bad news? The 40,000 paying visitors were less than halfthe number expected for the opening week.

But wait! Though the crowds were smaller than expected, theyspent $367,000 on souvenirs.

But oops, more bad news: The Queen broke a British law thatforbids Sunday retail sales. The palace, which had its gift storeopen Sundays, sheepishly promised to comply with the law.

Stocks advance as investors watch oil prices retreat

Wall Street advanced moderately Thursday as investors reacted to a pullback in oil prices and sifted through sales figures from retailers that were generally not as gloomy as anticipated.

The retailers' sales data still suggested, however, that high energy costs are leading consumers to alter their spending. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., said sales of groceries, flat-screen TVs and medications helped boost sales last month at stores open for at least a year by 3.2 percent. But some apparel stores, whose merchandise falls into the category of discretionary items, continue to see depressed sales, with consumers budgeting more for gasoline and food.

The retail sales readings come a day after soaring oil prices knocked the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 200 points. After hitting a record of nearly $124 late Wednesday in electronic trading, crude dipped 98 cents to $122.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Another factor weighing on consumers has been the job market _ the United States has seen four straight months of net jobs losses. In a positive sign, the Labor Department said Thursday the number of newly laid off workers seeking unemployment benefits dropped by 18,000 last week to 365,000, a larger decline than expected.

But so far, there have been no definitive data to show the economy is rebounding _ and that sort of data is not likely to arrive until the fall, said Janna Sampson, director of portfolio management at Oakbrook Investments.

Mixed economic readings and lofty energy prices could keep the market in a holding pattern through the summer, Sampson said. "With oil high and continuing to go up, it's going to be tough to get the market to have a sustainable rally."

The Dow rose 52.68, or 0.41 percent, to 12,867.03.

Broader stock indicators turned higher after fluctuating in early trading. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 3.26, or 0.23 percent, to 1,395.83, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 10.40, or 0.43 percent, to 2,448.89.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 3.83 percent from 3.85 percent late Wednesday.

Wal-Mart shares rose 52 cents to $57.35, but Target Corp. fell $1.07, or 2 percent, to $52.37 after saying its same-store sales increased in April by an amount that was smaller than analysts forecast.

Retailers' figures came in following worrisome results from Toyota Motor Corp., which said late Wednesday that profit in the January-to-March period tumbled 28 percent due to the rising yen and weak North American sales. The Japanese automaker also predicted sales will drop for the fiscal year through March 2009 for the first time in several years, and profit will fall 27 percent.

Toyota's U.S.-traded shares fell $4.55, or 4.3 percent, to $100.21.

In other earnings news, American International Group Inc. is scheduled to release its first-quarter results after the close of trading. Analysts expect the insurer to post a loss. AIG shares rose 6 cents to $45.14 ahead of the report.

Gold prices rose, while the dollar climbed against most other major global currencies.

The European Central Bank left its interest rates unchanged Thursday. ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet pointed to clear upside risks to price stability, indicating that the bank is unlikely to lower its rates in the near future.

The Russell 2000 index rose 0.34, or 0.05 percent, to 716.55.

Advancing issues outnumbered advancers by about 4 to 3 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 519.7 million shares.

In overseas trading, Japan's stock market fell 1.13 percent. Britain's FTSE index rose 0.16 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 0.06 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 0.39 percent.

___

On the Net:

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

Japan's unemployment rate unchanged in March

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's government says the nation's unemployment rate was unchanged in March from February at 4.6 percent, excluding those areas struck by last month's earthquake and tsunami.

The seasonally adjusted figure released Thursday is better than Kyodo News agency's average market forecast of 4.8 percent.

The result marks the ninth consecutive month of steady improvements in the nation's employment picture.

The government also said in a separate report that consumer prices declined for the 25th straight month. The key consumer price index fell 0.1 percent as deflation continued to weigh on the economy.

Rockies stop Benes' streak

The Colorado Rockies ended Andy Benes' 10-game winning streakWednesday as Eric Young and Ellis Burks combined for seven of theteam's 18 hits and five RBI in a 10-2 rout of the visiting St. LouisCardinals.

The defeat prevented the Cardinals from taking over the Centrallead from the Houston Astros, who had lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates5-2 earlier in the day. The Cardinals still trail the Astros by ahalf-game.

Benes (13-9), who gave up seven runs and 13 hits in 2 2/3innings, absorbed his first loss since June 13 and failed to get pastthe fifth for the first time in his last 20 starts. By the time heleft the game, every Rockies starter except Walt Weiss had a hit.

Pirates 5, Astros 2: Jeff King tied his career high with fourhits to help Pittsburgh trip host Houston and snap a five-game losingstreak.

The Pirates, who had lost eight consecutive games on the road,handed Mike Hampton (10-8) his first loss in five decisions sinceJuly 23. The Astros committed three errors to aid the Pirates'cause.

Denny Neagle (13-6), who had been 0-2 with three no-decisions inhis last five starts, notched his first victory since July 21 byscattering six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Padres 7, Expos 2: Ken Caminiti set a franchise record for homeruns in a month (12) and the National League mark for round-trippersby a switch hitter in a month (12) by hitting one from each side ofthe plate and driving in four runs to fuel host San Diego pastMontreal. Caminiti has six home runs in his last six games and 29for the season.

Braves 4, Reds 3: Pinch hitter Luis Polonia's sacrifice fly inthe ninth inning boosted host Atlanta past Cincinnati for its sixthconsecutive victory. The Braves' Marquis Grissom doubled in theseventh to extend his hitting streak to 25 games.

Phillies 6, Dodgers 0: Curt Schilling (6-6) pitched a two-hitterand tied his career high with 12 strikeouts, and Scott Rolen hit hisfirst two major-league home runs to power visiting Philadelphia pastLos Angeles.

Giants 12, Mets 11: Jay Canizaro's grand slam capped a seven-runfirst inning as host San Francisco jumped out to a 9-0 lead, thenheld on to nip New York. Giants star Barry Bonds suffered a mildstrain of his left hamstring in the ninth and is day-to-day.

Black Monday; Fallen media baron is as defiant as ever, even in the face of what could be a 30-year prison term

Conrad Black, the media mogul who once ran the company that ownsthe Chicago Sun-Times, is facing sentencing today on fraud andobstruction of justice convictions.

True to form, he is approaching his day of legal reckoning with adefiant attitude, calling a prison sentence "a badge of honor" thatwill "help expose prosecutorial excesses."

Federal prosecutors say the sentence could be as much as 24 to 30years, though he could get a more lenient term.

Either way, Black told the Canadian Broadcasting Co. last week:"Prison would be a bore, but quite endurable."

"I can get on with anyone and adjust to almost anything, and Idon't consider [prison] shaming," Black said in an e-mail.

REALITY CHECK

In another e-mail exchange, Black said the prospect of going toprison "does not terrify me at all," telling Bloomberg News thathe's "ready for anything."

The 63-year-old British baron known as Lord Black of Crossharbourwas convicted July 13 of siphoning off millions of dollars through asell-off of papers owned by Hollinger International Inc., anewspaper company, and other related deals.

Under Black, Hollinger was a major media player that owned theSun-Times, the Daily Telegraph in London, the Jerusalem Post, plushundreds of community newspapers across the United States andCanada.

George Tombs, author of a Black biography titled Robber Baron,said Black is on a collision course with the reality of federalprison.

"He doesn't want to be learning new skills in a machine shop andwearing a prison uniform at his age," Tombs said. "And he may have acellmate who will tell him, do this, don't do that or even to shutup."

Longtime friend and Canadian writer George Jonas said there isanother side to Black that could help him adjust to the shock oflife as an inmate.

Black is possessed of "a strong equilibrium. He is quitejudicious. He is extremely polite and considerate of other people,"Jonas said.

NO REMORSE

Black told the Canadian Press news agency that he would not"presume to predict" what his sentence will be nor ask for mercyfrom federal Judge Amy St. Eve.

"Since I am in fact, not guilty, and the evidence is so flimsy, Iassume reasonable people understand that it would be neitherbelievable nor sensible if I suddenly started spouting false remorsefor acts I did not commit," Black told the Canadian Press.

THE TRIAL AT A GLANCE:

DEFENDANTS: Conrad Black, 63, former chairman and CEO ofnewspaper publisher Hollinger International Inc.; Jack Boultbee, 65,former Hollinger chief financial officer; Peter Atkinson, 60, formerHollinger vice president and general counsel; Mark Kipnis, 59,corporate counsel in Hollinger International's Chicago headquarters.

CHARGES: Mail and wire fraud, obstruction of justice,racketeering and tax fraud; Black faced 13 counts, Boultbee 11,Kipnis, 11, Atkinson 7.

KEY ISSUE: Noncompete payments from sales of Hollinger newspapers-- made in exchange for promises not to compete in the same marketswhere the papers circulated. Prosecutors said the money should havegone to Hollinger's shareholders, not the executives.

VERDICT: Black and his three co-defendants were all found guiltyof three counts of mail fraud. Black was also found guilty ofobstruction of justice.

Source: Associated Press

Midnight Marks The Deadline For Presidential Candidates To File Second Quarter Fundraising Reports; Labor Department Wants More Overtime For Low-Income Workers

Brit Hume, Carl Cameron, Major Garrett
Special Report with Brit Hume (Fox News Network)
06-30-2003
HUME: For the Democratic presidential candidates, midnight marks what many consider to be the end of the money primary, as it's called. That's the deadline for campaigns to file their second quarter fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission. Fundraising will go on, of course, but the results to date are a first indication, at least, of which candidates may be able to stay in the race.

Chief Political correspondent Carl Cameron has a "You Decide 2004" report on the stakes and the last-minute push for cash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN EDWARDS: Good morning to you thank you.

CARL CAMERON, FOX NEWS CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Edwards plan a campaign fundraiser with the Beach Boys before the midnight deadline and e-mailed backers asking for cash, writing quote, "money is critical to winning." Dick Gephardt's e-mail plea summed up the stakes quote, "The press will use these reports to judge how well each of the Democratic campaigns is performing. It is important that I file the strongest report possible." But it is Howard Dean that the press seems most impressed by right now. And he stunned even his rivals with a hall big enough to solidify his image as a top tier contender. Boosted by his announcement rally last week and more than two million dollars from what some think is the most effective Internet campaign of any presidential candidate in history, Dean aides say from April through June, the former Vermont governor will have raised about $7 million.

John Kerry's campaign estimates raising about six million. John Edwards expects around five point five million. Dick Gephardt is hoping for about five million, with Joseph Lieberman around four, and Bob Graham three.

Long shots like Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich have raised so little that few expect they'll have relevance much longer. And whispers in Carol Moseley-Braun's campaign indicate she may soon have to drop out.

Each candidate knows the ability to compete hinges on cash for campaign expense, particularly costly TV ads.

HOWARD DEAN (D), FORMER VERMONT GOVERNOR: I'm Howard Dean.

CAMERON: So far, only Dean is on the air. The fundraising report also shows whom a political party's influential donors are voting for with their pocketbooks. That may mean tough medicine for Joe Lieberman, who hired telemarketers recently, hoping to generate cash, but will be fifth at best in fundraising. And Bob Graham, whose bank account and position in the polls, remain even further back in the pack.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How are you?

CAMERON: As far as cash on hand, John Kerry is tops with about $11 million in the bank to charge forward with. John Edwards is tracking second with about $8 million.

(on camera): But for the last month, it has been Howard Dean who has dominated Democratic campaign headlines, and that has begun to worry some of the Democratic Party establishment elders. They think perhaps Dean's support from the far left and gays, because he signed the first civil unions law in the country for couples in Vermont, could bring the party so far to the liberal left, that not only could George W. Bush win the re- election but Republicans could actually gain in the House and Senate -- Brit.

HUME: Carl, what is the latest on Ralph Nader? There was some talk last week that he might even go Republican. What's up?

CAMERON: Well, last week, Ralph Nader said that and appeared with Dennis Kucinich, one of the Democrats. But now he has let it be known that his Green Party candidacy of 2000 may yet come back in 2004. He signaled to the Green Party they should go forward with draft Nader campaigns.

We've already heard from the former Nader staffers in the 2000 contest that they think he is ready to go. It's a long way away, but another sign for Democrats that Nader could be what some people thought was the spoiler in 2000, yet again in 2004 -- Brit.

HUME: All right, Carl. Thank you.

President Bush is raising some of that money Carl was talking about with stops today in Miami and Tampa, where he picked up an estimated $2.5 million; capping a three-month, $30 million fundraising drive. It was the president's 15 visit to Florida since taking office, a state with 27 electoral votes, crucial to his re-election bid.

Overtime to workers paid by the hour, as the term, has almost mystical quality. Since the 1930s, overtime rules have been bill around blue-collar work. But as the service sector overtakes factory labor, more and more hourly workers wear a white collar. And the Bush Labor Department wants to change the rules, giving more overtime to low-income workers and less to upper-income workers.

Fox News correspondent Major Garrett reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (CHANTING) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

MAJOR GARRETT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Upper income white-collar workers of America unite.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

MAJOR GARRETT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At issue, overtime for white-collar workers who earn more than $65,000 a year, ones like John Garrity, a federal civil servant who inspects navy warships.

JOHN GARRITY, ELECTRONIC TECHNICIAN: I stand to lose thousands of dollars a year of extra income.

GARRETT: That's because the Labor Department is proposing to tighten income eligibility for upper income workers. A move that could cost Garrity and 600,000 workers like him thousands in wages.

RICH TRUMKA, AFL-CIO: And overtime pay and the 40-hour workweek are rights that workers have fought for and won generations ago and we won't let it go by the wayside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

GARRETT: But the department also proposes increasing overtime eligibility for twice as many low-income service sector workers, those who make between $8,000 and $22,000 a year.

VICTORIA LIPNIC, ASSISTANT LABOR SECRETARY: An additional 1.3 million workers at the low end of the wage scale will automatically be guaranteed overtime protection.

GARRETT: The new rules rewrites the definition of what it means to be a manager. Historically, anyone in management, even shift managers in shoe stores or restaurants, could not qualify for overtime. Now, most low- income service sector workers, long denied overtime, will be eligible to receive it. But works with even limited management duties who earn more than $65,000 a year are likely to move into the new management category and lose all overtime pay.

KATHERINE LUGAR, NAT'L RETAIL FEDERATION: The current white-collar overtime regulations, which have not been comprehensively updated in nearly 50 years, reflect an old economy, old jobs and old salaries.

GARRETT: The new rules do no affect any of America's 16 million union members. Even so, big labor fears the rules will lower high-end wages in nonunion shops and put downward pressure on nonunion wages when contracts are renegotiated. The Labor Department says unions have nothing to fear.

LIPNIC: These rules don't apply to workers who are currently covered by collective bargaining agreement.

GARRETT: Union support extending overtime to low wageworkers but they say the new overtime rules will allow businesses to escape paying overtime to their highest paid employees. And that eight million workers, not the government's estimate of 600,000, could be affected.

(on camera): The new rules are scheduled to take effect at the end of this year; and when they do, it will be a victory of sorts for brevity in Washington. The new code runs 13,000 words replacing an old one written in 1938 that ran 31,000 words.

In Washington, Major Garrett, Fox News.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HUME: Next on SPECIAL REPORT, there is now a right to abortion, a right to gay sex, and some say the courts will soon give always right to gay marriage. Some people want to head that off with a constitutional amendment. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Content and programming Copyright 2003 Fox News Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2003 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc., which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon Fox News Network, Inc.'s and Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation.


Content and Programming Copyright 2003 Fox News Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2003 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc., which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Midnight Marks The Deadline For Presidential Candidates To File Second Quarter Fundraising Reports; Labor Department Wants More Overtime For Low-Income WorkersBrit Hume, Carl Cameron, Major Garrett
Special Report with Brit Hume (Fox News Network)
06-30-2003
HUME: For the Democratic presidential candidates, midnight marks what many consider to be the end of the money primary, as it's called. That's the deadline for campaigns to file their second quarter fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission. Fundraising will go on, of course, but the results to date are a first indication, at least, of which candidates may be able to stay in the race.

Chief Political correspondent Carl Cameron has a "You Decide 2004" report on the stakes and the last-minute push for cash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN EDWARDS: Good morning to you thank you.

CARL CAMERON, FOX NEWS CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Edwards plan a campaign fundraiser with the Beach Boys before the midnight deadline and e-mailed backers asking for cash, writing quote, "money is critical to winning." Dick Gephardt's e-mail plea summed up the stakes quote, "The press will use these reports to judge how well each of the Democratic campaigns is performing. It is important that I file the strongest report possible." But it is Howard Dean that the press seems most impressed by right now. And he stunned even his rivals with a hall big enough to solidify his image as a top tier contender. Boosted by his announcement rally last week and more than two million dollars from what some think is the most effective Internet campaign of any presidential candidate in history, Dean aides say from April through June, the former Vermont governor will have raised about $7 million.

John Kerry's campaign estimates raising about six million. John Edwards expects around five point five million. Dick Gephardt is hoping for about five million, with Joseph Lieberman around four, and Bob Graham three.

Long shots like Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich have raised so little that few expect they'll have relevance much longer. And whispers in Carol Moseley-Braun's campaign indicate she may soon have to drop out.

Each candidate knows the ability to compete hinges on cash for campaign expense, particularly costly TV ads.

HOWARD DEAN (D), FORMER VERMONT GOVERNOR: I'm Howard Dean.

CAMERON: So far, only Dean is on the air. The fundraising report also shows whom a political party's influential donors are voting for with their pocketbooks. That may mean tough medicine for Joe Lieberman, who hired telemarketers recently, hoping to generate cash, but will be fifth at best in fundraising. And Bob Graham, whose bank account and position in the polls, remain even further back in the pack.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How are you?

CAMERON: As far as cash on hand, John Kerry is tops with about $11 million in the bank to charge forward with. John Edwards is tracking second with about $8 million.

(on camera): But for the last month, it has been Howard Dean who has dominated Democratic campaign headlines, and that has begun to worry some of the Democratic Party establishment elders. They think perhaps Dean's support from the far left and gays, because he signed the first civil unions law in the country for couples in Vermont, could bring the party so far to the liberal left, that not only could George W. Bush win the re- election but Republicans could actually gain in the House and Senate -- Brit.

HUME: Carl, what is the latest on Ralph Nader? There was some talk last week that he might even go Republican. What's up?

CAMERON: Well, last week, Ralph Nader said that and appeared with Dennis Kucinich, one of the Democrats. But now he has let it be known that his Green Party candidacy of 2000 may yet come back in 2004. He signaled to the Green Party they should go forward with draft Nader campaigns.

We've already heard from the former Nader staffers in the 2000 contest that they think he is ready to go. It's a long way away, but another sign for Democrats that Nader could be what some people thought was the spoiler in 2000, yet again in 2004 -- Brit.

HUME: All right, Carl. Thank you.

President Bush is raising some of that money Carl was talking about with stops today in Miami and Tampa, where he picked up an estimated $2.5 million; capping a three-month, $30 million fundraising drive. It was the president's 15 visit to Florida since taking office, a state with 27 electoral votes, crucial to his re-election bid.

Overtime to workers paid by the hour, as the term, has almost mystical quality. Since the 1930s, overtime rules have been bill around blue-collar work. But as the service sector overtakes factory labor, more and more hourly workers wear a white collar. And the Bush Labor Department wants to change the rules, giving more overtime to low-income workers and less to upper-income workers.

Fox News correspondent Major Garrett reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (CHANTING) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

MAJOR GARRETT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Upper income white-collar workers of America unite.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

MAJOR GARRETT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At issue, overtime for white-collar workers who earn more than $65,000 a year, ones like John Garrity, a federal civil servant who inspects navy warships.

JOHN GARRITY, ELECTRONIC TECHNICIAN: I stand to lose thousands of dollars a year of extra income.

GARRETT: That's because the Labor Department is proposing to tighten income eligibility for upper income workers. A move that could cost Garrity and 600,000 workers like him thousands in wages.

RICH TRUMKA, AFL-CIO: And overtime pay and the 40-hour workweek are rights that workers have fought for and won generations ago and we won't let it go by the wayside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

GARRETT: But the department also proposes increasing overtime eligibility for twice as many low-income service sector workers, those who make between $8,000 and $22,000 a year.

VICTORIA LIPNIC, ASSISTANT LABOR SECRETARY: An additional 1.3 million workers at the low end of the wage scale will automatically be guaranteed overtime protection.

GARRETT: The new rules rewrites the definition of what it means to be a manager. Historically, anyone in management, even shift managers in shoe stores or restaurants, could not qualify for overtime. Now, most low- income service sector workers, long denied overtime, will be eligible to receive it. But works with even limited management duties who earn more than $65,000 a year are likely to move into the new management category and lose all overtime pay.

KATHERINE LUGAR, NAT'L RETAIL FEDERATION: The current white-collar overtime regulations, which have not been comprehensively updated in nearly 50 years, reflect an old economy, old jobs and old salaries.

GARRETT: The new rules do no affect any of America's 16 million union members. Even so, big labor fears the rules will lower high-end wages in nonunion shops and put downward pressure on nonunion wages when contracts are renegotiated. The Labor Department says unions have nothing to fear.

LIPNIC: These rules don't apply to workers who are currently covered by collective bargaining agreement.

GARRETT: Union support extending overtime to low wageworkers but they say the new overtime rules will allow businesses to escape paying overtime to their highest paid employees. And that eight million workers, not the government's estimate of 600,000, could be affected.

(on camera): The new rules are scheduled to take effect at the end of this year; and when they do, it will be a victory of sorts for brevity in Washington. The new code runs 13,000 words replacing an old one written in 1938 that ran 31,000 words.

In Washington, Major Garrett, Fox News.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HUME: Next on SPECIAL REPORT, there is now a right to abortion, a right to gay sex, and some say the courts will soon give always right to gay marriage. Some people want to head that off with a constitutional amendment. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Content and programming Copyright 2003 Fox News Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2003 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc., which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon Fox News Network, Inc.'s and Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation.


Content and Programming Copyright 2003 Fox News Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2003 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc., which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Midnight Marks The Deadline For Presidential Candidates To File Second Quarter Fundraising Reports; Labor Department Wants More Overtime For Low-Income WorkersBrit Hume, Carl Cameron, Major Garrett
Special Report with Brit Hume (Fox News Network)
06-30-2003
HUME: For the Democratic presidential candidates, midnight marks what many consider to be the end of the money primary, as it's called. That's the deadline for campaigns to file their second quarter fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission. Fundraising will go on, of course, but the results to date are a first indication, at least, of which candidates may be able to stay in the race.

Chief Political correspondent Carl Cameron has a "You Decide 2004" report on the stakes and the last-minute push for cash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN EDWARDS: Good morning to you thank you.

CARL CAMERON, FOX NEWS CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Edwards plan a campaign fundraiser with the Beach Boys before the midnight deadline and e-mailed backers asking for cash, writing quote, "money is critical to winning." Dick Gephardt's e-mail plea summed up the stakes quote, "The press will use these reports to judge how well each of the Democratic campaigns is performing. It is important that I file the strongest report possible." But it is Howard Dean that the press seems most impressed by right now. And he stunned even his rivals with a hall big enough to solidify his image as a top tier contender. Boosted by his announcement rally last week and more than two million dollars from what some think is the most effective Internet campaign of any presidential candidate in history, Dean aides say from April through June, the former Vermont governor will have raised about $7 million.

John Kerry's campaign estimates raising about six million. John Edwards expects around five point five million. Dick Gephardt is hoping for about five million, with Joseph Lieberman around four, and Bob Graham three.

Long shots like Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich have raised so little that few expect they'll have relevance much longer. And whispers in Carol Moseley-Braun's campaign indicate she may soon have to drop out.

Each candidate knows the ability to compete hinges on cash for campaign expense, particularly costly TV ads.

HOWARD DEAN (D), FORMER VERMONT GOVERNOR: I'm Howard Dean.

CAMERON: So far, only Dean is on the air. The fundraising report also shows whom a political party's influential donors are voting for with their pocketbooks. That may mean tough medicine for Joe Lieberman, who hired telemarketers recently, hoping to generate cash, but will be fifth at best in fundraising. And Bob Graham, whose bank account and position in the polls, remain even further back in the pack.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How are you?

CAMERON: As far as cash on hand, John Kerry is tops with about $11 million in the bank to charge forward with. John Edwards is tracking second with about $8 million.

(on camera): But for the last month, it has been Howard Dean who has dominated Democratic campaign headlines, and that has begun to worry some of the Democratic Party establishment elders. They think perhaps Dean's support from the far left and gays, because he signed the first civil unions law in the country for couples in Vermont, could bring the party so far to the liberal left, that not only could George W. Bush win the re- election but Republicans could actually gain in the House and Senate -- Brit.

HUME: Carl, what is the latest on Ralph Nader? There was some talk last week that he might even go Republican. What's up?

CAMERON: Well, last week, Ralph Nader said that and appeared with Dennis Kucinich, one of the Democrats. But now he has let it be known that his Green Party candidacy of 2000 may yet come back in 2004. He signaled to the Green Party they should go forward with draft Nader campaigns.

We've already heard from the former Nader staffers in the 2000 contest that they think he is ready to go. It's a long way away, but another sign for Democrats that Nader could be what some people thought was the spoiler in 2000, yet again in 2004 -- Brit.

HUME: All right, Carl. Thank you.

President Bush is raising some of that money Carl was talking about with stops today in Miami and Tampa, where he picked up an estimated $2.5 million; capping a three-month, $30 million fundraising drive. It was the president's 15 visit to Florida since taking office, a state with 27 electoral votes, crucial to his re-election bid.

Overtime to workers paid by the hour, as the term, has almost mystical quality. Since the 1930s, overtime rules have been bill around blue-collar work. But as the service sector overtakes factory labor, more and more hourly workers wear a white collar. And the Bush Labor Department wants to change the rules, giving more overtime to low-income workers and less to upper-income workers.

Fox News correspondent Major Garrett reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (CHANTING) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

MAJOR GARRETT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Upper income white-collar workers of America unite.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more!

MAJOR GARRETT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At issue, overtime for white-collar workers who earn more than $65,000 a year, ones like John Garrity, a federal civil servant who inspects navy warships.

JOHN GARRITY, ELECTRONIC TECHNICIAN: I stand to lose thousands of dollars a year of extra income.

GARRETT: That's because the Labor Department is proposing to tighten income eligibility for upper income workers. A move that could cost Garrity and 600,000 workers like him thousands in wages.

RICH TRUMKA, AFL-CIO: And overtime pay and the 40-hour workweek are rights that workers have fought for and won generations ago and we won't let it go by the wayside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

GARRETT: But the department also proposes increasing overtime eligibility for twice as many low-income service sector workers, those who make between $8,000 and $22,000 a year.

VICTORIA LIPNIC, ASSISTANT LABOR SECRETARY: An additional 1.3 million workers at the low end of the wage scale will automatically be guaranteed overtime protection.

GARRETT: The new rules rewrites the definition of what it means to be a manager. Historically, anyone in management, even shift managers in shoe stores or restaurants, could not qualify for overtime. Now, most low- income service sector workers, long denied overtime, will be eligible to receive it. But works with even limited management duties who earn more than $65,000 a year are likely to move into the new management category and lose all overtime pay.

KATHERINE LUGAR, NAT'L RETAIL FEDERATION: The current white-collar overtime regulations, which have not been comprehensively updated in nearly 50 years, reflect an old economy, old jobs and old salaries.

GARRETT: The new rules do no affect any of America's 16 million union members. Even so, big labor fears the rules will lower high-end wages in nonunion shops and put downward pressure on nonunion wages when contracts are renegotiated. The Labor Department says unions have nothing to fear.

LIPNIC: These rules don't apply to workers who are currently covered by collective bargaining agreement.

GARRETT: Union support extending overtime to low wageworkers but they say the new overtime rules will allow businesses to escape paying overtime to their highest paid employees. And that eight million workers, not the government's estimate of 600,000, could be affected.

(on camera): The new rules are scheduled to take effect at the end of this year; and when they do, it will be a victory of sorts for brevity in Washington. The new code runs 13,000 words replacing an old one written in 1938 that ran 31,000 words.

In Washington, Major Garrett, Fox News.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HUME: Next on SPECIAL REPORT, there is now a right to abortion, a right to gay sex, and some say the courts will soon give always right to gay marriage. Some people want to head that off with a constitutional amendment. Stay tuned.

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Content and Programming Copyright 2003 Fox News Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2003 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc., which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.