BUSINESS
Brake woes halt Acela Express
America's first high-speed train service suffered another setback when brake problems forced Amtrak to halt its Acela Express services between Washington, New York and Boston, leaving an estimated 10,000 passengers to hunt for seats on slower trains. [Page 1a]
Dow has third-straight steep drop
The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 191 points, its third-straight triple-digit decline, as stocks nose-dived on Wall Street after lackluster reports on industrial activity and consumer confidence, along with disappointing earnings from technology bellwether IBM, sent financial markets further into the tank. [Page 1a]
FTC seeks freeze of assets
The Federal Trade Commission asked a federal judge yesterday to freeze the assets of the founder of the credit counseling firm AmeriDebt, saying he is trying to move millions to family and off-shore accounts to shield the money from a civil case against him. [Page 12c]
NATIONAL
Cheney set to act on filibusters
Vice President Dick Cheney said that as Senate president he would be prepared to cast the tie-breaking vote, if needed, to change the rules of the Senate and bar Democrats from using filibusters to block President Bush's judicial nominees. [Page 1a]
Compromise on Social Security?
President Bush might be willing to compromise on elements of his proposal for allowing private retirement accounts as part of a Social Security overhaul, a White House spokesman indicated yesterday. [Page 3a]
Bush paid $207,000 in '04 taxes
President Bush reported adjusted gross income of $784,219 for last year, on which he paid $207,000 in federal taxes, or about $20,000 less than the previous year, according to the president's return released by the White House. [Page 3a]
WORLD
Paris hotel fire kills at least 20
A fire at a budget hotel in downtown Paris killed at least 20 people, many of them African immigrants lodged there by authorities. [Page 8a]
Prince Rainier buried in Monaco
Prince Rainier III was laid to rest yesterday in a pomp-filled service in Monaco that drew dignitaries of about 60 countries from around the world. He reigned for 56 of his 81 years. [Page 9a]
HEALTH & SCIENCE
Einstein the rage in ad world
Scientist Albert Einstein died 50 years ago and is revered for reinventing space and time, but in death he has become a hot commodity for advertisements. One estimate has put Einstein-related revenues at more than $10 million over the past decade. [Page 1a]
