TODAY'S HEADLINES
The New York Times on the Web
Saturday, May 12, 2001
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For news updated throughout the day, visit www.nytimes.com



QUOTE OF THE DAY
=========================

"WASHINGTON, May 11 President Bush said today that the surest
and swiftest way to help Americans cope with rising gas and
oil prices was to enact a sweeping tax cut, which he said
would give them more money to pay for the increases. "If I
had my way, I'd have it in place tomorrow, so that people
would have money in their pockets to deal with high energy
prices," Mr. Bush said at news conference in the White
House. "The Congress needs to act." Mr. Bush's comments came
a day after the Senate, like the House, approved a budget
plan that calls for $1.35 trillion in tax cuts over the next
11 years, and Mr. Bush sought to seize that momentum, urging
both chambers of Congress to pass the tax cut itself before
their Memorial Day recess. Mr. Bush also sought to link his
push for a tax cut to the nation's energy woes more strongly
than ever before. He cited those woes as a rationale for a
reduction in taxes, and he cited a tax cut as an answer to
those woes. After several weeks in which administration
officials had cautioned Americans that there was little if
anything that their energy policy, to be unveiled on
Thursday, could do to help consumers in the short term, Mr.
Bush today pitched his tax cut as, in fact, a ready-made
remedy. And he did so at a time of growing worry among
Republicans that rising gas and oil prices could seriously
damage his presidency. "Let me say it again, see if I can be
more clear," the president said in response to one of many
questions about other approaches to dealing with energy
problems. "To the Congress, who is interested in helping
consumers pay high gas prices: `Pass the tax relief as
quickly as possible.' "We've set aside $100 billion to help
consumers with high energy prices," Mr. Bush continued,
referring to a part of the suggested tax cut that would be
distributed among taxpayers this year. "That's the quickest
way to help consumers. I am deeply concerned about
consumers. I'm deeply concerned about high gas prices. To
anybody who wants to figure out how to help the consumers,
pass the tax relief package as quickly as possible." Many
low-income people, who are least able to afford a steep
escalation in the cost of cooling their homes or filling
their cars, would receive only modest amounts of money from
the tax cut Mr. Bush has proposed. Beyond that, the poorest
of these people, who pay no taxes, may not receive any
financial relief at all from a tax cut. But Mr. Bush and his
advisers clearly craved an opportunity for the president to
appear empathetic and in charge of the situation amid
predictions by some analysts that the price of a gallon of
gas could reach $3 this summer. Today's news conference,
which was almost 30 minutes long, was the third in the White
House the president had held since his inauguration nearly
four months ago. Mr. Bush also wanted to claim victory for
the Congressional passage of a budget plan with a tax cut
only slightly smaller than the one he initially proposed.
And he expressed support for Attorney General John
Ashcroft's decision, announced shortly before Mr. Bush
spoke, to delay until June 11 the planned execution of
Timothy J. McVeigh. "He is lucky to be an American," Mr.
Bush said of Mr. McVeigh. "This is a country that will bend
over backwards to make sure that his constitutional rights
are guaranteed, as opposed to rushing his fate." The
president added that the failure of F.B.I. officials to turn
over documents to which Mr. McVeigh's defense lawyers were
entitled had neither persuaded him that Mr. McVeigh was
unjustly convicted nor shaken his faith in the fairness with
which the death penalty is meted out. As the governor of
Texas, Mr. Bush presided over more than 150 executions in
six years. Asked about the recent expulsion of the United
States from the United Nations Human Rights Commission, Mr.
Bush grew more animated than usual, his anger evident. "The
decision was an outrageous decision," he said. "To me it
undermines the whole credibility of this commission." Like
Mr. Bush's two previous White House news conferences, this
one was announced only shortly before it began, and Mr. Bush
for a third time eschewed the formal trappings of the East
Room for the less formal press briefing room. He seemed
determined to maintain a jocular demeanor even about grave
subjects, smiling and laughing for a moment before answering
a question about a 4-month-old Palestinian baby killed by
Israeli fire this week. The issue he discussed most was
energy, as he set the stage for his administration's
announcement of its policy, one that will call for the
construction of power plants and more oil and gas
exploration on federal lands. Many voters are concerned
about the environmental repercussions of such measures, and
Mr. Bush sought both to address those concerns and to assert
that energy problems were long in the making and would be
long in the solving. "This is a situation that's been
developing over the years, and it's going to take a while to
correct," Mr. Bush said, presenting himself as the blunt
bearer of mixed tidings and later adding, "I'm going to tell
the truth when it comes to energy: that we have a serious
problem, that we need to do a couple of things." "We need to
be more conservation- minded in America," he said. "But I'm
also going to say, as plainly as I can, we won't conserve
our way to energy independence. We must also increase
supply." Mr. Bush's discussion of the nation's energy
problems in some ways mirrored his evaluations of the
economy, in which he has gone out of his way to document
that he inherited a troubling situation. He said today that
he hoped an economic recovery would be imminent, but that
"there's no question that the minute I got elected, the
storm clouds on the horizon were getting nearly directly
overhead.""

- ,

Full Story:



NATIONAL
=========================

Ashcroft Delays Death of McVeigh Over F.B.I.'s Lapse
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/national/12EXEC.html

The West Is Culling Forests That Fueled Fires of the Past
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/national/12FIRE.html

Dartmouth Expels Fraternity Over Articles
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/national/12DART.html

Texas Governor Signs Hate Crimes Bill
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/national/12TEXA.html




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POLITICS
=========================

Bush Says Tax Cut Would Help Consumers With Energy Costs
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/politics/12BUSH.html

Bush Picks Industry Insiders to Fill Environmental Posts
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/politics/12NOMI.html

Two Leaders of Tax Panel Agree on a Bill
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/politics/12TAX.html

Gambling Industry Battles McCain Ban on College Bets
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/politics/12GAMB.html



INTERNATIONAL
=========================

TV Tycoon and Career Politician Wrap Up Campaign to Lead
Italy
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/world/12ITAL.html

Talks Don't Calm Foes of Antimissile Plan
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/world/12MISS.html

Despite European Unity Efforts, There's No Country Like Home
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/world/12EURO.html

Death to Blasphemers: Islam's Grip on Pakistan
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/world/12PAK.html



BUSINESS
=========================

Consumers Still Spending With Gusto
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/business/12ECON.html

Panel Says 3 Allergy Drugs Should Be Sold Over the Counter
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/business/12FDA.html

How a Rabbi's Foray Into Online Dating Ended Up in Court
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/technology/12MATC.html

Top Executive Stepping Down at Audit Firm
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/business/12ACCO.html



TECHNOLOGY
=========================

How a Rabbi's Foray Into Online Dating Ended Up in Court
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/technology/12MATC.html

Two Executives Leaving Nortel Networks
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/technology/12NORT.html

Bloomberg Buys Web Addresses That Critics Might Fancy
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/nyregion/12BLOO.html

The Peculiar Ruins of the New Economy
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/13/magazine/13SERVERFARM.html



NEW YORK REGION
=========================

A Fading Actress, a Pile of Drugs and 3 Slayings
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/nyregion/12SHOO.html

Pursuit of Cash and Influence Linked Torricelli and a Donor
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/politics/12INQU.html

Big Store, Seen as Interloper, Wins Over a Neighborhood
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/nyregion/12SPRI.html

Bloomberg Buys Web Addresses That Critics Might Fancy
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/nyregion/12BLOO.html



SPORTS
=========================

Yankees Move Into First Despite Struggles
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/sports/12YANK.html

Giants Hand Mets Fourth Straight Loss
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-BBN-Mets-Giants.html

Carter's Answer for Iverson Is 50 Points
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/sports/12RAPT.html

Kings Come Home to Find Lakers Still Unbeatable
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/sports/12LAKE.html



ARTS
=========================

Mankind Takes a Fall in New Museum Displays
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/arts/12NATU.html

A Professor Who Can Rap the Rap
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/arts/12TANK.html

Showing the Flag in Paris
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/arts/12CENT.html

New York City Ballet: Promises of a Shining Sun and Love in
Bloom
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/arts/12WHEE.html




OP-ED COLUMNISTS
=========================

By FRANK RICH: Springtime for Adolf and Tony

The popularity of "The Producers" and "The Sopranos"
indicates that Americans can tell the difference between a
show created by real writers and one assembled by a
Hollywood committee.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/opinion/12RICH.html


By ANTHONY LEWIS: Danger to Israel

The national policy of building Jewish settlements in the
occupied West Bank and Gaza are a crucial obstacle to a
resumption of meaningful peace talks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/12/opinion/12LEWI.html



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