The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Peterson Tapes Long On Suspicion, Short On Evidence

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - In 12 weeks of trial, prosecutors have presented scant hard evidence linking Scott Peterson to the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci, and the couple's fetus - no murder weapon, no cause of death, no bloody crime scene, and no witnesses to the killing. However, the trial has taken a turn over the last two weeks as jurors heard hours of recorded telephone calls between Peterson and his former lover, Amber Frey.

Air Marshals Upset by Hotel Discount Policy ; Having to Ask Puts Cover at Risk

WASHINGTON - Travelers checking into budget hotels near major airports might be surprised to find themselves standing next to undercover federal air marshals. They'll be the guests asking for "the air marshal's discount." So much for working undercover.

New Overtime Rules Kick in, but Effect Is Hard to Predict ; Many White-Collar Jobs Lose Eligibility

WASHINGTON - Paychecks could surge or shrink for a few or for millions of workers across the country starting today, when sweeping changes to the nation's overtime pay rules take effect. There is little agreement by the Bush administration, employer groups, labor experts, and others on how many workers will gain or lose the right to overtime pay under the new rules in the Fair Labor Standards Act.

More Details On Lead-Up to 9/11 ; Reports Look at Immigration Controls and Al-Qaeda Financing

WASHINGTON - A new report from the now-defunct Sept. 11 commission details the lax controls on immigration and customs that the hijackers exploited to carry out their plot. The report, compiled by the commission's staff, says 13 of the 19 hijackers applying for visas presented passports that were less than three weeks old, yet their visa applications were met with no increased scrutiny.

Gop Senators Float Plan to Centralize Spy Agencies ; Reorganization Would Bypass Cia, Pentagon

WASHINGTON - Senate Intelligence Committee Republicans proposed removing the nation's largest intelligence gathering operations from the CIA and the Pentagon and putting them directly under a new national intelligence director. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., the committee chairman, unveiled on Sunday the most sweeping intelligence reorganization proposal offered by anyone since the Sept. 11 commission called for major changes. In an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," Roberts acknowledged that...

Hurricane Homeless Face New Anxiety ; Trailers Are Arriving but Not Fast Enough

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - As people made homeless by Hurricane Charley began another week living in makeshift shelters, federal officials pledged Sunday that more substantial temporary housing was on the way, but it was unclear exactly how much help would be available. A trailer park the government is constructing for mobile homes at an undisclosed location could take a month or two to finish, said Ken Burris, southeast regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Around the World

Palestinians issue settlement warning JERUSALEM - Palestinian leaders reacted angrily Sunday to Washington's apparent readiness to allow construction inside Israeli settlements in the West Bank, warning that it would destroy the peace process.

Arson Fire Guts Jewish Community Center ; Paris Blaze Is Latest Anti-Semitic Incident

PARIS - Arsonists destroyed a Jewish community center in eastern Paris before dawn Sunday, leaving behind red graffiti with menacing anti-Semitic messages such as "Jews get out." Flames gnawed away the wooden doors and blackened the walls of the center, a meeting place for the elderly and disadvantaged located on the ground floor of a six-story building. Rescue workers said the center was gutted.

Family Wants Answers in Fatal Police Shooting

PERTH AMBOY - Family and friends of a man killed by police are asking for a better explanation of what led to the shooting and are organizing a march for Wednesday. Curtis Good, 41, died early Friday after being shot by a patrolman responding to a report that a man was "breaking up everything" at the apartment where he lived with his girlfriend, authorities said.

Pakistan Says It Foiled Major Bomb Plot

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Security forces hunted for terror suspects, officials said Sunday, as Pakistan announced that it had arrested a dozen al-Qaeda-linked militants planning to launch simultaneous suicide attacks on government leaders and the U.S. Embassy. Officials said the plot could have killed hundreds of people, underscoring the deadly stakes in President Pervez Musharraf's push to defeat violent extremists.

Gay Teenagers React to Mcgreevey Scandal

What do gay teens think of the McGreevey scandal? They've been paying close attention since Governor McGreevey's Aug. 12 announcement that he is gay, had an adulterous affair with a man, and was resigning in November.

Honduras Secures Embassies in Wake of Al-Qaeda Warning

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Honduras tightened security at foreign embassies and declared a national terror alert after receiving information that al-Qaeda was trying to recruit Hondurans to attack embassies of the United States, Britain, Spain, and El Salvador, a government official said Sunday. The heightened security was implemented late last week, after Honduras' intelligence services received reports of a plan allegedly targeting those countries' embassies here and abroad, Security Minister ...

Kerry Camp Says Inexperience Led Bush to Rush Into Iraq War

CRAWFORD, Texas - John Kerry's campaign lashed out at President Bush's military record Sunday, contending the nation would not have rushed ill-equipped troops to a war in Iraq if the president had ever served in an armed conflict. The comments by Tad Devine, a senior adviser to Kerry's campaign, represented an escalation of attempts to take the offensive against Republican-aligned critics of the Massachusetts senator's Vietnam War record and Bush's refusal to condemn written and TV ad attacks...

Edwards Calls On President to Repudiate Anti-Kerry Ads ; Bush Camp Denies Tie to Swift Boat Vets

McADENVILLE, N.C. - Sen. John Edwards on Sunday continued a Democratic counterattack on a group trying to deflate John Kerry's war record, calling on President Bush to denounce TV ads by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. "Mr. President, the clock is running," Edwards said. "The American people deserve to hear from you. And they deserve to hear from you that these ads will come down."

Critics Call Fla. Ballot As Bad As 'Butterfly' ; Voters Must Join Broken Arrows

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Palm Beach County has introduced an absentee ballot that requires voters to indicate their choices by connecting broken arrows, sparking criticism that it is even more confusing than the infamous "butterfly ballot" used in the 2000 election. Theresa LePore, the elections supervisor who approved the 2000 butterfly ballot, opted for a ballot design for the Aug. 31 primary that asks voters to draw lines joining two ends of an arrow.

Brazen Gunmen Steal Masterpiece ; Stunned Oslo Museum-Goers Watch As Munch's 'Scream' Is Carried Off

OSLO, Norway - Armed, masked thieves burst into a lightly guarded Oslo museum Sunday and snatched the Edvard Munch masterpiece "The Scream" and a second Munch painting from the walls as stunned visitors watched in shock. It was the second time in a decade that a version of the iconic "The Scream," which depicts an anguished, opened-mouthed figure grabbing the sides of its head, had been stolen from an Oslo museum.

Corzine Keeping Options Open ; Won't Shut Door On Nov. Election

Sen. Jon S. Corzine, in his first interview since Governor McGreevey announced he is gay and will resign, said Sunday that he would run for governor if McGreevey steps down before the Sept. 3 cutoff for a special election. But Corzine, a Democrat, repeated a pledge he made last Wednesday to not press McGreevey to leave his post before the Nov. 15 resignation date the governor set.

Giving Ice the Slip ; High-Tech System of Sensors, Sprayers to Get Road Test

It may be hot and humid outside, but some New Jersey highway engineers have nothing but cold, snowy weather on their minds. While that may sound like a neat mental trick to keep cool during the dog days of summer, these roadway savants are focusing on something more sinister: black ice.

Blame Summer Rain for This Fall's Allergies ; Experts Say Conditions Are Right for a Bad Season

TRENTON - For the hordes who suffer from seasonal ragweed and grass allergies, all the rain this summer means both good news and bad news. The good news? Rain every few days has regularly scrubbed the air, preventing plants from drying out enough to release much pollen.

Cold War Service Earned Them Cancer

Tom McCarthy wouldn't take his painkillers. They made him sleepy. The urban planner and ex-Navy navigator was dying of lung cancer, and he wanted to be awake during his last days. He had a story to tell his wife.