The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Congressman Admits Graft and Resigns ; More Unsettling News for Gop

SAN DIEGO - Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, an eight-term congressman and hotshot Vietnam War fighter jock, pleaded guilty to graft and tearfully resigned Monday, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes mostly from defense contractors in exchange for government business and other favors. "The truth is I broke the law, concealed my conduct and disgraced my office," the 63-year-old Republican said at a news conference. "I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions...

Obesity Posing Unusual Vaccine Challenge, Study Finds ; Plumper Posteriors May Block Proper Dosage

That traditional shot in the heinie may be doing less and less good as people become plumper, according to a study presented Monday. "Our study has demonstrated that a majority of people, especially women, are not getting the proper dosage from injections to the buttocks. There is no question that obesity is the underlying cause," said Dr. Victoria Chan, a researcher at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.

New Cpr Rules Focus On Faster, Harder Pushing of Chest ; Same Method to Be Used On Adults, Kids

DALLAS - "Push hard, push fast" next time you give CPR to someone having cardiac arrest, new, simpler guidelines say in a radical departure from past advice. Putting the emphasis on chest compressions instead of mouth-to- mouth resuscitation, the American Heart Association now urges people to give 30 compressions - instead of 15 - for every two rescue breaths.

Saddam Decries Treatment at Hands of U.S. 'Invaders' ; Adviser Doubts Ex-Leader Can Get Fair Trial

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A combative Saddam Hussein lashed out Monday at his treatment by U.S. "occupiers and invaders," and a former U.S. attorney general serving as a defense team adviser doubted whether the ousted dictator can get a fair trial. Ramsey Clark, attorney general under President Lyndon B. Johnson and the son of a U.S. Supreme Court justice, said it was "extremely difficult" to assure fairness in the trial "because the passions in the country are at a fever pitch."

Corzine, Forrester Spending Hit $75m ; Governor Election N.J.'S Costliest Ever

Governor-elect Jon Corzine and rival Doug Forrester spent more than $75 million on their campaigns, making this New Jersey's most expensive election ever, new reports show. Corzine, a U.S. senator and former Goldman Sachs chairman, and Forrester, the owner of a drug benefits firm, both relied heavily on their own wealth to spend a collective $75.4 million, according to campaign-finance reports filed with the state Monday.

Losses + Liquor = 2 Fans Stabbed ; Brooklyn Man Charged After Fight at Jets Game

EAST RUTHERFORD - It began like any other football bathroom break, with two men in Jets jerseys standing at urinals a few feet apart - injured quarterback Chad Pennington's 10 on the back of one and the 56 of defensive star John Abraham on the other. But a frustrating season, and what police said was too much alcohol, ignited a fight that left two fans stabbed and officials at the Meadowlands investigating how another got a knife into Giants Stadium.

2 Kids Hurt at Parade, No Lawsuit; Is Dad Nuts?

Now and then something happens that defines how we live. Such an event took place Thanksgiving Day. Steve Chamberlain promised not to sue anyone.

Teen Charged in Subway Pushing Death

N.Y.C. Officer Is Shot Fatally in Car Chase ; Ignored Wound to Help Catch Suspect

NEW YORK - A police officer who was shot in the heart early Monday during a car chase in Brooklyn ignored the wound and helped try to catch the suspected shooter before dying later at the hospital, authorities said. The officer, Dillon Stewart, 35, of Elmont, N.Y., was killed despite wearing a bulletproof vest. One round entered the officer's left armpit, missing the protective plating "by no more than a quarter of an inch," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a news conference.

Child Killer Trial May Set State Precedent ; Mentally Retarded Man Could Face Death

TRENTON - The case of an accused child killer whose lawyers say is mentally retarded could decide the future of some death penalty cases in New Jersey. Porfirio Jimenez is in prison, awaiting trial on charges he sexually assaulted a 10-year-old boy before murdering him in 2001. Lawyers plan to argue his case before the state's highest court Tuesday, with prosecutors expected to lobby against an unusual appeals panel decision that ruled that juries, not judges, should decide whether a defendan...

N.Y. Civil Rights Group Wants Halt to Taping of Protesters

NEW YORK - A civil rights group, citing the First Amendment, on Monday asked a judge to stop the police department from routinely videotaping political demonstrations. The New York Civil Liberties Union said in papers filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan that the police department adopted a regulation on Sept. 10, 2004, claiming it may photograph and videotape all political activity in the city without restriction.

Bus Ambush Kills British Muslims On Way to Shrine ; U.S. Says American Is Missing in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen ambushed a bus Monday carrying British Muslims to Shiite shrines, killing two Britons and wounding three. The U.S. Embassy confirmed an American is missing in Iraq - presumably one of four aid workers who disappeared over the weekend. Also Monday, two Sunni Arab politicians were slain in separate attacks - part of an escalation of violence that U.S. and Iraqi officials predicted in advance of Dec. 15 parliamentary elections.

Alito Had Words with Ethics Office in 1987 ; Faulted Widening of Financial Disclosure

WASHINGTON - As a Justice Department lawyer, Samuel Alito quarreled with the head of the government ethics office over proposed requirements on personal financial disclosures, according to documents released Monday. Alito's 1987 letter was issued around the time the ethics office said that his boss, Attorney General Edwin Meese III, had violated financial disclosure requirements over a $60,000 investment with a businessman who was tied to Wedtech, a Bronx defense contractor caught up in a wid...

Bush Wants Crackdown On Illegal Immigrants ; President Also Urges Issuing of More Visas

TUCSON, Ariz. - President Bush said Monday he wants to crack down on those who enter the country illegally but also give out more visas to foreigners with jobs, a dual plan he hopes will appease the social conservatives and business leaders who are his core supporters. "The American people should not have to choose between a welcoming society and a lawful society," Bush said from the Davis- Monthan Air Force Base about an hour from the Mexican border. "We can have both at the same time."

Travelers Still Snowbound ; Highways Closed Across Plains; Slippery Roads, Tornado Kill Five

DENVER - Travelers trying to get home after Thanksgiving were stranded Monday across the Plains as the region's first big snowstorm of the season closed hundreds of miles of highways, cutting visibility to zero and piling up drifts 6 feet high. Snow driven by wind up to 69 mph fell from North Dakota to the Texas Panhandle, shutting down schools, post offices and South Dakota state government.

Around the World

Scandal topples government TORONTO - A corruption scandal forced a vote of no-confidence Monday that toppled Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority government, triggering an unusual election campaign during the Christmas holidays.

Merck Hurt by Lack of New Drug ; 7,000 Job Cuts Intensify Industry's Pain

Merck & Co.'s announcement Monday that it will cut 7,000 jobs and shutter five manufacturing plants by 2008 can be traced to a problem afflicting most major drug companies - a parched pipeline. And the news of layoffs, other cost cuts and restructuring emanating regularly from New Jersey's pharmaceutical giants is likely to continue until one or more of them is able to unveil a blockbuster new drug or two.

New Orleans Takes Big Step Forward ; 1st Public School Reopens 3 Months After Katrina

NEW ORLEANS - After two years of trying, Ronald Coleman was at last delivering his children Monday to one of New Orleans' best public schools - thanks in large part to a catastrophe. "It took Hurricane Katrina to get my children in a good public school in Orleans Parish," Coleman said as he and his wife escorted their son and daughter into Benjamin Franklin Elementary.

Around the Nation

Asphalt from barge leaks into river RICHMOND, Va. - A barge filled with more than 1 million gallons of hot liquid asphalt ran aground Monday, leaking 8,400 gallons into the James River, officials said.

Some Holiday Green for the Blue Room ; White House Tree Arrives From N. Carolina

WASHINGTON - A horse-drawn wagon pulled up to the White House on Monday with an 18 1/2-foot Christmas tree that will adorn the Blue Room, marking the official start of the holiday decorating season at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. First lady Laura Bush walked outside to receive the Fraser fir that was pulled up the driveway to the North Portico by two horses, including one that didn't seem happy in his work.