FEMA Head Becomes Latest Bush Team Departure
Federal Emergency Management Agency head Joe Allbaugh, a longtime confidant of President Bush, resigned on Monday as head of the agency due to be moved into the new Department of Homeland Security.
( BY RANDALL MIKKELSEN, Reuters, 12/16/2002 12:38 PM PST)

Ex-Klan Leader David Duke Returns to U.S.
David Duke has returned to the United States and will be talking with federal prosecutors about a plea bargain to criminal charges, his attorney said Monday.
( ALAN SAYRE, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 12:34 PM PST)

Nebraska, Kansas settle water lawsuit
Nebraska agreed to limit new irrigation wells in the Republican River basin, announcing a settlement Monday in a water rights battle with neighboring Kansas that had gone to the U.S. Supreme Court.
( By KEVIN O'HANLON, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 12:25 PM PST)

Torrential Storms Sweep West Coast
Torrential rain and wind reaching 100 mph buffeted the Northern California and Oregon coast for a third straight day Monday, snarling traffic during the morning commute and knocking out power.
( ANNA OBERTHUR, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 12:22 PM PST)

Russian colonel declared insane in Chechen murder
Russian doctors Monday declared insane the first senior army officer to go on trial for crimes against civilians in the breakaway region of Chechnya, paving the way for his release for treatment.
( By MARIA GOLOVNINA, Reuters, 12/16/2002 11:16 AM PST)

Blair ups peace effort amid more Mideast violence
Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip Monday shot dead two Hamas Islamic militants trying to plant explosives and a Palestinian man tending to songbirds in his backyard, witnesses said.
( By NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI, Reuters, 12/16/2002 11:12 AM PST)

At least 60 drown as Liberian boat capsizes
At least 60 people drowned and many more were feared dead after an overloaded ferry carrying 200 passengers back from a funeral capsized in the West African country of Liberia, officials said.
( By ALPHONSO TOWEH, Reuters, 12/16/2002 11:07 AM PST)

Stocks Up as Investors Look to Next Year
Stocks rallied on Monday as investors brushed aside signs of lukewarm spending during the critical holiday shopping season and looked to a year-end rally and 2003, buying shares beaten down by two weeks of declines.
( BY HERBERT LASH, Reuters, 12/16/2002 10:19 AM PST)

Vatican OKs plan in U.S. church sex scandal
The Vatican approved revised rules Monday to try to protect children and punish Roman Catholic clergy found guilty of sexual abuse. The measures promise a fair hearing for accused priests and tough penalties for the guilty.
( By CRISPIAN BALMER, Reuters, 12/16/2002 10:17 AM PST)

Violent crime on the rise, FBI says
The number of crimes in the United States rose in the first six months of the year, adding to the increases that began in 2001 after a decade-long decline, the FBI said on Monday.
( Reuters, 12/16/2002 10:15 AM PST)

Democrats welcome Gore-free 2004 election
Al Gore would have been a formidable Democratic primary candidate, but his decision to forgo the 2004 race probably helped his party's chances in the general election against President Bush, Democrats say.
( By RON FOURNIER, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 10:02 AM PST)

Bush Taps Ex-N.J. Gov. to Run 9/11 Probe
President Bush named former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean, a moderate Republican with a record of bipartisan cooperation, to replace Henry Kissinger as head of the panel investigating the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
( SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 09:59 AM PST)

Lieberman mulls run as Gore steps aside
Al Gore left the field of potential 2004 Democratic presidential candidates in a surprise move that immediately raised the stakes for a half-dozen others pondering a run for the White House. Sen. Joseph Lieberman said Monday he'll announce early next month whether he plans to run.
( By WILL LESTER, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 09:56 AM PST)

Maryland jury deliberates case of shot priest
Jurors started deliberations Monday in the trial of a man charged with shooting the priest he claims abused him a decade ago.
( By GRETCHEN PARKER, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 09:42 AM PST)

Man dies after jumping from skyscraper
A man scaled partway up one of Houston's best-known skyscrapers Monday, then jumped to his death as a crowd watched, police said.
( Associated Press, 12/16/2002 09:41 AM PST)

Supreme Court turns down equal pay case
The Supreme Court refused today to consider shielding states from lawsuits over unequal pay for people in the same job.
( Associated Press, 12/16/2002 08:11 AM PST)

Senate GOP to meet in Jan. on Lott's fate
Senate Republican leaders on Monday summoned the rank and file to a meeting Jan. 6 to decide the fate of Sen. Trent Lott as party leader in the wake of a racially charged controversy.
( By DAVID ESPO, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 08:02 AM PST)

Survey: Drug use by U.S. teens declines
American teen-agers are cutting their use of illicit drugs, cigarettes and alcohol, said a report to the government Monday.
( By SIOBHAN McDONOUGH, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 07:14 AM PST)

Gore move leaves Democratic field wide open in '04
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's surprise announcement that he would not challenge President Bush in the 2004 presidential elections has thrown the field wide open for Democratic presidential hopefuls.
( By JOANNE ALLEN, Reuters, 12/16/2002 05:37 AM PST)