February 11, 2002

Rubin's Enron Phone Call Was Sign of His Hybrid Role When Robert E. Rubin called the Treasury Department last fall to see if there was anything the Bush administration could do to save Enron, a client of his current employer, Citigroup, he spoke as a banker. But he also spoke as a former Treasury secretary concerned about the risks to the nation's markets. Mr. Rubin's call inadvertently gave comfort to the White House and some conservative commentators, who gleefully tagged it as evidence that it was a prominent Democrat who backed a government rescue -- not Republicans who received the bulk of Enron's generous campaign contributions. [Section A.]

Baltimore Museum of Art schedules exhibit of works by British artist Joseph Mallord William Turner; photo (S)

Kenneth L Lay, former chairman of Enron, is expected to exercise his Fifth Amendment right and refuse to answer questions about company's collapse when he appears before Congress on Feb 12; his decision not to testify follows hostile questioning last week of Jeffrey K Skilling, his successor as Enron's chief executive; chairman of committee investigating Enron said after Skilling appeared that he might be in jeopardy of perjury charges; Lay backed out of earlier appearances before two committees, saying he feared hearings would become too 'prosecutorial'; Congressional investigators suggest Lay was daunted by release on Feb 2 of report by special committee of Enron's board saying he failed to properly oversee company and 'bears significant responsibility' for deals that helped bring company down; lawmakers issued subpoenas after Lay refused to appear voluntarily and he is still expected to appear on Feb 12 (M)

Fritz Strobl of Austria wins gold medal in men's downhill ski race; Norway's Lasse Kjus wins silver and Austrian Stephan Eberharter takes bronze; photos (M)

Sean Combs has been known to offer wildly ostentatious animal pelts on his runways, although they were strictly for show; in stores, he traffics in jeans, denim work jackets and other components of urban regalia. Or at least that's what Mr. Combs used to do. At his show on Saturday night, Mr. Combs immersed himself in another world. The models wore three-piece suits, cashmere car coats and military greatcoats. The clothes were smart and martini-ready. Article, Page B6.