June 10, 2002

Political Gridlock Halts Changes in Accounting Law Six months after the collapse of Enron, the wave of enthusiasm for overhauling the corporate and accounting laws has ebbed and the toughest proposals for change have been thwarted. A consortium of lobbyists, exploiting partisan disagreement in Congress, appears to have killed the most far-reaching proposals, and the jockeying has begun over how to manage that outcome in the fall elections. Bills imposing more stringent accounting standards, changing the tax and accounting treatment of employee stock options, and setting tougher conflict-of-interest rules for stock analysts and accounting firms that perform nonauditing consulting services have all fallen victim to political gridlock. [Section A.]

Tiger Woods will be trying for the second leg of golf's Grand Slam when the United States Open begins Thursday on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park on Long Island. A publicly run facility where any golfer can play for $31 on weekdays, Bethpage is the first true public course to play host to the Open, the national championship of the august United States Golf Association. SECTION F

Cooperation of military establishment with Hollywood movie makers for nearly century has grown bigger and more elaborate over years and seems to have reached new high with film The Sum of All Fears; Defense Dept gave filmmakers, in addition to use of equipment, access to its inner sanctums; CIA's deep involvement in movie as advisers and consultant noted; relationship with military gives Hollywood level of realism almost impossible to duplicate, even digitally, and armed forces chance to put best foot forward in search for recruits in absence of draft; photos (M)

ABC News plans to name George Stephanopoulos, former Clinton Administration communications aide, as sole anchor of revamped program This Week in bid to challenge NBC's dominance of Sunday morning TV; move stirs controversy, with critics citing his scant journalism experience and questioning whether his partisan past taints his objectivity; he comments, interview; photos (M)

Military cooperation between US and India has increased remarkably since September 11 terrorist attacks to level almost unimaginable for most of past three decades; is underscored by burst of army, navy and air force joint exercises, revival of American military sales and blur of high-level visits by generals and admirals; India, for decades champion of nonalignment, seeks warmer ties with US in hopes of gaining access to sophisticated military technology and help in dealing with Pakistan over disputed territory of Kashmir; US hopes deeper military and political ties will give it measure of leverage to prevent war between both countries that could lead to nuclear holocaust and play havoc with hunt for Al Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan; upcoming visit of Defense Sec Donald H Rumsfeld discussed; photos (M)