June 19, 2002

Pres Bush proposes bill to require Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency to turn over intelligence reports on terrorist threats to proposed Homeland Security Department; bill would also transfer State Department's traditional authority to issue visas to new department, although state secretary could still deny visas for foreign policy reasons and State Department consular offices worldwide would still issue visas under rules set by new department; bill does not require intelligence agencies to turn over tapes and other raw intelligence data; authorizes new department to direct other agencies, including FBI, to act to protect nation from specific threats; Bush calls bill basis for evenutal triumph over terrorism, letter to Congress; bill is one of few drafted at Bush White House; Congressional leaders of both parties back it; photo (M)

Senate committee, 17-4, approves bill to ban accounting firms from selling many forms of consulting services to their audit clients, limit time individual partner could review one company's books and create regulatory board made up mostly of people outside industry; acts in face of fierce opposition from accounting industry lobby; bill, if approved by Senate, must be reconciled with House-passed bill backed by accounting industry; Sen Jon S Corzine notes obstacles facing bill, interview; consumer groups back bill; photo (M)

Residents and businesses in Lower Manhattan are concerned that they are being left out of planning for memorial to victims of Sept 11; advisory committee of family members of victims has begun memorial discussions, but few, if any, others have been invited to share their views; officials at Lower Manhattan Development Corp say planning for memorial should rightly begin with families; drawing of proposed viewing wall at World Trade Center site and several plans for 16-acre site (M)

I STARTED cooking when I was 18, and my first job was in a fish restaurant on Long Island. I grew up on the South Shore, and I still live there and go fishing there. Over the years, I had lots of French training, but I wanted to do fish. Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali gave me the chance when they opened Esca in Manhattan. The biggest lesson I've learned working in an Italian restaurant is to keep things simple. Take tuna, for example. I do not serve rare seared tuna, though it is something that almost every chef has been doing. I cook tuna slowly in olive oil and then let it marinate as it cools. It's thoroughly cooked, but if you do it the right way, it's rich enough to melt in your mouth. It's the way they eat tuna in Italy. The American culture does not understand this. No one eats rare tuna in Italy.

Publishers say they are not interested in books that jurors might want to write about of Arthur Andersen obstruction-of-justice trial; Oscar H Criner, jury's foreman and professor of computer science at Texas Southern University, says he wants to write book about experience and its broader significance; publishers say market for Enron-related books is quite full for now and that any interesting books about Enron and Andersen will probably come from professional writers and investigative journalists acquainted with big business (M)