Top national security officials in Bush administration say in near unison that Pres Saddam Hussein's efforts to build arsenal of immensely destructive weapons leaves US little choice but to act against Iraq; comments on Sunday television news programs by Vice Pres Dick Cheney, Defense Sec Donald Rumsfeld, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Sec of State Colin L Powell and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen Richard B Myers noted; photo (M)

BUSH OFFICIALS SAY THE TIME HAS COME FOR ACTION ON IRAQ

Sunbeam Corp proposes bankruptcy reorganization that would wipe out shareholder equity and leave bondholders with almost nothing; reports Justice Department probes management of company during period it was run by Albert J Dunlap and Russell A Kersh, raising possibility that their recent settlement with Securities and Exchange Commission involving accounting practices that let Sunbeam overstate profits in 1997 and early 1998 may not have ended their legal problems (M)

Justice Dept. Starts Inquiry At Sunbeam

Immigration agents at the nation's border crossings, airports and seaports will begin this week to fingerprint foreigners who they suspect may pose a security risk and will require those visitors to regularly report on where they are living and what they are doing in the country.     The new procedures, intended to improve the monitoring of certain foreigners, will apply to anyone who arrives with a student, business or tourist visa and fits the criteria of a potential terrorist. Officials said they would not disclose those criteria for fear of jeopardizing intelligence-gathering.   

U.S. Will Fingerprint Some Foreign Visitors

Joyce Purnick column says amazing progress achieved over last year in cleaning up World Trade Center site and regaining sense of normalcy in Lower Manhattan is tribute to human spirit; says unlicensed vendors selling police and fire caps and souvenir booklets are deplorable in one sense, but they also attest to city's mercantile spirit (M)

Metro Matters; Human Spirit Is Triumphant Downtown

Alan Riding interviews Alain Brigand, Parisian television producer whose movie 11'09''01-Sept 11 is comprised of 11 short films, each 11 minutes long, made by 11 international directors; photos (M)

An American Tragedy Viewed Through 11 Foreign Prisms

Architects, engineers and developers are reconsidering designs of skyscrapers in wake of September 2002 terrorist attacks against World Trade Center in which twin towers collapsed; are making changes to buildings under construction and in planning stages, struggling with critical question of what kind of attacks buildings should be required to withstand; are trying to calculate devastation that might be caused by various types of bombs, shoulder-fired missiles, chemical and biological agents, and even planes; some safety-related changes being made to skyscrapers under construction in New York City and elsewhere described; diagrams; photos (L)

9/11 Prompts New Caution In Design of U.S. Skyscrapers

Rep Charles B Rangel played key role in mediating Andrew M Cuomo's withdrawal from Democratic primary for governor in New York in order to unify party behind H Carl McCall; he and other top Democrats did not believe that party could stand another racially charged battle; photo (M)

It Isn't Love, but for Rangel, Peace in Political Family Will Do

Twenty-year acquisition spree that turned major communications companies into behemoths is shifting into reverse as many media companies are short of cash and looking to sell, leaving few to bid; Vivendi, AOL Time Warner, Walt Disney, Bertelsmann and Cablevision Systems seek to sell units; number of buyout funds are waiting to buy units at bargain prices; media's collective retreat is also opportunity for few companies with funds and inclination to spend, mainly Viacom and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp (M)

Short of Cash, Media Giants Are Selling Assets

Rosario Musca, 79, sets fire to his son's house in Massapequa Park, LI, after argument in which he terrorizes family with high-power rifle fire; holds police at bay through the day as firefighters shower house with water from a distance; is believed to have perished in fire; son, Dennis, and Dennis' two daughters escape; photo (M)

A Family Feud Erupts in Bullets and Flames in a Long Island Home

Patrick Buchanan discusses his plans for American Conservative, new opinion magazine, interview; Taki Theodoracopulos, who finances magazine, comments; biweekly magazine will be edited by Scott McConnell, with Kara Hopkins as managing editor; propensity of such political magazines to loose money noted; photos (M)

For Buchanan, A New Pulpit And Target

 Consolidation Stalls In the Wireless Industry  The wireless industry seems to be defying conventional logic. Under most circumstances, the industry would be ripe for consolidation. But despite rumors of deals, most companies do not seem to be in a buying mood.     There are several reasons for the lack of consolidations. Chief among them, perhaps, is that the nation's local telephone companies are not as strong financially as they were a few months ago. New Economy. [Page C4.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

Few American businesses or organizations have responded to heightened fears of cyberterrorism in wake of Sept 11 attacks with new measures to safeguard their computing systems from intruders; fears and effort led by White House cyberspace security adviser Richard A Clark to establish computer security framework have not spurred spending on security; little money has been spent to enhance other areas of computer security, like disaster preparedness of information technology systems, that have also come under scrutiny since Sept 11; graphs of results of survey of people who run information networks; photos (M)

Year After 9/11, Cyberspace Door Is Still Ajar

Celestine Bohlen interviews Anne Nelson, writer of The Guys, and Jim Simpson director of play's successful Flea Theater production; plan is about journalist's struggle to write about firefighters killed on Sept 11; film version stars Sigourney Weaver; photos (M)

Story of Fallen Firefighters Moves From Stage to Screen

Pete Sampras captures US Open men's tennis title for fifth time by defeating Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadow; uses hard first serves and audacious second serves to capture 14th major title; exciting match described; photos (M)

Sampras Wins the Open for Old Times' Sake

New York Jets defeat Buffalo Bills, 37-31, in overtime; photos (M)

Jets Urge Morton to 'Break One.' How About Two?

Grieving visitors flock to rural Shanksville, Pa, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in September 2002 after hijacking by terrorists in commemmoration of first anniversary of disaster; leave thousands of personal mementos and other objects at ad hoc memorial created near crash site over past year; scene described; local authorities who tend site say all objects will be preserved in museum collection; photos (M)

Pilgrims Flock To Site of Crash Near Rural Hill

William C Rhoden Sports of The Times column discusses surprising ending of New York Jets game against Buffalo Bills, won by Jets in overtime after Chad Morton returns kickoff for touchdown; Morton, who returned earlier kick for touchdown, becomes only second man to accomplish feat in NFL history; photo (M)

Sports of The Times; Getting Used to Those New, Successful Jets

Disclosure in former General Electric chief executive John F Welch Jr's divorce action that GE paid many of his living expenses raises questions of why GE did not more fully disclose data and who should pay taxes on benefits; include lifetime use of palatial Manhattan apartment, complete with amenities, access to GE's aircraft, car and driver and tickets to top events; corporate governance experts question perks and whether company's compensation committee had independence needed to say no to Welch; photo (M)

G.E. Perks Raise Issues About Taxes

This Week: Milwaukee Art Museum exhibition of paintings that illustrate history of collecting and patronage; Minetta Lane Theater presents ten plays written, cast, rehearsed and performed in single day; Minnesota Orchestra celebrates 100th season; TV journalists to be honored for coverage of Sept 11 attacks; photos (S)

This Week

 U.S. Inquiry on Sunbeam  The Justice Department has begun an investigation of the management of the Sunbeam Corporation during the period the company was run by Albert J. Dunlap.   PAGE C1

INSIDE

Number of unemployed who have been jobless for months has climbed to level more typical of deep downturn, even though labor market remains unusually healthy for end of recession with unemployment rate below 6 percent; Labor Department reports almost three million have remained unemployed for at least 15 weeks, up more than 50 percent from year earlier, and half have not worked in at least 6 months; additional million seems to have dropped out of labor force, no longer looking for work or counted as unemployed; many who have not worked in months are spending retirement savings, already diminished by stock market's fall; others are considering low-wage jobs at fraction of old pay; stretches of unemployment in either case could define their financial futures for years; photo; graphs (M)

Long-Term Jobless Rose by 50 Percent Over the Last Year

George Vecsey Sports of The Times column discusses dramatic US Open men's final, which featured a four set victory by Pete Sampras over Andre Agassi; photos (M)

Sports of The Times; Sampras Wins in a Duel Fit for New York

Article in series on Middletown, NJ, which lost 36 residents in collapse of World Trade Center; town remains deep in grief a year after, but both town and victims' families seem intent on moving on; photos (M)

Emerging From Cocoon of Grief; Town Tries to Get Back to Normal After Painful Year

Mel Gussow interviews Tony Kushner about playwright's creative process, in which rewriting may continue throughout several productions before he is satisfied with text; focus is on major changes Kushner has made in Homebody/Kabul since its successful New York run; photos (M)

Write It, Stage It, Tweak It; Tony Kushner Continues to Tinker With 'Homebody/Kabul'

Ben Brantley reviews Performance Space 122 presentation of play Joe, written and directed by Richard Maxwell; photo (M)

September 9, 2002

Headlines from September 9, 2002

BUSH OFFICIALS SAY THE TIME HAS COME FOR ACTION ON IRAQ

Justice Dept. Starts Inquiry At Sunbeam

U.S. Will Fingerprint Some Foreign Visitors

Metro Matters; Human Spirit Is Triumphant Downtown

An American Tragedy Viewed Through 11 Foreign Prisms

Billboard 200

The Eminem Show

Nellyville

Let Go

Lord Willin'

The Rising

Historical Context for September 9, 2002