December 4, 2003

News analysis suggests that Pentagon's sudden decision to allow lawyer to visit Yaser Esam Hamdi, terrorism suspect who holds US citizenship, may be less substantive concession than calculated gesture to shield detention polices from reversal by courts; Hamdi was captured in Afghanistan and is held in Navy brig in Charleston, SC; photo; Viet Dinh, former assistant attorney general who helped draft policies, says shift moves Bush administration to more defensible position but that more due process is needed; decision comes day before Justice Department brief defending policies; Frank W Dunham Jr, public defender in Virginia, will be allowed to meet with Hamdi (M)

Expert panel appointed by New York Chief Judge Judith S Kaye calls for significant changes in way judges are elected and proposes requiring that lawyers disclose in court any campaign contributions to judges presiding over their cases; also calls for independent screening panels for nominees and stricter limits on campaign contributions, including requiring judges to recuse themselves when they have gotten sizable donations from parties in case; Kaye says most changes can be made without legislation, to restore faith in system rocked by several misconduct cases; panel to report next year on thorny issues such as public financing of judicial campaigns (M)

Health and Human Services Department softens national advertising campaign to promote breastfeeding after complaints from Mead Johnson, division of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Abbott Laboratories that make infant formula; newsletter distributed by Ad Council, nonprofit group developing advertisements for government, says department planned to begin campaign in December; department spokeswoman Christina Pearson says it is not clear when ads will begin; department's Asst Sec Kevin Keane will meet with group of breastfeeding experts who have been working on campaign to discuss changes to ads; original campaign focused on 'risks of associated with not breastfeeding; Dr Joe M Sanders, executive director of American Academy of Pediatrics, has misgivings about ads; Dr Lawrence M Gartner, head of academy's breastfeeding committee, questions source of opposition; photos (M)

Securities and Exchange Commission proposes new set of mutual fund regulations and announces ambitious schedule to issue additional fund-trading and governance rules over next two months; votes unanimously to propose rule aimed at ending abusive late trading by imposing strict 4 pm cutoff for trades; any trades received by fund, its transfer agent or clearing agency after 4 pm, Eastern time, would have to receive price at end of next trading day; proposed rule has drawn criticism from some employee benefits advisers, West Coast firms and Wall Street brokerage firms; say many mutual fund investors who are either in retirement plans or use brokers to execute trades will wind up having their trades delayed one day; rule is adopted that would require funds and their advisers to agree to series of compliance policies and to appoint chief compliance officer who would report to directors; commission also proposes rules requiring funds to provide more thorough disclosure of way they value securities in their portfolio and their market-timing policies (M)

In Eastern Germany, the Auto Plant as Show