January 18, 2004

New York Times/CBS News poll finds Americans support Pres Bush for his handling of war against terrorism but have doubts about his economic and domestic policies; fewer than one in five people said their tax burden was eased by tax cuts, centerpiece of economic program; support Bush gained after capture of Saddam Hussein has largely dissipated; overall approval rating stands at 50 percent, and Bush remains polarizing figure in sharply divided country, with 9 in 10 Republicans, but only 1 of 4 Democrats, approving of his performance; still, Bush retains powerful advantage on national security with members of both parties; graphs compare ratings with other presidents at similar juncture and show responses to specific questions (L)

A large bomb exploded at the main gate of the American headquarters in Baghdad, killing and wounding people gathered nearby. Page 12.

Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education. Adam Cohen evaluates the resegregation of classrooms, and Juan Williams remembers Thurgood Marshall. EDUCATION LIFE

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, elderly Shiite Muslim who has not set foot outside his home in six years, has effectively commandeered Bush administration's planning for postwar democracy in Iraq, with pronouncements on who may write constitution upending US timetable for independence; photos (M)

Promoters of Atkins diet say people on plan should limit amount of red meat and saturated fat they eat; advice comes after years of criticism that regimen might lead to health problems; Atkins official Colette Heimowitz is telling people in seminars nationwide that only 20 percent of dieter's calories should come from saturated fat; another Atkins representative says this does not represent departure from original premise of diet, but Atkins materials never set such limits; change comes as Atkins faces competition from other plans, such as South Beach Diet; Atkins official says message has been unclear but blames poor communication rather than flaw in diet; comments from Atkins dieters, some of whom express surprise at limits; total fat in revised diet is 60 percent, much higher than other diets (M)