February 20, 2004

New York Mets executive vice president Jeff Wilpon discusses team's pursuit of now-New York Yankees infielder Alex Rodriguez; discusses upcoming season; photos (M)

Sen John Edwards brings his populist campaign for Democratic presidential nomination to New York, which has become unexpected battleground that may offer him last-ditch opportunity to slow Sen John Kerry's momentum and keep his own candidacy alive; declares that nation's economy is in shambles and blames avarice of multinational corporations; vows to campaign aggressively in upstate cities and in pockets of New York City's outer boroughs where working-class people have lost jobs in recent years as more companies have moved their operations overseas; it is far from certain whether that tactic will work; photo of Edwards at Columbia University (M)

Ex-Chief Executive of Enron Indicted on 35 Charges Jeffrey K. Skilling, the former chief executive of Enron, a once-staid pipeline business that he transformed into an energy-trading giant, was indicted on charges that he conspired to disguise the company's troubled financial performance while profiting from sales of stock inflated by false earnings reports. Mr. Skilling, who pleaded not guilty at an arraignment, is the highest-ranking Enron executive to face criminal charges in the wake of the company's collapse more than two years ago. He was charged with 35 counts of fraud, insider trading and conspiracy. [Page A1.]

Several Iraqi leaders say they want Iraqi Governing Council to remain in place after US transfers power back to people on June 30; reach consensus that council should be expanded to as many as 125 members from current 25 and kept in power until United Nations-assisted elections can be held in early 2005; say Bush administration's plan to replace council on June 30 with new Iraqi government selected by nationwide caucuses is too cumbersome and too foreign a concept to work in Iraq; L Paul Bremer III, top American administrator, says there are now 'dozens' of possibilities of how to transfer authority and that only fixed point is June 30 deadline; says he will not make any decisions until UN issues its recommendations, which may not be for another week, past Feb 28 deadline for interim constitution; Moktada ala-Sadr, fiery Shiite cleric, says Iraqis may rebel if constitution does not enshrine Islamic law, something Bremer has said he would veto; photo; time line for transfer of power (M)

DaimlerChrysler chief executive Jurgen E Schrempp admits blame for botched highway toll collection system in Germany that government canceled this week, after technical flaws repeatedly delayed its operation; futuristic system, which is designed to track and collectg tolls from trucks with network of satellites and wireless transmitters, was supposed to set standard for Europe and world; Schrempp projects only slight improvement in 2004 over last year's operating profit of 5.1 billion euros ($6.47 billion); photo (M)