May 17, 2004

Growing number of analysts worry that Federal Reserve, which is expected to raise interest rates at late June meeting, may have already waited too long; senior Fed officials are quietly pleased that bond market investors have already anticipated rate increases by pushing up yields; hope advance rise in long-term rates will help cool economy even before they act (M)

New York Mets defeat Houston Astros, 3-2, in extra innings; photos (M)

Article on Michael Moore's new documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11, which focuses on longstanding ties between Bush family, its associates, prominent Saudi Arabian families and whether ties clouded president's judgment before and after September 11 terrorist attacks; film, which is scheduled to debut at Cannes International Film Festival, is likely to galvanize both conservatives and liberals if it is widely distributed this summer; photos (M)

Intel's decision to abandon efforts to increase speed of single computer chip and work to obtain more computing power by stamping multiple processors on single chip shows challenge of overcoming problem of heat generated by faster chips; company has long dominated computer business by producing ever faster chips that also generate ever more heat; some analysts say belated shift may make company vulnerable in short term at very top of its chip line and create rare opportunity for Advanced Micro Devices Inc; graph of power requirement and processor speed; photo (M)

Commission investigating Sept 11 terrorist attacks reports that contradictory evacuation instructions were given in World Trade Center, including announcements made in south tower urging tenants to stay in building even as fire in north tower raged; instructions to stay in building were also given to telephone callers by Port Authority police; telephone message left by Sean Rooney in south tower on his wife's machine is enhanced by audio expert and shows that less than one minute before tower was struck, authorities changed their earlier instructions and ordered evacuation; Rooney died in tower along with 600 others trapped above point of impact (M)