President Bush remained unwavering in his insistence that the invasion of Iraq had made the United States safer.

Bush Defends Iraq War in Speech

Winning the nomination has seemed something of a long shot for Hillary Rodham Clinton since February, but it now seems to have grown a bit longer.

Clinton Facing Narrower Path to Nomination

Catching up with the Flip, one of the most popular electronics products of the last year.

Camcorder Brings Zen to the Shoot

Red Sox players staged a 66-minute strike, refusing to play or board their plane for Japan unless the team’s coaches and staff were compensated for the trip.

Japan Games Almost Stuck on Tarmac

The Police Department is poised to shrink to its smallest size in about 15 years, reflected in a plan by the Bloomberg administration to trim funds for 1,000 police officer positions this year.

City Police Force Could Soon Be Smallest Since ’90s

The new all-black production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” is the third Broadway show in four years that has drawn a mostly black audience and stellar business.

A Black ‘Cat,’ Catching an Elusive Audience

Artists in Rhode Island converted a 1931 firehouse into their home, but decided not to keep the fire poles.

Light and Space Where Fire Alarms Once Rang

Some stage actors go all out to make their dressing rooms feel like home, calling in decorators, picking out paint swatches and sometimes even sewing their own curtains.

Setting the Stage, Offstage

As New Yorkers tried to make sense of the mix of sex and politics in the news, some are questioning how much information is too much information.

Governors Gone Wild, the Rest of Us at a Loss

Arthur C. Clarke’s science fiction was religious in the largest sense of religion: speculating about beginnings and endings, and how we get from one to the other.

For Clarke, Issues of Faith, but Tackled Scientifically

Sebastian Horsley, a British author who has written an eyebrow-raising memoir detailing a life of rampant drug use and voluminous encounters with prostitutes, was turned back at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday.

British Memoirist Is Denied U.S. Entry

The basketball team’s devotion to an injured teammate caught the attention of a nurse, whose son transferred from St. Bonaventure to become the team’s center.

For Cornell, a Connection Was Made in the Hospital

Before Eliot Spitzer, the Mayflower saw other affairs as well as various celebrity mishaps.

Just a Hotel? For Some, It’s an Adventure

The performance of the Iraqi Army suggests that while the forces have made strides, big gaps remain.

In Mosul, New Test of Iraqi Army

The gloomy outlook — reflecting credit turmoil, the housing crisis and the softening economy — will probably lead to more production cuts by car companies.

Dismal Year Is Forecast for Car Sales

James Dimon, the chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, attempted to win over executives at Bear Stearns who have vowed to fight his offer.

At Bear Stearns, Meet the New Boss

Tibetans and Han Chinese live in close proximity, but their relations are marked by distrust and prejudice.

In Tibetan Areas, Parallel Worlds Now Collide

The obliteration of the market value of Bear Stearns is bad news very close to home in Chappaqua, N.Y.

Bear’s News Is Bad News on the 6:13

The regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac eased capital rules in an effort to calm the housing market.

A Break for Freddie and Fannie

Two years after the Danish cartoon controversy, police have charged three people with plotting murder — and a debate reopens.

Outrage at Cartoons Still Tests the Danes

The booming commodities market offers some weaknesses that are impairing regulators’ ability to protect investors.

Commodities: Latest Boom, Plentiful Risk

In a state where basketball is the unofficial religion, the Indiana Pacers’ on, and off-court struggles are resulting in a major crisis of confidence for the franchise.

The Pacers’ Bad Behavior Could Send Walsh Away

There will no doubt be empty seats when the Hawks and the Nets play for the final playoff spot.

In East and West, Scrambling for No. 8 Seed

Friends and colleagues say a contrast in political styles is what makes Gov. David A. Paterson and Charles J. O’Byrne, Mr. Paterson’s second-in-command, mesh so well.

The Tough Guy and Political Newcomer Who Counsels New York’s Governor

Federal figures gathered under the No Child Left Behind law hide a severe dropout epidemic, researchers say.

March 20, 2008

Headlines from March 20, 2008

Bush Defends Iraq War in Speech

Clinton Facing Narrower Path to Nomination

Camcorder Brings Zen to the Shoot

Japan Games Almost Stuck on Tarmac

City Police Force Could Soon Be Smallest Since ’90s

Billboard 200

Good Time

Sleep Through The Static

Discipline

Float

Warpaint

Historical Context for March 20, 2008