Curiouser and curiouser

Ally Told Bush Project Secrecy Might Be Illegal

In a sharply worded letter to President Bush in May, an important Congressional ally charged that the administration might have violated the law by failing to inform Congress of some secret intelligence programs and risked losing Republican support on national security matters.

The letter from Representative Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, did not specify the intelligence activities that he believed had been hidden from Congress.

But Mr. Hoekstra, who was briefed on and supported the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program and the Treasury Department's tracking of international banking transactions, clearly was referring to programs that have not been publicly revealed.

Recently, after the harsh criticism from Mr. Hoekstra, intelligence officials have appeared at two closed committee briefings to answer questions from the chairman and other members. The briefings appear to have eased but not erased the concerns of Mr. Hoekstra and other lawmakers about whether the administration is sharing information on all of its intelligence operations.

A copy of the four-page letter dated May 18, which has not been previously disclosed, was obtained by The New York Times.

Rep. Hoekstra's letter to President Bush

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A Voluble Visit with Two Talking Apes

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Americans are spending 55 percent of their disposable income on essentials such as housing, food, health care, energy and debt, up from a low of 48.5 percent in 1999. That leaves less money for entertainment, travel and other discretionary purchases, [Charles Schwab Corp.'s Liz Ann Sonders] said.

--A Wild Ride