National Desk
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

NORTHEAST
BAGGAGE SCREENERS FIND, THEN LOSE FAKE EXPLOSIVE
NEWARK, N.J. – Baggage screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport spotted – and then lost – a fake bomb planted in luggage by a supervisor during a training exercise.
Despite an hours-long search Tuesday night, the bag, containing a fake bomb complete with wires, a detonator, and a clock, made it onto an Amsterdam-bound flight. It was recovered by airport security officials in Amsterdam when the flight landed several hours later.
“This really underscores the importance of the TSA’s ongoing training exercises,” said Ann Davis, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, the agency responsible for screening passengers and baggage for weapons and explosives. “At no time did the bag pose a threat and at no time was anyone in danger.”
New Jersey’s Senator Corzine and Senator Lautenberg wrote a letter yesterday to Rear Admiral David Stone, the assistant secretary of homeland security for the TSA, calling the incident “alarming” and requesting an immediate investigation and appropriate changes. In Tuesday night’s test, a TSA supervisor secretly placed the bomb, which was designed to resemble the plastic explosive Semtex, inside a bag that was put through screening machines, Ms. Davis said.
A baggage screening machine at Terminal C sounded an alarm, but workers somehow lost track of the bag, which was then loaded onto the Continental Airlines flight that was due to take off around 6 p.m.
Earlier this month, French authorities lost a bag containing real explosives that were being used to train bomb-sniffing dogs.
– Associated Press
WASHINGTON
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT URGED TO PROBE SPY PROJECT LEAKS
The Justice Department is considering a request to investigate the disclosure of secrets about an expensive American spy satellite project criticized by some senior Democratic senators, a law enforcement official says.
The formal request for a leaks investigation would target people who described sensitive details about a new generation of spy satellites to The Washington Post, which published a page-one story about the controversial espionage program Saturday, said this official, speaking Tuesday on condition of anonymity.
The Justice Department has not yet determined whether classified information was leaked and has not decided whether to investigate, the official said. The request came from an unspecified intelligence agency.
Under Justice guidelines, prosecutors review such requests to ensure they meet strict requirements – such as whether the information was properly classified – before launching a criminal investigation.They also ask the requesting agency for a list of everyone with authorized access to the information and whether the agency is willing to disclose enough information to support a criminal trial.
The Washington Post’s executive editor, Leonard Downie, said the newspaper does not discuss its sources. Disclosures about the project emerged after criticism of its cost and effectiveness last week from the Senate Intelligence Committee – Associated Press
STUDY SHOWS MIXED VIEW OF CHARTER SCHOOLS PERFORMANCE
Underprivileged students in charter schools do worse in reading and math than their peers in mainstream schools, but children of the same race or ethnicity do as well in either type of school, according to a limited government study of fourth-graders.
The Education Department review released yesterday is the first to rate charter school performance based on how students performed on the federal test in reading and math in 2003.The results immediately drew much different interpretations from those who say charter schools fall short and those who champion charters, including the Bush administration.
Charter schools receive public money but operate under fewer restrictions than other public schools, allowing them more freedom in what and how they teach. They are a form of school choice for parents and are embraced under federal law – so much that traditional schools can be forced to convert into charters if they continually fail to make progress.
Overall, the charter school students scored lower in math than other public school students in the new study.They earned a 228 test score compared with 234 for the other students on a scale of 500, a gap large enough to be statistically significant. In reading, there was no overall difference between charter students and other students. Education Department officials said the fairest comparison was between students who shared characteristics. In that respect, there was no academic difference between charter students and other students who shared their race or ethnicity – white, black, or Hispanic.
– Associated Press
RETIRING REP. TAUZIN TO HEAD PHARMACEUTICAL TRADE GROUP
Retiring Rep. Billy Tauzin, who led the House committee that regulates drug makers, will become head of the industry’s top lobbying group next month.
Mr. Tauzin said his most important challenge will be improving the image of drug companies, which has been damaged by soaring prescription drug costs and high-profile safety issues with the arthritis medication Vioxx and other medicines.
“They’ve got to re-earn the trust and confidence of the American public,” Mr. Tauzin, a Republican of Louisiana, said in an interview yesterday, shortly after the announcement of his hiring as president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
Mr.Tauzin, 61, is leaving Congress after 24 years, including three years as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He was a Democrat until 1995, shortly after Republicans won control of the House of Representatives.
Public Citizen and Common Cause, two watchdog groups, criticized Mr. Tauzin for using his public service for his personal benefit. They pointed to his deep involvement in developing Medicare prescription drug legislation last year, which opponents said showered billions of dollars on the pharmaceutical industry while doing nothing to slow increases in drug prices. The complaints first arose earlier this year when Mr. Tauzin disclosed he had been talking with the trade group about a post-Congress job. Mr.Tauzin said he had no discussions about working for the trade group during the lengthy negotiations over the Medicare law in 2003.
– Associated Press