The 2000 census also showed that about 2.4 percent of Americans, almost half under age 18, belonged to more than one race. The decision, seen as unprecedented in scope, empowers US Attorney Mary Jo White of New York to broaden her review of three controversial cases to encompass all of Clinton's 177 pardons, especially the commutation of convicted Los Angeles drug dealer Carlos Vignali's 15-year prison sentence. Retail sales fell 0.2 percent in February, the first drop in three months, the Commerce Department reported. The decline was led by furniture and home furnishing stores and restaurants. The news followed Wall Street's worst day this year, with the Nasdaq falling below 2000 for the first time in 27 months and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipping a further 400 points to 10208.
Consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of all economic activity.
The union for Northwest Airlines mechanics rejected an unofficial company offer for a 26 percent initial wage hike and a 112 percent pension increase, a spokesman said. Union members had been prepared to strike earlier this week, but President Bush imposed measures such as an emergency board that push any strike back to mid-May. The number of airline passengers in the US is expected to exceed 1 billion a year over the next decade, further stressing a system beleaguered by record flight delays, a new Federal Aviation Administration report said. It predicted the number of domestic and foreign takeoffs and landings by US carriers would rise by 39 percent between now and 2012 - to 36 million. Those planes will be carrying 63 percent more passengers than they do today, with the yearly number reaching 1.2 billion in 2012.