It wasn’t long after several Syrian rebel battalions overran the Armenian-Christian town of Kessab, on the border between Syria and Turkey, that apocalyptic reports of looting, abduction and mass murder started appearing in news accounts around the world. “Reports Cite 80 Dead in Kessab; Churches Desecrated,” read one headline in the diasporic Los Angeles-based Asbarez newspaper. Christian residents who had fled to nearby towns told reporters they later called home only to have rebels pick up to tauntingly tell them they had nice furniture and tasty food.

It has become a familiar trope in the Syrian conflict. Islamist rebels launch a string of military offensives against a Christian-majority town to root out government forces there, the latter respond by indiscriminately bombarding the town, residents run for their lives, and the government is quick to portray it as another incident of ethnic cleansing carried out by foreign-sponsored fundamentalists. Lately, however, rebels have been making a concerted effort to counter such claims, in online published statements, and, more often, on YouTube. “[This is] the church of the Armenians in Kessab after its liberation,” one rebel videographer narrated as he took viewers on a video tour of one of the city’s perfectly intact churches a day after rebels took the town. Islam, he declared proudly, teaches respect for all religions, including Christianity. “The jihadist brothers do not harm anyone. This is our religion and this is our Islam.”

Coastal Kessab, the northernmost town in the government stronghold of Latakia province, has become the latest flashpoint in a battle between regime forces and rebels determined to secure Syria’s entire northern border. It has also become the war’s latest ideological battleground, as both sides attempt to craft competing narratives in a race to come out on top, not just militarily but also morally. For all the anguished reports of persecuted Armenian Christians trumpeted by Syrian and international media outlets, few concrete details have emerged. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an anti-government monitoring organization that has tracked casualties throughout the conflict, makes no note of dead civilians. Nor is there any photographic or video proof of destroyed churches in Kessab to date. Most Christians, according to activists and residents, fled long before the fighting started, leaving behind a deserted town.

“Contrary to what the flashy Asbarez headlines will have you believe, the rebels didn’t come in to slaughter Armenians and destroy their churches,” writes Filor Nigo, an Iraqi-Armenian activist based in the U.S, on Facebook. “Kessab is a strategically important point in this military conflict…Syria is engulfed in war and Armenians in Syria cannot honestly believe that these events would not affect them.”

Increasingly aware of their unflattering image in the media, moderate rebels are beginning to realize the necessity of deflecting regime propaganda. They are circulating a message which, whether genuine or not, borrows from the language of international human rights law to reassure observers. They insist they are waging their warfare according to universal principles even as the government portrays a different reality.

“Considering the interests and well-being of the Syrian population are our most important priorities, we confirm our commitment to international human fights law by focusing on military targets and protecting all civil institutions including schools, hospitals, places of worship, and houses,” read a recently-circulated social media statement, signed by three major rebel factions including the Al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front. The statement has since been removed from its original source, with no explanation, but various clips, with a similar message, are still available on YouTube.

One such clip shows a stilted exchange between Islamist fighters and three elderly Christian people as they venture out of a building. The rebels shout reassurances at them while the activist behind the camera keeps reiterating that this shows how the rebels are keeping Kessab residents safe. The latter however are visibly perturbed, if not frightened, and the exchange appears somewhat forced as if playing out solely for the screen.

Of course, attempts to reassure minorities by the mostly Sunni opposition are far from new, writes Frederic C. Hof, a senior fellow at the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, in a recent blog post. “Opposition leaders have spoken publicly and eloquently about their vision of a Syria where citizenship will trump all other forms of political identification, and where Syria’s ethnic and sectarian diversity will be protected and celebrated.” It’s a comforting vision, but members of Syria’s minority groups still fear that it will never make the leap from policy statement to real-world implementation. The insurgency, plagued by deep schisms, has yet to demonstrate a unified coherent message. “There is a large disparity in how different rebel groups envision treating minorities,” says Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, a Shillman-Ginsburg Fellow at the Middle East Forum, a nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia which promotes American interests in the Middle East. “For the jihadi groups, for example, Alawites are branded as apostates and Christians are definitely second-class citizens. Other rebel coalitions speak of protecting minorities within the framework of Islamic law, but that hardly reassures those minorities.” More generally, he concludes, “anti-Alawite and anti-Shi’a sentiment has become mainstream within the insurgency.”

That breakdown in messaging is readily apparent in Kessab. Even as some rebel groups refute regime propaganda with media-savvy and conciliatory takes, others have no qualms describing their mission in overtly sectarian terms. In one clip, a Saudi rebel commander in the Nusra Front, standing near a sign that reads “Welcome to Kessab,” promises that the Nusayris, a derogatory term for Assad’s Alawite minority sect, shall be defeated at the hands of the Sunni Muslims. “You have your planes, but we have God with us.”

The dizzying array of contradictory clips and statements which have emerged in the wake of the Kessab takeover reveal two conflicting currents within the insurgency: defiant ideologically-driven fighters whose declared mission is a struggle against “apostates” rather than democracy are sabotaging the images of coexistence that moderate leaders are putting forward. The question is whether enough factions will ever rally behind one straightforward message.

Summary: Kessab, the latest Christian-majority town to fall to rebels, has become the newest focal point of a media war pitting the Assad regime against a splintered opposition, as rebels seek to dispel the perception that they are intolerant of Syria's religious minorities


The Trump campaign needs more policy and less ‘Crooked Hillary.’

That’s according to Tom Barrack, an advisor to Donald Trump who was named last week as part of the candidate’s economic team.

Barrack is hugely successful real estate investor, as the founder and executive-chairman of Los Angeles-based Colony Capital. And he has known Trump for years, and seen him in action. In 1988, Barrack representing his boss, Texas tycoon Robert Bass, sold Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel to the New York developer. Since then, they’ve partnered on a number of projects, including the still-in-process transformation of the historic Old Post Office and Clock Tower in Washington, D.C., into a luxury hotel.

Barrack recently launched the Trump super-pac Rebuilding America Now. Trump awarded Barrack a prime speaking spot on the final evening of the Republican convention. On August 5, Trump unveiled his economic team, and named Barrack to the roster.

In a phone interview with Fortune, Barrack stressed that voters should look beyond Trump’s negative comments and focus on his role as a “disruptor” who can lift America from what he characterizes as the economic malaise of the last decade. But he acknowledges Trump needs to make some changes as well. On Tuesday, Trump mades a comment about the second amendment that some thought seemed to suggest that Trump was advocating violence against Clinton or potential judicial nominees. (Fortune spoke with Barrack before those comments became public.)

Barrack says he’s repeatedly told Trump to stop hurling insults at Clinton and others, and acknowledge the Democratic nominee is an accomplished and worthy candidate, if not the right pick for president. “I’ve told Donald, ‘You’re better than that,'” Barrack says. “What’s the point in attacking anybody?”

Trump, Barrack says, “hates the word ‘pivot.” Barrack says Trump has told Barrack that if he’d been diplomatic, “I’d still be on The Apprentice.” Still, Barrack—who’s as soothing as Trump is obstreperous, and whose clean-shaven pate contrasts with Trump’s Rococo coif—predicts his old friend will prove a less volatile and more substantive figure in the months to come.

The bigger problem, Barrack says, is that neither party is addressing the looming budget crisis. In interview with Fortune, Barrack argues that although fellow business leaders view Trump as “erratic,” he’s just the insurgent to break all the rules and “demand that the government spends less and does more.”

In fact, Barrack says Trump’s wild unpredictability is actually a big advantage, not the big weakness as many say, if the Republican nominee were elected president. “The perception of erratic behavior is an incredible tool, and predictability is the enemy,” he says. “Donald will walk into a room and say it’s all over, we’ll start doing smart things for ourselves.”

Fortune: Why did you choose to join Trump’s campaign? You’ve never been particularly political before.

Barrack: I haven’t been political, and this wasn’t a political choice. Donald has been a friend and a business partner for almost 40 years. Being a participant in international finance and private equity has given me the gift of sitting on boards, and advising and helping run companies all over the world.

The way our system has worked only the people who are professional politicians actually engage in the political arena. The last president to make payroll in a big way may have been Herbert Hoover. The president has to exert influence and lead, but he can’t change the staff in the White House [kitchen] without consent.

To me, it’s not about being negative regarding the people running the system. The president today is a very accomplished man, and Hillary Clinton is a very accomplished woman. It’s about the status quo, and whether you like what’s happened over the last eight to ten years. If you want disruption, you need someone who will chip away at the burdens holding back the economy. And you need a new leader. That leader will need to do it in baby steps.

The people in the bleachers, making the business decisions, traditionally didn’t want to play in the arena. They sent checks instead. I said that at this point in my life, I’d bring a practical perspective on how we can turn this aircraft carrier around. I’ve been a warrior on the field. It takes people with very thick skins like Trump who want to go through this election process, a process that most business people don’t want to go through.

Donald is Donald. But it’s not about negative comments. It’s about the status quo vs the disruption that he brings.

You’re known as an advocate of free markets. But Trump’s positions are a highly unusual blend of populist and traditional republican positions. Does the combination hold together as a unified, coherent platform?

My answer is that it all hangs together. The policy we’ve utilized in post-World War II trade has been driven by foreign policy. Bretton Woods, the Marshall Plan, the World Trade Organization, the IMF—the U.S. was the driving force in all of them. Capitalism was regarded as in decline. Communism was spreading, but America was always at the center of policy making because it’s the world’s largest consumer.

It was a proliferation of foreign policy to ensure that capitalism stayed in place around the world. We never anticipated currency manipulation and central bank intervention on [the current] scale. As a result, we don’t have free trade or free anything. World economies are on life support. They’re holding $100 trillion in debt unrestrained by any gold or silver standard. Emerging market governments are giving the appearance to their middle classes that they’re getting an unfair deal.

For an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, globalization means that financial products can be sold all over the world, and deals can be done across borders. If someone’s been working at an air conditioner factory in Indiana for 30 years, and the factory is moved to Mexico, they don’t care about the case made for globalization. Their job is gone.

Getting to a level playing field is almost impossible. We’re seeing an epic level of social imbalance and income inequality. I’m a Republican and a capitalist, but I began to feel like a populist in 2007. Since then, everything has benefited the 1%, and the poor are getting poorer.

What would you advise Trump to do?

The U.S. has the power in the world economy. But at some point we need a punctuation stop. We need to worry about ourselves first and if we do that, we can take care of the rest of the world. We need a coherent foreign policy to direct our immigration policy, and we don’t have it. In Egypt, Iran, Libya, and other Middle Eastern countries, we’ve supported or tolerated regimes, then taken them down.

We need all of our good allies—good friends who are Muslim. Along with Israel, Saudi Arabia has been our greatest single ally in the Middle East since the 1950s. Now we have Islamic terrorism, and they oppose it 100%. The rise of a caliphate without borders is a phenomenon going back to the Ottoman Empire. We have to find the solution, and it has to happen with our friends. Just give us a clear foreign policy.

Let’s reassess and get a foreign policy that’s transparent and that will dictate immigration policy. Mexico is equally unhappy with the immigration situation. They send workers to us, and massive amounts of cash and guns are going back across the border. Mexico is a better trading partner than China. We’re exporting intellectual property to China and importing cheap labor. But we can’t solve the problems on both sides with Mexico with the same 1000 diplomats and changing footnote 1573 to NAFTA. The status quo will never change itself. You need a full stop. We have the power, and we never use it.

But are you concerned that Trump’s demands on trade, especially with regard to China could ignite a trade war?

Not at all. The irony is that Donald is not a zealot. He’ll get a deal done, and you need to do it from the standpoint of unpredictability. All of our counterparts need us more than we need them. His unpredictability will get them to the table, and with new advisers, we’ll get things done.

He’s so unpredictable that international officials are reaching out. They’re saying, “I need a channel into Trump, and he sounds like he’s pretty tough.” He’s not an idiot, and Congress won’t let him start trade war anyway. The perception of erratic behavior is an incredible tool, and predictability is the enemy. We’ve delegated our power to third party tribunals to forge our trade policy. Donald will walk into a room and say it’s all over, we’ll start doing smart things for ourselves. We have diplomats negotiating for us. They’re foreign service oriented people, not people interested in creating more jobs or better wages. They’re not looking at economic metrics.

As someone who serves on boards and works with many CEOs, how do you view the impact lowering the corporate tax rate to 15% would have?

It will bring in a lot more investment. U.S. companies are shopping for the best tax deals around the world. Ireland has benefited tremendously form its low corporate tax rate. Along the same lines, Donald advocates amnesty to allow companies to bring back earnings parked abroad at lower rates. Wall Street and corporations will rally around those ideas. The philosophy makes sense, but it’s hard when you have to go through Congress.

Shortly after the next president takes office, deficits are expected to balloon to well over $1 trillion a year. The candidates aren’t talking much about the issue. What’s your take?

The deficit issue is a tremendous concern with no simple answer. We’re digging ourselves into a deep ditch. It’s a massive crisis. Debt-to-GDP looks okay now, but it’s an illusion. When you’re printing money and every other country is printing money and lowering the value of their currency, it’s frightening. Change has to happen in baby steps. The system has become so overwhelmingly weighty. So far, the policy has been to continue to do things that will increase future deficits. This is a terrible dilemma.

Americans are prisoners in a prison we built. Very few people in the business world are big beneficiaries of entitlements. They say, I don’t use public schools. I have private healthcare and don’t care about the Department of Commerce or the Department of Energy. But they pay taxes every year, and they get no accountability on how the money is being spent.

If the U.S. were a company, the first thing you’d do as CEO is demand an audit. Where is the money going? The view among business people is that Donald is erratic. They don’t buy into him 100% because of it. He’s brusque and they want him to pivot. At the end of the day, he’ll take it down to the knees, and demand that the government spends less and does more. It’s like controlling a household budget. I know that it will get better if we all start questioning that spending. The great thing about Trump entering that arena is he is triggering this debate.

There is view out there that Trump may not really want to be president. What’s you impression as one of his closest advisers?

No one knows someone’s heartfelt intentions, but it’s 1000% yes, he wants to win. The reason why people are doubting that is that if he were logical, he’d be listening more to the Tom Barracks of the world, and be easier, kinder, more diplomatic, and more politically correct. He says, “If I’d done that I’d still be on The Apprentice.”

He saw something none of us saw, a rawness in Americans that gave him a podium. Why hasn’t he pivoted? He hates that word. If he just wanted to win, he should go on vacation. He’s been engaged in a battle of negatives, and the electorate is exhausted from it. The press says he’s not serious because he doesn’t pivot. But he sees something that most people don’t see. He’s committed to this. This is a guy who already has money and celebrity.

He’s in for real, pedal to the floor, but in a different way from legacy professional politicians. He’s his own person with a tremendous team around him. He’s very smart and financially attuned. He’s a fanatic on details. His advisors keep saying, what’s the point in attacking anybody? You don’t need to take a shot. Don’t fight these peripheral battles.

The rationale for him is the rationale of unfairness that takes him beyond political correctness to respond. You’ll see a much more substantive side along with the other side going forward. He doesn’t like it when I say on Hillary Clinton, there’s nothing to be negative about.

She’s a former two-term senator and Secretary of State. You don’t need to go there. You’re better than that. You bring a set of skills to the table at a time when everyone wants change, wants disruption. There are very few Republicans and Democrats left. Now it’s more populist versus capitalist.

He can become president because he’s that good, not because Hillary Clinton is that bad.

Summary: If he stuck to being diplomatic Trump believes he'd still "be on The Apprentice."


Before you go, we thought you'd like these...

New Yorkers have a lot to deal with — sky-high rent prices, an overcrowded metro system and a heat wave reaching dangerous temperatures. And now? Flying cockroaches.

DNAinfo published a study on Friday that said the heat wave taking over the Upper East Side apparently signals to the city's roach population that it's time to take flight — and people aren't having it.

SEE MORE: Lightning Struck An Unusual Number Of People This Week In New York

Ken Schumann, a researcher at Bell Environmental Services said, "When it's warm and steamy that seems to be what they like."

The study claims the higher the temperatures, the more the roaches are able to use their muscles. And the more activity they get, the chance of them stopping goes down. Which is probably why in humid states, like Texas and Florida, the flying beasts are just a part of life.

Researchers say the ample trash supply in New York has encouraged the roaches to stick to the ground over the years. On the plus side for the bugs, that trash supply can now provide all the energy needed for the pests to infest the air.

But New Yorkers shouldn't worry too much. The roaches can't fly long distances. Instead, Schumann said, "It's almost like they just glide down."

So stay cool New Yorkers and have fun dodging the newly liberated cockroaches.

Related: Also see these rare cicadas terrorizing the Northeast:

A periodical cicada lands on an Iris leaf in a garden in Lawrence, Kan., Friday, May 29, 2015. Brood IV cicadas, the Kansan brood, are emerging in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa this spring. These periodical cicadas have a 17-year life cycle. The last time they emerged was 1998. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

A periodical cicada lands on a Daisy in a garden in Lawrence, Kan., Friday, May 29, 2015. Brood IV cicadas, the Kansan brood, are emerging in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa this spring. These periodical cicadas have a 17-year life cycle. The last time they emerged was 1998. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

A periodical cicada lands on an Iris leaf in a garden in Lawrence, Kan., Friday, May 29, 2015. Cicadas last as long as it takes for them to mate and run our of energy which translates to about four weeks of singing. These periodical cicadas have a 17-year life cycle. The last time they emerged was 1998. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Picture shows a cicada or cigale on a tree on August 4, 2013 in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, southeastern France. AFP PHOTO / VALERY HACHE (Photo credit should read VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)

A cicada, a symbol of France's south-eastern area of Provence, is pictured on a tree on July 28, 2013 in Marseille. AFP PHOTO / BORIS HORVAT (Photo credit should read BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images)

A 13-year cicada peers over a ledge in Chapel Hill, N.C., Wednesday, May 11, 2011. Portions of the southern states are currently experiencing the emergence of the periodic cicadas, which tunnel their way to the surface to shed their skin and mate after 13 years underground. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

A cicada pokes its head out of a shrub, Wednesday, June 9, 2004, in Newport, Pa. Cicada courtship is just now reaching its peak in central Pennsylvania after a 17-year wait. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Summary: DNAinfo published a study on Friday that said the heat wave taking over the area is triggering one creepy insect to take flight.


Two of the most salient economic trends today are the declining share of first-time homeowners, and the sharp increase in student loan debt outstanding.

Given the fact the housing market has slow to returning to normal (though things seem to be turning around of late), it’s natural that economists and journalists would assume that it’s student loan debt that’s been holding it back.

It’s this logic that has given us such articles as, “Your Student Loan is Killing the Housing Market,” published last fall in USA Today, in which the author cites an estimate from a housing consultant which argued that student loan debt is costing the real estate industry more than 400,000 transactions per year to the tune of $83 billion in sales.

Couple such statistics with other anecdotal evidence like the story of Rachel Heffner, who would like to buy a home but is prevented from doing so by her $691 monthly payment on more than $60,000 in debt — detailed last year in an article in the Wall Street Journal, and it becomes a very convincing narrative.

The problem is, there isn’t any proof that higher student loan debt is actually causing young people to own homes at lower rates than they did in the past, or that the overall student loan burden is leading to a smaller share of first-time home buyers. These trends could be caused by other factors, such as a cultural shift that has led young adults to delay all sorts of decisions, from buying a home, to marrying and having children. Furthermore, the financial crisis caused widespread harm to every demographic group, causing drops in homeownership rates and credit scores across the board.

To test just how student loans are affecting the behavior of potential home buyers, researchers Jason Houle of Dartmouth College and Lawrence Berger of the University of Wisconsin drew on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth’s 1997 cohort, so that they could track a group of young people through their young adulthood to pinpoint, with other factors like socio-demographic factors (for instance, do you come from a wealthy family), to, as best they can, pinpoint the effects student loan debt specifically has on homeownership.

Houle and Berger, who published their results Monday with the support of the think tank, Third Way, write:

We do find evidence of a negative, statistically significant association between student loan debt and homeownership in some models, the association is substantively small to modest in size, and we find no evidence that the probability of home ownership decreases as the amount of student loan debt taken on by debtors increases. Thus, it seems unlikely that student loan debt is causing a generation of young adults to flee from the housing market; nor does it seem to be the case that student loan debt is primarily responsible for the slow post-recession housing market recovery. However, even if student loan debt isn’t reducing home buying, it may well be impacting young people’s well-being in other ways.

In other words, there is a slight (0.8%) decrease in probability for someone with student loans to own a home versus someone who has no loans at all. But the researchers weren’t able to find any evidence that someone with more student loans is statistically less likely to own a home than someone with a smaller burden. Why might this be?

That doesn’t mean that rising student loan debt shouldn’t be of concern for policy makers. The group that Houle and Berger studied are now in their late 20s, and it is possible that we’ll see their increased student loan burdens start to effect homeownership as this group continues to age. It’s also possible that as college gets more expensive and debt more burdensome, that the next cohort of graduates will be in worse condition than those today who are pushing 30.

That said, these results do tell us that the primary concern should not be that today’s graduates are over indebted. Rather, of bigger concern, as Third Way’s Senior Vice President for Policy, Jim Kessler, suggests, is the “dismal” graduation rates college students achieve overall. The group of students who go to school, perhaps borrowing money in the process, see all the downsides of debt with none of the benefits of a college degree. Only about 55% of students who start a degree finish within six years, “a completion rate that looks like a poorly performing high school,” Kessler says.

By all means, we should focus on ways to defray the cost of college and help students finish with less debt. But the real crisis in American secondary education is that too few people are getting a degree, not too many.

Summary: Rising tuition costs may be a problem, but not for the housing market.


Betterment LLC, a pioneer in the world of automated investing, made an unusual move and suspended all trading Friday morning as markets were roiled by the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union.

But clients say they weren’t aware of the halt, raising questions around how robo advisers communicate with clients during market volatility.

The New York-based startup, which manages $4.8 billion, said it took the step to protect investors from paying the higher transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities during times of extreme market volatility. The halt ran from the market’s 9:30 a.m. open until noon.

“If there is some highly unpredictable volatility expected, what we do is not trade into it,” said Boris Khentov, vice president of operations at Betterment. “Trading into one of those wild price swings is undesirable for our clients.”

Spokesman Joe Ziemer said the company had fully executed all of the orders its customers placed Friday. However, some customers say they were never notified of any trading halt.

Scott Buscemi, a 23-year-old Betterment user who runs his own website development business, says he viewed his account Friday morning and saw it fell 4%. While he didn’t attempt any trades, Mr. Buscemi said, he never received or saw a notice saying there was a halt.

“Technically, it’s your money, so you should be able to do whatever you want with it,” said Mr. Buscemi, who lives in Los Angeles. Still, he likes Betterment’s “simplicity” and is happy over all with the service.

Kurt Padilla, another Betterment customer, said he had logged in to his account twice Friday, once at 7:30 a.m. to consider a portfolio readjustment and again between noon and 1 p.m. to make a change. He wasn’t aware of the trading halt and says he is unopposed to such an action. But he said that without any notice, the practice is “concerning.”

“I have not read or been notified of such a policy,” Mr. Padilla, a 30-year-old from Brooklyn, said. “Maybe it’s in the fine print somewhere, but I wouldn’t call that clear,”

Market participants have long wondered how robo services would handle market declines. Many financial advisers have suggested that without a personal relationship between an individual adviser and the client, the robos’ clients may be more likely to panic and sell when the market falls sharply, hurting their long-term finances.

Mr. Khentov said Betterment notified only its institutional advisers who use the platform. But no notice was sent to retail customers like Messrs. Buscemi and Padilla. He said the firm takes transparency seriously, but clients “trust us to make decisions as their fiduciaries.”

Betterment, which has grown rapidly since its inception in 2010, now manages $4.8 billion. In addition to providing clients with investment advisory services, it is one of the few robo advisory firms to have its own broker dealer.

Mr. Ziemer says the company typically avoids trading in the first 30 minutes of the market’s open and the last 30 minutes of its close “to avoid the typical volatility that happens at an open or close, when the bid-ask spreads can” widen. According to Betterment’s Client Agreement, the company reserves the right to limit or make account access unavailable “during periods of market volatility, peak demand, systems upgrades, maintenance and for other reasons.”

The agreement also says Betterment isn’t liable for any losses or damages incurred by clients because of such actions.

Mr. Khentov said Friday morning’s trading suspension was the firm’s longest ever. But it has suspended trading at other times, such as when the Federal Reserve announces an interest-rate hike, Mr. Khentov said.

Mr. Ziemer added the trading suspension was “in no way a capacity issue. We routinely trade amounts that are an order of magnitude larger than today’s volume.”

Write to Michael Wursthorn at Michael.Wursthorn@wsj.com and Anne Tergesen at anne.tergesen@wsj.com


MONDAY PUZZLE — Today’s crossword by Sam Trabucco solved almost like a Tuesday to me because the theme was a bit less straightforward than I was expecting for a Monday. Committing a puzzle to a specific day of the week is a fine line to walk.

Mr. Trabucco gets our solving week rolling with four two-word theme entries that can have the word “ROLL” inserted after the first word to make an entirely different phrase. That means that the entries can also be read as follows:

He also provides us with a revealer at 37A, which gives us a hint on how to understand the theme. HEADS WILL ROLL, in this case, means that the first word (the “HEAD”) will ROLL.

There is a lot of good stuff here to play with (FAMILY TREE, HOT SEAT, END OF STORY), but there are some gluey bits that I think wouldn’t be missed if they were gone. Mr. Trabucco talks more about them below.

1D and 2D: Some seaworthy but tough clues for a Monday. The patron saint of mariners is ST. ELMO and the sea crossed by the Argonauts is the AEGEAN.

5D: Wordplay on a Monday! The thing that “might help you make your move” is a VAN.

39D: This is a fairly common trick in crossword cluing. When you see the word “partner,” think about something that can reasonably be separated by the word “and.” “Lock’s partner” would be KEY, as in the phrase “lock and KEY.”

This puzzle has an embarrassing back story. Originally, I managed to drop EGGHEADS in as the first theme entry, apparently not noticing that the revealer is HEADS WILL ROLL and it’s probably not wise to dupe theme words. And by “originally,” I mean “to the point where I was content to send it to Will,” because I didn’t realize my mistake until Joel sent a far-too-polite note about a “pretty bad dupe.” Luckily, they were cool with me reworking the grid around EGG HUNTS, et voilà. Figures the new grid would contain a TOO dupe, then — though, I’ve never actually been bothered by small dupes like that in the fill.

Anyway, when making easy puzzles (especially those which might end up on a Monday), I tend to hold myself to pretty high standards with respect to subpar/unfamiliar fill. I often see tweets on Mondays from solvers who just finished their first New York Times crossword ever, and the last thing I want is to stymie such a would-be new solver with an even potentially-frustrating crossing, or other similar downer of a moment. Setting the solver up for success and all that. I think it’s a huge responsibility for early-week puzzles, which can have particular influence on someone’s relationship to crosswords, to provide an experience which leaves them wanting more. I’d say this puzzle is solid in that regard — the least familiar/legit things are probably ET TU, LTRS, ETHNO-, EXT, but they’re all inferable/crossed fine at worst. Though, wow, did I write this during a phase when I valued getting an X into the grid at any cost? EXT is so avoidable, would not do again.

I hope you enjoyed the puzzle!

Summary: Sam Trabucco gets our solving week going.


STAMFORD, Conn.—John McKinney says his fellow Republican Tom Foley had his shot to be Connecticut governor four years ago and blew it.

Mr. Foley lost that 2010 election to Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy by about 6,400 votes out of 1.146 million cast. Now he and Mr. McKinney will face each other Tuesday in the GOP gubernatorial primary.

Summary: John McKinney and Tom Foley, vying to be the Republican who faces Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy this fall, are sharpening their rhetoric before Tuesday's GOP primary.


By Caitlin Keating and Alexia Fernandez

09/29/2016 AT 01:05 PM EDT

The fatal victim in Thursday morning's train crash in Hoboken was identified as Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, a 34-year-old former SAP software employee from Brazil.

De Kroon was standing on the platform and was killed when she was struck by debris.

Andy Kendzie, a SAP spokesman, said the company was "shaken by the news" of the crash and sends its condolences to de Kroon's family, according to

For Monica Nolasco, 22, Thursday's morning commute aboard the NJ Transit train was going smoothly until her train pulled into the last stop:

"I was standing up and taking something out of the overhead, and the train just jerked forward," she tells PEOPLE. "I fell into the seat in front of me, and a guy totally face planted into the ground."

Nolasco, who always sits in the last car of train, was next to the conductor, who tried helping people keep their balance as the train teetered back and forth for less than a minute.

"The lights flickered and shut off," she says. "The conductor was yelling for everyone to stay calm, asking if we were okay, and that he didn't know what happened."

According to a NJ Transit News release, the crash took place at 8:45 a.m., when a Pascack Valley line departure from Spring Valley operating to Hoboken struck the Hoboken Terminal building on track 5.

In a press conference Wednesday morning, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said there was no indication the crash was anything other than an accident at this stage and that the cause was being investigated.

Inside the Hoboken station after a commuter train crash on Thursday, Sept. 29.

Nolasco didn't realize the extent of the crash until she walked off the train and saw the horror of the scene.

"The first car was totally off the tracks at a 45 degree angle to the right," she says. "The ceiling had come down, there were beams everywhere and water was pouring out."

A man walked by her crying and cradling his hands and his arms, which were bleeding.

She watched in shock as transit workers and conductors pulled people out of the window, trying to get them out.

"People were bleeding from their heads, their noses were busted and they were holding their faces and hands," she says.

Frozen, she stood and watched an ambulance pick up a man who "was basically blinded with blood."

"He was in such a daze and shock," she says. "There was no screaming or crying, just people shock up and helping each other."

Nolasco, who quickly called her parents to tell them she was okay, says the scene was "straight out of a movie."

At a news conference, Joseph Scott, CEO of the Jersey City Medical Center, said the hospital is treating 9 to 11 people from serious to critical condition, and 40 walk-in patients.

Carrie Cristello, director of media relations for Jersey City Medical Center, released a statement to PEOPLE saying the center had received a total of 66 patients from the crash.

As of Thursday evening, 13 patients remained at the medical center under "guarded condition," according to Cristello.

Jarrod Bernstein, a spokesperson for CarePoint Health, which runs several hospitals in the area, said 16 patients had been transported to Hoboken University Medical Center. Earlier Bernstein told CNN that patients might be transported to other area hospitals.

"You never think something so routine as a morning commute could take such a turn for the worst," she says. "I'm so lucky and grateful to be okay."

Summary: "I couldn't believe this was happening," says eyewitness Monica Nolasco


Australian motorcycling great Wayne Gardner remains behind bars in Japan, 12 days after being detained for allegedly assaulting three men in a road rage incident.

The 57-year-old was reportedly involved in a minor car accident and scuffle in Motegi on October 16 as he arrived for the Japanese MotoGP in a vehicle driven by his 18-year-old son Remy.

But nearly two weeks later, the 1987 500cc world champion is still being held in a cell at Shimotsuke police station, north of Tokyo.

Remy Gardner, who competes on the Moto2 class world circuit with Tasca Racing Scuderia, was detained as a witness before being released to return home for last weekend's Australian Grand Prix on Phillip Island.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said consular assistance was being provided.

"Due to privacy obligations we are unable to provide further information," she said in a statement to AAP on Thursday.

Under Japanese law, crime suspects can be detained for up to 23 days without charge.

Gardner could therefore be held behind bars until November 7.

His eldest son said Japanese authorities appeared to be taking the situation "very seriously".

"In the end, they found out (who he is) and it looks like they're pushing harder, so it's a bit unfair," Remy Gardner told the Nine Network upon his return to Australia last Thursday.

"We're definitely in a pickle. All of the circumstances that happened were just very unlucky."

The youngster was left feeling "gutted" after he was forced to retire halfway through the Phillip Island race.

"It's been a tough week" he said in a statement, ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend.

"I don't have much time to feel down, and so I will pick myself up and focus on doing the best I can."

Summary: Australian motorcycling legend Wayne Gardner has been detained at a Japanese police station for 12 days after an alleged road rage incident at the MotoGP.


Almost 30 people have been bitten by snakes across NSW in the past month, prompting a warning from paramedics.

Some of the 28 victims include an 85-year-old woman bitten by a brown snake in the Riverina and a seven-year-old by a tiger snake near Canberra.

"Paramedics attend many cases where people have put on boots and gloves and been bitten by spiders and even snakes which were hidden inside," NSW Ambulance Inspector John Brotherhood said on Tuesday.

In the 12 months to August, more than 700 incidents involving snakes and spiders were reported, with one-in-seven occurring in Hunter region.

"Around the home, remove piled up debris from the yard and keep lawns mowed to reduce the potential for unexpected visitors," Insp Brotherhood said.

Snakes are particularly active during spring, but snake experts said most people were bitten only while trying to catch or kill them.

SNAKE AND SPIDER BITES IN OCTOBER:

* 85-year-old woman bitten on finger by a brown snake in the Riverina region

* Boy, 7, bitten by tiger snake near Canberra

* Man, 72, bitten by brown snake in Sydney's southwest

* 14-year-old boy bitten by brown snake near Newcastle

* Man, 50, bitten by snake in Cunnawarra National Park near Coffs Harbour

* Woman, 44, bitten by funnel web spider at Heathcote, south of Sydney

* Woman, 32, bitten by snake near Newcastle.

Summary: Paramedics have issued a warning after 28 people were bitten by snakes across NSW in October.


A man and woman have died after being shot in a car on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.

The couple were found in a car on Adams Avenue in Rosebud about 4.30pm on Thursday, a police spokesman said.

The woman was dead at the scene and the man was taken to hospital where he later died.

Police say they are not looking for a third person and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Summary: One person is fighting for their life with upper body injuries after a suspected shooting in Victoria.


New figures showing a big jump in full-time employment in October and an unchanged jobless rate masks a steady decline in job creation in the past three months.

Combined with the slowest growth in wages in almost two decades, it has raised concerns among economists the labour market is losing momentum, so much so that people are giving up looking for work.

In total, 9800 jobs were added to the economy in October, but this came off a downwardly revised 29,000 drop in September.

It means employment has fallen by around 8500 on average over each of the past three months.

There was a 41,500 jump in the number of people taking on full-time work in October, partly offset by a 31,700 drop in part-time workers, reversing the recent trend towards more limited working hours.

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said the figures clearly show the economy remains in transition from the resources construction boom to more labour-intensive services industries like retail, tourism and hospitality.

"Now more than ever it is important for the parliament to pass the government's legislative agenda to encourage economic growth and job creation," Senator Cash said.

The number of people looking for work remained at a 10-year low with the participation rate at 64.4 per cent.

Labor employment spokesman Brendan O'Connor was unimpressed, saying if not for the low participation rate, the unemployment rate would be much higher.

He said there are still 700,000 Australians who can't find any work at all and 1.8 million looking for more work.

Wednesday's figures showing annual wage growth at 1.9 per cent and the slowest rate since record began is why people are having trouble making ends meet.

"The only recipe for success the government puts forward is to provide a $50 billion giveaway to big business," he said in reference to the coalition's 10-year plan for tax cuts.

Outgoing Business Council of Australia president Catherine Livingstone said US president-elect Donald Trump's promise to cut the US corporate tax rate to 15 per cent will make the comparison to Australia's 30 per cent tax rate even more stark.

"It absolutely heightens the urgency for us to take our tax rates down," she told ABC radio.

Otherwise it will make Australia even less favourable as an investment destination.

But Labor finance spokesman Jim Chalmers believes Australians won't conclude the main take-out from Mr Trump's victory is that Australia needs to hand $50 billion to big multinational companies.

"It is no use pretending a tax cut in Australia will have an immediate or meaningful impact on investment or wages or any of those things that are claimed when the government's own figures say the only benefit would be small and down the track," Dr Chalmers told Sky News.

Summary: Economists expect the jobless rate will have crept up to 5.7 per cent from 5.6 per cent when October labour force figures are released on Thursday.


WA Premier Colin Barnett says he would support permanent restrictions on buying alcohol in Port Hedland after takeaway sales were banned on Friday.

The ban was implemented by police and the local council amid fears of civil unrest and violence after the release of security footage by the state coroner showing the final moments of Aboriginal woman Ms Dhu, who died in custody.

There have been calls for permanent restrictions on alcohol sales in Port and South Hedland, which are already in place in Kununurra and Fitzroy Crossing, and the use of cashless welfare cards that cannot be used for alcohol or limit how much can be bought.

"I think that's got a lot of merit, where alcohol bans have been put in place ... it certainly reduces crime, it reduces domestic violence, kids go to school and communities are far better off," Mr Barnett told reporters.

Summary: The ban on takeaway alcohol sales in Port and South Hedland was a positive thing and it was worth considering extending it, says Premier Colin Barnett.


A 10-year-old boy has collapsed and died while playing at a basketball tournament in Perth.

Paramedics were called to the Warwick Stadium in Perth at 10.50am on Saturday after the boy collapsed during a break in a game at the under-11 state championships.

St John Ambulance paramedics tried to revive the boy but he died in Joondalup hospital. It’s believed the collapse was related to an existing medical condition. The ABC reported it was a suspected heart attack.

The Perth Wildcats tweeted their condolences after news of the death broke.

Our thoughts are with the family of the boy who died today after collapsing at Warwick Stadium.Stand together, WA basketball family.

The remaining games at the stadium were cancelled as players and their families mourned the loss of the young player.

Basketball WA said: “It is devastating news and we can only imagine what the family are going through at this moment. Our focus is to do everything we can to support our volunteers, the teams and the rest of the Lakeside Community who we know will be in shock.”

Summary: The boy collapsed during a state championships game in Western Australia and could not be revived


As election night turned into Wednesday, the political commentators floating around the gleaming red, white and blue set at NBC’s Rockefeller Center’s studio appeared dazed over the unexpected results that tilted toward Donald Trump becoming the 45th president of the United States.

“The stun is palpable,” said the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt after appearing with NBC News political director Chuck Todd. “Nobody I know predicted this, and anybody who says they saw this coming is lying.”

It was less a partisan reaction and more astonishment over what is arguably the greatest presidential election upset in history, with Trump, a political novice who repeatedly made incendiary statements, toppling the most seasoned of opponents in Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Hewitt described himself as “the classic reluctant Trump voter” who cast his ballot for the candidate. But he expected the night to wrap up by 11 p.m. Tuesday with Clinton as the winner. “I don’t think there’s anybody in this room who didn’t think it would be called by then,” he said.

Instead, it was past midnight and Trump’s electoral vote count continued to grow. Hewitt noticed Democratic strategist and long-time Clinton supporter James Carville preparing to join the anchor table.

“James - is there a path?” said Hewitt, asking if there were still enough to states that were within Clinton’s reach.

“No,” a visibly dismayed Carville barked as he dug his hand into a bowl of candy and came up empty.

Throughout the night, NBC’s anchors stared at their digital devices with a degree of disbelief, as the polls had given them no indication of what they were reporting. Tom Brokaw, a veteran of NBC’s presidential election coverage, tried to explain it as he headed off the set to grab a sandwich.

“This is our Brexit,” said Brokaw, referring to the equally stunning vote by United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union. “People are not entirely sure about why they’re pissed off. I was just out in Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa – things are good. But they feel like they have to be pissed off.”

Brokaw returned to the table with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and the network’s political director Chuck Todd, and then tested a line he received from pollster Peter Hart that summed up the race in pop culture terms.

“This election was much more about ‘Duck Dynasty’ than ‘Saturday Night Live.’”

Todd, the “Meet the Press” moderator who made his name in political coverage with his granular understanding of voting patterns, tried to make sense of the data that defied the predictions of nearly every expert and pollster. He was on his phone in constant touch with the voting data analysts at the election decision desk – referred to as “the boiler room.” He asked producers to get graphics ready with the results in congressional districts in Maine and Nebraska. At one point, Todd went to the electoral map touch screen with Holt and showed how the red and blue states could divide into a 269-electoral vote tie between the two candidates.

Standing nearby, NBC News Chairman Andy Lack noted how he requested the “what-if” scenario. He then thought about what could follow – and came up with the potential of an election going to a Supreme Court with only eight justices. The prospect brought a flashback to his first term as the chief of NBC News.

“I was here in 2000,” he said, referring to the disputed results of George W. Bush’s contest with Al Gore. “It’s going to be a long night.”

Lack summed up the Trump-Clinton race with an abbreviation that Brokaw had been using throughout the campaign.

“UFO,” Lack said before heading to cable news network MSNBC one floor below. “It’s the unforeseen that will occur.”

Outside 30 Rockefeller Center, the midtown Manhanttan area that NBC transformed into “Democracy Plaza” had turned somber by 12:30 a.m. Many of the people in the thinned-out crowd sat and silently stared up the at the giant screens broadcasting MSNBC’s coverage as it got closer to naming Trump as the victor.

A pro-Trump crowd gathered round the corner outside of Fox News studios on the Avenue of the Americas. They cheered and became more excited as Trump’s unlikely victory approached.

It was a sign that the election may be over, but the cable news battles will keep on going.


WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 - Congressional officials said Saturday that they wanted to investigate the disclosure that the National Security Agency had gained access to some of the country's main telephone arteries to glean data on possible terrorists.

"As far as Congressional investigations are concerned," said Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, "these new revelations can only multiply and intensify the growing list of questions and concerns about the warrantless surveillance of Americans."

Members of the Judiciary Committee have already indicated that they intend to conduct oversight hearings into the president's legal authority to order domestic eavesdropping on terrorist suspects without a warrant.

But Congressional officials said Saturday that they would probably seek to expand the review to include the disclosure that the security agency, using its access to giant phone "switches," had also traced and analyzed phone and Internet traffic in much larger volumes than what the Bush administration had acknowledged.

"We want to look at the entire program, an in-depth review, and this new data-mining issue is certainly a part of the whole picture," said a Republican Congressional aide, who asked not to be identified because no decisions had been made on how hearings might be structured.

Current and former government officials say that the security agency, as part of its domestic surveillance program, has gained the cooperation of some of the country's biggest telecommunications companies to obtain access to large volumes of international phone and Internet traffic flowing in and out of the United States.

The agency has traced and analyzed the traffic flow - looking at who is calling whom, where calls originate and end, and other patterns - to gather clues on possible terrorist activities. In cases where security agency supervisors believe they can show a link to Al Qaeda, President Bush has authorized eavesdropping on calls without a warrant within the United States, so long as one end of the phone or e-mail conversation takes place outside the country.

The White House declined to comment Saturday on the security agency program or the use of data-mining, saying it would not discuss intelligence operations.

"The administration will aggressively fight the war on terror in an effort to protect the American people while at the same time upholding the civil liberties of the American people," said Allen Abney, a White House spokesman. "The president is doing both of these things and will continue to do both of these things."

Defenders of the program within the federal government say that the security agency's broad analytical searches and data-mining, combined with actual eavesdropping, are an essential part of detecting and preventing terror attacks.

And they say the president is well within his legal authority to order such programs, because of his inherent constitutional power and because of Congressional authorization in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that permitted him to use "all necessary and appropriate force" to fight terrorism.

But civil rights and privacy advocates voiced concerns Saturday about the expanded role of the security agency, which historically has focused almost exclusively on foreign powers in mining for data on American phone lines.

"To the extent that the N.S.A. is collecting information on people who are suspected of no wrongdoing whatsoever, it presents some very critical privacy concerns," said Marcia Hofmann, who leads the government oversight section at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a group that lobbies for greater privacy rights. "And it shows the need for Congress to put in place real safeguards to prevent the government from abusing this information."

Lisa Graves, senior counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union, said, "There's no data-mining loophole in the Fourth Amendment." Ms. Graves added, "We're seeing an administration that's engaging in a lot of legal hair-splitting to justify behavior that's not authorized by the law."

Summary: Congressional officials want to investigate the disclosure that the National Security Agency had gained access to some of the country's main telephone arteries.


For a long time after finishing his novel "The Book of Daniel," E. L. Doctorow sat at his desk in his home in New Rochelle, N.Y., contemplating what to write next. "I became aware of the room in which I was sitting, and I began the first line--'I live in a house built in 1906. Teddy Roosevelt was President.' "

That line eventually changed, but Mr. Doctorow was soon transported back in time. He imagined Harry Houdini stopping in front of his house in a Pope-Toledo Runabout. Gradually, Houdini, Emma Goldman, Evelyn Nesbit, J. P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Sigmund Freud and many other figures in history became characters in a novel, "Ragtime," a "chronical fiction" about America at the beginning of the 20th century.

This unusual book, Mr. Doctorow's fourth novel, is being acclaimed by reviewers and is sure of commercial as well as artistic success. Random House has already printed 60,000 copies. It is a Book-of-the-Month Club summer selection and is scheduled to be filmed by Robert Altman.

At 44, after years as an editor and teacher as well as novelist, Mr. Doctorow couldn't be happier about his success.

"I do want the book to be accessible," he said in an interview. "I want working class people to read it, people who don't follow novels. Reading novels often requires an effort of the will. I want the reader to be as unaware of committing a cultural act as he is when he goes to the movies."

In pursuing that goal, Mr. Doctorow made "Ragtime," unlike many other experimental novels, enormously readable. It tells a story, or rather a series of interlocking stories.

To the author's chagrin, "Storytelling has been appropiated by sociologists and psychologists. Books about physical fitness and diet tell stories--with villains. Fat- around-the-middle is a villain. There is conflict--and resolution. Even when they report the weather on television, they dramatize it; 'We'll have that story in a minute.'"

Where does that leave the novelist? "He is pushed into to realm of personal experience-- a very small preserve he is allowed to wander in.

"Ragtime" is an act of restoration, what Mr. Doctorow calls "a novelist's revenge."

"It defies facts," he says. "Give 'em all sorts of facts--made-up facts, distorted facts. I begin to think of 'Ragtime' as fictive nonfiction. It' s the reverse of Truman Capote. I see all those new journalists as guys on the other side."

The method, as he sees it, is at least as old as Daniel Defoe. "He claimed to be the 'editor' of 'Robinson Crusoe," he says. "At the same time he relied on the public's knowledge of Alexander Selkirk"--the real-life model for Crusoe. "Selkirk's whole life was justified by 'giving' Defoe his life story.

"From the beginning, novelists have used strategies, have mixed up fact and fiction. That's the region where 'Ragtime' is located--halfway between fiction and history."

"Kenneth Rexroth said that 'Moll Flanders' is a false document because Defoe wrote in the voice of a prostitute. My book is a false document. A true document would be the Gulf of Tonkin resolution or the Watergate tapes. The basic false documents are dreams, which repeat things that didn't take place--and prophesy our lives.

The characters, real as well as imagined, began to have a life of their own. "Houdini kept coming back very insistently, whereas Freud was quite content to have a walk-on," he said. "I wanted to do more with Emma Goldman, but the book ended before I could."

One of the major characters is Coalhouse Walker, a ragtime pianist turned revolutionary (in one scene Booker T. Washington tries to talk him out of blowing up J. P. Morgan's library. Asked if this angry black man were a real person Mr. Doctorow said, "There are several hundreds of thousands of Coalhouse Walkers in this country."

Then he indicated that Coalhouse is actually a tribute to Heinrich von Kleist, one of whose stories is called "Michael Kohlhass," about " a German horse dealer during the time of Martin Luther who becomes an incendiary and revolutionary."

The title of Mr. Doctorow's book changed many times in the course of the writing. "I became more aware of the possibility of the musical analogy and the form of the book," he said. "It is divided in four parts, as rag is. A title is something to use up as you write the book to give it some sort of resonance."

With "Ragtime" published, Mr. Doctorow is anxious to get back to work, to finish the play he is writing for the Yale Repertory Theater under a fellowship from CBS television and to start his next novel.

But it will be difficult to leave "Ragtime" behind. Constantly he is besieged with questions: what is fact, what is fiction? He prefers to leave answers to the reader's imagination.

Pressed on specific incidents, he said, "The book is a series of meetings that never took place," and admitted that he made up a lot of tricks for Houdini." On the other hand, "Freud and Jung's trip to America is well documented, as is the fact that they went to Coney Island."

But did Freud and Jung ride through the Tunnel of Love together, as they do in "Ragtime," and when their group visited the Lower East Side did they all have "to enter a dairy restaurant and order sour cream and vegetables so that Freud could go to the bathroom"?

"Who's to say it didn't happen? asked Mr. Doctorow.

Summary: In an interview about "Ragtime," Doctorow said "I want working class people to read it, people who don't follow novels."


BY LLOYD GROVE WITH ELISA LIPSKY-KARASZ

Wednesday, February 11th 2004, 6:50AM

Tongues from Washington to New York are wagging wickedly about the ugly end to a distinguished diplomatic career - that of William (Balkan Bill) Montgomery, the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro.

The 58-year-old career diplomat - who is the most senior American official in the Balkans - announced his "retirement" a few weeks ago, nine months short of his scheduled departure from Belgrade.

But I'm told that Montgomery was actually fired on orders from Secretary of State Colin Powell after a spate of complaints from the locals and lurid headlines alleging an extramarital affair with an embassy employee.

According to Britain's Daily Mail, among other publications, the ambassador's alleged dalliance with 38-year-old Biljana Jovic, a "striking blond" Serbian national, provoked rage from 45-year-old Lynne Montgomery, the ambassador's flamboyant, British-born wife.

When Montgomery's wife, at their country estate in Croatia, rang her husband's cell phone, the alleged mistress answered it, "prompting his tempestuous spouse to jump on the first flight to Belgrade," the Daily Mail reported. Upon arrival, "the ambassador's wife ... is said to have screamed at the terrified [Jovic], ripped her blouse and drenched her in water."

The ambassador, who in the first Bush administration was chief of staff to then-Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, "heard the commotion and tried to break it up, but had to call his bodyguards to help him," the Daily Mail went on.

Titillating tales about Lynne Montgomery's undiplomatic behavior - including dancing on tables at the Gypsy-owned Black Panther restaurant and wearing a tight black leather dress at a cocktail reception - began appearing in the Serbian press last spring and were reported in Germany and Britain.

Lynne Montgomery, who studied for a doctorate in the "philosophy of

marriage," teaches at a private Belgrade university owned by the powerful Karic business empire. She enjoys a reputation as a jet-setter.

As for the ambassador, the Daily Mail reports that while his wife was dancing on tables, he "beat time to the music on another female diner's bottom."

In the Sunday Times of London, Montgomery dismissed these stories as "bull-." And yesterday an embassy spokesman told me that Montgomery blames all the bad publicity on a powerful Serbian media baron who is exacting revenge on the ambassador for his stout support of an independent Serbian press.

HEF'S HOBBIES? Seventy-seven-year-old Playboy founder Hugh Hefner might have a weakness for buxom blond girlfriends, but at least one former Playmate claims that he also likes to watch men - at least on video.

Victoria Zdrock, Penthouse Pet of the Year 2004 and Playboy's Miss October 1994, tells Chaunce Hayden of Steppin Out magazine: "He likes to watch all kinds of gay porn. ... I don't know if he actually tried bisexual activity, but he's definitely curious about it."

Playboy rep Bill Farley said: "The fact that Hugh Hefner may have seen adult gay movies and may have even enjoyed them is kind of a no-brainer - that's his job! Hugh Hefner is an expert of human sexuality."

A FAKE POLL: Yesterday and Monday, ABCNEWS.com posted an urgent disclaimer on the Note, its online political digest:

"The satire of an ABC News/Washington Post poll posted here earlier was just that - a satire."

Apparently some readers didn't get the joke - a fake survey of "400 leading political and Washington journalists" that purported to show: 94% disagree with President Bush's tax cuts, 97% disagree with Bush's assertion that Iraq was a "war of necessity," and 98% believe Democratic candidate John Kerry has the nomination "sewn up."

Another result: "Given how exciting it was when President Bush's father lost the 1992 election, would you rather Sen. Kerry keep this lead or not? Keep the lead and win: 45%. Lose the lead but win: 50%. Lose the lead and lose: 5%."

An ABC News spokeswoman explained that despite the Note's often-facetious tone, a "small number" of readers were confused, "so we removed [the poll] from the Web site ... Going forward, we plan to add a laugh track so no one will misconstrue future attempts at levity."

A REAL POLL: Who's the President or ex-President "most likely to personally shop for his wife's Valentine's Day gift?" It's Jimmy Carter, says a survey of 1,400 readers of Smithsonian magazine. Carter got 63%, far ahead of Ronald Reagan (14%), Gerald Ford (7%) and both George Bushes (6%).

One of Lowdown's eagle-eyed spies, browsing the Web for

Halliburton Co. news, came upon the following shocking item on MSNBC.com:

"Cheney dead at age 62

"Dick Cheney, the stalwart conservative and unflappable Washington insider picked by George W. Bush to be his vice president, died DAY TK in PLACE TK." ("TK" is journalistic shorthand for "to come.")

My source told me: "This obit ... was uploaded May 23, 2003 ... When I clicked on the headline [and summary], it said 'article not found.' Still, kind of a dopey thing to have your obit file anywhere near the live Web site." The obit was apparently written on May 23, my source said. "That was the day Cheney cast the deciding Senate vote for Bush's $35 billion tax cut."

An embarrassed MSNBC.com spokeswoman confirmed that the Cheney obit was accidentally posted on the site a few weeks ago, and said his May 23 Senate vote wasn't a factor.

"It was caught within an hour and taken down," she said. "Obviously, we're not happy."

An adviser to Vice President Cheney, who wears a state-of-the-art pacemaker after suffering

several heart attacks, declined my invitation to make light of MSNBC.com's boo-boo:

"You're asking me to say something witty and memorable about a false obituary? Okay then, I have three words for you: Wouldn't be prudent."

Summary: Tongues from Washington to New York are wagging wickedly about the ugly end to a distinguished diplomatic career - that of William (Balkan Bill) Montgomery, the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro. The 58-year-old career diplomat - who is the most senior American official in the Balkans - announced his "retirement"a few weeks ago, nine months short of his scheduled departure from Belgrade. But I'm told that Montgomery


By CELESTE KATZ and DAVE GOLDINER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS With Ellen Locker

Thursday, May 15th 2003, 8:17AM

John F. Kennedy's intern admitted to the Daily News yesterday: "I am the Mimi."

Marion (Mimi) Fahnestock, now 60, called it a huge weight off her shoulders to finally reveal her affair with the dashing young President four decades ago.

"The gift for me is that this allowed me to tell my two married daughters a secret that I've been holding for 41 years," she said. "It's a huge relief."

"It's all true," said Fahnestock, sitting in a pew in Manhattan's Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, where she works as an administrator.

Referring to stories in The News this week detailing the affair, she said: "I was 19 years old. It was 1962, '63, and it's the truth."

Fahnestock, who was identified only as Mimi in long-sealed White House documents, didn't want to discuss the assassinated President.

"I think the world knows what he was like," said Fahnestock, a tall, slim woman with short blond hair. She declined to be photographed.

Long before Bill and Monica hit the headlines, Kennedy's affairs were common knowledge in the White House, but reporters kept quiet about what was considered the President's private life.

The long-forgotten affair was disclosed in a sealed portion of a 1964 interview with Barbara Gamarekian, a former White House press aide.

Gamarekian recently agreed to reveal the tale to historian Robert Dallek, who was researching his new Kennedy biography, "An Unfinished Life."

Although he never tracked down Mimi, Dallek concluded that Kennedy - whose roving eye was legendary - had a fling with the intern.

"Apparently, her only skill was to provide sexual release for JFK on those trips and maybe in the White House," Dallek said.

The then-Mimi Beardsley was a senior at Miss Porter's School in Connecticut when she came to the White House in 1961, months after Kennedy became the youngest elected President in history.

The editor of her school paper, Mimi was invited to Washington to interview Jacqueline Kennedy, who had graduated from the exclusive girls' boarding school.

She never met the First Lady but quickly captured the attention of the world's most powerful man.

A year later, Mimi was awarded a prestigious internship in the White House, though she couldn't even type.

"I was 19 years old, a very young, very naive, very innocent young girl," said Fahnestock, who lives on Manhattan's upper East Side.

The striking teenager was invited to White House pool parties with a handful of other young women and flown on Air Force jets to secret liaisons with Kennedy at resorts and summit meetings, Gamarekian said.

Once, presidential aides caught her hiding on the floor of a limousine in JFK's entourage in the Bahamas moments after the President left.

Fahnestock declined to discuss her time in the White House but said in measured tones, "All of these things are true. Remember, I was 19 years old. It was my first job."

Mimi worked two summers at the White House and stayed into the fall of 1963 before returning to college, just a few weeks before Kennedy was gunned down Nov. 22.

The next year, she married. She had two daughters and later divorced. Through it all, she did everything she could to keep her White House affair under wraps.

She declined to say whether she had told her former husband, the late Anthony Fahnestock.

"I kept it a secret," she said simply. "I didn't have a story to tell."

Fahnestock, a grandmother of four, said she decided to end her long silence after JFK's affair with the intern made news this week.

"It's a gift that my daughters know this is a piece of my history," she said. "They are totally supportive of me."

Now that her secret is out, Fahnestock said, she wants to return to a private life.

"I have a wonderful job . . . a close family, a lot of friends," she said. "I have a life to live."

Summary: John F. Kennedy's intern admitted to the Daily News yesterday: "I am the Mimi."Marion (Mimi) Fahnestock, now 60, called it a huge weight off her shoulders to finally reveal her affair with the dashing young President four decades ago. "The gift for me is that this allowed me to tell my two married daughters a secret that I've been holding for 41 years,"she said.


COMPILED BY BREANNE L. HELDMAN & BRITTANY SCHAEFFER

Friday, February 11th 2005, 1:30AM

ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY. N.J. Peforming Arts Center, 36 Park Place, Newark, N.J. (1-888-GO-NJPAC). Tomorrow at 7 and 9:30 p.m.; $45.

CD 101.9 VALENTINE'S DAY CONCERT: GEORGE BENSON & DAVID SANBORN. Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Ave. of the Americas (212-247-4777). Tonight at 8; $39.50-$79.50.

MARCO ANTONIO SOLIS & ANA GABRIEL. Madison Square Garden, Seventh Ave. & 33rd St. (212-307-7171). Tomorrow at 8, $59.50-$99.50.

GAY VALENTINE MUSIC CELEBRATION. Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd (212-307-4100). Tomorrow at 8; $20-$100.

HEART & SOUL PART IV VALENTINES CONCERT 2005. Roseland Ballroom, 239 W. 52nd St. (212-307-7171). Tomorrow at 9 p.m.; $45.

JOE COCKER. Westbury Music Fair, 960 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury (631-888-9000). Tomorrow at 8; $46.50.

JOSH GROBAN. Madison Square Garden, Seventh Ave. & 33rd St. (212-307-7171). Tonight at 8, $49.50-$89.50.

KEITH SWEAT, ATLANTIC STARR, MELISA MORGAN. Beacon Theater, 2124 Broadway (212-307-7171). Sun. at 7:30; $53.50-$73.50.

PAPA GROWS FUNK. Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. (212-533-2111). With Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble. Tomorrow at 9 p.m.; $18.

PATTY SMYTH & SCANDAL. Westbury Music Fair, 960 Brush Hollow Road,

Westbury (631-888-9000). Tonight at 8; $35.

70S SOUL JAM. Beacon Theater, 2124 Broadway (212-307-7171). Tonight at 8 and midnight; $46-$75.

SUPER DIAMOND. Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place (212-777-6800). Tonight & tomorrow at 9; $30.

WOODIE KING JR.'S NEW FEDERAL THEATRE 35TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St. (212-307-4100). Sun. at 3 p.m.; $75-$300.

B.B. KING BLUES CLUB. 237 W. 42nd St. (212-997-4144). Tonight at 8, Lalah Hathaway, Amanda Dumas, $35; at 10:30, Kool Keith, $20. Tomorrow at 8, Bo Diddley; $35. Sun. at 8:30, Shlomi Saranga; $40-$75.

CBGB. 315 Bowery (212-982-4052). Tonight at 8, Millsted, Bite, Mangola, Provolone Jones, New Professionals, The Golden Dawn, The Vanities; $10. Tomorrow at 8, The Live Ones, King Valley, RPG, The Brought Low, Player's Club; $10.

JOE'S PUB. 425 Lafayette St. (212-539-8770). Tonight-Sun. at 7, Billy Porter in "Ghetto Superstar"; $45. Tonight-tomorrow at 9:30, Rene Risque & the Art Lovers; $15.

LIVING ROOM. 154 Ludlow St. (212-533-3376). Tonight at 7, Ali Handal, Teddy Goldstein, Deborah Dutcher, Crescent and Frost, Matthew Puckett. Tomorrow at 7, Bob Wiseman, Sea Poppies, Chris Brown, Amy Miles, Michael Holt/

David Celia, Sxip. Sun. at 8, Eros in the Tropics, A Bolero to Save Your Life.

KNITTING FACTORY. 74 Leonard St. (212-219-3006). Tonight at 7, The Bamboo Kids, The Sexy Magazines, Steel Train; $10. Tomorrow at 6:30, Strike Anywhere, The Unseen, None More Black, The Loved Ones, $12; at 11, La Laque, The Parlor Scouts; $10. Sun. at 7, Lucero, Northstar, The Honorary Title; $10.

MERCURY LOUNGE. 217 E. Houston St. (212-260-4700). Tonight at 8:30, Baby Dayliner, Bling Kong, Hair Supply, The Fame; $8. Tomorrow at 8:30, Jens Lekman, The Impossible Shapes, Parker & Lily, The Silent League; $10. Sun. at 7, Launie Andersohn, Isotoners, Mason Dixon, The Diggs; $8.

NORTHSIX. 66 North Sixth St., Brooklyn (718-599-5103). Tonight at 8, Apollo Sunshine, Falcon, Brian Bonz; $10. Tomorrow at 8, Kaiser Chiefs, Prosaics, Madison Strays; $12. Sun. at 8, The Shemps, To Hell and Back, Amps to 11, Crybaby MacArthur; $5.

RODEO BAR. 375 Third Ave. (212-683-6500). Tomorrow at 10, The Doc Marshalls.

SOB'S. 204 Varick St. (212-243-4940). Tonight at 8 and 10, Soneros de Oriente, $5-$15; at midnight and 2 a.m., Carimi, $18. Tomorrow at 8:30, 11 and 12:30, Rio Carnaval; $20. Sun. at 8, Kindred; $22.

SOUTHPAW. 125 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn (718-230-0236). Tonight at 9, Soulive; $25. Tomorrow at 9, Addison Groove Project; $10. Sun. at 7, Pre-Valentine's party for lovers and haters.

AVALON. 47 W. 20th St. (212-807-7780). Tonight, Johnny Vicious, Tony Draper. Tomorrow, Sandra Collins, Pete Tong, Eyal Hen.

BEMBE. 81 South Sixth St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-387-5389). Tonight, DJ Funmi, DJ Dave Medina, DJ Sabo. Tomorrow, DJ Nova, DJ Moke, DJ JoyRide. Sun., FSR.

CIELO. 18 Little W. 12th St. (212-645-5700). Tonight, Willie Graff. Tomorrow,

MAIA MEYHANE. 98 Avenue B (212-358-1166). Tonight, Romashka.

SPIRIT. 530 W. 27th St. (212-268-9477). Tomorrow, Jonathan Peters.

THE SUNBURNT COW. 137 Avenue C (212-529-0005). Tonight, DJ Satoko, DJ Desmond, Frank Bombara. Tomorrow, DJ Bryant, Jai Ho, Scott Skylark. Sun., Marlon.

WEBSTER HALL. 125 E. 11th St. (212-353-1600). Tonight-tomorrow, DJ Moody, DJ Avery, DJ Chikkitin, DJ Sean Sharp.

ALLEN ROOM. Time Warner Center/Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th St. & Broadway (212-258-9800). Megan Mullally, tonight. Rebecca Luker, tomorrow.

BIRDLAND. 315 W. 44th St. (212-581-3080). Lee Konitz Trio, tonight-tomorrow. Chico O'Farrill Afro-Cuban Band, Sun.

BLUE NOTE. 131 W. Third St. (212-475-8592). Sergio Mendes, tonight-tomorrow. Danny Aiello, Sun.

CORNELIA STREET CAFE. 29 Cornelia St. (212-989-9319). Jeremy Stieg Quartet, tonight. Ben Waltzer Trio, tomorrow. Christian Winther, Sun.

DETOUR. 349 E. 14th St. (212-533-6212). Pete Robbins and Centric, tonight. Frank LoCrasto Trio, tonight.

IRIDIUM. 1650 Broadway (212-582-2121). Jimmy

JAZZ STANDARD. 116 E. 27th St. (212-576-2232). Matt Wilson's Arts and Crafts, tonight-tomorrow.

KITANO. 66 Park Ave. (212-885-7125). Joe Wilder and Michael Weiss, tonight. Ayako Shirasaki, tomorrow.

LE JAZZ AU BAR. 41 E. 58th St. (212-308-9455). Ruth Brown, tonight-Sun.

178 Seventh Ave. S. (212-255-4037). Buster Williams Quartet, tonight-Sun.

ALICE TULLY HALL. Lincoln Center, 65th St. & Broadway (212-721-6500). Tonight at 8 and Sun. at 5 p.m., the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: "Favorites From France"; $27-$48. Sun. at 2, JosÃ© van Dam; $48.

AVERY FISHER HALL. Lincoln Center, 65th St. & Columbus (212-721-6500). Today at 2 and tomorrow at 8, Chailly Conducts Mahler; $22-$74. Sun. at 3, American Symphony Orchestra; $35-$68.

BROOKLYN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS. 2900 Campus Road & Hillel Place (718-951-4500). Sun. at 2 p.m., "Aida"; $40.

CARNEGIE HALL. 881 Seventh Ave. (212-247-7800). Isaac Stern Auditorium: Tonight at 8, Vanessa Williams; $35-$200. Tomorrow at 8 p.m., Enrique Morente Tomatito; $22-$69. Sun. at 8 p.m., "Flamenco at the Crossroads"; $22-69. Zankel Hall: Tonight at 8:30, Mayte Martin; $30-$42. Sun. at 5, The Met Chamber Orchestra; $48-$64.

METROPOLITAN OPERA. Lincoln Center, 62nd St. & Columbus (212-362-6000). Tonight at 8, "Turandot"; $35-$200. Tomorrow at 8 p.m., "BohÃ¨me"; $40-$215.

N.Y. STATE THEATER. Lincoln Center, 63rd St. & Columbus Ave. (212-870-5570). Tonight at 8 and Sun. at 3, N.Y. City Ballet; $73. Tomorrow at 2, All Balanchine; $25-$78. At 8 p.m., All Robbins; $25-$78.

WEILL RECITAL HALL. 154 W. 57th St. (212-247-7800). Tonight at 8, Tahlia McCollum; $25-$50. Tomorrow at 2, Artistic Club Luba: Vladimir Tsypin; $35. At 5:30 p.m., Frederick Kuok; $23. At 8:30 p.m., Bohram Young Musicians; $15. Sun. at 2, Whitman Quartet Reunion; $25. At 5:30 p.m., Nesher Trio; $25. At 8:30 p.m., Vandermark Ensemble; $35.

CAROLINES ON BROADWAY. 1626 Broadway at 49th St. (212-757-4100). David Alan Grier, tonight-Sun.

COMEDY CELLAR. 117 MacDougal St. (212-254-3480). Colin Quinn, Rick Crom, Bill Burr, Jim Norton, Gregg Rogell and Robert Kelly, tonight-Sun.

COMIC STRIP LIVE. 1568 Second Ave. (212-861-9386). Tim Young, Cory Kahaney, Rob Magnotti and Reggie McFadden, tonight. Maija, Dan Allen, Tom Van Horn and Buddy Bolton, tomorrow.

GOTHAM COMEDY CLUB. 34 W. 22nd St. (212-367-9000). Gotta Laugh American Cancer Society Benefit with Kim Cea, Michele Balan, Leighann Lord, Michelle Buteau and Marion Grodin, tonight. Kevin Flynn, Ben Bailey, Vanessa Hollingshead and William Stephenson, tomorrow. Ben Bailey, Lisa Landry, Jon Fisch, Marion Grodin and Drew Fraser, Sun.

LAUGH FACTORY. 303 W. 42nd St. (212-586-7829, ext. 1). Sue Costello, Harris Stanton and Vince August, tonight-tomorrow. "Latino Laughter" with George Diaz, Sun.

N.Y. COMEDY CLUB. 241 E. 24th St. (212-696-5233). "Best of the New York Comedy Club" and "New Talent" showcases, tonight-tomorrow.

STAND-UP NY. 236 W. 78th St. (212-595-0850). Montreal Audition Showcase, tonight. Buddy Bolton, Dean Edwards, Joe Matarese, tonight-Sun.

THEATRE. 307 W. 26th St. (212-366-9176). The Turnstile Incident, Dark Side of the Moon Show, UCB TourCo, The Swarm, Liquid Courage, tonight. North American Sketch Championships, Sketch Cram!, Mother: The Soundtrack, Reuben Williams: Chocolate Stovepipe, tomorrow. ASSSSCAT 3000, Sun.

AVENUE Q. Golden, 252 W. 45th St. (212-239-6200).

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Lunt-Fontanne, 205 W. 46th St. (212-307-4100).

BROOKLYN, THE MUSICAL. Plymouth Theater, 236 W. 45th St. (212-239-6200).

CHICAGO. Ambassador, 219 W. 49th St. (212-239-6200).

DAME EDNA: BACK WITH A VENGENCE! Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St. (212-239-6200).

DEMOCRACY. Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 256 W. 47th St. (212-307-4100).

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS. Imperial Theatre, 249 W. 47th St. (212-239-6200).

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Minskoff, 200 W. 45th St. (212-307-4100).

HAIRSPRAY. Neil Simon, 250 W. 52nd St. (212-307-4100).

GOOD VIBRATIONS. Eugene O'Neill Theatre, 230 W. 49th St. (212-239-6200).

LA CAGE AUX FOLLIES. Marquis Theatre, 211 W. 45th St. (212-307-4100).

THE LION KING. New Amsterdam, 214 W. 42nd St. (212-307-4100).

LITTLE WOMEN: THE MUSICAL. Virginia Theatre, 245 W.52nd St. (212-239-6200).

MAMMA MIA! Winter Garden, 1634 Broadway (212-239-6200).

MOVIN' OUT. Richard Rodgers, 226 W. 46th St. (212-307-4100).

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Majestic, 247 W. 44th St. (212-239-6200).

THE PRODUCERS. St. James, 246 W. 44th St. (212-239-6200).

RENT. Nederlander, 208 W. 41st St. (212-921-8000).

700 SUNDAYS. Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St. (212-239-6200).

TWELVE ANGRY MEN. American Airlines Theater, 227 W. 42nd St. (212-719-1300).

WICKED. Gershwin, 222 W. 51st St. (212-307-4100).

THE AWESOME 80S PROM. Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St. (212-352-3101).

BLUE MAN GROUP. Astor Place, 434 Lafayette St. (212-254-4370).

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. 59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th St. (212-279-4200).

COOKIN'. Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Ln. (212-307-4100).

DONKEY SHOW. Club El Flamingo, 547 W. 21st St. (212-307-4100).

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY. Douglas Fairbanks, 432 W. 42nd St. (212-239-6200).

I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE. Westside, 407 W. 43rd St. (212-239-6200).

JEWTOPIA. Westside Theatre Downstairs, 407 W. 43rd St. (212-239-6200).

THE MARIJUANA-LOGUES. Actors' Playhouse, 100 Seventh Ave. S. (212-868-6200).

MENOPAUSE: THE MUSICAL. Playhouse 91, 316 E. 91st St. (212-307-4100).

MODERN ORTHODOX. Dodger Stages, 340 W. 50th St. (212-239-6200).

MUSICAL OF MUSICALS: THE MUSICAL. Dodger Stages, 340 W. 50th St. (212-239-6200).

MY PRICE POINT. PS 122, 150 First Ave. (212-477-5288).

NAKED BOYS SINGING! 47th Street Theatre, 304 W. 47th St. (212-239-6200).

NEWSICAL. Upstairs at Studio 54, 254 W. 54th St. (212-307-4100).

PERFECT CRIME. Duffy, 1553 Broadway (212-695-3401).

STOMP. Orpheum Theater, 126 Second Ave. (212-477-2477).

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. Second Stage Theatre, 307 W. 43rd St. (212- 246-4422).

CENTRAL PARK. "The Gates," Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 26-year-old art project-in-the-making, opens tomorrow in Central Park, featuring miles of saffron-colored fabric.

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. Fifth Ave. at 82nd St. (212-879-5500). "WILD: Fashion Untamed" at the Costume Institute explores the influence of animals on fashion and style, with works by great couturiers on display, including pieces by Roberto Cavalli and Tom Ford.

THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 1220 Fifth Ave. (212-534-1672). "El Barrio" showcases photos of Puerto Ricans in New York.

NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 170 Central Park West (212-873-3400). "Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Shaped Modern America" features photos and more about the Founding Father.

WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART. 945 Madison Ave. (212-570-3676). "Bill Viola: Five Angels for the Millennium" is a video art project focusing on the interplay between nature and humans.

BE A DJ. Times Square Virgin Megastore, 45th St. and Broadway. Ever dreamt of spinning, mixing and firing up a crowded club on the tables? Make your fantasy come true at the "Be the DJ" contest at Virgin tomorrow from 1-3 p.m., hosted by spin-daddy DJ Who. While the contest is free, the DJ with the hottest beats will win a new - and pricey - Mixman LoopStudio.

KT SULLIVAN & MARK NADLER. The Algonquin, 59 W. 44th St. (212-419-9331). They perform "Everything's Coming Up Roses," a new revue featuring the Broadway and Hollywood hits of Jule Styne. Tonight & tomorrow at 9 and 11:30; $50.

Carlyle, 35 E. 76th St. (212-570-7189). The internationally known chanteuse opens her new cabaret show, "Blood & Feathers." Tonight & tomorrow at 8:45 and 10:45 p.m; $55-$65.

Summary: CONCERTS ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY. N.J. Peforming Arts Center, 36 Park Place, Newark, N.J. (1-888-GO-NJPAC). Tomorrow at 7 and 9:30 p.m.; $45. CD 101.9 VALENTINE'S DAY CONCERT: GEORGE BENSON & DAVID SANBORN. Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Ave. of the Americas (212-247-4777). Tonight at 8; $39.50-$79.50. MARCO ANTONIO SOLIS & ANA GABRIEL. Madison Square Garden, Seventh Ave. & 33rd St. (212-307-7171). Tomorrow at 8, $59.50-$99.50. GAY VALENTINE MUSIC CELEBRATION. Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd (212-307-4100). Tomorrow at 8; $20-$100.


BY MITCHELL FINK WITH Lauren Rubin

Friday, August 13th 1999, 2:11AM

Sharon Stone is back to work.

The screen star has returned to the Vancouver set of the romantic comedy "Beautiful Joe," a week after husband Phil Bronstein's heart scare.

The San Francisco Examiner executive editor, who had angioplasty last week, is on the mend, resting comfortably at home, Stone's rep says. It's unclear when he will get back to the paper.

Stone is back in front of the cameras playing a stripper and compulsive gambler who meets a guy, played by Billy Connelly, who has left his wife after discovering that she has had an affair.

When Bronstein took ill last week, Stone swiftly left the set to be at her hubby's side, which forced the production to close down for two days. Director Stephen Metcalfe shot around her for the next three days. Even so, producer Steven Haft says he expects to wrap production on Thursday, as scheduled.

"We may go a day over, but nothing more," he says. "Sharon will work through this weekend, and everything will be fine."

Stone is back in front of the cameras playing a stripper and compulsive gambler who meets a guy, played by Billy Connelly, who has left his wife after discovering that she has had an affair.

When Bronstein took ill last week, Stone swiftly left the set to be at her hubby's side, which forced the production to close down for two days. Director Stephen Metcalfe shot around her for the next three days. Even so, producer Steven Haft says he expects to wrap production on Thursday, as scheduled.

"We may go a day over, but nothing more," he says. "Sharon will work through this weekend, and everything will be fine."

CLAIRE DANES' ART IMITATES LIFE

Insiders at Marie Claire are buzzing about another Claire - Claire Danes.

The actress' latest flick, "Brokedown Palace," is eerily similiar to a piece the magazine ran last year - and mag types are wondering whether the story was ripped from their pages.

"Brokedown" is the tale of two young women jailed in Thailand after getting unwittingly ensnared in a drug smuggling scheme.

In September 1998, Marie Claire ran a four-page piece dubbed "Drug Smugglers" about two young women who are jailed in a Peruvian prison on similar smuggling charges.

The similarities don't end there.

In both the movie and the article, cockroaches crawl into the ears of the girls.

Other parallels: Danes' co-star, Kate Beckinsale, signs a Thai document that is used against her as a confession. In "Smugglers," the story of Jennifer Davis and Krista Barnes, the women sign similar documents.

The women in both accounts even share language problems. Davis and Barnes can't read Spanish. In the movie, Beckinsale and Danes can't read Thai.

The screenplay writer, David Arata, and the film's producer, Adam Fields, who share story credit on the project, say their plot,

which is set in Thailand,

Fields says he was unaware of Davis and Barnes until my call to him yesterday.

"I went to Thailand in 1989 and started hearing about American girls in jail there," he says. "I went back in '91 and met 15 American girls who were all in jail for drug smuggling. This is definitely not something I took from someone else's story."

The producer of "Death of a Salesman" has scrubbed plans to bring in understudies when stars Brian Dennehy and Elizabeth Franz take a week off starting Aug. 31.

Producer David Richenthal now says it was "naive" to expect that the public would welcome seeing the smash-hit show with anyone but the stars. Philip LeStrange was to sub as Willy Loman and Barbara Eda-Young as his wife, Linda.

"Ticket buyers want to see the stars," says Richenthal, who had planned to offer discount tickets to lure people to the show that week. "I would rather miss a week and continue to be sold out at full-price rather than going through the herculean effort of getting people to come in when our stars are not there."

So it's official: After the couple's vacation, the full cast returns Sept. 7.

Move over, Ricky Martin. There's another hunky brunette in town who's getting women all fired up.

New York City firefighter Eric Torres set the catwalk ablaze at yesterday's Hanes Sport fashion show in Bryant Park when he strode down the runway modeling athletic wear with his firefighter's coat slung over one shoulder and his engine-red hat seductively shading one eye.

"How's that for dessert, ladies?" said the luncheon's host, VH1 Fashion Television's Jeanne Beker, as women in the audience shrieked with delight.

"He was very cute," Annette Kiider, who watched the show, told our K.C. Baker.

But Torres is far from an everyday guy. The brooding firefighter from Ladder Company 34 splits his time battling blazes and making appearances on TV shows like "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee" to tout the Firefighter's Workout he teaches at Crunch Gym.

Still, the 34-year-old was taken aback by the enthusiastic response he got from the mostly female audience. "I thought people would be more interested in the clothes, not me," he said. "I think it's the firefighter's image they were screaming for."

HITCH WAS PSYCHO FOR 'SMOKEY'

Alfred Hitchcock's favorite movie was - drumroll, please - "Smokey and the Bandit."

So says the great director's daughter, Patricia, on tonight's "Access Hollywood."

Burt Reynolds, who starred in the 1977 "Smokey," was obviously delighted to hear that his movie ranked so high with the late Hitch.

"I've had people who ... were very intellectual, and my heroes, that have quietly said to me, 'I loved 'Smokey and the Bandit,'" he says. "And I said, 'It's all right, 'cause so did 150 million other people.' I'm thrilled that Mr. Hitchcock felt that way, and I convey to his daughter that, needless to say, he was the best."

Summary: Sharon Stone is back to work. The screen star has returned to the Vancouver set of the romantic comedy "Beautiful Joe,"a week after husband Phil Bronstein's heart scare. The San Francisco Examiner executive editor, who had angioplasty last week, is on the mend, resting comfortably at home, Stone's rep says. It's unclear when he will get back to the paper. Stone is back in front of the cameras playing a stripper and compulsive gambler


Tuesday, June 12th 2001, 2:21AM

Of the hundreds of candidates running for City Council this year, few can match the unusual rÃ©sumÃ© of Felipe Luciano, former Young Lords leader and longtime television reporter.

Luciano's life and career, after all, have soared and crashed so often that his story is already part of New York Latino folklore. His is the classic tale of the charismatic talent forever fighting demons of self-destruction.

Those demons began stirring at an early age. Raised in poverty by a single mother on E. 115th St., Luciano ended up in gangs and was arrested in the stabbing death of a Brooklyn teenager in the early 1960s. He claims he was there the day of the killing but did not commit it.

The cops who arrested him beat him so badly that night, Luciano says, he would have confessed to anything they wanted. He wound up pleading guilty to manslaughter and served two years of a maximum five-year sentence.

When he got out of prison, he enrolled in Queens College, only to drop out after a few years to join the Harlem nationalist scene. It was there that he got his first touch of fame as part of the militant Last Poets.

I met Luciano in the summer of 1969, when he, Pablo Guzman, Mickey Melendez, I and a half-dozen other young Puerto Ricans joined together to launch the Young Lords. We were soon raising a ruckus in East Harlem over the way Puerto Ricans were treated.

The Lords were the most well-known radical group in the city for a couple of years, and Luciano, as our chairman, was constantly in the news.

A captivating speaker with a razor-sharp mind, he developed a reputation for fearlessness, whether it was confronting a neighborhood dope dealer, the toughest cop on the beat or the smoothest downtown politician.

He also was notoriously unreliable, making grand plans, then disappearing for weeks at a time with no explanation. Unknown to us in the Lords, he was already battling the demons of alcohol and drugs, something he did not admit until years later.

After leaving the Lords, Luciano went on to far more lucrative pursuits. He worked for years as a reporter at WNBC and later at Fox. He landed roles in a few Hollywood films, including a particularly bad one called "Badge 373." He became a deejay, talk show host on WLIB radio and a much-sought-after lecture circuit speaker. Most recently, he has been executive producer of outgoing CUNY board chairman Herman Badillo's weekly cable television show.

Along the way, Luciano went through several relapses, winding up in drug or alcohol rehab programs, cleaning up for a while, then trying again.

"You never fully conquer your demons," he told me recently. "You learn to keep them under control."

He also developed a reputation for Clintonesque relations with women.

When I asked him about that reputation, he responded: "Women are attracted to me. I don't apologize for that."

Now, after 30 years in the public eye, he has moved back into his old neighborhood and is running as a Democrat for a seat on the City Council against incumbent Phil Reed.

Reed is not one of those being forced out by term limits. Of the 51 members of the Council, he is arguably among the best. Two other Hispanics, businessman Edwin Marcial and community leader Miriam Lopez, are opposing Reed in the Democratic primary.

So why is Luciano doing this?

"I look at East Harlem, and I see nothing has changed from 30 years ago," he said. "The garbage is still there, the terrible housing, the poor schools."

Republican Badillo, his longtime friend, is urging him on. "He would raise hell in the City Council," said Badillo, who is making a run for mayor.

But the man occupying the seat has other ideas. Reed spent decades laboring as a block association leader, on the local community board, as a district leader and now as councilman.

"With all due respect," Reed said angrily, "Felipe has not physically lived in this neighborhood for over 20 years. He's welcome to move back, but where has he been, and what has he done?"

But those who still believe in Luciano's talent keep hoping for one final comeback.