NATIONAL
GOP House passes its last bills
Rejected by voters and limping offstage yesterday, the Republican-led House passed a sweeping bill reviving expired tax breaks and protecting doctors from taking a big cut in Medicare payments. pg 3A
Military abuse debate flares
The debate over abuses in U.S. military prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan flared again yesterday, with nine former detainees seeking the right to sue outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and three senior Army leaders over alleged torture. pg 4A
MARYLAND
Scientist pleads guilty
A senior government scientist originally from Baltimore pleaded guilty yesterday to accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in undisclosed fees from the same drug manufacturer whose public-private research collaboration he oversaw. Pearson Trey Sunderland III, chief of the geriatric psychiatry branch of the National Institute of Mental Health, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, is expected to receive a sentence of two years supervised probation and must forfeit $300,000 in illegal proceeds and reimbursements. pg 1B
WORLD
More signs of radiation
Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko was likely poisoned at the bar of a hotel here where he met with two other Russians, both of whom are currently in hospitals showing symptoms of radiation sickness, health investigators said yesterday. pg 8A
BUSINESS
DOW -- UP
+29.08
12,307.49
NASDAQ -- UP
+2.55
1,409.84
S&P; -- UP
+9.67
2,437.36
SUN INDEX -- UP
+0.23
359.72
BACVA picks new president
The Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association has tapped an industry veteran as its new president and chief executive officer with hopes he will bolster the city's flagging meetings business. Thomas J. Noonan, 41, will take the helm Jan. 3. He arrives at a pivotal time for the city, which is betting that a publicly financed $301 million headquarters hotel that is under construction will fill the underperforming convention center. pg 10C
SPORTS
O's might have deal with Payton
The Orioles have reached an agreement on a two-year deal worth approximately $9.75 million with Oakland Athletics free agent Jay Payton, who will become the team's only right-handed hitting outfielder. PG 1C
TODAY
Finding joy in making jokes
Did you hear the one about the folks who wanted to try stand-up comedy? Local comedians find joy in making others laugh. pg 1D