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Reaffirming their strong commitment to economic justice, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops Sunday released a new draft of a letter on the U.S. economy that calls poverty a "scandal" and urges greater governmental direction of the country's economic affairs. The second draft of the pastoral letter, titled "Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy," was mailed to the nation's 300 bishops, archbishops and cardinals on Oct.

Reaffirming their strong commitment to economic justice, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops Sunday released a new draft of a letter on the U.S. economy that calls poverty a "scandal" and urges greater governmental direction of the country's economic affairs. The second draft of the pastoral letter, titled "Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy," was mailed to the nation's 300 bishops, archbishops and cardinals on Oct.

BEIJING -- The scoreboard that flashed USA 92, Australia 65 only only part of the story behind this gold-medal dominance. The three fingers Tamika Catchings held up on each hand, representing the U.S. women's basketball team's 33-game Olympic win streak, told more. And the four gold medals that Lisa Leslie wore around her neck as she exited the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium added an exclamation point -- or maybe an ellipsis? These were supposed to be the Olympic Games that proved Team USA vulnerable, a semifinal loss to Russia in the 2006 world championships still fresh in many opponents' minds.

Her loss in the Olympic 200-meter final was not surprising if you looked at it dispassionately, not after the ups and downs Allyson Felix had all season. She accepted the silver medal Thursday night with her customary graciousness, saying that being unhappy over a prize so few people have would make her ungrateful. It was tearing Felix up inside. "For two days after we got done crying after the race, she didn't talk to me," said her coach, Bob Kersee. He sent text messages.

Goalkeeper Hope Solo dug into her bag to retrieve two homemade gold medals moments after the U.S. women's soccer team defeated Brazil in extra time to win the Olympic championship, placing one around her neck and clutching the other a scant few minutes before she would get a genuine medal. Exactly why she did that remains a mystery. Solo repeatedly parried questions about it Thursday, after her stellar performance allowed the U.S. to hold off Brazil's early forays and made Carli Lloyd's 96th-minute goal hold up for a 1-0 victory on a soggy field at Workers' Stadium.

Michael Phelps shared his celebration with a pool and a world. He put his arm around the South African kid who had just beaten him in one of his signature races, guiding the protege through the medal protocol. He went out of his way to compliment a French sprinter on what he thought was one of the five best swims of all time. He gathered his relay teammates to thank them for their help, and to tell them he might be too choked up to sing the national anthem. And then he left the pool, with a giddy smile and the greatest collection of medals any Olympian has ever seen.

Usain Bolt charmed the world during the Olympics and won his third gold medal Saturday by anchoring a world-record 400-meter relay performance, but still he was nearly denied one prize. It was a modest request -- all he wanted was the yellow baton he and his Jamaican teammates had carried around the Olympic Stadium track in 36.84 electrifying seconds, but a stubborn race official refused. "He was saying I couldn't keep it because it's the rules," Bolt said, bending his fingers to put "rules" in quotation marks.

BEIJING -- Michael Phelps knew what he was talking about all these years about being the first Michael Phelps and not the second Mark Spitz. Second to none. That's what Phelps became this morning at the Water Cube, winning his eighth gold medal, the most at a single Olympics, surpassing the legendary and seemingly untouchable mark set by Spitz in 1972. The new legend, not a soggy imitation, was written by the 23-year-old Phelps with emphatic, bold strokes in this nine-day meet.

The turmoil in the world's currency markets is a reflection of a basic truth: The current easy-money policy in the United States is no substitute for tax reductions in West Germany and Japan as a way of keeping the world economy out of a looming recession. Today's policy mix in the G-3 (United States, Japan and West Germany) is a recipe for a world slump. The United States needs to discourage consumption at home to reduce the demand for imports as well as for domestic goods.

Chris Paul grabbed the game ball and handed it off quickly to a Team USA attendant for safekeeping. Then the U.S. players jumped up and down in a huddle near midcourt as "Born in the USA" played on the North Greenwich Arena speakers. Some of them grabbed flags and jogged around with them over their heads. It could mean only one thing. The U.S. had defeated Spain, 107-100, in the Olympic gold-medal game Sunday. Kevin Durant scored 30 points, LeBron James had 19 and the U.S. capably extended a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

Friday was the deadline for candidates seeking congressional, state legislative and county offices to file nomination papers for the June 2 primary election. The deadline is extended until 5 p.m. Wednesday in cases where incumbents did not file for reelection. The extension does not apply to state legislative districts in which the incumbent did not file a required declaration of intent to seek reelection in February.