Nation Digest
O. J. Simpson says he's angry at slain ex-wife

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"There are times I am angry at her," the NFL Hall of Famer said in comments Fox News Channel aired last night. "There are things that she could be doing with the kids better than I, you know? When it's emotional stuff, especially with my daughter, I am angry with her. I am angry that she found herself hanging out with the group of — who are these people?"

Acquitted of murder charges in the June 12, 1994, double slayings of Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman but later found liable for their deaths in a civil trial, Simpson, 56, steadfastly has maintained his innocence, insisting his ex-wife fell victim to a shadowy world of crime and drugs.

Since families of the murder victims were awarded $33.5 million in damages in 1997, Simpson and his children have retreated into seclusion, living near Miami on a $4 million pension that is exempt from civil-court judgments.

Asked about reports of his involvement in an upcoming reality show, Simpson said, "It's a takeoff on something called 'Punk'd,' " an MTV hidden-camera show featuring Ashton Kutcher pranks on celebrities. "It's me doing gags as Juice ... what they call 'juicing' people." Simpson earned the nickname Juice during his career as a running back.

Nearly 300,000 Texans still without electricity

DALLAS — Nearly 300,000 customers still were without power yesterday after hurricane-force winds, heavy rains and hail the size of tennis balls hit North Texas on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Utility officials said the storms were the area's worst in terms of lost power — at one point leaving 500,000 customers in the dark. Insurance officials estimated the damage at $100 million.

Tens of thousands also were without power in Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and West Virginia as a result of storms. And President Bush declared five Indiana counties hit by thunderstorms and tornadoes Sunday a disaster area. Officials blamed those storms for two deaths.

Ford SUV rollover results in $369 million judgment

SAN DIEGO — A jury has ordered Ford to pay nearly $369 million to a woman paralyzed in a rollover accident involving a Ford Explorer, the nation's best-selling sport-utility vehicle.
 
The jury yesterday ordered the automaker to pay $246 million in punitive damages. It awarded more than $122.6 million in compensatory damages Tuesday.

The award is one of the biggest ever against the automaker and marked the first loss after 11 victories in rollover lawsuits involving the Ford Explorer.

Ford, based in Dearborn, Mich., has said it will appeal.

Diplomat's husband sues over $130,000 bar bill

NEW YORK — A diplomat's husband has sued a high-end Manhattan topless club for allegedly adding bogus charges to a bill that totaled nearly $130,000 for drinks and dances.

Tauhidul Chaudhury, husband of a consular official at the Bangladesh Mission to the United Nations, is the second customer in two weeks to make such a claim against Scores.

Also ...

Officials hurried to safeguard drinking water for cities as far away as Los Angeles yesterday after a break in an inland levee allowed saltwater from San Francisco Bay to rush into the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta. ... The Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked the scheduled execution of David Paul Hammer, giving him an opportunity to challenge his sentence in the Williamsport, Pa., federal court where he was convicted for killing a cellmate, his attorney said yesterday. ... Authorities in suburban St. Louis discovered a suspected methamphetamine lab this week in the base of a water tower that serves 6,000 homes and businesses.