Nation IN BRIEF : OKLAHOMA : Judge Sees Need for New Bomb Trial Date

U.S. District Judge Richard P. Matsch said the scheduled May 17 trial date for Oklahoma City bombing suspects Timothy J. McVeigh and Terry L. Nichols does not leave enough time for attorneys to prepare. The statement by Matsch, the new judge assigned to the case, left some defense attorneys saying the trial will not begin until late summer at the earliest. Matsch met behind closed doors with prosecutors and defense attorneys, and he is to preside over a pretrial hearing today that will mark the first time McVeigh and Nichols have seen each other since before the April 19 federal building explosion.