SATURDAY BRIEFING

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Attempts by Paris Hilton and her family to bargain for rights to an interview upon her release from jail have shed light on a practice the television networks would rather keep quiet: their willingness to compensate subjects for exclusives. BUSINESS, C1

---

The World

U.S. protests greet Vietnam leader

In the highest level visit by a Vietnamese official since the Vietnam war, President Nguyen Minh Triet meets with President Bush at the White House. Bush urges him to make more progress on human rights. Outside, Vietnamese American protested over the visit. Page A3

--

At odds over Gaza

As they try to work out a joint approach to a Gaza Strip controlled by the militant group Hamas, the U.S. and Egypt are split on how to control the Palestinian territory’s dangerous southwestern border. Page A8

---

The Nation

White House claims exemption

The White House says President Bush’s office is exempt from the president’s order that all government agencies handling classified security information be subject to oversight. A day before, Vice President Dick Cheney was criticized for defying the order. Page A1

--

End of college, era

The closure of Ohio’s Antioch College is seen as more than the end of a university -- it is another sign of the passing of an era when the search for knowledge brought greater rewards than a degree, a job and a comfortable place in suburban society. Page A10

---

California

Civil rights lawyer Yagman is guilty

A jury has convicted civil rights attorney Stephen Yagman, a pioneer in police brutality cases, of tax evasion, money laundering and bankruptcy fraud. The lawyer brought hundreds of suits against the LAPD and other law enforcement agencies. Page B1

--

Arnold in Ojai?

The governor is staying mum about it for now, but the artsy little town 90 miles north of L.A. in Ventura County is abuzz with talk that Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, are house hunting there. The couple were spotted in town Memorial Day weekend. Page B1

---

Sports

Clippers coach seeks redemption

Mike Dunleavy knows that last season was a golden opportunity wasted, but he’s determined to learn from the mistakes that were made and come back stronger than ever for L.A.’s other pro basketball team, Bill Dwyre writes. Page D1

--

Title IX effect

The landmark law turns 35 today, and its impact on Southern California can be found in the considerations given to the 37 high schools being built in the Los Angeles Unified School District between now and 2012. Page D7

---

Business

Wall Street frets as bank aids fund

Investment bank Bear Stearns provides a multibillion-dollar credit line to rescue a hedge fund battered by defaults on sub-prime mortgages. But the fear that many Wall Street firms have similar exposure to the high-risk housing debt takes a toll on the stock market. Page C1

--

Blackstone leaps

Shares of the private equity firm rise 13% in their first day. The stock’s “pop” is a sign of how buyout shops like Blackstone are challenging investment banks and brokerages for dominance in the industry. Page C1

--

Chavez’s campaign

President Hugo Chavez’s public works spending boom is an attempt to address Venezuela’s poverty and unemployment and to redistribute the country’s immense oil wealth. Page C6

---

Calendar

Mandy Moore, older and bolder

Mandy Moore, 23, has come a long way from her debut album, “So Real.” The former sugary tween gets bolder with a new album, “Wild Hope,” her fifth. But will audiences accept a grown-up Moore? Page E1

--

Deafening silence

Where is the outcry among the Western media over Muslim fanatics’ denunciation of Salman Rushdie’s recent knighting, Tim Rutten asks. Page E1

---

Obituaries

Restaurateur served up wisdom

At Naka’s Broiler, Katherine Banks nurtured generations of youths who called her “Mama Naka” and recalled her cooking and her life lessons. Page B13