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The replacement of National Guardsmen by Transportation Security Administration personnel is among the changes in the works as the first full week of mandated baggage screening gets underway at the nation’s 400-plus airports, news reports said Thursday.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said in a speech televised Wednesday that the airline industry will meet Friday’s deadline for screening all bags for explosives. But Thursday, Democrats fired back that his plan would not live up to the airport security law, news services reported.

U.S. consumer prices, business inventories and industrial production are all down from previous levels, three government agencies reported Wednesday, painting an unclear picture for the trucking industry.

In a move expected to trigger controversy, President Bush circumvented the Democratic-controlled Senate and appointed Washington labor lawyer Eugene Scalia to the post of Labor Department solicitor, news services reported.

The price of diesel fuel remained virtually static last week, according to a report released Monday by the Department of Energy.

The hard-hit manufacturing sector saw signs that its 17-month slump may be soon drawing to a close, an industry report said Wednesday.

The trucking industry received more positive news Friday as two of three major industry reports were released, indicating that the nearly nine-month recession may soon break.

Orders for durable goods fell 4.8% in November, but if the drop in orders for transportation equipment is removed from the figures, orders rose 1.1%, the Commerce Department said in a report released Friday..

U.S. retail sales made up for a weak early holiday season with a surge of last-minute shoppers and deep discounts, news services reported.

Trism Inc., a transporter of secured materials, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, the same day it announced the Dec. 13 resignation of Thomas P. Krasner as president and chief executive officer.