WASHINGTON - (KRT) - President Bush is hoping that younger workers will breathe new life into his stalled plan for redesigning Social Security. Lawmakers returning to Congress from their spring break say Bush's efforts to build support for personal retirement accounts have fallen flat. At the halfway point in the administration's "60 cities in 60 days" tour to promote change, Bush appears to be, at best, only marginally closer to his goal than when he launched the public-relations effort at the beginning of March.

WASHINGTON _ New spending on the war against terrorism is adding to worries about the long-term financial health of Social Security. The concern threatens to distract a White House commission on Social Security created by President Bush to weigh options for reforming the Social Security program. The panel strongly favors allowing individuals to invest a portion of their Social Security payroll tax in stocks and bonds.