NEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) - The New York Times reported the following stories on its front page on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. --- President George W. Bush stepped in after top officials threatened to resign over the National Security Agency's domestic spying program. --- Poppy fields are now a front line in the Afghanistan war. --- Second-tier colleges have seen their cachet climb because of the heated competition at the top. --- A lobbyist at the National Association of Manufacturers nominated by President Bush to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission will receive a $150,000 departing payment from the association when he takes his new government job. --- The Rev. Jerry Falwell, the fundamentalist preacher who founded the Moral Majority, has died. ---
