<p> A mid-level officer in the CIA's Soviet counterintelligence
section was arrested and charged with spying for Moscow beginning
in the mid-1980s. Prosecutors suspect that Aldrich Hazen Ames
and his Colombian-born wife passed on information that, among
other things, betrayed at least 10 Soviet nationals, some of
whom were apparently executed in Moscow as spies for the U.S.
Ames' attorney says he will fight the charges and warned of
a prolonged and very public trial that might betray agency secrets.
In Congress the case drew angry calls for the suspension of
U.S. aid to Russia. The Clinton Administration was anxious to
avoid a return to cold war acrimony but bowed to political pressure
and sent packing the man believed to be Russia's top intelligence
officer in Washington.
</p>
<p> Verdict on the Death Penalty
</p>
<p> In a dramatic dissent from the Supreme Court's refusal to hear
an appeal for a stay of execution, Harry Blackmun, the court's
most senior Justice, authored a highly personal repudiation
of the death penalty, which he had long upheld. "From this day
forward, I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death,"
wrote Blackmun.
</p>
<p> Finally...a Deputy for Reno
</p>
<p> Attorney General Janet Reno has nominated Jamie Gorelick to
be her Deputy Attorney General. As the Pentagon's top lawyer,
Gorelick has won praise for her managerial skills and deft handling
of such volatile issues as the retirement of Tailhook-tainted
Admiral Frank Kelso. Her predecessor, Philip Heymann, resigned
in January, citing bad "chemistry" with Reno.
</p>
<p> Another No on Health Care
</p>
<p> The Administration got some unwelcome news on health care from
the American Association of Retired Persons. The White House
had lobbied for an endorsement of its plan, but instead the
board of the 33 million-member AARP said the Clinton bill "falls
short in a number of ways"; however, the group also declined
to endorse any competing plans. On another front, the AFL-CIO
announced that it would soon be releasing a substantial part
of a planned $3 million ad campaign on behalf of the President's
proposals.
</p>
<p> Whitewater: Drip, Drip, Drip...
</p>
<p> Special counsel Robert Fiske announced the hiring of eight lawyers
to assist him in the Whitewater investigation, including one
who will focus on the events surrounding the suicide of deputy
White House counsel Vincent Foster. Meanwhile Roger Altman,
acting head of the Resolution Trust Corporation, which is looking
into the failure of a savings and loan owned by the Clintons'
Whitewater business partner, admitted that he had briefed senior
White House officials on the matter in January. Republicans
in Congress were quick to accuse the White House of trying to
manipulate the investigation. Altman expressed regret over the
briefing and withdrew from the investigation.
</p>
<p> Acquittal in Waco
</p>
<p> A federal jury in Texas acquitted 11 members of the Branch Davidian
religious cult of murder and conspiracy to murder, convicting
five of voluntary manslaughter and two on weapons charges. The
case grew out of last year's raid on the cult's compound, which
left four federal agents dead.
</p>
<p> Courtroom Roundup
</p>
<p> Jury deliberations began in the case of the alleged World Trade
Center bombers in New York City. And in Florida, a judge barred
Michael Griffin, accused of gunning down an abortion provider
in front of a Pensacola clinic, from using an insanity defense.
Griffin's lawyer contends that his client's mind was unbalanced
after long exposure to antiabortion films and videos.
</p>
<p> Calling Michael Crichton
</p>
<p> In a bizarre incident, a dying cancer patient undergoing emergency
treatment in a Riverside, California, hospital was suspected
of emitting toxic fumes that caused six doctors and nurses to
become violently ill. Witnesses said the patient's blood contained
mysterious white and yellow crystals that reeked of ammonia,
and that her body had a peculiar "film." Pending an autopsy
report, experts were stumped for an explanation.
</p>
<p> WORLD
</p>
<p> A Massacre, then Mayhem
</p>
<p> An American-born Jewish settler burst into a mosque in Hebron,
in the occupied West Bank, and opened fire with an assault rifle,
mowing down dozens of Muslims as they knelt in prayer. The assailant
was then beaten to adeath. Israeli authorities said some 40
Palestinians died; a score more were killed by the army and
more than 250 wounded in widespread rioting that followed throughout
the occupied territories and in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin vowed that the incident would not derail the peace
process. Insisting that the rampage was the work of a lone "lunatic"--though some victims say more than one gunman was involved--Rabin phoned P.L.O. chairman Yasser Arafat with an apology:
"I am ashamed as an Israeli that such a horrible incident took
place here." Arafat called for disarming Israel's West Bank
settlers.
</p>
<p> Sarajevo's Uneasy Cease-Fire
</p>
<p> With Bosnian Serb forces near Sarajevo obeying the spirit if
not the letter of the NATO ultimatum, Sarajevans continued to
emerge warily from their mortar-pounded hideouts into a still
uneasy peace. But a new phase of sniping has reportedly started,
with gunmen using silencers to avoid detection by U.N. peacekeepers.
</p>
<p> A Separate Peace
</p>
<p> Croats and Muslims fighting elsewhere in Bosnia agreed to halt
hostilities. Negotiating under U.N. auspices in the Croatian
capital of Zagreb, representatives of the warring factions agreed
to place heavy weapons along front lines under U.N. control,
as in Sarajevo, by noon on March 7. Meanwhile, in a major policy
shift, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman said he would accept
the idea of a Croat-Muslim state within Bosnia.
</p>
<p> Russian Plotters Get Amnesty
</p>
<p> In a major setback for Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the
State Duma, or lower house of parliament, granted amnesty to
the hard-liners who occupied the parliament building in Moscow
in October as well as to the leaders of the failed 1991 coup
against then President Mikhail Gorbachev. Yeltsin had no power
to veto the resolution, which quickly freed from prison some
of his arch-enemies, including former parliament speaker Ruslan
Khasbulatov and former Vice President Alexander Rutskoi. Yeltsin's
first speech to the new parliament, with a call for "more justice,
more safety, more confidence," was unenthusiastically received
by many lawmakers.
</p>
<p> De Klerk Stoned
</p>
<p> Near daily battles between opposing political groups resulted
in at least three deaths last week as the country prepared for
the April 26-28 elections. Even President F.W. de Klerk was
not immune: during a speech in a mixed-race township, he was
hit on the back of the head by a stone. Unhurt, he was quickly
hustled away by security guards.
</p>
<p> In the Name of Paul Hill
</p>
<p> Accompanied by a bevy of Kennedys, Paul Hill appeared in a court
in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to appeal his 1975 life sentence
for the murder of a former British soldier. (Hill has been freed
pending the legal outcome.) One of the so-called Guildford Four,
Hill served 15 years in prison after being wrongly convicted
of an I.R.A. pub bombing--a story told in the film In the
Name of the Father. He is married to Courtney Kennedy, Robert's
daughter.
</p>
<p> Mexican Rebels Make Gains
</p>
<p> Negotiations opened between the Mexican government and members
of the rebel Zapatista National Liberation Army in the state
of Chiapas. Both sides have already made concessions: the rebels
have agreed to confine the talks to local issues, and the government's
liaison has said a settlement to the uprising, begun on New
Year's Day, would require "strengthening the institutions of
the republic...and a new treatment for indigenous communities
all over the country."
</p>
<p> BUSINESS
</p>
<p> Cut Now, Pay Later?
</p>
<p> In possibly welcome news for the country's 57 million cable-television
subscribers, the Federal Communications Commission ordered cable
rates cut an average of 7%. This decrease comes after last year's
mandated 10% cut, which, due to the vagaries of regulation,
had the effect of actually raising rates in many communities.
</p>
<p> No Bell Atlantic-TCI Wedding
</p>
<p> Citing the FCC cable ruling, Bell Atlantic and Tele-Communications
Inc. canceled their plans to join forces in what would have
been the world's largest merger and a breakthrough in the race
to build the allegedly coming "electronic superhighway." Dispute
over price also played a role in aborting the deal, which was
valued at up to $33 billion.
</p>
<p> THE OLYMPICS
</p>
<p> Soap-Opera Finale
</p>
<p> Ukrainian teenager Oksana Baiul left Lillehammer with a gold
medal in women's figure skating, after surviving a collision
during practice that left her with a bruised spine and three
stitches in her shin. Nancy Kerrigan, clubbing victim, went
home with a silver...and doubtless a fistful of new endorsement
offers. Her bitter rival, Tonya Harding, flubbed the technical
portion of the competition, aborted her first pass at the long
performance, complaining of a badly tied lace, and finished
eighth. She returns to face legal problems.
</p>
<p> Triumphs
</p>
<p> A fifth gold, in the 1,000-m race, made speed skater Bonnie
Blair the most bemedaled competitor in U.S. women's Olympic
history. After seven Olympic failures, Blair's fellow skater
Dan Jansen set a world record in the 1,000-m race and got to
carry the American flag in Sunday's closing ceremony. Norway's
hometown boy, speed skater Johann Olav Koss, became the first
athlete ever to win three golds with world-record times in one
Games. Vreni Schneider of Switzerland won the women's slalom,
becoming the first woman to win three Alpine gold medals. She
did it in 1:56.01, earning her fifth career medal.
</p>
<p> Disappointments
</p>
<p> A mere bronze medal for British dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher
Dean infuriated many of their fans, who felt their smooth Fred-and-Ginger
routine should have cut more ice with the judges. Italian slalom
star Alberto ("La Bomba") Tomba disqualified himself by skiing
off the course in his second giant-slalom run. He later complained
of a stress headache.
</p>
<p>-- By Jonathan Abbey, Christopher John Farley, Christine Gorman,
Lina Lofaro, Michael Quinn, Jeffery C. Rubin, Sidney Urquhart
</p>
<p>ZHIRINOVSKY BEAT
</p>
<p>Amid turmoil, Russia's top ultranationalist continued to expound
his unique vision:
</p>
<p> Monday: Suggested that "Poland will join the new Russia soon,"
and urged Russia's secret police to "search for `werewolves'
within your ranks"...Friday: In parliament, offered a proposal
that would force Deputies to remain loyal to their party or
be replaced by other Deputies; the amendment was rejected.
</p>
<p>INSIDE MOSCOW
</p>
<p>DANGER ON RUSSIAN SUBWAYS AND TRAINS
</p>
<p>MOSCOW--Increasingly, radioactive materials are turning up
on public transport, raising serious safety questions. Last
week police arrested a train rider for carrying radioactive
matter. Afterward a research facility said the man was its courier,
claimed the material posed "no danger" and admitted it regularly
used passenger trains to transport radioactive substances. In
November a thief was arrested after carrying uranium-235 on
the subway, and in December two men were arrested after riding
with a stolen cache of potentially explosive cesium. Both materials
can be deadly.
</p>
<p>WINNERS & LOSERS
</p>
<p>WINNERS
</p>
<p> DAVID LETTERMAN'S MOM
</p>
<p> Her reports from Lillehammer outclass Connie Chung's
</p>
<p> INT'L OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
</p>
<p> Harding's wobbles dispel the specter of a gold-medaled felon
</p>
<p> SUBCOMANDANTE MARCOS
</p>
<p> Ski-masked rebel forces Mexican gov't to the negotiating table
</p>
<p>LOSERS
</p>
<p> BILL GATES
</p>
<p> Microsoft's cyberspace monopoly finally halted by a patent suit
</p>
<p> TIMBER CUTTERS
</p>
<p> White House proposes tougher logging rules to save spotted owl
</p>
<p> MARTHA RAYE
</p>
<p> Judge tosses out her suit against Bette Midler's For the Boys
</p>
<p>MY COUNTRY FOR A ROLEX
</p>
<p> CIA employee Aldrich Hazen Ames and his wife Maria del Rosario
Casas Ames were arrested last week and charged with spying for
Russia. The fact that they were accused of accepting $1.5 million
and spending it on such flashy items as a Jaguar and a $540,000
home (paid in cash) raised a few eyebrows. But a taste for luxury
has been an essential component of the nouveau riche traitor
life-style for at least a decade:
</p>
<p> SPY
</p>
<p> Edward L. Howard, charged in 1985 with spying for the Soviet
Union
</p>
<p> PAYOFF
</p>
<p> $150,000 (and some Soviet cigars)
</p>
<p> WHAT IT WENT TOWARD
</p>
<p> Krugerrands and silver bars, a Rolex watch, a red Jeep
</p>
<p> SPY
</p>
<p> Ronald W. Pelton, charged in 1985 with spying for the Soviet
Union
</p>
<p> PAYOFF
</p>
<p> $35,000, plus travel expenses
</p>
<p> WHAT IT WENT TOWARD
</p>
<p> Canceling debts (he asked to be paid in gold bullion)
</p>
<p> SPY
</p>
<p> Jonathan Jay Pollard, charged in 1985 with spying for Israel
</p>
<p> PAYOFF
</p>
<p> $45,000 to $50,000
</p>
<p> WHAT IT WENT TOWARD
</p>
<p> Two trips to Europe, a diamond-and-sapphire ring for his wife
</p>
<p> SPY
</p>
<p> John A. Walker Jr., charged in 1985 with spying for the Soviet
Union
</p>
<p> PAYOFF
</p>
<p> $1 million
</p>
<p> WHAT IT WENT TOWARD
</p>
<p> A houseboat, an airplane, two cars (Chrysler and Oldsmobile),
land in North and South Carolina
</p>
<p> SPY
</p>
<p> Jerry Whitworth, charged in 1985 with passing classified material
to John A.Walker Jr.
</p>
<p> PAYOFF
</p>
<p> $332,000
</p>
<p> WHAT IT WENT TOWARD
</p>
<p> Gold coins; two motorcycles; rented, chauffeured Rolls-Royces;
$10,000 worth of gold and silver options; expensive lingerie
</p>
<p> SPY
</p>
<p> Larry Wu-Tai Chin, charged in 1985 with spying for China
</p>
<p> PAYOFF
</p>
<p> $180,000
</p>
<p> WHAT IT WENT TOWARD
</p>
<p> 29 rental properties worth hundreds of thousands of dollars,
$96,000 in gambling debts at various Las Vegas casinos
</p>
<p> SPY
</p>
<p> Richard W. Miller, charged in 1984 with spying for the Soviet
Union
</p>
<p> PAYOFF
</p>
<p> $65,000
</p>
<p> WHAT IT WENT TOWARD
</p>
<p> A pair of Italian shoes, a jogging outfit, a $675 trench coat,
staving off bankruptcy
</p>
<p>LILLEHAMMER BABYLON
</p>
<p>AN OPINIONATED WINTER OLYMPICS ROUNDUP
</p>
<p> Most Suspicious Illness: Asthma, due to the unprecedented stampede
for inhalers and antiasthma prescription drugs (asthma medication
is believed to increase the lungs' capacity to take in oxygen).
</p>
<p> Biggest Choke: Japanese ski jumper Masahiko Harada, who took
a lead of 55.1 points into the team final; he followed with
the worst jump by any member of the top eight teams, handing
the gold to the Germans.
</p>
<p> Most Demeaning Performance by a Journalist (Not Including Rather-Chung
Promos): CBS's Al Trautwig, to Italian cross-country skier Manuela
di Centa after her victory in the 15-km race: "Was it the skis,
the wax or your heart?"
</p>
<p> Most Embarrassing Reason for Not Competing: U.S. Nordic-combined
skier Tim Tetreault slipped on ice while running to catch a
bus, breaking his leg.
</p>
<p> Most Popular Composer in the Rink: Not Tchaikovsky, for all
the feathers on Oksana Baiul's swan suit. Two of the top four
dance couples tripped the ice fantastic to the music of Italian
film composer Nino Rota, and Frenchman Philippe Candeloro, who
won a bronze, skated to Rota's score for The Godfather.
</p>
<p> Camera Angle Most Reminiscent of an N.Y.U. Student Film: CBS's
shot from inside U.S. bobsled driver Brian Shimer's sled. The
view: the inside of the sled and Shimer's legs.
</p>
<p> Hottest Sibling Rivalry: Italy's Huber brothers. Wilfried and
Norbert won gold and silver, respectively, in the doubles luge,
while Gunther won a bronze in the two-man bobsled. Arnold was
fourth in the singles luge.
</p>
<p> Most Curious Display of Commercialism: The Swiss Alpine ski
team's uniforms, which were patterned with holes to look like
Swiss cheese.
</p>
<p> Least Troubling Display of Ethnic Rivalry: This headline in
a Norwegian daily: NORWAY LEADS ((IN MEDALS)); SWEDES TIED WITH
