TIME: Almanac 1995

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<text id=94TT0819> <title> Jun. 20, 1994: Chronicles:The Week June 5-11 </title> <history> TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1994 Jun. 20, 1994 The War on Welfare Mothers </history> <article> <source>Time Magazine</source> <hdr> CHRONICLES, Page 15 The Week: June 5 - 11 </hdr> <body> NATION Back to Work on Health Congress reconvened and immediately rolled up its sleeves to tackle health-care reform. Ted Kennedy's Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee approved, 11 to 6, its version of a Clinton-style package. And both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee began work on similar plans. Like the President's, all three proposals call for employer financing of most insurance costs, a provision that is increasingly galvanizing Republican opposition. Rosty Pleads Not Guilty Predicting that "I will be vindicated," Representative Dan Rostenkowski formally pleaded not guilty to the 17-count federal corruption indictment handed up against him. Primary Results Challenges in eight states left only one major incumbent defeated. South Dakota Governor Walter Miller lost his job to former Governor William Janklow, who will now lead the state Republican ticket. In California, state treasurer Kathleen Brown, the daughter and sister of two former Democratic Governors, won the right to run against Republican Governor Pete Wilson; in the state's Senate race, Republicans picked Representative Michael Huffington to battle Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein in what many are predicting could end up the most expensive Senate contest in history. The Majority Principle After four days of highly public fence sitting, Senate minority leader Bob Dole endorsed Oliver North, the controversial choice of Virginia Republicans for the Senate. Reason: "We need 51 Republicans in the Senate." Trooper: Did Not Responding to Paula Jones' claims in her sexual-harassment suit against President Clinton, Arkansas state trooper Danny Ferguson denied in court papers ever telling Jones that Clinton wanted to meet her in a hotel room, as she alleges. Ferguson does recall Jones saying she was attracted to Clinton. USDA Approved? The Justice Department acknowledged that it was investigating whether Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy improperly accepted gifts, such as free travel and sports tickets, from Tyson Foods, the giant Arkansas-based poultry company with close ties to the Clintons. Espy, whose department regulates poultry producers, denied any wrongdoing. Louisiana's Master Pol Quits Colorful populist Edwin Edwards, Louisiana's gambling-loving and scandal-hounded but never convicted Governor, unexpectedly and without explanation announced that he would not seek a fifth term. Abortion-Protest Test Case Less than two weeks after being placed on the books, the stiff federal law making it a crime to block access to abortion clinics was invoked by the government to prosecute six demonstrators in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Eager to test the new law in court, they had chained and cemented themselves to two cars blocking the entrance to a clinic. Tailhook: Case Closed The prosecution of the 1991 Tailhook sex scandal that rocked the Navy and Marine Corps came to a close when the Marines dismissed the last case pending against an officer because of insufficient evidence, leaving a record of no trials, though some punishments, for the 145 cases targeted by the Pentagon for investigation. Gulf War Syndrome Relief At the urging of veterans' groups, the Clinton Administration endorsed legislation that would provide benefits to Desert Storm veterans who claim to be suffering from "Persian Gulf War syndrome," the so-far unexplained series of ailments that sufferers say can include joint pain, memory loss and heart problems. Mystery Meat Imperiled The government announced a new set of proposed regulations to reduce the fat content and improve the nutrition in the nation's school-lunch program. Current guidelines, which experts feel are severely outdated, were set in 1946. An Imperial Visit Amid increasingly strained U.S.-Japanese relations, Emperor Akihito and his wife Empress Michiko arrived in Atlanta to begin a 16-day goodwill visit in the U.S. WORLD Nuclear Standoff Continues North Korea said it "will never allow inspections" of two suspected nuclear waste sites and again warned that sanctions would lead to war. Nevertheless, the U.S. is expected to put sanctions before the U.N. Security Council this week, and a nervous South Korea stepped up civil-preparedness measures. China, a key potential ally of the North, reiterated its opposition to sanctions, while Japan pushed for a go-slow approach. A Journey into History President Clinton joined Allied leaders on the beaches of Normandy to commemorate the 50th anniversary of D-day. "Let us never forget, when they were young, these men saved the world," said the President in a largely well-received speech. "We are the children of your sacrifice." South Africa to Offer Amnesty The new South African government announced the formation of a "truth commission" to investigate acts of political violence committed in the past and to make recommendations on possible amnesties. In a separate move, President Nelson Mandela reduced the sentences of virtually all the country's inmates to try to quell rioting at half a dozen prisons. Rwandan End Game? Advancing Tutsi rebels backed Hutu-dominated government troops into the western parts of Rwanda, forcing them to turn and fight in their first counteroffensive in the grisly two-month-old civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands. The latest bloodshed included the first confirmed massacre carried out by the rebels: the slayings of several Roman Catholic clergy, including the Archbishop of Kigali. One-Month "Truce" for Bosnia The Bosnian Serbs and the newly formed alliance of Bosnian Muslims and Croats agreed to a one-month cease-fire at a meeting in Geneva. But the truce, which was supposed to take effect Friday, was quickly violated, and like previous cease-fires that have failed, the agreement provided no enforcement measures. Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure mandating the unilateral lifting of the arms embargo on the Bosnian Muslim government. Tightening Haiti's Noose The U.S. upped the ante in its effort to force Haiti's military chiefs to step down, announcing a suspension of commercial flights to Haiti and banning most banking transactions with the Caribbean nation. "The message is simple," President Clinton said. "Democracy must be restored." The flight prohibition will take effect in about two weeks, allowing the 9,000 Americans in Haiti the chance to leave. Yemenites Three Times Unlucky Forces for the northern part of Yemen announced two more unilateral cease-fires in their five-week-old civil war with secessionist southerners. The result each time, though, was the same as with an earlier truce: attacks were launched within hours, and each side denies firing the first shots. Colombian Killer Quake A 6.4-magnitude earthquake followed by a massive avalanche killed hundreds of people in a mountainous region of Colombia 180 miles southwest of the capital of Bogota. Rescuers were hampered by the area's remoteness; the quake cut all roads, and the only access is by helicopter. More Air Terror in China A domestic Chinese airliner crashed just after takeoff near the tourist center of Xian, killing all 160 people aboard, in the country's worst aviation accident. A few hours later, a knife-wielding man forced a 737 to fly to Taiwan--China's 12th hijacking in the past 14 months. Another Writer Offends Islam Under pressure from Muslim fundamentalists, authorities in Bangladesh have issued a warrant for the arrest of Taslima Nasrin, a doctor turned feminist writer who was quoted in a Calcutta newspaper as saying that the Koran should be revised thoroughly. Nasrin, previously threatened by fundamentalists for her controversial book Lajja (Shame), in which she described atrocities on minority Hindus by the majority Muslims, denies making the statement and has gone into hiding. BUSINESS Trade Policy Sway Mickey Kantor, the U.S. trade representative, indicated that the Administration may be willing to settle for a partial trade agreement with Japan instead of continuing to demand that Tokyo open five priority markets ranging from automobiles to insurance. American officials said a deal covering telecommunications, medical equipment and insurance could be ready for signing next month when representatives of the world's leading industrial countries gather at the Group of Seven summit in Naples, Italy. Phone Home, Phone France Sprint, the U.S.'s third largest long-distance carrier, confirmed that it was holding merger talks with France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom, the state-owned telephone companies of France and Germany. Sprint only recently broke off merger talks with Electronic Data Systems Corp. SCIENCE Plants Feel the Heat New evidence supports theories of global warming. A survey of mountain plants in the Alps shows that some cold-loving plants are starting to migrate to higher, cooler altitudes, possibly in response to increasing temperatures. Kaposi's Controversy An article by one of the world's leading AIDS researchers, Dr. Robert Gallo, is the center of a debate raging in two of America's most prestigious scientific journals. Gallo, previously involved in a controversy over the discovery of the AIDS virus, announced in the journal Science a possible treatment for Kaposi's sarcoma, a skin cancer often afflicting AIDS patients. But researchers at the University of Arizona at Tucson, writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, disputed the findings and said Science had rejected their challenge of Gallo's work. By Leslie Dickstein, Christopher John Farley, Lina Lofaro, Lawrence Mondi, Michael Quinn, Jeffery C. Rubin, Alain L. Sanders and Sidney Urquhart HEALTH REPORT The Good News -- Doctors have a new clue to understanding crib death, the syndrome that causes 5,000 babies a year to suffocate for no apparent reason while sleeping. A study reveals increased numbers of immune cells in the lung tissues of victims. This may be a sign that their immune systems are overresponding to an as-yet-unknown stimulus, generating symptoms analogous to a severe allergic reaction. -- Patients with sickle-cell anemia are living longer because of more aggressive treatment. Their life expectancy has risen from a median age of 14 in 1973 to 42 for men and 48 for women. Scientists have identified several risk factors, which may lead to new and better treatments. The Bad News -- The dangers of secondhand smoke have been hard to pin down. Now a report says women who live with smokers have a 30% higher risk of lung cancer than those who live in smoke-free homes--a risk that is still nowhere near that of smokers. -- Some 35% of college women say they sometimes drink alcohol expressly to get drunk. That's more than triple the 1977 percentage, which means that women have nearly matched their male classmates. -- Because of the growing popularity of in-line skating, experts predict that it will cause twice as many accidents this year as in 1993, when 37,000 luckless skaters wound up in emergency rooms. Sources--GOOD: Lancet; Reuters; New England Journal of Medicine; A.P. BAD: Journal of the American Medical Association; Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University; Consumer Product Safety Commission. HOMECOMING OF THE WEEK Bill Clinton returns to Oxford to inhale the rarefied air of his alma mater...and be confronted by echoes of his scruffy, rebellious past INSIDE WASHINGTON Colin Powell, the Reluctant Candidate There's a growing buzz among Republican power brokers that Colin Powell is the G.O.P.'s best alternative to Old Guard types like Bob Dole and Dick Cheney and should be the party's presidential candidate in 1996. At the same time, some Republican political consultants are telling Powell that he needs to build a power base, and that he should consider a vice-presidential slot in '96 and wait until 2000 to run for President. For now, Powell--who has never publicly revealed his party affiliation--is continuing to work on his $6 million memoirs. WINNERS & LOSERS Winners PIERCE BROSNAN: He's the new James Bond--a license to have a career again MICHAEL HUFFINGTON: Millionaire carpet-bagger spends $, wins Calif. Senate primary THE SMALLPOX VIRUS: Nearly extinct bug gets one-year reprieve from lab scientists Losers MIKE ESPY: Ag Secretary under broiler for taking gifts from poultry company SAN FRANCISCO: Quake scientists say it's all but certain: the Big One hits by 2020 TICKETMASTER CORP.: Ticket agency sued by Pearl Jam, fans--and maybe Justice Dept. SOCKS ISN'T THE ONLY CATTY ONE Among the many pleasures of Bob Woodward's The Agenda--besides the detailed accounting of endless White House budget disputes--are the pungent, frequently catty descriptions of the principals (many presumably supplied to Woodward by colleagues). See if you can match these Administration figures with their Agenda characterizations: <list> <item>1. Bill Clinton <item>2. Al Gore <item>3. George Stephanopoulos <item>4. Thomas ("Mack") McLarty <item>5. David Gergen <item>6. Lloyd Bentsen <item>7. Robert Reich <item>8. Alan Greenspan </list> <list> <item>A. Tall...leathery...aristocratic...alternated between friendly and sour <item>B. Short...unassuming...attentive...a bit unctuous <item>C. Sturdy...plodding...exuded a sense of diligence...graphic, pained sincerity <item>D. Shy...((wore)) unspectacular suits...a slight stoop...social climber <item>E. Large...spewing...heavily into denial...known for his tardiness...still fuming <item>F. Tall...strong ambition...not abrasive..."I see your point," he often said <item>G. Small...almost fragile...self-consciously hip...pumped <item>H. Small...biblical-looking...having both his hips replaced </list> Answers: 1-E, 2-C, 3-G, 4-B, 5-F, 6-A, 7-H, 8-D INFORMED SOURCES Is Military Readiness Getting Tanked? Washington--President Clinton has said in the past that he won't let America's military readiness slip--but it may be happening anyway. A key measure of Army combat preparedness is how many miles each tank is driven per year in maneuvers. According to a confidential report, Army tanks averaged only 588 miles last year, 75% of what's considered ideal. Don't Call Us, We'll Call You...Please Washington--Presidential staff members are fretting over a new Caller ID system installed on many of the phones in the White House, including Al Gore's and chief of staff Mack McLarty's. The system displays an incoming caller's number on a screen; some staffers are worried that the numbers could be tracked, perhaps even logged somewhere--or used to investigate leaks. Says a congressional investigator of his recent contacts with the White House: "People say, `Don't phone me.'" CAMPAIGN LITERATURE WE'LL NEVER SEE As this pretend leaflet shows, some politicians have a harder time than others lining up endorsements (all quotes are real): North '94 Fellow Republicans, former colleagues speak out on Senate candidate Oliver North! "Oliver North has betrayed his President, our President."--Virginia Senator John Warner "Based on my work experience and my knowledge, Colonel North is not someone I could support or work for."--Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell "I have some real concerns with ethics and integrity as far as Colonel North is concerned."--Desert Storm commander Norman Schwarzkopf "The word that comes closest to describing him for me is fanatic."--Former National Security Adviser Robert McFarlane "Oliver North might be a nut. I don't know."--Iowa Senator Charles Grassley IN THE DARK How 15- to 19-year-olds feel about the information they receive on sex and reproduction <table> <row><c><cell type=a>Not enough information<cell type=i>48% <row><c><cell>About right<cell>45% <row><c><cell>More than needed<cell>7% </table> Source: Alan Guttmacher Institute THE 10 MOST POPULAR NAMES FOR BOATS <list> <item>1. Odyssey <item>2. Serenity <item>3. Obsession <item>4. Sea Breeze <item>5. Osprey <item>6. Escape <item>7. Wet Dream <item>8. Therapy <item>9. Liquid Asset <item>10. Solitude </list> Source: Boat Owners Association of the United States DISPATCHES Welcome to Ground Zero, Rwanda By Andrew Purvis, in Kigali In the gardens of the presidential palace in Kigali, a chunk of fuselage lies in an ornamental pool. Passenger seats litter the once manicured lawn. A tail wing juts through banana leaves. This is ground zero of Rwanda's carnage, where the bloodletting that has taken more than 200,000 lives had its catalyst. On a quiet evening two months ago, a French-made Mystere-Falcon carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda and the President of Burundi from peace talks in Tanzania was hit by rocket fire and slammed into the earth just outside the compound, killing all 10 on board. The impact blasted bodies and wreckage more than 500 ft., through a perimeter wall and up to the steps of the house where Habyarimana's wife and family were awaiting his return. "At least," observed a rebel soldier now guarding the site, "it brought him home." The death of the President blew the lid off simmering ethnic and political rivalries in the tiny Central African country. Hutu government soldiers and militia blamed the mainly Tutsi rebels of the Rwandan Patriotic Front for shooting down the plane; the rebels and others suspected hawkish extremists within Habyarimana's presidential guard. The same night, the massacres in the streets of Kigali began as Hutu sought revenge. Eight weeks and several hundred thousand lives later, the true cause of the crash is still a mystery. Until recently, renegade presidential guards zealously protected the grounds from outside inspection. Now the deserted grounds are controlled by rebels who are more tolerant of visitors. As the boom of mortar fire echoes through the surrounding hills, an eerie calm has descended on the mansion. Half a dozen peacocks strut nervously along the garden wall. Inside the house--a spacious three-story villa of chandeliers and Art Deco furnishings--papers and clothing litter the floor, presumably from a search for cash or documents. But most of the former First Family's belongings are still here: CDs of Beethoven and the sound track of the film Moonstruck, sterling-silver tea settings, an embroidered cushion presented by another former dictator, Nigeria's Ibrahim Babangida. Greetings from Pope John Paul II and U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, among others, are proudly displayed on shelves. In a teenager's room upstairs, the scent of spilled perfume mingles with the stench of decaying flesh that still pervades most corners of the dying city. Outside, leaning against the servants' quarters, a larger-than-life portrait removed from the house serves as target practice for bored soldiers. Other photographs of the leader stare blankly, their eyes gouged out with combat knives or bayonets. Will the crash ever be explained? U.N. officials have yet to conduct an investigation. "It is on our agenda," said U.N. spokesman Pierre Mehu late last week in Kigali, the same day U.N. headquarters was struck by rocket fire. "We have a lot of other problems on our hands." </body> </article> </text>