TIME: Almanac 1995

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<text id=94TT1168> <title> Aug. 29, 1994: Chronicles The Week: August 13-20 </title> <history> TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1994 Aug. 29, 1994 Nuclear Terror for Sale </history> <article> <source>Time Magazine</source> <hdr> CHRONICLES, Page 17 The Week: August 13 - 20 </hdr> <body> NATION Another Mariel in the Making? It is the largest Cuban migration since the 1980 Mariel boat lift. With hundreds of refugees arriving in Florida daily, Governor Lawton Chiles called the situation critical and declared a state of emergency. The White House, no longer insisting that the refugee flow was "manageable," abruptly reversed a 28-year-old policy of admitting virtually all Cubans seeking to enter the U.S. and announced that all Cuban refugees will now be detained and processed like other illegal aliens. Reviving the Crime Bill The Administration's moribund crime bill got some emergency treatment from three influential members of the Congressional Black Caucus who, though still opposed to the measure as it now reads because of its harsh death-penalty provisions, nevertheless agreed to help return the bill to the House floor for further debate. At week's end members of both parties were discussing a deal that would create a sexual-predator task force, make minor revisions in the measure's assault-weapons ban, and slash more than 10% of the bill's $33 billion funding. Health-Care Maneuvers As the formal debate on health-care reform dragged on, the Senate finally did something and voted on a number of minor amendments to majority leader George Mitchell's bill. Meanwhile, a fluid "mainstream" coalition of moderate Democrats and Republicans endured long negotiations to craft an alternative proposal that, while somewhat less inclusive, is thought by many to represent the Senate's best shot at passing a bill. The mainstream plan would cover about 92% of the population, would cut out many of the regulations in the Mitchell plan, and aims to lower the federal deficit. But Republicans, led by minority leader Bob Dole, were poised to halt the debate while the Congressional Budget Office tots up the cost of the various revisions. In the House, majority leader Richard Gephardt said debate on health-care reform would not begin until after Labor Day. Mr. Altman Regrets "Dear Mr. President: I am resigning today..." With these by now familiar words another Whitewater casualty (and Clinton confidant) left the Administration. Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger Altman's position had become politically untenable after Democrats as well as Republicans accused him of misleading Congress about his contacts with the White House over an investigation of the Arkansas savings and loan at the heart of the affair. A day after Altman walked the plank, he was followed by Jean Hanson, the chief Treasury lawyer, who had been criticized for failing to correct misstatements she knew Altman had made in congressional testimony. A Vote of Confidence Gridlock wasn't fully triumphant as the House voted 280 to 137 to pass President Clinton's $263.8 billion defense budget. Provisions include $3.5 billion to help laid-off defense contractors find work in civilian businesses, and a 2.6% raise for military personnel. The budget will reach the Senate shortly. Shuttle Launch Scrubbed Space shuttle Endeavour's launch was aborted just 1.9 sec. before liftoff. The problem was an overheated fuel pump in one of the ship's giant rocket engines. It was the fifth mission scrubbed on the launching pad in 64 flights. Was "Kato" Telling the Truth? Sources told TIME that Brian ("Kato") Kaelin, O.J. Simpson's friend and tenant, may not have told the whole truth when he testified at the June preliminary hearings that led to Simpson's indictment for murder. Kaelin testified that he heard three loud "thumps" outside his quarters on the night of the murders, checked out the noise, but saw no one. However, prosecutors are looking into a claim that when Kaelin went out to investigate, he in fact discovered Simpson. This would place Simpson near the site where police later found a bloody glove linked to the crime scene. Congressman Indicted Charged with sexual assault against a 16-year-old girl in his 1992 campaign, as well as obstruction of justice, Congressman Mel Reynolds was indicted in his home state of Illinois. State and federal investigators have also been examining the freshman Democrat's failure to register a nonprofit foundation and disclose the existence of campaign accounts, one of which held $85,000. WORLD The Jackal Is Trapped After a 20-year manhunt that fanned across Europe and the Middle East, one of the world's most wanted terrorists was arrested in Sudan and flown to France. Ilich Ramirez Sanchez--a.k.a. Carlos the Jackal--masterminded the kidnapping of 11 OPEC ministers from a Vienna conference hall in 1975. He is also linked to a 1982 Paris bombing that killed one person and wounded 63, and to the fatal shooting of two French counterintelligence agents in 1975. Plugging the Plutonium Leak For the third time since May, German authorities seized plutonium that appears to have been smuggled out of the former Soviet Union. But a Russian official defended his country's nuclear security, saying it was no better or worse than that of any other nuclear power. "A smart man can cheat any system," said Yuri Rogozhin, spokesman for Russia's nuclear regulatory agency. Pyongyang Hesitates North Korea appears to be backing off its Aug. 13 agreement with the U.S. to scrap construction of conventional nuclear reactors in return for a modern, American-aided light-water reactor. Rejecting South Korea's demand that it open its nuclear program to full inspection in return for the light-water scheme, North Korea claimed that two sites are in military areas and off limits. The Honeymoon Is Over Marking his first 100 days in office, South Africa's President Nelson Mandela announced he will set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to uncover the crimes of apartheid and lay to rest a past that "threatens to live with us as a festering sore." The controversial move is fiercely opposed by white right-wing groups. French Hand-Off in Rwanda A peacekeeping force of 2,500 French troops, based in southwestern Rwanda since June, prepared to hand over its mission to a U.N. contingent of Ghanaian and Ethiopian soldiers. But the pending transfer threatened to spark such a mass exodus of Hutu, fearful of the predominantly Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Army, that Zaire closed its border at Bukavu in an effort to prevent another Goma. Greater Serbia Bosnian Serb leaders announced they will formally seek to link their territories with Yugoslavia and Serb-controlled parts of Croatia. And in a move characterized as blackmail by U.N. officials, they said they will no longer permit relief convoys to pass through Serb-held territory without taking a cut of food and fuel for themselves. More Turmoil for Nigeria Violent protests in southern Benin City broke out in a week when the country's military ruler, General Sani Abacha, fired the leaders of two major oil unions in an effort to end a crippling six-week oil strike. On the weekend more than a dozen prominent Nigerians were arrested in a government crackdown. End of a Nightmare Two New Jersey children whose father killed their mother and then fled with them to his native Jordan, have been returned to the U.S. in the custody of their aunt. Because there is no extradition treaty between the U.S. and Jordan, Muhammed Abequa will be tried for first-degree murder and kidnapping in Amman. BUSINESS Fed Raises Rates--Again For the fifth time this year, the Federal Reserve raised short-term interest rates in an attempt to slow economic growth and ward off inflation. Although an increase was expected, the hike of half a percentage point was surprisingly steep. Administration officials said they expect the economy to continue to expand, but some economists, business leaders and members of Congress argued that the Fed's move will unnecessarily choke off investment and cost some average Americans their jobs. Cyanamid Accepts Sweeter Deal Two weeks of hesitation ended as American Cyanamid Co. consented to a takeover by American Home Products Corp. The $9.7 billion deal was $6 a share richer than American Home's original offer. The consolidation of Cyanamid, which sells Centrum vitamins, and American Home, maker of Advil, Anacin and Norplant, will create the nation's fourth largest prescription-drug company. California Insurance Windfall In a potentially far-reaching decision, the California Supreme Court upheld a 1988 state referendum that rolled back auto and home insurance premiums and imposed strict regulations on the ability of insurance companies to set their own rates. The ruling paves the way for California consumers to receive as much as $1 billion in rebates from the state's 700 insurance companies. SCIENCE Population Trouble The world's population is growing by 94 million people a year, the fastest rate of increase in human history, says a new U.N. report. An overall decrease in fertility worldwide may slow things down a bit in the next few decades, but even so, there will be 8.5 billion people on the earth by the year 2025 and perhaps as many as 12.5 billion in 2050, compared with 5.6 billion today. As recently as 1950, there were only 2.5 billion people alive. SPORT It's So, Joe Little movement has been made toward resolving what has already become the second longest baseball strike in history. Negotiations between owners and players resume this week. Citizens' groups planned to petition Congress to intervene and end the dispute, and desperate fans struggled to cope in other ways. Therapy ranged from minor league baseball--by most accounts the biggest beneficiary of the standoff--to computer-simulated contests to fictitious accounts of the season's increasingly imperiled finale. By Michael D. Lemonick, Lina Lofaro, Michael Quinn, Romesh Ratnesar and Sidney Urquhart HEALTH REPORT The Good News -- Treatment with two drugs that stimulate nerve growth has been shown to stop the loss of motor function in mice suffering from a degenerative illness that closely resembles Lou Gehrig's disease. Doctors now think the drugs are worth studying in humans. -- A brain abnormality has been found that may be central to dyslexia, the mysterious disorder that makes reading difficult for those who are afflicted. Surprisingly, the problem lies in an area of the brain that is responsible for processing quickly changing sounds. This suggests that dyslexia may begin as an inability to distinguish speech sounds and only later be translated into a problem in identifying printed letters. The Bad News -- New research confirms what personnel managers may already know: the factor most predictive of violent behavior is not a history of violence or mental illness or drug abuse; it's being laid off from a job. -- Alzheimer's disease is now the third costliest health problem for Americans, after cancer and heart disease. The average patient needs $47,000 annually for treatment and care, which adds up to a yearly national bill of $82.7 billion. -- Smokers who hope their gene will protect them should think again: the theory that lung cancer is triggered in part by bad genes has been deflated by a new study. Sources--GOOD: Science; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. BAD: Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association; American Journal of Public Health; Lancet DETAINEE OF THE WEEK Arrested in Sudan, legendary terrorist "Carlos the Jackal" found himself in the unaccustomed role of prey. INSIDE WASHINGTON "You Want Me to Double-Check That, Sir?" To help embattled Democrats plan for this year's campaign, STAN GREENBERG, President Clinton's pollster, studied congressional races in four so-called swing districts. In each, a Democratic incumbent faces a tough challenge because the districts have conservative leanings and tend to swing between the parties. The good news: Greenberg's research showed that the Democrats could pull out wins if positioned correctly. The bad news: the data also showed that in three of the four districts, Clinton would lose to Bob Dole. WINNERS & LOSERS Winners MERYL STREEP--Learning Italian-Iowan accent for Bridges of Madison County flick JOSHUA STEINER--Altman's out, Hanson's out, but Boswell Jr.'s still at work CBS TELEVISION--Network's summer reruns whip Fox's first N.F.L. broadcast Losers ELSIE THE COW--Borden mulls dropping its dairy unit--say hello to Elmer's Glue JERRY FALWELL--TV station pulls his show, citing too much politics--and sex! MCDONALD'S CORP.--A beef over hot coffee results in $2.9 million jury award for scaldee A WAY TOO PREMATURE CAMPAIGN '96 PREVIEW Although much has been made of the President's failing approval ratings, the tempest has taken place in a vacum. How does Clinton stack up against the possible alternatives? If the presidential election were being held today, for whom would you vote? Registered Voter's Party: <table> <tblhdr><cell><cell>Total<cell>Republican<cell>Democrat<cell>Independent <row><cell type=a>Clinton<cell type=i>43%<cell type=i>13%<cell type=i>72%<cell type=i>39% <row><cell>Robert Dole<cell>43%<cell>77%<cell>19%<cell>44% <row><cell>Not Sure<cell>13%<cell>10%<cell>9%<cell>18% <row><cell>Clinton<cell>53%<cell>21%<cell>81%<cell>50% <row><cell>Dan Quayle<cell>31%<cell>64%<cell>11%<cell>30% <row><cell>Not Sure<cell>16%<cell>15%<cell>8%<cell>20% <row><cell>Clinton<cell>38%<cell>15%<cell>64%<cell>33% <row><cell>Colin Powell<cell>43%<cell>70%<cell>23%<cell>46% <row><cell>Not Sure<cell>19%<cell>15%<cell>13%<cell>21% </table> From a telephone poll of 1000 adult Americans taken for TIME/CNN on Aug. 17-18 by Yankelovich Partners Inc. Sampling error is plus or minus 3% AIN'T NO CURE "The two things people like about summer are baseball and no Congress. Somehow I think we got this wrong." -- Vice President Al Gore, on the joys of summer INFORMED SOURCES D-Day for Dee Dee? Washington--Embattled White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers is digging in her heels amid growing efforts to push her out. According to a senior Administration official, Myers has resisted suggestions that she leave. She and other Administration insiders argue that the President's inner circle has not given her access to the information she needs to do her job. "She won't go without a fight," the official says. The dilemma: chief of staff Leon Panetta is said to fear that if he fires Myers, the move will alienate women voters. BLAME ROSS PEROT By Melissa August Charts, maybe even more than PAC donations, have become the weapon of choice as the health-care debate grinds on in Congress. A closer look: -- Is health care provoking more charts than any other issue? Yes. By one count there have been 148 health-care-related charts in the House, vs. five to 10 for the crime bill. -- Can lawmakers go on the floor of the House or Senate and stick any damn thing they want on an easel? No. In 1986, after television cameras were allowed on the floor, the Senate Rules Committee issued regulations regarding visual aids. Display material can consist of charts, maps or photos, but "artistic renderings" are strictly forbidden--thus no unflattering caricatures of Phil Gramm. Originally, displays could be no larger than 24 in. by 30 in. This was changed when Senator Ted Stevens asserted that the rules did not accommodate maps of his large home state, Alaska; the current maximum is 36 in. by 48 in. There are no rules regarding size on the House side, where the Speaker has the authority to decide whether or not a chart can be displayed on the floor. The current Speaker does not generally like charts. Consequently, most House graphics have been displayed at press conferences. -- Where do the charts come from? Usually they are designed on aides' computers, then taken to the Senate Service Department or House Information Systems office, where they are printed out and blown up in order to be C-SPAN-ready. Costs on the House side run from $60 to $110 a chart, at taxpayer expense. For simpler enlargements, staff members or congressional offices occasionally turn to the local Kinko's, two blocks away from the Capitol and open 24 hours a day. -- Are chart aesthetics a subject of partisan wrangling? Of course. Senate Republican Policy Committee spokesman Eric Ueland says that "our charts are more uniform. The Democrats' are more ad hoc. They have produced some outsize charts, and we know what's going on. We keep our eyes on it." WE ARE STARDUST, WE ARE HOPELESSLY BOURGEOIS "I learned the wrong lesson at Woodstock. I learned I love my meaningless little life and all my materialistic things--my car with air conditioning, my bed, running water..." -- Jeff Poirier, member of the Woodstock '94 Nation FREE WILLY ON A BUS? Believe it or not, Die Hard-style action movies aren't the only rigidly formulaic products to come out of Hollywood, as an analysis of recent kiddie fare suggests: <table> <tblhdr><cell>Movie<cell>Animal hero<cell>Human hero<cell>Villians<cell>Opening shots<cell>Cute animal stunts<cell>Awesome animal stunts<cell>Happy ending <row><cell type=a>FREE WILLY<cell type=a>A brave, loving killer whale<cell type=a>An alienated kid who discovers the meaning of friendship and family by bonding with a large sea-dwelling mammal<cell type=a>Surly whale catchers<cell type=a>Whales cavorting off Oregon<cell type=a>Shooting air out its blowhole to knock the kid's hat off<cell type=a>Hurtling over an impossibly high jetty<cell type=a>Willy returns to the wild <row><cell>LASSIE<cell>A brave, loving collie<cell>An alienated kid who discovers the meaning of friendship and family by bonding with a small land dwelling mammal<cell>Surly sheep catchers<cell>Lassie and sheep cavorting in hills of Virginia<cell>Lassie makes quizzical expression as hero and girlfriend kiss<cell>Leaping through an impossibly high barn window<cell>Lassie returns from the wild <row><cell>ANDRE<cell>A brave, loving seal (as portrayed by a sea lion)<cell>An alienated kid who discovers the meaning of friendship and family by bonding with a small sea-dwelling mammal<cell>Surly fishermen<cell>Seals cavorting off Maine<cell>Andre's raspberry<cell>Pulling a storm-tossed dingy away from imperiling rocks<cell>Andre spends part of the year in the wild and part of the year in an aquarium </table> </body> </article> </text>