Informed Sources

U.S. Forces Are Already in Bosnia

WASHINGTON -- While President Clinton goes through some very public soul- searching about whether the U.S. should send an expeditionary force to Bosnia, sources have told TIME that U.S. Special Forces are already on the ground there, although the Pentagon officially denies it. Sources say these advance troops are, for now, reconnaissance operatives, keeping Washington "incredibly well informed," and are providing intelligence to Muslim enclaves. But they are also equipped to assist in any military action Clinton may order.

Price War in Imported Assault Weapons

WASHINGTON -- The market for assault weapons is going great guns, thanks to the collapse of the Soviet empire. Freed from government restraints, arms merchants in Russia and Eastern Europe are selling their wares abroad at low, low prices. In recent months, says a U.S. Customs Service source, the price of a Russian-made AK-47 assault rifle has dropped a third, from around $480 to about $320.

Raining on the White House Star Parade

WASHINGTON -- From Barbra Streisand to Richard Dreyfuss, dozens of Hollywood types are treating Washington like Malibu East. Now Designing Women producer and Clinton adviser Harry Thomason, who has ensconced himself in a White House office, is trying to curtail the trend. "We don't want to discourage the enthusiasm," said Thomason last week, "but yes, there may be too many of them around." Maybe so, but Hillary Rodham Clinton was so impressed by a recent Liza Minnelli performance that she invited the singer to stop by for a visit next month.