The Week June 5-11

By Leslie Dickstein, Christopher John Farley, Lina Lofaro, Lawrence Mondi, Michael Quinn, Jeffery C. Rubin, Alain L. Sanders and Sidney Urquhart

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.