The Week July 3 -9
By Leslie Dickstein, Christopher John Farley, Michael Quinn, Jeffery Rubin, Alain Sanders, Anastasia Toufexis, Sidney Urquhart, Sarah Van Boven
NATION
The Simpson Case
After six days of testimony in a California courtroom and on national television, Judge Kathleen Kennedy-Powell ruled -- not unexpectedly -- that there was sufficient evidence to order O.J. Simpson to stand trial for the < murders of his ex-wife and her friend. As part of its case, the prosecution called a police expert who testified that some blood found near the murder victims matched Simpson's -- a match, the expert said, that existed for only 0.43% of the population. Earlier, in a major defeat for the defense, Judge Kennedy-Powell ruled that because police feared an emergency situation after spotting blood on Simpson's Bronco on the night of the murder, they acted properly when they entered Simpson's property without a warrant.
Fatal Fires and Floods
Record heat and extreme drought combined to ignite the fire season in 11 Western states. On Colorado's Storm King Mountain, 14 fire fighters were killed when they were overtaken by a wind-whipped blaze. In the East, heavy rainfall from the stalled remnants of tropical storm Alberto caused severe flooding in Georgia and Alabama, claiming 24 lives.
N.Y.P.D. Blues
Releasing the final report of a two-year corruption probe into the New York City police department, a special commission concluded that a "willfully blind" system of accountability in the nation's largest police force had permitted highly organized "crews" of rogue officers to deal drugs, skim money and terrorize residents. Despite pockets of corruption, the commission stressed, most N.Y.P.D. officers were honest.
A B.C.C.I. Plea Bargain
In one of the most significant developments in the U.S. prosecution of the global financial scandal involving the Bank of Credit & Commerce International, the former chief executive of the bank, Saleh Naqvi, pleaded guilty to broad federal charges including fraud.
Yes, It Really Happened
Correcting a previously flawed study, the American Jewish Committee released a new Roper poll showing that 91% of Americans believe the Nazi Holocaust really happened. A 1992 Roper poll set off alarm bells when a confusing question yielded results indicating that 22% doubted that the Nazi extermination of Jews occurred.
AIDS Czar Resigns
Kristine Gebbie submitted her resignation as President Clinton's AIDS policy officer. Several dissatisfied AIDS groups had criticized her lack of political savvy. No successor has been named.
WORLD
The "Great Leader" Dies
North Korean ruler Kim Il Sung died of a heart attack at age 82. The world's most durable communist leader, he had ruled his country since 1948. His death came just as U.S. and North Korean negotiators were meeting in Geneva to resume discussions over North Korea's nuclear program. Kim's heir apparent is his son Kim Jong Il, 53, known as "Dear Leader."
Zigging and Zagging on Haiti
Trying to stem the tidal wave of Haitian boat refugees encouraged by the creation of offshore processing centers, the Clinton Administration suddenly veered away from its latest policy. The government announced that boat people would now be steered to "safe haven" centers in Panama and other Caribbean countries -- with no chance to immigrate to the U.S. But two days after the announcement, Panama unexpectedly backed out of the deal. Meanwhile, as talk of military action against Haiti's rulers intensified, the Pentagon dispatched four ships with 2,000 Marines aboard to join the U.S. flotilla off the island nation -- officially, only to rescue Americans there should that become necessary.
Bill Clinton, Traveling Man
Bringing a mix of rhetoric, cajolery and cash promises (not to mention Hillary and Chelsea), Bill Clinton embarked on his third European trip this year -- to Latvia, Poland, Italy and Germany. In Riga, the Latvian capital, the President restated an offer to the nation and its Baltic neighbors of a $50 million lending fund and repeated a promise to help finance their participation in NATO's Partnership for Peace. He gave Poles similar assurances, saying, "Bringing new members into NATO is no longer a question of whether but when and how."
A G-7 Setback for U.S.
The economic portion of the G-7 summit ended Saturday with the rebuffing of a U.S.-backed trade proposal. The U.S. had hoped to launch a new round of trade talks with the proposal, attacking barriers in such sectors as telecommunications and financial services. French President Francois Mitterrand objected strongly, arguing that the nations should win approval for last year's gatt agreement before starting new trade talks. In other developments, the G-7 leaders pledged $4 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine and $200 million to begin closing down the Chernobyl nuclear reactor.
Another Map for Bosnia
European, American and Russian negotiators presented the warring parties in the Bosnian conflict with a take-it-or-leave-it map that would scale back Serb holdings from 71% to 49% but would allow Serbs to keep territory out of which they have forced thousands of Muslims. The Bosnian government has indicated it $ will accept the plan, but Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic denounced it as "an absolute American diktat" without rejecting it outright.
Yitzhak and Yasser Meet
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and P.L.O. Chairman Yasser Arafat met in Paris to discuss expanding Palestinian autonomy in West Bank areas beyond Jericho. Arafat agreed to convene the exiled Palestinian parliament "in the very near future" to repeal the parts of the P.L.O. charter that call for Israel's destruction.
Respite for Rwanda?
After three months of butchery, U.N. officials in Rwanda began to arrange a formal cease-fire between the Hutu-controlled government and the rebel movement, led by the Tutsi. A 500-man French force is protecting a security zone in the southwest around Gikongoro, where an estimated 600,000 are believed to have taken refuge.
... And for Yemen?
The port of Aden, the main stronghold of southern Yemeni secessionists, fell to government troops after separatist leaders fled the country.
BUSINESS
Interest-Rate Hike Forestalled
The Federal Reserve concluded a two-day meeting by confounding widespread expectations and deciding against a further hike in interest rates. Concerns about the U.S. economy seem to have overridden anxiety about the dollar's slide in world currency markets. Nevertheless, as the dollar continued to plunge and reports of an upswing in new jobs sparked inflation fears, many economists predicted that the next rate increase is just around the corner.
Baby Bells Branch Out
The FCC granted Bell Atlantic the right to offer video programming in a historic move that marks the first time a phone company has been allowed to compete against the cable-TV industry. The interactive service, known as video dial tone, will initially offer 38,000 viewers in New Jersey 60 channels at prices 20% less than existing cable rates. Meanwhile, four regional phone companies filed a suit challenging the decade-old consent decree that forbids them to provide long-distance service. The companies claim that prices would drop as much as 50% if they were allowed into the market.
SPORT
Fastest Man Alive, for Now
Sprinter Leroy Burrell shaved one-hundredth of a second off friend and teammate Carl Lewis' best time in the 100-m dash to recapture the world record at a meet in Lausanne, Switzerland. The new time of 9.85 sec. makes Burrell the fastest human being on the planet
U.S. Wakes Up from a Dream
The scenario of an American soccer team surpassing all expectations in a flag- waving Fourth of July matchup in the second round of the World Cup seemed straight out of a Hollywood movie -- all except for an ending that saw Brazil defeat the U.S. by a score of 1-0. Despite being outnumbered after defender Leonardo was ejected for a concussion-inducing elbow to the head of the U.S.'s Tab Ramos, Brazil shut down the U.S. offense and won the game to advance to the quarterfinals, where it went on to defeat the Netherlands by a score of 3-2.