Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Headline Article Date: Mon, 26 Oct 92 14:37:03 EST Message-ID: \SE A;TOP OF THE NEWS;NATION \BY FROM WIRE DISPATCHES AND STAFF REPORTS S=NEW STORY Kantor calls for lobbying reform Mickey Kantor, chairman of the Clinton-Gore campaign, repeated his call for lobbying reform yesterday even though several firms, including his own, stand to gain from a Clinton administration. "They're in for a big surprise," the Democratic campaign coordinator said on NBC-TV's "Meet the Press" yesterday. "The fact is, this campaign from the very first has talked about changing the laws, stopping the revolving door in Washington, turning the government back to the people," Mr. Kantor said. But Mr. Kantor, a Los Angeles lawyer credited with coaxing Bill Clinton into running for president, will likely play a key role in a Clinton transition team and administration. And his Washington, D.C., partnership - the law firm Manatt, Phelps, Rothenberg and Phillips - probably will not be hurt by the association. According to the National Journal, another law firm poised to reap benefits from a Clinton win is Patton, Boggs and Blow. Ron Brown, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is a partner in the firm. S=NEW STORY President signs Soviet aid bill BILLINGS, Mont. - President Bush yesterday signed into law a bill that provides the former Soviet Union with $410 million in U.S. assistance and underwrites billions of dollars more in international aid. The measure also provides assistance for the destruction of nuclear weapons in Russia and other former Soviet states and for the conversion of military facilities for peaceful uses. In a statement issued as he began a nine-day campaign trip, Mr. Bush said the bill demonstrates the U.S. commitment to democracy and free markets in the former Soviet Union. The bill had been stalled in Congress for months amid arguments that the deficit-ridden United States should spend money on its own problems before giving aid overseas. The bill authorizes $410 million in direct U.S. assistance for humanitarian purposes, improvement of the food distribution system, health and human services programs, civilian nuclear reactor safety, and environmental problems. S=NEW STORY DEA accused of torturing Bolivians LOS ANGELES - U.S. drug agents kidnapped, raped and tortured Bolivians while trying to build a case against an alleged drug lord, according to allegations made by the Bolivians in court documents. Twenty-nine Bolivians state in the sworn declarations that the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bolivian army used brutal methods from 1989 to 1992 while seeking information on reputed drug kingpin Jorge Roca Suarez. U.S. authorities denied the allegations and questioned the credibility of the Bolivians, noting that some of the statements were made by Mr. Roca's co-conspirators. Prosecutors contend that Mr. Roca was a major supplier to Colombian traffickers of coca paste, the raw material for making cocaine. The statements were filed recently in U.S. District Court in support of a motion to dismiss charges against Mr. Roca, who is awaiting trial, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday. S=NEW STORY 4 women try to cross Antarctica on skis MINNEAPOLIS - Four women left for a trip across the bottom of the world yesterday wondering if they'll still be friends after four months and nearly 1,600 miles. If the odyssey is successful, they will be the first women to cross Antarctica on skis alone, without dogsleds, said Ann Bancroft, the leader of the American Women's Trans-Antarctica Expedition. The group has attracted attention from researchers, including a University of Minnesota psychologist interested in group dynamics who asked them to keep a daily log. "It's a major objective of the four of us to travel for such a long time in such difficult conditions and come out at the other end as friends," Miss Bancroft said. Next Sunday, they will fly to the Ronne Ice Shelf on the Atlantic Ocean side of Antarctica where they'll strap on their skis and take off, pulling 7-foot sleds with their food and supplies. They hope to finish at the McMurdo Base on the Ross Sea in time to catch a ship north on Feb. 17. S=NEW STORY Supporters hold Sinead O'Connor rally NEW YORK - After two weeks of steady bashing, Sinead O'Connor got some support yesterday from a loosely knit group that tore up pictures of Pope John Paul II in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Calling themselves the "Sinead Brigade," about a dozen women and several men from various activist groups held a brief protest outside the church as Cardinal John J. O'Connor said Mass inside. Many posed wearing Sinead masks. "We are here to demonstrate our support for Sinead O'Connor in her efforts to expose the Catholic hierarchy as agents of oppression, and to say that there are many, many people who stand with her in this," said Mary Lou Greenberg of the group Refuse and Resist. Two weeks ago, the Irish singer tore up a picture of the pope on "Saturday Night Live." She said she wanted to draw attention to child abuse, which she believes stems in part from the teachings of the Catholic Church. S=NEW STORY Astronauts measure ozone, test new toilet CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Columbia's astronauts measured ozone in Earth's upper atmosphere and tested a new toilet as the space shuttle sped around the world for a fourth day yesterday. The crew also tested a new cooling system for satellites. The tests involved heat pipes assembled in a hoop, which the crew spun inside the shuttle. Canadian astronaut Steven MacLean, meanwhile, celebrated the victory of his favorite team in the World Series. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves Saturday night while the shuttle crew slept. Officials awakened Mr. MacLean with the news early yesterday. Columbia's flight is supposed to last 10 days and end Sunday with a Kennedy Space Center landing. S=NEW STORY Group raps Arizona on King holiday TEMPE, Ariz. - The rap group Public Enemy, which attacked Arizona in song for rescinding its Martin Luther King holiday, cut short a performance as a form of protest. Opening for the Irish rock group U2 on Saturday night, Public Enemy performed the controversial "By the Time I Get to Arizona" and one other song before leaving the Sun Devil Stadium stage. "We're only 10 days away from the vote and hopefully, when you vote the Martin Luther King holiday in, we can come back and play for you," lead rapper Chuck D told the crowd of about 50,000. "But right now, we're under protest and we're not going to do our usual songs." Arizona is the only state that doesn't honor the slain civil rights leader with a holiday. S=NEW STORY Civil War hero gets grave marker CENTRAL CITY, Neb. - The descendants of a Civil War hero whose name was mistakenly left off a list of Medal of Honor recipients gathered yesterday to give him his due. About 50 family members from 12 states came to attend the graveside ceremony for Pvt. David H. Johnston, who died in 1931. Pvt. Johnston was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1894 for distinguished gallantry during the siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863. But in 1978, when it was decided that all Medal of Honor recipients would be given markers for their graves, Pvt. Johnston's family didn't get one, said his great-granddaughter Georgia Stettner of Grand Island. Family friends discovered the oversight in 1986 when a list of recipients was published in a Nebraska newspaper. After years of work to set the record straight, family members gathered yesterday to unveil the marker. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM