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: Sat, 21 Nov 92 17:35:41 EST Message-ID: \SE A;TOP OF THE NEWS;NATION \BY FROM WIRE DISPATCHES AND STAFF REPORTS S=NEW STORY Aide pleads guilty in HUD scandal An assistant to former Sen. Edward W. Brooke pleaded guilty yesterday to aiding and abetting false statements by Mr. Brooke to investigators in the HUD influence-peddling scandal. Mr. Brooke, Massachusetts Republican and the first black elected to the Senate since Reconstruction, was a private lawyer when he and Elaine Richardson were questioned by investigators in 1988. Mr. Brooke has not been charged in the Department of Housing and Urban Development scandal. In her plea before U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, Miss Richardson admitted she "knowingly and willfully" remained silent while Mr. Brooke lied. She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. No sentencing date was set, and Miss Richardson agreed to cooperate with investigators working for independent counsel Arlin M. Adams. S=NEW STORY NEA refuses grants for gay film festivals The National Endowment for the Arts refused yesterday to award grants to three homosexual film festivals, saying the projects lacked artistic excellence worthy of the agency's support. Arts organizations attacked the decision as a politically motivated slap at homosexuals. They called on President-elect Bill Clinton to quickly appoint a successor to acting NEA Chairman Anne-Imelda Radice, whose decisions rejecting sexually explicit art have fueled criticism. The NEA said in a brief statement that Miss Radice found that the proposed grants "do not demonstrate artistic excellence and artistic merit worthy of support by this agency." Julian Low, director of the National Alliance for Media Arts and Cultures, which recommended the projects for grants, said Miss Radice's action was "an act of discrimination based on political concerns." S=NEW STORY Judge bars White House from erasing tapes A federal judge temporarily ordered the White House yesterday to retain its computer records, expressing a fear they might be erased before he decides whether they must be preserved. The 10-day injunction by U.S. District Judge Charles R. Richey applies to backup computer tapes belonging to President Bush and his staff, the National Security Council, and the archivist of the United States. The case began in 1989 when another federal judge ordered the Reagan administration not to destroy its computer records. The central issue in the case, still unresolved, is whether the backup tapes must be preserved under federal records laws. The Bush administration says the tapes, principally electronic mail between White House staffers, are not official records. But government investigators learned a great deal about the Iran-Contra affair from former national security aide Oliver North's backup computer records. S=NEW STORY Planned Parenthood names new president NEW YORK - The Planned Parenthood Federation of America yesterday named a Catholic nurse as its president, signaling a new direction for the group that has been at the center of the battle over abortion rights. The new president, Pamela Maraldo, said the group will remain dedicated to maintaining and strengthening abortion rights but also will enter the debate over a national health care policy. Miss Maraldo, who takes office Feb. 1, replaces Faye Wattleton, who resigned this year after 14 years as president. Miss Maraldo was chief executive officer of the National League for Nursing, a coalition promoting quality health care to the public. S=NEW STORY Woman committed for threatening Chelsea MILWAUKEE - A woman charged with threatening to kidnap, torture and kill Chelsea Clinton, the 12-year-old daughter of the president-elect, was ordered held for psychiatric tests yesterday. According to an affidavit filed in federal court by the Secret Service, Esther Reid, 44, of Cudahy, Wis., telephoned the White House Nov. 11 with the threat. Federal prosecutors won a court order committing her to the federal prison for women in Lexington, Ky., for 30 days of psychiatric tests. According to the affidavit, the woman told agents "she hates Chelsea Clinton, and she wanted to kidnap Chelsea Clinton and torture and kill her, possibly with a knife." S=NEW STORY Cuba-bound convoy allowed into Mexico LAREDO, Texas - Federal agents yesterday let a relief convoy for Cuba cross into Mexico after a scuffle and standoff at the border. The 44-vehicle caravan, carrying medical and school supplies, food, Bibles and other goods, began rolling into Mexico about 6:45 p.m. after working out an agreement with Treasury Department officials. Under a long-standing U.S. embargo against Cuba's communist government, a permit is required to move goods into or out of the country. Before the agreement was reached, four persons were arrested as the approximately 50-member group was met by federal Customs, Treasury and border agents. The four were taken to the Webb County Jail for processing, said U.S. Customs agent Leonard Lindheim. Laredo police would not give additional information. Three of the people arrested were released late yesterday, Errol Edward, coordinator of Pastors for Peace, was quoted as saying by the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina. 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