Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.news From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: news Wed, Jul 29 1992 Date: Wed, 29 Jul 92 04:32:50 EDT Message-ID: DECISIONLINE: News USA TODAY Update July 29, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network CONSUMER DOUBT DOGS BUSH: President Bush's hopes that an economic recovery will boost his sagging political fortunes took a blow Tuesday as consumer confidence in the economy skidded this month. The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday its confidence index dove to 61 in July from 72.6 in June. A reading below 80 is a sign the economy is in recession or barely growing. BUSH ADS COURT PEROT VOTERS: President Bush appeals for "a chance to earn" votes of Ross Perot supporters in an open letter appearing in newspaper ads Wednesday. The ads - appearing in fewer than 10 newspapers, including USA TODAY - are part of the Bush campaign's aggressive pursuit of Perot backers and appear as Perot's state leaders meet Wednesday in Dallas. Bush's campaign TV ads debut Monday on CNN. CITY BACKS UNION IN STRIKE: The Pittsburgh Press Co., after two days of printing in Canada and distributing papers with replacement workers, agreed to stop publishing and start talking. Since Teamsters stopped delivering the paper May 17, the city threatened to revoke a tax break if the company printed out of town and readers returned papers. The firm's Jimmy Manis says the city "used billy clubs" to force talks. `BODY COUNT' BEING PULLED: Warner Bros. Records will pull the controversial song "Cop Killer" from Ice-T's "Body Count" album at the rapper's request. Instead, the recording artist will give the song away as a single. Ice-T said Tuesday he wants to shield Time Warner from critics. Giving the record away will prove it wasn't released for profit, he said. But police say violence - not profit - is the issue. HEARINGS ON MILITARY TO BEGIN: Hearings on sexual harassment of women in the military begin Wednesday on Capitol Hill, one day after new reports of sexual abuse surfaced in the notorious Tailhook scandal. Among those summoned to testify at a two-day House Armed Services panel: The heads of the four armed services, who will tell what they are doing to fight discrimination against women. HIGH COURT DENIES APPEAL: The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a last-minute request to postpone the execution in Utah of convicted murderer William Andrews. Andrews, scheduled to die shortly after midnight Thursday, is the center of a stormy death penalty protest. The Supreme Court voted 7-2 not to consider his sixth appeal. The Utah Board of Pardons refused to consider Andrews' case last week. CONGRESS HEARS ABOUT RU-486: Abortion-rights advocates urged Congress to allow importation of the French abortion pill RU-486, which supporters say is also a promising therapy for cancer and other diseases. Actress Cybill Shepherd told a House hearing women "deserve the option" of using the drug as birth control. The Supreme Court this month declined to overturn a Food and Drug Administration ban on it. AMTRAK TRAIN CRASHES: At least 25 people were hurt when Amtrak's Sunset Limited, carrying 156 passengers, hit a truck, setting fire to 1,300 gallons of hydrochloric acid in Crowley, La. The passengers were taken to a school to avoid toxic fumes from the burning acid, which also kept firefighters at least 100 feet away. Officials said the train did not derail. GULF WAR DISEASES TO BE TRACKED: The Department of Veterans Affairs asked Congress to authorize a program to track the health of 570,000 Persian Gulf war veterans. The VA would provide long-term surveillance. VA Secretary Edward Derwinski said it's not "a response to urgent medical risks" but an effort to keep ahead of potential problems. CLIFFORD INDICTMENT EXPECTED: A bank fraud indictment against Clark Clifford, advisor to every Democratic president since Harry Truman, is expected to be announced Wednesday, the Associated Press said. The possible indictment of Clifford, his law associate Robert Altman and others, stems from their alleged role in the takeover of First American Bank by the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, AP said. DOW JONES OPENS ON UPSWING: The Dow Jones average of 30 industrials opens Wednesday at 3334.07 after closing up 51.87 points Tuesday. The New York Stock Exchange composite opens at 229.54, up 3.03. The American Stock Exchange market value opens at 384.55, up 2.49. The NASDAQ OTC composite opens at 571.63, up 6.90. RAIN, HUMIDITY PLAGUE SOUTH: Steamy, stormy weather will grip Texas eastward into South Carolina Wednesday, while partly cloudy and cool conditions chill upper Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Parts of the Northeast will see some rain showers. Sunshine and pleasant conditions will caress the nation's midsection into the mid-Atlantic region. More rain is expected to drench southern locations. News Editor: William Snoddy. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution purposes violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM