Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.news,americast.usa-today.news From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: news Wed, Oct 7 1992 Date: Wed, 7 Oct 92 04:38:01 EDT Message-ID: DECISIONLINE: News USA TODAY Update Oct. 7, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network PEROT AIRS CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL: Ross Perot launched his ad campaign Tuesday with a 30-minute diagnosis of a "sick" government. The Texas tycoon used the air time - 30 minutes on CBS, at a cost of $380,000 - to rail at the state of the economy and the government. "In effect, this is our first town hall," said Perot, who'll offer solutions on an ad scheduled for Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC. PEROT MAY GET DEBATE INVITATION: Officials in Washington Tuesday wrangled over including Ross Perot in the presidential debates. Lawyers for the debate commission plan to invite Perot to join President Bush and Democrat Bill Clinton, but they haven't worked out how to do it while excluding third-party candidates such as Libertarian Andre Marrou, the only other name on all ballots. HOUSE CONCLUDES; SENATE GOES ON: The House, which Tuesday wrapped up work for this session, heads off to the campaign trail, while the Senate faces more work. "It could be Saturday or Monday before we adjourn," said Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine. Sen. Alphonse D-Amato, R-N.Y., filibustered nearly 15-hours to stop passage of a $27 billion tax bill. Several others, objecting to bills, also threatened delays. ATROCITIES PROBE APPROVED: The Security Council voted Tuesday to create a commission to investigate reported atrocities in the former Yugoslavia. The action, adopted unanimously, could lead to the first international atrocity tribunal since Nazi leaders were prosecuted after World War II. Bosnia's U.N. Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey said "in excess of 100,000" Bosnian Muslims have been killed. POLLUTION IMMUNITY ENDED: President Bush signed a bill Tuesday eliminating the federal government's immunity to fines for violating federal, state and local hazardous-waste laws. The legislation makes the nation's nuclear weapons production complexes and other federal facilities subject to the same environmental laws as private industry. The bill was spawned by disclosures of massive violations. INVESTIGATOR REQUESTS REVERSAL: Iran-contra special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh asked the Supreme Court Tuesday to reinstate the conviction of former national security adviser John Poindexter. Walsh said a appeals court ruling that overturned five felony counts against Poindexter threatens numerous federal corruption prosecutions and is at odds with rulings by a host of other federal judges. SARATOGA PROBE TO TAKE TIME: Investigators may take until the end of October to find out what caused the USS Saratoga missile firing that killed five sailors on a Turkish destroyer last week, Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams said Tuesday. The ship is still taking part in the NATO exercise, Williams said, adding the Pentagon has asked Congress for authority to compensate the Turkish families of those killed and injured. NUCLEAR DEAL IS APPROVED: U.S. and Russian officials Tuesday signed a pact on U.S. help in storing materials taken from dismantled nuclear weapons, one of a series implementing an umbrella accord signed in June by President Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin, said Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams. The USA has made up to $400 million available to assist former Soviet republics in safely dismantling the weapons. BUSH TO SIGN TRADE DEAL: President Bush is in San Antonio Wednesday to initial the North American Free Trade Agreement, which would phase out all tariffs on goods traded with Mexico or Canada over the next 15 years. The deal is still subject to congressional approval next year. Bill Clinton limitedly endorsed the agreement Sunday, while Ross Perot opposes the pact because he says it will cost U.S. jobs. PHILADELPHIA WALK-OUT ENDS: A walk-out by 15,000 blue- and white-collar city workers in Philadelphia ended Tuesday with the mayor winning a host of concessions from the unions. The unions called their 14-hour action a lockout, because Mayor Ed Rendell had imposed his contract on them. City officials called it a strike. Included in the deal: No raises in 1992 or 1993; 14 city-paid holidays reduced to 10. HIGH COURT HEARS ARGUMENTS: The Supreme Court Tuesday heard debate over the power of federal courts to stop Operation Rescue and other groups from blockading clinics that perform abortions. A decision in the case, which was first considered by the court a year ago, is unlikely before year's end. PASSIVE SMOKE EFFECTS AFFIRMED: Passive smoke increases a non-smoker's risk of pre-cancerous lesions in the lungs, says a new study in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers say it's the first study using autopsies to look at the effects of passive smoke. Among findings: Of 30 women non-smokers, the 17 married to smoking men had more advanced possibly pre-cancerous lesions. SUNSHINE BLESSES THE COASTS: The East and West coasts will bask in sunshine Wednesday while the first snow storm of the season greets the Plains. One to three inches of snow will hit parts of South Dakota, western Nebraska, Wyoming and northern Colorado Wednesday. Showers and thunderstorms will move northeastward from Oklahoma to Iowa. Sunny skies will warm the East Coast. DOW JONES OPENS ON DOWNSWING: The Dow Jones average of 30 industrials opens at 3178.19 Wednesday after closing down 0.81 Tuesday. The New York Stock Exchange composite opens at 224.09, down 0.05. The American Stock Exchange market value opens at 367.71, up 1.09. The NASDAQ OTC composite opens at 570.55, up 5.34. News Editor: Christopher Goldthwaite. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution 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