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 Fri, May 22 1992 Date: Fri, 22 May 92 05:21:01 EDT Message-ID: DECISIONLINE: News USA TODAY Update May 22-25, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network PEROT, BUSH ARE TIED IN POLL: Texas billionaire Ross Perot has moved into a dead heat with President Bush. Bush and Perot each win 35% of voters, and Democrat Bill Clinton has 25% in a new USA TODAY:CNN:Gallup poll of 804 people nationwide. But only 1 in 5 thinks Perot has a good chance of capturing the White House and 55% say they know little or nothing about him. The poll has a 4% margin of error. TRASH HITS THE BEACH: The millions heading to the beach this Memorial Day weekend had better watch their step, a new report shows. Lurking underfoot: Tons of trash, says the Center for Marine Conservation. Cited as a major source: boats, including luxury cruise ships. The center's annual beach cleanup netted 8,280 syringes, up from 3,738 in 1990. Most common item found on beaches: Cigarette butts. HAITIANS WON'T BE INTERCEPTED: In a change of course, the Coast Guard Thursday said it will only intercept Haitian refugee boats that are overcrowded or in danger. The Haitian exodus forced the policy change of stopping every U.S.-bound boat and housing their refugees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Under the new policy, other refugee boats will be urged to return to Haiti, then allowed to proceed. SMOKING SNUFFED OUT FASTER: Smoking is declining faster in the USA now than at any time since tracking began in 1955, shows a study out Friday. Social pressure, health risks and cost led to the decline, says Gary Giovino of the Centers for Disease Control. Smoking has gradually declined from 40% in 1965 to 25.5% in 1990. It fell about 0.5% a year from 1966 to 1987. It has fallen 1.1% a year since. USA DENIES IT AIDED SADDAM: White House officials Thursday angrily denied congressional charges they aided a "Frankenstein" Saddam Hussein right up until he invaded Kuwait and now were trying to cover up the evidence. Lawmakers used President Bush's likening of Saddam to Adolf Hitler to back up their charges that billions of dollars in agriculture credits were "appeasement" to Saddam months before the invasion. CONGRESS SAVES SEAWOLF: Congress voted resoundingly on Thursday to rescue one of two Seawolf submarines President Bush wanted to kill, taking a compromise course the White House said it would accept. The legislation slashing $8.2 billion from the 1992 budget was approved by the House on a 404-11 vote. The Senate sent the measure to Bush on a 90-9 tally. EPA TO PROBE DEFECTS INCIDENCE: The Environmental Protection Agency will spend $352,000 on an "urgent" two-year study to determine if toxic chemicals are causing the unusually high incidence of rare brain and spinal birth defects in Texas along the lower Rio Grande on the Mexican border. EPA chief William Reilly said Thursday that a polluting source will be ordered closed, if needed. FOUR PLEAD INNOCENT IN BEATING: Four men charged with the beating of truck driver Reginald Denny during the riots in Los Angeles pleaded innocent in a Los Angeles court Thursday. Damian Williams, 19, Henry Watson, 27, and Antoine Miller, 20, are charged with attempted willful, deliberate, premeditated murder; aggravated mayhem; torture; and second-degree robbery. Gary Williams, 33, is charged with second-degree robbery. BUSH DISLIKES URBAN AID BILL: A $1.9 billion emergency urban aid bill passed the Senate Thursday, but President Bush says he won't accept major portions of the measure. The bill, passed 61-36, adds $1.45 billion for summer jobs and school programs to an emergency aid package passed by the House last week to provide loans and grants for rebuilding riot-torn Los Angeles. CHANGE OF VENUE PONDERED: Prosecution and defense lawyers Friday argue whether there should be a change of venue in the retrial of police officer Laurence Powell. Superior Court Judge Stanley Weisberg has suggested Powell could get a fair trial in Los Angeles despite rioting ignited by innocent verdicts in the first Rodney King beating trial. Powell is the only officer facing retrial. CLEAR SKIES IN NORTHWEST: The Pacific Northwest gets super weather this weekend, but rain threatens the Plains, Rockies and Southwest. Midwest showers will move into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic Sunday. The weekend will be sunny and hot in the Northeast and clear in the Southeast. DOW JONES OPENS ON DOWNSWING: The Dow Jones average of 30 industrials opens Friday at 3378.71, after closing down 15.13 Thursday. The New York Stock Exchange composite opens at 227.47, down 1.47. The American Stock Exchange market value opens at 391.63, down 0.52. The NASDAQ OTC composite opens at 579.10, down 1.19. ADVISORY: Decisionlines will not be published Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day. Decisionlines will resume publication on Tuesday, May 26. News Editor: Beth Mann. (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