NATION

She's Gone

Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died in her New York City apartment, succumbing to cancer at 64.

Rosty Seeks a Way or Means

Under criminal investigation for possible financial irregularities, Ways and Means chairman Dan Rostenkowski began exploring a plea-bargain agreement with federal prosecutors. The Illinois Democrat, who claims he is innocent, wants to avoid indictment on felony charges and the possibility of prison, if he is convicted. Rostenkowski is now said to believe his legal problems will force him to relinquish his powerful chairmanship, whether a deal can be reached or not. That is terrible news for Democrats. Without Rostenkowski at the helm, they fear, the President's health reforms could sink in Congress.

Retrofitting Haitian Policy

To implement President Clinton's new Haitian refugee policy, the Pentagon announced it has chartered two Ukrainian vessels that will process the U.S.-asylum applications of Haitian boat people at sea. Pending the ships' deployment, though, the Administration returned home more than 1,000 Haitians.

Breyer's Washington Debut

President Clinton formally introduced Stephen Breyer, his Supreme Court nominee, at a Rose Garden ceremony in which he praised the Boston federal appeals judge as an "unquestioned leader of the judiciary" whose decisions have "protected the civil rights and individual rights of Americans." Breyer, whose confirmation seems nearly certain, promised to "make law work for people."

The Silent Justice Speaks

Elsewhere in the capital, Justice Clarence Thomas appeared before two conservative groups to lambaste the "judicial-rights revolution," blaming it for excusing away the culpability of black and poor defendants and contributing to crime.

Hillary's Got the Dough

The White House released the Clintons' financial-disclosure statements for last year. The couple's net worth was estimated at between $633,015 and $1,620,000, with Hillary Rodham Clinton owning most of the assets in the blind trust that holds virtually all the couple's wealth. Her share: between $500,001 and $1 million.

Haldeman's Diaries

Former President Richard Nixon continued to engender controversy even after his death, this time as a result of the posthumous publication of the diaries of H.R. Haldeman, his chief of staff, who spent 18 months in prison for Watergate-related crimes. Among Haldeman's revelations: Nixon's nasty, insulting gripes against blacks and Jews, and a foreign policy frankly based on the political calculus of the 1972 presidential elections.

The Great Gold Heist of '94

Forced by a federal court order to abide by an 1872 mining law, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt signed over nearly 2,000 acres of federally owned land in Nevada for a mere $9,765 to a Canadian-based company, enabling it to mine what could amount to billions of dollars of gold on the property free of any royalties. A disgusted Babbitt urged Congress to speed up an overhaul of the antiquated law to end such sales.

Feds Target Prom Principal

On the 40th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark school-desegregation decision, the Justice Department went to court to oust Hulond Humphries, the Alabama high school principal who made headlines earlier this year by reportedly trying to stop interracial dating at his school's prom. Justice accused the school district of engaging in discriminatory practices.

Head Starting Head Start

Surrounded by dozens of children at a buoyant White House ceremony, President Clinton signed into law an expansion of Head Start that would permit the popular preschool program to reach out to children under three and provide full-day, year-round classes. Where the President's proposed $700 million increase to fund the more ambitious Head Start will come from is unclear.

Amtrak Crash

A packed New York-to-Florida Amtrak passenger train derailed in North Carolina, apparently after crashing into a cargo container jutting out from a passing northbound freight train. The engineer was killed and hundreds were injured, most slightly.

WORLD

Rwandan War Rages On

Heavy fighting rocked Rwanda's capital, Kigali, as shells hit a hospital, killing 30 people, and artillery blasted the airport. Diplomatic efforts to establish a cease-fire in the civil war have amounted to nothing more than "handwringing," an American official said. Meanwhile, the U.S. recommended that the deployment of 5,500 African peacekeeping troops as authorized by the U.N. Security Council be delayed until the U.N. provides more detail on the extent, purpose and cost of the mission.

No Breakthrough on Golan

Talks inched forward between Israel and Syria. Secretary of State Warren Christopher shuttled between the two states, trying to advance a deal whereby Israel would trade the occupied Golan Heights for full peace with Syria. Progress looked possible when Tishrin, the mouthpiece of the Syrian ruling party, wrote that Damascus would consider accepting a withdrawal from the Golan in phases. Until now, Syria has rejected a staged pullout, which Israel prefers in order to build trust gradually. Christopher left the Mideast without any tangible achievement to boast of. Late last week, in a move which may further imperil Mideast negotiations, Israeli commandos abducted the leader of a militant Shi`ite faction in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, in Gaza...

Ending 27 years of occupation, Israel completed its withdrawal from a self-rule enclave in the Gaza Strip. The pullout "corrects a tremendous mistake," said Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. A rump force of Israeli soldiers will remain to protect the 19 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. At week's end, Islamic militants killed two Israeli soldiers at a border checkpoint.

France Raises Bosnia Ante

Reflecting its increasing frustration with the continuing war in Bosnia, France said it would withdraw 2,500 of its soldiers from the U.N. peacekeeping force in the former Yugoslavia within months if there is no progress toward peace. France's 6,800-member contingent--largest in the 28,000-strong U.N. force--is costing the country billions, a commitment French Defense Minister Francois Leotard said he is unwilling to keep up without seeing results: "No one is obliged to do the absurd."

Malawi Elects New Prez

Sweeping the world's oldest leader from office, Malawians elected former Cabinet minister Bakili Muluzi to replace Hastings Kamuzu Banda, who is believed to be in his 90s, in the country's first free multiparty elections. Muluzi promised that Banda, who had ruled the southern African nation as a dictator since its independence from Britain in 1963, would be offered a house, a car and a pension. Said Muluzi: "Let's face it, he's an old man. We don't like to kick around somebody that age."

New N. Korean Nuke Talks

The Clinton Administration has decided that North Korea has met key demands on the inspection of its nuclear program and so the U.S. will resume high-level talks with Pyongyang. North Korean officials have also agreed to meet with International Atomic Energy Agency officials to discuss future iaea monitoring of its spent reactor fuel that could be used for nuclear weapons.

Dominican Vote Fraud Alleged

Officials in the Dominican Republic said the ballots cast in the country's election would be recounted after the leading challenger to aging, blind President Joaquin Balaguer charged that the vote was tainted. Balaguer was only 1% ahead of former Santo Domingo mayor Jose Francisco Pena Gomez in the counting.

BUSINESS

Fed Raises Rates

In a move that was widely anticipated, the Federal Reserve raised two short-term interest rates by half a percentage point in the hope of warding off inflation while sustaining economic growth. In response, banks raised their prime rate half a percentage point to 7.25%. Economists also expect the increases to stabilize the very volatile stock and bond markets.

Lowering Risk

A General Accounting Office study issued on derivatives--the faddish, hard-to-explain high-finance tools--calls for more international supervision and regulation. The report argued that a derivatives collapse could cost taxpayers millions in bailouts for banks. Representative Edward J. Markey, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance, is planning to introduce legislation that would enact tighter controls.

Social Security Independence

The House voted 413-0 to make the Social Security Administration, now a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, an independent agency. It is hoped that the new arrangement would make it easier to combat fraud and track misuse of disability benefits given to people suffering from drug and alcohol addiction.

SCIENCE

Coming to America: RU-486

The abortion pill RU-486 may be available to women in the U.S. in two years. After more than a year of negotiations, the French manufacturer, Roussel Uclaf, has agreed to give all patent rights for the pill to the non-profit research group the Population Council. The organization will begin clinical trials in the fall and will help find an American firm to produce the controversial pill, which can end pregnancy within seven weeks of conception. Fearing boycotts and protests by antiabortion groups, Roussel had backed away from trying to market RU-486 in the U.S.

THE ARTS & MEDIA

Tony, Tony, Tony

Stephen Sondheim's Passion and Disney's Beauty and the Beast led this year's Tony Award nominations with 10 and nine, respectively, even though both opened to mixed reviews. In a season that made it sometimes difficult for the nominating committee to meet a minimum of four plays per category, revivals made just as much news, topped by She Loves Me, which also received nine nominations. The most honored drama was Tony Kushner's Perestroika, the second half of Angels in America, with six nominations.

By Leslie Dickstein, Christopher John Farley, Lina Lofaro, Lawrence Mondi, Michael Quinn, Jeffery C. Rubin, Alain L. Sanders, Sidney Urquhart

HEALTH REPORT

The Good News

-- Regulating levels of chemotherapy to reflect the changes in body rhythms that occur during day and night can increase its effectiveness, researchers say. Tumors shrank significantly in half the patients treated this way, compared with 30% of those who received regular therapy. Doctors have discussed the strategy, known as chronotherapy, for at least two decades, but only recently found a practical way to deliver doses linked to body rhythms.

-- Muscular dystrophy researchers have for the first time identified a key molecule involved in forming connections between muscle cells and neurons, thereby affording new insights into why muscle cells die in muscular dystrophy patients. The discovery opens the way to fresh approaches in treating the disease.

The Bad News

-- Trans fatty acids, found in margarine and foods with partly hydrogenated oils, could be responsible for 30,000 deaths a year from heart disease, scientists say. The acids raise levels of "bad" cholesterol and lower levels of "good" cholesterol.

-- A new study says some 420,000 of the caesarean deliveries each year--10.5% of all births--are performed unnecessarily.

-- Women who gain weight during their 20s, even as little as 10 lbs., may be substantially increasing their risk of developing breast cancer later in life.

-- More than 80% of apple, peach and celery samples gathered for a recent study contained pesticide residues--even after washing and peeling.

Sources--GOOD: American Society of Clinical Oncology; Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology. BAD: The American Journal of Public Health; American Society of Clinical Oncology; Public Citizen Health Research Group; Environmental Working Group.

INDISCREET FORMER UNDERLING OF THE WEEK

In his posthumously published diaries, H. R. Haldeman may have dulled his ex-boss's newly lustrous reputation

INSIDE WASHINGTON

Reno's Costly Cancellation

Attorney General JANET RENO canceled out of a Drug Enforcement Administration memorial service for slain agents that was held last week, angering many in the DEA, who take the event very seriously. In fact, Reno is the first Attorney General in 11 years not to attend or at least send a proxy. Reno's excuse: she had to go to a school event with Clinton. At the FBI, rank and filers have been irked by Reno's fondness for what they regard as silly p.r. events--one senior executive there was placed on unpaid leave for publicly criticizing her.

WINNERS & LOSERS

Winners

THE SUPER TOMATO: FDA says "Trust us" and okays genetically altered uber-produce

TONY BLAIR: Centrist Briton poised to lead Labour Party--and maybe more

THE CAT IN THE HAT: He's back, via newly discovered Dr. Seuss manuscript

Losers

MARGE SCHOTT: Cincinnati Reds owner opens mouth; slur follows

RALPH LAUREN: Fined by Paris court for copying Yves Saint Laurent tuxedo dress

NEW YORK STATE: Cuomoland slips to third in population as Texas surges to No.2

AND WE GET PAID!

"The policy wasn't working, and we realized, hey, we're the White House; we can change it."

-- An unidentified Clinton aide discussing the Administration's evolving Haiti policy with The Nation

VOX POP

Do you think the U.S. should send forces to oust the military rulers in Haiti and install Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the democratically elected president?

From a telephone poll of 600 Americans taken for TIME/CNN on May 18-19 by Yankelovich Partners Inc. Sampling error is plus/minus 4%.

IDAHO SAYS NO TO SUPER-UPLIFT

The Super-Uplift bra--a high-tech, cleverly marketed 90's version of the old-fashioned push-up bra--was introduced two months ago with a torrent of hype. Demand, however, has not been uniformly distributed.

INFORMED SOURCES

Rising Tensions over the South China Sea

Hong Kong--China announced plans last month to look for oil in an offshore area in the South China Sea that Vietnam claims ownership of. The dispute could lead to a confrontation because the area may contain as much as 700 million tons of oil, and Vietnam has already leased it to a Mobil-led joint venture. Vietnamese officials say they'd like to find a peaceful solution, but they also say that giving up the region is non-negotiable. A military analyst told Time that the Vietnamese defense budget has recently increased nearly 50%, largely to beef up its air force with an eye toward protecting the reserves. Says the analyst:"The Vietnamese are not ((equipped)) to take on the Chinese. But you can't discount Vietnamese nationalism."

The Clinton Administration Up Against Itself

Washington--The Clinton Administration has been pushing for the development of the CLIPPER CHIP, a technology that would enable the government to "wiretap" scrambled digital communications. Now one of the Administration's own federal-budget-office examiners has denied a request for the almost $15 million that would allow government agencies to continue working on the chip. The agencies, backed by Vice President Gore, are appealing.

What London Is Missing Out On

The news last week that the London police would begin packing heat may have been a bit overplayed. Some will. But bobbies on the beat will remain without guns, leaving them comparatively defenseless next to their well-armed foreign brethren. CITYSTANDARD POLICE WEAPONS Bogota.38 cal. special with a 4-in. barrel, either Smith & Wesson or a stainless-steel Ruger; nightstick JohannesburgZ-88 9-mm automatic or P-38 service pistol LondonA 12-to 15-in. wooden truncheon Los Angeles9-mm Beretta with 16 rounds; 21-in. aluminum baton with a short side handle for two-handed leverage; small canister of pepper spray MadridStar 9-mm Parbellum pistol New York9-mm Glock, SIG-Sauer or Smith & Wesson semiautomatic, currently replacing .38-cal. pistols; plastic or wooden baton; pepper-spray canister Singapore.38-cal. Smith & Wesson; 38-cm wooden baton St. PetersburgRussian-made 9-mm Makarov pistol Stuttgart, GermanyWalther P-5 9-mm pistol Tokyo.38-cal. New Nambu revolver; collapsible aluminum baton, 530 mm when extended Tombstone City, ArizonaSIG-Sauer .45 semiautomatic pistol; pepper-spray canister; Remington 1187 semiautomatic 12-gauge shotgun carried in the car

ALWAYS SAY DIE

Beverly Hills Cop III, opening next week, is said to be "Die Hard in an amusement park"--one in a series of current Hollywood projects in various states of gestation that have been described as Die Hard in one place or another:

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter and Silver Pictures

IT COULD'VE BEEN WORSE

The networks have announced their fall lineups, with a handful of new shows chosen from among dozens of contenders. Here are a few that didn't make the cut:

COMEDIES

Double Rush: A ragtag crew of bike messengers in an updated version of Taxi.

Galaxy Beat: A ragtag crew of intergalactic peacekeepers travels the cosmos in the year 4049 A.E. (After Elvis).

Girl's Best Friend: A single woman has a pet dog who suddenly turns into Paul Sand--but only she can hear him talk, and he still looks like a dog to everyone else.

Weldon Pond: An animated sheep that used to star in sleeping-pill advertisements haunts the ad agency that created him.

DRAMAS

The First Gentleman: The husband of the first woman President is an ex-cop--one who can't stop solving crimes.

Taking Liberty: Set in 1778, this drama claims that the true hero of the American Revolution was a barmaid named Nell. With David Ogden Stiers as Ben Franklin.

The Book: Small-town librarian helps troubled patrons by lending a mystical book. Executive producer: Brandon Tartikoff.

Frogmen Retired: Navy seals reunite in civilian life for adventures under the leadership of O.J. Simpson.

Source: Betsy Frank, Saatchi and Saatchi

MONITOR

1600 Melrose Place

By Bruce Handy

He may not think so. His wife may not think so. But Bill Clinton has been having a great sweeps month, caught up in scandals, scrapes and cliff-hangers just like the networks. Unlike the networks, however, the President may not find this kind of programming to be good for his ratings.

Sweeps--as most Americans are no doubt aware in the Entertainment Tonight, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, E! Entertainment Television era--occur every November, February and May. These are the months when TV stations receive ratings that will allow them to fix their advertising rates for the coming months, prompting the networks to trundle out their most lurid and spectacular offerings. This May, for instance, ABC has scored with an apocalyptic four-part mini-series based on Stephen King's The Stand; CBS is airing a TV movie with the can't-miss title Menendez; Fox inexplicably wasted its own Menendez movie on the nonsweeps month of April, but has countered with episodes of some of its most popular programs in 3-D and scratch-'n'-sniff "Aromavision."

The White House's offerings this month have been every bit as attention-getting, beginning with a shocking one-two punch: the down-to-the-wire vote in the House on the assault-weapons ban that came on the very same day--No way! shouted millions of electrified C-SPAN viewers--that Paula Jones' lawyers were toying with the question of whether or not to file a sexual-harassment suit against the President. The latter story line was echoed in the recent two-hour season finale of Melrose Place, a currently hot nighttime soap that was floundering until old pro Heather Locklear--a sort of Lloyd Cutler with dark roots--was brought in to get the show on track.

The second week of May saw the nation spellbound by the President's agonized dithering over a Supreme Court nominee, a development for which there wasn't really a Melrose Place equivalent--unless you count Jake's ping-ponging between sexy, bitchy Amanda and not-as-sexy, pregnant Jo. But get this: Clinton, his writers even more shameless than Aaron Spelling's, was torn between three possible candidates, though the President betrayed a misunderstanding of basic genre requirements in that none of his picks looked good in a halter top (still, some people admit to finding Bruce Babbitt cute in a kind of cheerful, nonthreatening way).

Here's the latest Clinton plot twist: Can Dan Rostenkowski prod the big health-care bill through his Ways and Means Committee before he's indicted on low-rent financial-irregularities charges? With the fate of the entire presidency allegedly resting on the shoulders of this unlikely hero, one can only note that even Melrose Place pays some obeisance to the notion of plausibility. Still, we all want to see what happens next.

We didn't use to think of politics in quite these terms--Eisenhower, surely, would not have appreciated being bound up in a flip essay with Aromavision (Clinton probably doesn't either, but one imagines he's grown used to this sort of thing). Thirty-odd years of expecting Presidents to be adept television performers and 30-odd years of Presidents' playing to that expectation--the catch in Reagan's voice, the tug on Clinton's lip--have chipped away at our notions of intimacy, dignity and content, leaving behind a fat appetite for sheer spectacle. Not always by design, the Clinton Administration is far and away the most entertaining in recent memory (excepting, of course, its wonky bits). Nannygate, the $200 haircut, Gore-Perot, Whitewater, Troopergate, Hillary's commodities trades...we've had a government in chronic sweeps mode for more than a year.

Whether all this is good governance is beyond the purview of this essay--and probably this electorate. The only real question is (you ask it, we ask it, the White House asks it): Will the ratings hold up?