New Republic , April 21 (posted Friday, April 4) China retains an unhealthy attachment to Mao, argues the cover story. The Great Helmsman is still widely revered; his crimes have been forgotten; and his muscular, anti-Western brand of nationalism is making a comeback. Also, Newt Gingrich's dilemma: Echoing a recent Newsweek article, TNR claims that Gingrich hasn't paid his $300,000 ethics fine because he fears his wife might leave him if he uses their savings to clear the debt. If, on the other hand, he pays the fine with campaign funds, the political backlash would almost certainly cost him the speakership. In Heaven's Gate news, a columnist writes sympathetically about the cult's theology: "What is a cult but a collection of believers, like the early Christians, who have not yet achieved dominant status?" (For Slate's similar take, see Walter Kirn's "Heaven Can't Wait.") Economist , April 5 (posted Friday, April 4) The cover editorial regrets the collapse of the Republican revolution. Fearful of voter backlash, the GOP has become "a sad collection of drifters, bickerers and Democrats manqués ." With the GOP going soft, Congress will retreat from necessary deficit-reduction and entitlement reform. A related story says Newt Gingrich was right to postpone tax cuts and does not deserve the blame that's being heaped upon him. New York Times Magazine , April 6 (posted Thursday, April 3) The opening feature in a special issue devoted to "The Store" asserts that the retail business is thriving because shopping has become an event: Places like Niketown and Borders have turned the humble store into an "entertainment complex." A story bemoans the success of the Gap and Pottery Barn, saying they have afflicted the United States with an excess of bland good taste. A piece describes how an outlet mall has transformed the sleepy town of Manchester, Vt. The founders of Neiman-Marcus, IKEA, and Virgin are interviewed. Seven contributors write short sketches about their favorite store. Time , Newsweek , and U.S. News & World Report , April 7 (posted Tuesday, April 1) The three newsmagazines reconstruct the Heaven's Gate suicide, trace the cult's history, and link it to burgeoning New Age spiritualism. Newsweek 's meaty package explains Heaven's Gate's daft cosmology and catalogs America's other doomsday sects. (The weirdest is the Brotherhood, an Oregon cult that eats garbage.) Newsweek also hints that 13 Heaven's Gate members--the "ground crew"--may be traveling through the Southwest, waiting for a signal from the spaceship. Time excerpts its own 1979 article about cult leaders Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Lu Nettles (then "Bo" and "Peep"). A U.S. News column describes the attractions of cults, and compares the Heaven's Gate suicides to early Christian martyrs. Newsweek and Time agree that the Internet was an ineffective cult-recruiting tool, and certainly not the cause of the suicides. Also, Time reports that the IRS fails to collect $150 billion a year in owed taxes, largely because its ancient computer system is too crude to catch frauds. Also in Newsweek , a story ("Hillary Power") hooked to the first lady's Africa trip claims that she is making women's rights a centerpiece of U.S. foreign policy. U.S. News examines the growing popularity of illegal sports betting, which now tops $90 billion a year (compared with $2.5 billion in legal sports wagering). Cops have all but stopped enforcing anti-gambling laws, while the rise of Caribbean casinos and Internet gambling has made bookmaking easier than ever. An article investigates the exploitation of Russian women, who are being sold into prostitution throughout Europe and the United States. The New Yorker , April 7 (posted Tuesday, April 1) The Catholic Church must own up to its Holocaust guilt, argues "The Silence." While Pope John Paul II has forged ties with Jews, he refuses to acknowledge Pius XII's cooperation with the Nazis. The article blames the church's nonapology on the doctrine of papal infallibility, which shackles the church to its sordid past. Also, a story chronicles the discovery of rock's Next Big Thing, a 15-year-old guitar phenom named Ben Kweller. A story about the development of HDTV contends that, contrary to laissez-faire dogma, government regulation can help private industry make better products. Weekly Standard , April 7 (posted Tuesday, April 1) After a brief hiatus, the Standard returns to China bashing. The editorial condemns Gore's China trip for its "idiotic good cheer," and asserts that the United States is "getting rolled by Beijing" on human rights, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. An article says that GOP leaders, including Reps. Dick Armey, Bill Paxon, and John Kasich, might oppose renewing China's MFN status when Congress votes on it in July. The cover story, "Liar Liar," lists Clinton's evasions and untruths about campaign fund raising. Among them: Clinton's 1992 promise to ban soft money; his claim that other presidents have used the same fund-raising tactics; and his assertion that there was no quid pro quo for donors. The Nation , April 14 (posted Tuesday, April 1) The Nation inaugurates a series that will outline a set of "first principles" for progressives. Judging by the opening article ("A Progressive Compact"), these principles will combine liberalism and communitarianism: "a right to a job that pays a living wage--and an obligation to work ... a right to bargain collectively--and an obligation to cooperate in the creation of more productive workplaces." Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., announces his nationwide crusade against poverty: America needs more funding for Head Start, health care, and WIC, and higher wages for poor workers, he writes. Also, a story describes how the House subcommittee on economic growth gave special access to companies and lobbyists who contributed to the campaign of Chairman David McIntosh, R-Ind. Rolling Stone , April 17 (posted Tuesday, April 1) The magazine profiles Bert Kreischer, the No. 1 partyer at Florida State, America's No. 1 party school. The article depicts debauchery of every kind, all involving alcohol or women or both. Editor/publisher Jann Wenner co-writes an editorial denouncing U.S. drug policy as "cruel, wrong, and unwinnable." --Compiled by David Plotz and the editors of Slate .