President Clinton and congressional Republicans wrapped up their budget
talks . Clinton had demanded tax cuts for the working poor, while the GOP
had demanded tax cuts for the upper-middle class. They compromised by giving
tax cuts to everyone. Meanwhile, they threw out proposed premium hikes for
wealthy people on Medicare. The political consensus is that Clinton won all the
battles, but the GOP won the war (for a budget package with tax cuts). The
fiscal consensus is that politicians of both parties have once again managed to
take credit for a windfall not of their making (since the economy is generating
enough revenue to balance the budget without any deal) and squander the
windfall on politically calculated handouts. (7/28)
            

            The
scandal over deaf Mexican slaves widened. First, police found 57 deaf
Mexicans in "virtual slavery" in Queens ( New York Times ); then similar
rackets were busted in North Carolina and Chicago. The Mexicans were smuggled
into the United States, miserably housed, and forced to peddle $1 trinkets (in
places like the subway) to make money for their "pimps." The media bemoaned the
vulnerability of illegal immigrants (trapped by their fear that outsiders will
discover they're illegal) and congratulated Mayor Rudy Giuliani for rescuing
the New York slaves. Eventually, the Times conceded that the conditions
in Mexico, which these immigrants had fled and to which none so far want to
return, were just as bad. "In a country of many poor and marginalized people,
the deaf are almost invisible," grieved the Times . (7/28)
            

            Case
closed: Alleged "spree killer" Andrew Cunanan , who was being hunted by
the FBI for the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace and others, killed
himself. The premature anticlimax disappointed the media, but they continued to
milk the story anyway. Autumn Jackson was convicted of trying to extort $40
million from Bill Cosby . Her lawyer is contemplating a paternity suit,
which might oblige Cosby to take a blood test. A jury cleared Carroll
O'Connor of slander for calling his deceased son's cocaine supplier "a
partner in murder." The pusher portrayed the verdict as a victory for
celebrities. The jurors portrayed it as a defeat for scum. Reputed Mafia boss
Vincent "Chin" Gigante reported to prison after being convicted of
racketeering and conspiracy to murder. (7/28)
            

            
               Bill
Weld resigned as governor of Massachusetts to campaign for the job of U.S.
ambassador to Mexico. He has been nominated by President Clinton, but Sen.
Jesse Helms, R-N.C., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
has vowed to quash the nomination on the grounds that Weld is soft on drugs.
Analysts agree that 1) Helms' opposition guaranteed that Weld had almost no
chance of getting the job to begin with; 2) Weld's caustic remarks about Helms
in the last couple of weeks have further doomed his chances; and 3) Weld's
resignation won't help him. The subtle theory is that Weld knows he will lose
but is positioning himself for a GOP presidential run in 2000. The crude theory
is that Weld just loves a good fight, particularly with Helms.
(7/28)
            

            Update
on the campaign-finance hearings : Johnny Chung told the Los Angeles
Times that the $50,000 check he handed to Hillary Clinton's chief of staff
at the White House had been solicited by Mrs. Clinton's staff, explicitly to
help pay for White House Christmas parties billed to the Democratic National
Committee. Chung explained, "I see the White House is like a subway: You have
to put in coins to open the gates." Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott called
Attorney General Janet Reno "Stonewall Reno" for 1) opposing immunity for
Buddhist nuns whose testimony might implicate Democratic officials, and 2)
refusing to appoint an independent counsel. Former GOP chairman Haley Barbour
testified in defense of his National Policy Forum, through which a Hong Kong
businessman provided collateral for a loan that ended up helping GOP
congressional races. Pundits vouched that Barbour was a swell buddy of theirs
and that he had acquitted himself brilliantly. Reviews of the senators so far:
Thompson--fair and brave; Glenn--petty and partisan; Lieberman--honest and
constructive; Torricelli--servile and sanctimonious. For Slate's take, see
Jacob Weisberg's "Dispatch."(7/28)
            

            DNA
evidence shows that Neanderthals were not our ancestors. Some analysts
argued that the research supports two politically important theories: 1) Humans
have had so little time to diverge genetically that the differences between
human "races" are trivial, and 2) our common ancestors came from Africa
(Cro-Magnons) and drove the Europeans (Neanderthals) to extinction. Why didn't
we interbreed with the Neanderthals when they were still around? Because they
were ugly, says the Los Angeles Times . (7/28)
            

            Miscellany: An American
reporter says he saw Pol Pot tried for genocide and sentenced to life
imprisonment by a Khmer Rouge tribunal July 25. Length of the trial: two hours.
Analysts speculated that this is the Khmer Rouge's bid for legitimacy in
Cambodia's latest factional power struggle. Retired Supreme Court Justice
William Brennan died. Liberals called him the greatest hero in a century of
jurisprudence. Conservatives noted their disagreements with him but remembered
him as a man of principle and a truly nice guy. Peruvian President Alberto
Fujimori is in deep trouble: Citizens are angry over his alleged illegal
wiretapping and suppression of journalists, and newly discovered documents
indicate that he may have been born in Japan rather than Peru, which would make
him ineligible for his job. The Army discharged a 20-year decorated
veteran one week before he would have been eligible for retirement
benefits, because investigators discovered evidence of his homosexuality after
an arsonist torched his home. Jan Ullrich became the first German cyclist to
win the Tour de France. (7/28)