Two
suicide bombers killed at least 14 people and injured more than 150 at a
vegetable market in Jerusalem. Palestinian officials denounced the bombings,
but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the Palestinian government
for freeing terrorists "to prowl in our cities." A Netanyahu aide said Israel
"cannot continue with negotiations as long as such strikes take place, and the
Palestinian Authority does nothing to stop them." A few Israelis who saw the
carnage dismissed the current "peace" as a bad joke and called for war against
the Arabs. (7/30)
President Clinton and congressional Republicans struck a budget deal .
Clinton had demanded tax cuts for the working poor (as well as for the middle
class), while the GOP had demanded tax cuts for the upper-middle class, and
congressional Democrats had demanded more spending for their pet programs.
Thanks to the booming economy (and unspecified future spending cuts), all sides
got what they wanted. Meanwhile, the negotiators threw out proposed premium
hikes for wealthy people on Medicare. The consensus is that both parties have
once again fed us our dessert (while telling us it's nourishing and fat-free)
instead of our spinach. (7/30)
Update
on the campaign-finance hearings: Witnesses detailed how Charlie Trie
laundered $1.4 million in foreign money for the Democratic Party. 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. 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 against accusations that he laundered money
from Hong Kong. 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." (7/30)
Apple
co-founder Steve Jobs is about to become the company's chairman,
according to various reports. This would complete the return and vindication of
the company's prodigal son, who had lost a long-ago power struggle with former
Apple CEO John Sculley. Pessimists speculated that Jobs' caustic perfectionism
would make it hard to hire a good CEO. Optimists argued that Jobs could supply
Apple's immediate needs: strategic vision and a morale boost for employees and
investors. (7/30)
The
Khmer Rouge tried Pol Pot for genocide and sentenced him to life under
house arrest. Editorialists denounced the trial as a "charade" on several
grounds: 1) He was tried by his own murderous faction instead of an
international tribunal, evidently to gain credibility for the Khmer Rouge
within and beyond Cambodia. 2) The "trial" consisted of two hours of
pep-rally-style denunciations and audience response, without due process. 3)
There's no reason to think that the sentence will be enforced, and the Khmer
Rouge refuses to hand him over to anyone else for a real trial. Commentators
who saw video of the trial noted that the aged defendant didn't look like a man
who killed so many people single-handedly, that the henchmen who had helped him
do it are escaping justice, and that one of them (dictator Hun Sen) is on his
way to becoming the next Pol Pot. (7/30)
Bill
Cosby has taken a blood test to determine whether he is Autumn Jackson's
father, according to Cosby's lawyer, John Schmitt. The results are not yet in.
Schmitt said the purpose of the test is to end "Bill's trial in the court of
public opinion" by proving that he is not Jackson's father. Since paternity
cannot be established unless Jackson is also tested, Schmitt challenged Jackson
to comply. This comes after Jackson was convicted of trying to extort $40
million from Cosby. (7/30)
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. 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)
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)
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)
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: 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)
