The Week April 17 -23

NATION

Richard Nixon Dies

Former President Richard Nixon died in New York City after suffering a devastating stroke that had left him in a deep coma.

Hillary Speaks

In an extraordinary televised news conference, Hillary Rodham Clinton coolly and meticulously explained some of the financial intricacies of her commodities trading and her family's Whitewater real estate investment. She steadfastly denied that she or the President had engaged in any improprieties, but acknowledged that she had not been sensitive enough to the public's right to know. Though she initially opposed appointing a special counsel, the First Lady now says she welcomes the investigation.

Crime Bill Passes House

The House passed a $28 billion get-tough crime bill that would expand the use of the federal death penalty, put three-time violent felony or drug offenders behind bars for life, increase the number of police and prisons and boost funding for crime prevention and rehabilitation. In a surprise victory for liberals, the Congressional Black Caucus gained a provision that would allow death-row inmates to base challenges to their sentences on statistical evidence of racial bias. The House version must now be reconciled with a Senate bill.

Gender Bias Gets Clipped

- By a 6-to-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution's Equal- Protection Clause forbids the use of peremptory challenges to exclude jurors on the basis of their sex.

King's Damages: $3.8 Million

After four days of deliberations, a civil jury awarded Rodney King $3.8 million in compensatory damages for his 1991 beating at the hands of Los Angeles police. Jurors now have to decide whether to assess punitive damages against the police.

Woolsey Spills Some Beans

CIA Director R. James Woolsey made a highly unusual public disclosure when he acknowledged on NBC's Today show the existence of major espionage investigation "cases" against officials at a number of agencies resulting from evidence uncovered in the intelligence dossiers of the former Soviet Union and its once communist allies. Woolsey's loose lips infuriated congressional overseers and fbi investigators, prompting Woolsey to backtrack and say the "cases" were actually just "leads."

Health-Care Maneuvers

With White House blessing, Senate majority leader George Mitchell began circulating several leaner, alternative versions of universal health-care reforms, including trimmed benefits and reduced employer contributions. In the House, Energy and Commerce chairman John Dingel floated his own new compromise, which offered exemptions to small businesses. House Ways and Means chairman Dan Rostenkowski, meanwhile, argued for a tax hike to help pay for reformed health care.

Rosty's Social Security Fix

Rostenkowski also proposed a set of potentially controversial changes to shore up Social Security, a week after release of a government report showing that the system remains in financial trouble. Among the proposals: lower cost of living increases, lower benefits and higher taxes.

Kelso Retains His Stars