The Week May 15-21

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