The Week October 23-29

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NATION

Gunfire at the White House

A man pulled out a semiautomatic rifle on the Pennsylvania Avenue sidewalk north of the White House, put the weapon to the fence and fired 20 to 30 shots at the presidential residence. One bullet pierced the White House press briefing room. Bill Clinton, just back from a trip to the Middle East, was in the White House at the time watching football, and was unharmed. Onlookers subdued the gunman before Secret Service agents took him into custody. Early Saturday evening authorities identified the suspect as Francisco Martin Duran, 26, of Colorado; no motive was provided.

The Politics of Desertion

New York City Republican Mayor Rudolph Giuliani set off one of the more spectacular political bombshells of this election season by publicly endorsing one of the biggest Democratic pols targeted by the G.O.P.: New York Governor Mario Cuomo. Giuliani, who was blasted by party leaders for his insubordination, may have gambled his political career on the endorsement. He said his decision to pass over Republican challenger George Pataki came after asking himself, "Who has the best chance in the next four years of successfully fighting for ((the city's)) interests?" Pataki is closely allied with Giuliani's Republican foe, New York Senator Alfonse D'Amato.

The Politics of Immigration

California Governor Pete Wilson took his anti-immigration re-election strategy one step further by suggesting that in order to thwart illegal aliens, state residents should be required to present official identity cards to get a job, go to school or obtain nonemergency health care. His Democratic opponent, Kathleen Brown, promptly called it a "Big Brother" proposal. Meantime, Senate G.O.P. candidate Michael Huffington -- another strong anti- immigrationist -- acknowledged that he had employed an illegal-alien nanny for five years.

The Politics of Brawl

Massachusetts voters were treated to the equivalent of a barroom brawl as Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy and Republican challenger Mitt Romney duked it out over abortion, health care and crime in televised debates. In one particularly nasty exchange, during which Romney suggested that Kennedy had profited from a sweetheart real estate deal, Kennedy jabbed, "Mr. Romney, the Kennedys are not in public service to make money. We have paid too high a price."

The Politics of North

Even as Oliver North, the G.O.P. candidate for Senator from Virginia, continued to hammer away at Democratic incumbent Charles Robb's extramarital indiscretions, voters were reminded of ghosts in North's own closet. North paraded former Iran-contra players Edwin Meese and Elliott Abrams to vouch for his integrity. Meanwhile, Nancy Reagan publicly called North a liar.

Race-Based Scholarships

In a decision with national implications, a federal appeals court struck down a special scholarship program set up for blacks by the University of Maryland as an inappropriate remedy for past discrimination there. The ruling challenges the Clinton Administration policy of favoring such minority scholarships to promote diversity on college campuses. The university said it would appeal.

Lexington Rumbles