Time

TO OUR READERS 4

LETTERS 22

CHRONICLES 33

COVER: The Mother Who Killed Her Kids 42

Pleading on TV for the return of her "carjacked" children,

South Carolina's Susan Smith tugged at the nation's

heartstrings -- until she told the police where to find the bodies

The Phenomenon: If kids are slain, a parent is often the culprit

The Scapegoats: Why do blacks always get the blame?

POLITICS: Will the Center Hold? 52

Clinton will have to deal with a more polarized Congress

LAW ENFORCEMENT: Maybe Politicians Got It Wrong 63

While three-strikes laws falter, prevention puts a dent in crime

JUSTICE: A Jury of His Peers 64

The panel in the Simpson case is no prosecution dream team

HEALTH: A Sad Day for the Reagans 65

The former President announces he has Alzheimer's disease

THE PRESIDENCY: Expanding the Security Bubble 66

How much of a fortress does the White House have to be?

CUBA: The Rise of Raul 68

Castro's younger brother takes charge of economic reform

BOSNIA: Muslims Take to the Offense 71

For the first time, the Bosnian government scores big victories

BUSINESS: The New Service Class 72

For those with the skills, there are plenty of good jobs

ENTREPRENEURS: What a Fall for Bruce McNall 75

Prison looms for rare-coin tycoon and sports-team king

CRIME: A Global Gusher of Greenbacks 76

Russians and Chinese want dollars, but often get counterfeits

ENVIRONMENT: Godfathers of the Tiger-Skin Trade 77

Organized crime muscles into endangered-species smuggling

SCIENCE: The Tender Side of Dinosaurs 78

A fossil embryo suggests the "monsters" were caring parents

MEDICINE: A Better Way to Test-Tube Babies 79

New methods could make in-vitro fertilization easier on Mom

THE ARTS & MEDIA

Art: The influences that shaped the great Impressionists

80

Cinema: A ferocious Linda Fiorentino in The Last Seduction

82

Television: Scarlett is a soporific maxi-series 83

Theater: Off-Broadway is bubbling with plays gay and sad

84

Music: For Michael Nyman, success is sweet revenge 88

Books: An odd new novel blends fantasy and philosophy 93

John Updike's stories portray duffers-in-waiting 96

Novemberfest is a sour tale of divorce 96

Teen suffering in Snow Angels, a skillful first novel 97

( Was Clarence Thomas the man he seemed to be? 101

PEOPLE 103

ESSAY 104