A COMPROMISED CRIME BILL?

Even as President Clinton pushed for the resurrection of the crime bill, the House Democratic leadership is watering it down so that it can actually become a law, sources tell TIME Washington Correspondent Julie Johnson. Today, Clinton portrayed the bill as a memorial to high-profile crime victims like Polly Klass, the child kidnapped and murdered last year in Northern California. His chief of staff, Leon Panetta, insisted that an assault weapons ban was a key part of any crime plan. Yet, the House Democratic Leadership is busy working on a compromise that could dilute this specific provision to appease the conservatives, Johnson says. Provided Clinton has not drawn a line in the sand, expect a new crime bill on the House floor by the end of the week.