Return to sender

After a two-year investigation, the U.S. Postal Service on May 9 busted a massive child pornography ring, arresting 45 suspects in 36 states for selling lurid videos of children ages 7-11. Shortly after, Mexican officials promised to quickly crack down on such activity after learning that the videos showed mostly Mexican children.

Going for a record

The Freemen's Montana standoff with federal agents reached a milestone on May 14 when it passed day 51, exceeding in length the infamous 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff federal agents staged with David Koresh's followers. Meanwhile, Colorado legislator Charles Duke on May 15 traveled to the Freemen's ranch in hopes of mediating an end to the stand-off.

Whitewater

As prosecutors in Little Rock were wrapping up their Whitewater conspiracy case, first-lady confidante Susan Thomases made her fourth visit to Capitol Hill May 14 to answer questions about her role in the scandal. On May 9, a House panel voted to hold in contempt of Congress three White House aides for withholding documents from the committee in connection with the travel office scandal.

Citizen Dole

In what pundits called the best speech ever given by Bob Dole, the longtime senator from Kansas and GOP presidential candidate announced his resignation May 15 from the U.S. Senate to concentrate full-time on the uphill task of unseating the incumbent president. The announcement touched off an immediate battle over the majority leader post being vacated by Mr. Dole. The favorite: Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, a former congressman and protege of Speaker Newt Gingrich. Mr. Dole's senate term is good for two more years; Kansas congressman Sam Brownback, a freshman Republican, has indicated an interest in being appointed by the state's Republican governor to fill the vacancy. Mr. Dole had been frustrated by a Democratic minority determined to bog down his legislative initiatives. One day before Mr. Dole's resignation speech, the senator removed from consideration a bill to repeal President Clinton's 1993 gasoline tax increase. Republicans fell six votes short May 14 in an effort to break a filibuster of the bill by Democrats who were demanding a vote on raising the minimum wage; only one Democrat broke ranks and supported the Republicans. In other congressional action, the House May 16 approved another seven-year balanced budget plan 226-195, with the support of only five Democrats; the plan would trim taxes by $124 billion and save $700 billion in projected spending on Medicare, welfare, and other domestic programs. President Clinton's budget was defeated 304-117. Two days earlier, the House approved a $266.7 billion defense reauthorization bill that retains a ban on abortions at military hospitals. The abortion provision passed by a slim 33-vote margin. On May 10, under a plan approved 393-15 by the House, adoptive families would get a $5,000 tax credit and many obstacles to interracial adoptions would be removed. Supporters said the measure would get more people interested in adoption and reduce the number of youngsters, particularly minority children, who sometimes spend years in foster care. The House also OK'd legislation May 9 to overhaul the nation's public-housing system. A key provision substitutes housing vouchers for complex federal rules governing federal housing projects. A Senate version of the bill passed in January; differences in the two versions remain to be settled. And President Clinton May 17 signed a law passed unanimously in the House and by voice vote in the Senate requiring that citizens be notified whenever a sex offender is released into their community.

Limboing under the bar of justice

Jack Kevorkian on May 14 for the third time was acquitted on charges of aiding in the suicide of a patient. This time, he had been charged by the State of Michigan with helping two women-at least one of whom was shown not to be terminally ill-commit suicide. "I now consider this a legitimate medical service," Mr. Kevorkian said.

Church and state

Alaska's legislature on May 7 banned homosexual marriage in that state, showing infinitely more wisdom than America's Episcopal Church, in which a church court on May 15 cleared Bishop Walter Righter of having to face a heresy trial on charges he ordained homosexual priests. In so doing, the church court went against its denomination's own 1979 ban on ordaining practicing homosexuals; it said in an 8-1 ruling that the 1979 law doesn't specifically prohibit ordaining noncelibates.

Spy vs. Spy

On May 7 Russian officials said they would expel nine British diplomats as "career spies," prompting the British government to claim in response that the Russian mafia has been supplying arms to the Irish Republican Army. British officials also accused President Boris Yeltsin of simply staging an election-time ploy to make him look tougher amid his waning popularity. A day earlier, Alexander Korzhakob, Boris Yeltsin's chief bodyguard, floated the idea of postponing that country's elections in a move thought to aid Mr. Yeltsin in his contest against communist rival Gennady Zyuganov. President Boris Yeltsin said May 13 he can win the upcoming election if he joins forces with two rivals-Alexander Lebed and Grigory Yavlinsky.

Two minutes on high

The Food and Drug Administration on May 6 approved a mechanism that uses microwave radiation to reduce extra prostate tissue and aid in bladder and urethra function. The innovation will mean millions of men will finally be able to get real relief from enlarged prostates. And the Food and Drug Administration last week approved the first "home test kit" for the virus that causes AIDS.

More carrot than stick

fter repeated warnings and repeated vacillation on the issue, the Clinton Administration on May 15 produced a list of commercial goods produced in China including clothing and electronics that might be targeted for tariffs; China shot back with a list of its own. The United States on May 7 and 8 threatened $2 billion in trade sanctions against China unless it stepped up its fight against pirating American goods, a promise Chinese officials made in a 1995 agreement concerning protecting intellectual property rights. At the same time, White House strategists are pushing for a congressional extension of "most favored nation" status for China; they picked up a big ally in Bob Dole, who announced support for MFN for China the same day he blasted the administration's "indecision, doubletalk, and incoherence" on foreign policy. In response, a White House statement thanked Mr. Dole for supporting MFN.

In other news

An eight-minute video shot by a United Nations officer was made public on May 6 and showed an Israeli aircraft hovering over a UN compound about the time Israeli forces shelled the area April 18, killing 100. Embarrassed Israeli officials nonetheless claimed the plane was on another mission. Balkans: The Yugoslavia War Crimes Tribunal began on May 7 its trial-the first since the end of World War II-of Dusan Tadic, the former bar owner accused of murder in Serb-run camps in Bosnia. Far East: Thousands of Vietnamese boat people on May 10 torched a Hong Kong detention center during a mass break-out in protest of that government's plans to repatriate them. They were summarily rounded up, and days later, more were deported. Mt. Everest: Eight mountain climbers were killed during a May 10 surprise blizzard while descending from the 29,028-foot-high summit of Nepal's Mt. Everest. Among them was legendary climber Scott Fischer, who was killed trying to save another climber. Elections: On May 5, Conservative Jose Maria Aznar was sworn in as Spain's new prime minister after 13 years of socialist rule. In India, Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao resigned on May 10, conceding the election to Atal Bihari Vajpayee of the rightist Bharatiya Janata Party, who a few days later became the first Indian prime minister from the Hindu nationalist party.

Loss of honor

Fearing embarrassment by a planned article in Newsweek about his improper wearing of combat medals, the Navy's top officer May 16 shot himself to death rather than face an interview with the magazine's Washington bureau chief. Jeremy M. Boorda, a 57-year-old husband and the father of four, took over as chief of naval operations in the wake of the Navy's Tailhook scandal with the mission of restoring the service's honor. One year ago, Adm. Boorda learned he was being investigated about his Vietnam War medals and promptly stopped wearing the combat "V," which he was not entitled to wear. Newsweek editor Maynard Parker claimed in a statement the magazine "had not reached any conclusions" about the medals prior to the scheduled interview.

Swamped by death

Fourteen Marines were killed in the early morning of May 10 when two Marine Corps helicopters collided over a swamp near Camp Lejeune Marine Base, the site of joint U.S-British war games. No British soldiers were killed. Three days later, on May 12, ValuJet flight 592 crashed in the swampy Florida Everglades after taking off from Miami; 110 people were killed-the last was discovered days later when it was learned a baby was on board but not officially listed. On May 15, Federal Aviation Administration officials announced that ValuJet was not authorized to carry on board the flight oxygen generators that last week were thought to have exploded, causing the crash. All week, rescuers battled alligators and poisonous snakes, wading through murky water seeking parts of the 27-year-old, former Delta Airlines DC-9 that, it was later learned, had a history of maintenance problems. In the days following the crash it was learned that the FAA had started a special inspection of ValuJet planes after repeated reports of maintenance troubles, even though the low-fare airline had never suffered a crash since its founding in October of 1993. The FAA investigation has found ValuJet in full compliance with all regulations.

Spare the rod, spoil the child

In a highly publicized case, a Michigan court on May 9 convicted the parents of 16-year-old Alex Provenzino for not disciplining him better, and thus violating a parental responsibility ordinance. The Provenzinos were fined $100 each for their son's burglaries and misbehavior. Meanwhile, Salt Lake City police say a 15-year-old boy there took over a local school bus, then fatally shot himself before crashing it into a house. He had wounded the school bus driver before taking over the bus; about 10 other children managed to flee.

First Amendment, for some

A Massachusetts judge on May 15 rejected the plea of five elementary school parents to keep their children's school from displaying an exhibit of homosexual families, saying the show is protected by the U.S. Constitution's free-speech clause. Meanwhile, on the same day, a New York State judge reversed a ruling against the Walking on Water student Bible club in Roslyn, N.Y.; the earlier ruling had forced the group to accept non-Christians as members, or face charges of violating the school district's anti-bias rules.