The Week April 3 -9

By Melissa August, Margaret Emery, Kathryn Jackson Fallon, Eugene Linden, Lina Lofaro, Michael Quinn and Alain L. Sanders

NATION

Justice Blackmun Retires

Justice Harry Blackmun, the U.S. Supreme Court's senior Justice and the author of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, announced his intention to step down. During his 24 years on the high bench, the 85-year-old Justice -- chosen by Richard Nixon in 1970 -- underwent a highly public evolution from conservative to liberal jurist, becoming one of the court's most passionate defenders of constitutional liberties for ordinary citizens. Retiring Senate majority leader George Mitchell was reported to be near the top of the Clinton list of possible replacements.

Back to Work

After the Clintons ended their vacation by pitching ceremonial baseballs on the opening day of the season -- he in Cleveland, Ohio, she in Chicago -- the President took to the road to pitch his health-care reform proposal. At one televised town meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mr. Clinton took some heavy hits from questioners who challenged him on foreign policy and Whitewater. "Let me be President in 1994 while somebody else worries about what happened in 1979," an irritated Clinton responded.

The Medicare Gap Widens

A federal advisory panel issued a disturbing report on Medicare -- the second in as many weeks. The new report found that the program now pays doctors only about 59% of what private insurers pay, endangering some elderly patients' access to medical care.

The Cost of Welfare Reform

The President's yet to be unveiled overhaul of the welfare system, which includes a work requirement after two years, could add as much as $58 billion over 10 years to the nation's welfare costs and leave some families homeless, according to an Administration memo leaked to the New York Times. Clinton has yet to make any final decisions.

A Different Voting-Rights Plan

A federal judge ordered Maryland's Worcester County to adopt cumulative voting to elect its five countywide commissioners. The plan would allow each voter to cast five votes as he or she wishes -- for separate candidates or, say, cumulatively for one. The method would give black voters, who constitute 21% of the county's population, a chance to elect a black commissioner without creating a black district. The county plans to appeal.

No Warrantless Searches

Facing a tough decision pitting personal security against constitutional rights, a federal judge came down on the side of rights, ruling that police must have warrants before searching for guns in Chicago's public-housing developments, which have become gang- and drug-war zones. President Clinton immediately ordered the Justice and Housing departments to develop a constitutionally permissible search policy to capture the guns and help protect residents.

King Trial Revisionism

Having testified at the Rodney King criminal trials that fellow officers bashed King in the head with their clubs, Theodore Briseno did an about-face at King's $9 million civil trial, stating this time that the blows actually hit King's arm. Why the flip-flop? Briseno said watching an enhanced version of the 1991 videotape changed his mind.

Crayon Recall

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of hundreds of thousands of crayons imported from China and sold under 11 brand names, after finding they contained traces of lead that could poison children who ate or chewed them.

WORLD

Hosokawa Resigns

After weeks of battling allegations of corruption, Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa announced Friday that he would step down. His resignation came as a blow to supporters, who had hoped that Hosokawa's election last summer signaled a departure from the scandal and corruption that have roiled Japanese politics for years.

Gorazde Under Fire

As the U.S. cautiously raised the possibility of using air power to enforce peace in eastern Bosnia, the Muslim enclave of Gorazde, once designated a "safe area" by the U.N., shuddered under continued attack by Serb troops. The U.S. urged the U.N. to offer some protection to the besieged city's 65,000 inhabitants by rushing more peacekeeping forces into the area. On Saturday, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali instructed U.N. troops to use "all available means" to reverse Serb gains there.

New Turmoil in Israel

Continued violence rocked Israel and the occupied territories on Wednesday, when a Palestinian suicide bomber exploded his car beside a bus in the northern Israeli town of Afula, killing seven and wounding 40. Islamic fundamentalists claimed responsibility for the attack, as well as for three incidents on Thursday, in which one Israeli died and five others were wounded. On Friday, Israeli soldiers and Palestinians clashed after the Rev. Jesse Jackson pleaded for peace outside the Hebron mosque where 30 Muslims were shot dead by an Israeli extremist in February. Eight Palestinians were injured in the violence.

No Accident?

The Rwandan capital of Kigali exploded in bloody ethnic violence Wednesday after the Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi died in a suspicious plane crash. Rampaging soldiers killed thousands, including 10 U.N. peacekeepers, Rwanda's acting Prime Minister and more than a dozen priests and nuns. A cease-fire agreement lasted less than 24 hours before rebels escalated attacks on government troops. On Saturday French and Belgian soldiers began to evacuate foreigners.

South Africa Clashes Escalate

Political violence related to demands by some Zulus for a sovereign state in South Africa's Natal province continued to mount, with the death toll reaching . 125 for the past week. Two weeks remain before the country's all-race election, but in a Friday summit, President F.W. de Klerk and African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela failed to persuade Zulu leaders to drop their election boycott.

A Tragic Lesson

An Aeroflot jet pilot was apparently showing his children "the principles of flying" in the cockpit shortly before the plane crashed in Siberia last month, killing all 75 on board, according to a Russian government report. Aeroflot disputed the story.

Postelection Squabbles

The exhilaration among right-wingers following Italy's election of a majority conservative coalition to the Parliament was dampened as party officials bickered over who would govern. By week's end, however, two parties in the alliance had reached an agreement endorsing constitutional changes that could lead to media tycoon and populist leader Silvio Berlusconi's becoming Prime Minister.

New Charges Against Wei

U.S.-China relations threatened to worsen as China announced it was considering bringing new criminal charges against prominent dissident Wei Jingsheng, who was detained last week. Later another well-known dissident, Xu Wenli, was taken into custody by police.

BUSINESS

They're Down! They're Up!

After falling 42.6 points on Monday, the Dow Jones industrials climbed more than 82 points on Tuesday and ultimately ended the week up 38.3 points.

Store Sales Improve

It was a positive week for big retailers. They reported that sales were up 12% over the same month last year, with chronically weak apparel sales making a strong comeback.

Teamster Strike

In the first nationwide walkout by truckers since 1979, as many as 75,000 Teamsters struck to protest plans by shipping companies to hire part-timers and to send more goods by rail. Many of the 22 companies transport raw materials and parts, so even though there were some delays, there was no immediate impact on consumers.

Winning Bid

Northrop Corp., the Los Angeles weapons maker, won the battle for Long Island, New York, military contractor Grumman. Competing with Martin Marietta for the prize, Northrop agreed to pay $62 a share, or about $2.1 billion, for Grumman -- close to $170 million more than Martin Marietta, Grumman's original choice for a partner, was willing to fork over. Grumman had sought a merger to help ensure longevity in the shrinking military industry. Grumman agreed to pay Martin Marietta $50 million to forget their deal. And what will the employees of Grumman get? Most likely, layoffs.

Merger Setbacks

After reading 700 pages of rules governing the cable-television business, Southwestern Bell said no thanks to a planned $4.9 billion merger with Cox, the country's sixth largest cable system. "It's unlikely the cable industry can generate the cash flow we expected," concluded a senior vice president of Southwestern, based in San Antonio, Texas. This deal is the second to fall apart following the FCC announcement of another round of 7% cuts in cable rates. Bell Atlantic mentioned the rate cutbacks when it scuttled its planned $20 billion takeover of TCI last February.

SCIENCE

Fossil Lode in the Gobi Desert

A joint expedition of scientists from the American Museum of Natural History and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences unveiled a trove of fossil remains uncovered last summer in the Gobi Desert. Among the scores of fossils are specimens of a turkey-size creature that resembled both dinosaurs and birds. Perhaps even more important was the discovery of 140 skulls of small mammals that lived 80 million years ago. The mammal finds may provide clues to the evolutionary events that allowed mammals to flourish as the dinosaurs disappeared.

SPORT

Close Shave

It was a mighty sweet victory, and their No. 1 fan, President Clinton, was there to see it. Monday night the Arkansas Razorbacks beat Duke's Blue Devils 76-72, to win the NCAA's 1994 Division I basketball tournament. Scotty Thurman hit the winning shot, giving the team its first national championship.

THE ARTS & MEDIA

Sistine Chapel Restoration

After 14 years of painstaking cleaning and restoration, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes are once again on full view to visitors. A Japanese television network subsidized the project at a cost of about $11 million. Some critics complain that the restoration has made the frescoes much brighter and less nuanced than Michelangelo intended.