Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1995)
News Digest Tuesday, February 7,1995 Page 2 Clinton proposes budget, tells GOP to find deep cuts WASHINGTON — President Clinton unveiled a $ 1.61 trillion bud get for 1996 on Monday that mixes mild tax relief and spending reduc tions with a sharp message to Repub licans commanding Congress: You want deeper cuts, go find them. GOP leaders said they eventually would do just that to finance their hugely expensive promises of even bigger tax reductions while balanc ing the budget. And in their own political attack, they accused Clinton of failing to rein in red ink. “Without the president’s leader ship I don’t know where we are go ing,” taunted Senate Budget Com mittee Chairman Pete Domenici, R N.M. “You will not get a balanced budget without the leadership of the president.” In the first fiscal outline that a Democratic president has sent a GOP controlled Congress since 1948, Clinton heeded the popular mood by emphasizing downsizing and effi ciency. There is no general tax in crease, the Energy Department and four other agencies are shrunk and more than 400 mostly small programs are slashed or combined. “We’re not cutting government blindly,” Clinton said as he intro duced his blueprint for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. “We’re clearing away yesterday ’ s government to make room for the solutions to the prob lems we face today and tomorrow.” The budget’s centerpiece is $144 billion in savings for the next five years, when the government will spend nearly $9 trillion. Clinton would use $63 billion of the reductions to lower taxes for mil lions of middle-income families and savers, and the remaining $81 billion to steady annual deficits at about the $200 billion level through the de cade. The bottom line for 1996: red ink of $196.7 billion, $4.2 billion more than is expected in 1995. Yet the savings yielded are but an anthill compared with the task Con gress’ new Republican chieftains have set for themselves. Their proposed tax cuts would cost nearly $200 bil lion, and their pledge to balance the budget by the year 2002 would take another $1.2 trillion in savings, ac cording to the nonpartisan Congres sional Budget Office. It was plain that Clinton’s strategy was to let the GOP find its own sav ings —* and bear any public hostility that results. Republicans have so far revealed none of their plans, which they say they hope to nail down by the spring. “I challenge the leadership of the Congress to do what we have doae,” said Clinton, flanked by two mam moth charts listing the programs he would erase and shrink. To trim the budget, Clinton pro posed cutting military spending, sell ing federal assets ranging from ex cess uranium to power-producing dams, and eliminating another 36,000 government jobs. That would bring to 173,000 the number of slots in the bureaucracy erased since Vice Presi dent A1 Gore began his effort to rein vent government in 1993. The government would speed its shift to loans made directly to college AP students rather than costlier aid that flows through banks, a change the GOP opposes. NASA would rely on private companies to communicate with satellites, and aid to Amtrak would be pinched. And 271 small programs would be folded into 27 — mostly grants to state and local gov ernments for public health, transpor tation, education and housing. Spaceships fly in close formation CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Two 100-ton spaceships - the biggest ever to converge in space — flew in formation just 37 feet apart Monday in the first U.S.-Russian rendezvous in 20 years. “Unbelievable,” Discovery’s com mander said. “Almost like a fairy tale,” Mir’s commander said. It almost didn’t happen. Russian space officials gave in at the last minute, allowing Discovery and its crew of six to creep close despite fears that a leaking jet would damage equipment on Mir. “We are bringing our spaceships closer together. We are bringing our nations closer together,” Discovery’s commander, James Wetherbee, said at the moment of closest approach in the mission, a dress rehearsal for the first shuttle-Mir docking in June. Wetherbee repeated his message in Russian for the benefit of the three Mir cosmonauts, and station com mander Alexander Viktorenko replied that all nine space travelers were involved in the “greatest profession God could give anyone.” Later, after it was all over, President Clinton called Discovery from the Oval Office to congratulate die astronauts. “We’re all so impressed,” Clinton said. “This really proves, I think, that Russians and Americans can work together and that we can make this international space station project successful. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all the work that all of you have done to that end.” The encounter began 245 miles above the Pacific Ocean and lasted just 13 minutes, climaxing at 2:20 p.m. EST as both spaceships circled Earth at 17,500 mph. Spectacular video scenes beamed | down from Mir showed Discovery just 400 feet away and closing. A comer of the sprawling Mir station could be seen in some shots, with a cloud-covered, blue planet as the backdrop. At the same time, Discovery’s cameras zoomed in on Mir. NASA simultaneously broadcast both im ages on its television circuit. Discovery’s Russian crew mem ber, Vladimir Titov, was seen smil ing and waving from a shuttle win dow at the Mir cosmonauts. It was the first encounter between U.S. and Russian spacecraft since the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz docking and re quired some of the most precise steer ing in 14 years of space shuttle flight. The Apollo and Soyuz capsules were considerably smaller. Sister tells of Nicole’s last night alive LUS ANUELES — O.J. Simpson had a “spooky... frightening” look in his eye during a dance recital for his daughter hours before Nicole Brown Simpson was stabbed to death, and sat by himself in the back of the auditorium, staring at his ex-wife, Ms. Simpson’s sister testified Mon day. Defense attorneys challenging her testimony showed the jury a home video in which a laughing Simpson scoops up his son and kisses his fam ily that evening after the recital. The tape was taken by another parent. Prosecutor Christopher Darden objected to showing the tape but said v it doesn’t contradict Brown’s testi mony. As Judge Lance Ito previewed the tape with the jury out of the room, Simpson rocked back in his chair and gestured toward his face as if to point out that he looked neither glazed nor spooky, as his former sister-in-law had claimed. Brown, 37, has publicly declared her belief that Simpson killed her sister and Ronald Goldman hours af ter the recital. In a gentle cross-examination style, defense attorney Robert Shapiro began his effort to show jurors that Brown had changed history in her mind after the murders and was exag gerating the problems of Simpson and her sister. Darden was the first to bring out the fact that Brown is a recovering alcoholic, and under cross-examina tion she acknowledged she could not remember how many drinks she had on the nights of the three key inci dents. Last week, Brown told jurors that an enraged Simpson hurled his wife against a wall and tossed her and her friends out of his house when Brown accusedhim of taking her sister Nicole for granted. Simpson trial update ► Denise Brown detailed the day her sister was murdered, saying O.J. Simpson had a “frightening" look in his eye at a dance recital that day for the couple's daughter. ► The defense showed a video taken by a parent at the dance recital in which Simpson is smiling and joking. Lawyers noted the contrast between his demeanor in the video and in descriptions from witnesses. AP Mastermind admits guilt NEW YORK — The alleged mastermind of a campaign of bombings and assassinations pleaded guilty Monday to plotting a war of urban terrorism and ac cused his religious leader of in spiring and approving the plan. Cutting a deal with prosecutors who had called him the ringleader, Siddig Ibrahim Siddig Ali told a federal judge he was sorry for his involvement in a plot that “does not reflect Islam at all.” Siddig Ali said Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman had given him a fatwa, or religious order, to kill Egypt’s president and to bomb the United Nations and bridges and tunnels linking New York City with New Jersey. The plea halted the biggest ter rorism trial in U.S. history at least temporarily, as defense lawyers for the sheik and 10 other defen dants scrambled to see if it was ; possible to salvage the proceed ings. Opening statements began last week. The government alleged the conspiracy included plans to blow up the United Nations; FBI head quarters in New York; and the Holland and Lincoln tunnels and George Washington Bridge, used daily by tens of thousands of com muters. Prosecutors contend the only two acts carried out by the defen dants and other unindicted co-con spirators were the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, which killed six and injured more than 1,000, and the assassination of militant Rabbi Meir Kahane. One of the defendants in the terror trial, El Sayyid Nosair, was convicted in state court of weapons viola tions in the Kahane slaying but acquitted of murder. Siddig Ali said he and govern ment informer Emad Salem origi nally planned to bomb “military targets.” But “after hearing a ser mon by the sheik regarding the United Nations, I asked the sheik for a fatwa to attack the United Nations, and I was told by the sheik it was permissible.” Siddig Ali said Salem had told him he had been making bombs “at Nosair’s request” and Nosair had told him to kidnap Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. He concluded his speech with an apology, saying he wanted to “send a clear message to all Mus lims and non-Muslims all over the world that the acts that I personally was involved in with others does not represent Islam and does not reflect Islam at all, because God did not tell us to kill innocent people for his sake.” Siddig Ali signed a cooperation agreement with the government, though prosecutors did not say whether he had agreed to testify against the others. Judge Michael Mukasey told Siddig Ali he would face life in prison unless he followed through on his promise of “substantial co operation.” Siddig Ali, 34, of Jersey City, N.J., was accused of conspiracy to wage a war of urban terrorism and to murder Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and related weap ons charges. jNews... in a Minute U.S., China will resume talks WASHINGTON — The United States and China will resume talks next week in Beijing in hopes of heading off a brewing trade war, the Clinton administration’s top trade official said Monday. The offer to resume the talks came less than 24 hours after the United States said it would impose 100 percent tariffs on $1.08 billion worth of Chinese products. The amount is roughly equal to what American businesses say they lose because of Chinese piracy of copyrighted U.S. music, movies and computer software. “I don’t know how China could have responded more quickly,” an upbeat Kantor said. But he cautioned that “we’re not going to rule anything out” if the talks collapse and the Chinese follow through with their threat to retaliate with their own tariffs. China said last week it would retaliate with its own sanctions if the tariffs go into effect as scheduled on Feb. 26. Russia starts air attack on Grozny ALKHAN-YURT, Russia — Russian forces attacked Chechnya’s capital region from the air Monday, targeting petrochemical plants in maneuvers one rebel leader described as acts of frustration. “It means they’re losing hope of taking Grozny,” said Salaudin Kitayev, a Chechen commander, standing on the outskirts of Alkhan Yurt as Russian fighter-bombers dropped their cargo. “Otherwise, they’d save the factories for themselves.” Russia has been unable to take.Grozny, the secessionist republic’s capital, despite a ferocious five-week offensive. Fierce fighting also was reported Monday on the ground in Grozny south of the Sunzha River, a rough front line for weeks. The air attacks quickened the exodus from the capital, once home to 400,000 people. Nebraskan FAX NUMBER 472-1761 The Daily NebraskanfUSPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Ne braska Union 34,1400 R St., Lincoln, NE 68588-0448, Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly during summer sessions. Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by phoning 472-1763 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The public also has access to the Publications Board. For information, contact Tim Hedegaard, 436-9258. Subscription price is $50 for one year. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St.,Lincoln, NE 68588-0448. Second-class postage paid at Lincoln, WE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 199s DAILY NEBRASKAN*