The week's big news, and how's it's being spun.
Jan. 11 1998 3:30 AM

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William Saletan William Saletan

Will Saletan writes about politics, science, technology, and other stuff for Slate. He’s the author of Bearing Right.

Indonesia is collapsing economically and "dragging down most of [Southeast Asia's] currency and stock markets with it" (Washington Post). The currency of the world's fourth-most-populous country plunged 26 percent in a single day, its stock market fell 12 percent, and its citizens cleaned out grocery stores, raising fears of political upheaval. Indonesian President Suharto spurned austerity measures demanded by the International Monetary Fund, which caused the United States to warn that the IMF might halt its bailout, which caused panic, which worsened the economy, which makes it harder to fulfill the IMF's demands, and so on. Analysts blame Suharto's authoritarianism, which 1) insulates him from his people's woes; 2) emboldens him to defy the IMF; and 3) creates political instability by depriving him of legitimacy in the absence of economic growth. (1/9)

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Accused Unabomber Ted Kaczynski reportedly tried to hang himself with his underwear. Federal marshals noticed marks on his neck Thursday morning and then, as he changed from his prison jumper into his courtroom slacks, noticed he was not wearing underwear. Meanwhile, Kaczynski derailed his trial by asking to throw out his lawyers and represent himself, evidently because he can't bear the mental-illness defense they insist on presenting. The trial will be postponed while his mental competence is examined. Pundits pondered whether Kaczynski has proved he's nuts by 1) refusing to let his lawyers argue that he's nuts and 2) preferring to kill himself. (1/9)

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Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols escaped the death penalty. His jury couldn't agree on a sentence, so the judge, who isn't allowed to issue a death sentence, will decide his punishment instead. Pundits deemed the jurors' inconsistent views on the sentence consistent with their inconsistent verdict. The betting is that Nichols will get a life sentence and a state trial that could end in a death sentence. Creepiest spin: The jury forewoman, Niki Deutchman, suggested that the government was dishonest and "arrogant" during the trial and that this is the sort of thing that alienates lots of people and led to the bombing. Families of the victims angrily concluded that the jury let Nichols off easy because it was mad at the government. (1/9)

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World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Ahmed Yousef was sentenced to a lifetime of solitary confinement. Yousef used his pre-sentence speech to denounce the "Jewish lobby" and declared, "I am a terrorist and I am proud of it." Judge Kevin Duffy responded by sentencing Yousef to life plus 240 years in prison. He also recommended Yousef be put in solitary confinement in a windowless cell (allowing him one hour a day of exercise in a big cage in which he still can't see the sky) and that Yousef never be allowed to phone his family or see anyone other than his lawyers. Duffy also ordered Yousef to pay $250-million restitution, so that Yousef can never profit from selling his story. On the bright side, Yousef was spared the death penalty. (1/9)

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Rep. Sonny Bono died of head injuries after skiing into a tree. Colleagues fondly recalled Bono's unpretentiousness and his sense of humor. Commentators groped for meaning in the similar ski-tree deaths of Bono and Michael Kennedy. Theories: 1) They died of "testosterone poisoning," i.e., of skiing recklessly. 2) They died so that we might learn to wear helmets while skiing. 3) The Washington Post's conclusion: "Trees kill." The ski industry's rebuttals: 1) Cycling, boating, and bathing are statistically more dangerous. 2) Making skiers wear helmets would just encourage recklessness by giving them a false sense of security. 3) If skiing weren't dangerous, it wouldn't be much fun, now, would it? (1/7)

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A fertility researcher says he has assembled the doctors and volunteers necessary to begin cloning humans. Physicist Richard Seed (his real name) plans to establish a for-profit human-cloning clinic in Chicago and is looking for investors. He plans to induce a clone pregnancy within a year and a half, using the same technique that produced Dolly the sheep. His philosophy: "God intended for man to become one with God. ... Cloning and the reprogramming of DNA is the first serious step in becoming one with God." His business plan: "The first [clone] will cost $1 million. If I find a customer who will pay for it, he or she goes to the top of the list." He says he'll move the clinic to Mexico or the Caribbean if the U.S. government tries to stop him. (1/7)

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David Brinkley has become the pitchman for the Archer Daniels Midland Co. In ADM ads running during This Week (the ABC news program Brinkley hosted for years), he tells viewers that he has always "brought you the news ... straight and true" and now "will bring you information about food, the environment, agriculture." Pundits lambasted 1) Brinkley, for selling out; 2) ADM, for adding a journalist to its alleged payroll of politicians; 3) ABC, for letting the ads air during Brinkley's old show; and 4) This Week co-anchors Cokie Roberts and Sam Donaldson, for distancing the program from Brinkley's ads despite their own "buck-raking" speeches. The final insult: He didn't even need the money (Maureen Dowd). (See "Pundit Central" for the commentariat'sspin.) (1/7)

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President Clinton is proposing to let people buy into Medicare at age 55 if they've been laid off and at age 62 if they've retired. The White House says participants will pay their own way but admits that Clinton might eventually subsidize those who can't afford it. Republicans denounced the proposal as a sneaky, incremental resurrection of the big-government health-care plan they killed in 1994. While agreeing with Republicans that the plan might well cost billions more than advertised, pundits pronounced it a political winner for Clinton. (1/7)

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Miscellany: Algerian terrorists have slaughtered nearly 1,000 villagers in the past week, prompting speculation that the body count is getting high enough to provoke international intervention. (See Slate's "International Papers" for reactions from around the globe.) An autopsy confirmed that comedian Chris Farley died of an opiate and cocaine overdose, just like John Belushi. Geraldine Ferraro said she'll run against Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, R-N.Y., calling him "Sen. Pothole." (See Slate's "Assessment" of Ferraro.) A federal judge in Dallas struck down key sections of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, theoretically letting the Baby Bells into the long-distance market. Analysts called the decision screwy and predicted it will be overturned. Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi won re-election. Pundits concluded, as one told the New York Times, that Moi's party had "cheated as little as possible and as much as necessary" to win. (1/7)

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Michael Kennedy died of head injuries after slamming into a tree during a family game of football-on-skis. The spins, in descending moral order: 1) Another tragedy for America's royal family. Let's talk about his good works and forget about that affair with his kids' baby sitter. 2) Kennedys used to die while serving their country. Now they die of self-indulgent recklessness. 3) Come to think of it, the whole family has been reckless all along. 4) Here come the revisionists again, hyping a dead Kennedy's good works and ignoring his misbehavior. 5) Here come the Kennedy conspiracy theorists and gossip vultures again, chiding the family while exploiting its misery. 6) Hey, at least this time no innocent bystanders got killed. 7) Now that Michael is out of the picture and voters feel weepy for the Kennedys again, Joe can re-enter the race for governor of Massachusetts. (1/5)

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Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy resigned, leaving the government of President Benjamin Netanyahu within two parliamentary seats of collapse. Levy was protesting Netanyahu's insufficient funding of social-welfare programs and his intransigence in peace talks with the Palestinians. Analysts predict that 1) peace talks will suffer in the short term because Netanyahu must rely increasingly on right-wing support, but 2) to avoid losing a parliamentary vote of confidence, Netanyahu will soon call new elections, which he might well lose. Palestinian leaders have their fingers crossed. (International Papers rounds up reactions and analyses from some Israeli newspapers.) (1/5)

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Sports roundup: Michigan won the Rose Bowl and was named college football's best team in the sportswriters' poll. Nebraska won the Orange Bowl and was named the best team in the coaches' poll. Commentators went on debating which team was better. In the National Football League playoffs, the Denver Broncos will play the Pittsburgh Steelers for one berth in the Super Bowl, and the San Francisco 49ers will play the Green Bay Packers for the other. The big story was the Broncos' upset victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Sentimentalists groaned that the Chiefs had choked again. Cynics predicted that the Broncos will advance to the Super Bowl, where they will choke again. (1/5)