The Supreme Court rejected independent counsel Ken Starr's request to resolve whether Clinton aide Bruce Lindsey and Secret Service employees must answer questions in the Monica Lewinsky investigation. Instead, these questions will proceed to the U.S. Court of Appeals. For a look at how Starr is recovering ground in his PR battle with President Clinton, click. (6/4/98)

Monica Lewinsky dumped William Ginsburg and hired Jacob Stein and Plato Cacheris as her new lawyers. Theories on why she did it: 1) Unlike Ginsburg, Stein and Cacheris know how to defend high-profile Washington clients. 2) Unlike Ginsburg, they know how to shut up--and proved it by saying nothing when Lewinsky presented them to the press. Ginsburg, meanwhile, went on CNN to deny he had been fired. 3) Unlike Ginsburg, they're willing to make nice with Kenneth Starr in order to avert an indictment of Lewinsky. Pundits hope the parties will cut a deal to get Lewinsky to testify against Clinton. (6/3/98)

Several states held referendums and primary elections June 2. The headlines: 1) Californians approved a ballot measure to replace bilingual education with one year of training in English. Hispanic politicians opposed the measure, but voters supported it across ethnic lines. Pundits think other states will follow suit. 2) Californians rejected a measure that would have banned unions from spending dues on political contributions without their members' consent. Pundits think this will hurt similar initiatives in other states. 3) California Lt. Gov. Gray Davis beat Rep. Jane Harman and businessman Al Checchi, who spent millions of their personal wealth, for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Pundits hailed this as a triumph of political experience over wealth and negative ads. 4) Alabama Gov. Fob James Jr. fell just shy of the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff in the Republican primary for governor. The national media clucked at James' embarrassment and blamed it on his putative religious extremism. (6/3/98)

Russia's economy is in peril. Its stock market has lost more than half its value this year, including a 10 percent drop Monday before rallying Tuesday. Analysts fear the economic ills could spread to Europe and that Russians might resort to selling nuclear technology under the table. To stave off disastrous currency devaluation, the Russian government is tripling interest rates, spending reserves, and exhorting Russian tycoons to invest their money in Russian markets to restore foreign investors' confidence. The U.S. government faces two dilemmas: 1) It must make the situation look grim enough to jar Congress into supporting the International Monetary Fund but not so grim that investors pull all their money out of Russia. 2) It must bail out Russia soon enough to avert collapse but not before Russia delivers the politically painful tax, spending, and legal reforms necessary for its long-term health. (6/3/98)

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released a report on public attitudes toward homosexuality. The New York Times agreed the findings show increasing public tolerance for gays despite persistent moral disapproval. For analysis of the report and its spin, click. (6/3/98)

Barry Goldwater died. Conservatives lionized him as a pioneer of conservatism before his time. Liberals congratulated him for repudiating the religious right in later years. Pundits, starved for candor among today's politicians, gladly overlooked Goldwater's lousy civil rights record as they waxed nostalgic about his blunt-spokenness. President Clinton, recognizing that unfashionableness has become fashionable, joined in the praise of Goldwater's integrity and independence. (6/1/98)

World nuclear powers are scrambling to defuse the India-Pakistan arms race. After Pakistan reportedly detonated six bombs in retaliation for the five detonated by India last month, Indian political leaders 1) suggested India would resume its "voluntary moratorium" on nuclear tests; 2) proposed a no-first-use treaty with Pakistan; and 3) urged talks on a "nondiscriminatory" world treaty to limit the nuclear programs of all nuclear powers. The good news: India is trying to defuse its arms race with Pakistan. The bad news: The known nuclear powers will never agree to a nondiscriminatory treaty. Instead, they will ask India and Pakistan not to put their nukes on missiles. The liberal pessimistic line: Sanctions won't solve the proliferation problem. The conservative pessimistic line: Treaties won't solve it, either. The nonpartisan pessimistic line: We'd better try something, because the alternative--mutual nuclear deterrence--nearly led to U.S.-Soviet disaster early in the Cold War and is likely to be even less stable in the case of India and Pakistan. For a review of the state of wordplay before the Pakistani tests, click. (6/1/98)

Newt Gingrich ignited a storm of controversies in Israel. Two weeks after 1) calling U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright "the agent of the Palestinians," he 2) "slapped" President Clinton by saying non-Israelis have no right to judge Israel's security needs; 3) told Israel's parliament that the U.S. Congress backs Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in his rejection of Clinton's latest peace plan; 4) reportedly urged Netanyahu in a private meeting to defy Clinton's plan (though the Clinton administration could not confirm the report); and 5) declared Jerusalem Israel's "united and eternal capital," contrary to U.S. policy. Pundits called Gingrich's comments absurd, undiplomatic, reckless, destructive, disloyal, McCarthyist, and a cynical play for campaign money from American Jews. Gingrich replied that Clinton's aides were trying "to attack me when I am overseas trying to be helpful."(5/29/98)

Comedian Phil Hartman was shot to death, evidently by his wife, Brynn, in a murder-suicide. Friends were baffled. Early speculation focused on Hartman's alleged affairs, his demanding career, and his wife's history of substance abuse. The Washington Post, while recalling the drug-induced premature deaths of fellow former Saturday Night Live stars John Belushi and Chris Farley, distinguished Hartman as well-liked and emotionally stable. Most interesting factoid: Brynn Hartman's real name was Vicky Joe Omdahl. (5/29/98)

The Federal Trade Commission is preparing an antitrust suit against Intel. The alleged offenses: abusing its monopoly power and using pressure tactics against uncooperative computer makers. Future charges may include predatory pricing and anti-competitive contracts. Analysts linked the suit to the Justice Department's case against Microsoft. Wintel critics cheered the assault. Cynics joked that once again, the government is tackling a high-tech monopoly just as it is beginning to lose its grip on the market. The Washington Post reported that FTC staffers will now get "to share the spotlight" after "stewing that they let Microsoft become a Justice Department trophy."(5/29/98)