Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr asked an FBI lab to test Monica Lewinsky's purportedly "semen-stained" dress for President Clinton's DNA. New reports say the dress, which had been dismissed as a myth, was actually concealed in the apartment of Lewinsky's mother (to outwit investigators' search of the daughter's apartment) and has now been turned over to prosecutors. The other purported physical evidence of a relationship--the tapes of Clinton talking to Lewinsky's answering machine--reportedly are innocuous. White House aides are happy Clinton remains high in the polls but are surprised by the disclosure of the dress and worry that it will turn the public against him. The big questions now are: 1) Did the dress actually contain Clinton's DNA? 2) Did Lewinsky launder the dress, and if so, did that destroy the evidence? 3) Will Starr withhold the DNA test results in order to set an additional perjury trap for Clinton when he testifies Aug. 17? (For earlier in the week happenings on the Lewinsky scene, see other items below.) (7/31/98)

After completing her testimony before the Lewinsky grand jury, Linda Tripp gave a prepared statement to the press, from whom her apologia drew sarcasm and incredulity. (For an analysis of why her message fell flat, click here.) (7/31/98)

Monica Lewinsky reportedly has agreed to testify that President Clinton told her how to cover up their relationship. In exchange for near-total immunity from prosecution, Lewinsky allegedly has told Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's office that she will say that: 1) she and Clinton discussed hypothetical ways to keep their relationship private, including falsely denying what they did unwitnessed; 2) Clinton told her he would deny they had a relationship in his deposition in the Paula Jones case; 3) Clinton encouraged her to say she visited the White House to see Betty Currie, not Clinton; 4) she wrote the "Talking Points," without the help of anyone at the White House. The spins, in order of descending breathlessness: 1) Clinton is finished. When the public hears Lewinsky say he lied, it will turn on him. 2) Lewinsky's testimony goes beyond perjury to witness tampering and obstruction of justice. 3) Clinton will wait out Lewinsky's testimony and shape his story to avoid contradicting hers. 4) Testimony that Clinton and Lewinsky had sex will surprise nobody, and Lewinsky will say the president did not tell her directly to lie. 5) Lewinsky has cleared the White House of the most serious charge: writing the Talking Points. 6) Where Clinton differs from Lewinsky, it will just be "he said/she said," and Clinton will get the benefit of the doubt. 7) If necessary, White House spinners will destroy Lewinsky just as they destroyed Starr. (7/29/98)

General Motors and the United Auto Workers have agreed tentatively to end their strike. The work stoppage lasted eight weeks, cost GM $12 billion in sales (the worst company loss ever caused by a strike), cost UAW members $1 billion in lost pay, and slowed U.S. second-quarter economic growth by an estimated half percentage point. The optimistic spin: Once both sides realized they had escalated manageable material disputes (e.g., factory closures and investments in equipment) into an unmanageable war over principles (e.g., moving jobs overseas), they settled the material disputes and ended the strike. The pessimistic spin: The escalation reflects a deep distrust between GM and the UAW that will cause an even worse strike when their national agreement expires next year. (7/29/98)

Bell Atlantic is buying GTE for $53 billion in stock. This threatens to reduce the telecommunications market to four giants: Bell Atlantic (GTE), SBC (Ameritech), Worldcom (MCI), and AT&T. The spins: 1) Telecommunication companies must merge lest they be destroyed by others who have already merged. 2) This shows the 1996 Telecom Act has failed to promote competition, which may lead Congress to overhaul it next year. 3) The solution to merger mania isn't regulation; it's the market, which downgraded Bell Atlantic and GTE's stocks after the merger. The New York Times says this could be "the pin that burst the telecommunication stock bubble." Other spins on the drop: 1) The stocks fell because the market thinks regulators are sick of mergers and are about to crack down on them. 2) GTE agreed to the buyout not because it's good for GTE investors but because it's good for GTE's chairman, who insisted on keeping his job. (7/29/98)

A gunman burst into the U.S. Capitol and shot and killed two policemen. The man, Russell Weston Jr., lived in a shack 40 miles from the Unabomber's Montana cabin. He was wounded and captured. It appears doctors have managed to save his life, which means he can be tried for murder in federal court and possibly executed. The media launched into saturation-coverage mode focusing on Weston's motive. The answer, paranoid schizophrenia, is expected to provide Weston's insanity defense. Members of Congress rushed forward to tell reporters how close they had come to being in the vicinity and, thereby, to possibly getting shot. Pundits pondered the dilemma between security and public access to government buildings. Editorialists and experts blamed: 1) opponents of gun laws (despite reports that Weston stole the gun from his father); 2) the mental hospital that discharged Weston after a nutty episode in 1996; and 3) the CIA and the Secret Service, for failing to take other previous nutty episodes seriously. (7/27/98)

Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr subpoenaed President Clinton to testify before the Lewinsky grand jury. Pundits think Clinton could delay the investigation by refusing the subpoena and that he might even get it quashed on the grounds that a sitting president can't be forced to testify, but agree the political cost of such a fight would be too high for Clinton. Instead, his lawyers are negotiating with Starr over a less embarrassing alternative. Clinton reportedly wants 1) to testify at the White House, not at the courthouse; 2) to limit the scope of the questions; 3) to see the questions in advance; 4) to answer in writing rather than orally; 5) to have his lawyer present. Reports indicate Starr is willing to give Clinton the first condition but none of the others. Editorialists think this is a fair deal. (7/27/98)

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party selected Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi to lead the LDP and thereby become prime minister. The previous prime minister resigned after voters seriously weakened the LDP's control of Parliament because the economy is in shambles. Obuchi promised to fix the economy by cutting taxes and reforming the banking system. The pessimistic spins: 1) Obuchi can't turn around the government and the economy, because he is a dull consensus-builder; 2) even if Obuchi were dynamic, the LDP has lost so many seats it must now compromise with other parties to get anything done. The optimistic spin: It will take a dull consensus builder to compromise with the other parties and get something done. (See "International Papers" for reactions from Japan.) (7/27/98)

White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry announced he will leave this fall. Pundits agree this means the White House thinks President Clinton is out of the woods in the Lewinsky scandal, so his aides can finally depart for lucrative private sector jobs without looking like rats deserting a sinking ship. White House reporters, who depend on the press secretary's good graces, lauded McCurry's candor, nobility, and unfailing good humor in service to his country and commenced sucking up to his designated successor, Joe Lockhart. Editorialists, who do not depend on the press secretary's good graces, pointed out that McCurry has helped Clinton stonewall the Lewinsky scandal to death while deliberately remaining ignorant of tawdry facts in order to preserve his image of candor and nobility. (7/27/98)