Israel's Cabinet approved the Wye peace agreement, but by only a plurality. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ministers voted 8-4 for the deal, with 5 abstentions. The deal requires Israel to withdraw its troops from 13 percent of the West Bank and to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a crackdown on terrorism by the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu's failure to win majority support for the deal is viewed as a political setback. This disappointment came despite several conditions he put on the deal: 1) The Cabinet will vote on every stage of the troop withdrawal, keeping an eye on whether the Palestinians are fighting terrorism sufficiently; 2) before the withdrawal is complete, the Palestine National Council must rescind the PLO's charter language that calls for Israel's destruction; and 3) Israel has the right to annex parts of the West Bank if the PA unilaterally proclaims a state next May. Palestinian officials dismiss the conditions as a meaningless sop to the Israeli right. (11/11/98)

Hurricane Mitch is turning out to have been one of the worst natural disasters of the century. It killed at least 10,000 people, mostly in Honduras and Nicaragua, and destroyed or rendered uninhabitable the homes of one of every four Hondurans and one of every five Nicaraguans. It also inflicted catastrophic damage on crops in the two countries. To recover, they need billions of dollars in aid. The World Bank says it will send $200 million, and the United States says it will send $80 million. (11/11/98)

O.J. Simpson may lose custody of his two children. An appeals court threw out the decision under which a judge had initially given Simpson custody. The appeals court said the lower court judge wrongly excluded evidence from 1) Simpson's civil trial, in which he was found liable for his ex-wife's murder, and 2) his ex-wife's diaries, which described violent tendencies on Simpson's part. The appeals court ordered a new custody trial. But Simpson says he will fight the decision, noting that his kids are "incredibly well-adjusted and happy."(11/11/98)

The Supreme Court declined to reconsider a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision upholding taxpayer-financed vouchers for parochial schools. Opponents had asked the court to overturn the Wisconsin decision on the grounds that the use of vouchers in religious schools violates the separation of church and state. The shallow spin: Conservatives won, because the court sent other states and cities a green light to implement vouchers. The more sophisticated spin: Liberals will win, because even if the courts allow vouchers, teachers' unions and local school boards have the clout to quash them in state legislatures. The most sophisticated spin: The court honored true conservatism by staying out of the fight and letting the states sort it out. (11/10/98)

The United States is gearing up for another assault on Iraq. U.S. and British officials have issued threats of military action in response to Iraq's refusal to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors. President Clinton is discussing options with his military advisers, and American warships are heading toward the region. Iraq's foreign minister called the American and British threats "reckless" and urged the U.N. Security Council to resolve the inspection impasse diplomatically. Old Iraqi line: The world should reject American pressure. New Iraqi line: The world should reject "Anglo-Saxon pressures."(11/10/98)

John Glenn returned safely to Earth after a nine day space shuttle mission that included various experiments and 134 Earth orbits. Media coverage of his landing surpassed the usual coverage of space shuttle landings but fell short of the coverage of Glenn's liftoff. He will endure more blood and urine tests on the ground as follow-up to the geriatric research that was conducted on him in space. The official spin from Glenn and NASA: Glenn returned to space not to win more attention, applause, and money for NASA, but rather to inspire seniors and other Americans. The unofficial spin: Now cough up the dough. (11/10/98)

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston, R-La., will be the next speaker of the House. Newt Gingrich decided not to seek re-election for the job--and will soon resign from the House altogether--because he faced a rebellion from Republican lawmakers who were angry over the GOP's disappointing election performance. The sunny spin on Gingrich's withdrawal: He nobly stepped aside so that new leaders might carry on the movement he fathered. The cynical spin: He was forced out by ungovernable right-wing zealots who, by refusing to vote with the Republican majority, would either deny Gingrich the speakership or make his job impossible for the next two years. Gingrich fanned the cynical spin by reportedly accusing his colleagues of "blackmail" and "cannibalism." The sunny spin on Livingston: He brings a fresh breeze of pragmatism. The cynical spin: He brings the stale reek of pork. (For more on the House Republican leadership fight, see "Frame Game": "Cannibalism.") (11/9/98)

Scientists have isolated human embryonic stem cells. These are the original cells that mysteriously differentiate to become the parts of a human being. If researchers learn how to cultivate stem cells, we may be able to fix genetic defects or grow new organs and transplant them into sick people. The ethical questions, in order of ascending sophistication: 1) Does this research violate the embryo's right to life? 2) Will it lead to human cloning? 3) Does it tamper unethically with the basic biology of human beings? 4) If we learn how to create immortal tissues from these cells can we become immortal? (11/6/98)

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., asked President Clinton to answer 81 questions about his behavior in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The questions ask Clinton to confirm or deny charges in Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's report. Example: "Do you admit or deny that on or about Dec. 28, 1998, you requested, instructed, suggested to or otherwise discussed with Betty Currie that she take possession of gifts previously given to Monica Lewinsky by you?" Hyde's spins: 1) He's trying to get the inquiry over with by asking Clinton to confirm the essential facts. 2) He's being gentle with Clinton by asking the questions in writing rather than sandbagging him in a public hearing. The anti-Hyde spins: 1) The questions are pointed and threatening. 2) The election was a mandate to drop the inquiry. Clinton's spin: "We've got to get back to doing the people's business."(11/6/98)

Former pro wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura is trying to figure out his new job as governor of Minnesota. Ventura, who campaigned for the governorship on a shoestring, shocked the nation by edging out the Republican and Democratic nominees (the Democrat was Hubert Humphrey's son) in a tight three-way race. He is the first Reform Party candidate to win a statewide office. Pundits puzzled over the source of his mandate (the prevalent theory--a revolt against politicians--doesn't fit the election results everywhere else), largely overlooking the fact that he has no mandate, having won only 37 percent of the vote. Old spin: Ventura should be governor because he owes no politician any favors. New spin: Ventura will fail as governor because no politician owes him any favors. Hulk Hogan's spin: "Jesse's victory proves that people want a real man in power to lead." Ventura's best quotes at his day-after press conference: 1) "I'm Jesse 'The Mind' now." 2) "We're kind of the blind leading the blind."(11/6/98)