George W. Bush said hehasn't used drugs since 1974. On Wednesday he vowed never to discuss his drug history. On Thursday he admitted that he had "made some mistakes" and "learned from those" but said he would have passed a 15-year background check in 1989. The media debated whether Bush's drug history should be probed. Timothy Noah called the inquiries "{{ridiculous and irresponsible#2606:Show=8/11/99&idMessage=3385}}" in "Chatterbox," but John Stacks argued in Time that past dabblings with cocaine could make Bush's hard-line drug enforcement policy hypocritical. Maureen Dowd {{denounced#2:http://www.nytimes.com/library/opinion/dowd/081899dowd.html}} Republicans for protecting Bush's past after years of investigating President Clinton's.

{{Protest#33552}} Serbs rallied againstPresident Slobodan Milosevic. As many as 150,000 people attended the rally in Belgrade. Speakers from the various opposition groups disagreed over when and how Milosevic should be removed. The unanimous spin: The democratic factions are still too divided to unseat him.

The Episcopal and Lutheranchurches are uniting. They will keep separate creeds and structures but will share clergy, sacraments, and missionary projects. The pious spin: "{{Oneness becomes a proof of the authenticity of the gospel#2:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-08/20/148l-082099-idx.html}}," a Lutheran bishop told the WashingtonPost. The practical spin: The two churches need to pool their dwindling resources and memberships.

Three Japanesebanks will merge to create the world's largest financial institution. Bank executives hope the union will resuscitate the Japanese banking industry and thus the entire economy. The New York Times hails the move as "a long-overdue effort to deal with the realities of an overcrowded market, massive bad loans and woefully low profit margins."

A federal study reported that teendrug abuse fell in 1998. The optimistic spin: The war on drugs is finally working. The pessimistic fine print: drug abuse among young adults and minority groups is rising steadily. A Washington Post editorial berates Elizabeth Dole for her {{ditzy stand#2:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-08/18/043l-081899-idx.html}} on drug policy.

Kenneth Starr will resign before theyear's end. The judicial panel that appointed him split over whether his work should continue. Since the independent counsel statute has expired, no one knows whether Starr can legally be replaced. A New York Times editorial urges him to stay on but to finish the job fast.

A former Los Alamos officialcalled the espionage allegations against Wen Ho Lee racist. The former chief of counterintelligence told the Washington Post that investigators targeted Lee because he is Chinese-American and that there is {{not a "shred of evidence" against him#2:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-08/17/031l-081799-idx.html}}. However, an Energy Department official told the New York Times that the charges of racism are bunk and that only three of the 12 initial suspects in the case were of Chinese background.

An earthquake in Turkey killed at least 10,000 and possibly as many as 35,000. The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet in effect charged construction authorities with {{murder#33477}}, and international papers roundly condemned their shoddy building standards.

Bosnian Muslim, Serb, and Croat leaders stole $1 billion in public funds and international aid. The money was intended to rebuild infrastructure and schools. The New York Times reports that the corruption will chill private investment and charitable contributions to the region.

{{990818_Putin#33451}} Vladimir Putin was confirmed as Russia's prime minister. Indifferent to Yeltsin's latest pick and distracted by upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, the Duma rubber-stamped the appointment. Instead, attention focused on former premier Yevgeny Primakov's announcement of his alliance with a new political party.