2 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 1, 1997 NATION/WORLD 1ial of buma gSUp St1 bg. SThe Washington Post DENVER - Amid extraordinarily tight security and a huge news media presence, the trial of Oklahoma City bombing suspect Timothy McVeigh opened here yesterday with aggressive questioning of prospective jurors that quickly underscored the difficulty of selecting an unbiased panel. Almost two years after a massive bomb sheared off the front of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people, U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch, federal prosecutors and attor- neys for McVeigh began the tedious process of selecting 12 jurors and six alternates. Only six potential jurors were questioned yesterday, and several of them already appeared to pose problems for one side or the other in a case that has drawn enormous pretrial publicity. Matsch last year ordered the case moved here, saying that the defendants - McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who will be tried later - could not get a get fair trial in Oklahoma because they had been "demonized." Ironically, the first of 350 prospective jurors questioned yesterday was a white man in his forties who was working in Tulsa the day of the blast and who, as a former engineer, was intimately familiar with the type of explosive the government alleges was used in the April 19, 1995, bombing. Under questioning from attorneys, the potential juror, identified only as No. 853, said he watched the "wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor" news reports of the bombing, and had actually visited the site of the blast before the Murrah building was demolished. "It was very moving and very sad," said the man, now a self- employed investment adviser in Denver. SAROUND THE 4A\ Cable forced to carry local channels WASHINGTON - The government can force cable television systems to carr local broadcast stations, the Supreme Court said yesterday in a decision that couk serve as a stay of execution for small, independent channels. The 5-4 ruling rejected cable companies' argument that a 1992 federal "must carry' law violates free-speech rights by forcing them to carry stations they prefer to drop. The justices said the measure is a lawful effort to preserve broadcast televi and ensure public access to information from a variety of sources. More than 60 percent of American households subscribe to cable TV The deci. sion means those customers will continue to receive local broadcast stations oT their cable systems. "Broadcast television is an important source of information to man) Americans," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the court. "For decades now it has been an essential part of the national discourse on subjects across the whole broa spectrum of speech, thought and expression." "Congress has an independent interest in preserving a multiplicity of broadcast. ers to ensure that all households have access to information and entertainment or an equal footing with those who subscribe to cable," he said. There is heavy competition for space on cable systems because many newA networks have been created in recent years. . .xr .......... . y{r ;: r v :::?{}.Y"?r.';:i;ii??:"}?:":," ,}:$y:$ti N" :?fi":;;}N'.,r":?"yr?;{{?;:{?;G:{4{:v'r:"5}:"::;.v. r ..r :::.:::. :: :. :::::::...r::4:}. I :;,, f fry. ,, i Husseitn o meet With 4 C inton in effolt to .:..............:.............SAen e sf r t saveMidespac sm wg rt.{ r: }X bA}7}.ti :iCi'i. ;::}:{: $a:}:::$ }i: 7:"?T'"?' avi>x:: "?}:i :: a ?:'rYi'r'iii i:i ia :+{.r{{. Cwt: t^.: tt;;':'s 'vr .ar.,t": SV ;zc ;:.:rr::L .w:: v 5".".". .vhrhtvv: : 3:k:.,..:....:.:. t.'::.'::::":"..::. :.,r":::::::::",. .:. ttt.:.....:.,.";:".t" t I Los Angeles Times STA Travel is the world's largest -- travel organization specializing in low-cost travel for students. PSST! Got the urge to travel? STA Travel has great student airfares to destinations around the world. Go shopping on our website for current student airfares, WASHINGTON - Amid growing tension in the Middle East, Jordan's King Hussein is to meet President Clinton and other top U.S. officials today as part of desperate efforts to pre- vent the region's peace process from further unraveling. Hussein has maintained warmer rela- tions with new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than' any Arab leader. But he is expected to warn the administration that other Arab leaders are reaching a point where they feel forced to freeze the peace process and halt direct dealings that some have ten- tatively begun with Israel, according to Jordanian officials. "The King is deeply disturbed by the policies and actions of the (Netanyahu) government which he does not consider conducive to peace," said a senior member of his entourage. This weekend, Arab League foreign ministers recommended that the group's 22 members stop trade and other contacts aimed at normalizing relations with Israel. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had appealed to the league to make the recommendation in response to a plan by the Netanyahu government to build a housing project for Jews in east Jerusalem. Groundbreaking for the housing pro- ject and a terrorist bombing on March 21 at a Tel Aviv cafe have combined to thwart the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Hussein, who in 1994 became the third Arab leader to sign a peace accord with Israel, also is expected to relay growing Arab concern that Netanyahu may not accept the land-for-peace premise of the 1993 Oslo accord that set in motion serious negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. And without land, the Arabs will be unable to support the current peace process. Yesterday, Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright were briefed on the Middle East situation by U.S. mediator Dennis Ross, who met last week with Arafat in Morocco and Netanyahu in Israel. White House spokesperson Mike McCurry described Ross' report to Clinton as "a sober one." Hussein, along -with his warnings about overall Middle East situation, is expected to press for U.S. help on his domestic front. The Jordanian leader feels increasingly exposed at home both because of his ongoing dealings with Netanyahu and his decision last year, made under U.S. pressure, to take a tougher stance against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Spending growth frazzles Wall Street WASHINGTON - A government report showing Americans earning and spending at a robust pace wrenched an already-frazzled Wall Street yesterday. Stocks plunged for a second session on fears of more interest-rate increases from a Federal Reserve intent on keep- ing the economy from overheating. Americans' personal incomes surged 0.9 percent in February, the largest gain in eight months and more than double January's 0.4 percent advance, the Commerce Department said. Spending growth - 0.3 percent - was relatively modest but came after a large 1 percent increase in January, the best in 11 months. Economists said February's broad- based income gain - with advances in every category except farm income - will help provide consumers with the wherewithal for strong spending through midyear. About four-fifths of the advance came in wages and salaries of private-sector jobs. "People spend that money; the) don't save it," said economist Sandre Shaber of the WEFA Group ir Eddystone, Pa. "More jobs and morc paychecks certainly equal growth ir spending in-the months ahead." That kind of thinking jarred the market into the second day of its w 1 two-session point drop since 1987. Scientists create new chromosomes Scientists in Ohio have created the first artificial human chromosomes, ar achievement that may someday allow doctors to alter people's genetic inhsp- tance or cure diseases by slip genetic "cassettes" directly into peo- ple's cells. The artificial chromosomes, made in the laboratory from a blend of natural and synthetic human DNA, are miniature versions ol human chromosomes - the corkscrew-shaped structures inside cells that carry all the genes required for life. (800)77-0112 www. sta-travel .corn STA TRAVEL We've been there. 10 I Are you thinking about law school? Plan to attend and bring a friend to...... STUDENT OF COLOR LAW DAY * Collect application information and explore law education options " All students interested in law are encouraged to attend * Win t-shirts, sweatshirts and other stuff from schools attending the event! " - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .: ; Y' } T l Michigan Union / Z.i~ Netanyahu: Peace talks could resume ZURIF, West Bank - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that peace talks with the Palestinians could resume soon, his most optimistic comments since two weeks of violent protests in the West Bank and a suicide bombing in Israel. Peace talks stalled this month after the Palestinians became angered by a series of decisions by Netanyahu - a smaller-than-hoped-for West Bank pullout and the construction of a new Jewish neighborhood in disputed east Jerusalem, the sector Palestinians claim as a future capital. "We seek to make progress on peace assuming that we have partners in peace ... and that will be seen in the next few days," Netanyahu said. "Then we can proceed to negotiate peace." . His comments, which came amid signs that the West Bank protests were losing steam, were an apparent depar- ture from his harsh rhetoric against Yasser Arafat. There was no immedi- ate reaction from the Palestinian leader, who has refused to meet with Netanyahu throughout the recent cri- sis. Scores of Palestinians have 1n wounded and one killed in the West Bank riots, which Israel says have been largely orchestrated by Arafat's Fatah group. Two bombs explode in Gaza Strip JERUSALEM -Two bombs explod- ed near Jewish settlements in the Strip early this morning, wounding sev- eral Palestinians, police said. One of the blasts was first thought to have exploded next to a school bus leav- ing the Jewish settlement of Nezarim, but a Jewish settler leader said the bus had been delayed. Police said the second blast near the Kfar Darom settlement occurred when a cart loaded with explosives went off near an Israeli bus. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. th floor The Univeraiy iof Michigan Career Planning; _Plac rent I iiio,,nofStudent Affai- 3i E -4,, Cosponsored with UM Law School 3200Student Activities Bldg 313 7p4:7460 http://www.timich~eiu/ -(pp '7 rf:30-6:30 TKEs Any, Aprie f -fM flOor DJ Me 71V iA n [/(uidn RiWOn Gtting R &:S.OOp +Tours of the project available Refreshments will be served II i ll' I1m VANUE D BUSINESS- MINDED FRESHPERS;ONSlT SOPHOMORES The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $85. Winter term (January through April) is $95, yearlong (September through April) is $165. On-campus sub- scriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of the Associated Press and the Associated Collegiate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327. PHONE NUMBERS (All area code 313): News 76-DAILY; Arts 763-0379; Sports 647-3336; Opinion 7640552; circulation 7640558; Classified advertising 764-0557; Display advertising 7640554; Billing 764-0550. E-mail letters to the editor to daily.letters@umich.edu. World Wide Web: http://www.pubumich.edu/daily/ NEWS Jodi S. Cohen, Managing Editor EDITORS: Jeff Eldridge, Laurie Mayk, Anupama Reddy, Will Weissert. STAFF: Janet Adamy, Brian Campbell. Greg Cox, Jeff Enderton, Sam England. Megan Exley, Maria Hackett, Heather Kamins, Kerry Klaus, Amy Klein, Jeffrey Kosseff, Marc Lightdale, Carrie Luria, Chris Metinko, Tim O'Connell, Katie Plona, Susan T. Port, Alice Robinson, Ericka M. Smith, Ann Stewart, Ajit K. Thavarajah, Michelle Lee Thompson, Katie Wang, Jenni Yachnin. EDITORIAL Erin Marsh, Editor ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Paul Serilla. EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Jason Stoffer. STAFF: Emily Achenbaum, Kristin Arola, Ellen Friedman, Samuel Goodstein, Heather Gordon, Scott Hunter, Yuki Kuniyuki, Jim Lasser, Lockyer, James Miller, Partha Mukhopadhyay, Zachary M. Raimi, Jack Schillaci. Megan Schimpf, Ron Steiger, Ellerie Weber. SPORTS Nicholas J. Cotsonika, Managing Editor EDITORS: Alan Goldenbach, John Leroi, Will McCahill, Danielle Rumore. STAFF: Nancy Berger, TJ. Berka, Evan Braunstein, Chris Farah, Jordan Field, John Friedberg, Kim Hart, Kevin Kasiborski, Josh Kleinbaum, Andy Knudsen, Chad Kujala, Andy Latack, Fred Link, B.J. Luria, Brooke McGahey, Afshin Mohamadi, Sharat Raju, Pranay Reddy, Sara Rontal, Jim Rose, Tracy Sandier, Richard Shin, Mark Snyder, Barry Sollenberger, Nita Srivastava, Dan Stillman, Jacob Wheeler. ARTS Brian A. Gnatt, Jennifer Petlinski, Editors WEEKEND, ETC. EDITORS: Greg Parker, Elan A. Stavros. SUB-EDITORS: Use Harwin (Music), Christopher Tkaczyk (Campus Arts), Bryan Lark (Film), Elizabeth Lucas (Books), Kelly Xintaris (TV/New Media). STAFF: Dean Bakopoulos, Colin Bartos, Eugene Bowen, Neal C. Carvuth, Anithe Chalem, Kari Jones, Emily Lambert, Kristin Long, Stephanie Love, James Miller, Aaron Rennie, Julia Shih, Anders Smith-Lindali, Philip Son, Prashant Tamaskar, Michael Zilberman. PHOTO Mark Friedman, Sara Stillman, Editors STAFF: Josh Biggs, Jennifer Bradley-Swift, Aje Dekleva Cohen, Rob Gilmore, John Kraft, Margaret Myers, Jully Park, Kristen Schaefer, Jeannie Servaas, Addie Smith, Jonathan Summer, Joe Westrate, Warren Zinn. COPY DESK Rebecca Berkun, Edfv STAFF: Lydia Alspach, Elizabeth Lucas, Elizabeth Mills, Emily O'Neill, Matt Spewak. David Ward, Jen Woodward. ONLINE Adam Pollock, Editor STAFF Carlos Castillo, Elizabeth Lucas, Seneca Sutter Scott Wilcox GRAPHICS Tracey Harris, Editor STAFF: Usa Bellon, Elissa Bowes, Seder Burns, Sumako Kawa, Marcy McCormick, Erin Rager, Jordan Young. p~uun v I