2A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 22, 1997 NATION/WoRLD Pressures bu P " S1e Washington Post k WASHINGTON - In a city of dealmakers, tobac- 6is shaping up as the deal of 1998. 1ig Tobacco wants a deal so it can stop worrying about exorbitant lawsuits. The states want a deal to help pay for escalating :*alth costs. And the Clinton-Gore team wants a deal that posi- tions it as the defender of America's youth. The big question now is: Does Congress want a deal? 'Congress will act," predicted Sen. Connie Mack, a y rida Republican pushing for legislation that is tough on tobacco. "There will be throughout the coun- S ry a strong reaction to the need to do something about the effects of tobacco on our society." The road will be long and tortuous, but the elements are in place for Congress to pass a national tobacco policy next year. s ild for tobacco settlement Pending litigation against manufacturers, Gore's potential presidential campaign, public sentiment against Big Tobacco and the prospect of a giant pot of money for the states are all potent inducements to hammer out a bill - especially in an election year. After waiting three months for President Clinton's verdict on the $368.5 billion settlement 40 state attor- neys general negotiated with tobacco companies, it appears the pace toward passing comprehensive tobac- co legislation is quickening. Beginning on Sunday's network talk shows, the tobacco industry will intensify its public lobbying on behalf of a deal. On Capitol Hill, one recalcitrant tobacco state Republican is promising hearings before the end of the year, while several Democrats have begun drafting legislation. "The prospects have improved dramatically," said Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), In the last three months, the tobacco industry has suffered three leg- ... . islative losses - including last week's repeal of a $50 billion tax credit - despite heavy lobbying and gener- ous campaign contributions. Kennedy is recruiting a GOP co-sponsor for his anti-tobacco bill. Such biparti- sanship is how Kennedy won passage of an increase in the minimum wage last year and a 15-cent increase in the tobacco tax to fund children's health care this year. No one expects action before next spring, and it is far too early to predict the specifics of any get-tough-on- tobacco legislation - how much a pack of cigarettes will rise in price, whether tobacco farmers get relief, and what restrictions the FDA will impose on the industry, among other issues. What is important, say veterans of similar epic legislative battles, is the surprisingly strong and widespread desire to have a deal. "When you have bipartisan voices calling for action in both chambers, it bodes well for an end result;" said White House political adviser Rahm Emmanuel. OFFICIALS Continued from Page 1A attacks on affirmative action are a public- ity stunt for the lawmakers who want to seek higher office. Jaye, for example, is running for the state Senate seat left vacant by the death of Doug Carl. "It's simply grandstanding," Hertel said. "The members have decided to use this as a platform for their campaigns.' Hertel suggested that the legislators look into other ways of voicing their opinions against affirmative action. "There are a lot of other avenues for them to take," Hertel said. "They could bring up their concerns at proper House * committee and caucus meetings." Affirmative action, Hertel said, is necessary at a time when minorities still do not receive equal opportunities. OU "We don't live in a perfect society and there are individuals who need assistance," Hertel said. 3n Officials in Gov. John Engler's office E said Engler does not yet have a com- ment on the potential lawsuit. Jaye said he hopes to file the lawsuit sometime this fall, and the legislators are working with the Center for Individual Rights, the law firm that won the groundbreaking Hopwood case, which challenged affirmative action policies at the University of Texas school of law. University President Lee Bollinger said the University's admissions poli- cies are being reviewed this year as they are every year. Jaye said he does not think the annu- al review will change the affirmative action system. "A new shade of lipstick does not make a prostitute a virtuous woman," Jaye said. "We will not settle for any- thing less than merit-based admissions." Jaye said more than 400 people have contacted him and the other legislators with complaints about the University's affirmative action policies. --oUNDTHE NATI Clinton suggests voluntary school tests WASHINGTON - If President Clinton has his way, millions of fourth= and eighth-graders will soon sit down in their classrooms to take tests measuring how well they can read or do math. They'll fill out multiple-choice questions. They'll write answers: a few words, a sen- tence, sometimes longer. They'll show how they solved their math problems - might get some credit for using the correct approach even if the answer is wrong. As little as six weeks later, the grades will come back - a numerical score based on correct answers to the 90-minute tests, each given over two days. Each child's skills and knowledge will be deemed basic, proficient or advanced in the subject - a judgment not made in the other widely used, commercially available tests now found in many American schools. And if the Education Department can iron out technical problems, the math results will be compared with how students in other countries do. Whether the voluntary tests are given in the spring of 1999 as planned depends on Congress. The House voted last week to block them. The Senate has given them the green light, but only if an independent board takes control of testing from the Education Department. The Clinton administration says the idea behind the tests is to give parents and schools new types of information in a more-timely fashion. Army poised for test of anti-satellite laser WASHINGTON - Alarmed by a boom in commercial spy satellites, the Army is poised to fire up a furnace in the New Mexico desert, collect the rag- ing energy on mirrors and focus it into a laser beam aimed to cripple a satellite hundreds of miles up in space. Army scientists hope the million- watt laser, the nation's largest, could blind orbiting eyes that might reveal the position of U.S. and allied troops and weapons in times of war. A suc- cessful trial of the laser, based at the White Sands Missile Range, would give the military at least theoretical dominance over the realm of satellite reconnaissance. But whether the test goes forward has become a political issue of extreme sensitivity. Arms-control advocates worry that it would set off a renewed space arms race among nations that have observed a de facto moratorium on such work since the late 1980s. "This would open a whole anti-satel- lite race,"said Spurgeon Keeny, execu- tive director of the Arms Control Association, a private advocacy group. The test is "provocative and wholty unnecessary." Albert case merg sex, significance WASHINGTON -- NBC sportsdast- er Marv Albert's trial on sexual-assault charges, which starts today, is a televi- sion talk show's dream: sex, sports and celebrity all wrapped up in one pack- age. Some two dozen television trucks are planning to park outside Arlington, Va., courthouse for t duration of Albert's trial on forcible sodomy and assault charges. More than 50 media organizations, from the New York tabloids to Court TV, Sports Illustrated and ESPN, have picked up credentials. Brace yourself for daily reports of testimony that is almost cer- tain to include descriptions of oral sex and biting and allegations of roUgh sex. l ARoUND THE WORLI 1 ANDERSEN .. sCONSULTING is the leader in business and technology consulting. We are looking for intelligent, ambitious people to work in a challenging and exciting team environment. TOTAL FUTURE s .4 tt Total It Up... 1 O. P--- *p a -'-4 If this sounds like you, please attend one of our presentations tc learn more about career opportunities. Jaye, along with Reps. Greg Kaza (R- Rochester Hills), Michelle McManus (R-Lake Leelanau) and Deborah Whyman (R-Canton), will hold a public hearing on the University's affirmative action initiatives at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29, in Shelby Township's city hall. Israel makes many arrests in West Bank JERUSALEM - Israel arrested dozens of Palestinians yesterday in an extensive crackdown on Islamic mili- tants while easing travel restrictions on Palestinians working in Israel. Military censors withheld the names, villages and the exact number of Palestinians arrested. However, Israel television Channel 1 reported that about 40 suspected mili- tants were taken into custody during the sweep, which it said took place north of the West Bank city of Nablus. An army statement said only that the operation took place in the northern West Bank and elite paratrooper and undercover units participated in it. The arrests come in the wake of two suicide bombings in Jerusalem that killed 25 people, including the five attackers. The Islamic militant Hamas group claimed responsibility for the July 30 and Sept. 4 bombings. The Israeli government also loos- ened a ban yesterday that had prevent- ed Palestinians from traveling to Israel. The ban, imposed after the Sept. 4 bombing, had cost the struggling Palestinian economy millions of dollars each day, the World Bank said. Israel announced that 4,000# struction workers would receive fer- mits to go back to their jobs. Last week, some 10,000 Palestinians were allowed entry. y Solidarity coaition ahead in elections. WARSAW, Poland - A rej* nated Solidarity movem t appeared to have pulled off a stub- ning political upset yesterday, fin- ishing well ahead of the ruling"for- mer Communists and their allies in parliamentary elections, according to Polish television projections. Swept from power in a humiliat- ing defeat four years ago, a ebali- tion of three dozen right-wing groups led by the Solidarity tiade union was faring better than tin pollsters had predicted. - Compiled from Daily wire reprfs. J STUDY ASI-A SYRACUSE ABROAD IN HONG KONG STUDY-TRAVEL BUSINESS LIBERAL ARTS COURSES GRANTS, LOANS & SCHOLARSHIPS STUDY IN ENGLISH INMTERNSH&WI P S The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fail and winter terms students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail ar $85. Winter term (January through April) is $95, yearlong (September through April) is $165.On-campcs spba scriptions for fall term are $35. 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