US Expects Saudi Cooperation

The United States expects Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the investigation into the bombing that killed 19 American troops in that country, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Sunday. She said on NBC television's "Meet the Press" program that there was no disagreement with the Clinton administration regarding critical statements about Saudi cooperation from FBI Director Louis Freeh and Attorney General Janet Reno. The Saudi Embassy released a statement Friday from Ambassador Prince Bandar Bin Sultan saying close cooperation between officials from both countries would continue.

Yeltsin Not Seen Crucial to Ties

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Sunday that U.S. ties with Russia's government are not dependent on ailing Prime Minister Boris Yeltsin. She said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that a planned meeting between President Clinton and Yeltsin in March in the United States is still expected to take place but no exact time or place has been arranged. Albright said the Clinton administration was closely monitoring Yeltsin's progress. The new secretary of state said the immediate focus is on a February meeting between Vice President Gore and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.

US Puts Less Emphasis on Gulf

New U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright appears to have put the Middle East and the Gulf on the back-burner as she settles in to the Clinton administration's top foreign policy post, Gulf-based analysts say. Albright's much-traveled predecessor Warren Christopher visited the troubled area more often than any other. But Albright, speaking to reporters shortly after taking over at the State Department on Friday, said her first foreign foray would be to Europe and Asia next month. On the Middle East, she said she would be guided by the advice of special coordinator Dennis Ross.

Clinton Faces Tough Battles Ahead

Although President Clinton began his second term offering to end political bickering with Republicans, bruising battles clearly lie ahead. Clinton spoke of bipartisan cooperation in his second inaugural address. Republicans quickly agreed with Clinton's message of cooperation but they still have problems with his mission. For example, a wide rift remains in the battle over control of the purse strings and federal programs, including approaches to cutting the deficit. Clinton will outline his agenda during a Feb. 4 State of the Union address and then detail how he plans to carry it out when he submits his budget plan for the next fiscal year two days later.

Lawmaker Warns Clinton on Taxes

The chairman of the House tax-writing committee is warning President Clinton against raising taxes to balance the budget and said any cuts he proposes should truly reduce the tax burden. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer said it is unlikely Congress would pass a budget this year that did not include broad capital gains tax relief and urged the president to expand his plan that is expected to give relief only to homesellers. In remarks prepared for delivery to the National Center for Policy Analysis, Archer said Clinton's tax plan should not simply give a tax cut to one group and then pay for it with tax hikes on others.

Mammogram Decision Sparks Furor

Should women in their 40s get regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer? A U.S. government panel's response to this question has sparked outrage, confusion and proposals for new legislation in Congress. A panel convened by the National Cancer Institute last week said there is not enough evidence for an across-the-board recommendation for women in their 40s and advised that it was up to women themselves to decide. That decision -- or non-decision -- raised howls of protest. Critics accuse the panel of ignoring recent studies from Sweden that show a significant decrease in mortality for women who had mammogram screening in their 40s.

Swiss Envoy Targets Senator

Switzerland's strained ties with Jewish organizations worsened Sunday with publication of a leaked document in which Berne's envoy to Washington called for "waging war" against Jewish groups and other vocal critics. Swiss Jewish leaders immediately bemoaned the comments, which the SonntagsZeitung weekly said came from a confidential strategy paper ambassador Carlo Jagmetti sent to Berne last month on how to handle a row over dormant accounts in Swiss banks of World War Two Holocaust victims. SonntagsZeitung said the "adversaries" to whom Jagmetti referred were Jewish groups and U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, who have accused the Swiss of profiting cynically from the war and are seeking compensation for Holocaust victims.

Gingrich Blasts Media

House Speaker Newt Gingrich is blaming the news media for for his ethics troubles. He told a town hearing in Georgia that he could not speak openly on the subject without risking fresh attacks from Democrats and the media. The Georgia Republican said opponents want to keep public attention on his unprecedented reprimand and $300,000 fine. That way, he says, they don't have to talk about the "things that really matter." The speaker said his main priority the next five weeks is to pass a constitutional amendment requring a balanced budget.

Perot Attacks Parties

Failed third-party presidential candidate Ross Perot is lashing out at President Clinton and the mainstream political parties for snatching his ideas and blamed his own poor showing in November elections on being excluded from the debates. Trying to pick up the pieces from his failed presidential bid in which he picked up an anemic 8 percent of the popular vote, the Texas billionaire kicked off a two-day organizing meeting in Nashville, Tenn., of his self-styled Reform Party that itself remained paralyzed by factionalism. Perot accused Clinton of proposing "sham reforms" of campaign finance rules and ethical standards that he said neither major party was sincere about adopting.

Wallace Threatens TV Lawsuit

Former Alabama governor George Wallace is threatening to sue Turner Network Television over a new made-for-TV movie that he says distorts some of the facts about his stormy political career. Bedridden and deaf after a quarter-century as a paraplegic, the one-time segregationist says he is not angry about the $12 million production, in which he is played by Hollywood actor Gary Sinise. But he has no second thoughts about getting even in court if TNT fails to alter the story line. Wallace's son, George Wallace Jr., has complained that the film depicts his father as an "illiterate, ignorant, corn-pone 'Hee Haw' character." But the family's main contention is with two scenes depicting incidents they say never happened.

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