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Daily Dispatch 1999

• December 27, 1999: Presidential candidates differ on surplus spending, West Asian potentially nuclear hot spot, East Coast gas pipeline potential may never be realized, and states aren't using tobacco money for its intended purposes
  
  
• December 22, 1999: Another terrorist arrested on the border, hold that loan to Russia!, the U.S. preserves its Security Council vote, and billions of federal tax dollars to be spent on the Salt Lake Olympics
  
  
• December 21, 1999: Clinton's enviro legacy -- higher gas prices, Democrats define health care differences, McCain wants to revamp national parks, and the end of an era in Macao
  
  
• December 20, 1999: Democrats get feisty over campaign communications, Bradley endorses school vouchers, Commies on the outs in Russia, and bombs in the nation's capital
  
  
• December 16, 1999: Gore proposes universal preschool, Chinese and U.S. agree to make reparations, Venezuelan power grab constitution passes, and labor strife without strikes
  
  
• December 15, 1999: Gore supports medical marijuana, Summers suggests changes to the IMF, the New Economy touches oil, and McCain discusses health care reform
  
  
• December 14, 1999: Bush and McCain clash, terrorists may ruin millennium celebrations, more on Clinton's "legacy," and school voucher battle in Vermont.
  
  
• December 13, 1999: China to overtake U.S. nukes?, McCain defends the 'Net, freedom of religion in China leads to free trade, and time for a new policy with Cuba
  
  
• December 10, 1999: McCain and Bradley team up on soft money, Clinton attacks the "digital divide," Yeltsin has some fighting words, and public school students not ready for college
  
  
• December 9, 1999: More games with the Social Security Trust Fund, the expanding prison population, Balkans problems nowhere close to resolution, and lawyers think they can set the price for another Microsoft product
  
  
• December 8, 1999: Gun makers get hit again, stamp prices to rise again, a worrisome Chinese canal, and McCain's defense plans
  
  
• December 7, 1999: Miranda gets challenged; another Columbine; Americans’ longevity is bad for Social Security; and Round Two in the Microsoft Trial
  
  
• December 6, 1999: Gun makers get sued for acting legally, Bill Bradley won’t rule out a tax increase, the INS busts a union, McCain and Bradley may shake hands on soft money, and the NSA gets sued for tapping your phone
  
  
• December 3, 1999: A heated exchange between George W. Bush and Steve Forbes on Social Security, schools reversing themselves on social promotion, Congress burst spending caps, NASA lands on Mars, and Janet Reno speaks out on 'hate crimes.'
  
  
• December 2, 1999: Campaign spending loopholes, airport safety in question, McCain’s army, and betting on the Internet
  
  
• December 1, 1999: Recommendations for WTO ministers, George W.'s compassionate tax cuts, Clinton agrees China is no threat in Panama Canal, a proposal for mandated paid maternity leave, and the Supreme Court ponders the status of nicotine
  
  
• November 30, 1999: Colombia ships a drug dealer off to the United States for trial despite protests at home, a candidate for president of Taiwan wants trade and investment with mainland China, and the clock runs down on Y2K
  
  
• November 29, 1999: Judge Richard Posner is asked to mediate any talks on a Microsoft/Justice Department settlement, violent crime continues to decline in the United States, and Taiwan visits the weapons bazaar
  
  
• November 24, 1999: Chinese citizens are optimistic about new trade opportunities, the Senate signs off on digital signatures, and protestors march on Fort Benning's School of the Americas
  
  
• November 23, 1999: OSHA is on the march against stress injuries, where there's political will there's a Third Way for Clinton and company, and drug use declines among America's teens
  
  
• November 22, 1999: Tokyo's governor visits Taiwan, Forest Service Supervisor Flora says federal land managers are being harassed in Nevada, and Britain files a formal complaint over France's beef refusal
  
  
• November 19, 1999: Bill Gates defends Microsoft at Comdex in Las Vegas, four years have passed and it's back to Dayton for Bosnian diplomats, and Haiti faces immigration and imprisonment crises
  
  
• November 18, 1999: Chinese entry into the World Trade Organization looks inevitable, pollution is on the rise at U.S. national parks, and Germany prepares to ban nuclear power
  
  
• November 17, 1999: Medicare spending declined for the first time ever last year--but don't expect it to last, the United Arab Emirates seeks to cut a deal with the U.S. on F-16 fighters, and the United Nations imposes sanctions on Afghanistan.
  
  
• November 16, 1999: Clinton and Congress work on a billion-dollar deal for UN payment, many children could be getting private health insurance but aren't signed up, and Gore battles suburban sprawl
  
  
• November 15, 1999: IMF head Michel Camdessus announces his departure, the White House sees green and wants a conservation land buy, and the United States and China seek a WTO agreement before the next round begins
  
  
• November 12, 1999: Deregulation leads to a boom in new power plants in Arizona, Congress gets set to pump $10 billion back into Medicare, and food processing groups give Congress something to chew on
  
  
• November 11, 1999: Candidate Gore offers proposals to get generic drugs to the market, the White House works for federal education spending, and digital signature legislation gets booted up in Congress
  
  
• November 10, 1999: Clinton says he could support an easing of the embargo on Cuba, Idaho considers restricting utility mergers, and there's room for corporate welfare in the budget process
  
  
• November 9, 1999: Two sides of liberty are at the forefront as the Berlin Wall's fall is celebrated and Microsoft is besieged. Also, Connie Mack offers a dollarization bill in the Senate
  
  
• November 8, 1999: The national debt drops a bit, the House rejects electronic signature legislation when Democrats complain, and the Justice Department wants still more time on Waco
  
  
• November 5, 1999: Tennessee weighs opting to become the latest state to adopt an income tax, the United States slowly leaves Panama, and the Miranda decision revisited
  
  
• November 4, 1999: Pakistan's Musharraf puts democracy on the back burner, the European Union plans a windfall for Kosovo, and Osama bin Laden continues to reap the wealth of Saudi businessmen
  
  
• November 3, 1999: Clinton proposes new rules for medical records privacy, the shadow of Columbine falls over Cleveland, and corporate welfare lives on
  
  
• November 2, 1999: A gun ban measure won't be on today's ballot in a Maryland town, Sen. DeWine is concerned about the CBS/Viacom merger, and Iraq's rebels hit the United States for a meeting and for military training
  
  
• November 1, 1999: Bankruptcy reform legislation may still pass the Senate this year, another Tiananmen Square crackdown (this time on religious liberties), and Amtrak says it's finally in the black.
  
  
• October 29, 1999: The president of the World Court says the U.S. must pay its UN debts, the federal budget surplus hits a record high, some India/Pakistan sanctions get called off, and the Justice Department continues to fight medical marijuana
  
  
• October 28, 1999: Treasury Secretary Summers calls China WTO talks 'very useful', many doctors say that they would lie to get patients to managed care assistance they need, and the Federal Communications Commission signs off on another telecom combination
  
  
• October 27, 1999: The United Nations takes the Kyoto show to Bonn, Jiang says China is taking steps toward democracy, and Illinois's governor hits Cuba
  
  
• October 26, 1999: Financial services modernization is a sure thing, gasoline prices drop at the pump, and Colombian citizens turn out in opposition to the ongoing civil war
  
  
• October 25, 1999: A jury will impost punitive damages on the tobacco industry, the trade deficit narrows a bit, and the flag burning issue goes to court... in Hong Kong
  
  
• October 22, 1999: Clinton salutes his paid volunteers, the Federal Trade Commission tries to figure out the Child Online Protection Act, and India may escape its sanctions while Pakistan's stay
  
  
• October 21, 1999: The FBI says that violent crime is down, but the Marijuana Policy Project claims that arrests for nonviolent marijuana 'crimes' remain high. And on the campaign trail, the Republicans are talking about school choice
  
  
• October 20, 1999: McCain defends his campaign finance bill, Cohen deals with the perpetual problem of Iraq, Albright vows to enforce the CTBT despite the Senate's rejection of it, and citizens may stop a gasoline tax hike in Oregon
  
  
• October 19, 1999: Gingrich doubles his scientific pleasure, the United States pitches an ABM treaty quid pro quo, the Census Bureau redraws the line on poverty, and financial services modernization continues to be hammered out
  
  
• October 18, 1999: Restoring Medicare on Capitol Hill, the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency takes on air bags yet again, airfares are on the rise, and John Major denounces Tory isolationism
  
  
• October 15, 1999: Rep. Thomas calls employer-based healthcare 'fatally flawed', Barshefsky welcomes NGOs to the WTO, House Judiciary approves a digital signature bill, and the INS loses its place in the H1-B count
  
  
• October 14, 1999: The European Union talks with China about WTO, a Khobar Towers bombing suspect returns to Saudi Arabia, a private rocketry milestone, and Gray Davis on e-mail privacy
  
  
• October 13, 1999: The coup in Pakistan stokes nuclear fears, a judge dismisses Cincinnati's gun lawsuit, advocates lobby the Clinton administration before the WTO meeting, and Superfund gets marked up today
  
  
• October 12, 1999: The world hits six billion residents, the Justice Department says it's spent over $13 million in its fights against Microsoft, the Senate GOP prefers across-the-board cuts to a Social Security raid, and the EPA inspects emissions
  
  
• October 11, 1999: The FCC finally approves the Ameritech/SBC Communications merger, Tom Foley urges Japan to allow competition in its telecommunications sector, and a federal judge strikes down an Arizona fetal tissue law
  
  
• October 8, 1999: Tom Campbell becomes a Microsoft cut-up, the House gives the poor tax breaks for health insurance, the Environmental Protection Agency exhausts the fuel additives issue, and the FBI's implausible denials about Waco
  
  
• October 7, 1999: Bush calls for more federal education involvement, Congress pans the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Air Force needs refueling, and less student loan defaults than ever
  
  
• October 6, 1999: Gov. Johnson wins media attention, air traffic control reform prepares for takeoff, the Supreme Court lets Arizona's tax breaks for religious school donations stand, Clinton battles history in his CTBT effort, and more delays in the Waco case
  
  
• October 5, 1999: The Supreme Court hears a key campaign finance case, Title I comes up in Congress, the House gets ready for the managed care reform debate, and Cuba won't be allowed to buy U.S. food and medicine
  
  
• October 4, 1999: Gov. Johnson plans a bold announcement onn drugs, Lott calls for a vote on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the F-22 flies again, and Will weighs the federal government's tobacco lawsuit
  
  
• October 1, 1999: Bill Bradley offers his diagnosis of American health care, new sparks in the investigation of the Waco fire, and Capitol Hill sings a farm aid tune
  
  
• September 30, 1999: President Clinton offers forgiveness on foreign debt, the IMF launches a debt relief initiative, and private industry may finally have a place in space if NASA gets its way
  
  
• September 29, 1999: The 50th anniversary of Communist China and the appropriations battle going on in Congress
  
  
• September 28, 1999: New Mexico's Gov. Johnson brings tidings of vouchers and drug decriminalization to Washington next week, Japan's new ambassador to the U.S. warns that the trade deficit could lead to renewed tensions, and China and the U.S. try once again to reach a deal on WTO
  
  
• September 27, 1999: India/Pakistan sanctions hurt the U.S. as well, looking for justice at the Justice Department, China bans exercises linked to Falun Gong, and SEC chairman Levitt calls for one big regulation agency
  
  
• September 24, 1999: Mexico tightens regulations on banks, Bliley races for the finish line on Superfund reform, demonstrations rock Belgrade but not Milosevic, and the UN's double-standard on Africa
  
  
• September 23, 1999: Wide support for medical marijuana in D.C., Archer and Shaw lobby GOP representatives on their Social Security plan, Kennedy's in a huff over the failure of a minimum wage hike, and a dairy fight turns frothy on the Hill
  
  
• September 22, 1999: Microsoft antitrust case final arguments, the GOP kicks in $8 billion for farm aid, Hastert promises an HMO debate in October, and issue advocacy ads under fire
  
  
• September 21, 1999: The F-22: take two, Taiwan's President Lee is likely to hold the line on state-to-state relations, and Thailand stops withdrawing from the International Monetary Fund as Russia's alleged IMF money-laundering comes under congressional investigation
  
  
• September 20, 1999: The first East Timor-bound U.S. personnel land in Australia, volunteers rebuild the Davidian church at Waco, a less-than-disarming situation in Kosovo, and the Postal Service cuts a deal with a union
  
  
• September 17, 1999: Decoding the White House encryption plan, Colombia launches an anti-drug military battalion with U.S. help, sanction relief for North Korea may be coming, and the IMF feels ignored
  
  
• September 16, 1999: Dole and Quayle give CTBT test bans a failing grade, a decision on immigration in California, the federal government prepares to jump on the tobacco lawsuit bandwagon, and a homeschooling win in Vermont
  
  
• September 15, 1999: A link between Waco and Ruby Ridge, Common Cause and First Amendment 'poison pills', electricity deregulation gets cranked up on the Hill, and the Kosovo Liberation Army hunkers down
  
  
• September 14, 1999: Coast Guard sharpshooters target drug smugglers, Holbrooke reminisces about Bosnia, a new federal land grab in New Mexico, and affirmative action at the airport in San Francisco
  
  
• September 13, 1999: Gore plays pediatrician and insurance salesman, CNN evaluates the war on drugs, a missed chance on missile defense in ABM talks, and NASA's budget crashes and burns
  
  
• September 10, 1999: Pakistan wants India to sign a nuclear test ban treaty, Ron Paul wants Selective Service out of service, Clinton goes shopping for guns, the Second Amendment in Texas, and Connecticut gets fitted for a suit
  
  
• September 9, 1999: John Danforth takes the reins of the Waco inquiry, young Oklahoma hunters in the post Columbine era, publishers denounce the Child Online Protection Act, and Florida legislators face term limits
  
  
• September 8, 1999: The UN eyes East Timor while the White House eyes Colombia, professors flunk bankruptcy law reform, a Vermont parent goes to jail for homeschooling, and Clinton drills it in
  
  
• September 7, 1999: Additional materials lead to additional criticism over Waco, the Los Angeles U.S. attorney plans to crack down on guns by the book, and North Korea draws a line in the water
  
  
• September 3, 1999: Gov. Johnson accused of telling kids 'it's OK to do drugs', talks will resume on China WTO entry, Americans are divided on defending Taiwan against the PRC, and three million Americans carry guns under concealed weapons laws
  
  
• September 2, 1999: A disarming encounter in Kosovo, China plays chicken on Taiwan, George W. wants background checks for gun purchases, and why Switzerland is safe
  
  
• September 1, 1999: Reno is on the defensive over Waco, the Russian IMF scandal hits Gore hard, selling a national sales tax in Arizona, and a school fundraiser for disqualified Cleveland voucher students
  
  
• August 31, 1999: Gary Johnson remembers high school drug lessons, Clinton goes to school, Lautenberg's last stand against guns, and 'juvenile justice' compromise on the way
  
  
• August 30, 1999: Waco leads the weekend's chatter, the Post looks at angry jury activism, another voucher shift in Cleveland, and the new WTO head wants China on board this year
  
  
• August 27, 1999: A return to Waco, the economy keeps humming along, water, water everywhere on the East Coast, and Holbrooke is no longer unemployed
  
  
• August 26, 1999: Children without schools in Cleveland, high-tech strikes back against Washington regulation, Los Angeles and D.C. turn their fire on guns, and the Fed expresses interest in inflation
  
  
• August 25, 1999: Desegregation New England style, a public push for a privacy czar, California casinos roll snake eyes, research and college development, and trying on Y2K suits
  
  
• August 24, 1999: Gov. Johnson gets a write-in for president, Kentucky's concealed-carry success, Oregon takes asset forfeiture out for a spin, Clinton places his orders, and interfering with the Internet in Virginia
  
  
• August 23, 1999: Bush battles the drug question, welfare reform under the microscope, the White House wants to peek into PCs, nearly six million are under police supervision or incarcerated, and China/Taiwan saber-rattling
  
  
• August 20, 1999: An Ohio mayor stops trying to censor a Web site, Idaho threatens to cut public television funding over a controversial documentary, a bumper crop of genetic modification, and marijuana legalization billboards by the Bay
  
  
• August 19, 1999: India issues a draft nuke doctrine and the U.S. balks, the United States assists in Turkish earthquake rescue, considering President Primakov, and California prepares a war on guns
  
  
• August 18, 1999: Gov. Johnson takes his drug war crusade national, Daschle wants to life some Cuba embargo restrictions, blaming global warming for summer temperatures, and catching a draft
  
  
• August 17, 1999: A report sees Social Security insolvency in 2032, a First Amendment fight over campaign finance regulations in Vermont, the House moves toward a managed care bill, and the Silver State eyes Internet tax gold
  
  
• August 16, 1999: The First Amendment Center talks to Bradley Smith, Putin passes the Duma and evokes Andropov, China may be mobilizing, and self-defense in the wake of the L.A. shootings
  
  
• August 13, 1999: New Mexico's Johnson answers his critics on drug decriminalization, Sacramento adopts automobile seizure to fight a 'nuisance', the GAO questions Justice's Medicare fraud strategy, and state legislators are still skeptical about gun control
  
  
• August 12, 1999: School vouchers are on the line in Ohio, the drought makes things hot for the federal government, term limits advocates mark Meehan, and Customs searches for 'reasonable suspicion.'
  
  
• August 11, 1999: Chile drops its NAFTA bid, dissonance and disagreement in the Microsoft case, China WTO chances for this year fade, and gun violence on the front burner
  
  
• August 10, 1999: India shoots down a Pakistani plane, North Korea warns of war over missile mischief, China locks the Pope out of Hong Kong, and a federal judge just says no to medical marijuana
  
  
• August 9, 1999: Another upheaval in Yeltsin's cabinet, Lee tells congressional visitors that state-to-state must stay, Bar Association leader compares anti-gun lawsuits to the civil rights movement, and the media recalls Nixon's final day
  
  
• August 6, 1999: The tax debate ends but the surplus debate continues, the Beltway blob continues to grow, the House kills fast UN repayment, and Smith's effort to kill the NEA flops in the Senate
  
  
• August 5, 1999: The White House stands up for steel subsidies, Glendening turns off the tap in Maryland, Young's land-buy bill may be dying young, managed care monotony on the Hill, McCain blasts the FCC, and a term limit war in Washington State
  
  
• August 4, 1999: Low prices are branded a farm crisis, the White House says it's paying off the debt, a federal court lets the e-rate continue, and Tenth Amendment talk in the Senate
  
  
• August 3, 1999: The Post puts the Cato Institute on page one, foreign aid moves through the House, the EPA pesters pesticides, McCaffrey plugs his commercials, and Gore gives a lesson in bad science
  
  
• August 2, 1999: The Senate separates the wheat from the chaff on farm aid, Mexico cooks up a tariff on U.S. beef, a federal judge in Michigan blocks a filter law from taking effect, and the House and Senate get ready to hammer out a banking compromise
  
  
• July 30, 1999: An ethanol free-for-all, Taiwan's Lee approaches 'the brink of the precipice', a Y2K bunker mentality, Russia rakes in IMF funds, Superfund reform oozes through committee, and the Pentagon defends the Raptor
  
  
• July 29, 1999: The GOP gets green over the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, the KLA holds the reins in Kosovo, Waco -- and the FBI's role -- revisited, and plumbing the depths of Capitol Hill
  
  
• July 28, 1999: China is happy about renewed NTR but still smarting from the embassy bombing, the House GOP looks to eliminate the draft board, class action reform action by the House Judiciary Committee, and Lott says Holbrooke will pass... eventually.
  
  
• July 27, 1999: Prices are down on the farm, NASA's budget splashdown, the states want to tax the Net, Albright defends her war, Russia pursues its loan application, and Rodino recalls the first Nixon impeachment vote
  
  
• July 26, 1999: Summers says even a smaller tax cut won't pass muster with Clinton, tensions on the Hill as the China trade vote approaches, Cohen will lobby his old colleagues for the F-22, the Democrats push hard for soft money, and the U.S. is still bombing Iraq
  
  
• July 23, 1999: Russia's Stepashin eyes steps toward economic recovery, Bradley tries to tailor the 'fabric of democracy', tax cuts clear the House, Taiwan moves back from the brink, and the Raptor moves to the Senate
  
  
• July 22, 1999: Warner and Stevens are in rapture about the Raptor, Hatch hatches a hate crime bill, the domain name debate enters Congress's domain, medical marijuana snuffed out for D.C., and Clinton defends his Medicare plan
  
  
• July 21, 1999: The Commerce Department steels itself for more tariffs, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in the realm of Helms, gunmakers in Spitzer's sights, Roukema rankled over medical privacy, and China NTR slated for next week
  
  
• July 20, 1999: The U.S. has a bone to pick over Europe's beef ban, Jiang says China won't rule out force in Taiwan, Clinton concedes ground on tax cuts, and the first 'post-war' deaths in Kosovo
  
  
• July 19, 1999: McCain tries to wrestle campaign finance legislation to the floor, the FCC's 'do-nothing' Internet approach, Richardson jumpstarts new electricity rules, and the House prepares to act on class size
  
  
• July 16, 1999: The GOP health plan clears the Senate as a Democratic amendment flatlines, Clinton's education crusade hits Iowa, Bush opts out of the match game, and librarians address the folly of filters
  
  
• July 15, 1999: The Senate Banking Committee takes up dollarization, China adopts a neutron stance, confusion is all in the Family Leave Act, and Barak lands in Washington
  
  
• July 14, 1999: Rejuvenating "Juvenile Justice" on the Hill, the Senate studies federalism, Clinton puts his stamp on food stamps, and public broadcasting funding
  
  
• July 13, 1999: Two views on One China, anti-tobacco lawyers have money to burn, unlocking encryption on Capitol Hill, defense spending on the offensive in the House, and the Chamber of Commerce eyes Cuba
  
  
• July 12, 1999: The road to the White House is paved with cash, California term limits supports suffer a blow, House Republicans hit from both sides on tax cuts, and the rights of privacy and marital choice
  
  
• July 9, 1999: Clinton plans to conquer the 'divide', global warming heats up Norway, Daschle's health plan dashes to the floor, veterans come out against flag protection and affirmative action in the media
  
  
• July 8, 1999: A Miami jury crushes cigarettes, McCain says cyberspace has no room for tax collectors, Archer floats another capital gains tax cut and Treasury Secretary Summers sees smooth sailing ahead for the economy
  
  
• July 7, 1999: Clinton hits the Black Hills, the Fed will announce racial disparities in small-business loans, techies conquer the capital and satellite photos under the microscope
  
  
• July 6, 1999: Civil asset forfeiture is under fire, the Post pumps up Archer's plan, We The People may like free speech but we don't quite understand it and how to become an American
  
  
• July 2, 1999: A clear Summers day, the House banks on privacy, New Mexico's governor takes a new line on drug decriminalization, the GAO says drugs just keep coming and the Commerce Department foresees a tech worker shortage nightmare
  
  
• July 1, 1999: The House flies on a wing and a prayer, parental consent becomes an interstate commerce issue, moderate GOP govs seize the gun seizure center and Big Brother down under
  
  
• June 30, 1999: Florida gets its first voucher students, Microsoft grapples with the government, campaign finance "reform" caught between soft money and a hard place, the FTC comes out against censorship and wheeling and dealing over Superfund
  
  
• June 29, 1999: Washington considers how to dole out a trillion dollars, Bliley backs off electricity deregulation and Ways and Means takes a look at Social Security