May 31, 1991

The White House is moving to ease Federal rules that are intended to prevent discrimination in employment tests. Under new rules being reviewed by the Administration, employers would have wider latitude in how the tests are used to judge workers in hiring and promotion decisions. Article, page B6.

President Bush denounced the House Democratic leadership's civil rights bill today, saying the provision declaring quotas illegal "shouldn't fool anyone." He said the provision defined quotas so narrowly that it would really encourage their use. Similar attacks came from Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, and Mr. Bush's press secretary, Marlin Fitzwater, as the Administration coordinated its fire on a provision the Democrats had devised this week to protect themselves against the quota label Mr. Bush hung on the bill when he vetoed it last year.

THE ECONOMY Rising state and local taxes could inhibit recovery, economists fear. Municipalities across the country plan to raise taxes and cut spending by tens of billions of dollars in the fiscal year that begins July 1, and this takes money out of consumers' pockets. [ Page A1. ] Growing scrutiny of "product placement" in movies is reaching the point that Federal and state lawmakers are being forced to take notice. [ D1. ]

As the population of the United States grows older and lives longer, the shortage of doctors trained to treat the problems of the elderly has become acute. Most doctors, even those with a lot of elderly patients, have had little, if any, systematic training in geriatrics, and medical schools are only now introducing such training.

LET'S assume you don't want to hear another word about Kitty Kelley. Let's take it for granted that if this is your summer to finish "War and Peace," you're on your own. But in between overexposed gossip and obviously great works, you'll find the most engaging, entertaining and stimulating books of summer -- a lavish assortment of novels, biographies and both serious and satirical takes on politics. By coincidence, most focus on that nagging little issue, American identity. And they prove that beach reading is a state of mind. Any of these books is absorbing enough to block the sound of the radio on the next blanket or to give you a good excuse for ignoring pesky house guests, but they are also perfect for those of us to whom summer weekends mean a glorious escape into air-conditioning and a carefully cultivated library pallor. THE KITCHEN GOD'S WIFE. By Amy Tan. G. P. Putnam's (mid-June), $22.95. Amy Tan combines the eloquence of literary prose with the irresistible narrative pull of commercial fiction. The Chinese-American family tale of "The Kitchen God's Wife" echoes her first novel, the 1989 best seller "The Joy Luck Club," but the new work is richer, deeper and more poignant.