November 26, 1991

A striking loss of confidence in President Bush's economic leadership is leading Americans to reassess the Bush Presidency, setting the stage for a competitive election next year, according to the latest nationwide New York Times/CBS News Poll. Only one American in four now approves of Mr. Bush's handling of the economy, a level of discontent unmatched since the days of double-digit inflation under President Jimmy Carter. Mr. Bush's overall job approval rating is now at 51 percent, a drop of 16 percentage points since mid-October. The declines seemed to reflect a month of bad economic news and turmoil in the White House.

Saying he poses an "imminent danger" to the public, state officials yesterday suspended the medical license of the Lower East Side doctor charged with severing the arm of a fetus during an illegal third-trimester abortion. It is only the fifth time this year that the State Department of Health has used its emergency powers to suspend the license of a doctor before a hearing is held.

Washington sent a military task force to build an emergency refugee camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for thousands of Haitians whose exodus to the United States has been blocked by the Coast Guard. The sudden move reflects growing concern over the unfolding refugee drama prompted in part by an American-supported trade embargo against Haiti, part of efforts to reverse a Sept. 30 military coup.

President Bush vowed today to veto an anti-crime package that would extend the death penalty to many drug-related crimes and impose a waiting period on the sale of handguns, arguing that the legislation was not tough enough on criminals. The veto threat came only hours before the House of Representatives was scheduled to vote on the bill, a compromise between competing House and Senate versions that was approved Sunday evening along partisan lines, the Democrats in favor and the Republicans opposed.

NEW YORK CITY DINKINS IN DISFAVOR Mayor Dinkins's political support has collapsed not quite halfway through his term, with fewer than a third of all New Yorkers approving of the way he is handling his job, according to a New York Times/WCBS-TV News Poll. Battered by the city's fiscal crisis, rising social problems and the dashing of many of the high expectations that greeted his narrow victory, Mr. Dinkins has an approval rating of 29 percent, with 58 percent disapproving -- almost the reverse of his ratings in mid-1990. Page A1. FATAL GUNPLAY AT A BROOKLYN SCHOOL A student was killed and a teacher seriously wounded when an argument between two other youths turned to gunfire in the hallway of a Brooklyn high school. The shootings come as the school system has taken a number of steps to bolster security, steps the teachers union argues do not go far enough. Pages A1 and B2. GUNS-FOR-CASH AMNESTY BEGINS At 9:30 A.M., a modest-looking man walked into the 75th Precinct station house in Brooklyn and quietly asked a receptionist where to turn in a gun. Moments later, standing in a linoleum-floored office, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a white plastic bag containing a .32-caliber automatic handgun. In exchange, a police sergeant handed him $75 cash. Thus began the first day of Brooklyn's new two-week gun amnesty plan. Page B2. HAVE BRACELET, CAN'T TRAVEL With electronic-monitoring bracelets strapped to their legs, about 500 New York City inmates are expected to be released from jail next year in a new effort to reduce overcrowding. Page B3. DEFENDANT IDENTIFIED AS KAHANE KILLER A college student from Long Island became the first witness at the Meir Kahane murder trial to identify the defendant, El Sayyid A. Nosair, as the killer of Rabbi Kahane. Docket, page B3. Sex-bias case upheld against police. Page B3. REGION NEW STRATEGY ON DUMPING When New York State officials charged a garbage hauler with dumping trash on the grounds of Pilgrim State Hospital on Long Island, the company paid fines and, according to the state, just kept dumping. Now, the state has come up with a novel way of going after the company and its top officials: They have been arrested on theft charges: to wit, stealing state land. Page B5. DEATH OF 2 DEER HUNTERS A man on his annual fall hunting trip in central New York State accidentally shot his son to death after mistaking him for a deer, the authorities said. After discovering what he had done, he turned the gun on himself. Page B5. AND THEY DON'T MEAN THE D TRAIN "Completely charming" was the verdict of one commuter, Bob Hartman, a graphic designer. "Quaint," "clean" and "safe," said another user, Robert Salazar, a student at the Newark branch of Rutgers University. What are they talking about? Page B5. CAMPUS POLICE OFFICER SLAIN AT HOME A police sergeant at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark was fatally shot just outside his home on a winding two-lane country road in the western part of the state. Page B5. Our Towns B4 Fashion B7