August 5, 1995

George Bush, who pleased conservatives throughout his Presidency by refusing to lift a trade embargo and to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, is now under pressure from some of the same groups over plans for a speaking tour here that will reportedly earn him a six-figure fee. Vietnam veterans, some conservative Republican lawmakers and some Vietnamese-Americans say that a visit by a former President would give Vietnam's authoritarian Government a propaganda windfall. They also fear it would hinder American efforts to determine the fate of the 2,198 Americans still listed as missing in action in Vietnam.

New Yorkers seemed to be getting really edgy yesterday. Central Park temperatures exceeded 90 degrees for the seventh consecutive day, bringing the number of such scorchers so far this year to 18 -- one day more than the annual average. From the burning city pavement to the steaming beaches, people throughout the region have sunk into a state of deepest lethargy. "I think the effect of the heat is cumulative," said Gina Von Eiss, an administrative assistant from Mamaroneck, N.Y. "I feel like I cannot get enough oxygen. I'm tired and short of breath all the time. Each day I feel worse."

Seeking sharp reductions in spending, New York City transit officials want to renegotiate the existing contract with subway and bus workers, insisting on work-rule changes or even wage cuts and threatening thousands of layoffs if the union balks. "We're looking at 2,000, maybe 2,500 positions that would have to go," unless there are major union concessions, said an official of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority who spoke on condition of anonymity. While some reductions could be made through attrition, he said, most would inevitably be made through layoffs.

The Croatian Government launched a long-threatened offensive at dawn today, sending tanks, troops and jets into action to retake a swath of territory that has been under the control of rebel Serbs since 1991. More than 1,500 shells landed in Knin, the headquarters of the breakaway Serbian region, United Nations officials said. Other towns along the 90-mile-long Serb-held territory, known as Krajina, were also reportedly shelled or bombed.

After passing two of the biggest bills on its legislative slate in a span of 14 hours, the House of Representatives wound up its first seven months of the session today and departed for a monthlong recess, testy, tired and tellingly partisan. Speaker Newt Gingrich succeeded early this morning in coaxing through the largest and most disputed of the Federal spending bills -- legislation that he described as "the most difficult bill we'll face." To do so, the Georgia Republican held together a fractious group of conservative and moderate Republicans that split over social issues like abortion in a family feud that briefly threatened final passage.