April 2, 1998

Senate Commerce Committee, 19 to 1, approves legislation that would raise price of cigarettes and stiffen regulations on tobacco; only 'no' vote comes from Sen John Ashcroft, who contends that other industries are entitled to same annual limit on damge claims that bill would give tobacco companies; bill would force up price of pack of cigarettes by $1.10 over next five years, penalize cigarette companies if number of teen-age smokers did not fall to specified levels and limit civil liability of industry to $6.5 billion a year; it also would require manufacturers to accept strict limits on their advertising; photo (M)

Tough Tobacco Legislation Endorsed by Senate Panel The Senate Commerce Committee gave a strong bipartisan vote of approval to legislation that would raise cigarette prices and stiffen regulations on tobacco. Senator John McCain, the committee chairman, said he hoped the bill would be before the full Senate before Memorial Day. But the bill's advance through the committee without substantative change belied the opposition and obstacles ahead. [Page A1.]

Bernard Holland reviews New York City Opera production of Tobias Picker's Emmeline; photo (M)

Vichy Official Found Guilty A French career civil servant was found guilty of charges stemming from the deportations of Jews in World War II and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Page A8.

Judge Susan Webber Wright throws out Paula Corbin Jones's sexual misconduct lawsuit against Pres Bill Clinton, rejecting all of her claims that she suffered sexual harassment and emotional distress in encounter with Clinton when he was Governor of Arkansas and she was state employee in 1991; rules that Clinton's alleged conduct does not constitute sexual assault; says Jones never filed complaint with her superiors after alleged incident and suffered no evident job discrimination; Wright's decision places in question standing of independent counsel Kenneth W Starr's separate criminal inquiry into whether Clinton committed perjury in Jones case; Starr says ruling has 'no effect' on his authority; photo (M)