July 23, 1999

City University of New York trustees unanimously choose Matthew Goldstein as new Chancellor; Goldstein, who is president of Adelphi University on Long Island, and previously led CUNY's Baruch College, has intimate knowledge of university and and reputation as strong manager with high academic standards; trustees pledge that they and politicians will step back and let Goldstein grapple with huge problems facing CUNY; photo of Goldstein with his wife, Maggi Sedlis, and Herman Badillo, CUNY chmn (M)

China steps up its offensive against Buddhist Law movement, announcing ban on organization and unleashing barrage of charges against its founder that reveal how seriously Government takes sect as a challenge to its control; Government's ban on group, known in Chinese as Falun Gong, has been rumored since police rounded up more than 100 leaders of sect in several Chinese cities this week; but ferocity of Beijing's campaign--aimed at a group of mainly middle-aged people who practice form of Chinese breathing exercises and meditation--suggests that it regards Falun Gong as more than a movement of physical and moral uplift; at a time when China's economy is slowing and social unrest is rising, officials view amorphous but fast-growing sect as a dangerous political force; photo of several Falun Gong members exercising (M)

House Rejects Fighter Jet The F-22 was defeated in a battle as the House voted overwhelmingly for a military spending bill that withheld $1.8 billion for the planes, but the war is not over. PAGE A24

Researchers working for Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani's Charter Revision Commission recommend 40 potential changes to City Charter, including some that would diminish budgetary and land-use powers of City Council and others that would change electoral process, but they oppose moving too hastily to change line of mayoral succession (M)

Clyde Haberman column contends that unbearable midtown Manhattan traffic on Wednesday matinee days would be eased if Broadway theaters took lead from British and staggered midweek matinees so they do not fall on same day (M)

Walls warp, statues morph and things go bump in the night as Liam Neeson plays a doctor who wants to study fear in ''The Haunting,'' from the director of ''Speed'' and ''Twister.'' And Lili Taylor (right), Catherine Zeta-Jones and Owen Wilson are colorfully cast as human guinea pigs.

Ashes of John F Kennedy Jr, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Lauren G Bessette are dropped into Atlantic Ocean, about three miles from where Kennedy's plane crashed, during Roman Catholic service aboard destroyer Briscoe; his final rest comes within sight of beaches where he had spent summers during his childhood; family members say Kennedy had expressed a desire to be buried at sea; ceremony is carried out beyond reach of long-distance television cameras; photos of family members at ceremony, including Sen Edward M Kennedy, Maria Shriver, and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg (L)

Council on Economic Priorities, nonprofit reseach group that advocates responsible corporate behavior, rates vehicles according to their environmental impact, based on factors such as tailpipe emissions and fuel economy; top-rated are several electric vehicles; table; graph; Volvo's report on its own record also noted (M)

Profile of Carleton S Fiorina, who has been named chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co; she comments on her corporate strategy; photo (M)

Anna Kisselgoff reviews dance tribute to Merce Cunningham, now 80, at Lincoln Center Festival; celebration includes performance of new work, Biped, as well as guest appearances by New York City Ballet and Mikhail Baryshnikov; photos (M)

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan warns anew about euphoric stock market and pledges to act 'promptly and forcefully' to prevent any revival of inflation, testimony before House Banking Committee; he infuriates some House Republicans by characterizing their drive for huge, immediate tax cut as premature and economically unwise; Wall Street interprets testimony as warning that Fed's Open Market Committee is more likely to raise interest rates, possibly as early as its next meeting in August but almost certainly by October unless economy slows from its current robust pace; photo (M)

House Republicans put down their marker in debate over how to allocate projected Federal budget surpluses, passing largest tax cut in nearly two decades despite veto threat from Pres Clinton; Republican plan, which would cut taxes by $792 billion over next decade, passes on largely party line vote of 223 to 208; four Republicans vote against it and six Democrats vote in favor; outcome averts major defeat for Speaker J Dennis Hastert and rest of Republican leaders; photos (L)