April 27, 2000

Harvey Araton Sports of The Times column praises play of Patrick Ewing in playoffs against Toronto Raptors but notes that New York Knicks fans still have love-hate relationship with him; photo (M)

Ben Brantley reviews Yard Gal, play by Rebecca Prichard presented by MCC Theater Company under direction of Gemma Bodinetz; photo (M)

Senior Clinton administration officials hold second round of intensive meetings with Russian Foreign Min Igor S Ivanov about missile defense system United States wants to develop over Russian objections; say Ivanov and chief Russian arms control negotiator, Georgi Memedev, continue to oppose plan, but that they detect readiness by Moscow to explore all avenues of possible resolution to looming standoff; State Dept describes its three-prong approach: no deferral of missile defense issue, no destruction of Antiballistic Missile Treaty of 1972, which limits ability of both US and Russia to deploy defenses against missiles, and no decoupling from Start III, which would cut number of nuclear warheads in each country's arsenal; Sen Jesse Helms and other leading conservative Republicans want ABM treaty scrapped to allow for more robust missile defense than Clinton administration is proposing (M)

Federal government and states, partners in antitrust suit against Microsoft, expected to file joint proposal on remedies in case and back plan to break Microsoft into two companies; joint proposal had been in doubt before elements were included that state officials proposed to strengthen interim restrictions on Microsoft's conduct; Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson set Apr 28 as deadline for filing proposal; state officials say remarks by leaders of Microsoft helped harden opinions among some attorneys general and rally support around plan for breakup; cite William H Gates's recent interview, in which he claims Microsoft did 'absolutely nothing wrong,' even after Judge Jackson had called some Microsoft conduct 'predatory' and illegal in his ruling (M)

Cuban Father Goes to Court Elian Gonzalez's father asked an appeals court to let him intervene in his son's asylum case. PAGE A22 Ban on Snowmobiles The recreational use of snowmobiles will be banned at nearly all national parks. PAGE A12