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The exchange was a preview of a crucial intellectual tug of war about to take place among the poverty wonks in the Clinton administration: individual responsibility versus group entitlement. When the euphemisms are stripped away, it’s a debate about America’s most persistent and vexing agony-race, and the existence of a chronic, welfare-dependent and amoral underclass. Most liberals aren’t comfortable talking about such things. They imagine poverty a consequence of injustice and consider any attempt to criticize the morality of the poor “blaming the victim....

If American politics is to be upended, the man most likely to do it-paradoxically-is this smooth-talking, well-connected ornament of the establishment: the insiders’ favorite outsider. Powell will have to be uncharacteristically bold. Rather than assemble an organization, for now he’ll rely on fame, a fawning press and a 26-city book tour. If he runs for the Republican nomination, he must enlist a new wave of GOP voters and independents in an encircling maneuver around powerful GOP conservatives: a left hook worthy of Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah....

Assuming he wins confirmation by the Senate this summer–and there is no reason to think he will not–Mueller will bring his experience and zeal to the complex task of rehabilitating a proud but battered institution. The FBI may be the nation’s premier law-enforcement agency, but it is also a 30,000-employee, $3.4 billion-per-year bureaucracy that has been dogged by repeated charges of mismanagement, high-profile blunders and poor discipline. The list of controversies runs from Ruby Ridge to Richard Jewell to Wen Ho Lee, the Taiwanese-born physicist accused of stealing U....

Historians now have new evidence from which to judge the depth and importance of Richard Nixon’s private antipathy toward Jews. In newly released White House tapes, Nixon singles out Jewish Americans as natural political enemies and potential traitors. “The Jews are all over the government,” he says, insisting that the only way to control bureaucrats of the Jewish faith is to put someone “in charge who is not Jewish.” Was the 37th president guilty merely of letting off steam, as his defenders insist, or was Nixon an anti-Semite who allowed his prejudices to influence him on the job?...

It’s a stunning reversal in a case that has transfixed Peruvians and nettled relations with the United States. Why now? Peru watchers argue that President Alberto Fujimori is wielding his leverage over the courts to play politics. Ever since he was re-elected in May amid accusations of fraud, “he has become an international pariah,” says Jose Miguel Vivanco of Human Rights Watch. This “is an effort to win points in Washington....

With writers crafting picket signs instead of dialogue since they went on strike in November, most, if not all, of the eight daytime soaps currently on the air will have run out of WGA-member-written scripts by February. That prospect might not be devastating to a prime-time show like “Lost,” but it could mean lost audiences for daytime soaps. With their serialized plots and dependence on cliffhangers, soap operas don’t have much wiggle room....

As he looked toward the American flag blowing in the outfield, he saw a band of supporters — the Oakland Unified School District Honor Band, to be precise. The musicians took a knee as they played the anthem. Yes, people are paying attention. When Maxwell came to bat for the first time against the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez, many in the sparse home crowd rose and cheered. STEELE: Kap, Maxwell prove how activism can shine without stars...

Other generals, including Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the commander of Desert Shield, have talked openly about their plans for defeating Iraq without losing their jobs. Dugan revealed no real secrets. So why was he fired? At the time, Cheney said Dugan showed “poor judgment.” The Defense secretary was reported to feel that Dugan had been a little too explicit about the targets he wanted to bomb, such as Saddam’s family, his personal guard and his mistress, as well as “culturally very important” sites that might include Islamic mosques....

The broken record torturing U.S. national team fans continued to play on a rainy night in Aarhus, as Jurgen Klinsmann’s team surrendered another second-half lead and dropped a 3-2 result to Denmark. MORE: Watch Altidore’s goal vs. Denmark | Dempsey out 2-3 weeks | Minnesota United to MLS We’ve heard it so many times before — how results aren’t as important as lessons learned in friendlies like these. That’s pretty much the only approach you can take when your team is finding ways to continue losing games, and worse yet, doing so in matches the team led in the second half....

In most writing about Lincoln, the resonance is piped in from outside: the milieu from which he sprang, the social and political context in which he acted, his changing image, his enduring influence. In Donald’s biography, the resonance emanates from Lincoln himself, who left a powerful impression on everyone who ever met him. Without novelizing, Donald re-creates what it must have been like to be in Lincoln’s presence – and even in his head....

The sandstone and quartz above us in sun-bleached hues of peach and gray were dotted with the deep greens of Douglas fir and sagebrush. Bighorn-sheep families grazed nearby, with no apparent fear of the river invaders. We were on a four-day, guided white-water river-rafting trip. Josh and I had long talked of taking such a trip. Josh’s younger brother, Zach–a landlubber through and through–never shared our enthusiasm. Our group of 18 included several children besides 13-year-old Josh, but 10-year-old Zach was not among them....

Despite this terrifying news and all the thick smoke and debris in my yard, I figured the fire was still a good 15 or so miles to the north of us. I was concerned, especially for folks I know who live up there, but was calm. I told my wife, “Let’s pack up our cars. You know, just in case. Better safe than sorry.” As we packed, the news got worse: the fire was now racing southward down the Interstate 15 corridor; it was now heading right toward us....

Yakety-Yak Attack Talk shows are the cockroaches of TV: no matter how many you kill, there’s always some pesky new ones to take their place. Next month Martin Short, Queen Latifah and radio psychologist Joy Browne will launch their own shows despite recent talk casualties like Howie Mandel and sagging ratings for Rosie, Jerry and Roseanne. Maya Angelou, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Martin Luther King III and even former porn star Traci Lords are all reportedly in negotiations to join the gabfest....

Now, scientists are working to develop a universal flu vaccine that could protect the body against diverse influenza strains and subtypes for years, doing away with the annual flu shot. In a study published last week in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers announced promising results from a phase I clinical trial of the vaccine. In this clinical trial, researchers from Mount Sinai studied the vaccine’s safety and ability to provoke an immune response to the vaccine....

A mystery illness that kept Pogba on the sidelines at the weekend as the reported storm reached its peak, followed by his benching in Wednesday’s Champions League draw away to Sevilla – although as the fates would have it he would nevertheless play almost 80 minutes thanks to Ander Herrera’s injury misfortune – have only heightened the tension between the pair. And those wondering what this might mean for the midfielder’s future need only ask Iker Casillas what happens when one strays onto the Special One’s bad side....

Somehow, Donald has been able to make himself seem even more terrifying this offseason, thanks to a recent training video. Yes, that is one of the best defensive players in the NFL practicing his moves off the line against someone holding knives. MARVEZ: Signings, OBJ rumors part of Rams’ new vision It’s not clear whether this is a run-of-the-mill training session for Donald. If it is, then it helps explain how he has been able to dominate offensive lines over the years and record 11 sacks and five forced fumbles last season....

As Harrison was going up to receive an alley-oop pass from his twin brother Andrew, Tigers star Johnny O’Bryant raced upcourt in an effort to defend Aaron. The resulting contact was not pretty, as O'Bryant inadvertently undercut Aaron and caused Aaron to hit the back of his head hard on the Rupp Arena floor. Despite the fall, Harrison amazingly and somewhat surprisingly stayed in the game to take his two foul shots, making both of them....

The wrongful-death lawsuit was filed Monday in Superior Court in New Bedford, Mass., according to The Herald-News, based in nearby Fall River. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder in the June 17 shooting death of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's girlfriend. He is held without bail. The lawsuit alleges Hernandez "maliciously, willfully, wantonly, recklessly or by gross negligence caused Odin Lloyd to suffer personal injuries that directly resulted in his death....

They already gave him one, this spring, when they held firm on their final offer and didn’t meet Judge’s ask on a contract extension. Now, it’s going to cost them, in one of two ways. First, if they do re-sign him, it’s going to cost a lot more than it would have this spring, before, y’know, he hit 62 home runs and was the club’s lone source of offense — and, oh yeah, played center field and batted leadoff because nobody else could — for most of the second half of the season....