NATION

The Challenger What Does Pat Want?

Buchanan has already drawn blood and divided the G.O.P., but he won't be satisfied until the party embraces his arch-conservative agenda

WORLD

SCIENCE

Space Program for Sale

Top Russian scientists and hardware that NASA covets are available at bargain-basement prices, but the U.S. government is dragging its heels

HEALTH & MEDICINE

SOCIETY

A Conspiracy of Goodness (Ethics)

Rescuing Jews during World War II took a special kind of heroism: ordinary human compassion

The Hidden Hurdle

Talented black students find that one of the most insidious obstacles to achievement comes from a surprising source: their own peers

PRESS

Don't Quote Me, But . . .

A U.S. Senator cries foul to sexual-misconduct charges, but the accusers are not the usual anonymous sources

RELIGION

TECHNOLOGY

Ding! Whrrrrrrrrrrrr. Crash!

A tiny virus called Michelangelo whips the computer world into a frenzy but in the end creates more hype than havoc

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

BUSINESS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

And What a Reign It Was (Television)

In his 30 years, Carson was the best, providing a bedtime blanket of amusing rituals and quirks, and a barometer of the national mood

Jay Leno: Midnight's Mayor (Television)

Jay Leno, succeeding Johnny Carson as late-night host to millions, has already won the office of Most Popular Regular Guy in America

Doing It Right the Hard Way (Cinema)

The radiant Howards End caps 30 years of Merchant Ivory filmmaking: on the cheap, but with style

The Battle to Film Malcolm X (Show Business)

To portray the black hero his way, Spike Lee has taken on rival directors, black activists, the studio and the budget

PEOPLE

TO OUR READERS

ESSAY