COVER

Allergies Nothing to Sneeze At (Cover Stories)

It's the height of allergy season -- a particularly nasty one in some places -- and millions of sufferers have no easy escape from the airborne assault

NATION

t (Grapevine)

No Excuses (The Week: Nation)

In a close vote, the House defeats the balanced-budget amendment

The Federal Deficit (Government)

Everyone knows how to stop the Niagara of red ink, but most politicians lack the courage to do it, including Bush, Clinton and Perot

Up to The Presidents (The Week: Nation)

Just how deeply will the U.S. and Russia cut their arsenals?

WORLD

The Longest Yawn (The Week World)

The big showdown campaign in Israel turns out to be a snooze

A Presummit Gesture (The Week World)

Yeltsin confirms that the Soviets held American prisoners in the 1950s

Coming Apart (The Week World)

Election results edge Czechoslovakia along the road of ethnic dissolution

Democratchniks (Russia)

An inside look at how Yeltsin and his team of reform rookies and veterans pursue the daunting task of radically changing Russia

The Royal Rows Of Windsor (Britain)

A new biography of Princess Diana may be flawed, but the picture of an empty marriage rings true

SCIENCE

HEALTH & MEDICINE

X Marks the Spot (The Week Health & Science)

A bizarre cosmic cross may be the imprint of a giant black hole

SOCIETY

Society (The Week: Society / Et Cetera)

Family Tragedy

Pro-Choice Pullback (The Week: Society)

Like other mainstream Protestants, the Presbyterians rethink abortion

The Frugal Gourmet (The Week: Society)

A controversial video teaches the homeless what to eat on the streets

The NEA: Trampled Again (Culture)

When Dan Quayle and the religious right talk about moral values, it can only be bad news for the arts agency, long a scapegoat for liberal culture

RELIGION

Cut From The Wrong Cloth

Many women are seeking a larger role in church affairs, but Catholic bishops cannot seem to agree on what those responsibilities should be

SPORT

A Whole New Ball Game

Better enjoy this year's baseball season while you can, because battle lines are being drawn that could change the game forever

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

The Power of the Savior (Essay)

Forty years ago, MacArthur set off a frenzy by vowing to rescue America from decline. Now Perot is doing the same.

BUSINESS

Systematic Looting (The Week: Business)

In an undercover sting, Sears' auto-repair service gets nailed

Wipe Out (The Week: Business / Et Cetera)

Wipe Out

Mickey Mess (The Week: Business)

A turnaround may be coming, but the Magic Kingdom needs more magic

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Battier and Better (Cinema)

Batman Returns is a funny, gorgeous improvement on the original and a lesson on how pop entertainment can soar into the realm of poetry

PEOPLE

The Fire Around The Ice: ICE-T (Profile)

He is moving from gangster rap to hard rock and Hollywood, but ICE-T still preaches the same message: the reality of the streets

TO OUR READERS

ESSAY