COVER

A Boy and His Gun

Even in a town like Omaha, Nebraska, the young are packing weapons in a deadly battle against fear and boredom

NATION

Nixing Dixie (Civil Rights)

An impassioned Senate vote focuses attention on the South's war of symbols

Showing No Mercy (The Flood)

A tour through the soggy heartland reveals how lowlanders grapple with the Great Power

The Trouble with Rosty (Congress)

His involvement in the post-office scandal could disrupt Clinton's legislative ambitions

Where Hope Ends (The White House)

The apparent suicide of a close friend and adviser leaves the Clintons in mourning and Washington with a painful question: Why did he do it?

WORLD

A Lesson in Shame (Bosnia)

As Warren Christopher says the U.S. is at the limit of its involvement in Bosnia, the failure to act in the Balkans is the West's most disgraceful mistake since World War II

You Call This Change? (Japan)

Elections bring political turmoil at home but promise no bold new course for Japan Inc.

SCIENCE

The Hunt, the Furor (Environment)

As Norway lets the harpoons fly, the cry Save the whales echoes again across the seas

SOCIETY

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

BUSINESS

Crashing Prices

Falling demand and deep discounting lead to vanishing profits and heavy casualties in PCs

LAW

See You in Court

Gay activists hope to overturn Clinton's gay policy, but the odds -- and Sam Nunn -- are against them

The Squeaky Clean G-Man (Justice)

Clinton's choice for FBI chief comes with a sterling reputation, but can he revitalize the agency?

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Stupid Talk-Show Tricks (Show Business)

NBC and CBS squabble in a corporate custody battle over David Letterman's shtick

TO OUR READERS

ESSAY