COVER

THE ELECTION: Harrying Truman (THE ELECTION)

Is his fall and rise a valid model for Bill Clinton or merely a bedtime story for wishful Democrats?

THE ELECTION: Right Makes Might (THE ELECTION)

The G.O.P. has thoroughly discredited Democrats in Congress, but now it must move beyond obstruction and heckling to win support for its own ideas

NATION

WORLD

Business First, Freedom Second (Diplomacy)

Clinton's Indonesia trip underscores how he -- and U.S. firms -- will try to balance trade and human rights

Plots, Plots & More Plots (Russia)

Rabble rouser Vladimir Zhirinovsky tries to change his image, but can't help talking about Jewish conspiracies

Propping Up Yasser (Middle East)

Arafat has problems galore in Gaza, so the Israelis attempt to bolster him by granting him more authority

SCIENCE

Tigers in the Lab

Asian-born, U.S.-trained researchers are headed home to challenge the technological supremacy of the West

HEALTH & MEDICINE

A No-Touch Therapy (Health)

Critics attack a mystical hand-motion treatment spreading through nursing schools and hospitals

An Eye on Alzheimer's (Medicine)

Researchers develop a simple test that may give an early diagnosis for the degenerative brain disorder

SOCIETY

Running Scared

The perils of life on the streets only seem to grow, but so too do the numbers of children fleeing their homes

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

LAW

Evict Thy Neighbor

After years of trying to drive out the family next door with racial taunts, a Chicago family is ordered to move

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MUSIC: Cats and Rappers (Arts & Media / MUSIC)

Three CDs, including Digable Planets' sophomore effort, show that jazz-influenced hip-hop is pop's most dynamic genre

CULTURE: Censoring Cyberspace (Arts & Media / CULTURE)

Carnegie Mellon's attempt to ban sex from its campus computer network sends a chill along the info highway

BOOKS: Chaos Theory (Arts & Media / BOOKS)

Danish novelist Peter Hoeg turns to rebellious orphans

BOOKS: Hard Facts (Arts & Media / BOOKS)

Doris Lessing writes a blunt, unapologetic autobiography

BOOKS: Here's Lucy (Arts & Media / BOOKS)

A biography of Lucille Ball shows a determined woman

TO OUR READERS

ESSAY