News stories from Sunday January 14, 1973

Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:

A source close to the Watergate case said that four of the five defendants were under what he termed "great pressure" to plead guilty to charges of eavesdropping on the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington. The source would not identify those who were said to be putting pressure on the defendants, but he did say that a substantial promise of money had been made to the men. [New York Times] Ratification of the equal rights amendment to the constitution no longer looks like a sure thing as it did months ago. The amendment would outlaw all forms of sex discrimination based on law or governmental action. The reason for the change in outlook arises from well organized and apparently well financed opposition groups who seem to be making persuasive arguments with many state legislators. [New York Times] The much talked about "energy crisis" became a reality in some areas of the nation and it could happen in the Northeast if the weather turns sharply colder. Thousands of workers in Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Arkansas, Minnesota and Illinois were thrown out of work as fuel supplies ran out. [New York Times] The National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals has recommended the elimination of plea bargaining within the next five years among hundreds of proposed changes in the nation's courts, police forces, corrections systems and community attitudes. [New York Times] President Nixon sent Gen. Alexander Haig to Saigon today to consult with President Nguyen Van Thieu about cease-fire negotiations. Henry Kissinger gave the President a report on his six days of meetings with Le Duc Tho in Paris. [New York Times] Premier Golda Meir of Israel arrived in Rome at the invitation of the Vatican to confer with Pope Paul VI. It will be the first visit to the head of the Roman Catholic Church by an Israeli government chief. Vatican sources said that the Pope and Mrs. Meir would discuss the status of religious shrines in Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land and the chances for a peaceful settlement of the Middle East conflict. [New York Times]