News stories from Sunday May 9, 1982

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

Prospects for a Republican majority in the Senate through the 1980's are not as bright as they were when President Reagan was elected. Republicans leaders are concerned that this year's Senate elections, which they had thought would provide them with enough new seats to entrench them, will give them only a slight gain and indicate that their majority might be erased in 1984 or 1986. [New York Times] Former Gov. Jerry Apodaca of New Mexico has been named in documents made public in a libel suit against the Albuquerque Journal. The documents detail previously confidential investigations that accuse the former Governor, one of the most prominent Hispanic-American politicians in the nation, of taking bribes from people in organized crime while he was in office from 1974 to 1978. Mr. Apodaca denies the charges and says that some of them were fabricated by newspaper in a racially motivated scheme to destroy his efforts to make a political comeback. [New York Times] A U.S.-Soviet arms control plan was proposed by President Reagan in an address to the graduating class of Eureka College in Illinois, his alma mater. It would initially call for both sides to reduce by one-third their nuclear warheads on land-and sea-based ballistic missiles. This would reduce to about 5,000 the number of warheads possessed by each country, the first step toward their acceptance of an "equal ceiling" on the "throw weight" or total payload of nuclear weapons of all kinds, the President said. He said that he has written to Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet leader, suggesting that formal negotiations start at the end of June. [New York Times] Soviet leaders will not approve any strategic arms reduction deal that requires a "unilateral reduction by the Soviet Union while permitting a buildup by the United States," the Communist Party newspaper Pravda said. The article appeared before President Reagan's speech in Illinois proposing that the United States and the Soviet Union reduce nuclear warheads by one-third. [New York Times] Argentina reported more attacks by British warships on its positions in the Falklands and that a fishing boat was sunk. The renewed fighting, the first since Tuesday, broke out as senior Argentine government officials said Argentina was willing to withdraw its forces from the Falklands without a prior guarantee of sovereignty. However, one official said Argentina would settle for a negotiating structure that "inexorably must aim at recognition" of Argentine sovereignty over the islands. [New York Times] Britain opened fire off the Falklands, capturing an Argentine fishing boat, and, according to correspondents accompanying the British fleet, shooting down an Argentine helicopter of the kind that carries 20 men. In the meantime, Britain won a renewal of support in its dispute over the Falklands from its Common Market partners, but only until next week. [New York Times] "Important progress" at the U.N. toward a cease-fire in the Falklands was reported by Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar of the United Nations. His estimate was supported by the British delegate, Sir Anthony Parsons, but the Argentine delegate, Enrique Ros, made no comment. Mr. Perez de Cuellar said gains were made on some points, but "on some others we need clarification." [New York Times] An artillery battle broke out in southern Lebanon between Israel and Palestinian guerrillas after Israeli fighter-bombers attacked Palestinian guerrilla bases in the hills south of Beirut. The guerrillas then turned their artillery fire on northern Israel. The Israeli attack, the second in two weeks, appeared to have destroyed the cease-fire mediated by the United States that had been in effect in southern Lebanon since July 23. [New York Times] Rockets were fired into Israel after Israeli air strikes against Palestinian bases, sending residents in the area running to their air raid shelters. No Israeli casualties were reported. The shelling, the first such attack on Israeli territory since the cross-border cease-fire went into effect in July, appeared to hold the potential of provoking Israel to consider ground attacks in southern Lebanon. [New York Times]