News stories from Saturday May 10, 1980

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

Economists say the President erred when he characterized the current recession as "mild and short" and are more openly acknowledging that forecasts made six weeks ago are out of date. Privately, some administration economists predict that unemployment will reach 8 percent by the end of the year, up from a previous forecast of a 7.2 percent rate. [New York Times] Chrysler is eligible for $1.5 billion in federal loan guarantees, a federal board has decided, bringing to an end the company's 17-month struggle for government assistance. The decision came two days after Chrysler reported a loss of $448.8 million during the first three months of the year. [New York Times] Border Patrol strength is down along the United States-Mexico border after 139 agents in the Southern Region were transferred to Florida to handle the influx of Cuban refugees. In Texas, where one-sixth of the normal force has been removed, one agent called the situation "acute and alarming" as the number of illegal aliens crossing the border has risen markedly. [New York Times] Two million Hispanic people here, most of whom arrived after World WarII1, find themselves torn between two cultures -- that of their homelands and that of the this country. According to The New York Times Hispanic Study, a project conducted over six months, most of the 566 persons interviewed are reluctant to embrace the term "American" or to forsake their languages, traditions or way of life. [New York Times] Castro is dumping Cuba's unwanted onto the United States during the current exodus from the island, including common criminals, mentally retarded, delinquents and other social misfits considered by their native country to be "scum." [New York Times] Many dissidents will leave Moscow before the scheduled July 19 opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, when an influx of foreign visitors is expected. According to some, Soviet authorities are pressing them to do so. Other activists are voluntarily planning vacations to coincide with the games. [New York Times] A Carter-Kennedy debate was urged by Senate majority leader Robert Byrd, who praised Senator Kennedy for having "done a service" to the country in raising key issues. The comments by Mr. Byrd, who remains neutral in the Democratic race, stirred some surprise. [New York Times] Two men climbed a third of the way up the Statue of Liberty using rubber suction cups and mountaineering equipment in a political protest. Officials said the men had caused extensive damage to the statue's copper skin. The men unfurled a 25-foot-long banner with the words: "Liberty was framed. Free Geronimo Pratt." [New York Times] A tide of violence has swept Jamaica since Prime Minister Michael Manley's announcement that elections will be held in September. At least 26 persons, including police officers, have been shot, stabbed or stoned to death, while hundreds have been wounded or forced to flee in face of death threats, firebombings and shootings. [New York Times] Two Mideast envoys were recalled to Washington by Secretary of State Edmund Muskie for an urgent review of the stalled Palestinian autonomy talks. Last week, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat suspended negotiations that were scheduled to resume Tuesday, leading officials to fear that the May 26 target date may pass without significant progress. [New York Times]