News stories from Monday May 26, 1980
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- George Bush declared an end to active campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination and announced that he would ask his delegates at the national convention in July to cast their ballots for Ronald Reagan. Mr. Bush stopped just short of a formal withdrawal from the race to assure that he would continue to receive matching funds from the Federal Election Commission to eliminate a campaign debt estimated at $300,000. [New York Times]
- An indictment is not warranted by the evidence against Hamilton Jordan, the White House chief of staff who has been accused of using cocaine, according to sources familiar with the investigation made by a special Federal prosecutor. Steve Rubell, a co-owner of Studio 54, charged that Mr. Jordan used cocaine when he visitied the Manhattan discotheque on June 27, 1978. [New York Times]
- Thousands of Haitians who have fled their homeland to seek refuge in South Florida are asking to be granted political asylum. They describe their nation as being caught in the grip of an authoritarian government whose rule is enforced through terror, censorship, and arbitrary arrest. But the Carter administration contends that the refugees' motive for seeking asylum is economic, rather than political. [New York Times]
- The refugee camp appeared calm fol-lowing a weekend of disorder at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida where thousands of Cubans are being processed. While the Air Force said they had picked up all 21 Cubans who had fled over the weekend, two more refugees escaped over the camp's chain-link fence. [New York Times]
- Mount St. Helens was quiet after its eruption on Sunday, but scientists warned that such outbursts could go on for months or years. A geologist with the United States Geological Survey said the volcano was the quietest it had been since the day before its first eruption on May 18. [New York Times]
- Many residents vowed not to leave the polluted Love Canal section of Niagara Falls, N.Y. until the government buys their homes. Only 220 of 800 families have registered for temporary relocation, and residents say they will not participate in government health-testing programs until the home purchase dispute is resolved.
A study of Love Canal was limited in its scope because lawyers for the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency said they wanted only to determine if the government should perform a more rigorous investigation of area residents' health. Scientists were barred from including a control group, which has now thrown the study into dispute.
[New York Times] - President Carter backed higher pay and increased benefits to retain experienced servicemen. The President made his pledge to more than 6,500 Navy enlisted men and officers who returned to Norfolk, Va. after almost nine months at sea. They were sent to the Indian Ocean after the seizure of the American Embassy in Iran. [New York Times]
- South Korean troops regained control of Kwangju from student-led rebels who had held the city since last week, the Martial Law Command announced. The command said that the troops overcame light resistance in which two rebels were killed and four soldiers wounded. About 200 rebels were taken into custody. [New York Times]
- The deadline passed in the Middle East without agreement in the negotiations between Egypt and Israel on the question of Palestinian self-rule. Little progress was expected on the negotiations over the occupied Arab territories until after the American presidential election in November.
Washington expressed disappointment that the target date had passed for the conclusion of negotiations for Palestinian self-rule, but high-ranking officials expressed optimism that the deadlocked talks would resume and would result in an agreement. American officials said that the resignation of Defense Minister Ezer Weizman might prompt Prime Minister Begin to assume a less rigid stance in the next round of talks.
[New York Times] - Two Bishops were arrested along with 51 other church figures in central Johannesburg by police officers who halted a protest march. The marchers were objecting to the detention of another clergyman for his remarks supporting students who have been boycotting classes across the country to protest inequalities between the segregated school systems. [New York Times]