News stories from Saturday July 19, 1980
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- The Olympics opened in Moscow in ceremonies led by Leonid Brezhnev and guarded by tens of thousands of soldiers and policemen. The capital was sealed off hours before the opening ceremony at 4 P.M. and all normal traffic was kept off the streets. A total of 81 national teams participated in the opening parade, their number greatly diminished by the refusal of many countries to participate in protest against the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. [New York Times]
- Draft registration may begin Monday, Associate Justice William Brennan of the Supreme Court ruled. The Justice set aside an injunction against registration granted Friday by a federal court in Philadelphia that ruled the Selective Service Act was unconstitutional because it excluded women. Justice Brennan said that he stayed the lower court's injunction because he thought the prospects that it would be reversed by the full Supreme Court were "fair." A Selective Service spokesman said the registration of men born in 1960 and 1961 would proceed as planned. [New York Times]
- An inquiry into Billy Carter's ties with Libya was revived and intensified by the Justice Department in May after it learned that Libyan officials hoped to gain influence in the White House by paying off the President's brother, according to government officials familiar with the case. That information led to the discovery on June 2 that Billy Carter had received $220,000 in loan payments from Libya since the beginning of the year. [New York Times]
- Auto makers face critical challenges of a new era of small cars, an age that will either restore Detroit's prominence in the automotive world or hasten its decline. The industry has reached this crossroads at a time when it is in the worst slump of its history, brought about in part by the intense competition of the highly fuel-efficient Japanese and other foreign autos. Detroit's car manufacturers will spend $80 billion over the next five years on the new models, which by 1985 are expected to provide an average of 27.5 miles per gallon of gasoline, double the average of 1975 models. [New York Times]
- Vacations are more modest nationwide because of the recession, and many vacation-related businesses are having an off year. Reports from convention bureaus and state and national park officials indicate that many vacationers are camping less this summer because of the high price of gasoline, that they are taking longer weekends and cutting back on extended vacation periods, and that many people are seeking vacation places they can travel to on a tank of gasoline. Foreign tourists, though are spending freely, taking advantage of their favorable exchange rate. [New York Times]
- Assassins in Turkey killed former Prime Minister Nihat Erim, who served in 1971-72 when the military cracked down on leftists and intellectuals. The slayers left behind a message saying that a clandestine leftist organization was reponsible. An emergency cabinet meeting was held by Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel. [New York Times]
- Fidel Castro reproached the United States for not providing more aid to help Nicaragua recover from the civil war last year. However, he had a friendly meeting with American officials in Managua, Nicaragua, and conceded that the administration had adopted "a more intelligent and constructive policy toward Nicaragua." In remarks to a large outdoor meeting marking the first anniversary of the Sandinist victory over the Somoza regime, he strongly attacked "the terrible platform" adopted at the Republican National Convention. [New York Times]