News stories from Saturday February 27, 1982

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

A nuclear weapons buildup planned by the Reagan administration will begin with a substantial increase of plutonium and tritium, two basic elements in atomic weapons, Charles Gilbert, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Materials, confirmed in an interview. [New York Times] Wayne Williams was found guilty in Atlanta of charges that he murdered two young black men, who were among 28 persons slain in Atlanta in a 22-month period. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. [New York Times] The poor will bear the brunt of cuts in the budget and taxes enacted last year, and highest-income families will benefit most, the Congressional Budget Office said in a report that is the most comprehensive attempt to measure the combined effects on different income groups of President Reagan's fiscal policies. [New York Times] Action may come soon in the slaying of federal judge John H. Wood in San Antonio three years ago, according to Justice Department officials. They said federal prosecutors were preparing to ask a grand jury to return the indictments within 30 days. [New York Times] Social Security cost-of-living benefits may be eliminated, at least temporarily, Senator Bob Dole, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, indicated in a warning to the new commission studying Social Security. He said that Congress might take some action on financing the retirement system in the next few months without waiting for further advice. He was referring to the possibility that Congress might reduce a projected budget deficit by freezing government spending at current levels. [New York Times] Poland's Catholic hierarchy called for and end to martial law, freedom for its detainees and a national covenant in which the Solidarity union would participate. Their appeal was issued after a two-day meeting in Warsaw of all the country's bishops in the strongest statement by the church since martial law was declared Dec. 13. The statement also indicated disagreement with the economic sanctions imposed by the United States and Britain. [New York Times] The Pope took the first step toward ending his direct control over the embattled Society of Jesus that he assumed in October. At a meeting attended by Jesuit leaders and provincial superiors from all over the world, the Pope demanded strict obedience to his authority but also announced that a general congregation of the order would be called before the end of the year to elect a successor to the ailing superior general, the Rev. Pedro Arrupe. [New York Times] The U.S. reaffirmed its ties to Peking on the 10th anniversary of the Shanghai Communique that opened the way to formal relations between the two nations. A statement said that despite unresolved problems with China over the Taiwan issue, the United States believed that "shared global and regional interests" with Peking far outweighed any of the differences. The State Department said that President Reagan had sent a personal letter to Prime Minister Zhao Ziyang commemorating the anniversary, but that a similar message had not yet been received from the Chinese. [New York Times]