European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes . Thursday. August 18,1994 Compromise pledged on crime Bill Washington a momentum is shifting to Ward i passage of a troubled anti crime Bill and vice president Al Gore on wednesday promised some com Promise aimed at winning Over Republican support for a vote he said could come As Early As this week. Scrambling to Avert a major legislative setback presi Dent Clinton and House democratic leaders patched together changes in the $33 billion legislation. At least four members said they would consider switching their votes and House republicans emerged from a White House meeting tuesday night sounding optimistic about a Compromise. Clinton is willing to Cut Back on social programs and tinker with the assault weapons ban White House press Secretary pee Dee Myers said wednesday. She said the president now recognizes that changes need to be made in the Bill that was rejected last week and does not intend to try to Force another vote on the exact same Bill. I think we re moving in a different direction she said. The president indicated a very Strong interest in working with us said House Republican whip Newt Gingrich of Georgia who predicted final action on a crime Bill before we leave  Gingrich said he and other republicans would work  next 48 hours to reach a general consensus on a bipartisan  rep. Henry Hyde r-lll., said i do get the sense that the president wants a Bill and is reaching out to  House speaker Thomas Foley was equally upbeat it will be  Gore appeared wednesday on lbs and Abc to press the administration s Case. And while he said that we be talked with a lot of members of Congress who have various suggestions on How to change the Bill he insisted there will be no Compromise on such issues As 100,000 new  officers and the ban on assault style  if he thought the administration could win in a new Effort to pass the Bill Gore said i think so. I really do. And we re going to ask them to vote again this  the Bottom line is do they have the guts to vote against the National Rifle association. And vote for the american people Gore said. The administration needing to convert eight Law makers lobbied with a series of personal phone Callstrom Clinton meetings with top aides on Capitol Hill and the White House conference with 21 Republican. House members. We re making some Progress White House chief of staff Leon Panetta said following an hour Long meet ing with House democratic leaders. Working in Clinton s favor was the pre election sentiment among both republicans and democrats tha Congress must pass some sort of crime Bill. The administration is banking on the notion that the Republican instinct for survival in upcoming elections will Over come the desire to Embarrass the president. Foley  said he expected the House to re consider the Bill on Friday or saturday after possibly cutting its $33 billion Price tag. He predicted it would pass but said changes in the Bill would require another negotiating session with the Senate. The changes would toughen a provision on sex of fenders shift Money from crime prevention programs to Law enforcement and allow for some administrative review before new restrictions on assault weapons took effect Home twisted but cat survives . Tornado Lexington . Apas the sound of Chain saws filled the air and an army helicopter flew overhead Ruth Ward returned to her Tornado damage Home wednesday less concerned about the wreckage than about her cat sweetie pie. Even though i be lived in this House since i was 8 years old it s just a  m scared that the storm Hurt sweetie pie Ward 72, said As she searched through the mess Ward was inside her Home tuesday when the Tornado ripped up at least a dozen surrounding Trees and collapse two upstairs rooms. She came Home wednesday morning after staying Over night with a relative and was overjoyed when an unruffled sweetie pie finally walked in her Back door. Like Ward hundreds of residents i Lexington a town of about 3,300 people 10 Miles West of Columbia began clean ing up after a Tornado spawned by the remnants of tropical storm Beryl bar Reed through tuesday ripping up much of the town s business District and some neighbouring residential areas. In All about a dozen tornadoes or suspected tornadoes were reported in North Carolina Georgia and Virginia. One destroyed about 10 Mobile Homes and injured one person in Hickory . Another which struck Early wednesday damaged buildings and injured two peo ple in Martinsville a. Altogether at least 36 people were in $ -.,y r 4, i. Y Aff a s South Carolina residents Survey Tornado damage to an Auto parts store tuesday in Lexington . Minnesota sues tobacco companies is Jared authorities said. One storm relate traffic death was reported carry in the Day. Earlier Beryl faded As it moved Over Georgia losing its tropical storm status when its wind fell below 39 Mph. With 5 or More inches of rain falling in some areas the storm caused some flooding. But it was a far cry from tropical storm Alberto which stalled Over Georgia last month causing severe flood ing that was blamed for 31 deaths. Even As Beryl faded away another tropical storm Chris was born and quickly strengthening in the Eastern at lactic. Wednesday morning Chris Center was about 1,100 Miles to the East of the lesser Antilles according to the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables Fla. In Lexington county gov. Carrol Campbell declared a state of emergency. St. Paul Minn. A the state of Minnesota and its largest private health insurance company filed a lawsuit wednesday accusing the nation s tobacco companies of conspiracy fraud and antitrust violations. The lawsuit seeks to recover the taxpayers share of billions of dollars that state residents have paid in smoking related health care costs according to stat officials and Blue Cross and Blue shield of Minnesota attorney general Hubert Humphrey Iii said his was the first state lawsuit in the United states to allege a antitrust conspiracy and consumer fraud against Tobac co companies. Previous lawsuits have said the tobacco companies should pay because their products Are dangerous Humphrey said. This suit says they should pay be cause the conduct. Is  named As defendants Philip Morris cos inc., . Reynolds tobacco co., Brown & Williamson tobacco corp., . Industries p.l.c., Lorillard tobacco co., the american tobacco co., Liggett group inc., the Council for tobacco Researcha. Inc. And the to Bacco Institute inc. The complaint filed in Ramsey county District court contends that the cigarette companies and their Trade associations broke a Promise to disclose the truth about smoking and health and have United in a four decade conspiracy to cover up their knowledge about the addictive lethal qualities of cigarettes and to sup press the marketing of safer cigarettes. It is time to blow away the Black Cloud of conspiracy and collusion and Force the tobacco companies to clean up and pay up Humphrey said. In a lawsuit filed in May Mississippi became the first state m the nation to ask the tobacco Industry to reimburse it for Money spent treating illnesses caused by smoking. / and last month Philip Morris began a court Chal Lenge to Florida s anti tobacco Law considered the nation s toughest. That statute allows the state to sue tobacco Compa Nies for the costs of treating medicaid patients who suf Fer from smoking related illnesses. Falwell to show yanked Lynchburg a. A a television Sta Tion yanked the Rev. Jerry Falwell off the air after viewers complained that his sexually explicit discussion of allegations against president Clin ton crossed the line from religion to politics. A Tiv to in Jacksonville Fla., suspended the old time gospel hour on monday and will can cel it if Falwell continues to focus More on poli tics station president Ken Tonning said. Complaints had mounted in recent weeks and the station acted after a viewer spoke up about what Falwell s show prompted her 9-year-old son to ask. He asked me what Oral sex was. I asked him where did he hear about that and he said he heard it on Jerry Falwell s show on television said Cathy Corby who tuned in herself to hear Falwell explicitly describe sex acts related to a sexual harassment claim against Clinton