40 bodies found in Waco rubble; three believed shot
NATIONAL
WACO. Texas (AP)
— Three of about 40
bodies found scat
tered throughout the
incinerated ruins of n
cult compound had
recent bullet wounds, but authorities said
Wednesday it wasn't dear if they were vic
tims of suic ide or homicide
Also still unclear was federal agents'
rationale for sending in tear gas-firing tanks
to end a 51-day standoff with the Branch
Davidian cult on Monday.
Attorney General }anet Reno has said
that reports of child abuse in the com
pound led her to authorize the agents'
assault. The White House said Wednesday
that child abuse inside the compound bad
been continuing: the FBI said it bad only
old reports and a psychiatrist's analysis
Federal and state officials said about 40
bodies were spotted in the rubble by late
Wednesday, but most likely wouldn't Ixi
removed before Thursday. There was no
immediate word that cult leader David
Koresh's body had I wen found.
Investigators were moving cautiously in
the city block -sized area where Koresh and
85 others, including >7 children 10 or
under, were believed to have died Nine
cultista survived.
Many of the found bodies weren't imme
diately moved because officials wore luting
careful to avoid possible booby traps and
ammunition that could explode in the still
warm debris. Justice Department
spokesman (lari Stem said in Washington
Charred bodies were being found 'gen
erally distributed throughout the rubble,"
showing no signs of the group lieirig hud
dled together as the fire spread, said Chuck
McDonald, a spokesman for the state
Department of Public Safety.
ile said at least two bodies have been
found m a i indurblock-lined room where
Koresh and top lieutenants are believed to
have sought cover
"It's a very gruesome s< ene." s.mi Mike
Cox. another spokesman for the state
agency.
Stern said three of the victims had gun
shot wounds and died recently He said
one hail been shot in the forehead ami the
head of another victim was "virtually
blown away."
Stern ruled out the possibility that they
were victims of shootout* Feb. _’H after a
raid by federal Alcohol. Tobacco and
Firearms agents Hut he said it svas pus
sible that their bodies were stria k by
ammunition exploding during the inferno
in the compound, where at least S.’oo.ooo
worth of weapons were believed to have
been stored
The blaze broke out at the sprawling rur
al i ompli'x after agents user! tanks fitted
with Ixxmis to break holes hi the walls and
pump in tear gas
The FBI say s agents saw 1 uIt mcmlters
set fire to the wooden buildings in a mass
suit ule. and had other evident e of arson,
at least two of the survivors allege that a
tank knoi ked over lanterns and startisl the
blaze
Cult memlier Rita Riddle. H, shouted
to reporters as she left a federal i ourthmi.se
Wednesday that "there was no suu ide
pact " She was < barged with conspirai y
to murder federal agents; i ourt documents
allege shu was one of five women who
aimed rifles at the agents during the Feb
2H mid.
In Washington, meanwhile, a
spokesman for President Clinton said there
were "mountains of evidence" of pro
longed i hi Id abuse inside the compound
"Protet ting the kids was the ultimate
rationale for going in." said George
Stephanopoulos. the White House < inn
nninications dire* tor
Koresh was "marrying children" and
sexually abusing i hildren" and i luldren
were "being taught how to commit sui
cide, how to put guns m their mouths, how
to i lamp down on t vamde.' Stepluinopou
los said
"It was i ontinuing. it was going on,"
Stephanopoulos said
Stern, however, said an Fill of fit ial told
Keuo the "bureau had no information on
post-Feb sexual abuse id the kids, but
that ret entlv someone w bo had come out
of the compound said he believed the
i hildren were liemg beaten."
Senate kills Clinton’s jobs initiative
WASHINGTON (AF) —
Democrats abandoned their
effort to push President Clin
ton's jobs bill through the Senate
Wednesday. as relentless
Republicans saddled the new
president with his first major
legislative defeat.
After hours of fruitless negoti
ations between White House
officials and Senate Democrats
and Republicans, the Senate
used a voice vote to approve
only the $4 billion the bill corn
tamed for jobless benefits and
strip the rest of the money from
the legislation.
The move, in effect, killed one
of Clinton's major economic ini
tiatives. The Senate measure
now goes to the House.
"While the other side is con
gratulating each other on prov
ing they ore a force to be reck
oned with, they have only
proved that they are the
guardians of gridlts k." said Sen.
Robert Byrd. D-W.Vu
Hours earlier. Democrats had
lost their fourth attempt to break
a filibuster by minority Republi
cans that bud frozen the mea
sure in its tracks in the Senate
since last month.
The jobs measure had con
tained $12.2 billion to restore
forests, provide immunizations
for children, create summer jolts
for students and finance other
programs Clinton says would
stimulate the economy and put
more Americans to work. It also
had $3.2 billion from the exist
ing highway trust fund for road
construction.
But Republicans stood firm,
arguing that the package would
add billions to record federal
deficits while doing little to help
a $6 trillion economy. Democ
rats had wanted to finance the
measure by borrowing money,
which would drive up the bud
get shortfall.
In a day of closed-door talks,
Republicans offered a much
smaller version of the package
worth about $fi.S billion — the
jobless benefits money, plus
some spending for summer jobs.
road building and other projects.
All the programs but the unein
plovment benefits would have
been paid for with cuts in exist
ing programs, a package the
Democrats rejected
"If I am any judge, I think the
American people are supporting
our position on this package,"
said Senate Minority leader Bob
Dole, R-kan "Most |mople I talk
to say cut spending first ... and
don't raise my taxes." he said
Dole said the latest adminis
tration offer was for a total of
$12 9 billion, including the
highway money. And he said
that for the first time, Demo*.rats
had offered to pay for some of
the spending by cutting existing
programs — the primary Repub
lican demand.
But he said the new While
House proposal was too large
And he said Republicans want
ed everything in the measure
paid for with offsetting i uts —
except $4 billion it contains for
jobless benefits.
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GOP hands Clinton
hard lesson in defeat
WASHINGTON (A I*) Moments aftnr a humiliating log
islnlive defeat. President Clinton summi'il up tin* lesson of
day ‘I- of Ins administration I must say there s a lot I have
to leant about this town '•
His offhand remark came in a speec h delivered in the shad
ow of the Capitol, where, remarkably, the president elm led on
a promise to jump start the economy failed for a fourth time
Wednesday to get a modest jobs lull through Congress
A year from now. even months from now. the defeat may lie
lost under a stack of Clinton suer esses Still, the loss was sig
nificant liacanse of how it came about and Ims uusn the suhjer t
was the economy the one issue on whit h the Clinton White
House thought it would meet little resistance on Capitol Hill
file defeat came after several White f louse strategy missteps
First it failed to win advant e Republican Senate support, then
mistakenly believed politic al pressure on a handful COP mod
urates would melt their resolve In the end. it appeared to
strengthen it.
In between, Clinton lost i ontrol of the debate, letting Repub
lican* make the argument the package was politic al pork and
dangerous deficit spending, not "the plan to jump start our
economy" that won Clinton so many i ampnign points
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