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Brown's death mourned in Washington
WASHINGTON -- A stunned capital was in mourning yesterday. Flags flew at half-staff and grief hung over the Commerce Department on a sunny spring day that should have held the promise of new life.
The bodies of Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and his entire entourage had been found, recovered from a plane crash in Croatia on Wednesday.
A grieving President Clinton, whom Brown helped win the White House in 1992, ordered flags flown at half-staff in the nation's capital. On Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange was observing a moment of silence.
Clinton called Brown's widow early yesterday to notify her that the secretary's body had been identified, said presidential spokesman Mike McCurry.
The president and first lady joined other administration officials at a brief memorial service at nearby St. John's Episcopal Church. The ceremony was closed to the public and police blocked off nearby streets as passersby stopped to watch.
Afterward, Clinton said it was "a very moving memorial service, not only to grieve but also to celebrate the life" of Brown and the other victims. "We thank God for their life, we pray for their families and we came together in our grief and rededication."
At the Pentagon, Air Force Lt. Gen. Howell Estes III said search crews were trying to determine the number of people on the plane. A passenger list for the flight showed 33 Americans and two Croatians but, as of today, only 33 bodies had been recovered.
Contrary to reports from Croatia, Estes said he did not believe the Air Force passenger plane carried a voice or data recorder. He also defended the relatively old technology used to guide the plane toward the Dubrovnik airport prior to the crash.
Brother turned in Unabomber suspect
WASHINGTON -- David Kaczynski was torn between duty to country and loyalty to family before he pointed investigators toward his older brother as a possible suspect in the 18-year series of Unabomber attacks, federal agents said yesterday.
Ultimately, Kaczynski got an acquaintance, a Washington lawyer, to relay his suspicions to the FBI in early January, according to agents who requested anonymity. Even then "the relative was reluctant to come forward" to personally speak with investigators, one agent said.
It took "many discussions, many interviews" with the lawyer to persuade David to agree to meet face-to-face with FBI agents, one official said. The agents wanted more than an intermediary's oral description of some suspicious documents David had found; they wanted to see the papers.
"He was torn, as anyone would be, between doing what is societally right and loyalty to his brother," said one agent. "This was not some guy who walked in with information to collect the $1 million reward."
The government's $1 million reward for the Unabomber won't be handed out, if at all, until someone is convicted of the Unabomber's crimes. It's not clear David Kaczynski even knew about the reward or cares about it now; it did not motivate him to establish contact, agents said.
So far, Theodore Kaczynski, the 53-year-old former math professor who lived as a hermit in a remote Montana cabin, has been charged only with one count of possessing bomb components.
Beatles turn down $500 million offer
NEW YORK -- The remaining Beatles have turned down a $500 million offer for an easy day's work -- a 20-minute concert at Shea Stadium.
"The Beatles aren't interested," Paul McCartney's office said in a statement yesterday. "Money is not an issue. We wouldn't do it for twice as much. The answer is no."
The reunion show was the brainchild of Sid Bernstein, who promoted the first Beatles' shows at Shea.
Bernstein's proposal would have reunited the Beatles on Aug. 23 -- 30 years after their last show at the stadium.
Compiled from wire reports.
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