B 2

WASHINGTON -- The troubled B-2 stealth bomber may be vulnerable to advanced heat-seeking detection systems being developed by the Soviet Union, raising new questions about its ability to sneak through sophisticated air defenses in the next few years, according to scientists and Pentagon advisers on infrared technology.The potential problem stems from the presence of hot spots -- chiefly sections of the aircraft's non-metallic skin and the intakes, tailpipes and exhaust plumes of four turbo-fan jet engines -- despite design features that were intended to shield or cool them down.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, facing pressure to make deeper defense cuts, has decided to terminate the B-2 bomber in a move that could provide long-term savings of as much as $25 billion to taxpayers, according to administration officials.The decision, expected to be formally announced in Mr. Bush's State of the Union address Jan. 28, is a major concession to congressional opposition that had all but doomed the high-profile program.The president's decision would not kill the program immediately.

The Backstreet Boys are apparently content to ride in the back seat for a while. 'N Sync might be permanently out of sync, with Justin Timberlake going solo. But just when you might be tempted to write off all the boy bands to puberty, in comes B2K. The group is younger and more playful than the others. It's arguably closer to R&B's roots - hey, they're black. And when B2K's album debuted eight months ago, it came roaring out with record sales and radio play. A Christmas album, Santa Hooked Me Up, came out in October.

WASHINGTON -- In the end, after all the fights over the B-2 bomber, "Star Wars" and countless other defense programs, the entire $274 billion 1993 defense budget hinged on a single, simple question: Does the Air Force really need more F-16s?The Senate said no. The House said yes. And when negotiators from the two chambers got together in private to work out their differences, the test of wills sparked a bitter turf fight waged with old-fashioned horse trading and political hardball.The compromise bill for the year that began yesterday represents a 9 percent decline, adjusted for inflation, from the current $291 billion military budget, but cuts only $6.5 billion from President Bush's request.

WASHINGTON -- Ignoring a veto threat, the House approved a $283 billion Pentagon budget for 1991 yesterday that would kill the B-2 "stealth" bomber, cut in half spending for the "star wars" missile shield and add nearly $1 billion to pay for the U.S. buildup in the Persian Gulf.The 256-155 vote chopped $24 billion from President Bush's Pentagon spending request for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Voting for the bill were 223 Democrats and 33 Republicans. Twenty Democrats joined 135 Republicans in voting against it.Of the Maryland delegation, Representative Helen Delich Bentley, R-2nd, cast the only no vote.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to continue building the B-2 Stealth bomber, a position likely to meet fierce opposition on the Senate floor and in conference with the House.The committee unveiled a 1992 defense authorization bill yesterday that also sets up Senate floor fights or conflicts with the House over women in combat, abortion and the F-16 and F-117 fighters.Postponed until next week was committee action on the Strategic Defense Initiative, the only part of the bill left unfinished.

WASHINGTON -- House and Senate negotiators approved a $288 billion military spending plan yesterday for the 1991 fiscal year that limits financing for the B-2 Stealth bomber and cuts nearly $2 billion from the Bush administration's request for the "star wars" anti-missile program.The compromise does not halt production of the Stealth bomber, as House members had sought, but military analysts said the conference report cast serious doubt on the future of the bat-winged warplane, which the Pentagon has hailed as an essential part of its strategic arsenal.

The Canadian Football League permitted two B.C. Lions to play in Saturday's game in Baltimore, even though it was an apparent violation of a league rule on player movement.Safety Sean Foudy, who blocked a punt that set up a B.C. touchdown, and cornerback Tony Collier are the players in question.The Lions attempted to place them on the waived-injured list before an Oct. 15 game at Saskatchewan, but filed too late. Both players went on the reserve list for the Saskatchewan game, then automatically to waived-injured.

FOR A GLIMPSE of Congress at work, take a quick hard look at the $243 billion defense appropriations bill just approved by Senate and House conferees. The measure, richly deserving a presidential veto, contains two big-ticket items that cause fiscal indigestion not only among Democratic liberals but among Republican deficit hawks intent on balancing the budget.Before conferees assembled a few weeks ago, the Senate had gone on record against added funds for the B-2 bomber and the House had voted to reject a third Seawolf nuclear submarine.

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- President Clinton came to the home of the B-2 stealth bomber to extol American air power yesterday, but he devoted as much of his speech to praising American-style race relations, asserting that NATO's victory in Kosovo had been one of ethnic diversity over "ethnic cleansing."Clinton told a crowd of about 3,000 Air Force personnel and their families, gathered in a cavernous hangar, that their example was helping to refute the idea that "a country can only be great with everybody just like everybody else."