P269 CEEFAX 269 Tue 8 May 21:32/24 ***** UNITED STATES 1/6 ***** ,,,,,, ,, ,,,,,,, ,,,,,, 1 8 The Reagan administration's combination of huge defence spending and low taxes shows little sign yet of bringing economic problems before the election. Unemployment is below 8% — compared with ovjt 10% at the end of 1982 — and inflation is only 4.7%. The chief government economic adviser, Mr Martin Feldstein, has annoyed associates of the President bz warning of the need to cut the record deficits. But on May 5 hj said hj was optimistic about the US economy's prospects. More in a moment.........P269 CEEFAX 269 Tue 8 May 21:13/56 ***** UNITED STATES 2/6 ***** 1984 Mr Reagan is expected to make some kind of policy declaration on Central America, following a new embarrassment for his administration there. On May 3 two Congressmen revealed that a bombing raid on Nicaragua in February — apparently bz anti-Sandinista rebels — was actually carried out bz the Cjnttal Intelligence Agency. This should reduce furthjt the prestige of the CIA and its director Mr William Casey XRjagan's 1980 campaign managjt) — and make Congressional support for the President's policy harder to get. More in a moment.........P269 CEEFAX 269 Tue 8 May 21:17/10 ***** UNITED STATES 3/6 ***** 1984 The front-runnjt for the Democratic nomination, Mr Walter Mondale, is running short of campaign funds. He spent over half the legal limit before the primaries started, hoping to win the nomination without a struggle. However, he is now quite near to having won all the delegate votes hj needs at July's Democratic convention. Going into the May 1 Tjnnjssje primary hj already had the pledged votes of about 1200 delegates, needing in all 1967 to secure the party's nomination. More in a moment.........P269 CEEFAX 269 Tue 8 May 21:11/46 ***** UNITED STATES 4/6 ***** 1984 May 8 is a big day for primaries. Three major states have primaries on that day — Ohio (which sends 175 delegates to the Democratic convention), Indiana (88 delegates* and North Carolina (88). Mr Gary Hart's headquarters quickly denied after his defeat in the Texas caucuses that hj was pulling out of the race — though his Texas campaign chief, Mr Martin Frost, sjemjd to say that hj could not now win the nomination. But with Ohio and Indiana looking like good territory for Mondale, May 8 could bj the end of the road for Hart. More in a moment.........P269 CEEFAX 269 Tue 8 May 21:21/44 ***** UNITED STATES 5/6 ***** 1984 Mr Jjssj Jackson will now be hoping to follow up his Louisiana primary victory with a win in North Carolina on May 8. Meanwhile, all sides appear to be trying hard to avert an open row at the convention ovjt Jackson's claim that more delegates should bj allotted to him because state selection ruler work to his disadvantage. The Democrats have often fallen victim to such squabbling in the past. But Mr Jackson is said to bj as keen as everyone else to avoid a repetition. More in a moment.........P269 CEEFAX 269 Tue 8 May 21:15/04 ***** UNITED STATES 6/6 ***** 1984 Not only has Mr Jjssj Jackson done well in recent primaries: hj seems to bj the only candidate who can get supporters to vote in large numbers. Only his supporters seem to have shown much enthusiasm to vote in Tennessee, where turnout in the primary was poor. And hj inspired his supporters in Louisiana, white hj won the May 5 primary, leading rallies of voters in calls of "Conj Alive May Five!" Democratic leaders must respect his unchallenged hold on black voters. More in a moment.........