News stories from Sunday April 5, 1981

Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:

The chief medical spokesman since the President was shot last Monday acknowledged thgt his reports had been "as upbeat as possible without damaging my credibility." Dr. Dennis O'Leary said he was "working with a little bit less than complete information," but said that "there is nothing that is of significance that hasn't been conveyed to the press." [New York Times] The era of routine space travel is to begin with the return of the space shuttle Columbia at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California Sunday following its test takeoff from Cape Kennedy, scheduled at 6:50 A.M. Friday. It will be the fifth space flight for Columbia's commander, John Young. Standing by to join the new era are about 80 Americans and Europeans who have been appointed astronauts or astronaut candidates. [New York Times] Federal aid to the aged will be cut under the President's budget proposals despite the administration's assertions to the contrary, according to a study by the House Select Committee on Aging. It concluded that benefits would be reduced "dramatically," and that nearly two-thirds of elderly Americans would get no relief at all. [New York Times] New York City's white population has declined sharply, according to the final 1980 Census Bureau figures. The census indicated a moderate rise in blacks and a substantial increase in Hispanic residents. Some city and federal officials believe that Hispanic people may have surpassed blacks as the city's second-largest ethnic group. [New York Times] San Antonio's Mayor-elect hailed the transcendence of what he termed "the ethnic factor" in his victory Saturday. Henry Cisneros, 33 years old, won election as the first Mexican-American mayor of the Texas city since 1842 and thus became the first Hispanic-surnamed mayor of any of the nation's 10 largest cities. [New York Times] Leonid Brezhnev flew to Prague to attend a meeting of the Czechoslovak Communist Party. Soon after his arrival the Soviet leader and Gustav Husak, the Czechoslovak party chief, met for talks. Mr. Brezhnev's trip comes amid speculation in Moscow and Eastern Europe that a Soviet decision to move on Poland will be made in the next few days. Meanwhile, East Germany's official press agency reported that thousands of fresh troops had joined the extended Warsaw Pact maneuvers. [New York Times] President Reagan sent a message to Leonid Brezhnev, expressing extreme concern over the Soviet threat to Poland, according to an American official. The the President was said to have used "strong language." [New York Times] American troops can be included in a proposed peacekeeping force between Israel and Egypt, President Anwar Sadat was reported to have indicated after a meeting with Secretary of State Alexander Haig. Mr. Haig said the talks with Mr. Sadat had been "extremely fruitful." In addition to his reported acceptance of the participation of American troops, President Sadat was said to have offered flexibility in allowing the United States to use Egyptian military facilities in crises in the Middle East. [New York Times]