This Day In 1970's History: Thursday February 12, 1981
- A busboy accused of arson and murder in the fatal Hilton Hotel fire in Las Vegas, Nev., admitted causing the blaze but maintained that it was done accidentally with a marijuana cigarette, the police reported. The suspect, a 23-year-old drifter with a previous arrest record, was ordered held without bond pending arraignment on charges of first-degree arson and eight first-degree homicides. [New York Times]
- Budget-cutting plans were approved by President Reagan at cabinet-level consultations. He agreed to proposals to seek reductions in public service jobs, unemployment compensation and synthetic fuel projects. [New York Times]
- A $4 million gift to charities from funds received by the government created a stir. Paul Bloom, the Energy Department's former special counsel, donated the gifts on Jan. 19, the day the Carter administration left office. The funds were part of a $700 million settlement that his office reached in an overcharging case against the Standard Oil Company of Indiana. [New York Times]
- The triumvirate of key advisers in the Reagan administration is being scrutinized by Washington's political community. Edwin Meese, James Baker and Michael Deaver are the only people in the government who can walk into President Reagan's office without an appointment. They decide whom the President sees and what official papers he reads. Insiders call the aides the Big Three. [New York Times]
- Federal review of some medical care may be halted, according to experts. The Reagan administration plans to overhaul and possibly abolish a controversial watchdog group that evaluates physicians' treatment of the poor and the elderly under Medicare and Medicaid. The nine-year-old program is strongly opposed by many physicians and health officials and by Mr. Reagan's planners, who are pressing to cut government expenses. [New York Times]
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