For the Record

President Clinton, in Russian interview: "I have been lampooned in America a lot. There is almost nothing anybody can say to make fun of me that hasn't been said already. . . . Of course, from time to time you read something that you believe is either untrue or unfair, or maybe you're afraid it is true and you just wish it weren't printed."... "I think fado now has become my major passion in life," says Clinton in Lisbon, referring to what New York Times calls "the melancholic Portuguese music with words that yearn for a past that never was and may never be again."... Clinton refuses gift of Cuban cigar from German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Gore campaign still pays about $31,000 per month on office space in Washington, D.C., it hasn't been able to lease out since headquarters moved to Nashville, reports Washington Post. . . . Gore, on his critics, in Vogue: "I don't care. They're gonna say something. So, be who I am. Don't want to change, not gonna change, can't change, don't want to change. That's just who I am. I say take it or leave it. I hope they'll take it."...White House says Gore e-mails from 1998 and 1999 may no longer exist.... Service Employees Inter national Union hand- delivers $1 million check to Democrats. . . . Teamsters president James Hoffa says his union may not endorse a presidential candidate this year.

The Hotline's survey of polls shows George W. Bush ahead in 26 states worth 282 electoral votes and Gore ahead in 13 states worth 178 electoral votes (270 needed to win). . . . Trent Lott promotes Sen. Pete Domenici (R., N.M.) as Bush's running mate; some conservatives warm to idea because it re moves him from budget-committee chairmanship. . . . Former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld's name floated as potential Bush veep pick. . . . Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson, head of GOP platform committee, says party's abortion plank won't change. . . . Whither the gender gap? In Glamour poll, 40 percent of readers for Bush, 40 percent for Gore. . . . Gerald Ford urges Bush to pick pro-abortion running mate: "To me, freedom means nothing if not the freedom to choose." . . . Democrat James Carville, in nationalreview.com interview: "The Republican party is not going to put [Pennsylvania governor Tom] Ridge in. They're not going to have a pro- choice veep. We're not going to have a pro-life veep-much less president. It's just the nature of the parties."

Rep. Rick Lazio: "Being a New Yorker is more than moving into a multimillion- dollar house and putting on a Yankee cap." . . . Hillary Rodham Clinton appears at a New York reporters' dinner with a carpetbag. . . . Sen. John Warner (R., Va.) indicates he will run for reelection in 2002, disappointing conservatives who hoped Gov. Jim Gilmore (R.) might capture open seat.... Virginia NAACP official suspended for sup porting Republican George Allen's Senate bid. . . . Alabama judge who displayed Ten Commandments in courtroom is Republican nominee for state supreme court. . . . Mary Matalin, in Hot line interview: "Is [CNN] teeming with liberals? Yes. But I've never worked any where in this industry where that wasn't the case. The industry just seems to attract a lot of liberals. Even most technicians are liberals." . . . NR editor-at- large John O'Sullivan becomes editor- in-chief of United Press International.

FBI director Louis Freeh wants to quit, but refuses to give Clinton opportunity to pick successor for job with 10-year term, reports New York Post. . . . Air Force chief of staff Gen. Michael Ryan warns military-readiness problems rival those experienced at start of Korean War. . . . Pentagon corrects what it calls clerical error, lowers estimate of U.S. battle deaths in Korean War by nearly 50 percent, from 54,246 to 36,940. . . . Ford, General Motors, and Daimler Chrysler announce jointly they will offer benefits to gay partners of employees who have shared a "committed relationship for no less than six months," but won't extend benefits to unmarried heterosexual couples. . . . More than 100,000 condoms have been ordered for competitors at this year's Sydney Olympics, in a range of colors, including gold, silver, and bronze. . . . Judge says National Park Service can take control of privately owned 307-ft. observation tower in Gettysburg, Pa., through eminent do main.... ABC sues Michigan for re fusing to allow on-camera interview with Jack Kevorkian, currently serving a 10- to 25-year sentence for second-degree murder. . . . National D-Day Museum opens in New Orleans.... Deaf schoolteacher sues Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for violating Americans with Disabilities Act by not accommodating deaf people during telephone rounds.

Russian president Vladimir Putin, at news conference with Clinton: "We're familiar with the programs of the two major candidates . . . No matter who gets to be president, we're willing to go forward on either of these approaches."... Fidel Castro: "We are aware the Congressional Black Caucus has shown great interest in Elian's case. . . . We wish to have more contacts with the Congressional Black Caucus on other issues." . . . Longtime NR contributor and Indian politician M. R. Masani dies in Bombay. . . . German court rules that anti-abortion protesters can use "Babycaust" to refer to abortion.