Though Bush hasn’t taken any hits, the oppo assault is well under way. Documents obtained by NEWSWEEK show that in recent months both Republican and Democratic campaign gumshoes have combed through Bush’s personal financial disclosures and campaign-finance reports. Perhaps the strongest anti-Bush effort has been mounted by GOP rival Steve Forbes, sources say. Forbes officials acknowledge hiring two oppo experts, but insist they’re looking only for “public record” on all the candidates, not “digging up dirt.” Hot targets: Bush’s military record and business deals.

KOSOVOAnother Map, Another Mistake

Outdated U.S. maps, the main cause of the mistaken bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in May, are a problem again. The zones for the deployment of Russian troops in Kosovo were drawn to coincide with the boundaries of local counties. But it turns out that Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Defense Secretary William Cohen, who negotiated the plan with the Russians, were using a 1991 map of Kosovo. The county boundaries have been redrawn since then, and one county allocated to the Russians has disappeared. The Russians are now demanding that their zones be redrawn, but so far NATO is resisting.

EXCLUSIVEA Lesser Charge Against Lee?

The Justice Department is nearing a decision on whether to prosecute Wen Ho Lee, the Taiwanese scientist suspected of spying for China. The FBI hasn’t produced enough evidence to charge Lee with espionage. But the U.S. attorney in New Mexico has argued in a prosecution memo that Lee should be charged with a lesser offense: mishandling classified nuclear information. Such prosecutions are rare, and some DOJ officials fear they will be criticized for singling out Lee because he is Chinese. Lee maintains his innocence and his lawyer is preparing an aggressive “selective prosecution” defense. Meanwhile, the probe continues. The FBI now believes Lee met with Chinese agents at a U.S. physics symposium in the late ’80s. The Feds are also focusing on Lee’s alleged transfer of nuclear codes from a secure computer at the Los Alamos lab to an unsecured one. FBI cybersleuths suspect Lee systematically deleted the files’ classification markings and created “windows” allowing Chinese operatives to access the information. But the Feds haven’t been able to prove the Chinese hacked into the Los Alamos computers.

E-MAILYou’ve Got Class!

University of Minnesota Prof James Norwood wants to “move forward into the next century,” but he doesn’t teach history. Calling lecturing to a class of 400 students “passe,” Norwood will give his theater-survey course by e-mail. U of M officials frown on the plan, saying a live art form deserves live lectures.

‘STAR WARS’Deal With It

Tired of hearing about “Phantom Menace” this, “Episode I” that? Good, so are we. Our new topic: “Episode II.” Opening day (sometime in May 2002) is still far, far away, but the Web’s already aflutter with rumors about what’s in store.

THE BUZZThe Job of Books

Summer reading season’s kicking into high gear. Enjoy, but as you flip those sandy pages at the beach, consider for a moment the cutthroat capitalism behind the book in your hands. The buzz on the publishing world:

The .Losers Web stores sell tons of books, yet lose cash. The top four upped sales by over 300% last year…and upped losses closer to 400%. The Partnership Consolidation’s huge: Viacom and Time Warner might cooperate, linking Simon & Schuster, Warner Books and Little, Brown. The Trend Audiobook sales soared more than 30% over the last four years. Summer’s high season–folks love book tapes for road trips. The Best Seller That Wasn’t Want to buy “Dream Novel,” steamy basis for “Eyes Wide Shut”? You can’t. Kubrickian secrecy (he owned rights) means the book won’t be rereleased until after the film. The Journalist and the Publisher Nonfiction scribe Joe McGinniss flamed his publisher last month for not plugging his book enough. The e-mail leaked widely–or was it a publicity stunt?

AIR TRAVELRemote Control

“I Love Lucy” or “Seinfeld,” sure. But only trapped at 30,000 feet would you endure warmed-over versions of “Entertainment Tonight.” Now AirTV, a consortium of European and Canadian satellite companies, is hoping to capture the eyeballs of captive air passengers. Using four satellites to provide a seamless worldwide signal, the company says it can offer 30 channels of programming, including pay-per-view sports events, news (delayed one minute to prune out disaster stories) and HBO. By 2002, jet maker Boeing hopes to introduce the Internet to seat-back screens. Now, how about an upgrade from those stale sandwiches?

FULLY LOADEDFill ‘Er Up–And That Includes the Dogs

With sport utes still flooding the market and high-end wagons staging a comeback, carmakers know that a couple of extra cupholders isn’t enough to compete. New models are brimming with accessories that, together, could transform basic transport into Y2K survival shelters. Peri picks the lifestyle add-ons for your summer road trip:

… And It Isn’t St. Gore or St. Gates

Instead of cursing the next time your computer crashes, try praying. Since the Vatican’s three main Web servers (dubbed Gabriel, Michael and Raphael) crashed earlier this year, the church’s Council of Social Communication has searched for a patron saint of the Internet. The favorite: St. Isidore of Seville, a sixth-century monk who created an early database–a 20-volume encyclopedia. If approved, Isidore will join other high-tech patrons like levitating Joseph of Cupertino, who intercedes for astronauts, and St. Clare, patron saint of sore eyes and TV.

TRANSITIONThe Godfather

“I never met a real gangster” before writing “The Godfather,” Mario Puzo admitted, “but the Mafia loved the book. They come out looking good.” Maybe they loved it a little too much; was it coincidence that the mob started its long decline right after Puzo showed every humble leg-breaker how to turn his tragic saga into a best seller? Too late for the Gottis of the world, Puzo put the finishing touches on his last novel just before he died last week at 78. The story of a contemporary Mafia family on “the brink of legitimacy,” it’s called “Omerta”–the Sicilian code of silence.

Conventional WisdomSPECIAL ESCAPE HATCH EDITION

C.W. Clinton = No one’s paying attention, but he’s scoring on Kosovo, surplus, Medicare. Groovy, baby. G.W. Bush + Has enough money to get votes on the moon. But still plenty of time to crater. McCain = Lands blows against “shameless” money politics. Changes afoot? No frickin’ way. M. Albert + Old: Kinky backbiting sportscaster will never be back at NBC. New: He’s back. Yessss! T. Leary - ’60s LSD guru was an FBI snitch. Revised motto: Tune in, turn on, turn in. Coast Guard - Blocked Cuban refugees from swimming ashore. A real Statue of Liberty moment.