National briefs 4/29

Sen. Helms in slow recovery after surgery

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Sen. Jesse Helms remained in a cardiac intensive care unit Sunday, recovering from surgery to replace a worn-out heart valve, his chief aide said.

"It is a gradual process," Jimmy Broughton said of Helms' recovery. "People shouldn't expect major news everyday. He will be there a while."

Helms, 80, underwent surgery Thursday to replace a pig valve installed in his heart 10 years ago.

During Thursday's operation, a new pig valve was substituted for one used to replace Helms' own mitral valve in 1992. The mitral valve guards the opening between the left upper and lower chambers of the heart.

Kennedy kin suspended from school for threats

NORWALK, Conn. -- Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel was once suspended from a private school in Vermont after threatening a teacher's wife with a ski pole, the school's founder said.

Richard Wright, founder of The Vershire School, said that Skakel was "sent home" after threatening to strike a woman during a confrontation in 1978 in a dormitory staircase.

"He was aggressive and threatened the wife of a staff person, and we don't allow that," Wright said Sunday.

"He was sent home and told to consult with a psychiatrist or psychologist to control impulsive behavior," he added.

The incident occurred 2 1/2 years after Skakel's neighbor, Martha Moxley, was beaten to death with a golf club in Greenwich. Skakel is charged with her murder, and his trial is to begin May 7.

Skakel's lawyer said his client "categorically denies anything of this nature."

Bikers leave Nevada town after killings

LAUGHLIN, Nev. -- Thousands of bikers rumbled out of town Sunday as investigators sorted out the details of a casino brawl between rival motorcycle gangs that left three people dead.

Dozens of extra police patrolled the streets to guard against possible gang retaliation at one of the nation's largest motorcycle festivals.

"It's just a mass exodus," said Sgt. Chuck Jones of the Las Vegas police department, which has jurisdiction over the casino town 80 miles south of Las Vegas. "If you go on the highway right now, it's just motorcycle after motorcycle as far as you can see."

Gamblers ran for cover Saturday as 60 to 70 people fought inside Harrah's hotel-casino. Police said gunfire erupted when an argument between the rival Mongols and Hells Angels gangs escalated.

Saddam, Iraq celebrate leader's 65th birthday

TIKRIT, Iraq -- Iraq celebrated President Saddam Hussein's 65th birthday Sunday with an annual display of government-sponsored loyalty whose theme this year was defiance in the face of U.S. determination to topple the Iraqi leader.

As tens of thousands of people marched in Baghdad, state-run Iraqi media said Saddam's birthday marked the birth of an Iraq "which is free and victorious against U.S.-British-Zionist colonialism."

Marchers in Baghdad carried posters of Saddam and Iraqi flags and shouted, "Saddam is our leader forever."

-- From wire reports