Future U.S. Marine, Brandon Vanatta was born in San Diego, California today. Proud parents Maritza and Dwayne were nearby when the spectacular event occured. Additionally, Ms. Socorro Carrasco, Maritza's mother, was close by to provide any needed support.

Okay, now we have pictures of the baby and his family!!! This page was loading waaaaay too slow so I had to try something new. Now, click on the small baby head to view the full-size photographs of Brandon and family.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - President Nelson Mandela said Wednesday that South Africa would hold its second all-race elections June 2 - a vote the opposition has challenged in court. Mandela had wanted elections to take place between May 18-27 but said that after consulting with election officials, he decided to hold it a week later to give them more time to prepare. Mandela cannot officially proclaim the election date until after April 30, but he said he was unofficially revealing it to allow people to know where they will be on ballot day. Mandela, who has led the nation since 1994's all-race ballot ended white rule, plans to retire after the election. He is almost certain to be succeeded by Deputy President Thabo Mbeki.

LAGOS, Nigeria - Militant youths protesting the election of retired General Olusegun Obasanjo as president fought running battles with police officers Wednesday, setting fire to police stations. Witnesses said the violence apparently began early Wednesday morning when members of a radical anti-government group known as Odudua attacked and burned down the Abakara police station near Moshin. At least eight people were killed in the fighting, some witnesses said.

The world awaits Barbara Walters interview with Monica Lewinsky. For the first time this vixen will give the story in her own words. The cost of advertising time during this bradcast of 20/20 has quadrupled to over $800,000.00 for a thirty second commercial. This two hour interview will be broadcast tomorrow night. It also serves as dramatic introduction for the book "Monica's Story" which will be on the shelves Thursday morning. What a coincidence.

A Marine facing court-martial on drug charges escaped yesterday as he was being escorted to the brig after a medical appointment at the base hospital. Pvt. Victor M. Mendoza, 27, was standing handcuffed with an unarmed guard at a curb around 10:15 a.m. when a silver Ford Windstar minivan pulled up and Mendoza jumped in, according to authorities.

One man died and two were wounded yesterday in a shooting police suspect may have been over illicit drugs. The shooting occurred about noon east of the city, in an area known as Fraccionamiento Villa Floresta, which abuts Rodríguez Dam. Police said they suspect the motive might have been a drug deal gone awry.

Administration considering new formula for military base closings: Facing fierce congressional opposition to more military base closings, the Clinton administration is considering a new process for reducing the scope of future closings to minimize the costs to communities.

BOGOTA, Colombia - Attorney General Janet Reno toured a camp for refugees from Colombia's catastrophic earthquake and met with justice officials Wednesday, opening a two-day trip to the nation. Accompanied by first lady Nohra Pastrana, Reno visited refugees in Armenia, the western city that was hardest hit by the Jan. 25 earthquake, which killed at least 1,171 people and left 250,000 homeless. At a soccer stadium where 120 families are living in tents, Reno praised quake victims' courage and said the United States hoped to increase its $10 million aid commitment to the stricken region. She also met with chief prosecutor Alfonso Gomez and National Police director Gen. Rosso Jose Serrano and praised the work of the country's police force in combating drugs.

GENEVA - A Swiss-British team of balloonists racing to be the first to circle the globe nonstop prepared Wednesday to defrost their balloon by chipping off huge icicles hanging from the aircraft. The ice was weighing down the balloon and increasing fuel consumption as the Breitling Orbiter 3 team cruised at 18,000 feet over the North African nation of Mauritania, heading toward Algeria, Libya and Egypt. On Thursday, one of the pilots will climb outside the capsule and break the icicles with a pick, the control center said. The Breitling Orbiter lags behind a rival British team, Cable and Wireless, which was flying over Thailand on Wednesday after launching from Spain on Feb. 17.

TOKYO - North Korea accused the United States of making 160 spy flights over the Communist country in February, calling the flights a "villainous threat" to peace on the Korean Peninsula. State-run Korean Central Radio, monitored by Japan's Radiopress in Tokyo, said Wednesday that the flights endangered efforts toward the reunification of North and South Korea. The charges come as North Korea and the United States are negotiating over access to a secret underground site that Washington fears may be a nuclear weapons project. Negotiations were to continue Wednesday. The United States demands unconditional access to the site, which North Korea denies is being used to produce nuclear weapons.

NEW YORK (AP) - A late rally in technology shares saved the stock market from another down day Wednesday, although the picture was mixed at the close. Two more strong economic reports heightened fears that the Federal Reserve might raise interest rates as a hedge against inflation, pulling the market lower for most of the day. ''The specific problem, short-term, is the bond market and rising yields,'' said Larry Wachtel, market analyst at Prudential Securities. With stock prices so high, ''it's very hard to justify these valuations when interest rates are rising.'' Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan helped pressure the market downward early in the day when he restated his reservations about President Clinton's proposal to invest a significant portion of the nation's Social Security Trust Fund in the stock market. Addressing a Congressional subcommittee, Greenspan again said such a plan could encourage investments for political reasons in companies that aren't well run, or discourage investments in companies that are.