BILL WHICH WOULD HAVE AIDED POLLIN DROPPED BY GOP LEADERS

          GOP congressional leaders last night "killed" a
     proposed $238M tax break "targeted to benefit" Washington
     Sports Chair Abe Pollin "that had made its way into a
     massive, year-end spending bill," according to Godfrey &
     Hansen of the WASHINGTON TIMES.  The bill's "retroactive
     element" would have allowed Pollin to refinance the $200M
     cost of building the MCI Center at an "interest savings of
     about" $4M a year.  Pollin declined comment yesterday. 
     Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) said of the
     measure: "Sometimes things slip in, and then they slip out"
     (WASHINGTON TIMES, 11/18).  Also in DC, Spencer Hsu reports
     that "several lawmakers said Pollin was promised tax-free
     bond financing by the District when he first proposed the
     downtown arena, a promise that was wiped out during the
     city's financial crisis" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/18).