President Clinton opened his first trip to Latin America by trying to soften tensions with Mexico over immigration restrictions and illegal drugs, declaring himself a good friend to the people of Mexico. In a modest symbol of the administration’s support, the State Department announced it would give Mexico $6 million to help fight drug trafficking. Clinton arrived last night after a four-hour flight from Washington and toured the National Museum of Anthropology with Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo. Their work begins today with private talks and a news conference at the museum. The two presidents posed for pictures before an Aztec calendar dating back somewhere between the 10th and 15th centuries. Meanwhile, as President Clinton arrived in Mexico City, there were a number of protests, with more than a dozen people arrested.

While AIDS deaths are increasing for women as they fall for men, women’s infections are often missed, as the disease follows a different course, this according to new research presented yesterday. Women’s HIV often is missed because doctors aren’t recognizing that vaginal infections, yeast infections of the mouth and throat, and cervical cancer are part of the disease.

President Clinton’s second-term roster could be rounded out this week. The Senate Intelligence Committee opens hearings today for George Tenet, the man nominated to head the CIA. Tenet faces a warmer climate than the one that greeted Anthony Lake, President Clinton’s first choice for the job. Lake withdrew from consideration after facing stiff opposition from committee chair Richard Shelby. Although Shelby says he expects Tenet to be confirmed, Tenet faces tough questioning on several issues. They include why the CIA did a poor job of keeping the military informed about the threat of chemical weapons during the Persian Gulf War. Tenet is currently the agency’s acting director.

After nearly three years, a strike and presidential intervention, American Airlines and its pilots finally have a contract. A five-year contract was approved by 69% of the Allied Pilots Association’s members yesterday. Despite the overwhelming majority, the union is still wary about losing the right to fly regional jets.

This news from Botswana: U.S. envoy Bill Richardson ended talks with the leaders of Uganda, Zimbabwe and Tanzania in Botswana today, and he said he had received helpful advice on a peaceful transition of power in Zaire. Richardson met Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni, Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and Tanzania’s Benjamin Mkapa for more than an hour at a lodge in the Botswana border town of Kasane, where they’re attending a business conference.

President Jacques Chirac of France was poised today to try to kickstart his center-right government’s lackluster election campaign, with opinion polls showing the leftist opposition within striking distance of an upset win. Chirac was expected to publish an article in 12 regional dailies tomorrow in a risky effort to nudge board voters into backing Prime Minister Alain Juppé’s coalition for the May 25-June 1 National Assembly poll.