All-Points Bulletin: The Pepper Commission on health...

All-Points Bulletin: The Pepper Commission on health care recently announced its national health recommendations. Commissioner Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, (D-W. Va.) had this to say about the the man for whom the commission was named, the late Florida Democrat Rep. Claude Pepper: “I believe, I hope, I pray, that wherever he is, that Claude Pepper . . . .” Interrupted by laughter, Rockefeller caught himself. “Well, I know where he is. Claude Pepper is everywhere--in heaven, in heaven--that he shines down upon this commission . . . and says: ‘Well done.’ ”

Precaution: Jane Pauley’s popularity has soared since her departure from the “Today” show and that has her worried. “Most TV stars are larger than life,” she said in Newsweek. “But . . . viewers identify with me rather than stand back and admire. So you don’t want to pump me up to be a great big star because then you’ve changed me.”

Overworked: French fashion guru Yves Saint Laurent, 52, was taken to a hospital in Paris over the weekend suffering from exhaustion, the designer’s spokeswoman said Monday. Saint Laurent’s doctor said he suffered “major mental fatigue” while preparing a show scheduled for Wednesday. The doctor ordered several weeks’ rest, the spokeswoman said.

Trial Opens: The latest trial of the Rev. Al Sharpton, the flamboyant black activist, began Monday in New York. Sharpton, best known for his support of Tawana Brawley, the black teen-ager who claimed she was raped by a group of white men, faces fraud and other charges. Sharpton, 35, has denied any wrongdoing, charging government harassment because of his involvement in civil rights issues.