ECONOMY For the second consecutive mo11th there wertt s signN in January tlaat inflation may be grada,ally I easing its grip on the nation's economy. Food prices dropped lower - aftd tlae over-all wholt1sale pric• i•des did lillewise II eve• tlaoNglt risi11g oil pric•s may soo• rev•r•e Ills w•lcome tre,ad. J•flatio,a "'..!Y be ea• i,ag / ba, t •0••...._ /wo eco•omic forecasters today told Co•gr••• Ile Jobless rote could r•acla •••rly •i•• of mNlti-,nillio,a dollar las redNctio,as. Also, today, ,najor ba•k• agai,a low•r•d tl•ir prime i•terest rate - tlais time to eiglat-a,ad -liar••- 1f fourths percent. A,ad) o• tlae New York Escltange, prices rose agai,c - co,cti,auing tlae current rally wlticla yesterday produced the highest volume in the escha,cge's ;.. hundred eighty-three year history. more than seve,c poi,cts during today's sessio,a. ECONOMY - 2 /,a Detroit, . _ Ford motors says it is Yt1calli,ag so"'e twe11ty-seven hu,ad,ed "1oYkers to tlrei, job• ,aext tDeek - although t "'e,aty-fi ve tlrou sand will re•ai,a o,a temJ,oYaYy layoff status. A,aotlleY tlliYty-five tl,o.,•a•d a,e o,a lo,ag-term lay-offs at Ford. J,a Mo•cotD, a,a Americo,a fiYm - "i,ate,tex ,;. - J,aternatio,aal of Ne., YoYk - sig,aed co,atracts - agreei,ag to sa,pply tl,e Soviet U,aio,a a,itll l•sUl• machinery a,ad eq11ipme,at i,a retur,a for ta,e,aty-tl&re• •illio,a dollars casll. WHITE HOUSE A group of ~ thirty fnre wome,a -,:!.'.J:, ,... a picket line arou,ad tlae Wl,ite House - protesth1g First Lady Betty Ford's perso,aal ca,npaig,a to .,,,. ratification for tlae •ome,as equal rigllta a•e11tl•e11t. .. - - TIie firat lady co,acedes tlaat slae teleplaot1ed legialalora ,,. Nortla Daito la - Illi11ois, Mlwsoari, a11d Ari•o11a - 11rgi11g llaem lo vote for llae ame11dme11t. A11d1 ••• ••Y• slae'll aliclt lo lier g•11s; . . , , co11ti1111e lo •orlt for llae am•11dme11t'• approval despite tlae co11lroversy. Norlll Daltola~ rece11tly ratified Ille • eas•r• - b•t Ille laave so far approved - a11d fo•r more are •••tl•tl for fNll •••tu•• ratificatio11. SECURITY erater .._ at1fl leave tlae Wlaite Ho•se. Tlae Secret service says tlaot laet1cefortll t1e••met1 a,ad c•••ramera •ill Ito ve to o pe,a tlaeir bags , brief cos••, ••II ot•er Wiile Bo••• N••• Secretory Rora N••••• ••Y• Ila• recet1I lJo•bi11g al Ille Slate WATERGATE Federal Judge John Sirica - throwing out all ,_,, legal cl,allenges to the convictiort of fo•r former Nixon aides - 110111 says he'll i•J>ose ll,eir ~'•n se,ate•ces ,aext Friday. ~ c a says 1,e fo~•d •o v•Ud re•so,a to over-l•rra tl,e pilly ver,licl• •1•i••I H R H•ld ••••, .Toi,• Eltrlic lu11••, .Toi,• Mlle 1,ell • • ' ' ~-"""'{> ~ Robert M•rdi•• •• J{o••J>irators At1fe11:::11::i:S1te:11=:a1111tr,jlllillf.-l1::ia• POLITICS Republican Senator Jesse Helms of Nortll caroli,aa today Mrged co,aservatives to form a lllird political party - and go to tlie voter• ,aest ye11r if tlle Democrat• a,ad RepMblicaJts fail to protlace •laat l1.tNJ It Helms calls "a program of freetloffl. ') IC•P•blica,a ~~ Helffls tdaaa:V o ••11••rlf• Democratw. atldr••••tl A " A •ore tlaa,a five l11,,adred delegates atte,adi,ag Tlie aotlw co,aservative political actio,a co•fere•ce I• Waslai,agto,a - --.. ~ ._.._ ...... a ffle11U1111 c•llt•1>•cifically to ,Hae••• a _ . 1>•••••1• national co,aservalive ticket. INDIANS A force of some t1110 hundred Indtan w,arrtors surroauaded a government fort - deep in the ju,agles of Northwestern Bra•il - and held H u,itler siege for nearly tw,elve hours. Gover,ame,at sJ,oi••"'•" at tlae capitol city of Bras ilia say tle I•dia•• are appare,atly a,agry over 'f'ece,at espetliUo,as t,alo tlet-r territory - seelli,ag malaoga,ay, rul,l,er a,ad otl•,. ;ungl e J,'f'otlu c Is. MI• EAST Soviet leade,,- &es:ds B'rezhnev - appa,,-ently fully recovered from his recent bout with a cold - addressed a huaclieon honoring British Prime Ministe'r Wilson in Moscow today. B'reahnev saying the Soviet Union would be willing to co•sider ar,otlaer Kissit1ger- style • interim agreement irt the Middle East - provided it doesn't side t,yack ef/o'rts for a permanent over-all solution.f He also called for a speedy resumption of the Geneva peace confere,ace as tie \ b • s t 1C1a y to s et tie the Ara b :lu■ n If;; Israel ;;?:-£rt;-4 • 1 Secretary Kissin;~ded his preHminary talks with Egyptian and Israeli leade - rs - a,ad then flew -,~-e., .. to Jorda'? - . . , , confident he has chance lo a 8 nia convince the two sides they should disengage thei'r militaf'y forces. TOWERS Firemen in New York City . . fought a stubborn nuv fire in the 7°weringl\ World Trade Center - whose -~~ twin buildings are the city's tallest •ifh en, ltundred ,A. ten stories. JIIIA1 ■ 1• The bla~e was coxfined to a:., lower floors,, ••• • U,au •••••, ;,aw1u ■ 1 i11 IA• •IP ■ t 7 f Io .. t I • • • • .I a., If '1) o e ' ••111-=, .. Fire comm is s i o ,a er pe.:Jlte~ .,. llilll O 'Hagan l\h •• ,,,. al-'\ reporters who made references to the cuYrent _,. movie - the towering ia/-.r110 - - -- - in which a so-called fire-pYoof bulldi,ag Is destro-,sd by fire. . .. .