USA

July 18, 2005

Lewis Libby, Vice President Cheney's top aide, was among the sources for a Time magazine story about the identity of a CIA officer, the reporter who wrote it said Sunday. Matt Cooper made the claim on NBC's "Meet the Press." Until last week, the White House had insisted for nearly two years that Libby and presidential adviser Karl Rove were not involved in the leaks of Valerie Plame's identity.

Unable to quickly determine the cause of a failed fuel gauge, NASA postoned indefinitely the launch of the space shuttle Discovery, which was to occur July 13. At least for now, the seven astronauts on the first shuttle flight since the 2003 Columbia tragedy will remain in Cape Canaveral, Fla., rather than return home to Houston.

More than 30 governors, gathered in Des Moines, Iowa, are scheduled to meet today with National Guard officials to air their concerns about strains being placed on the guardsmen and reservists because of war demands in Iraq and Afghan-istan. Air and Army guard units often help states when emergencies strike.

Hundreds of visitors, some on bus tours, gathered at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico Saturday to mark the 60th anniversary of the first test of an atomic bomb. The event was held at an Army base, where a black obelisk sits atop the first ground zero.

Protesters chanting "Racists go home" outnumbered volunteers watching for illegal immigrants and drug smugglers in Campo, Calif., Saturday. Opponents tried to discourage about 30 people participating in the California Border Watch, a civilian patrol similar to one in the Arizona desert earlier this year.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) of California decided to end a consulting deal worth $5 million over five years with a pair of magazines devoted to bodybuilding. The decision grew out of conflict-of-interest claims made by critics after Schwarzenegger, a former champion bodybuilder, vetoed a a bill to impose restrictions on dietary supplements. The makers of the supplements advertize heavily in the magazines.

Disneyland celebrated its 50th anniversary Sunday at the 160-acre site in Anaheim, Calif., that Walt Disney transformed into a mold-breaking amusement park that today attracts 13 million visitors a year.