Source says columnist told Rove he wouldn’t ID him
Washington – Syndicated columnist Robert Novak assured presidential adviser Karl Rove that he wouldn’t identify him to prosecutors investigating the disclosure of a CIA agent’s name, a person familiar with the matter said.
Rove told a grand jury that Novak called him shortly after the Central Intelligence Agency asked the Justice Department to investigate who leaked the name of operative Valerie Plame to Novak and other reporters, the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said. Novak revealed Plame’s name in a July 14, 2003, column, citing unnamed administration officials.
The National Journal, which reported Thursday on the Sept. 29, 2003, conversation between Rove and Novak, said Justice Department prosecutors were concerned that Rove and Novak may have been working on a cover story to protect Rove. The report, citing people familiar with the grand jury testimony of both men, said then-Attorney General John Ashcroft was briefed on the matter.
Rove’s attorney, Robert Luskin, said the White House deputy chief of staff didn’t conspire to hide information.
“Karl has never urged anyone to testify falsely or withhold information from the grand jury, and no one has ever suggested to him that they would or that they intended to,” Luskin said.
NEW YORK
Judge halts Gotti’s racketeering trial
The third racketeering trial of John “Junior” Gotti was postponed Thursday by a federal judge who suggested the government was trying to pull a fast one by slipping references to murders into a rewritten indictment.
“I’m really troubled,” U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin said of the indictment, which alleges Gotti promoted Gambino crime family members if they committed murders.
Two previous trials ended with hung juries after defense attorneys argued Gotti quit the mob life in 1999.
SAN FRANCISCO
Woman to stand trial in deaths of 3 sons
A woman accused of killing her three young sons by tossing them into frigid San Francisco Bay will stand trial on three counts of murder, a judge ruled Thursday.
Lashuan Harris, 23, told police and a psychiatrist after the Oct. 19 drownings that God told her to sacrifice her children, according to testimony at her three-day preliminary hearing.
Judge Teri Jackson determined there was enough evidence for Harris to stand trial in the deaths of Treyshun Harris, 6; Taronta Greeley Jr., 2; and Joshoa Greeley, 16 months.
NORTHAMPTON, Pa.
Boy takes weapons to school after breakup
A teenager distraught over a breakup brought a loaded rifle, a hunting knife and bottle rockets to school Thursday, leading almost 2,000 students to evacuate until he surrendered, officials said.
The 18-year-old senior at North ampton Area Senior High School was taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation. He was expected to be charged with two misdemeanors, including bringing a weapon to school, police said.
“He has had a problem with his girlfriend. His girlfriend left him, and he was thinking of ending it all,” police Detective Robert Lindenmoyer said.
TEHRAN
Iranians pledge to protect nation, Islam
Under a banner showing coffins draped with American, British and Israeli flags, more than 100 Iranian men and women pledged Thursday to become suicide bombers, if necessary, to defend their country and Islam.
The event, held in a burial area for war dead and martyrs, was similar to others in recent years, with Islamic chants and songs and volunteers donning white coverings to symbolize their willingness to die.
“The threats from America have swelled our ranks and given us added conviction,” said 27-year-old Margess, who like the other volunteers would give only her first name. “We will stand up against them with our lives.”
DILI, East Timor
Soldiers gun down unarmed officers
Soldiers in East Timor opened fire on unarmed police officers Thursday, killing nine people and injuring 27.
The hour-long attack on a police headquarters in Dili, the capital, follows weeks of unrest fueled by veterans angry over their dismissal from the army.
Meanwhile, hundreds of cheering citizens, some crying and shouting “Thank God,” welcomed a planeload of 130 Australian commandos at Dili’s international airport. The Australians secured the airport for deployment of 1,300 international troops requested by East Timor.
JERUSALEM
Sharon to be moved near Tel Aviv facility
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has been comatose since January after suffering a massive stroke, will be moved from Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital to another facility outside Tel Aviv next week, officials said Thursday.
Sharon, 78, underwent extensive brain surgery after massive bleeding in his brain Jan. 4. He has had several operations but has not regained consciousness.
