Report: Note suggests Cheney revealed CIA name

Report: Note suggestsCheney revealed CIA name
WASHINGTON -- The White House sidestepped questions Tuesday about whether Vice President Dick Cheney passed on to his top aide the identity of a CIA officer central to a federal grand jury probe. Notes in the hands of a federal prosecutor suggest that Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, first heard of the CIA officer from Cheney himself, The New York Times reported in Tuesday's editions. A federal prosecutor is investigating whether the officer's identity was improperly disclosed. The Times said notes of a previously undisclosed June 12, 2003, conversation between Libby and Cheney appear to differ from Libby's grand jury testimony that he first heard of Valerie Plame from journalists. "This is a question relating to an ongoing investigation, and we're not having any further comment on the investigation while it's ongoing," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
Galapagos volcano eruptsfor third straight day
QUITO, Ecuador -- A volcano on the largest of the Galapagos Islands erupted for the third straight day Tuesday, but experts said it didn't threaten villagers on the island or the super-sized tortoises that gave the remote archipelago its name. Oscar Carvajal, chief technician of the Galapagos National Park on Isabela island, said tortoises and land iguanas were not threatened because the lava flows were down the northeast slopes of Sierra Negra volcano where there were no animal populations. "The lava flows have not affected the species because they are on the other side. There are no problems with tortoises or land iguanas. Only a small amount of vegetation has been burned in the interior of the caldron and on the flanks," Carvajal said. The 4,920-foot high Sierra Negra volcano began erupting late Saturday, sending three rivers of spectacular lava flow down its northeastern slopes.
Doctor for expeditionto Mount Everest dies
LONDON -- Michael Ward, a British mountaineer who was the expedition doctor for the historic ascent of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, has died. He was 80. Ward did much of the research that indicated it was possible to climb Everest from the southern Nepalese side, while previous attempts had been made from the Tibetan side. He came across a series of aerial photographs and a forgotten map that helped prepare the successful 1953 trip. Ward's medical duties prevented him from trying to reach the summit of Everest during that expedition. He nevertheless climbed to one of the highest camps on the peak -- Camp VII on the Lhotse face. Ward later took part in mountaineering trips on the remote Bhutan-Tibet border and in western China. He also conducted respected medical studies on the effects of high altitude on health. He died suddenly at home Oct. 7, according to The Times of London, which didn't give a cause of death.
$73M awaits taxpayerswho are due IRS refunds
WASHINGTON -- Thousands of people have money sitting at the Internal Revenue Service that could be claimed if they would just tell the tax collectors where they live. The IRS said Tuesday that $73 million in tax refunds that were sent to taxpayers this year did not reach the destination. In most cases, the post office returned the checks as undeliverable because the taxpayers had moved. The money belongs to more than 84,000 taxpayers, some of whom have more than one check waiting to be claimed. Checking on the status of a refund -- by calling (800) 829-4477 or visiting the IRS Web site at http://www.irs.gov -- could be worth $871 to the average taxpayer due an unclaimed refund.
Scalia has confrontationwith reporters at event
WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had another confrontation with reporters Tuesday, demanding that his appearance at Catholic University of America be closed to television news crews. Scalia, however, did allow his remarks to be broadcast on the Web. The justice, who participated in a daylong panel with law professors and students, discussed his concerns that judges have overreached in interpreting new rights in the Constitution. Earlier this month, reporters were turned away from Scalia's speech to the American Council of Life Insurers in Washington, which was attributed to a misunderstanding. Scalia generally asks that his events be closed to television crews. When television journalists, including a Fox News crew, showed up Tuesday, Scalia asked that they be barred from the event. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said that the justice agreed to allow print media at the speech, as well as C-SPAN taping as part of more comprehensive coverage of the Catholic University event.
Associated Press