WASHINGTON

BOLTON VOTE DELAYED

President Bush’s drive to make John Bolton the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations got sidetracked yesterday as Senate Democrats forced a delay until next week of an important confirmation vote.

In buying time, they hoped to win over a pivotal Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Chafee of Rhode Island, by amassing evidence that Mr. Bolton harassed American intelligence officials who challenged his judgment on weapons issues. Mr. Chafee said yesterday that he is leaning toward supporting Mr. Bolton, which would all but assure Mr. Bolton’s confirmation.

Mr. Bolton, currently the undersecretary of state, has rejected the accusations. A committee vote, tentatively planned for today, was scrubbed after Democrats objected, said Andy Fisher, spokesman for the chairman, Senator Lugar a Republican of Indiana. Under Senate rules, at least one Democratic senator has to attend a meeting for a vote to occur. Democrats want further questioning of Mr. Bolton, and they are seeking testimony by three officials on Mr. Bolton’s supposed efforts to remove them. Mr. Fisher said the three officials already had been interviewed by committee aides and their statements were made public.

– Associated Press

DeLAY MAILING SAYS HE HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND TO HAVE VIOLATED LAW

In a fresh counterattack, House Majority Leader DeLay told supporters in a mailing made public yesterday that he has “never been found to have violated any law or rule by anyone” despite numerous allegations. “Democrats have made clear that their only agenda is the politics of personal destruction, and the criminalization of politics,” the Texan’s campaign added in a defiant rebuttal.

“They hate Ronald Reagan conservatives like DeLay and they hate that he is an effective leader who succeeds in passing the Republican agenda.” A spokesman for the Texas lawmaker said the letter and accompanying multi-page rebuttal were sent last week to supporters and donors. Mr. DeLay has been under an ethical cloud in recent months, in part because the House ethics committee admonished him last fall and in part due to questions raised in news reports regarding three overseas trips he took in recent years. He has strenuously denied any wrongdoing and said he wants to appear before the chairman and senior Democrat on the ethics committee to clear himself. The ethics controversy surrounding Mr. DeLay has spilled over to the panel itself. Democrats, accusing Republicans of pushing through a unilateral rules change to protect Mr. DeLay, have refused to allow the committee to conduct business.

– Associated Press

HIGH COURT WON’T HEAR CHALLENGE TO ABORTION-CLINICS BUFFER ZONE

The Supreme Court yesterday declined to consider the constitutionality of state laws that regulate speech and activities within a buffer zone around abortion clinics. Without comment, justices let stand a lower-court ruling upholding a Massachusetts law that was passed after the 1994 fatal shooting of two abortion-clinic workers. Anti-abortion protesters say the state-mandated zones have unfairly become a place where only abortion-rights rhetoric can be uttered. The law, which creates a 6-foot buffer zone around patients within an 18-foot radius of a clinic entrance, prohibits anyone from approaching without their consent for the purpose of passing leaflets or “engaging in oral protest, education, or counseling.”

– Associated Press

SOUTH

NO DECISION ON DEATH PENALT Y IN MURDER OF GIRL

TAMPA, Fla. – A convicted sex offender accused of murdering a 13-year-old girl was ordered held without bond yesterday, and a prosecutor said no decision had been made on whether to seek the death penalty. David Onstott, 36, was charged with first-degree murder Sunday, a day after investigators discovered Sarah Lunde’s partially clothed remains in a fish pond. She had vanished a week earlier from her home in Ruskin. Authorities said Onstott confessed to killing her after an argument. Onstott didn’t speak during his first court appearance on the murder charge yesterday, when he was ordered held without bond. Prosecutor Mark Ober said there was no decision yet on the death penalty. It was not immediately clear when an autopsy was planned.

– Associated Press

WEST

MOTHER OF JACKSON ACCUSER CITES ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE

The mother of Michael Jackson’s young accuser cited attorney-client privilege yesterday in refusing to say whether she was represented by a lawyer at a time she and her children were allegedly held captive by the pop star.

Resuming a tough cross-examination that began last week, Mr. Jackson’s attorney, Thomas Mesereau, asked the woman if she had been represented by lawyer Michael Manning from 2001 through 2004 on issues involving her divorce.

The woman said Mr. Manning had helped her on several issues involving the divorce. She added that Mr. Manning worked for her for free and that as a result she was one of his low-priority clients. Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville ordered the latter comments stricken from the record. When Mr. Mesereau asked the woman if Mr. Manning was her attorney at the time of the alleged captivity, the woman asked, “Is that attorney-client privilege?” Mr. Mesereau said he would drop the question if she was citing her privilege, and she said she was doing so.

– Associated Press

MID-ATLANTIC

CHILD KILLED, 14 INJURED IN SCHOOL BUS CRASH

ARLINGTON, Va. – One child was killed and 14 were injured yesterday when their school bus collided with a garbage truck at a busy intersection. Horrified bystanders helped remove students from the wreckage. The drivers of the bus and truck were hospitalized in critical condition, as was one of the children, Arlington County Fire Department spokeswoman Carol Saulnier said. The other children, ranging from kindergartners to fifth graders, had minor injuries and were taken to area hospitals. Twelve were treated and released. Police spokesman Matt Martin said the bus apparently was trying to make a left turn when it collided with the truck at 8:40 a.m. at the intersection of two major streets in this Washington suburb.

– Associated Press