WASHINGTON

CHIEF JUSTICE REHNQUIST BRIEFLY HOSPITALIZED WITH A FEVER

Chief Justice William Rehnquist was hospitalized briefly with a fever yesterday, the second emergency treatment for the 80-year-old ailing justice in two months.

Chief Justice Rehnquist was treated and released from Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington,Va., the same hospital where he spent two nights for observation and tests in July, also after running a fever.

The chief justice has thyroid cancer, and his latest health problems will almost certainly renew questions about whether he is well enough to remain on the court. The Supreme Court is already losing one member, Justice O’Connor, who announced her retirement on July 1. A second vacancy could complicate the confirmation of John Roberts, the appeals court judge named to replace her.

Chief Justice Rehnquist, who has been on the Supreme Court 33 years, has refused to disclose specific details about his illness but in July issued a statement pledging to remain on the job.

— Associated Press

BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO DOWNSIZE GUANTANAMO BY 70%

The Bush administration is negotiating the transfer of nearly 70% of the detainees at the American detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to three countries as part of a plan, officials said, to share the burden of keeping suspected terrorists behind bars.

American officials announced yesterday that they have reached an agreement with the government of Afghanistan to transfer most of its nationals to Kabul’s “exclusive” control and custody. There are 110 Afghan detainees at Guantanamo and 350 more at the Bagram airfield near Kabul. Their transfers could begin in the next six months.

Pierre-Richard Prosper, ambassador at large for war crimes, who led an American delegation to the Middle East this week, said similar agreements are being pursued with Saudi Arabia and Yemen, whose nationals make up a significant percentage of the Guantanamo population. Mr. Prosper held talks in Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Monday, but negotiations were cut off after the announcement of King Fahd’s death.

The decision to move more than 20% of the detainees at Guantanamo to Afghanistan and to largely clear out the detention center at Bagram is part of a broader plan to significantly reduce the population of “enemy combatants” in American custody. Senior American officials said yesterday’s agreement is the first major step toward whittling down the Guantanamo population to a core group of people America expects to hold indefinitely.

—The Washington Post

NORTHEAST

CNN SUSPENDS COMMENTATOR ROBERT NOVAK

NEW YORK — CNN suspended commentator Robert Novak indefinitely after he swore and walked off the set Thursday during a debate with Democratic operative James Carville.

The exchange during CNN’s “Inside Politics” came during a discussion of Florida’s Senate campaign. CNN correspondent Ed Henry noted when it was through that he had been about to ask Mr. Novak about his role in the investigation of the leak of a CIA officer’s identity.

A CNN spokeswoman, Edie Emery, called Novak’s behavior “inexcusable and unacceptable.” Mr. Novak has apologized to CNN, and CNN apologizes to viewers, she said. “We’ve asked Mr. Novak to take some time off,” she said.

A telephone message at Novak’s office was not immediately returned yesterday.

Messrs. Carville and Novak were both trying to speak while they were handicapping the GOP candidacy of Katherine Harris. Mr. Novak said the opposition of the Republican establishment in Florida might not be fatal for her.

“Let me just finish, James, please,” Mr. Novak continued. “I know you hate to hear me, but you have to.”

Mr. Carville, addressing the camera, said: “He’s got to show these right-wingers that he’s got a backbone, you know. It’s why the Wall Street Journal editorial page is watching you. Show em that you’re tough.”

“Well, I think that’s bull-—- and I hate that,” Mr. Novak replied. “Just let it go.” As moderator Mr. Henry stepped in to ask Mr. Carville a question, Mr. Novak walked off the set.

Only two weeks ago, CNN executives defended their decision to keep Mr. Novak on the air during the ongoing probe into the revelation of CIA officer Valerie Plame’s identity. In a July 2003 newspaper column, Mr. Novak identified Ms. Plame, the wife of administration critic and former American ambassador Joseph Wilson, as a CIA operative.

— Associated Press

WEST

AUTOPSY DISCLOSES COCAINE IN TODDLER WHO DIED IN L.A. SHOOTOUT

LOS ANGELES — An autopsy disclosed evidence of cocaine in the body of Suzie Marie Pena, the toddler who died in a shootout between police and her father, who was using her as a shield, officials said yesterday. Medical tests showed that the toddler’s urine contained the drug benzoylecgonine, into which cocaine metabolizes in the human body. The autopsy showed the presence of a trace amount of the drug, according to Craig Harvey, spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner. Experts said it could have been ingested or inhaled. One official said the cocaine could have been eaten, come from breast milk, or been breathed in the form of dust. Police found cocaine and narcotics in the room where Raul Pena held his daughter hostage. Both died in a shootout with Los Angeles Police Department officers, in which Pena fired 40 rounds. Family members said the man was despondent and had taken drugs and alcohol. Results of the autopsy showed that a police officer fired the shot that killed the 19-month-old girl during the standoff in a Watts auto lot. Pena, 34, died of multiple gunshot wounds. His daughter, Suzie Marie Pena, was shot once in the head.

— Los Angeles Times