The News in 2 Minutes

From The Associated Press

Shot at satellite may come today

WASHINGTON, D.C. —An attempt to blast a crippled U.S. spy satellite out of the sky using a Navy heat-seeking missile — possibly on Wednesday night — would be the first real-world use of this piece of the Pentagon’s missile defense network. But that is not the mission for which it was intended.

The three-stage Navy missile, designated the SM-3, has chalked up a high rate of success in a series of tests since 2002 — in each case targeting a short- or medium-range ballistic missile, never a satellite. A hurry-up program to adapt the missile for this anti-satellite mission was completed in a matter of weeks; Navy officials say the changes will be reversed once this satellite is down.

The government issued notices to aviators and mariners to remain clear of a section of the Pacific beginning at 10:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, indicating the first window of opportunity to launch an SM-3 missile from a Navy cruiser, the USS Lake Erie, in an effort to hit the wayward satellite.

Having lost power shortly after it reached orbit in late 2006, the satellite is well below the altitude of a normal satellite. The Pentagon wants to hit it with an SM-3 missile just before it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, in that way minimizing the amount of debris that would remain in space.

Adding to the difficulty of the mission, the missile will have to do better than just hit the bus-sized satellite, a Navy official said Tuesday. It needs to strike the relatively small fuel tank aboard the spacecraft in order to accomplish the main goal, which is to eliminate the toxic fuel that could injure or even kill people if it reached Earth.

Supreme Court rejects ACLU spying lawsuit

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court dealt a setback Tuesday to civil rights and privacy advocates who oppose the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program.

The justices, without comment, turned down an appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union to let it pursue a lawsuit against the program that began shortly after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The action underscored the difficulty of mounting a challenge to the eavesdropping, which remains classified and was confirmed by President Bush only after a newspaper article revealed its existence.

The ACLU sued on behalf of itself, other lawyers, reporters and scholars, arguing that the program was illegal and that they had been forced to alter how they communicate with foreigners who were likely to have been targets of the wiretapping.

A federal judge in Detroit largely agreed, but the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the suit, saying the plaintiffs could not prove their communications had been monitored and thus could not prove they had been harmed by the program.

Grandparents keep visitations even if kids leave Arizona

PHOENIX—Parents who move their children out of Arizona still have to provide court-ordered visitation time for grandparents and may have to pay hefty fines for contempt if they don’t, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.

The ruling said grandparents still keep their visitation rights even though they don’t have the legal right to challenge relocations.

Cancer deaths up by 5,400 in 2005

ATLANTA?—U.S. cancer deaths rose by more than 5,000 in 2005, a somewhat disappointing reversal of a two-year downward trend, the American Cancer Society said in a report issued Wednesday. The group counted 559,312 people who died from cancer.

The cancer death rate among the overall population continued to fall, but only slightly, after a couple of years of more dramatic decline.

In 2005, there were just under 184 cancer deaths per 100,000 people, down from nearly 186 the previous year.

Mayes ‘exploring’ run for congressional seat

PHOENIX?—Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes is forming a committee to explore a potential candidacy for the 1st Congressional District seat held by fellow Republican Rick Renzi.

Mayes was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Corporation Commission in 2003. She was elected in 2004 to the remainder of that term and was re-elected in 2006.

Arizona’s resign-to-run law would require Mayes to leave office if she formally enters the congressional race.

Judge denies injunction during appeal of sanctions

PHOENIX—A federal judge has rejected a request by business groups to put Arizona’s employer sanctions law on hold while the groups appeal a ruling that upheld the law.

In rejecting the injunction request, U.S. District Judge Neil Wake ruled Tuesday that the business groups didn’t have a probability of succeeding in their appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.