Nation briefs 11/21/05

32 Americans selected as Rhodes Scholars for 2006

BOSTON -- A student who was shot four times while promoting democracy in Iraq and a senior who is writing her thesis on vampires and blood contagion in 19th-century literature were among the 32 Americans selected Sunday as Rhodes Scholars for 2006. The scholars, chosen from 903 applicants, will enter Oxford University in England next October. The scholarships fund two or three years of study. About 85 scholars from at least 14 nations are selected each year. The Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 by the will of British philanthropist and diamond magnate Cecil Rhodes. Winners are selected on the basis of high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership potential and physical vigor, among other attributes. Past Rhodes Scholars include President Bill Clinton, U.S. Supreme Court justice David Souter, former presidential candidates Bill Bradley and Wesley Clark, and James William Fulbright, creator of the Fulbright Scholarships.

Rumsfeld says he was not Woodward's source

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Sunday added his name to the list of senior Bush administration officials who say they were not the source who told Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward that administration critic Joseph Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. Rumsfeld said he never spoke to Woodward about Wilson or Wilson's wife, CIA officer Valerie Plame. The Pentagon chief did say that, at the direction of President Bush, he did speak to Woodward while the reporter was working on book projects. Woodward says that in June 2003, a highly placed administration official told him of Plame's CIA connection. Woodward has said the source was someone other than I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff.

Santa Ana wind returns as firefighters battle blaze

VENTURA, Calif. -- The hot, dry Santa Ana wind blew strongly again Sunday while firefighters battled a 3,700-acre wildfire that had burned through rough terrain above this oceanfront city. The fire was 72 percent contained Sunday as more than 1,300 firefighters worked in the area between Ventura and Ojai, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Crews expected to surround the blaze by Tuesday evening. The blaze began Friday in foothills above expensive homes but none of the homes had burned and none was in immediate danger, fire officials said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Gunman opens fire in Tacoma shopping mall

TACOMA, Wash. --A gunman opened fire inside a busy shopping mall Sunday, wounding at least six people and taking three others hostage in a music store before he surrendered to a SWAT team, authorities said. Witnesses described seeing a man walking backward through the mall, firing a rifle. At least six people were injured, one critically, as shoppers and store clerks scrambled for cover. Tacoma Police spokesman Mark Fulghum said the suspect was a young man, but he had no other details or possible motives. The gunman came out of the Sam Goody music store without a gun and surrendered to the SWAT team, Fulghum said. He said police were interviewing the victims and the three hostages to determine what happened during the nearly four hours he was inside. Authorities said they began getting calls about 12:15 p.m. that shots had been fired inside the Tacoma Mall.

-- From wire reports