National brfiefs 6/19

Ex-Nixon aide stalls on revealing 'Deep Throat'

NEW YORK -- Thirty years and a day after the break-in at the Watergate complex that would bring down a president, former White House counsel John Dean called a press conference to reveal who Deep Throat was -- then stonewalled.

"I am down to four people, and while this is a game to me, it is not a game to Deep Throat, so it has to be played by certain rules, and one is that I won't speculate," Dean told the assemblage at Grand Central Terminal.

Deep Throat -- a name borrowed from a 1972 porn flick -- was used by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to refer to an official who, they say, supplied key information that helped expose Richard Nixon's attempts to cover up his administration's role in Watergate.

Minnesota Gov. Ventura won't seek re-election

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Gov. Jesse Ventura, the scowling former pro wrestler who turned the political establishment on its head with his victory in 1998, announced with a characteristic blast at the media Tuesday that he will not seek a second term next fall.

Ventura said his heart is no longer in the job and that he is tired of the criticism of his family.

He said he made his decision some time ago. But he made the announcement amid news reports that his 22-year-old son, Tyrel, used the governor's mansion for parties when his parents were away and damaged the furniture.

"It's fine when they stick to the issues, but when they start getting personal, going after your kids, it's very unfair to kids to be put in the limelight while growing up," the governor said.

Tot found with remains of pregnant mother

ATLANTA -- A 22-month old girl named Miracle survived for up to 10 days on whatever food she could find in a pantry and cabinets after her pregnant mother died in their apartment, police say.

Police responding to a report of a foul odor and a swarm of flies broke down the door over the weekend and found the toddler standing next to her mother's body, which was so decomposed that the woman had to be identified by fingerprints. An autopsy indicated Lawarna Stevenson, 26, died from complications of diabetes and high blood pressure.

Miracle was released from the hospital Tuesday after being treated for malnutrition and dehydration. Her grandfather has custody.

Flight attendant with sinus disease wins suit

MIAMI -- A former flight attendant who blames her sinus disease on secondhand smoke in airplanes was awarded $5.5 million Tuesday in her lawsuit against four tobacco companies. Lynn French, 56, had worked 14 years before in-flight smoking was banned on domestic flights in 1990.

Based on a 1997 class-action settlement, the jury had to presume that secondhand smoke caused her chronic sinusitis, a persistent inflammation of the sinus. French had to prove secondhand smoke significantly contributed to her illness.-- From wire reports