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National briefs: Dec. 20
Charles Dharapak/ AP Smoke billows from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where the vice president's office is located.
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More from NationalWASHINGTON, D.C.
Smoke damages Cheney's office
Thick smoke billowed from a fire Wednesday in Vice President Dick Cheney's suite of offices in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House.
Cheney's office, known for its historical furnishings and ornate decorations, was damaged by smoke and water from fire hoses, officials said.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said the blaze appeared to have started in an electrical closet or a telephone bank.
COLORADO
Tancredo may quit presidential race
DENVER — Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, whose forceful opposition to illegal immigration vaulted him to national prominence, plans to announce he is abandoning his long-shot bid for the presidency, a person close to Tancredo said Wednesday.
The five-term Colorado congressman planned to make the announcement at a news conference in Des Moines, Iowa, today, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for Tancredo or his campaign.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Woman tells of rape by co-worker in Iraq
A woman who claims she was raped by a fellow employee while working for a U.S. contractor in Iraq told House lawmakers Wednesday that her case is far from unique.
A Texas congressman agreed, saying several other women have come forward with reports of sexual harassment and assault while employed in Iraq for Halliburton's former subsidiary, KBR.
The women have given lawyers and Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, accounts similar to the allegations of Jamie Leigh Jones of Conroe, Texas, who says she was raped in July 2005 by a co-worker who drugged her.
FLORIDA
Chemical plant blast kills four, injures 14
JACKSONVILLE — Explosions and fires at a chemical plant Wednesday killed four people, injured at least 14 and sent debris flying several stories into the air, fire officials and witnesses said.
It was not clear what caused the explosions about 1:30 p.m. at the T2 Laboratories Inc. plant, which makes chemical solvents and fuel additives, said Tom Francis, a fire rescue spokesman.
Everyone at the plant was accounted for by Wednesday evening.
—From wire reports
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