In the Nation

WASHINGTON - Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner intends to run for the Senate next year, Democratic officials said yesterday, assuring his party a competitive race for a seat long in Republican hands.

Warner scheduled an e-mail announcement of his plans for today. The seat is currently held by Republican Sen. John W. Warner, who last week said he would retire at the end of his term after 30 years in office.

Mark Warner is one of a small number of prominent Democrats whom party officials have been recruiting for Senate races. Overall, the political landscape favors Democrats, given public opposition to the war in Iraq, President Bush's poor ratings, and the fact that Republicans must defend 22 of the 34 seats next year.

- AP

WASHINGTON - Ignoring a veto threat from the White House, the Senate yesterday passed a $106 billion transportation and housing bill, rejecting President Bush's proposed cuts to Amtrak, housing programs, and community development projects.

The measure, passed 88-7, also contains $200 million to provide aid to nonprofits and other groups that offer counseling and information to help homeowners with subprime mortgages avoid foreclosures.

The bill would provide $1.4 billion for Amtrak, the national passenger railroad that is a perennial target of the administration. The White House proposed eliminating Amtrak's $500 million operating subsidy.- AP

PHOENIX - Three high-ranking Mexican police officers were arrested on allegations of buying weapons and ammunition at a gun show in Phoenix in violation of a law barring noncitizens from purchasing firearms, a U.S. official said yesterday.

The three had crossed the border at Calexico, Calif., in an official police vehicle and driven to Phoenix, said Tom Mangan, a spokesman with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Police and federal agents arrested them after the three bought three guns and ammunition Saturday at the gun show, Mangan said.

It appeared the officers were buying the handguns for their personal use, he said.

- AP

Tropical Storm Humberto formed off the Texas coast, promising to bring 5 to 10 inches of rain and possibly flooding to a state that is coming off one of the wettest summers in more than 50 years.

An Army helicopter on a training flight in foggy weather struck a power line and crashed in a pasture in northeast Alabama, killing all three soldiers on board, officials said yesterday.

Neil Volz, a former chief of staff to ex-Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio, was sentenced to probation yesterday for his role in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, avoiding a stiffer sentence because he has been so helpful in prosecuting others.