USA

The White House declared that President Bush would veto a bill on embryonic stem-cell research that the Senate was expected to pass Tuesday. Bush favors funding research that does not call for the destruction of human embryos, which some lawmakers consider essential in finding new treatments for disease.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) of California has called for state offices to cut peak-period power use by 25 percent during the rest of the week – this after electrical demand set a state record of 46,561 megawatts Monday. Despite the current heat wave, improvements to the power grid have prevented rolling blackouts.

Seeking to cut costs, The New York Times announced Tuesday that it will publish on pages 1-1/2 inches narrower and cut 1,050 jobs, including 800 at a New Jersey printing plant, by 2008.

Producer prices for food shot up 1.4 percent in June, the biggest increase in more than 2-1/2 years, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Overall, prices received by farms, factories, and refineries rose a higher-than- expected 0.5 percent.

Vehicle fuel economy for 2006 models remains at 21 miles per gallon, the same as in 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency said in its annual report.

Speaking at a GOP fundraiser in Iowa, Vice President Cheney urged Republican candidates in November's midterm elections "to keep issues of national security at the top of the agenda."

The National Weather Service said that a nationwide heat wave that has seen temperatures reach 100 degrees F. in many locations may persist into the weekend in some regions. The searing conditions are taking a toll on crops and livestock. In Kansas, for example, 46 percent of the corn crop is rated in fair to very poor condition.