Bush approves military execution

President Bush on Monday approved the execution of an Army private, the first time since 1957 that a president has affirmed a death sentence for a member of the U.S. military.

With his signature from the Oval Office, Bush approved the military’s request to execute Ronald A. Gray, who had had been convicted in connection with four murders and eight rapes in the Fayetteville, N.C., area over eight months in the late 1980s while stationed at Fort Bragg.

A member of the U.S. armed forces cannot be executed until the president approves the death sentence. Gray has been on death row since April 1988.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.

McCain has patch of skin biopsied

Republican Sen. John McCain said Monday he had had a small patch of skin removed from his face and biopsied as part of a regular checkup with his dermatologist.

“She said that I was doing fine,” McCain, a four-time melanoma survivor, told reporters on a presidential campaign visit to an oil rig where he spoke briefly about his proposed energy plan. “She took a small little nick from my cheek, as she does regularly, and that will be biopsied just to make sure everything is fine.”

The Arizona senator had the procedure performed near Phoenix during a checkup he undergoes every three months.