Nation in brief: Paul may quit presidential race

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul is hinting to supporters that he is ending his long-shot campaign for the presidency.

The Texas Republican congressman addressed supporters in a 7 1/2-minute video on his campaign Web site Thursday night and did not specifically say he was quitting the race.

He said that although victory in the conventional political sense is not available in the presidential race, many victories have been achieved due to the hard work and enthusiasm of his supporters.

He said that he hoped that one day he and his supporters could look back and say his campaign was a significant first step that signaled a change in direction for the country.

Paul said their job now was to plan for the next phase of their effort.

Davis, Calif.

Police say student had bomb makings

A University of California, Davis, freshman from Torrance, Calif., was arrested Thursday morning after investigators reported finding partially assembled pipe bombs in his dorm room, the university said.

Mark Christopher Woods, 19, was arrested on suspicion of possessing chemicals to make explosives and possessing explosive materials on school grounds, both felonies, university spokeswoman Lisa Lapin said.

Campus police went to Woods’ room on the third floor of Tercero Residence Halls about 9 p.m. Wednesday after a neighboring student reported that there might be explosives inside, Lapin said. After investigators found the makings of at least two pipe bombs, she said, they took Woods into custody and evacuated 455 students from the dorm and six surrounding buildings on the west side of the main campus.