Foot of rain drenches capital

More than a foot of rain washed out highways around the nation’s capital Monday, toppled a 100-year-old elm tree on the White House lawn and caused flooding that closed major government departments and the National Archives, where the Declaration of Independence is kept under glass.

Motorists were stranded during the morning rush hour, commuter trains were halted and emergency crews used boats to rescue dozens of people marooned by high water.

Many government employees were told to stay home, and tourists found that some of the major landmarks that had drawn them to Washington were closed.

Senate to vote on flag amendment

Culminating emotional debate on patriotism and individual rights in the age of terrorism, the Senate is preparing to vote as early as today on a constitutional amendment to ban the burning or desecration of the U.S. flag.

It could be the first change to the Constitution approved by Congress in 35 years.

Supporters and opponents said the final result would be a cliffhanger, likely coming within one vote either way of the 67 needed to achieve a two-thirds majority and send the amendment to the states.

KING CITY, Calif.

Navy jets collide; one pilot killed

Two Navy fighter jets collided Monday over a military base, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another, authorities said.

The F/A-18 jets from Lemoore Naval Air Station were flying a training mission when they crashed at Fort Hunter Liggett, an Army Reserve base 150 miles south of San Francisco, said Navy spokesman Dennis McGrath.

The victims were members of Strike Fighter Squadron 125, also known as the “Rough Riders.”

Details were not immediately known.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.

Limbaugh detained because of Viagra

Rush Limbaugh was detained for more than three hours Monday at Palm Beach International Airport after authorities said they found a bottle of Viagra in his possession without a prescription.

Customs officials found a prescription bottle labeled as Viagra in his luggage that didn’t have Limbaugh’s name on it, but that of two doctors, said Paul Miller, spokesman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

A doctor had prescribed the drug, but it was “labeled as being issued to the physician rather than Mr. Limbaugh for privacy purposes,” Roy Black, Limbaugh’s attorney, said.

According to Miller, Limbaugh said that the Viagra was for his use, and that he obtained it from his doctors.

Investigators confiscated the drug, which treats erectile dysfunction, and Limbaugh was released without being charged.

The sheriff’s office plans to file a report with the state attorney’s office. Miller said it could be a second-degree misdemeanor violation.

FREDONIA, Ariz.

Wildfire cuts off North Rim

A wildfire has stranded close to 1,000 tourists and workers at the Grand Canyon National Park.

The fire forced police to close a road, which is the only one in and out of the canyon’s remote North Rim. No one was in any danger, according to park officials, and the blaze, which was 30 miles north of the park, was not threatening any homes or buildings.

The more popular South Rim of the Grand Canyon was not affected.

The highway was expected to remain closed through Monday.