In the Nation

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA will try to launch the shuttle Endeavour tomorrow, after repairing a hydrogen gas leak that thwarted the first attempt.

Top officials decided yesterday to bump an unmanned moon mission so Endeavour could have another shot at flying to the space station. Launch of the moon mission, NASA's first in a decade, is now set for no earlier than Thursday.

NASA had to choose between the two missions because Endeavour could not launch this past Saturday. The potentially dangerous gas leak in the vent line leading to Endeavour's external fuel tank halted the countdown.

Technicians finished the repairs yesterday. Launch time tomorrow is 5:40 a.m. - AP

SLEEPY EYE, Minn. - X-rays show that the tumor in the chest of a 13-year-old boy who resisted treatment has shrunk significantly after two courses of court-ordered chemotherapy, a family spokesman said yesterday.

But the spokesman, Daniel Zwakman, said the side effects of the treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma had left the boy, Danny Hauser, weak and miserable.

Danny had one chemo treatment in February but stopped after enduring the harsh side effects. The family insisted on alternative medicine.

When authorities tried to compel the Hausers to treat the cancer conventionally, Danny and his mother fled the state. When they returned, a court ordered them to see an oncologist. Zwakman said Danny had treatments May 28 and June 4 and is expected to receive four more. - AP

WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs Department opened the doors of its health-care system yesterday to 266,000 nondisabled veterans with moderate incomes, some of whom have been shut out of those benefits.

The veterans eligible are from a category known as "Priority 8." They have no illnesses or injuries attributed to their military service and earn more than the average wage in their communities.

Enrollment previously was denied to them because of a cost-saving move in 2003. Now, some but not all who fall in this category will be eligible.

The VA is expanding eligibility by loosening income restrictions. President Obama said while campaigning that he wanted to bring all veterans into the VA's system. - AP

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor provided more information about her legal career, including copies of memos and decisions, in response to a request from Senate Judiciary Republicans. She made a change to her financial disclosure, saying her one-third interest in a condominium should be valued at $43,000, not $20,000.

Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.) has asked the Senate ethics panel if he can use $300,000 from his campaign funds to invest in a documentary about injured Iraq war veterans. He has also sought approval from the Federal Election Commission.

Environmental groups sued the federal government yesterday over its decision to remove gray wolves in the upper Great Lakes region from the endangered-species list.