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MICHEL ILL: House Republican leader Bob Michel of Illinois wasresting comfortably at a Denver hospital where he was admittedsuffering from nausea, his office said. Michel was undergoing teststo determine the cause of the sudden illness. He was taken toUniversity Hospital on Tuesday night while en route to the Denverairport after a golf tournament in Vail, Colo. "Whether it was thehigh altitude or bad tuna, we don't know," a spokeswoman for Michelsaid. Michel, 71, was first elected to Congress in 1956 and becameRepublican leader in 1980. He has announced he will retire thisyear. CONSPIRACY CHARGED: The state of Minnesota and its largestprivate health insurance company filed a lawsuit accusing thenation's tobacco companies of conspiracy, fraud and antitrustviolations. The lawsuit seeks to recover the taxpayers' share ofbillions of dollars that state residents have paid in smoking-relatedhealth-care costs, according to state officials and Blue Cross andBlue Shield of Minnesota. Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III saidhis was the first state lawsuit to allege an antitrust conspiracy andconsumer fraud against tobacco companies. CALIF. FIRE: A fire that raged across 71 square miles of centralCalifornia was nearly half contained, but some hot spots in therugged, hilly area remained too dangerous to attack. Diminishingwinds helped as firefighters battled the 45,400-acre blaze, which was48 percent contained this morning. That's significant progress in ablaze that raged unchecked for days, said Glenda Powell, aspokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry. About 2,300firefighters were battling the blaze, which was started by anarsonist Sunday. HEALTH REFORM DELAY: As Senate Republicans prepared to offeramendments to the health reform bill prepared by Senate Democraticleader George J. Mitchell of Maine, House Democratic leader RichardA. Gephardt of Missouri said he likely will put off House votes onhealth until after Labor Day. CUSTODY BATTLE: Two New Jersey children caught in an internationalcustody dispute after their father killed their mother and broughtthem to his native Jordan headed back to the United States. Thefather's family in Jordan was fighting to keep the children, butcustody was awarded to their maternal aunt, Nesime Dokur of Paterson,N.J. Sources at King Hussein's office said palace officials escorted6-year-old Lisa Abequa and her brother, Sami, 3, to the airport for aflight to the United States. LESOTHO TURMOIL: Thousands of people in Lesotho, angry that the kingdissolved the elected government, protested in front of the royalpalace. Troops fired on the crowd, and four people reportedly werekilled. The violence in Lesotho, a small country inside SouthAfrica, began after supporters of the ousted government beganthrowing stones, the South African Press Association said. . Theagency said at least four people were killed and 10 injured.