WASHINGTON — The head of the FBI contradicted Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' sworn testimony and Senate Democrats requested a perjury investigation today in a fresh barrage against President Bush's embattled longtime friend and aide.

In a third blow to the Bush administration, the Senate Judiciary Committee issued subpoenas to compel the testimony of Karl Rove, Bush's chief political adviser, in connection with its investigation.

"It has become apparent that the attorney general has provided at a minimum half-truths and misleading statements," four Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote in a letter to Solicitor General Paul Clement calling for a special counsel to investigate.

"I'm convinced that he's not telling the truth," added Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The developments marked a troubling turn for Gonzales as well as the administration, which has been on the political defensive since congressional Democrats launched an investigation seven months ago into the firings of U.S. attorneys.

———

SOME ASTRONAUTS FLEW DRUNK, PANEL FINDS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — At least twice, astronauts were allowed to fly after flight surgeons and other astronauts warned they were so drunk they posed a flight-safety risk, an aviation weekly reported today, citing a special panel studying astronaut health.

The independent panel also found "heavy use of alcohol" before launch that was within the standard 12-hour "bottle-to-throttle" rule, according to Aviation Week & Space Technology, which reported the finding on its Web site.

A NASA official confirmed that the health report contains claims of alcohol use by astronauts before launch, but said the information is based on anonymous interviews and is unsubstantiated. The official didn't want to be named because NASA plans a news conference tomorrow to discuss the panel's findings.

The panel was created following the arrest in February of former space shuttle flier Lisa Nowak, who was implicated in a love triangle.

NASA's space operations chief, Bill Gerstenmaier, said today it would be inappropriate for him to discuss the matter before the report is released tomorrow.

———

NASA COMPUTER DESTINED FOR SHUTTLE SABOTAGED

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A space program worker deliberately damaged a computer that is supposed to fly aboard shuttle Endeavour in less than two weeks, an act of sabotage that was caught before the equipment was loaded onto the spaceship, NASA said today.

The unidentified employee, who works for a NASA subcontractor, cut wires inside the computer that is supposed to be delivered to the international space station by Endeavour, officials said.

The space agency declined to speculate on a motive.

The computer is supposed to measure the strain on a space station beam and relay the information to flight controllers on Earth.

The damage would have posed no danger to either shuttle or station astronauts, said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's space operations chief.

———

FIRES RAGE IN SOUTHERN EUROPE

ATHENS, Greece — Fires raged in several southern European nations today, burning through villages, forests and farmland and stretching firefighting services to the limit, even as a weeklong heat wave blamed for dozens of deaths began to abate.

The fires were blamed for at least three deaths overnight in Greece, where hundreds of firefighters and soldiers tackled 100 blazes, 15 of which were burning out of control.

A regional heat wave has fueled the blazes but temperatures began to dip today, falling from 113 degrees to a predicted high of 102 degrees in Athens and to about 86 degrees in Serbia. Romania, where 33 deaths were blamed on the heat wave, also saw temperatures fall from 106 degrees to 88 degrees. Cooler weather was predicted until Sunday, after which the heat was expected to spike again.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis appealed to Russia for help, and Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would send firefighting planes tomorrow, the prime minister's office said. It did not give details on how many Russian aircraft would be sent.

The country's largest blaze, near the town of Aegio, killed three elderly people, authorities said. Several areas declared emergencies and numerous houses were destroyed, officials said.

———

JUDGE VOIDS ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LAW

HAZLETON, Pa. — A federal judge today struck down Hazleton's tough anti-illegal immigration law, ruling unconstitutional a measure that has been copied around the country.

The city's Illegal Immigration Relief Act sought to impose fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny business permits to companies that give them jobs. Another measure would have required tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit.

U.S. District Judge James Munley voided the law based on testimony from a nine-day trial held in March.

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta called the decision bizarre and said he intends to file an appeal.

"This was a case where a federal judge protected the rights of anonymous illegal aliens," he told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "This fight's far from over."

———

ALLEGED CELEBRITY BLACKMAILER ARRESTED

LOS ANGELES — An Arizona man who allegedly demanded more than $1 million not to publish Tom Cruise's stolen wedding photographs has been arrested, the actor's lawyer said today.

David Hans Schmidt, known for brokering deals involving compromising celebrity photos and videos, approached Cruise's representatives about six weeks ago with photos from the actor's Italian wedding last year to Katie Holmes, attorney Bertram Fields said. The FBI was contacted.

"He was looking for money, lots of money," Fields said.

Schmidt, 47, was arrested by federal agents Tuesday, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller, but she said the criminal complaint charging him was under seal in federal court and she refused to comment.