NATIONAL BRIEFS

ARIZONA: Sweat lodge man charged

Motivational speaker James Arthur Ray was arrested Wednesday on three counts of manslaughter for deaths that occurred after a sweat lodge ceremony he led near Sedona last year. Ray surrendered at his attorney's office in Prescott. "This was a terrible accident, but it was an accident, not a criminal act," Ray attorney Luis Li said. The Oct. 8 ceremony was intended to be the highlight of a five-day "Spiritual Warrior" event at a retreat he rented. Participants paid more than $9,000 each. Halfway through the two-hour ceremony, some began feeling ill, collapsing inside the 415-square-foot structure. Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, died that night at a hospital. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., died a week later.

WASHINGTON: Gates: Don't rush repeal

The nation should not rush into a change as large as repealing the ban on gays serving openly in the military without making sure the people it affects are on board, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee. Gates said an 11-month study into the effects of lifting the ban will examine questions such as how the change would affect the numbers of people who decide to stay in the service when their terms expire.

MASSACHUSETTS: Brown to be sworn in

Republican Scott Brown changed course and demanded he be sworn in to replace the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy Thursday, an accelerated timetable that conservatives had been clamoring for and one that Democrats quickly accepted - and had already been moving to accommodate. Brown said he wanted to be present for unspecified votes.

NEVADA: Car kills two in casino

A car crashed through a casino entrance and into a bank of slot machines Wednesday in the resort town of Laughlin, killing two patrons and injuring at least eight other people. The 70-year-old driver said he fainted at the wheel.