Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Education Official Refuses to Testify

The education official who issued a short-lived ban on scholarships for minorities refused to testify before a House panel, prompting an angry protest from the chairman. The decision to cancel an appearance by Assistant Education Secretary Michael L. Williams is “an affront to the committee, to the Congress and to the American people,” said Rep. Augustus F. Hawkins (D-Los Angeles). An Education Department spokesman said Williams “feels that he has said all he can say on the issue and there’s nothing more he can add.”