Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Woman May Lead Navy, Report Says

Newsweek magazine, quoting informed sources, said President Bush, “eager to shed the Navy’s reputation as a bastion for women-pinching boors,” is likely to name a woman as the next secretary of the Navy. The magazine said that Barbara Pope, 41, assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower, and former Rep. Beverly Byron, 60, a Democrat from Maryland who served on the House Armed Services Committee, are being considered for the job. The magazine quoted a senior Pentagon official as saying Byron was likely to replace H. Lawrence Garrett III as the Navy chief.