September 14, 1982

Despite an earlier pledge of neutrality, Governor Carey has discussed with Mayor Koch an endorsement of Mr. Koch's bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor over Mr. Carey's Lieutenant Governor, Mario M. Cuomo. Aides to both Mr. Koch and Mr. Carey confirmed the discussion and said Mr. Carey was leaning to an endorsement sometime before the Democratic gubernatorial primary a week from Thursday. ''There's no question Koch wants it, '' said a Koch campaign aide. He noted that the Mayor had praised Mr. Carey as ''one of the great Governors of this century'' and had said publicly that he would welcome the Governor's support.

Israel launched an all-day series of air strikes today against Syrian and Palestinian positions in central and eastern Lebanon, attacking artillery emplacements, machine guns, antitank weapons, command posts and a new Syrian anti-aircraft missile battery. The fighting came after what officials here said had been a long run of attacks on Israeli troops, mostly by forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization using Syrian-held territory as cover. Most of today's targets were Palestinian positions, as opposed to Syrian ones, according to Israeli military sources. (In Beirut, the state-run Lebanese radio said that 40 people had been killed or wounded in the Israeli air attacks. Page A12.)

''Case closed again.'' - Larry Speakes, deputy White House press secretary, on the investigation into allegations against Labor Secretary Raymond J. Donovan. (A1:4.)

Sales by retail outlets in the United States fell nine-tenths of 1 percent in August, the Government reported today. The results reversed a rise in July and punctured hopes that the 10 percent income tax cut of July 1 would spur sales and help pull the nation out of recession. The main reason for the seasonally adjusted decline from July was poor sales of auto dealers, the department said. August sales would have edged up one-tenth of 1 percent from July if a 5.6 percent drop in car sales had been excluded.

The widely held view that most Americans should reduce their salt or other sodium intake to prevent the development of high blood pressure was challenged by experts at a scientific conference here today. David A. McCarron, director of the hypertension program at Oregon Health Sciences University, warned that widespread restriction of sodium intake may actually end up harming more people than it helps. And John H. Laragh, director of the hypertension center at the Cornell University Medical Center in New York, called current Government efforts to reduce sodium intake ''misguided.'' ''I think one of the sad events of the past several months has been an overreaction in the lay press to the dangers of sodium chloride,'' he said. ''The whole thing has gone much too far and has failed to recognize the great virtues of salt.''