Nation in brief

Senators pressure Bush on stem cells

WASHINGTON - A majority of the Senate, including 14 Republicans, sent a letter Monday to President Bush asking him to loosen the restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research that he imposed nearly three years ago.

The letter, which echoes a similar plea signed last month by 206 members of the House, may have special resonance during this week of remembrances for Ronald Reagan, who died Saturday. Nancy Reagan has been increasingly outspoken in her support for stem cell research, which some experts think could speed the development of treatments for many ailments, including Alzheimer's disease, the brain-wasting syndrome that afflicted the former president.

The field is controversial because obtaining the cells requires the destruction of five-day-old human embryos.

"This issue is especially poignant given President Reagan's passing," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., one of five Senate organizers behind the letter. "Embryonic stem cell research might hold the key to a cure for Alzheimer's and other terrible diseases."

"We would very much like to work with you to modify the current embryonic stem cell policy so that it provides this area of research the greatest opportunity to lead to the treatments and cures for which we all are hoping," the two-page Senate letter concludes. It is signed by 58 senators, including Feinstein and her four fellow organizers: Tom Harkin, D-Iowa; Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah; Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.; and Arlen Specter, R-Pa.

HARTFORD, Conn. - A judge ruled Monday that Gov. John G. Rowland must testify before a legislative panel investigating whether he should be impeached for accepting gifts from friends, employees and state contractors.

The ruling will not take effect until Thursday, to give Rowland time to appeal to the state Supreme Court in what could be a precedent-setting legal battle.

If the three-term Republican is forced to testify, it would be the first time in U.S. history that a sitting chief executive was ordered to testify before a legislative body, lawyers for both sides said.

WASHINGTON - The government is warning breast-feeding women not to use a drug called domperidone to increase their milk production, saying it not only is illegal but could harm both mother and child.

The Food and Drug Administration cracked down on the drug Monday, moving to end imports and ordering several companies to quit making or distributing it here.

The concern: There are reports of serious side effects among adult users, and domperidone is excreted in breast milk.

Domperidone has never been approved for sale in the United States, but is used in some countries to treat certain stomach disorders.

The FDA fears domperidone use may be increasing among breast-feeding Americans. Women have long been able to order it from abroad via the Internet, but the FDA recently discovered a few U.S. pharmacies providing "compounded" supplies - drugs that pharmacists brew up specially for certain customers.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - The Air Force Academy wrapped up a cheating investigation Monday, saying 19 freshmen were guilty of some sort of wrongdoing and seven others voluntarily resigned.

Commanders said they were alerted to the problem when some freshman cadets finished a 25-question etiquette test in three minutes. The test focuses largely on military etiquette, pay issues and things like bicycle safety, and all freshmen must pass the exam to be certified as cadets.

Academy commanders questioned 265 students about the test administered the week of April 12. The vast majority were cleared of wrongdoing.

The academy said seven cadets quit voluntarily, 12 admitted cheating and 50 denied any wrongdoing. Of those cases, only seven cadets were found guilty of unspecified violations by honor boards.

Discipline involving either probation or dismissal will be recommended to school commanders for the 19 cadets who violated the honor code, the academy said.

DETROIT - Authorities Monday announced the arrests of 16 people on charges of running a Canadian drug ring that smuggled hundreds of pounds of marijuana into the United States, some of it in garbage trucks.

The ring was based in a Toronto suburb and supplied cities throughout the Midwest and Northeast, authorities said.

Investigators said the ring generated more than $1-million a month in sales. They had targeted the Toronto ring for the past year, making some arrests and seizing $5-million, as well as 1,700 pounds of marijuana and 3,000 tablets of Ecstasy.

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