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Court ruling on abortion remembered

By Times Staff Writer
Published January 23, 2008

WASHINGTON

Thousands of abortion opponents marched from the National Mall to the Supreme Court on Tuesday in their annual remembrance of the court's Roe vs. Wade decision. President Bush voiced support for those attending the event and hosted about 200 of the demonstrators in the White House's East Room for coffee and doughnuts. A smaller crowd of several dozen abortion-rights supporters held their own rally later, marking the 35th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling that established the nationwide right to abortion.

Defense bill gains Senate approval

The Senate voted Tuesday to approve a revised defense bill authorizing a 3.5 percent pay raise for troops while sidestepping a veto showdown with President Bush. The 91-3 vote sends the $696-billion measure to Bush for his expected signature. He had rejected an earlier version of the bill because of a provision that he said would have exposed Iraq to high-dollar lawsuits over abuse during the Saddam Hussein era at a time when the country is struggling to rebuild its infrastructure. The House passed the bill last week.

U.S. ranks low on environment list

A new international ranking of environmental performance puts the United States at the bottom of the Group of 8 industrialized nations and 39th among the 149 countries on the list. The top 10 countries were led by Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The list, first issued in 2002, is compiled by researchers at Yale and Columbia universities.

Elsewhere

Jefferson City, Mo.: Gov. Matt Blunt abruptly announced Tuesday that he will not seek a second term in November, leaving Republicans without a candidate.

Harrisburg, Pa.: The state announced Tuesday it would no longer make Medicaid payments to hospitals for serious, preventable medical errors, apparently the first state in the nation to follow a similar policy by the federal government.

New York: Recent laboratory tests found so much mercury in tuna sushi from 20 Manhattan stores and restaurants that at most of them, a regular diet of six pieces a week would exceed the levels considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency.

[Last modified January 23, 2008, 01:52:16]