From the Wire

Bush receives cold welcome at the United Nations: On Tuesday, President George W. Bush appeared before the United Nations to offer no apologies for the invasion of Iraq. He said that the Security Council had the right to demand that Iraq destroy their illegal weapons, as well as the right to force them to comply with this request. Furthermore, Bush said that the United States had defended "the credibility of the United Nations." The world leaders listening to his speech seemed skeptical of Bush's arguments, according to a New York Times article. President Jacques Chirac of France gave a speech reinforcing France's opposition to the war, calling the divisions over the war a great threat to "multilateral institutions like the United Nations in modern times." The role of the United Nations in helping establish a new government in Baghdad also remained a topic of debate. Although Bush suggested that the United Nations would provide "assistance in developing a constitution, democratic institutions, and holding elections," it seemed clear that this role would not be expanded to the degree that countries such as France would like.

California prepared to ban spam: California's solution to blocking junk email may soon be to ban it altogether. On Tuesday, Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill into law that would make it illegal to send "most commercial e-mails to anyone in the state who has not explicitly requested them." This is the broadest law of any of the 35 laws now in place to monitor spam. According to a New York Times article, "The law, which also prohibits companies inside the state from sending unsolicited e-mail to anyone outside the state, imposes fines of $1,000 for each message, up to $1 million for each campaign." The law also makes it possible for people to file private lawsuits to be taken up by the plaintiff's lawyers, even if state prosecutors are unable to pursue a case. Marketers, however, are skeptical that the law will be effective in blocking spam with objectionable subject lines that are usually relayed through foreign computers. The law should go into place on Jan. 1. Opponents say the law may be seen as "an unconstitutional interference with interstate commerce."

Teenager's death sparks debate over abortion pill: Last week, Holly Patterson, 18, died in a hospital in Pleasanton, Calif., just days after taking prescription bills to abort her early pregnancy. An autopsy is currently underway to determine the exact cause of death. Wendy Wright, senior policy director at Concerned Women of America, said that this outcome was predicted by their organization and they have recommended that this pill, mifepristone, be taken off the market. Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers, said that this reaction was typical and pointed out that the cause of death is still unclear. The drug has been tested with some adverse reactions, but it has also been shown to be "safe and effective," according to sources that point to its use by more than 160,000 American women in the past three years.