USA
The Supreme Court ruled that people stopped by police do not have a constitutional right to refuse to identify themselves. The 5-to-4 decision allows for the arrest of people who won't cooperate. Privacy rights advocates had argued that the government could use this power to force people to submit to fingerprinting or to divulge personal information. The justices also ruled that health insurance companies cannot be sued under state law for refusing to pay for doctor-recommended medical care. The issue has stymied Congress, whose attempts to pass national patients' rights legislation have failed. Some states have patient-protection laws, but the scope of protection varies.
Gov. John Rowland (R) of Connecticut was expected to announce his resignation Monday night amid a federal corruption scandal and a growing move by lawmakers in the state to impeach him. The three-term chief executive once was viewed as a possible vice presidential candidate for George W. Bush in the 2000 election. The announcement would come several days after the state Supreme Court ruled that legislators could compel the governor to testify. Rowland's resignation would elevate Lt. Gov. Jodi Rell (R) to the office.
With pilot Mike Melvill at the controls, SpaceShipOne, the first privately financed manned spacecraft, was launched early Monday from California's Mojave Airport. The rocket was carried aloft by specially built "White Knight" mothership and coasted to an altitude of 62.5 miles. The project was funded by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, who described the cost as being in excess of $20 million.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarz-enegger (R) unveiled several gaming compacts that would grant casino-building rights to Indian tribes in the state in exchange for waiving some of their sovereign status as independent governments. According to projections, the deal could bring as much as $1 billion to the state through gambling profits. Only five of California's 61 tribes were expected to sign the deal, but the new compacts will set the standard for future negotiations.
Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's campaign said it would return a $2,000 donation from a Korean businessman charged with tax-evasion. Chun Jae-yong is the son of disgraced former South Korean President Chun Dooh-hwan. Kerry's campaign denied knowing about the younger Chun's background, although it acknowledged that its fund-raisers had met with a South Korean government official.
More than 700 people were discharged from the armed forces last year under the "don't ask, don't tell policy," a study released by the University of California-Santa Barbara said. The policy allows homosexuals to serve as long as their sexual orientation is kept private. Since the policy was adopted in 1994 almost 10,000 military personnel have been discharged - a record 1,227 of them in 2001.
