WASHINGTON

REP. MALONEY PUSHES FOR MORE PROMINENT WARNINGS ON TANNING BEDS Rep. Carolyn Maloney has introduced legislation that will cast a dark shadow on the tanning industry. Ms. Maloney, a Democrat of New York, has partnered with Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, a Republican of Florida, on a bill that would require the Food and Drug Administration to consider more prominent warning labels on tanning beds about the risks of skin cancer. “We should learn from the past,” Ms. Maloney said. “Fifty years ago we had warnings on cigarettes in small print that said cigarettes could be harmful to your health; now we say they cause cancer.”

Emily Konesky contacted Ms. Maloney after learning of her bill to applaud the measure. Ms. Konesky, a 19-year-old from Buffalo, was diagnosed with stage 3 skin cancer after tanning three to four times a week for about two years while she was in high school. She is still undergoing treatment and says the salon she went to did not have adequate warning labels and promoted special tanning packages to students before high school graduation and prom. While many dermatologists warn of the dangers of tanning, the measure is expected to meet stiff opposition from industry experts who say the FDA already adequately regulates tanning devices. Officials at the Indoor Tanning Association could not be reached yesterday, but have been quoted saying that tanning in moderation is perfectly safe.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

SMITHSONIAN’S DEAL WITH SHOWTIME DRAWS FIRE More than 200 filmmakers, historians, and students have signed a letter asking the Smithsonian Institution to reveal details of its television deal with Showtime Networks and reverse a policy of the pact that could limit access to the Smithsonian’s archives and experts.

The Showtime deal, announced last month, requires any commercial documentaries that rely heavily on Smithsonian collections to be offered first to a new cable television venture dubbed Smithsonian on Demand. Filmmakers or producers who don’t want to do business with the new network could find access to Smithsonian materials denied.

In a letter Monday to Secretary Lawrence Small, the Smithsonian’s top official, the group of more than 214 academics and filmmakers called the deal “anticompetitive” and argued it would “discourage independent filmmakers from creating projects for other media outlets.”

Among the signers were filmmakers Michael Moore, who created “Fahrenheit 9/11″and Ken Burns, producer of the documentaries “Baseball” and “The Civil War.”

– Associated Press

WEST

CHINESE PRESIDENT STARTS U.S. VISIT IN SEATTLE WITH BUSINESS SEATTLE – Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in the Seattle area yesterday for talks with business leaders before he heads to Washington to meet political leaders worried about China’s muscular stance in trade, energy and currency policy.

Mr. Hu planned to meet with Microsoft Corporation Chairman Bill Gates and other business leaders, and tour a Boeing Company commercial jet plant on today.

Mr. Hu began his trip in Everett, about 30 miles north of Seattle, where about 120 members of the Seattle Kung Fu Club and a handful of ribbon dancers from a Seattle elementary school gathered to welcome him.

Mr. Hu also was greeted by government and business leaders, including Governor Gregoire and Starbucks Corporation Chairman Howard Schultz.

Mr. Hu has set an ambitious mission for his four-day U.S. tour. It comes at a time of unease among American businesses, political leaders and the public about how China is using its new power. – Associated Press

IT’S A GIRL FOR TOM CRUISE AND KATIE HOLMES LOS ANGELES – Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, the high-profile pair dubbed TomKat by the press, had a baby girl Tuesday, said Cruise spokesman Arnold Robinson. The baby, named Suri, weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 20 inches long, he said. “Both mother and daughter are doing well,” Robinson said in a prepared statement. The name Suri has its origins in Hebrew, meaning “princess,” or in Persian, meaning “red rose,” the statement said.

– Associated Press