Bush names critic press secretary

President Bush on Wednesday named conservative commentator Tony Snow as White House press secretary, putting a new face on a troubled administration.

Snow, a Fox news pundit and former speechwriter in the White House under Bush’s father, replaced Scott McClellan.

Snow’s appointment is notable in a White House that has a reputation for not suffering criticism. He has had some harsh things to say about Bush.

As a columnist, Snow has called the president “something of an embarrassment,” a leader who has “lost control of the federal budget,” the architect of a “listless domestic policy” and a man who has “a habit of singing from the political correctness hymnal.”

Bush shrugged off the criticism.

“He’s not afraid to express his own opinions,” he said. “For those of you who’ve read his columns and listened to his radio show, he sometimes has disagreed with me. I asked him about those comments, and he said, `You should have heard what I said about the other guy.’ “

Boston

Vitamins don’t help with preeclampsia

A disappointing new study found that vitamin C and E supplements given to healthy pregnant women do not reduce their risk of developing preeclampsia, a complication that can be lethal to both mother and child.

Preeclampsia happens when vessels in the mother’s womb constrict, cutting off blood and oxygen to the fetus. It occurs in late pregnancy and produces a spike in blood pressure. No one knows why it happens, and there is no effective treatment other than inducing early delivery.

The condition kills about 76,000 women and babies a year worldwide. In the United States, it occurs in about 8 percent of pregnancies.

Pregnant women routinely take a prenatal multivitamin containing small amounts of vitamins C and E, and a previous small study suggested that supplements might help prevent preeclampsia.

However, in light of the new research, some doctors are saying expectant mothers should not take supplements beyond what is in their multivitamin.

The study was published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Washington

McDermott seeks appeals court help

Rep. Jim McDermott on Wednesday asked a full nine-member appeals court to hear an appeal of a case involving an illegally taped telephone call that was leaked to reporters nearly a decade ago.

A three-judge appeals court panel ruled last month that McDermott, D-Wash., violated federal law by giving the news media a tape recording of a 1996 call involving then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.

The 2-1 opinion, by judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, upheld a lower court ruling that McDermott violated the rights of Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, who was heard on the 1996 call.

The appeals court ordered McDermott to pay Boehner about $700,000 for leaking the taped conversation. The figure includes $60,000 in damages and more than $600,000 in legal costs.