Nation briefs 10/12/04

Study: 39 million are working poor families

WASHINGTON-- One in every five U.S. jobs pays less than a poverty-level wage for a family of four, according to a study by the nonpartisan Working Poor Families Project. The result of so many low-paying jobs is that nearly 39 million Americans, including 20 million children, are members of "low-income working families" -- those barely having enough money to cover basic needs like housing, groceries and child care, the study found. The study classified a "working family" as one in which there was one or more children and at least one family member had a job or was actively seeking work. About 28 million jobs in the United States provided less than a poverty-level wage, which works out to about $8.84 an hour, the study said.

Bush allies feel war on terror has fueled threat

WASHINGTON -- More than two-thirds of the people living in Australia, Britain and Italy -- U.S. allies in the Iraq war -- believe the war has increased the threat of terrorism, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll shows. More than half of those in the United States, 52 percent, believe the Iraq war has increased the threat of terrorism, while three in 10 in the United States think it has decreased the threat.

Congress OKs corporate tax bill, hurricane aid

WASHINGTON -- The Senate shipped President Bush a wide-ranging $136 billion corporate tax-cut bill and a disaster aid package on Monday. Florida will be chief beneficiary of the $14.5 billion disaster measure as the state rebuilds from a battering by four recent hurricanes. The tax bill, which the Senate approved 69-17, began as an effort to help U.S. exporters avoid European tariffs. But as Republican leaders hunted for votes, it swelled into the most profound rewrite of the corporate tax code in two decades. The White House has signaled that Bush will sign the legislation. But the administration kept a low profile as the bill progressed.

-- From wire reports