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Washington in brief
Compiled from Times wires Bushes release tax statementWASHINGTON -- President Bush reported $811,100 in adjusted gross income for last year and paid $250,202 in federal income taxes, the White House announced Friday. Bush listed as income the salary he earned as president last year -- a job he assumed on Jan. 20, 2001 -- and a portion of his pay as governor of Texas for 2000. Part of his gubernatorial salary was paid in 2001. Bush reported income of $381,935 in salaries and $446,437 in taxable interest. He paid $246,172 of his tax burden through withholding and estimated tax payments from 2000. He owed -- and paid -- a remaining $4,030. The Bushes reported total itemized deductions of $99,647, $82,700 of which were donations to churches and other charities, including Tarrytown United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas; Southern Methodist University, Mrs. Bush's alma mater; Evergreen Chapel, the church at Camp David; and unidentified Sept. 11-related funds. The charitable donations represented nearly 12 percent of their income. Disabled vets' pay on Congress' agendaMembers of Congress, disturbed over a 19th century law that has prevented some disabled veterans from getting full retirement pay, are acting to change it. "I think this is a disgrace. This injustice has gone on too long," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Friday at a news conference to discuss details of legislation he introduced to modify the veterans' disability policy. Current law reduces disabled veterans' retirement pay by the amount of disability compensation they receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Reid's bill would provide the Defense Department money to give more seriously disabled veterans full retirement pay regardless of their disability checks. NASA to aid inquiry in jet crashGovernment safety investigators plan to take a new look at the air turbulence American Airlines Flight 587 encountered from another aircraft's wake before it crashed in New York last November. The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday it had asked the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to develop a model of the wake from a Japan Air Lines 747 that took off before the doomed American Airbus A300-600. Convicted lawmaker to seek re-electionRep. James A. Traficant Jr. said Friday that he will appeal his conviction on federal racketeering, bribery and tax evasion charges and plans to run for re-election as an independent. "I will not allow the government to get rid of Jim Traficant without a fight," the maverick, nine-term Ohio Democrat said in a statement in which he also announced his intention to appeal the conviction on "substantial grounds of misconduct and mishandling of the case" by U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
