VOLUME No: 509 Issue No:1

Washington, D.C. - June 6, 2003

President Bush Ends World Tour with Visiting Troops in Qatar

After participating in the Israeli-Palestinian summit in Aqaba,
Jordan earlier this week, President Bush concluded his week long trip
to Europe and the Middle East by visiting the American troops in
Qatar. Qatar has been the base of U.S. Central Command since the
deployment of U.S. troops to the region.

Qatar, a country approximately the size of Connecticut and Rhode
Island combined, has been the U.S. Central Command site since recent
tensions with Iraq began. Following his speech to the troops the
president met with Qatar's head of state, Emir Sheikh Hamad bin
Khalifa Al Thani, to thank him for his support from the Persian Gulf
War to the Iraq War. "You have been a steadfast friend of the
United States, and for that we are very grateful," President
Bush said to the Emir. This trip marked the first visit ever by an
American President to Qatar.

Ban on "Partial Birth" Abortion Soon to Become a Law

Wednesday night, the House of Representatives approved a ban on
"partial birth" abortions 282 to 139. The House will now
work with the Senate, which passed a similar version earlier this
year 64 to 33, to find a resolution between the two. The bill will
then be signed by President Bush to make it into a law. President
Bush referred to the passage of the bill as "a shared priority
that will help build a culture of life in America." Rep. Steve
Chabot, sponsor of the bill, said, "we think we've crafted this
legislation sufficient that it could meet a constitutional
challenge."

The bill defines partial-birth abortion as an operation in which the
doctor "deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a
living fetus . . . for the purpose of performing an overt act that
the person knows will kill the partially delivered fetus."
Doctors violating the law would face fines and as much as two years
in prison.

Abortion rights advocates, who concede there is a procedure called
"dilation and extraction," said doctors resort to it only
when it is medically necessary.

Although Congress has limited federal funding for abortion in the
past, it has never banned a specific procedure in the three decades
since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in Roe v. Wade.

Tax Cut Set to Put Money Back in Americans' Wallets

After much debate in Congress, the President's $350 billion tax cut
has been approved and set into action.

In late July and onward, the new law will provide families with kids
rebate checks worth $400 for each child. The law will also give new
breaks to married couples; The standard deduction for married couples
will be raised from the current $7,950 to $9,500 (twice the standard
deduction for single people). Also, the 15% tax bracket has been
expanded for married couples from its former limit of $47,450 in
taxable income to a new top of $56,800 -- which is twice the limit
for singles. The savings would be $1,302.

In addition the new tax law will cut rates for higher-income
taxpayers and investors. After the fact that capital gains topped
out at 20%, while dividends were taxed as ordinary income and just
subject to higher income tax rates, the new law will lower the rates
on capital gains and dividends to 5% for people in the 15% tax
bracket or lower. That now includes singles with taxable income of
$28,400 or less, and married couples with taxable incomes of $56,800
or less.

The President and proponents of the new bill are confident that this
is a major step in jump starting the lagging economy as well as
reducing unemployment (currently at 6 percent). Earlier this month
Bush stated, "We have taken aggressive action to strengthen the
foundation of our economy, so that every American who wants to work
will be able to find a job."