Monday, Jul. 12, 2004

Numbers

2,300 Number of reconstruction projects the U.S. has promised to complete in Iraq

140 Number of projects that were under way as of last week

$9.6 billion Amount that tobacco farmers would receive from the U.S. government over five years under a corporate tax bill just passed by the House of Representatives

$159 million Estimated tax break the same bill would give rum producers in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

$550,000 Amount the FCC proposes to fine CBS for Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction

9 Number of new radio stations that shock jock Howard Stern says he has signed up, bringing his total to 45

37% Estimated percentage of people ages 16 to 19 who will find a job between now and September

10% Drop in teen employment between 2000 and 2003, pushing the job rate for the group to a 55-year low.

Sources: New York Times (2); House of Representatives; Taxpayers for Common Sense; CNN; AP; Center for Labor Market Studies