Poll: Half think US at high risk of terror attack, yet fewer are closely following airstrikes
Poll: Half think US at high risk of terror attack, yet fewer are closely following airstrikes
WASHINGTON — Half of Americans think there’s a high risk of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, yet only a third are closely following news of U.S. airstrikes against Islamic extremists in the Middle East.
Most people do think the airstrikes are a good idea. Two-thirds of those questioned for an Associated Press-GfK poll say they favor the offensive by the U.S. and allies. And, despite, more than a decade of costly war, about one-third favor going beyond that and putting American military boots on the ground in Iraq or Syria.
President Barack Obama says he has no plans to send ground troops to either country. A little more than a third say they are opposed to the idea, and about one in four say they neither favor nor oppose it.
That’s thousands of miles away. What about concern at home?
According to the poll, most think there’s a high risk of a terrorist attack inside the United States, 53 percent, though just 20 percent call it an “extremely high risk.” An additional 32 percent say the nation is at moderate risk of a terrorist attack and 12 percent say it faces a low risk of terror attacks.
JPMorgan says data breach affected 76 million households, 7 million small businesses
LOS ANGELES — JPMorgan Chase &Co. said Thursday that a recent cyberattack compromised customer information for about 76 million households and 7 million small businesses.
The New York-based bank said in a regulatory filing that customer information including names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses were stolen in the cyberattack.
However, JPMorgan said there’s no evidence that the data breach included customers’ account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers or dates of birth.
The lender also said it has not seen any unusual customer fraud related to this data breach.
JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s biggest bank by assets, has been working with law enforcement officials to investigate the cyberattack.
Obama touts economic gains under his watch, chides GOP for opposing his policies
EVANSTON, Ill. — President Barack Obama acknowledged his pivotal role in the midterm political campaign Thursday, arguing that the November congressional elections are a referendum on his economic policies and blaming Republicans for blocking his efforts to boost wages and create more jobs.
In a speech at Northwestern University that marked a shift in attention from foreign entanglements to domestic concerns, Obama laid claim to an economic recovery that he said has made steady progress, yet he conceded that many families have not benefited from lower unemployment, beefed-up corporate profits and a pumped-up stock market.
Obama offered a lengthy defense of his policies, from bailing out the auto industry to his health care law, and he renewed his call for a higher minimum wage and equal pay legislation. He said that while he’s not seeking election in November, “these policies are on the ballot, every single one of them.”
Promoting pocketbook issues in the homestretch of the midterm election campaign, Obama fluctuated between bullish assurances that the recovery was real and recognition that joblessness and low wages still afflict millions of Americans.
“These truths aren’t incompatible,” he said. “Our broader economy in the aggregate has come a long way, but the gains of recovery aren’t yet broadly shared.”
By wire sources