Media Matters Daily Summary

Here are today's news items from Media Matters for America, click on the title or 'read more' to read the entirety of each story. Suggesting "your house will be worth more burned down," Doocy peddled itemized deduction falsehood Fox & Friends' Steve Doocy falsely asserted that President Obama has proposed eliminating the ability of high-income taxpayers to take income tax deductions for their home mortgages. In fact, Obama has not proposed eliminating income tax deductions for any taxpayers; rather, a provision in Obama's budget proposal would, beginning in fiscal year 2011, reduce the tax rate at which families earning more than $250,000 per year can take itemized deductions to 28 percent. Read More Hannity falsely claimed that under Pelosi, Republicans "can't offer amendments" Fox News' Sean Hannity falsely claimed that under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, "Republicans can't offer amendments; they can't offer alternative bills." In fact, in the 111th Congress, the House has voted on several Republican-sponsored amendments to various bills. Read More CNN's Gergen forwarded small business falsehood David Gergen forwarded the false Republican talking point that "a lot of small-business people, you know, pay taxes as high-income taxpayers. They're in the $250,000-plus. So, there are a number of them who felt like they're going to be facing crushing taxes." In fact, according to data from the Tax Policy Center, only about 2 percent of families reporting small-business income in their 2007 tax returns are in the top two income tax brackets, which include those expected to pay more in federal income taxes under president Obama's proposal Read More The Hill repeats baseless claim that small businesses will have to provide health insurance under Obama A Hill article asserted that "[s]mall businesses are also worried about an Obama healthcare proposal that could require small firms to provide health insurance to their workers." However, during the presidential campaign, then-Sen. Barack Obama proposed requiring large businesses that do not provide employer-sponsored health coverage to pay a percentage of their payroll into a National Health Insurance Exchange but stated that small businesses would be exempt. Read More NY Times disappears Bush Treasury Department from article on AIG bonuses In an article about the Obama administration's "effort to undo bonuses at A.I.G.," The New York Times reported, "The Treasury and Federal Reserve officials said they had known about the bonus program as far back as last fall." But at no point in the article did the Times note that the Treasury Department at the time was then-President Bush's Treasury Department. Indeed, the article did not mention Bush or his Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson at all, much less report that the Bush Treasury Department worked with the Federal Reserve in carrying out last year's bailouts and bought AIG stocks notwithstanding the existence of these bonus contracts. Read More Fox, Drudge falsely assert Dodd put "bonus protections" into stimulus bill A FoxBusiness.com article reporting on an amendment that Sen. Chris Dodd added to the recovery bill featured the false headline -- subsequently posted by the Drudge Report -- "Amid AIG Furor, Dodd Tries to Undo Bonus Protections He Put In." Additionally, Fox News' Trace Gallagher falsely claimed that Dodd "created a loophole that allowed AIG to give out these bonuses." Rush Limbaugh also falsely asserted that Dodd's amendment provided an "exemption from any limits on" contractual bonuses agreed to before February 11. In fact, Dodd's amendment actually limited bonuses; it did not add "protection" for bonuses or "create a loophole" without which the bonuses could not be paid. Read More Stephanopoulos ignored McCain's reversal on AIG bailout during Twitter interview In a post describing his interview with Sen. John McCain on Twitter, George Stephanopoulos uncritically reprinted McCain's claim during the interview that he "would have never bailed out AIG." Stephanopoulos did not note that while McCain originally stated in September 2008 that he opposed a federal bailout of AIG, McCain later stated that he supported it. Read More Beck falsely asserted that U.S. does not fingerprint foreign visitors or collect rapists' DNA On Fox News, Glenn Beck asserted that "[w]e can't fingerprint anybody who's coming into this country because that would be offensive" and that "[w]e can't take DNA samples from killers or rapists, but you can have your fingerprint taken if you want to sell your house." In fact, the Department of Homeland Security does take fingerprints from "aliens seeking admission to the United States" at U.S. entry points, and according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, "All 50 states require that convicted sex offenders provide a DNA sample." Read More Media ignore Bush Treasury Department role in last year's AIG bailouts, notwithstanding bonus packages In numerous instances, media reporting on AIG's employee retention bonus packages did not point out that it was the Bush Treasury Department that worked with the Federal Reserve in carrying out last year's bailouts and bought AIG stocks notwithstanding the existence of these bonus contracts. Read More You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.

Livid Democrats demand AIG return bailout bonuses

Livid Democrats demand AIG return bailout bonuses

Talking tougher by the hour, livid Democrats confronted beleaguered insurance giant AIG with an ultimatum Tuesday: Give back $165 million in post-bailout bonuses or watch Congress tax it away with emergency legislation. Republicans declared the Democrats were hardly blameless, accusing them of standing by while the bonus deal was cemented and suggesting that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner could and should have done more. While the White House expressed confidence in Geithner, it was clearly placing the responsibility for how the matter was handled on his shoulders.

SCA webinar

March 17, 2009 Reminder: Second Chance Act Webinar The Council of State Governments Justice Center is conducting a free webinar to help potential applicants respond to the Second Chance Act Section 101 solicitation for state and local reentry demonstration projects. The webinar, supported by the Public Welfare Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation will be held on March 19, 2009 at 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time. Click here to view the full announcement. The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies-informed by available evidence-to increase public safety and strengthen communities. For more resources on reentry, please visit the Justice Center Reentry Policy Council website-http://www.reentrypolicy.org/.       You are subscribed to this list as srogers@csg.org. Click here to unsubscribe, or send email to unsubscribe.338378.265789951.2988877112395739569-srogers_csg.org@en.groundspring.org. Our postal address is 100 Wall St 20th Floor New York, New York 10005 United States You are subscribed to this list as frednance@clickservices.org. Click here to unsubscribe, or send email to unsubscribe.340300.266832748.7651143447823660717-frednance_clickservices.org@en.groundspring.org. Our postal address is 100 Wall St 20th Floor New York, New York 10005 United States

Crain's Daily News Alert prepared for Top Executives

CHICAGOBUSINESS — POWERED BY CRAIN'S — Daily Business Briefing CRAIN'S LISTS SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR MULTIMEDIA WEEKLY JOB CHANGES TOP HEADLINES Tuesday, March 17, 2009 · Guv. Quinn floats sales tax holiday in 'bold' budget plan · Caterpillar to cut 1,726 at 2 Illinois plants · Abbott CEO's compensation tops $25M · Resurrection Health Care cuts 125 jobs to pare losses · Sara Lee to put stock repurchases on hold · Dow closes up nearly 179 points · Boeing pulls tarp off stealthier fighter plane · CME gives foreign exchange second look · McDonald's opens virtual store in China · ADM in bidding war for ethanol company · Feds review $20B Boeing defense contract · Sears looks for new loan backers: report  · Daley's TIF honey pot needs lid: Greg Hinz blog · Obamas bring bit o'Chicago to Irish celebration: Taking Names blog · Sox sponsors; Webio adds Huebner: Biz of Sports blog  Final Markets Dow Jones 7,395.70 +178.73 +2.48% NASDAQ 1,462.11 +58.09 +4.14% Crain's Index 57.23 +2.43 +4.43% » View Other Top Headlines ADVERTISEMENT Prestigious Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame Dinner will induct new members and present the Lifetime Achievement award to Doris Christopher, Founder of The Pampered Chef, March 19 at Chicago Hilton and Towers. For tickets/info: 312-413-3278. CLICK HERE. OTHER HEADLINES · Group gets permit for Chicago Olympics protest ABC 7 · Vrdolyak removed from Ill. attorneys list Daily Herald · AIG paid 73 bonuses of $1M or more: NY AG Crain's New York Crain's Chicago Business | 360 N. Michigan Ave. | Chicago, IL 60601 ADVERTISEMENT TODAY'S FEATURES Society - Anti-Defamation League More than 700 guests attended the Anti-Defamation League's annual Women of Achievement dinner last week. Marsha Serlin, with Gerald Sloan, was among five women honored for excellence in fields from business to fashion to philanthropy. See our photos. Read More · Chicago Business Today - March 17 · Homemade Pizza Co.: Grabbing a slice · Check, Please! Wave — Scrumptious and hip SIGN UP FOR CUSTOM ALERTS Industries Companies Executives » Account Settings LISTEN LIVE: Traffic, weather and news from our news partner WBBM-AM.

Tell CNBC the economy is not a game...

March 17, 2009 Dear Fred, Last week, Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, took Jim Cramer and CNBC to task. As Stewart told Cramer, "You knew what the banks were doing, and yet were touting it for months and months. The entire network was." Stewart's showdown with Cramer was entertaining and thought-provoking television to say the least. It clearly demonstrated the need for CNBC to commit to making real, lasting change. That is why we need your help. >> Sign the petition and demand CNBC stop acting like a PR firm for Wall Street and instead fulfill its journalistic obligation to the truth. Yesterday, I joined several prominent writers, journalism professors, economists, media critics, and progressive leaders in signing a letter demanding that CNBC take substantial steps toward fixing its broken network. Among many others, the letter was signed by co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research Dean Baker, Columbia University journalism professor Todd Gitlin, president of the Economic Policy Institute Lawrence Mishel, economist at the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment Sylvia Allegretto, and senior economist at the Center for American Progress Heather Boushey. By joining in our call for change at CNBC today, you can send a powerful message to the nation's premier financial news network. Rather than fulfill its crucial role as a journalistic outlet seeking the truth, CNBC instead abdicated its responsibility to the American people in favor of years of uncritical repetition of spin by Wall Street CEOs. This denied the public accurate information about the causes of the current economic crisis, its consequences, and the effectiveness of proposed solutions. >> Sign the petition and demand CNBC stop acting like a PR firm for Wall Street and instead fulfill its journalistic obligation to the truth. CNBC should publicly declare a drastic change of direction, committing to responsible journalism in an effort to hold Wall Street accountable in the future. As a first step, it should bring new economic voices on the air with a focus on those who were right about this crisis in the first place. The stakes are too high for CNBC to continue acting as the unofficial mouthpiece of Wall Street. This is not a game. Together we can bring about the much-needed change we seek. That is why it is so important that you sign this petition today and then encourage your friends, family and co-workers to do the same. Thank you for your continued support. Eric Burns President Media Matters for America P.S. Don't forget to enlist your friends, family, and co-workers in this fight to change CNBC. Be sure to contact them and ask that they sign the petition as well. Sources: · Letter from Media Matters, journalism professors, economists, media critics, and other progressive leaders in demanding changes at CNBC -- PCCC · Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer: The Extended Daily Show Interview Videos -- Comedy Central   © 2009 Media Matters for America 1625 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20036

Road to Rescue: The CNN Survival Guide: News & Videos about Road to Rescue: The CNN Survival Guide - CNN.com

Road to Rescue: The CNN Survival Guide: News & Videos about Road to Rescue: The CNN Survival Guide - CNN.com

AIG massive payments to banks stoke bailout rage - Forbes.com

AIG massive payments to banks stoke bailout rage - Forbes.com

The Hill repeats baseless claim that small businesses will have to provide health insurance under Obama

Media Matters - The Hill repeats baseless claim that small businesses will have to provide health insurance under Obama

A Hill article asserted that "[s]mall businesses are also worried about an Obama healthcare proposal that could require small firms to provide health insurance to their workers." However, during the presidential campaign, then-Sen. Barack Obama proposed requiring large businesses that do not provide employer-sponsored health coverage to pay a percentage of their payroll into a National Health Insurance Exchange but stated that small businesses would be exempt.

Congress threatens to tax AIG executives' bonuses

Congress threatens to tax AIG executives' bonuses

Congressional Democrats vowed Tuesday to all but strip AIG executives of their $165 million in bonuses as expressions of outrage swelled in Congress over eye-catching extra income for employees of a firm that has received billions in taxpayer bailout funds.

Hannity falsely claimed that under Pelosi, Republicans "can't offer amendments"

Media Matters - Hannity falsely claimed that under Pelosi, Republicans "can't offer amendments"

Fox News' Sean Hannity falsely claimed that under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, "Republicans can't offer amendments; they can't offer alternative bills." In fact, in the 111th Congress, the House has voted on several Republican-sponsored amendments to various bills.

Suggesting "your house will be worth more burned down," Doocy peddled itemized deduction falsehood

Media Matters - Suggesting "your house will be worth more burned down," Doocy peddled itemized deduction falsehood

Fox & Friends' Steve Doocy falsely asserted that President Obama has proposed eliminating the ability of high-income taxpayers to take income tax deductions for their home mortgages. In fact, Obama has not proposed eliminating income tax deductions for any taxpayers; rather, a provision in Obama's budget proposal would, beginning in fiscal year 2011, reduce the tax rate at which families earning more than $250,000 per year can take itemized deductions to 28 percent.

25 top-paying companies - Bingham McCutchen (1) - FORTUNE

25 top-paying companies - Bingham McCutchen (1) - FORTUNE

Associates at Bingham McCutchen take home an average $256,312 total compensation annually. See which other Best Companies to Work For offer big paychecks.

They're hiring! - Edward Jones (1) - FORTUNE

They're hiring! - Edward Jones (1) - FORTUNE

As many big companies are announcing mass layoffs, these 20 top employers have at least 350 openings each right now. Which Best Companies to Work For are doing the most recruiting and what kind of candidates are they looking for?