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. Fox hosts let GOP Rep. Issa attack ACORN over embezzlement, but ignored NRCC embezzlement In separate interviews, Fox News hosts Bill Hemmer and Greta Van Susteren allowed Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) to attack the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) on the grounds that in 1999 and 2000, one of its leaders embezzled from the group. However, at no point did either Hemmer or Van Susteren note that in 2008, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) stated that its treasurer had embezzled more than $600,000 from the organization over the course of several years. Read More Limbaugh runs with smears to falsely claim Jennings endorsed sexual assault against student Rush Limbaugh advanced the thoroughly debunked smear that Department of Education official Kevin Jennings encouraged an illegal sexual relationship between a male high school student and an older man, taking the attack even further to baselessly assert that the student -- who Limbaugh falsely claimed was 15 years old at the time -- told Jennings that "an older man is forcing his way on me, sex and so forth," and that in response, Jennings "urged the 15-year-old to further the relationship." In fact, the student was of legal age at the time, and the accounts of the conversation Limbaugh used to advance the smear provide no evidence that the student said he was assaulted or that Jennings encouraged the student "to further the relationship." Read More Hannity cites rationing in U.K. to attack public option -- but U.S. insurance companies already ration care On his Fox News show, Sean Hannity attacked the public option by stating that "[e]verywhere socialized medicine has been tried it's failed. It ends up in rationing," and pointing to women with breast cancer in Great Britain who are denied drugs by "the government rationing body." But Hannity's attack that "the government option" would introduce rationing for "women with breast cancer" is undermined by the fact that private insurance companies in the United States already ration care; in fact, private insurers routinely deny care to cancer patients, often because they are found to have pre-existing conditions. Read More Conservative blogs falsely claim Obama is forcing Catholic college "to cover abortion" In an October 7 post, right-wing blogger Gateway Pundit falsely claimed that President Obama "is forcing a private Catholic institution to cover abortion in its insurance plan," and Ed Morrissey similarly wrote on HotAir.com that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) "demanded that a private Catholic college offer abortion" coverage. In fact, the EEOC -- in a letter of determination that did not address the issue of abortion -- stated that the institution, Belmont Abbey College, violated discrimination laws by denying employees health insurance coverage for "prescription contraceptive drugs." Read More Yet another outrageous smear of Jennings: Conservative media compare Jennings to Polanski As part of their smear campaign against Obama Education Department official Kevin Jennings, conservative media figures including Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Ann Coulter have compared Jennings to film director Roman Polanski, stating -- in the words of Fox News contributor Kirsten Powers -- that "there needs to be zero tolerance for this kind of stuff," specifically citing Jennings and "the Roman Polanski stuff." Thus, media conservatives are smearing Jennings -- who counseled someone who was of age at the time and who has said he did not have a sexual relationship -- with the outrageous suggestion that he is comparable to Polanski, who was charged with rape and pleaded guilty to having sex with a girl who was 13 at the time after allegedly plying her with drugs and alcohol. Read More Wash. Times posts doctored transcript to claim Jennings called for mandatory "LGBT course" for teachers Continuing her paper's witch hunt against Department of Education official Kevin Jennings, The Washington Times' Kerry Picket reprinted a doctored transcript -- originally posted by a conservative blog -- of 2008 comments by Jennings to falsely claim Jennings had said he wanted teachers to be required to "take an LGBT course" -- a claim also echoed by the Fox Nation. In fact, responding to an audience member who asked about how to combat stereotypes held by teachers based on race, gender, and ethnicity as well as sexual orientation, Jennings did not call for a mandatory "LGBT course," but rather called for a mandatory course on "issues of bias in the classroom" for aspiring teachers in order for them to be aware of "how biases can influence how you interact with your students." Read More Hannity falsely claimed Senate Finance health bill would add $1 trillion to deficit In discussing the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) score of the Chairman's mark, as amended, of the Senate Finance Committee's health reform legislation -- which found that the legislation would result in an $81 billion net reduction of the deficit over 10 years -- Fox News' Sean Hannity falsely asserted that the bill will add $1 trillion to the deficit. Hannity and his guests have demonstrated a pattern of misrepresenting or ignoring CBO analyses in order to attack progressive proposals. Read More You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.

Bad News On Social Security

fred, Social Security recipients aren't going to get a cost-of-living adjustment next year – even though their health expenses are rising fast. It's up to Congress to make sure 41 million seniors get the help they need to make ends meet! Tell Congress to address this critical issue for seniors. I have some bad news for 41 million seniors who depend on Social Security. For the first time in 35 years, seniors are not expected to receive a cost-of-living adjustment, the yearly increase that helps them make ends meet and keep up with rising prices. This is a serious problem – and unless Congress acts, millions of seniors will see their checks stay flat – or even reduced – while the costs of prescription drugs, utilities and health care continue to climb fast. Tell Congress to make sure that seniors get the help they deserve – and the Social Security relief they need – as soon as possible. The official measure of inflation – the consumer price index – has not increased in this weak economy while the things seniors need most have continued to increase in price. The reality is that the bad economy this year has hit seniors particularly hard. They spend an average of $4,400 out of pocket every year on health care alone. With home values dropping, losses in the stock market, and low returns on interest bearing accounts, it's no wonder that more Americans are counting on the promise of Social Security. In these times, many seniors have been forced to look for new jobs to find additional sources of income. But in this job market, it takes about 30 weeks for unemployed seniors to find a job. It's in tough economies like this one that seniors need Social Security the most. We need to demand that Washington address the problem of no cost of living adjustment and provide at least modest relief for seniors. Tell your members of Congress to act now to ensure that this is not the first year America's seniors don't get an automatic Social Security adjustment. I believe Congress can, and must, address this problem – and I believe they will. Once they've heard from you. Thanks for your help in making sure that Social Security continues to deliver on its promise to our nation's seniors. Sincerely, Barry Jackson AARP Online Advocacy Manager AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people 50 and over www.aarp.org/about_aarp/aarp_overview/a20021218aarpmission.html Visit AARPs Politics & Advocacy page at www.aarp.org/makeadifference/politics/ to learn more about AARP legislative activities. AARP Membership: Join/Renew at www.aarp.org/join/ Make a donation today to AARP and help us ensure the voices of our 40 million members are heard in the nations capital and state capitals across the country.

ABC7 eNews

>>> Having trouble viewing this newsletter? View as a webpage. Top Stories Thursday, October 8, 2009 Mom of 3 shot and killed at bus stop | VIDEO Chicago police are looking for the person who gunned down a mother of three while she waited for a CTA bus. Elderly woman beaten in home invasion | VIDEO A home invasion in Joliet turned violent when an 89-year-old woman was beaten by someone who broke into her Joliet house Tuesday. Bankruptcy judge approves Sun-Times sale A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of the Chicago Sun-Times and other newspapers owned by its parent company. Daley to outline plan to fight teen violence | VIDEO One day after a national meeting in Chicago to talk about teen violence, Mayor Richard Daley will present his plan to try to save young lives. Chicago mobster's hideout to be auctioned The former northern Wisconsin hideout of Chicago mobster Al Capone goes on the auction block Thursday. MORE STORIES Strange Survey names most annoying phrases Dead deer in clown suit left on porch Woman's 7-foot dog could be record holder Chicago mobster's hideout to be auctioned Feingold challenger to wear blaze orange Consumer Airlines add surcharge to busy travel days Fast food chain to overhaul look Amazon cuts price tag on Kindle Lower heating bills expected this winter More than 30,000 email accounts hacked Healthbeat Possible obesity link to asthma in women How accurate are home DNA tests? Study: Mammograms save lives Web tool helps advise when flu needs doc H1N1 Flu resources from the CDC MOST POPULAR 3-year-old set on fire, severely burned Mom of 3 shot and killed at bus stop Suburban man arrested on usury charges I-Team Report: The End of the Line Officer accused in fake DUI case placed on leave All Most Popular Advertisement TODAY'S WEATHER OUTLOOK 55°F 46°F Rain and drizzle Hour-by-Hour | 7 Day Forecast | Radar & Satellite TONIGHT ON ABC 7:00 PM FlashForward 8:00 PM Grey's Anatomy 9:01 PM Private Practice 10:00 PM ABC 7 News 10:35 PM Nightline Lottery Results Your Daily Horoscope I-Team Report: The End of the Line It's the end of the line for a legendary Chicago police squad. Giangreco appears in independent film It's a role that's hardly a stretch for ABC7's Mark Giangreco, who appears as a sportscaster in the film "Dear Mr. Fidrych." SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS I'd like to receive the following newsletters from abc7chicago.com Daily Weather | Daily News | 190 North Sign up for news alerts

Group wants resignation of Obama appointee

Can't see this email? View the online version. Why Kevin Jennings? Advertisement Sign Up and Watch Live! Group wants Obama pick's resignation A grassroots organization dedicated to preserving America's Judeo-Christian history and values is calling for the resignation of one of President Obama's appointees. That group says the appointee, who now heads an office within the Department of Education, protected a sexual predator several years ago. VOTE IN A RELATED POLL HRC's goal - silence Christians, normalize sin Christian activist Peter LaBarbera says it's vital for believers to push back against those promoting the homosexual agenda. Attorney expects Mojave cross to stay The U.S. Supreme Court has heard arguments in the Mojave Desert cross case -- and at least one attorney believes the cross will ultimately remain where it stands today. Is Capitol Hill ignoring 71% of Americans? Operation Rescue is giving Americans a chance to take a personalized stand against tax dollars for abortion in national healthcare reform. Perspective: Misfire on Polanski and Letterman Hollywood and the traditional media seem determined to flaunt their cluelessness. More of today's news Craigslist Kill... Illinois Family... Detroit Stimulu... Senate committee health care vote planned Tuesday WASHINGTON Senate leaders on Thursday announced a climactic Finance Committee vote next week on health care legislation, even as Democrats and Republicans kept feuding over its Justice officials won't take oath before briefing WASHINGTON A House intelligence committee meeting was abruptly terminated when Justice Department officials refused to be sworn in before briefing the lawmakers. The officials had been expected Report: Global Muslim population hits 1.57 billion WASHINGTON The global Muslim population stands at 1.57 billion, meaning that nearly 1 in 4 people in the world practice Islam, according to a report Wednesday billed Taliban claim Afghan bomb, say embassy was target KABUL The Taliban have claimed responsibility for Thursday's suicide car bomb in the Afghan capital, saying their target was the Indian Embassy. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a Israeli foreign minister: No chance for peace deal JERUSALEM Israel's powerful foreign minister declared Thursday that there is no chance of reaching a final accord with the Palestinians any time soon, casting a pall Healthcare Reform Needs Reforming by David P. Smith The current healthcare reform debate has many asking a lot of questions. One such question is “If the government is so good at governing healthcare, then why is Medicare so wasteful?†That is a good question Pelosi: new tax 'on the table' Elijah Friedeman| During an appearance on 'the Charlie Rose show', Nancy Pelosi talked about the possibility of enacting a value-added tax, which would raise prices of pretty much everything you buy. Triangulating an Afghanistan Srategy by Jerry Richardson What is America's best military strategy for the war in Afghanistan? There are numerous military commentators, in the news, that have freely and publicly provided President Obama and Secretary of Defense Gates with the best Afghanistan military Copenhagen: Someone is getting greedy By W. Michael KilgoreLast week’s trip to Copenhagen revealed a kink in President Obama’s armor that is rarely exposed by the media these days. It revealed that the President is a living, walking, breathing contradiction of his own The Restrainer by Jim Fletcher “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.†(II Thessalonians 2 7) Have you ever â€" in your whole life â€" seen Politicans blame Bush for Olympics Fail Elijah Friedeman| When something goes wrong, the strategy for the Obama administration and liberals in general has been to blame Bush and his policies. Chicago's failure to bring home the 2016 Olympics is no exception to this rule. Conservapedia Launches New Bible Translation Project? According to a blog at U.S. News & World Report, Conservapedia, which is a Wikipedia for conservatives, is launching an effort to write a new translation of the Bible. According to the site's homepage, " l iberal bias has become Safe Schools Czar:Critics of Gay-Only Schools Are Racist Moore Likens Foreclosed Homeowners to Rape Victims Light Bulb vs. The Nanny State The light bulb is being banned The Future of Terrorism by Dr. Walid Phares with Crane Durham from Nothing But Truth Am I religious?? Kendra White Do Americans Trust the News Media? Is there something wrong with me? Is there something wrong with me? A short video about being "in the world" and "not of it." Learn2Discern - ACORN Takes a Fall ACORN, took a very hard and public fall, for which President Obama conducted leadership-training seminars in the early 1990s in Chicago. Learn more on Learn2Discern! Homosexuality: Know the Truth, Speak it with Compassion Part1 The following article is written by Alan Shlemon and is from Apologetics for a New Generation, edited by Sean McDowell (Harvest House, 2009), used with permission.seanmcdowell.org Taking Stock by Mary FriedemanIt’s hard to believe that we’re nearing the end of our first nine weeks’ of school. That means we’re one fourth of the way through the academic year. (And Grounded By Sheri CobbWith new found freedom comes responsibility and thus the opportunity to soar or fail. One of my children required a grounding this past weekend. Hard to believe right?Anyway, as I contemplating what kind of American Education: Do you know what you're paying for? American Education: Do you know what you're paying for? A Special Live Broadcast - Tuesday, October 13th at 7:00 PM Central Join AFR Talk's Crane Durham as he leads a discussion on American Education in this interactive Internet / Radio / Television simulcast. Confirmed guests include: Site Volunteer Coordinator Food Service Manager Administrative Assistant Contact Center Director Part-Time Cook/Driver Site Volunteer Coordinator Director of Administration Custodian Director of Children's Ministry Achieve Financial Security - Work at Home with Christian Company OneNewsNow.com - P. O. Drawer 2440 - Tupelo, MS 38803 - (662) 821-2007

Crain's Daily News Alert prepared for Top Executives

Viewing on a PDA? Click here.   To view this email in a web browser click here. CHICAGOBUSINESS — POWERED BY CRAIN'S — Daily Business Briefing CRAIN'S LISTS SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR MULTIMEDIA WEEKLY JOB CHANGES TOP HEADLINES Thursday, October 8, 2009 · Video: Liquidation lift · Sun-Times sale approved · Illinois tanks in study of medical care · Harris eases overdraft charges · Reyes brothers join ranks of ultra-rich on Forbes 400 list · Attorneys give Loyola Law $2M · Vacancy up at Chicago-area neighborhood retail centers · Mesirow in venture for restructuring consultancy · Former Carlyle execs launch new search firm · In brief: Nanosphere renewal | Jones Lang | 33 W. Monroe · Capone's hideout sells for $2.6 million · 10 things to do this weekend  CRAIN'S BLOGS · Legislature about to kill Stroger's sales-tax hike; biz chiefs move to back McKenna, Dillard: Greg Hinz blog · Google tries new lure for mom-and-pop ads; consumers signal caution as holidays near: Enterprise City · Bulls in London; sports roundup: Biz of Sports · Griffins give $10M to education effort: Taking Names · The latest job changes and appointments: People on the Move  Final Markets Dow Jones 9,786.87 +61.29 +0.63% NASDAQ 2,123.93 +13.60 +0.64% Crain's Index 82.77 +0.930 +1.136% » View Other Top Headlines ADVERTISEMENT Crain's 2010 Book of Lists. This is the issue you'll see on every decision-maker's desk in the city, starting with the 1500 companies featured inside. Place an ad to put you in the right place at the right time all year round. Contact Kate Van Etten at kvanetten@crain.com or 312-649-5492. Delivers Dec 28. Ad Close Nov 3. OTHER HEADLINES · Retailers' sales for September only reach 2005 levels New York Times · Report: O'Hare Airport near tops in delays Daily Herald · Initial jobless claims drop 33,000 MarketWatch Crain's Chicago Business | 360 N. Michigan Ave. | Chicago, IL 60601 ADVERTISEMENT TODAY'S FEATURES Chicago Business Today — Oct. 8 While retailers struggle with dismal sales and excess merchandise, one arm of the industry is all too happy to purchase the unsold goods: Liquidators.Read More · Enterprise City — a small-business blog · Society: Chicago Symphony Orchestra · Boardroom barometer · Is your company the best? SIGN UP FOR CUSTOM ALERTS Industries Companies » Account Settings LISTEN LIVE: Traffic, weather and news from our news partner WBBM-AM.

Today's Seed from E-MIN

"Today's Seed" from E-MIN  -  Oct. 8, 2009 If you send us an e-mail, be sure to include a complete subject. Due to excessive amounts of junk mail, we have to filter incoming mail very strictly.  Without a subject, we may not see your message.    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _    "How terrible it will be for anyone who causes others to sin.    Temptation to do wrong is inevitable, but how terrible it will be    for the person who does the tempting.  So if your hand or foot    causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to    enter heaven crippled or lame than to be thrown into the    unquenchable fire with both of your hands and feet.  And if your eye    causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better to    enter heaven half blind than to have two eyes and be thrown into    hell. (Mat 18:7-9 NLT)    Prayer: LORD, give me courage to separate from anyone or anything    that would separate me from You. I would rather lose any other    relationship or any thing than lose my relationship with You. Help    me do whatever I need to do to honor it, esteem it, protect it, and    keep it always as the first priority of my life. In Jesus' name,    Amen. _________________________________________________________________ - Donate to E-MIN (check, card, & PayPal) http://www.e-min.org/give.htm   Your support enables us to continue to send these messages. _________________________________________________________________     Share "Today's Seed" with family, friends, or co-workers:   http://www.e-min.org/rects.htm _________________________________________________________________ Today's Seed by Randall Vaughn is published daily (M-F) by E-MIN Global Ministries, P O Box 220, Warrior, AL 35180 (USA) www.e-min.org Copyright Terms/Permissions/List Privacy  http://www.e-min.org/tp.htm Today's Seed(TM) (c) 2009 Randall Vaughn  All Rights Reserved. Internet services provided exclusively by http://www.VentureNet.net _________________________________________________________________

Where's the next boom? Maybe in `cleantech' - Yahoo! Finance

Where's the next boom? Maybe in `cleantech' - Yahoo! Finance

Our economy sure could use the Next Big Thing. Something on the scale of railroads, automobiles or the Internet -- the kind of breakthrough that emerges every so often and builds industries, generates jobs and mints fortunes.

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. Even after acknowledging it's false, CNN and Fox News continue to push smear of Jennings CNN's Lou Dobbs and Fox News' Brian Wilson and Sean Hannity ignored their own networks' past reporting and continued to forward the discredited smear that, while working as a teacher in 1988, Department of Education official Kevin Jennings failed to report an underage student's involvement with an older man. Dobbs claimed that "Jennings admit[ed] to failing to report a sexual matter involving a minor," and Wilson claimed that Jennings admitted that "he failed to alert authorities when a 15-year-old boy told him he was involved in a sexual relationship with an older man," even though both FoxNews.com and CNN have acknowledged that the student was of legal age -- 16 years old -- at the time. Read More Hannity "not convinced" of timeline conclusively debunking his smears of Jennings After repeatedly making the false allegation that Department of Education official Kevin Jennings failed to report to authorities the "statutory rape" of a former student when -- 21 years ago -- the student told him he was involved with an "older man," Fox News host Sean Hannity admitted that "the kid has since come out, and he said, 'No, no, I was 16 at the time,' " but added, "I'm not convinced of the timeline." In fact, both the "timeline" established by Jennings' books and the available evidence conclusively demonstrate that the student turned 16 -- the legal age of consent in Massachusetts -- before Jennings began teaching at his school and well before the time of his conversation with Jennings. Read More Fox & Friends falsely juxtaposes Pelosi's remarks about Shinseki and McChrystal to accuse her of hypocrisy Fox & Friends hosts Steve Doocy and Gretchen Carlson charged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with hypocrisy based on a false comparison of remarks Pelosi made in 2005 criticizing the Bush administration's reaction to Gen. Eric Shinseki's recommendation for a troop increase in Iraq, and recent remarks Pelosi made criticizing Gen. Stanley McChrystal for making strategy recommendations about Afghanistan during a London press conference. In fact, it is not inconsistent for Pelosi to take issue with McChrystal but not Shinseki: Pelosi specifically criticized McChrystal for using a "press conference" to reject calls to narrow the focus of the war in Afghanistan, which is different than Shinseki's decision to reveal his position on troop deployments in response to a direct question explicitly asking for "a range" during sworn testimony in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Re ad More In latest anti-gay attack on Jennings, Wash. Times and Breitbart distort his comments In their latest efforts to smear Department of Education official Kevin Jennings, Andrew Breitbart and The Washington Times have grossly distorted comments Jennings made to a GLSEN audience in 2000 to claim he "spoke about the promotion of homosexuality in the public school curriculum" and "criticize[d] schools for promoting heterosexuality," advancing the conservative Family Research Council's attack that Jennings was "promoting a pro-homosexual agenda in America's schools." In fact, in the audio files posted by the Times and Breitbart, Jennings promoted a curriculum that demands "respect [for] every human being regardless of sexual orientation, regardless of gender identity, regardless of race or religion or any of the arbitrary distinctions we make among people," and said that efforts to promote a specific sexual orientation through schools were ineffective. Read Mor e Fox News attacks ACORN over grant to give smoke detectors to low-income families Fox News' Bill Hemmer criticized the Department of Homeland Security for awarding a since-rescinded fire prevention grant to ACORN, ignoring that the Bush administration awarded similar grants to ACORN in 2007. Moreover, other Fox personalities and The Washington Times claimed that Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) "made this public," even though the grant was reported on long before Vitter mentioned them. Read More Sports media gang-tackle Limbaugh's bid to buy St. Louis Rams On October 6, Rush Limbaugh released a statement confirming that he and St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts "have made a bid to buy the [NFL's St. Louis] Rams and are continuing the process." In response, numerous sports journalists and figures -- including contributors to ESPN, where Limbaugh was briefly employed -- have criticized the idea of Limbaugh as an owner, often noting Limbaugh's history of racially incendiary remarks. Read More Beck, Limbaugh fomenting fear about H1N1 vaccine In recent days, both Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have suggested that the H1N1 flu vaccine may be unsafe and questioned the Obama administration's recommendation that Americans get vaccinated, with Limbaugh asserting that "[y]ou'll be healthier" if you don't believe what the government says and Beck suggesting that the vaccine may be "deadly." However, health experts have repeatedly stated that the vaccine is a safe and necessary tool to combat the virus, and that, in CDC chief Thomas Frieden's words, "This flu vaccine is made as flu vaccine is made each year, by the same companies, in the same production facilities, with the same procedures, with the same safety safeguards" and "[t]hat enables us to have a high degree of confidence in the safety of the vaccine." Read More You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.