Analysis by Jamison Foser For weeks, the news media have been buzzing about earmarks in the recently signed omnibus spending bill. We’ve been told over and over that the bill is “loaded,” “filled,” and “stuffed” with earmarks. Since earmarks made up less than 2 percent of the bill’s total spending,[Read More…]

Media return to familiar pattern of falsely characterizing earmarks as Democrats’ alone Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)– Media Matters for America has recently documented several examples of the media uncritically advancing the false notion that congressional Republicans are champions of earmark reform and in contrast, the Democratic Party are champions of wasteful spending.[Read More…]

Media Matters issues open letter to CNBC President calling for action Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)– Media Matters for America President Eric Burns issued an open letter to CNBC President Mark Hoffman expressing concern over CNBC host Larry Kudlow’s use of air time to further his potential candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Kudlow[Read More…]

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)– So how did we get to this point? Job losses in the hundreds of thousands every month, almost weekly bank failures, and 401(k)s at half their value from a year and a half ago. The media treat the question as a mystery that can be solved through scrutiny[Read More…]

By Jamison Foser Suddenly, the media are once again obsessed with budget deficits. This always seems to happen when they cover Democrats, even though, as Joe Conason notes, 90 percent of the $11 trillion in federal debt run up in America’s history can be attributed to Ronald Reagan and the[Read More…]

By Dahr Jamail T r u t h o u t One week after Iraqi government forces arrested an Awakening Group (commonly referred to as Sons of Iraq, al-Sahwa) leader, Adil al-Mashhadani, head of a patrol unit in central Baghdad’s Fadhil neighborhood in Baghdad, sparking gun battles that raged for[Read More…]

The United States can do better! It’s time to “close the spigot” of defense spending. Northampton, MA–(ENEWSPF)– As taxes come due on April 15, taxpayers can take stock of how the federal government spent each 2008 income tax dollar: 37.3 cents went towards military-related spending, while environment, energy and science-related[Read More…]

Township, municipality turnout now available at voterinfonet.com Cook County, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Nearly 65 percent of Bedford Park voters and 40.5 percent of Riverside Township voters participated in Tuesday’s election, according to municipality and township turnout data released today by Cook County Clerk David Orr. “Overall turnout across Cook County may have been[Read More…]

Chicago, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Online promotions promising easy wealth by joining a cash gifting program or gifting club are flourishing on the Internet. With many families struggling to make ends meet in the current economy, the Better Business Bureau warns that cash gifting is not a legitimate way to make a few[Read More…]

NPP Releases Local Cost of War Breakdowns and Launches Cost Of Afghanistan War Northampton, MA–(ENEWSPF)– As Congress considers President Obama’s $83.4 billion supplemental request for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2009, $77.1 billion of which is dedicated to Iraq and Afghanistan war funding, National Priorities Project offers a state-level tradeoff[Read More…]