Media Matters Daily Summary 06-29-10

Quick Fact: Beck falsely suggests troops do not have a "right to defend themselves"
Glenn Beck falsely suggested that the rules of engagement in Afghanistan prevent troops from firing in self-defense, claiming that we should "[t]ake the shackles off our troops; they have a right to defend themselves." But the current rules of engagement already ensure "that no one is ever denied the right to self-defense." Read More

Right-wing media invent Kagan quote to falsely claim she said "it's fine if the law bans books"
Right-wing media are distorting comments Elena Kagan made during arguments before the Supreme Court to falsely claim she said "it's fine if the law bans books." In fact, in the video the right is citing, Kagan never said "it's fine if the law bans books"; she specifically argued that federal law had never banned books and likely could not do so. Read More

Do media really think Obama promised stimulus alone would fill 8 million-job hole?
Media figures have falsely suggested that Vice President Joe Biden admitted the stimulus failed when he said, "There's no possibility to restore 8 million jobs lost in the Great Recession." In fact, the administration said all along that the stimulus would mitigate job losses but that government action alone could not restore all of the jobs lost since December 2007 and that "the private sector needs to do the rest." In addition, private analysts have said the stimulus significantly raised employment over what would have occurred otherwise, and Congressional Budget Office estimates show that the unemployment rate is expected to return to pre-recession levels in the coming years. Read More

Megyn Kelly gets it wrong on Kagan's abortion rights record
Fox News' Megyn Kelly falsely claimed that the health exception to a ban on late-term abortions that Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan advised President Clinton to endorse "essentially" would have allowed women to "get an abortion in the third trimester" because of "a headache." In fact, Kagan advised Clinton to endorse a proposal banning late-term abortions that included a much narrower health exception. Read More

Varney, Moore revive Reagan tax cut myth to attack Obama's stimulus
Stuart Varney and Steve Moore claimed that that President Obama's stimulus plan has failed, while President Reagan stopped the recession of the early 1980s with tax cuts. In fact, economists have said the stimulus helped promote economic recovery, and that the recession was ended under Reagan primarily due to federal interest rate cuts. Read More