Media Matters Daily Summary 04-29-10

Buchanan scapegoats undocumented immigrants for "bankrupt" California
On Morning Joe, Pat Buchanan baselessly claimed that undocumented immigrants are "bankrupting" California. But California's Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that it's a "myth" that undocumented immigrants are to blame for the state's fiscal crisis, and experts have attributed California's current fiscal crisis to the state's tax system and declining revenues due to the recent economic downturn.
Read More

WSJ falsely suggests that Bush Supreme Court nominees did not have a clear record on abortion
A Wall Street Journal article falsely claimed, in supposed contrast to Judge Diane Wood, that "[r]ecent Supreme Court nominees" did not have a clear record on abortion. In fact, Samuel Alito had written that he was "particularly proud" of his efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade and had issued a key anti-abortion rights opinion. Read More

EXCLUSIVE: AZ Leg. staffer disputes conservatives' "lawful contact" claims about immigration law
Conservative media have claimed that Arizona's new immigration law only allows law enforcement to question a person's immigration status if they are suspected of an unrelated offense. But in a statement given to Media Matters for America, a research analyst for the Arizona House Republican majority disputes these claims. Read More

Defending AZ law, Peters falsely claims crime rates are "soaring" in border states
In his New York Post column, Ralph Peters defended the controversial Arizona immigration law in part by citing "soaring crime rates in our border states." However, crime rates in Arizona -- as well as crime rates for each state bordering Mexico -- have dropped during the past decade. Read More

Fox falsely suggested Congressional Hispanic Caucus is holding 9-11 health bill "hostage" to get health care for undocumented immigrants
On April 29, Fox & Friends falsely suggested that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus was holding a 9-11 worker health care bill "hostage" in order "to get health care" for "illegal aliens." In fact, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is reportedly seeking to ensure that undocumented immigrants who served as post-9-11 recovery workers -- not undocumented immigrants in general, as Fox suggested -- would also be able to receive the "benefits for health problems they incurred because of their heroic actions" that are provided for other 9-11 responders by the bill. Read More

FLASHBACK: Media advanced falsehood that drilling is safe because no oil spilled during Hurricane Katrina
In the wake of the catastrophic oil spill currently occurring in the Gulf of Mexico after a rig exploded and sank, Media Matters reviews how media figures advanced the false talking point that oil drilling is environmentally safe because "not one drop of oil was spilled" during Hurricane Katrina.
Read More

Cavuto's coverage of financial reform is "a word that rhymes with 'pretty' "
On the last two editions of Your World, Fox News senior vice president of business news Neil Cavuto devoted more than six minutes to Democratic senators' use of expletives during a hearing. By contrast, he spent less than four minutes on financial regulation legislation that Republicans were blocking. Read More

Quick Fact: Morris falsely claims financial reform bill contains "$50 billion rescue fund"
In purporting to lay out why the financial reform bill "is a disaster," Dick Morris falsely asserted that the bill "guarantee[s] banks' survival by establishing a $50 billion rescue fund." In fact, the fund is designed to liquidate failing financial institutions, not "rescue" them. Read More