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In interview with Swift, Brian Williams did not note her previous false "lipstick" accusation or backtrack

During NBC's October 2 coverage of the vice presidential debate, anchor Brian Williams interviewed former acting Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift -- who is a national member of the McCain campaign's "Palin Truth Squad" -- but did not question Swift about why she had falsely accused Sen. Barack Obama of making "disgraceful comments comparing our vice presidential nominee, Gov. [Sarah] Palin, to a pig." Nor did Williams note that Swift backtracked on her assertion, saying that she "can't know" if Obama's comment "was aimed at Governor Palin." As Media Matters for America has noted, Obama was not speaking about Palin when he stated that "you can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig." Rather, his preceding comments consisted of what he described as a "list" of Sen. John McCain's policies that Obama said were no different from President Bush's. As Media Matters also documented, on the September 10 edition of MSNBC Live, chief Washington correspondent Norah O'Donnell asked Swift why she was "so sure that [Obama's 'lipstick on a pig' remark] was aimed at Governor Palin." Swift admitted, "I can't know if it was aimed at Governor Palin." When O'Donnell asked Swift to reconcile her comment that she "can't know" whether Obama's remark was about Palin with the fact that she demanded Obama apologize, Swift stated: "[W]hat I am saying is that I took offense. I think people in the crowd took offense, and, listen, I used to be in -- running in politics, and oftentimes, you're responsible for your words even if they're misconstrued. And so I'm not sure what's difficult about saying, you know, 'Maybe I didn't choose my words closely enough there.' " Swift continued: "I understand -- I think it's reasonable for people to have made the assumption that he was directing those comments at Governor Palin, and that -- it's just -- there's no place for that." Nevertheless, on the September 10 broadcast of NBC's Nightly News, chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell reported Swift's false assertion that Obama made "disgraceful comments comparing our vice presidential nominee, Governor Palin, to a pig" without noting her subsequent backtrack. From NBC's October 2 post-vice presidential debate coverage: WILLIAMS: After the seventh vice presidential debate in history -- of course, the first and only for these two tonight in St. Louis -- we're back from New York and elsewhere. We thought we'd do a lightning round as we try to gather opinion from various folks as to what they saw and witnessed tonight. We are joined by Peggy Noonan, columnist, of course, for The Wall Street Journal and a Reagan White House-era speechwriter; Michele Norris of NPR, been with us before; as has former governor of Massachusetts Jane Swift -- she is in the so-called spin room at the venue. [...] WILLIAMS: Governor Swift, speaking tonight for your Republican Party, a former office-holder on the team now, in terms of reaction, your reaction to tonight? SWIFT: Well, Governor Palin was direct, she was prepared, and she certainly was a breath of fresh air. While Senator Biden resorted to talking a lot about the past, I think that Governor Palin talked to Americans -- to families in their kitchen, in their living room -- and talked about what they're afraid of, what they're worried about, and how she and John McCain are gonna fix it, how they're going to address the corruption on Wall Street, how they're going to improve the economy, how they're gonna make us energy independent. And I think all of those things served her and served this ticket very, very well. You know, the folks who had the worst night, I think, they're probably two groups: the folks in the Palin pile-on group, who were ready to write her off, I think, somewhat unfairly, are going to have a bad night tonight. And I think the fact-checkers looking at all the things that Joe Biden said are gonna be pretty busy as well. WILLIAMS: All right, Governor. Michele, Peggy, thank you all very much. Interesting night. All three -- interesting responses. We've been dealing mostly in style. We'll take a break. When we come back: substance. Specifically, the facts, and holding them to them when we come back.

Massachusetts Man Going For Record With 1,800 Pound Pumpkin (AHN)

(AHN) - A Sharon, Massachusetts man expects the giant pumpkin he has been growing in his back yard to tip the scales at a record 1,800 pounds when it is weighed on Oct. 11. - Wed, 1 Oct 2008 13:51:02 GMT

Massive 1,800 Pound Pumpkin Going For Guinness Record In Massachusetts (AHN)

(AHN) - A Sharon, Massachusetts man expects the giant pumpkin he has been growing in his back yard to tip the scales at a record 1,800 pounds when it is weighed on Oct. 11. - Wed, 1 Oct 2008 11:26:31 GMT

Media have repeatedly asserted Palin faces "low" or "lowered" expectations in debate, despite praise of her debate skills

Several members of the media, including MSNBC anchors and guests and an NPR reporter, have asserted that Gov. Sarah Palin faces "low" or "lowered" expectations in the upcoming vice-presidential debate and that she therefore faces a lower bar for victory than Sen. Joe Biden. They have made these assertions -- that she will win if she simply beats (lowered) expectations -- despite criticism by at least one member of the media over the media's setting of a lower bar for Palin, despite praise of her performance in the Alaska gubernatorial debate by others in the media, and despite McCain campaign surrogate Mitt Romney's touting of her debate skills. Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, stated on the September 29 broadcast of NBC's Today: "I think if you looked at her debate performance as the governor of Alaska, you're gonna see a person who can hold her own. She's a very competent, well-spoken, thoughtful individual, and I think she's gonna do real well." Nonetheless, Romney also remarked on the benefit to her of the "creat[ion of] low expectations." Examples of media figures asserting or suggesting that Palin stands to benefit from low expectations: During a discussion of Palin on the September 28 edition of Fox News Sunday, NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson asserted: "But for this debate, no one is going to benefit more from low expectations than Sarah Palin. She has got about the lowest expectations. People think she's going to come on and babble incoherently, and I think she's going to do just fine." During the 8 a.m. ET hour of the September 28 edition of MSNBC Live, anchor Alex Witt asked, "How about this: Are expectations so low for Palin that she can't help but do better than what people expect?" Reuters Washington correspondent Jon Decker replied, "[E]xpectations are extremely low for her going into the Thursday night's debate. You like expectations low going into a debate, that's for sure. And if she can beat those expectations, it will be a good night for Sarah Palin." During the 9 a.m. ET hour of the September 28 edition of MSNBC Live, Witt asserted of Palin: "Lowered expectation because of some critical reviews of her network interviews. Do you think that lowered expectations will actually help her and might the campaign folks be micromanaging her now and not letting her personality come out?" Roll Call reporter Emily Heil replied: "[C]ertainly, those lowered expectations, if she does kind of well, I think most people will call it a success." During the noon ET hour of the September 28 edition of MSNBC Live, Witt asked: "[W]hen you talk about the expectations being lowered for Sarah Palin, and that certainly seems to be the consensus that we've been hearing throughout this day here on MSNBC Sunday, does that mean that she just has to go out there and be herself, as many have suggested, showing her personality?" During the 11 a.m. ET hour of the September 29 edition of MSNBC Live, after anchor Tamron Hall asked if "low expectations actually help" Palin and "on the flip side, is it fair that Joe Biden might be held to a higher standard," Newsweek correspondent Suzanne Smalley replied, "Well, I think that you're right to mention low expectations. That is something Sarah Palin has going for her." During 3 p.m. ET hour of the September 30 edition of MSNBC Live, NBC News correspondent Savannah Guthrie said of the McCain campaign's expectations regarding Palin's performance, "If she just survives on Thursday, I think they'll be pleased." She also reported that the "party line I'm hearing today, which is to keep those expectations low, to say, 'Let Palin be Palin. She's not running to be head of the debate club, and that's not what Americans want.'" As Media Matters for America documented, CNN senior political analyst Gloria Borger asserted that "the bar is, first of all, on the floor for Sarah Palin" for the debate, to which senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin responded that "it's not our job" to "sort of create these expectations." Notwithstanding claims by these media figures that expectations are "lower" for Palin, some in the media have praised Palin's debating abilities based on her performance in the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial debate. National Review White House correspondent Byron York wrote in a September 8 post to the National Review Online blog The Corner: "[A]ll I have to say is that Palin was good -- really good. It wasn't a debate in which the candidates were in each other's faces or throwing out zingers, but Palin clearly outshone her rivals -- especially [former Alaska Gov. Frank] Murkowski, the longtime senator who played the role of the experienced statesman." Similarly, in a post to the Time.com blog Swampland, national political correspondent Karen Tumulty described Palin's gubernatorial debate performance as "impressive," adding that Palin "is also very good on her feet." Tumulty went on to write: "That's why Joe Biden should be wary, especially since she will have expectations very much in her favor." In addition, MSNBC Live's Hall asked Newsweek national correspondent Suzanne Smalley if the vice-presidential debate, which Hall said will have "more structure" than the campaign trail, will "help Governor Palin." Smalley replied, in part: I think that the structure may be harder. It's easy when you're talking off the cuff to take a moment and think, but when you're under the glaring lights of a national TV audience and millions of people watching and having to speak for an hour and a half nonstop against somebody like Joe Biden, who's been doing this for so long, it's a really tough position for anybody who's fairly new on the national political scene. So it's gonna be a challenge for her. In asserting the purported benefit to Biden of the "structure," Smalley did not note that the McCain campaign reportedly "fought for and won a much more structured approach for the questioning at the vice-presidential debate." According to a September 20 New York Times article: At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates. From the September 28 edition of Fox News Sunday: JUAN WILLIAMS (Fox News political contributor and NPR news analyst): But with regard to Palin, let me just say, they wouldn't even put Palin in the spin room after the debates. Joe Biden was out there in the spin room. BRIT HUME (Fox News Washington managing editor): Right. WILLIAMS: And I think that, you know, when Bill [Kristol] says that they're mismanaging her -- the idea they put her out there with the world leaders of the U.N. -- she looked bumbly. She wouldn't even talk to reporters then. She goes on with [Fox News host] Sean Hannity, our friend. And what happens? She can't even talk about the bailout effectively. And with [CBS Evening News anchor] Katie Couric, it was an implosion. LIASSON: But for this debate, no one is going to benefit more from low expectations than Sarah Palin. She has got about the lowest expectations. People think she's going to come on and babble incoherently, and I think she's going to do just fine. CHRIS WALLACE (host): Brit, you get the final word about Sarah Palin. HUME: My guess is she'll do fine, but I think Bill's right. They've got to let her be herself, and she'll do fine. From the 8 a.m. ET hour of the September 28 edition of MSNBC Live: WITT: How about real quickly, the VP debate is Thursday. Lots of talk in this media -- in the media, rather, this week -- about Sarah Palin following her latest major interview. How about this: Are expectations so low for Palin that she can't help but do better than what people expect? DECKER: You know, I know, Alex -- I'm gonna miss it -- but I know you're going to play a lot of Saturday Night Live from last night. The clips from Saturday Night Live last night, this morning. And, you know, there's this image that's been presented of her, pretty much through SNL, but through other venues as well, as a person who is not up to it -- not up to being the person who's a heartbeat away from the presidency. And as a result, expectations are extremely low for her going into the Thursday night's debate. You like expectations low going into a debate, that's for sure. And if she can beat those expectations, it will be a good night for Sarah Palin. WITT: OK. Always a good morning with you being here. Thank you so much, John Decker. DECKER: Thank you, Alex. From the 9 a.m. ET hour of the September 28 edition of MSNBC Live: WITT: Emily, a lot of attention has been focused on Sarah Palin. Lowered expectation because of some critical reviews of her network interviews. Do you think that lowered expectations will actually help her and might the campaign folks be micromanaging her now and not letting her personality come out? HEIL: Well, there is certainly a lot of pressure on Sarah Palin for this debate performance. You know, she's going up against Joe Biden, who's, you know, considered a very, you know, good speaker. He's gaffe-prone, for sure, but he's a old hand at this, and she's not. And I think that's causing a lot of concern for her handlers. And I think there was some thought that maybe it was over-handling that had caused this bad performance. We're going to have to see. But you know what? The debate format is actually, I think, going to work in her favor to a certain extent. The questions are doing to be shorter, and also the topics are going to be very wide-ranging. She's much more well-versed on economic issues, on domestic issues, as opposed to foreign policy issues. So to the extent that it's wide-ranging and to the extent that she can focus in on what she knows, I think that's where she might do better. But certainly, those lowered expectations, if she does kind of well, I think most people will call it a success. From the noon ET hour of the September 28 edition of MSNBC Live: WITT: But Molly [Hooper, CQ political reporter], you know, when you talk about the expectations being lowered for Sarah Palin, and that certainly seems to be the consensus that we've been hearing throughout this day here on MSNBC Sunday, does that mean that she just has to go out there and be herself, as many have suggested, showing her personality? That is what a lot of the American public has, you know, clamored onto. Or the fact that she is debating Joe Biden, who's been in the Senate for so long, that he -- you know, there on Capitol Hill. He's going to have some nuts and bolts to offer. HOOPER: We'll see. And that's the thing about Senator Biden: He does have the nuts and bolts, but he doesn't do the talking points. And he's so, like I said, intelligent and knows what he's talking about, that he'll start to get into these arguments that are very temporal and almost beyond people. I mean, I went to Berkeley, I was a history major, I love listening to Biden, but sometimes it goes over my head. And, you know, if Palin gets out there and she's herself -- when I say that, she just is plainspoken, keeps the answers short, sweet, and to the point, you know, a little, kind of Tina Fey. We laugh and everything, but, you know, people want to hear that. WITT: Yeah. HOOPER: They want to be reassured. They want those flat-out statements. They want that assurance. And Biden, like I said, he likes to talk. WITT: Yeah, he does. And Molly, to what extent does he have to worry, though, about coming right up to what is probably a pretty fine line over being mean or condescending or anything, should Sarah Palin throw something that he vehemently disagrees with? HOOPER: Well, here's the thing about Senator Biden, and this is one of the reasons I love watching him on the Senate floor -- this is why I love my job, because I can go out and see him speak, sitting on the Senate floor. And, you know, he has this way about him. He can sound sort of condescending, but it's not con-- he can be kind of condescending, but it's not condescending. And that -- it's almost sort of a Palin-esque kind of quality he has, but in a very 20 dollar kind of word way. WITT: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know what? I'm going to say, from my experience with him, interviewing him, he's just a really nice guy. HOOPER: I know. WITT: I'm just going to say that. You know, he absolutely is. From the 11 a.m. ET hour of the September 29 edition of MSNBC Live: HALL: But could low expectations actually help Sarah Palin heading into this VP debate? And on the flip side, is it fair that Joe Biden might be held to a higher standard? Suzanne Smalley is a national correspondent for Newsweek. And so Suzanne, who has the edge going into the debate here? SMALLEY: Well, I think that you're right to mention low expectations. That is something Sarah Palin has going for her. Nonetheless, Joe Biden has been in Congress for decades and is a very skilled debater, and no matter how low the expectations are, that matchup is gonna be tough for her. And it's going to be -- the stakes are very high for this campaign, especially after Saturday Night Live. I think you can argue that the [ABC World News anchor] Charlie Gibson interview, the Katie Couric interview, all of that inside the Beltway has a big impact, but once it hits Saturday Night Live and you get a roasting like that from a show that many low-information voters are watching, that's a portrait that's gonna start to stick of Governor Palin, and she really needs to do well in this debate. HALL: It's interesting. On ABC's This Week, John McCain was asked about Sarah Palin's answer to a question that the U.S. military should cross the border from Afghanistan into Pakistan. We know they've been talking about this, they talked about it in a debate. And that was essentially agreeing with Senator [Barack] Obama. So here's how Senator McCain responded to it. McCAIN [video clip]: This business of, in all due respect, people going around and sticking a microphone while conversations are being held and then all of a sudden that's a person's position -- it's a free country, but I don't think most Americans think that that's a definitive policy statement made by Governor Palin. HALL: So to backtrack a little bit so our audience knows what's happened, someone kind of approached her with a mic, and they ask her and that was her off-the-cuff, if you will, explanation. In the debate, more structure -- will that help Governor Palin in that -- it's a lot of information, but to whom much is given, much is expected. SMALLEY: Right. And, you know, I think that, first of all, the "off the cuff" defense from Senator McCain is really -- I mean, they have to have some kind of defense, but his campaign's gone after Joe Biden for off-the-cuff remarks. I mean, it's the nature of the game, and it is striking that she did disagree with her running mate's position on this issue. Beyond that, you know, I think that the structure may be harder. It's easy when you're talking off the cuff to take a moment -- HALL: Right. SMALLEY: -- and think, but when you're under the glaring lights of a national TV audience and millions of people watching and having to speak for an hour and a half nonstop against somebody like Joe Biden, who's been doing this for so long, it's a really tough position for anybody who's fairly new on the national political scene. So it's gonna be a challenge for her. From the 3 p.m. ET hour of the September 30 edition of MSNBC Live: NORAH O'DONNELL (anchor): Savannah, John McCain just said they don't expect her -- they don' t -- "their appreciation for her is not because she's got a Ph.D. from Harvard. She doesn't." It sounded like a backhanded compliment, but nevertheless, are there Republicans that are concerned about her performance and what this means for John McCain's candidacy? And, I mean, doesn't it say something, the fact that all of his top advisers are with her there now? They've left John McCain by himself, and they're with Palin to get her ready. GUTHRIE: Well, that's true. I mean, to that point, we just heard [NBC News correspondent] Ron [Allen] that David Axelrod [chief political strategist for Obama] and others are with Biden now. So these debates are important, and so you do put the full-court press. There's no question that Republicans -- many of them will tell you privately they're very concerned about Sarah Palin. And now, some of them are peeling off and even saying so publicly. I mean, we've seen some prominent writers come out and say, "Palin isn't ready for prime time." But what you heard John McCain tell Kelly O'Donnell this morning is very much the party line I'm hearing today, which is to keep those expectations low, to say, "Let Palin be Palin. She's not running to be head of the debate club, and that's not what Americans want." And also to point out, "Hey, Joe Biden's been doing this for 30 years. Of course Sarah Palin -- she's going to do the best she can, but let's not overstate the case." If she just survives on Thursday, I think they'll be pleased.

Fox News' Kelly falsely suggested Ifill's book about Obama was made "public" only after she was announced as debate moderator

On the October 1 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, host Megyn Kelly falsely suggested it was publicly revealed that PBS senior correspondent Gwen Ifill is the author of the forthcoming book, The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama (Doubleday), only after it was announced she would moderate the October 2 vice presidential debate. Kelly said: "Critics are asking how Ifill can pen such a glowing review of Senator [Barack] Obama and still be fair during this debate. Ifill has gone public recently talking about the book and how the path to influence has changed for African-Americans." In fact, media outlets, including the Associated Press, reported that Ifill was the book's author well before the August 21 announcement that she would moderate the debate. Additionally, following an October 1 post on her blog, in which she asserted that "full disclosure to both [candidates] was necessary," Fox News host Greta Van Susteren wrote in a second post that day: I confirmed for us here on GretaWire: the McCain campaign did NOT know about Gwen Ifill's book (I think I told them when I made my efforts -- emails about midnight -- to find out!) I am stunned ... the campaign (actually both) should have been told before the campaign agreed to have her moderate. It simply is not fair -- in law, this would create a mistrial [emphasis in original]. However, in addition to ignoring the AP report citing Ifill's book, published on July 21, Van Susteren did not note in either blog post that a September 4 Washington Post profile of Ifill also mentioned that she was working on The Breakthrough. In an October 1 post on his Politico blog, Michael Calderone wrote of the Post article: "Ifill discussed it [the book] with Howard Kurtz last month in the Washington Post, in the only profile she's done before the debate. (And I'd imagine someone in the campaign should have read it)." Ifill's role as moderator of the October 2 vice presidential debate was announced in an August 21 joint statement from the Obama and McCain campaigns, which is posted on the McCain-Palin website: The two campaigns agreed today on a framework for four General Election debates, to be sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Key elements of the agreement are: [...] 2. Vice Presidential Debate - Date: October 2nd - Site: Washington University (St. Louis) - Moderator: Gwen Ifill - Staging/Answer Format: To be resolved after both parties' Vice Presidential nominees are selected. Prior to the joint announcement of the debate schedule and format, the July 21 AP article -- which is also posted on FoxNews.com -- identified Ifill as "author of 'The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama,' slated for publication early next year." Additionally, in a May 8 interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer -- portions of which were also quoted in a May 13 article in The Republican of Springfield, Massachusetts -- Ifill discussed the book*: Q: What do you do when you're not reporting or moderating? A: Well, I am working on this book now, which is frankly taking almost all of my waking hours when I'm not at work. The book is about an emerging generation of black politicians - in fact, when I'm in town, I'll probably talk to your mayor - including focusing on Barack Obama and [Massachusetts Gov.] Deval Patrick and [Newark, N.J., Mayor] Corey Booker - and trying to talk about what we see happening here, and I think there is something fundamental shifting here, which is shifting before our eyes, that goes beyond Barack Obama. It's my first book, so it's terrifying. But when I'm not working all the time, I'm playing with my godchildren and going to movies and doing things normal people do. Below is a Doubleday description of Ifill's book: In THE BREAKTHROUGH, veteran journalist Gwen Ifill surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama's stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power. Ifill argues that the Black political structure formed during the Civil Rights movement is giving way to a generation of men and women who are the direct beneficiaries of the struggles of the 1960s. She offers incisive, detailed profiles of such prominent leaders as Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and U.S. Congressman Artur Davis of Alabama, and also covers up-and-coming figures from across the nation. Drawing on interviews with power brokers like Senator Obama, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and many others, as well as her own razor-sharp observations and analysis of such issues as generational conflict and the "black enough" conundrum, Ifill shows why this is a pivotal moment in American history. THE BREAKTHROUGH is a remarkable look at contemporary politics and an essential foundation for understanding the future of American democracy. From the October 1 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom: KELLY: Also, this developing story from the campaign trail this morning: The moderator for tomorrow night's vice presidential debate is now under fire for a book she has written that's set to hit bookstores on January 20, which just happens to be Inauguration Day. PBS' Gwen Ifill, writing a book called, The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama. It focuses on Obama and other emerging African-American leaders. Critics are asking how Ifill can pen such a glowing review of Senator Obama and still be fair during this debate. Ifill has gone public recently talking about the book and how the path to influence has changed for African-Americans. IFILL [video clip]: The title of the book is The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama. It's taking the story of Barack Obama and extending it to talk about a whole new generation of black politicians who are doing very similar things in very different ways. They're younger, they're more likely to get to power not by marching in marches, the way their parents did, or by leading protests. They have decided to do it by getting educations; basically walking through the doors that their parents opened, then choosing public service in a different way. KELLY: Well, the official promo for the book calls Senator Obama a "power broker," calls his campaign "stunning," and says this is a "pivotal moment in American history." Fox News contributor Juan Williams knows Gwen Ifill well, and he will join us live on this developing story, which is picking up a lot of heat, in our next hour. * Text added to include the original May 8 Inquirer interview.

The Tschebull Collection - sale results

The Tschebull Collection of 200 antique carpets was on sale 5 May 2008 at Grogan & Company, Dedham, Massachusetts. More than 80 % of the carpets were sold...read more

iPodObserver - Massachusetts Reaches Agreement with Apple on iTunes Accessibility

Massachusetts State Attorney General Martha Coakley announced Friday that Apple had acceded to demands from Massachusetts that iTunes and iTunes U be made accessible to the blind

Number Of Massachusetts Public Schools Needing Improvement Rises (AHN)

(AHN) - A total 828 public schools in Massachusetts have failed to meet the yearly rising English and math performance standards for students under the federal No Child Left Behind program. The number, representing half of all public schools in the state, is 37 percent higher than last year. - Sun, 21 Sep 2008 07:02:02 GMT

CNN's Roberts failed to challenge Romney on taxes falsehood

On the September 17 edition of CNN's American Morning, anchor John Roberts did not challenge former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's suggestion that, with "an economy in trouble," Sen. Barack Obama will raise taxes. Roberts did not note in response that Obama has proposed cutting taxes for low- and middle-income families and for those making less than $250,000 per year, or that Sen. John McCain's own chief economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, has reportedly said that it is inaccurate to claim that "Barack Obama raises taxes." In contrast with Roberts, later that day on CNN's Larry King Live, King disputed Donald Trump's claim that "Obama wants to increase your taxes drastically," saying, "Now, in all fairness, he says he doesn't. ... But, Donald, Obama said 95 percent would be reduced under his plan." During the segment, Roberts asked Romney, "[W]hat's the first advice you would give Senator John McCain about handling the current [financial] crisis?" Romney responded: "The worst thing you can do with an economy in trouble is raise taxes, and I really would call on Barack Obama to say, you know what? It's not the time to raise taxes." Rather than question Romney's suggestion, Roberts asked him about the federal government's bailout of the American International Group. In its analysis of Obama's and McCain's tax proposals, the Tax Policy Center concluded that "Obama would give larger tax cuts to low- and moderate-income households and pay some of the cost by raising taxes on high-income taxpayers. In contrast, McCain would cut taxes across the board and give the biggest cuts to the highest-income households." Media Matters for America has documented a trend of the media uncritically repeating or not challenging the McCain campaign's claim that Obama will raise taxes. From the September 17 edition of CNN's American Morning: ROBERTS: John McCain supporter, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney joins us live from West Newton, Massachusetts. Governor, it's good to see you. With your vast experience in the business world here, and in financial markets in particular, what's the first advice you would give Senator John McCain about handling the current crisis? ROMNEY: Well, first of all, the Federal Reserve has taken the appropriate action to make sure that institutions -- which could, if they failed, hurt a lot of people -- that they don't fail. Secondly, you're going to have to make sure that we don't add new government spending programs and we don't raise taxes. The worst thing you can do with an economy in trouble is raise taxes, and I really would call on Barack Obama to say, you know what? It's not the time to raise taxes. It is instead a time to smooth the market out, to try and rekindle the growth of our economy, lower taxes, and get ourselves from sending $700 billion a year to foreign countries for oil. Let's keep that money here. Let's drill in America. It's something Barack Obama opposes -- he's wrong on that one. ROBERTS: Let me come back, Governor, to the point you just made about the bailout of AIG. John McCain says the Fed should not be bailing out these financial institutions. From the September 17 edition of CNN's Larry King Live: KING: Obama or McCain, who'd handle this better? TRUMP: Well, I know John McCain, and John McCain's a great guy, a tremendous guy. I've known him for a long time, and I'm with him, and I'm with him based on the fact that I have great knowledge of John McCain. Also, this is not the right time for tax increases and Obama wants to increase your taxes drastically. So, this is not -- this is a very -- KING: Now, in all fairness, he says he doesn't. He -- TRUMP: -- fragile time. I mean, this is not the right time. KING: But, Donald, Obama said 95 percent would be reduced under his plan.

High-Tech Firms Brace For Freeze In Technology Spending, IPOs As Aftermath Of Wall Street Woes (AHN)

(AHN) - Massachusetts' high-tech industry is starting to feel the impact of Wall Streets' woes. Start-up firms are preparing for a cut back in technology investment and initial public offerings. - Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:11:16 GMT