• The Heritage Network
    • Resize:
    • A
    • A
    • A
  • Donate
  • Reporting and news analysis on policy issues from Rob Bluey and Lachlan Markay of the Center for Media and Public Policy, the investigative journalism operation at Heritage.

    Liberals Plan Propaganda Campaign to Sway Media After Obamacare Ruling

    A month before the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of Obamacare, liberal supporters are already planning an aggressive propaganda campaign to sway media coverage and public opinion. The focus of the liberal public-relations campaign will be on “real people” — individuals who can speak about the impact of the ruling regardless of what the Supreme Court decides. A newly released memo, first published by BuzzFeed, suggests liberals should adapt their message and events to defend government-run health care. “No matter what the flavor of our response … More

    VIDEO: Senator Tom Coburn on the “Debt Bomb”

    “The problem isn’t that we haven’t agreed, the problem is that we’ve agreed way too much,” explained Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) in a recent interview with The Heritage Foundation. “Otherwise we wouldn’t have trillion dollar deficits, $16 trillion in debt, and unfunded liabiltiies of $113-131 trillion.” Senator Coburn visited The Heritage Foundation this week to discuss his new book, The Debt Bomb: A Bold Plan to Stop Washington from Bankrupting America which makes the case that the biggest threat America faces is “Washington politicians who refuse to relinquish the intoxicating … More

    Federal Watchdog: DOE Didn’t Assess Financial Health of Subsidized Firms

    The Energy Department’s inspector general released a report recently highlighting the lack of financial oversight in the Department’s electric vehicle funding program. The report underscores problems with some of the program’s beneficiaries highlighted here at Scibe and under scrutiny by congressional investigators. The IG report focuses on DOE’s Transportation Electrification Program, which is part of the president’s stated goal of getting a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. The report states: the Department had not obtained and reviewed required financial and compliance audits and cost reports for the … More

    Obama to Tout Green Energy at Politically Connected Wind Company

    President Obama will make a push for wind energy subsidies on Thursday at the Iowa production facilities of a politically connected wind turbine manufacturer with ties to his administration. The appearance could serve to reinforce perceptions of cronyism in the administration’s “green jobs” push. At the manufacturing facilities of TPI Composites, Obama will tout the need for continued federal “investment” in wind energy, according to the Des Moines Register. TPI has some notable connections to the White House through Element Partners, one of its key investors. One of Element’s operating … More

    Breitbart Awards to Honor Individuals Carrying the Torch for Freedom

    Andrew Breitbart pioneered a new media revolution that transformed journalism and the political landscape. As Americans continue to mourn his tragic passing, we also seek to ensure that his legacy is honored and that the movement he spawned continues on with the army of citizen activists that he cultivated and inspired. The Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity ask for your assistance in paying tribute to the monumental achievements of Andrew Breitbart’s work, and the recognition of those who continue his legacy by carrying the torch … More

    Will the Anti-Koch Brigade Boycott MSNBC?

    Is cable news network MSNBC complicit in the death of Trayvon Martin? The suggestion, of course, is absurd. But under the same logic that liberals have used to tie Koch Industries to the Martin shooting, companies like General Electric and Comcast—owners of MSNBC—would be just as responsible. The issue arose during a testy interview on MSNBC last week between commentator Martin Bashir and Mark Holden, general counsel for Koch Industries. Karen Finney, a substitute host on Bashir’s program, had previously suggested that Koch Industries, because it supports the American Legislative … More

    VIDEO: Sen. Tom Coburn Discusses ‘The Debt Bomb’ at Bloggers Briefing

    Having spent nearly 30 years as a doctor in Oklahoma, Sen. Tom Coburn thinks like a physician even when he’s working in the nation’s capital. He identifies symptoms that manifest from a disease. And when it comes to our nation’s debt crisis, that disease is the political class in Washington. Coburn outlines this critique in a new book called “The Debt Bomb: A Bold Plan to Stop Washington from Bankrupting America.” He visits The Heritage Foundation to speak at The Bloggers Briefing today at noon ET.  Breitbart TV will air … More

    HHS Inks $20 Million Contract to Sell Obamacare to Skeptical Public

    The Department of Health and Human Services has inked a $20 million contract with a top public-relations firm to sell aspects of the Obamacare law to the American public. According to a report in PR Week, HHS’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has awarded the contract to PR firm Porter Novelli. The firm has offices worldwide, and boasts PepsiCo, Hewlett Packard, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as existing clients. According to The Hill, the Porter Novelli campaign is “designed to educate the public about how to stay healthy and … More

    Lobbyists Continue to Enjoy White House Access

    President Obama’s has repeatedly promised to rein in the influence industry’s role in federal policymaking and access to top federal officials. But the president’s actions consistently belie his rhetoric, as a recent review of White House visitor logs demonstrates. “[T]he lobbying industry Obama has vowed to constrain is a regular presence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave,” the Washington Post reported on Monday. Visitor logs “suggest that lobbyists with personal connections to the White House enjoy the easiest access,” the Post adds. The White House has consistently worked to circumvent its own … More

    Chart of the Week: Taxes Soaring Past Highest Level Ever

    Americans are facing an unprecedented $494 billion tax hike on Jan. 1, 2013. It’s been dubbed “Taxmageddon” given the economic devastation it would cause. Conventional wisdom suggests lawmakers in Washington will wait until the 11th hour to come up with a solution. Fortunately, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced last week he won’t wait for a lame-duck session of Congress. From his speech to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s 2012 Fiscal Summit: Tax hikes destroy jobs – especially an increase on the magnitude set for January 1st. Small businesses need to … More