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liar2

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Says Freddie Mac, electric co-ops and credit unions are all "government sponsored" enterprises.

December 15, 2011

financial regulation;new hampshire 2012

newt gingrich

Newt Gingrich is a political adviser and author. A former Georgia congressman, Gingrich served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. Gingrich sought the GOP nomination for president in 2012.

national

Sioux City, Iowa

The term, Government Sponsored Enterprise, applies only to a handful of financial entities listed in the federal budget. None of those characteristics apply to credit unions and electric cooperatives. Gingrich was paid by Freddie Mac to provide strategic advice, so he should be familiar with government sponsored entities and know what is and isn’t a GSE.   But Gingrich got it twice during the debate in Iowa. We rule his .

Most of the wildfires on the West Coast are "all being started by antifa.

September 9, 2020

fires;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

california

a series of images

But extremist groups are not thought to be connected to them, and arson appears to be the exception — not the rule.  "I’ve talked to a lot of emergency, fire, and law enforcement personnel in Oregon over the past two days," wrote Lincoln Graves, a reporter and anchor for KATU in Portland, in a Sept. 9 Facebook post . "No one thinks Antifa is going deep into the forest to start fires on selectively windy days." The Facebook post is . We rate it .

The effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom is "a coup.

January 12, 2021

elections;states

rusty hicks

Rusty Hicks is chairman of the California Democratic Party.

california

a press conference

A coup is a violent overthrow of a government. A recall is a legally sanctioned effort to vote an elected official out of office midway through their term. It’s been part of California’s constitution for more than a century.  We rate Hicks’ statement .   – The statement is not accurate and makes a .  

Bill Gates tells G20 world leaders that 'death panels' will soon be required.

November 17, 2022

facebook fact-checks

viral image

Graphics, pictures and charts shared on social media give chain emails a run for their money when it comes to spreading too-good-to-be-true claims all over the Internet. A common form is is the "Internet macro," which uses an easily recognized and repurposed image (called a meme) wth superimposed text to make a funny but political argument. Sometimes these images are passed across social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit so widely that the original source is nearly impossible to determine.

an Instagram post

Gates mentioned "death panels," in 2010 during a conversation about education and health care systems at the Aspen Institute Ideas Festival in Colorado. Gates was talking about weighing spending on education and health care when he said, "There’s also a lack of willingness to say is spending $10 million on that last month of life on that patient, would it be better to lay off those 10 teachers and make that up in medical costs? That is called the ‘death panel’ and you’re not supposed to have that discussion. "  He didn’t say anything else about death panels, least of all that they would "soon be required," as the post says.  We rate claims that Gates made such a statement at the recent G20 summit !

Republicans "don't think it's a good idea" to make the child care tax credit "stronger.

August 18, 2010

children;taxes

barack obama

Barack Obama is the former president of the United States. Obama also served as a U.S. senator from Illinois. He was born in 1961 in Hawaii, where his parents met as students at the University of Hawaii. Obama's father is from Kenya and his mother is from Kansas. He graduated from Columbia University and received his law degree from Harvard Law School. Obama previously served in the Illinois state Senate and was an instructor at the University of Chicago Law School. He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

national

Columbus, Ohio

And a 2009 amendment that would improve the child care credit authored by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., passed by unanimous consent, which means no Republican objected. Likewise, Sen. Charles Grassley, the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has called for changes to ensure that small companies can take advantage of the child care credit. Obama said that Republicans "don't think it's a good idea" to make the child care tax credit "stronger." It is that the top Republican in the House dismissed the report of the White House Middle Class task force that proposed to double the credit, but the Obama administration has not produced any of specific GOP opposition and we find plenty of other examples where Republicans have supported beefing up the credits. We find his .

France "wouldn't buy Texas beef for some reason, yet 76 percent of their energy comes from nuclear power.

June 27, 2017

agriculture;energy;food;nuclear

rick perry

Rick Perry is the U.S. Energy Secretary and was governor of Texas from late December 2000 through 2014. He was re-elected in 2002, 2006 and 2010. He unsucessfully ran for president in 2012 and 2016.

texas

a White House briefing

Perry told reporters that France "wouldn’t buy Texas beef for some reason, yet 76 percent of their energy comes from nuclear power." Perry's main point holds up; France gets about three-quarters of its electricity from nuclear power. But his beef mention lacks clarification in that it was the European Union (not France alone) that banned only hormone-raised beef. Some beef continues to be imported to the EU. We rate this . – The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.

In the U.S. Senate, Barack Obama "has not reached across party lines to get anything significant done.

September 2, 2008

candidate biography

joe lieberman

Joe Lieberman, a lawyer from Stamford, Conn., now in his fourth term in the U.S. Senate, is perhaps best known as the Democratic candidate for vice president in 2000. He lost the Democratic primary for Senate prior to the 2006 election but retained his seat after running on his own party line and beating the anti-war Democratic candidate Ned Lamont. He now calls himself an independent but continues to caucus with the Democrats. He is a friend and supporter of Sen. John McCain, and was one of his surrogates in the 2008 presidential race.

national

St. Paul, Minn

Another part of the measure was intended to stop the spread of conventional weapons, notably shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles that the legislation refers to as man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS. The bill's provisions were incorporated into a House bill that passed later that year and was signed into law in January 2007 (PL 109-472). These bills arguably meet the threshhold of significance, particularly the two measures with Lugar on important foreign policy issues. Since Obama is a Democrat, and Lugar and Coburn are Republicans, that seems to qualify as reaching across party lines. We find Lieberman's .  

After years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages.

January 30, 2018

economy;workers

donald trump

Donald Trump is the former president of the United States. He was elected the 45th president of the United States on Nov. 8, 2016.  He has been a real estate developer, entrepreneur and host of the NBC reality show, "The Apprentice." Trump's statements were awarded PolitiFact's 2015, 2017 and 2019 Lie of the Year. In November 2022, he announced he would run for president in 2024.

national

his State of the Union address

Trump said, "After years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages." By the most common measure, wages did go up for the first three quarters of Trump’s presidency, but they fell in the fourth, wiping out all the gains on his watch and then some. And even if you ignore this fourth quarter figure as a blip, his assertion ignores that wages — by two different measurements — began their climb during the final years of Obama’s presidency. We rate his statement .

The Dolphins stadium renovation will "create more than 4,000 new local jobs.

April 23, 2013

county budget;jobs;sports;state budget

friends of miami first

Friends of Miami First is a political action commission funded by t he Miami Dolphins and the South Florida Stadium LLC, team owner Stephen Ross' company which owns the stadium.

florida

a mailer

The mailer distributed by Miami First said that the Dolphins stadium renovation will "create more than 4,000 new local jobs." The Dolphins based the number on a 2010 study of a $225 million project that concluded 3,740 jobs in Miami-Dade and Broward. They haven’t shown any study of the current project to support their that it will create more than 4,000 local jobs. Instead, they tacked on an extra 260 jobs to the new $350 million project and say that’s conservative. The key omission here is that these are jobs associated with the 25-month stadium renovation project and include temporary positions. The Dolphins say that some jobs would continue, but they have provided no details as to how many of those 4,000 jobs would extend beyond the construction phase. To get those jobs, the team would receive $379 million from the state and county over about three decades, and eventually pay back about $159 million. As to whether the jobs will be local, the team has set a goal to hire the vast majority of the workers from Miami-Dade County but there is no financial penalty if they fail to do so. We rate this .

You know what Truman said, 'You want a friend in Washington, buy a dog.'

March 14, 2016

candidate biography;elections;ethics

john kasich

John Kasich is the governor of Ohio. A Republican and a former congressman, he defeated Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland in 2010 and was reelected in 2014. He ran for president in 2016.

ohio

North Canton, Ohio

Kasich told an Ohio crowd, "You know what Truman said, ‘You want a friend in Washington, buy a dog.’ " Though that statement is often attributed to Truman, there’s no Truman ever actually said that. We rate Kasich’s statement .

White House, CDC, WHO and vaccine makers don't require the COVID-19 vaccine for their workers.

August 19, 2021

public health;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus;ask politifact

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

A social media post claims the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandated for workers at the White House, the vaccine manufacturers and several health organizations. All but one of the organizations listed in the post have some form of COVID-19 vaccine requirement for their employees. In most cases, the mandates were announced before the post was published. We rate this .

Revealed: UN plan to flood America with 600 million migrants.

July 24, 2018

immigration;fake news;punditfact

infowars

Infowars is a conspiracy oriented website run by Alex Jones.

a post

Infowars did not respond to requests for comment. The UN document at the center of the Infowars post explores "replacement migration" but explicitly stops short of recommendation, much less implementation. The UN has no authority to compel anyone to immigrate. Further, the document that was "revealed" is nearly two decades old. We rate the headline .

The United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit is "the most overturned court in the country.

February 9, 2017

supreme court;punditfact

sean hannity

Sean Hannity is a conservative political commentator and hosts a nationally syndicated radio show, as well as two television shows on the Fox News Channel. In a 2013 interview Hannity said that he is a “registered Conservative” and ”not a Republican, though people often mistake me for one.” Hannity has authored three books.

on Fox News

Hannity said the 9th Circuit is "the most overturned court in the country." While the 9th Circuit has a higher than average reversal rate among cases it sends to the Supreme Court, it has not had the highest rate since at least 2004 (the oldest data point we could find). Even if it did, experts told us that the massive size of the 9th Circuit compared to the handful of cases it sends to the Supreme Court every year make reversal rates an imperfect measure of the quality of the 9th Circuit’s decisions. More broadly, experts say this statistic is a poor way of comparing courts. We rate Hannity’s .

The Taliban has been there for years and years, I mean, hundreds of thousands of years.

October 24, 2010

afghanistan;terrorism

kendrick meek

Kendrick Meek is a former U.S. Representative for Congressional District 17 in Miami, serving from 2003 to 2011. He campaigned for the U.S. Senate and was defeated on Nov. 2, 2010.

florida

a debate

Meek clearly made a mid-debate stumble. He could have just stopped after saying that "the Taliban has been there for years and years" rather than adding "I mean, hundreds of thousands of years." But he made the comment on national TV, portrayed himself as the only one of the three who had been to Afghanistan (he notes his repeated trips to combat zones on his website ) and claimed to be the only one talking about military families. So we felt his was fair game for a fact check.  Meek's campaign does get credit for quickly acknowledging the error, but we rate this .

After legalizing marijuana in Colorado, "we haven't seen a spike in consumption.

March 20, 2019

marijuana

john hickenlooper

John Hickenlooper is a former governor of Colorado. Hickenlooper served as a governor from 2011 to 2019. From 2003 until 2011, he was mayor of Denver. He received a bachelor’s degree in English from Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in geology from Wesleyan University. In 2019, he ran for the Democratic nomination for president and dropped out in August.

national

a CNN town hall

Hickenlooper said that after legalizing marijuana in Colorado, "we haven't seen a spike in consumption." He has a point that legalization didn’t produce a rapid, sudden increase in marijuana use. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a continued increase. In Colorado, reported marijuana use climbed, slowly and steadily, for adults between 2008 and 2017. The one exception was teenagers, for whom usage rates largely remained steady. We rate the statement .

The average South Korean is 3 inches taller than the average North Korean, a huge gulag.

September 26, 2008

foreign policy

john mccain

John McCain was a U.S. senator from Arizona, a post he held from 1987 to his death in 2018. He previously served two terms in the U.S. House. He was the Republican nominee for president in 2008. McCain was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and spent his career in the military, as his father did. He was a combat pilot in Vietnam who was shot down and spent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war. He was born in 1936 in Panama. 

national

Oxford, Miss

A 2004 study said the difference was 2.3 inches for young men and 1.6 inches for young women.  The studies blame malnutrition in North Korea for the height difference. So McCain is on solid ground with his . The studies vary, but his 3-inch is a reasonable approximation of the various studies and his underlying point is correct. We find his to the .

Tafari Campbell, the Obamas' personal chef who drowned, tweeted that he had "information that will lead to the arrest of Barack Obama.

July 25, 2023

facebook fact-checks

instagram posts

Posters on Instagram, where people share photos and graphics and sometimes add filters.

an Instagram post

The name and username in the fabricated tweet also misspells Campbell’s last name. The Social user who originally shared the said in response to comments on the post that "this is a meme lol." Massachusetts State and Edgartown police are investigating the incident. The Obamas were not at their Martha’s Vineyard home when the accident occurred, police said. We rate the that Campbell wrote he had "information that will lead to the arrest of Barack Obama" !

In Ohio, "each year an estimated 1,000 children become victims of human trafficking, and over 3,000 more are at risk.

May 25, 2016

children;trade

joyce beatty

Democrat Joyce Beatty was elected in 2012 to Ohio's 3rd District, a new congressional district in the Columbus area. She formerly was a state lawmaker.

ohio

a press conference

Beatty said, "Each year an estimated 1,000 children become victims of human trafficking, and over 3,000 more are at risk." The underlying study behind this widely distributed state talking point lacks scientific footing. Law enforcement totals of cases involving sex trafficking victims did not approach anywhere close to 1,000 child victims. It’s impossible to quantify how many go undiscovered. But artificially inflating that estimate isn’t necessary. We rate this statement . https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/a0e109ab-8e1f-4e19-a85c-d5bdbfbee89f

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has estimated that the Obama administration's Power Plan will cause energy costs in Texas to rise as much as 16 percent per year.

December 6, 2015

environment;corrections and updates;energy

lamar smith

Lamar Smith is a Republican congressman from a San Antonio-based district in Texas. He became chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in January 2011.

texas

the San Antonio Express-News

One of PolitiFact’s -O-Meter principles is that words matter, and at the very least, Smith's is worded ambiguously. The ERCOT analysis and a news release point to an increase in energy costs of 16 percent by 2030. Smith claims that increase per year. We rate this as . – The statement is not accurate. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. EDITOR’S NOTE 3:30 p.m., 12/18/15: After publication, Trip Doggett, ERCOT president and chief executive officer, emailed a statement saying Smith’s statement of 16 percent per year was based an erroneous information provided by ERCOT. "Because ERCOT inadvertently provided information to the Chairman’s staff, I would like to take this opportunity to state the correct information and offer an apology." This additional information did not change the rating of our .

She hasn't run a corner store. She hasn't run a state. She hasn't run a city. She has never run anything.

November 2, 2007

mitt romney

Mitt Romney is a U.S. senator from Utah. He ran for president in 2012 as the Republican nominee, losing to incumbent President Barack Obama. Prior to that, Romney served one term as governor of Massachusetts, elected to the post in 2002. He was born in 1947 in Michigan, where his father was governor from 1963 to 1969. Romney graduated from Brigham Young University and received both a law degree and an MBA from Harvard University. Romney helped found the investment firm Bain Capital in 1984, which launched or rebuilt such companies as Staples and Dominos Pizza. Romney managed the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City from 1999-2002. He ran for president in 2008 but lost the Republican nomination. He and his wife, Ann, have five sons, Tagg, Craig, Matt, Ben and Josh.

national

New Hampshire

She has executive experience." To support its , the Romney campaign quoted U.S. World & News Report publisher Mort Zuckerman, who said Clinton didn't have "that much executive experience." That's a far cry from Romney's blanket statement. Clinton's resume is fair game for criticism, but given her work as a law partner and her managerial role as first lady, we find Romney is way off with his that she "hasn't run anything." We find the to be .

There have been no new COVID-19 variants since Dr. Anthony Fauci retired.

April 6, 2023

facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

instagram posts

Posters on Instagram, where people share photos and graphics and sometimes add filters.

an Instagram post

This variant has been detected in 27 countries as of April 6. Meanwhile, several variants that were detected in 2022 have risen to become "variants under monitoring" — such as CH.1.1 and XBF — or "variants of interest" like XBB.1.5. A variant under monitoring, according to the WHO, is a SARS-CoV-2 variant "with genetic changes that are suspected to affect virus characteristics and early signals of growth advantage relative to other circulating variants," but that needs more assessment to determine potential health impact.  Variants of interest have genetic changes "that are predicted or known to affect virus characteristics," such as transmissibility, and have other indicators suggesting an emerging risk to global public health. We rate the that there have been no new variants after Fauci stepped down from his positions .

The No. 2 owner of Fox News is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who said, "A strong American Government is not good for us.

December 29, 2013

pop culture;punditfact

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

Internet memes sometimes make us laugh. This one is frustrating. The post is correct that Prince Alwaleed is the No. 2 owner of Fox News (technically, 21st Century Fox, the giant movie and TV corporation that owns the network). It’s one of his many Western investments. But we found no the frequent guest of American media actually said, "A strong American government is bad for us." We especially could not find it uttered under the context in which the meme may intend for you to understand it: that a strong American government is bad for Fox News. We rate this .

Says Ron Johnson "likes to say there are too many lawyers in the Senate – 57. He'd be the 70th millionaire.

October 18, 2010

candidate biography

russ feingold

Russ Feingold served as a Democratic U.S. Senator representing Wisconsin from 1992 until 2010, when he was defeated for re-election. An attorney, he previously served 10 years in the Wisconsin Legislature. Following his Senate defeat, he founded Progressives United, which says it mission is to "stand up to the exploding corporate influence in our political system by organizing and amplifying the voices of those who believe that corporations have too much power." Feingold is running against U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, the man who defeated him, in the 2016 election.

wisconsin

a campaign rally

In turning the tables on Johnson, Feingold says the problem isn’t lawyers in the Senate, but millionaires. He pegs Johnson as the would-be 70th, though that would be in the current Senate -- not whatever mix is there after the election. By our calculations, and those of the Center for Responsive Politics, Feingold is accurate. If anything, the methodology underestimates a person’s net worth -- and therefore may under-count the actual millionaires in the body. We rate his statement .

Wisconsin has created "just under 100,000" jobs since he took office.

December 12, 2012

jobs

scott walker

Scott Walker, a Republican, is the former governor of Wisconsin. He was first elected in November 2010. He survived a recall election in 2012, defeating Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett after igniting controversy with a bill curtailing public-employee union collective-bargaining rights.  He won re-election to a four-year term in November 2014 and was a 2016 presidential candidate before dropping out in September of 2015. He was defeated by Tony Evers in the 2018 gubernatorial election. Walker is a former Milwaukee County executive and former member of the state Assembly.

wisconsin

a speech

However, several within his own administration, including his primary spokesman, have said that is the way to measure jobs -- you can’t combine partial and full year data sets. As one aide said: It would be "misrepresenting the ." By his administration’s own yardstick, his statement is . We think it’s to -- after private admonitions -- publicly present it this way. .

We are the most generous in New England and New England is known for its generosity toward its welfare recipients.

April 13, 2011

poverty;state budget;taxes

colleen conley

Colleen Conley is founder and president of the Rhode Island Tea Party.

rhode island

a radio interview

But when she said Rhode Island is the "most generous in New England . . . toward its welfare recipients,"  that invoked the image of single mothers receiving the biggest welfare checks in New England. That's simply not , no matter how you measure it. She may not have intended to give that impression, but her words clearly conveyed that. So we’ll split the difference and give her a .

David Cicilline was the state representative who opposed tough mandatory sentences for those convicted of domestic violence  and child abuse.

October 9, 2012

candidate biography;children;criminal justice;families;crime;public safety;women

brendan doherty

Brendan Doherty, former head of the Rhode Island State Police, ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2012 in Rhode Island's 1st District as a Republican.

rhode island

a news release

Brendan Doherty’s campaign said David Cicilline voted against a 1995 bill that imposed harsher sentences on those convicted a second time of domestic violence and a 1996 bill that did the same for convicted child abusers.   The legislative record shows Cicilline did vote against both bills. We rule Doherty’s statement . (Get updates from PolitiFactRI on Twitter . To comment or offer your ruling, visit us on our PolitiFact Rhode Island Facebook page.)

When the Milwaukee County mental health facility is full, "cops sit out there in their squad cars with a mentally ill patient"  and sometimes "spend an entire shift out there doing that.

January 31, 2011

county budget;health care

jim sullivan

Jim Sullivan, a Democrat, was elected to the Wisconsin state Senate in 2006 and was defeated for re-election in 2010. He represented the 5th District in the Milwaukee area. He ran unsuccessfully in the nonpartisan 2011 race for Milwaukee County executive.

wisconsin

a meeting with Journal Sentinel reporters and editors

Sullivan said delays in admitting people to the Mental Health Complex for crisis care can be so long that police officers spend up to an entire shift with patients waiting for them to receive treatment. Hours-long delays were a problem some years ago. But the four largest police agencies in the county now say waits are short.    Perhaps there are isolated cases today in which officers waits for hours, but at minimum Sullivan’s is clearly dated. We rate it .

Mass vaccination for COVID-19 in Senegal was started yesterday (4/8) and the first 7 CHILDREN who received it DIED on the spot.

April 10, 2020

facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

He had cosmetic products for sale in his bag," she said. Because he was pretending to be a public agent to sell his products — flouting rules barring people from entering others’ homes — she reported him to the authorities, according to the story.  A spokeswoman for Senegal’s health ministry told Agence France-Presse the Facebook claims were . "There is no vaccine," she said.  We rate this Facebook post .

The White House staff risks violating federal ethics rules if they participate in Donald Trump's "fake news awards.

January 7, 2018

ethics;fake news;legal issues

norm eisen

Norm Eisen served as White House Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform and United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic under President Barack Obama.

national

a tweet

Eisen said the White House staff risks violating federal ethics rules if they participate in Donald Trump’s " news awards." Two experts, who practiced government ethics at the highest levels, said participation by White House staffers would violate federal ethics rules. Trump, for the record, is exempt. They added that the president and his administration’s pattern of playing favorites among media outlets raises First Amendment issues that would subject this event to heightened scrutiny by ethics officials. We rate this statement .

Says Anthony Bourdain tweeted, "This might be the best bat soup I ever had in my life. Someday everyone's gonna be talking about Wuhan.

June 7, 2021

china;food;facebook fact-checks

viral image

Graphics, pictures and charts shared on social media give chain emails a run for their money when it comes to spreading too-good-to-be-true claims all over the Internet. A common form is is the "Internet macro," which uses an easily recognized and repurposed image (called a meme) wth superimposed text to make a funny but political argument. Sometimes these images are passed across social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit so widely that the original source is nearly impossible to determine.

an Instagram post

(He died June 8, 2018.) We couldn’t find anything confirming that Bourdain visited Wuhan or ever tried bat soup. In the early days of the pandemic, a video circulated online of a woman eating a bat . The clip was wrongly described as showing a meal in Wuhan, but it was filmed in Palau, Micronesia.  We rate claims that Bourdain tweeted this .

Republican leaders said "no" to "tax cuts for 95% of working Americans.

March 9, 2009

stimulus;taxes

americans united for change

A liberal advocacy group, Americans United For Change states on its Web site that it was founded in 2005 to fend off President Bush's plan to privatize Social Security. In 2006, the organization "broadened its scope to build broad public and congressional support for action on a wide range of long-stalled policy issues."

national

a cable TV ad

But they said they did so because of objections to the spending portion of the plan. And they offered alternatives that included tax cuts for working families. To be sure, there are big differences in the distribution of tax cuts proposed by the two sides. But to say Republicans opposed tax cuts for working families based on opposition to the stimulus package grossly distorts the Republican position. We rate the ad's .

(Jack Kingston) had more earmarks at one time than every member of the Georgia delegation put together.

December 11, 2013

federal budget

paul broun

U.S. House Rep. Paul Broun, a Republican, is from Athens. He represents Georgia's 10th congressional district.

georgia

an interview

Broun meant to say Kingston had more earmarks at one point than the entire Georgia Republican delegation. Broun might have received a if he had said that in the interview. It appears that Kingston had scored more earmarks than the entire Georgia GOP delegation to Congress in 2010 from our examination of two separate databases. Broun, however, misspoke in the interview, giving anyone who viewed it the impression of Kingston’s record on earmarks. We rate his statement .  

Georgia has one of the nation's highest jet fuel taxes.

March 1, 2015

state budget;transportation

trebor banstetter

Delta Spokesman.  

georgia

a newspaper article

Our conclusion: Delta officials are arguing against reinstating a 1-percent tax on jet fuel, which would generate about $23 million a year, from Delta fuel purchases. Delta executives say that Georgia already has one of the nation’s highest jet fuel taxes and would have an even higher rate, if the exemption were eliminated. Georgia’s jet fuel tax is ranked 11th and is less than half of the tax in No. 1 rated Illinois. That bit of missing context takes this one down a notch on the -O-Meter. We rate Banstetter’s statement .

Barack Obama "passed laws moving people from welfare to work.

June 19, 2008

poverty

barack obama

Barack Obama is the former president of the United States. Obama also served as a U.S. senator from Illinois. He was born in 1961 in Hawaii, where his parents met as students at the University of Hawaii. Obama's father is from Kenya and his mother is from Kansas. He graduated from Columbia University and received his law degree from Harvard Law School. Obama previously served in the Illinois state Senate and was an instructor at the University of Chicago Law School. He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

national

a television ad

But the Illinois governor at the time, Republican Jim Edgar, got a lot of credit as well. Press reports from the time referred to the plan as "the Edgar plan." This isn't the first time Obama has referred to Illinois laws as if he passed them singlehandedly . Nevertheless, the legislation's primary role was welfare reform, and the legislative record shows that Obama had a leadership role in getting it passed. For these reasons, we find Obama's .

Facebook video shows "counting Biden's votes at 2 a.m.

March 3, 2022

elections;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

We don’t know the details about the type of paper in this video, but we know that it doesn’t show counting ballots for Biden at 2 a.m. We rate this statement . PolitiFact staff writer Gabrielle Settles contributed research to this fact-check. RELATED : Fact-checks about elections RELATED : A about serial numbers on ballots is misguided  

New food safety legislation will regulate backyard gardening.

November 29, 2010

agriculture;food safety;regulation

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

national

postings to the Internet

Plunkett pointed us to a line in Section 105 the Senate bill that said the rules "shall not apply to produce that is produced by an individual for personal consumption." In rating this statement, we see no to support the that backyard gardens would be regulated under the food safety bill. There might be legitimate concerns about small growers, but even those have been addressed in the Senate version of the bill. At any rate, concerns about small growers are quite different then the that backyard gardens will be regulated. We find no to support the and rate it .

When I was fighting against cap and trade, the speaker was sitting down with Nancy Pelosi on a sofa encouraging it.

January 23, 2012

bipartisanship;cap and trade;climate change;energy

mitt romney

Mitt Romney is a U.S. senator from Utah. He ran for president in 2012 as the Republican nominee, losing to incumbent President Barack Obama. Prior to that, Romney served one term as governor of Massachusetts, elected to the post in 2002. He was born in 1947 in Michigan, where his father was governor from 1963 to 1969. Romney graduated from Brigham Young University and received both a law degree and an MBA from Harvard University. Romney helped found the investment firm Bain Capital in 1984, which launched or rebuilt such companies as Staples and Dominos Pizza. Romney managed the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City from 1999-2002. He ran for president in 2008 but lost the Republican nomination. He and his wife, Ann, have five sons, Tagg, Craig, Matt, Ben and Josh.

florida

Tampa, Fla

He didn't specifically promote cap and trade, though he had supported it in the past. It's also that Romney rejected what was hailed as a landmark regional cap-and-trade agreement among several northeastern states in 2005 -- although it came after two years of him touting its merit. Both facets of Romney's are factual, though they did not occur simultaneously, as his use "while" would suggest. They actually were three years apart. We rate Romney's .

Says marijuana use among Colorado high school students "has not increased since legalization.

September 27, 2016

marijuana

campaign to regulate marijuana like alcohol

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is the pro-marijuana group behind Proposition 205, which would legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona. 

arizona

a political advertisement

Based on the numbers cited, there does appear to have been a slight increase in marijuana use among Colorado’s high school students. However, multiple experts we spoke with said that increase is not statistically significant. They also said it was too early to draw conclusions about marijuana use, and that more years of study will be needed. We rate the ad’s . https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/1b3ae305-61f4-4506-a9c8-c0a27f4d2c2e

Animal abuse is often an indicative trait of future acts of violence against humans.

October 29, 2010

crime

robert brown

Robert Brown, a Democrat from Macon, is a Georgia state senator.

georgia

press release

"We want to look at a remedy [to the existing law] that will have some broad impact," he said. Brown appears to have done his homework on his about the connection between animal abuse and violence against humans. There is overwhelming research that Brown is right. This one is a slam-dunk. We rate his as .

Job creation fell by 70 percent in Wisconsin in 2016" under Scott Walker.

October 4, 2017

economy;jobs

tony evers

Tony Evers, a Democrat, was elected Wisconsin governor in November 2018. His term begins in January 2019. Evers has served as the Wisconsin superintendent of public instruction, a non-partisan position, since 2009. He previously worked as a teacher and school district administrator.

wisconsin

a video

Our rating Evers says: "Job creation fell by 70 percent in Wisconsin in 2016" under Walker. He’s essentially on target in that the one-year growth in private-sector jobs in 2016 was 66 percent lower than the growth in 2015 (13,000 jobs versus 38,000 jobs) -- though it’s important to note that private-sector jobs have increased each year during Walker’s tenure, but much more slowly in 2016. Where clarification is needed is that Walker’s performance is only one of many factors affecting job growth. We rate Evers’ statement . div class='artembed'>

A law backed by Virginia Democrats barred local sheriffs from having military equipment that "would have come in very helpful" with the I-95 traffic jam.

January 4, 2022

military;public safety;transportation;virginia

dana perino

Dana Perino is the former press secretary to President George W. Bush. She now is a Fox News commentator and co-host of "The Five."

national

a segment

Perino claimed that a law passed by Virginia Democrats prevented local sheriffs from having military equipment that "would have come in very helpful" with recovery efforts in the I-95 traffic jam. Virginia Democrats voted to pass such a law, but experts and state officials said that the prohibited equipment would not have helped clear roads any faster in the snowstorm, and that the law did not hamper recovery efforts. In any case, agencies can seek exemptions to the law for special circumstances, or may be able to take advantage of a federal program to acquire surplus military gear. We rate this .

Says that during President Barack Obama's tenure, the United States has created "15 million new jobs.

October 4, 2016

economy;history;jobs;labor;stimulus;workers

tim kaine

Tim Kaine is a U.S. senator representing Virginia, elected to the Senate in 2012. He was the 2016 Democratic nominee for vice president. Kaine was governor from 2006 to 2010, lieutenant governor from 2002 to 2006, mayor of Richmond from 1998 to 2001, and city councilman of Richmond beginning in 1994. He was also the chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011. Kaine was born in St. Paul, Minn. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1979 from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and a law degree from Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Mass., in 1983. He took a year-long break during law school to work with the Jesuit order as a Catholic missionary in Honduras, becoming fluent in Spanish.  

national

the 2016 Vice Presidential debate

Kaine said that during Obama’s tenure, the United States has created "15 million new jobs." To reach a number that high requires some creative calendar work -- starting the count at the low point in the job market, which was just over a year after Obama took office. That’s not an unreasonable place to start, but it’s also not the only one, and for Kaine to cite that figure amounts to a bit of cherry-picking. In addition, it’s always worth a grain of salt when allocating credit to an elected official for good economic news. On balance, we rate the statement . https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/79dcc34d-5ba4-45f9-b5c4-467f925f01db

Saudi Arabia has the third-largest military budget in the entire world.

August 30, 2015

military

bernie sanders

Bernie Sanders is a senator from Vermont. Sanders was first elected to the Senate in 2007 and was re-elected in 2012 and 2018. The senator also ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2016, losing the Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton. From 1991 until 2007, he was the representative of Vermont’s At-Large District of the House of Representatives. Sanders was the mayor of Burlington from 1981 to 1989. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Chicago. In 2019, he announced he was running for the Democratic nomination for president and dropped out in April 2020.

national

comments on ABC's "This Week"

Sanders said, "Saudi Arabia has the third-largest military budget in the entire world." While there are a few different ways to calculate this statistic, both studies we looked at placed the size of Saudi Arabia’s military budget at or near No. 3 in the world. We rate Sanders’ .

Joe Biden described America as "the foothills of the Himalayas with Xi Jinping.

February 25, 2023

china;facebook fact-checks

viral image

Graphics, pictures and charts shared on social media give chain emails a run for their money when it comes to spreading too-good-to-be-true claims all over the Internet. A common form is is the "Internet macro," which uses an easily recognized and repurposed image (called a meme) wth superimposed text to make a funny but political argument. Sometimes these images are passed across social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit so widely that the original source is nearly impossible to determine.

an Instagram post

And possibilities. We're the only ones. That's why we're viewed as the ‘ugly Americans.’ We think anything is possible." We rate claims that Biden described America as "the foothills of the Himalayas with Xi Jinping" .

Says Clinton did not read the National Intelligence Estimate before voting for the Iraq war.

March 1, 2008

iraq

barack obama

Barack Obama is the former president of the United States. Obama also served as a U.S. senator from Illinois. He was born in 1961 in Hawaii, where his parents met as students at the University of Hawaii. Obama's father is from Kenya and his mother is from Kansas. He graduated from Columbia University and received his law degree from Harvard Law School. Obama previously served in the Illinois state Senate and was an instructor at the University of Chicago Law School. He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

national

Westerville, Ohio

To read the report, members of Congress had to go to a secure location in the U.S. Capitol. The Washington Post reported in 2004 that no more than six senators and a handful of representatives had logged and read the report beyond a five-page executive summary. In the end, 29 out of 50 Democrats in the chamber voted in favor of the resolution, rejecting arguments by opponents led by Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia that it amounted to giving President Bush unlimited authority to wage war, akin to the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution authorizing military action during the Vietnam War. We find Obama's accusation is accurate because Clinton said she relied on in-person briefings from the administration. We find Obama's statement to be .

A middle-class family donates $1 to charity, they get 15 cents off their income tax. Bill Gates donates $1 to charity, he takes 35 cents off his income tax.

March 5, 2009

taxes

robert gibbs

Robert Gibbs served as White House press secretary for President Barack Obama. He now is a Democratic consultant.

national

a White House briefing

It's worth noting that the rich only enjoy bigger deductions because they pay more taxes — a top tax rate of 35 percent instead of 15 percent, and an estate tax on top of that. But it's also that a charitable contribution of, say, $1,000 will take a much bigger bite out of a middle-class person's income than a high earner's. That's all academic though. The bottom line is that Gibbs' number are accurate. We find this to be .

After a bridge collapse killed six people, Carlos Gimenez extended a $130 million contract to the construction company, where one of his sons worked and for which another lobbied.

August 21, 2020

county budget;county government;infrastructure

debbie mucarsel-powell

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Democrat, was elected to the U.S. House in 2018.

florida

an ad

Mucarsel-Powell claimed that after a March 2018 bridge collapse that killed six people, Gimenez extended a $130 million contract to the construction company, where one of his sons worked and for which another lobbied. The two sons did work for the company in the period leading up to when Florida International University announced that the company would participate in the bridge construction, but cut formal ties before the bridge collapse. The Miami Herald reported that an unnamed source said C.J. Gimenez offered the firm pro bono communications advice after the bridge collapse.  Nearly a year after the accident, Gimenez extended part of a 2011 contract with the company for airport construction work. The county board approved the extension. For a statement that is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context, our rating is .

Jim Jordan told Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, "You're just dumb.

July 17, 2022

congress;facebook fact-checks

viral image

Graphics, pictures and charts shared on social media give chain emails a run for their money when it comes to spreading too-good-to-be-true claims all over the Internet. A common form is is the "Internet macro," which uses an easily recognized and repurposed image (called a meme) wth superimposed text to make a funny but political argument. Sometimes these images are passed across social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit so widely that the original source is nearly impossible to determine.

a Facebook post

It next shows a clip of Jordan speaking in 2021 as the House debated impeaching former President Donald Trump a second time. Finally, there’s a clip of Jordan defending then-Attorney General William Barr in 2020. Ocasio-Cortez is not featured.  We looked more broadly online for that Jordan said this to Ocasio-Cortez and found no credible sources to corroborate the Facebook post.  We rate it .

Says he's the one who gave the nickname "Mad Dog" to former Defense Secretary James Mattis.

June 3, 2020

military

donald trump

Donald Trump is the former president of the United States. He was elected the 45th president of the United States on Nov. 8, 2016.  He has been a real estate developer, entrepreneur and host of the NBC reality show, "The Apprentice." Trump's statements were awarded PolitiFact's 2015, 2017 and 2019 Lie of the Year. In November 2022, he announced he would run for president in 2024.

a tweet

Trump said that Mattis’ "nickname was ‘Chaos,’ which I didn’t like, & changed to ‘Mad Dog.’" This is the second time that Trump has said he gave Mattis his "Mad Dog" nickname, but it’s flat . The nickname dates back at least as far as 2004, when it was used in the headline of a Los Angeles Times article — 12 years before Trump first used the nickname publicly as he was considering Mattis as his Defense Secretary. We rate the statement .

Says Bernie Sanders "wants higher standards for toy guns than real guns.

April 6, 2016

legal issues;voting record;guns

hillary clinton

Hillary Clinton was the 2016 Democratic nominee for president. She served as U.S. Secretary of State during the first four years of the Obama administration. She is formerly a U.S. senator from New York, first elected in 2000. She was a candidate for president in 2008. She previously served as first lady when her husband, Bill Clinton, served two terms as president. She was born in Chicago in 1947, graduated from Wellesley College and earned a law degree at Yale Law School. She and her husband have one daughter.

national

a CNN interview

Clinton said Sanders "wants higher standards for toy guns than real guns." Clinton points to the fact that Sanders voted in favor of a 2005 law granting the gun industry certain immunity from lawsuits. In her camp are scholars who believe the law made the gun industry less susceptible to liability than other industries, including the toy gun industry. But other scholars think the law made the gun industry’s liability about the same as that of a toy gun manufacturer. And because real guns carry so much more risk for injury than toy guns, it’s hard to compare them effectively.   This is a complex legal question, on which reasonable minds can disagree. Given this disagreement, and the fact that it’s impossible to know how Sanders would vote if a similar legislation concerning the toy industry were to arise, we rate Clinton’s .

In 2009, his first year as mayor," Julián Castro "received a seven-figure referral fee" that smells like a dirty financial gift "from notorious personal injury lawyer Mikal Watts, a major Obama donor.

July 1, 2016

campaign finance;candidate biography;ethics

matt mackowiak

Matt Mackowiak, former press secretary to U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, lives and works in Washington and Austin. He frequently comments on politics and government.

texas

the Austin American-Statesman

Mackowiak wrote that as mayor, Castro received a seven-figure referral fee that smells like a dirty gift from Obama donor and personal-injury lawyer Mikal Watts. We find that Watts once paid a hefty referral fee to Castro’s law firm--the amount undisclosed. Mackowiak’s declaration that Castro shadily landed the fee while he was mayor, though, doesn’t stand up. All told, we see an element of about the legal referral, but Mackowiak was critically about timing — a distinction that puts his statement in a different light. We rate this . – The statement contains an element of but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.

Virginia is "the only state" that has a tradition of attorneys general resigning if they run for governor.

January 29, 2013

states

ken cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli became acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on June 10, 2019. Cuccinelli, a Republican, was Virginia's attorney general from 2010 to 2014. In 2013, he lost the general election for governor to Democrat Terry McAuliffe. In 2016, he was a adisver to the presidential campaign of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Born in 1968, Cuccinelli has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia, a J.D. from Geroge Mason University School of Law and an M.A. in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University. He represented Fairfax County in the state senate from 2002 to 2010.         .

virginia

a radio interview

Cuccinelli said Virginia is "the only state" that has a tradition of attorneys general resigning if they run for governor. There’s no doubt that the custom exists in Virginia. The last six attorneys general have resigned to run for governor, dating back to 1985. Cuccinelli plans to break that string this year. No one, it seems, keeps data on whether the custom exists in other states. So we researched every gubernatorial election in the U.S. since 1985 and, along, the way, ran across information from a few earlier elections. All told, we found 31 states outside Virginia where attorneys general ran for governor. None of the candidates resigned. We rate Cuccinelli’s statement .

Says Eric Trump said, "My father's tax return is irrelevant because we're going to cancel taxes for WEALTHY people anyway.

April 17, 2017

fake news;punditfact

democraticmoms.com

A website associated with fake news.

a headline

No author information accompanies the profile that posted the article , either. DemocraticMoms.com was registered anonymously on Nov. 20, 2016 , after Donald Trump was elected The owner is likely looking to capitalize on anti-Trump sentiment. In this case, it’s by posting a parody story and implying it’s real. It’s clear Eric Trump didn’t say his dad was going to end taxes entirely for anyone, rich or otherwise. We rate the statement !

A photograph shows Joe Biden with a Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

August 9, 2019

candidate biography;history;facebook fact-checks

viral image

Graphics, pictures and charts shared on social media give chain emails a run for their money when it comes to spreading too-good-to-be-true claims all over the Internet. A common form is is the "Internet macro," which uses an easily recognized and repurposed image (called a meme) wth superimposed text to make a funny but political argument. Sometimes these images are passed across social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit so widely that the original source is nearly impossible to determine.

a Facebook post

The Facebook post claims that Joe Biden was photographed with Robert Byrd, Grand Wizard of the KKK. That Byrd’s role in the KKK.   In the 1940s, Byrd organized and led a local Klan chapter as its Exalted Cyclops, but he wasn’t a Grand Wizard. And he ultimately renounced his views from that period of his life though his past and former ties to the KKK were raised throughout the rest of his life. By the time this photo of Byrd and Biden was taken, Byrd’s public expressions of regret and shame over his earlier involvement in the KKK was well-documented and often-repeated.    We rate this Facebook post .

Of all the people in federal prison for possession of illegal substances, 77 percent of them are not citizens of the United States.

May 10, 2016

criminal justice;drugs;crime

louie gohmert

Louie Gohmert, a U.S. House member since 2005, is a former chief justice of the Texas 12th Court of Appeals and Smith County state district judge. He lives in Tyler.

texas

House floor remarks

Gohmert said that of "all the people in federal prison for possession of illegal substances, 77 percent of them are not citizens of the United States." In fact, nearly all the 514 inmates in federal prison for simple possession of illegal drugs aren’t citizens. But this lacks context. The clutch of inmates who fit Gohmert’s categorization--nearly all of them sentenced in Arizona since September 2015--account for a minuscule fraction of the people in the federal pen for drug crimes, of whom 21 percent are noncitizens. On balance, we rate this . – The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/43e9c7ac-93b6-4249-819e-239ebb378b9a

Right-to-work states "have higher rates of income growth.

December 12, 2010

economy;jobs

robin vos

Wisconsin state Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has represented western Racine County in the state Assembly since 2004. In November 2012, he was elected Assembly speaker. Vos previously served on the Racine County Board of Supervisors, from 1994 to 2004.

wisconsin

a television interview

But he leaves the impression that right-to-work status is what causes incomes to rise. As our interviews with economists show, that’s debatable, at best. And that’s important context left out of the statement. We rate his statement .  ( Note: usage of "closed shop" was changed Dec. 17, 2010 to "union shop.")

Says Peter Kilmartin has "only three years experience in his own law practice.

October 25, 2010

candidate biography

christopher little

Christopher Little made an unsuccessful run for attorney general in 2010 as a Moderate party candidate. He is a trial lawyer, a former president of Save the Bay and former state chairman of Common Cause of Rhode Island.

rhode island

a TV commercial

Maybe so. But Little's in his commercial makes no distinction between being a full-time ("active") or part-time lawyer. It says he has "only three years experience in his own law practice." Kilmartin's tax forms, showing that he was doing some degree of legal work -- as limited as it might be -- well before 2007 shows otherwise. The -O-Meter rules that Little's is .

Republicans Looking To Cut Social Security As Much As 50 percent Immediately.

December 9, 2016

retirement;social security;punditfact

new century times

New Century Times is a website and news aggregator.

a web post

A widely shared New Century Times post was headlined, "Republicans Looking To Cut Social Security As Much As 50% Immediately." A recently released bill would indeed raise the retirement age and make changes to Social Security formulas that would effectively cut future benefits for many recipients. But by highlighting cuts as large as 50 percent without noting that these are for a specific (and affluent) subset of beneficiaries, the headline engages in extreme cherry picking. And none of these massive cuts would happen immediately -- they would happen 34 and 54 years in the future. This revives a well-honed Social Security scare tactic. We rate it .

Fox changed around their poll eligibility criteria on the day they announced who is in and out of their debate.

August 4, 2015

debates;punditfact

rachel maddow

Rachel Maddow is the host of MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show”. She formerly hosted a radio program of the same name on the defunct Air America network.

a segment on her MSNBC show

Maddow said that "Fox changed around their poll eligibility criteria on the day they announced who is in and out of their debate." We found that the poll criteria were much more detailed in August (over 260 words long) than they were in May (about 45 words long). The network could have been more precise early on, but Fox did leave some room for itself when it qualified the polls it planned to use for the debate back in May with "as recognized by Fox News." Also, some experts said, Maddow exaggerated the impact of the approach Fox News ultimately used, and she implied that statistical certainty was achievable under any circumstances.  Fox News moved from a broad approach to a more detailed one, and experts aren't convinced that it slighted Perry. With those missing caveats, we rate Maddow's  .

A person's immune system "tanks" after their second COVID-19 vaccine dose.

September 28, 2021

public health;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

youtube videos

Videos uploaded to YouTube.

national

a YouTube video

In a video a chiropractor claims that the blood work results of a patient before and after they received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine show that the shots caused the immune system to "tank." Multiple medical experts reviewed screenshots of the lab results and said they were meaningless without more information and didn’t reflect a crashing or suppressed immune system.  The notion that vaccines weaken the immune system wasn’t observed in clinical trials for the vaccines where blood counts were obtained, experts said. We rate this .

Wisconsin women "are paid 81 cents to the dollar of a man doing the same job.

April 17, 2012

economy;labor;legal issues;women

kathleen falk

Kathleen Falk, a Wisconsin Democrat, lost a bid in 2012 for the Democratic nomination to run against Gov. Scott Walker in a recall election. Falk served as the Dane County executive from 1997 to 2011. She ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2002 and for state attorney general in 2006.

wisconsin

a newspaper interview

To be sure, as a group women are paid less than men and they are in many individual instances. But she misquoted the report she relied on. What the report said is that, among all working men and women in Wisconsin working all sorts of jobs, women earn 81 cents for every dollar earned by men. We rate Falk’s "same job" statement . (You can comment on this item on the Journal Sentinel's web site )

North Korea's history of international negotiations shows "they'll take the concessions, they'll keep them in their pocket and then they won't deliver.

June 3, 2018

history;foreign policy;nuclear;punditfact

juan williams

Juan Williams is a Fox pundit.

on a panel

Williams said North Korea's history of international negotiations shows "they'll take the concessions, they'll keep them in their pocket and then they won't deliver." Experts agreed with Williams’ broader point that skepticism is warranted when dealing with North Korea. In terms of North Korea pocketing sanctions, the Agreed Framework offers the strongest . In that case, Pyongyang gained economic aid and other relief from the United States and others before things soured. Yet the other examples Williams cited offer a more mixed picture — both in terms of the balance of benefits and blame for the talks’ collapse. Some experts believe North Korea gave more than it received in some negotiations. We rate this .

Under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty "enrichment has been limited to basically the weapons states.

September 2, 2015

foreign policy;nuclear;punditfact

dick cheney

Dick Cheney served as Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 in the administration of George W. Bush.

an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe"

Cheney said that a key piece of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is that only nuclear-armed states can have enrichment programs. The text of the treaty and subsequent international conferences say otherwise. While it’s debatable whether the treaty grants nations the right to enrich, if a non-nuclear nation wants to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, the treaty doesn’t stand in the way. We rate this .

The health care bill will "create 4 million jobs, 400,000 jobs almost immediately.

February 25, 2010

economy;health care

nancy pelosi

Rep. Nancy Pelosi represents a district in California. She served as speaker of the U.S. House January 2019-2021. Formerly the speaker of the House from 2007-11, Pelosi served as the House minority leader from 2003 to 2007 and from 2011 to 2019.

national

a statement at the health care summit

But Pelosi is cherry-picking the most optimistic number from one study. A more moderate rate of reduction could produce fewer jobs per year, according to the report. Furthermore, she fails to mention that the 400,000 is an average, meaning that some years could produce a higher number of jobs and others could produce fewer jobs. And finally, there's clearly a lot of uncertainty about whether the health care bill, with its fines on employers who don't provide health insurance, will create jobs or cut jobs. As a result, we find Pelosi's  .

Says Miami Congressman Carlos "Curbelo supports drilling offshore" and "repeatedly voted against President Obama's ability to fight pollution and combat climate change.

September 27, 2016

environment;climate change

democratic congressional campaign committee

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is responsible for assisting Democratic candidates for the U.S. House.

florida

a TV ad

The DCCC said,"Curbelo supports drilling offshore just like Trump and Curbelo repeatedly voted against President Obama's ability to fight pollution and combat climate change." Curbelo supports current drilling, but the ad omits that he has repeatedly voted against expanding drilling off Florida’s coasts. Trump, though not always consistent, has sounded more favorable to drilling than Curbelo. Curbelo has taken votes against Democratic efforts to curb pollution and to model climate change, but that is cherry-picking his record. The ad omits that Curbelo has been a leader among Republicans speaking out about the need to combat climate change. We rate this .

Iowa, for good reason, for constitutional reasons, for reasons related to the Lord, should be the first caucus and primary.

September 3, 2007

elections

bill richardson

Bill Richardson is the former governor of New Mexico, having served two terms in that position from 2003-2011. Richardson is also a former congressman, U.S. secretary of energy, and ambassador to the United Nations. He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, and was President Barack Obama’s initial nominee for secretary of commerce in 2009.

national

"I would be hard-pressed to come up with a constitutional basis." The Richardson campaign did not return a phone call seeking clarification. The Founding Fathers are dead. God was not available for his opinion. For these reasons and more, we give Richardson our "" ruling.

We have over 300,000,000 weapons, firearms in this country. That's almost as big as the population.

February 16, 2013

guns

james florio

James Florio was governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He is a Democrat.

new jersey

an interview on Governors' Perspective

Florio said during a recent television interview, "We have over 300,000,000 weapons, firearms in this country. That’s almost as big as the population." Data from a variety of sources including the Congressional Research Service, NRA and others confirm the 300 million figure. While population and firearms figures have fluctuated over the years, Florio’s point is clear: there’s nearly one gun for every person in the United States. We rate his . To comment on this story, go to NJ.com .

92 percent of the jobs lost during Barack Obama's first term belonged to women.

October 28, 2015

jobs;women

carly fiorina

Carly Fiorina is running for the Republican nomination for president in 2016. She is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). She was defeated in her attempt as the Republican nominee to unseat Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2010.

national

the third Republican presidential debate

Fiorina said 92 percent of the jobs lost during Obama’s first term belonged to women. By January 2013, the jobs numbers don’t back it up at all. The number of women with jobs increased by 416,000 during Obama’s first term. We rate this .

A photo shows a crash in Eminence, Indiana.

February 2, 2022

transportation;weather;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

texas

a Facebook post

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook .) Photographer Lawrence Jenkins took it on Feb. 11, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas, where 133 vehicles crashed after freezing rain coated the roads there, sending dozens of people to the hospital and leaving at least six dead, the Dallas Morning News reported at the time.  North Texas and Central Indiana are both experiencing wintry weather, but this photo doesn’t show it.  We rate this miscaptioned post . 

US Navy SEALs are arresting Ron DeSantis" for running a child sex trafficking ring.

July 25, 2023

facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

florida

a Facebook post

This event did not lead to any arrest of DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, having launched his campaign in May 2023 . On July 25, the day the Facebook video was posted, news reports said DeSantis was in a car crash in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on his way to a fundraiser. Press Secretary Bryan Griffin said DeSantis and his team were uninjured . There are no reports that said he was arrested. We rate this !

Says as a state lawmaker a bill he sponsored would have made "it easier to get rid of bad cops

June 16, 2020

legal issues

glenn grothman

Republican Glenn Grothman, of the Town of Glenbeulah in Sheboygan County, was first elected to Congress in 2014 after serving 21 years in the Wisconsin Legislature. He represents the 6th Congressional District in east-central Wisconsin that includes all or parts of Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, Dodge, Winnebago, Columbia, Green Lake, Marquette and Waushara counties.    

wisconsin

a tweet

Grothman said he sponsored legislation to make it easier to get rid of bad cops when he was a state legislator. His 2008 bill would have — at the time — removed the financial incentive for a charged officer to delay investigations and trial.  But the bill did not change the multi-step process of removing an officer, which can be slow and cumbersome. Nor would it have limited appeals or reduced the threshold for what behavior warrants firing.  Our definition of is "the statement contains an element of but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression." That fits here. window.gciAnalyticsUAID = 'PMJS-TEALIUM-COBRAND'; window.gciAnalyticsLoadEvents = ; window.gciAnalytics.view({ 'event-type': 'pageview', 'content-type': 'interactives', 'content-ssts-section': 'news', 'content-ssts-subsection': 'news:politics', 'content-ssts-topic': 'news:politics:politifactwisconsin', 'content-ssts-subtopic': ' news:politics:politifactwisconsin' });

Romney adviser admits Romneycare was blueprint for Obamacare.

February 14, 2012

candidate biography;health care;message machine 2012

rick santorum

Rick Santorum is running for the Republican nomination for president in 2016. He is a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and was a Republican presidential candidate in 2012.

national

a television ad

According to the ad, a "Romney adviser admits Romneycare was blueprint for Obamacare." Stick a "former" in front of "Romney adviser" and it would have been correct. As it is, we’ll downgrade it slightly to .

If you printed a $1 bill for the entirety of the $14.1 trillion national debt, the resulting pile of money would weigh more than 136 aircraft carriers.

February 18, 2011

deficit

michael sullivan

Sullivan helms Empower Texans, which says on its website that it exists to create and sustain a system of strong fiscal stewardship within all levels of Texas government, ensuring the greatest amounts of economic and personal liberty, and promoting public policies that provide individuals with the freedom to use their strengths and talents in pursuit of greater opportunities.

texas

an e-mail blast

And the USS Harry S. Truman ? They’re a svelte 101,378 long tons at full displacement, so it takes more than 136 of them to equal the the national debt. Weighing in: The national debt in dollars totals more than 136 fully loaded USS Reagan, Bush and Truman aircraft carriers. Other carrier weights differ, but they’re in the ballpark. We rate Sullivan’s statement as .

61 percent of non-tea party Republicans actually agree...there is 'solid evidence the earth is warming,' ...[but] 70 percent of tea partiers, contrarily, say there is 'no solid evidence' the earth is warming.

December 17, 2013

environment;bipartisanship;cap and trade;climate change;regulation;science

sheldon whitehouse

Sheldon Whitehouse is a Democratic U.S. Senator from Rhode Island.

rhode island

a speech on the Senate floor

Sheldon Whitehouse said that "61 percent of non-tea party Republicans actually agree . . . there is 'solid the earth is warming,' . . . [but] 70 percent of tea partiers, contrarily, say there is 'no solid ' the earth is warming." The senator was accurately quoting the results of the October Pew poll. But there's more to the story if you want to understand the ongoing opposition to climate change legislation by supporters of the GOP. While many non-tea party Republicans acknowledge that climate change is occurring, a majority (54 percent) still either deny climate change or think it is part of a natural cycle not caused by human activity. That's an important factor to consider, which Whitehouse omitted. For that reason, we rate his statement . (If you have a you’d like PolitiFact Rhode Island to check, email us at [email protected] And follow us on Twitter: @politifactri.)

Obama will charge a 28 percent tax on all home sales.

July 22, 2008

taxes

chain email

Chain emails circulate on the Internet, usually anonymously, making a variety of political claims.

national

a chain e-mail

Most home sales under Obama's plan would also be taxed at 0 percent, unless, as we explained, profits on the home sale are more than $250,000 for a single person or $500,000 for couples. We don't want to give the impression that there is no difference between the two candidates on capital gains tax, but the e-mail gets all the details . The difference is that McCain intends to leave the long-term capital gains tax at 15 percent, while Obama intends to raise it to about 25 percent for taxpayers reporting income of $250,000 or more per year. But when it comes to home sales with the profits described above, McCain and Obama's policies are the same. The e-mail's statement that Obama will charge a 28 percent tax on all home sales is .

Video shows that Sûreté du Québec officers "removed their identifying names and badge numbers from their uniforms in Ottawa.

February 19, 2022

facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

viral image

Graphics, pictures and charts shared on social media give chain emails a run for their money when it comes to spreading too-good-to-be-true claims all over the Internet. A common form is is the "Internet macro," which uses an easily recognized and repurposed image (called a meme) wth superimposed text to make a funny but political argument. Sometimes these images are passed across social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit so widely that the original source is nearly impossible to determine.

a Facebook post

Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Marythé Bolductold us that the officers’ badge numbers appear on the front of their helmets when they’re wearing crowd control uniforms, and that it isn’t unique to this protest.  "We always do that, every time," Bolduc said.  While many of the officers’ helmets are out of frame in the Facebook video, several numbers on the front of the helmets are visible. They’re also visible in this photo that appeared in the French-language newspaper Le Devoir, this photo of officers in Ottawa on Feb. 18 that appeared on the CBC’s website, and this photo of officers taken by Canadian Press photographer Justin Tang. We rate this post .

Some Republicans who voted against the stimulus "have been all too happy to claim credit for Recovery Act projects and the jobs those projects have produced. They come to the ribbon cuttings.

February 2, 2010

economy;federal budget;stimulus

barack obama

Barack Obama is the former president of the United States. Obama also served as a U.S. senator from Illinois. He was born in 1961 in Hawaii, where his parents met as students at the University of Hawaii. Obama's father is from Kenya and his mother is from Kansas. He graduated from Columbia University and received his law degree from Harvard Law School. Obama previously served in the Illinois state Senate and was an instructor at the University of Chicago Law School. He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

national

New Hampshire

We found at least two lawmakers -- Young and Davis -- who aggressively criticized the stimulus bill yet sent out a news release touting their own role in helping constituents benefit from the bill. In the meantime, Obama also said that some opponents of the stimulus have "come to the ribbon cuttings" for projects funded by the bill. Shuster, Gingrey and Burr clearly attended such ceremonies. To us, five clear cases are enough to validate the president's assertion that some stimulus opponents have "found a way to have their cake and vote against it, too." We rate Obama's statement .

The Founding Fathers of the United States intended that "the church is supposed to direct the government.

June 26, 2022

constitutional amendments;religion

lauren boebert

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican of Colorado, was elected to serve Colorado’s Third Congressional District in 2020 after defeating longtime incumbent Scott Tipton in the Republican primary. In 2022, a recount confirmed that Boebert won re-election with about 50.06 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Adam Frisch.

a speech

Our rating Boebert, in a talk to churchgoers, said the Founding Fathers intended that "the church is supposed to direct the government. "  While some of the framers were more open to the mixing of religion and the state, the Constitution as adopted did not go anywhere near what Boebert describes, constitutional experts say. The part of the First Amendment that reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," makes clear the founders’ desire to avoid the establishment of a national church, such as the Church of England, that could direct government. That establishment clause has been interpreted by the court and scholars in various ways, but we find no interpretation suggesting its meaning to be that a church should direct the government.  We rate that statement .

James Comey Memos just out and show clearly that there was NO COLLUSION and NO OBSTRUCTION

April 19, 2018

legal issues;crime

donald trump

Donald Trump is the former president of the United States. He was elected the 45th president of the United States on Nov. 8, 2016.  He has been a real estate developer, entrepreneur and host of the NBC reality show, "The Apprentice." Trump's statements were awarded PolitiFact's 2015, 2017 and 2019 Lie of the Year. In November 2022, he announced he would run for president in 2024.

national

a tweet

Trump said the Comey memos "show clearly" that there was no collusion and no obstruction of justice. Nowhere in Comey’s memos does he say that Trump did not collude nor obstruct justice. And in the year since Comey penned his last Trump memo, a special counsel has been appointed who has escalated the investigation. That investigation has resulted in other charges against four members of Trump’s campaign, including three who have agreed to plea deals. In his book, Comey writes that the memos and the circumstances of his firing may be legally relevant to an obstruction case against Trump. Comey has also held open the possibility that Trump may ultimately be found to have committed criminal wrongdoing. We rate this .

Seneca Jones Timber Co., aiming to increase logging and allay fears that old growth will be cut, says mills have shifted to second-generation trees. An ad from the company asks: "Do you know that most all mills in Oregon have retooled over the past 20 years?

March 2, 2014

environment;jobs

seneca jones

Aaron Jones founded Seneca Jones sawmill in Eugene in 1954. The company continues to operate several wood products-based businesses in the Eugene area.

oregon

newspaper ads

But we can look at the numbers, which show that of the 106 or so mills in Oregon, only a handful have not retooled and still look to buy large-diameter logs. The overwhelming majority, according to a forestry group created by the Legislature, use machinery that’s been added in recent years to accept smaller logs. It bears out the assertion that "most all" sawmills have retooled. We rate the . Return to OregonLive.com/politics to comment on this ruling.

When you look at all the state and local taxes we pay in Wisconsin, the wealthiest 1 percent pay the lowest overall tax rate.

May 21, 2017

city government;county government;income;states;wealth;taxes

mike mccabe

Mike McCabe, of Madison, is running for the Democratic nomination for governor of Wisconsin in 2018. He was executive director of the non-profit Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks money in state politics.

wisconsin

an interview

. Bernie Sanders: "The top one-tenth of 1 percent" of Americans "own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent." . Jeb Bush: "The top 1 percent pay 45 percent of all taxes in the country." .

In Chicago, they've had thousands of shootings, thousands since Jan. 1. Thousands of shootings.

September 26, 2016

crime;public safety;guns

donald trump

Donald Trump is the former president of the United States. He was elected the 45th president of the United States on Nov. 8, 2016.  He has been a real estate developer, entrepreneur and host of the NBC reality show, "The Apprentice." Trump's statements were awarded PolitiFact's 2015, 2017 and 2019 Lie of the Year. In November 2022, he announced he would run for president in 2024.

national

a Presidential debate

Trump said, "In Chicago, they've had thousands of shootings, thousands since January 1st. Thousands of shootings." There have been more than 3,000 shooting victims in Chicago so far this year, according to media reports and gun violence experts. The count of shootings includes all types of shootings, including shootings of more than one person and on accident, and it should not be taken as a substitute for "homicides." We rate Trump’s statement .

Says if you're refused service at a store for not wearing a mask "call the department of health and report the store. Masks are suggested, not required.

April 28, 2020

facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

"This is ," said Nate Wardle, press secretary for Pennsylvania’s DOH. "Stores and businesses that are not following guidance regarding wearing a mask are what are to be reported. Stores have the right, as defined in our Worker Safety Order, to refuse service to anyone not wearing a mask." States differ on mask policies right now, but businesses largely have the right to refuse service under U.S. law, as long as it isn’t on discriminatory grounds, which includes turning people away based on their race, religion, sex or national origin.  We rate this .

My opponent has no child care plan.

September 13, 2016

children;corrections and updates

donald trump

Donald Trump is the former president of the United States. He was elected the 45th president of the United States on Nov. 8, 2016.  He has been a real estate developer, entrepreneur and host of the NBC reality show, "The Apprentice." Trump's statements were awarded PolitiFact's 2015, 2017 and 2019 Lie of the Year. In November 2022, he announced he would run for president in 2024.

national

Aston, Pa

Trump said that "my opponent has no child care plan." Even under the campaign’s unusual, age-related definition of policies for children aged 0 to 4, Clinton has several policies to offer on her website. We rate the . CORRECTION, Sept. 15, 2016 : This version of the article corrects the location of Trump's speech. It was held in Aston, Pa. https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/5c8fd9e9-62bb-4f52-b86d-a6ec78624e9b

One-third of the economic stimulus package was tax cuts.

February 3, 2010

economy;pundits;stimulus;taxes

jon stewart

Jon Stewart is a comedian and host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show.

national

an interview with Bill O'Reilly

Almost 80 percent of the benefits would go to the richest 20 percent of households, who would be least likely to spend the additional funds and stimulate demand." So, our tax experts are skeptical that the $70 billion AMT fix should be included in the stimulus bill's tax relief. That would bring down the cost of the tax cuts to about $218 billion. That means about 28 percent of the bill could be described as tax cuts, a little less than the one-third cited by Stewart. So we find Stewart's to be .

Says "Donald Trump has defended" World War II internment camps.

July 28, 2016

history

joaquin castro

Initially elected to the Texas House in 2002, Joaquin Castro initially won election to the U.S. House in November 2012.

national

a speech at the DNC

Castro said Trump has defended World War II internment camps. Trump likened his proposed Muslim ban to how Roosevelt handled World War II. When pressed by journalists if he supported the internment camps for Japanese Americans under Roosevelt’s order, Trump said he was not praising that exactly. In another interview, Trump said he hates the "concept" of internment camps, but "would have had to be there at the time to give you a proper answer" on whether he supported or opposed Roosevelt’s action. So Trump’s comments are not as specific as Castro claims, but Trump never mounted an affirmative defense. Sometimes he declined to defend them, other times he has said he would have had to be present when the internment camps were in use. We rate the . https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/4e626cbf-8ee1-4b41-b0a5-3073c0fd45f8

There was "an estimated $5.3 million of economic loss just for a few hours of shutting down the border. You're talking about millions and millions of dollars — billions of dollars — of economic consequence, if we continue with this rhetoric around shutting down the border without considering what that means.

November 29, 2018

immigration;economy;public safety

gavin newsom

Gavin Newsom was elected governor of California in 2018. He is the state's former lieutenant governor and served as mayor of San Francisco. He is a Democrat.

california

a press conference at the border

California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom claimed there was an estimated $5.3 million in economic loss from the temporary closure of the San Ysidro border crossing that separates San Diego and Tijuana on Nov. 25. He added "billions of dollars" are potentially at stake should future closures take place. Newsom’s $5.3 million figure was supported by the head of the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce, which represents hundreds of businesses on the U.S. side of the border. A leading economist in the region said San Ysidro is likely to recover at least some of that loss when shoppers who delayed their visits return, as long as there aren’t additional border closures. Newsom can also point to warnings from business groups about "billions of dollars" potentially being lost in future shutdowns. San Diego’s regional chamber of commerce, including the city’s former Republican mayor, said future closures could threaten the billions of dollars in economic activity that flows through the international gateway. This portion of Newsom’s , however, assumes a worst-case scenario of a prolonged weeks- or months-long closure. While President Trump has threatened to close the border, there’s been no that his administration is seeking an extended shutdown. We found Newsom’s overall statement was accurate but could use some clarifications. We rated it .   – The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information.

Colorado "requires photo ID to vote in person, requires signature verification for mail-in ballots, which Georgia got rid of, and prevents campaign workers from giving food, water to voters within 100 feet if they're wearing campaign apparel.

April 6, 2021

georgia;elections;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

colorado

a Facebook post

A Facebook post says Colorado "requires photo ID to vote in person, requires signature verification for mail in ballots (which Georgia got rid of), and prevents campaign workers from giving food/water to voters within 100 ft if they’re wearing campaign apparel." Colorado does not require a photo ID to vote in person, but it does verify signatures on mail-in ballots.  Colorado prohibits people wearing campaign gear from giving things to voters who are waiting in line, but Georgia prohibits anyone from doing so. We rate the statement .

We made a ridiculous deal (with Iran). We gave them $150 billion. We gave them $1.8 billion, and we got nothing.

August 26, 2019

iran;foreign policy

donald trump

Donald Trump is the former president of the United States. He was elected the 45th president of the United States on Nov. 8, 2016.  He has been a real estate developer, entrepreneur and host of the NBC reality show, "The Apprentice." Trump's statements were awarded PolitiFact's 2015, 2017 and 2019 Lie of the Year. In November 2022, he announced he would run for president in 2024.

national

a post-G7 news conference

Trump said that under the 2015 nuclear deal, the United States "gave" Iran $150 billion and $1.8 billion, and "got nothing" for either. The $150 billion — which was not a gift, but an unfreezing of Iran’s assets — is the highest estimate we've seen, and the one with the least to support it. The high-end estimate from the U.S. Treasury Department in 2015 was $56 billion, and outside analysts believe the number could be lower. The $1.8 billion is reasonably accurate. The official amount is $1.7 billion.  As for "getting nothing" out of the deal, while some people will disagree that the United States got enough, it prevented Iran from getting enough fuel to build a bomb and allowing international inspectors. That’s more than nothing. The official record backs up just one out of the three elements in Trump’s statement. We rate this .

The COVID economic relief package "included $600 million for San Francisco, part of which goes to cover the tab for free alcohol and marijuana for the homeless.

March 14, 2021

corrections and updates;homeless;stimulus;california;coronavirus

kevin mccarthy

Kevin McCarthy, who was first elected in 2006, is a Republican member of Congress representing a district in California. McCarthy was elected as House Speaker in January 2023.

national

a tweet

McCarthy said the federal relief package has "$600 million for San Francisco, part of which goes to cover the tab for free alcohol and marijuana for the homeless." Since May 2020, San Francisco has spent about $1,500 of public money each month to provide medically prescribed alcohol to people with severe alcoholism in COVID-19 isolation and quarantine sites for homeless people. No federal money has been allotted to this program, which is due to end in June. The city does not provide marijuana to people at quarantine sites. McCarthy’s misrepresented what’s in the federal relief package.  We rate this .

The Christian Coalition gave (Adam) Hasner an F.

October 5, 2011

gambling;religion;voting record

george lemieux

George LeMieux is a former U.S. Senator from Florida. He was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist in 2009 to fill the unexpired term of Sen. Mel Martinez and served until January 2011.

florida

a video on a website

Hasner did receive an "F" grade from the Christian Coalition in 2007, but LeMieux's video leaves out important details of Hasner's record. We rate this   . 

Marquette University threatened to rescind student's admission over pro-Trump TikTok video.

July 8, 2020

education

donald trump jr.

Donald Trump Jr. is the son of President Donald Trump and his former wife Ivana Trump.

wisconsin

a tweet

A widespread repeated by Trump Jr. said Marquette University threatened to rescind a student’s admission over a pro-Trump TikTok video. The "threat" and connection to the video largely boil down to a student writer’s oversimplified description of a complex situation that was assumed as as it increasingly made the rounds online. That video attribution element is . The issue that got Marquette — and the hundreds of people who contacted it in a campaign orchestrated online — involved related to comments on topics like sexuality and immigration in other posts. The allegation that Pfefferle’s admission status was threatened in some form is trickier, and gets into he-said, she-said territory. Pfefferle clearly felt her admission could be in doubt, but  the university said no threat was made. And Pfefferle herself hasn’t described the situation quite that way either. Putting that all together, we are left with a statement that contains an element of but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. That’s our definition of .

Because of union rules, cooks helpers moved into DMV jobs they were not trained for

July 11, 2010

john robitaille

John Robitaille made an unsuccessful run for governor in 2010 as a Republican. A graduate of Providence College, Robitaille served five years in the Army, worked in employee and labor relations and served as communications director for Republican Gov. Donald Carcieri.

rhode island

a comment on Newsmakers

It's that background that deems them qualified for appointment to the job, regardless of their union seniority, Marcaccio confirmed. Once it is determined who meets the specifications, preference is given to those with the most seniority. While Robitaille's statement that there are a handful of former cook's helpers among the almost 150 DMV employees is correct, he couldn't support his that they weren't qualified. We all know the registry needs an overhaul, but it's important to focus on the facts. We rate this .

Climate change is nothing but a bunch of computer models that attempt to tell us what's going to happen in 50 years or 30. Notice the predictions are never for next year or the next 10 years. They're always for way, way, way, way out there, when none of us are going to be around or alive to know whether or not they were true.

February 17, 2019

climate change;punditfact

rush limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh is a conservative radio talk show host. His website describes him as "America's Truth Detector; the Doctor of Democracy; the Most Dangerous Man in America; the All-Knowing, All-Sensing, All-Everything Maha Rushie; defender of motherhood, protector of fatherhood and an all-around good guy."

an interview

Limbaugh said, "Climate change is nothing but a bunch of computer models that attempt to tell us what's going to happen in 50 years or 30. Notice the predictions are never for next year or the next ten years. They're always for way, way, way, way out there, when none of us are going to be around or alive to know whether or not they were ." First, global warming is already happening. Earth is the hottest it has ever been, and the impact is observable. Second, climate change predictions from decades past have largely been borne out. Third, models project further out because it helps show warming trends more clearly, relative to natural variability. But scientists also have near-term projections available. We rate this . We updated this article on March 5, 2019, to make clear that the Earth is now hotter than it has ever been based on the record of the planet's measured climate.

The COVID-19 vaccine caused J.J. Watt's atrial fibrillation.

October 2, 2022

sports;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

viral image

Graphics, pictures and charts shared on social media give chain emails a run for their money when it comes to spreading too-good-to-be-true claims all over the Internet. A common form is is the "Internet macro," which uses an easily recognized and repurposed image (called a meme) wth superimposed text to make a funny but political argument. Sometimes these images are passed across social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit so widely that the original source is nearly impossible to determine.

an Instagram post

Sanchez said "we can’t stress enough the connections between COVID-19 and cardiovascular disease. … We urge everyone who is eligible to get the vaccine and all recommended boosters. The side effects of the vaccine have proven to be minimal and far outweigh the risk of getting COVID. "  We found no to support the that COVID-19 vaccines caused Watt’s atrial fibrillation. We rate that .

Biden threatens to assassinate Ukraine president.

July 18, 2022

facebook fact-checks;ukraine

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

The video itself offers no of this supposedly leaked audio — nor does it provide a credible source to corroborate the post. We also couldn’t find anything online to support the .  In fact, Zelenkyy’s wife, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, visited the White House and met with the Bidens on July 19. The White House said Zelenska and U.S. first lady Jill Biden would "discuss the United States’ continued support for the government of Ukraine and its people as they defend their democracy. "  We rate claims that Biden threatened to kill Zelenskyy . 

Our federal government has lent $2 billion to the state-owned oil company of Brazil to allow them to explore for oil and gas.

December 7, 2011

energy;foreign policy;trade

george allen

George Allen was a U.S. senator from 2001-2007. He was governor of Virginia from 1994-1998.

virginia

a debate

He is referring to a preliminary agreement by the U.S. Export-Import Bank, an independent federal agency, to consider offering up to $2 billion in financing to help Petrobras buy American goods and services. In 2010, Ex-Im agreed to guarantee a $308 million private loan made to Petrobras by JPMorgan Chase. There were no other transactions, and Ex-Im’s agreement with Petrobras expired this April. The bottom line is that that Ex-Im did not directly lend any money to Petrobras. We rate Allen’s statement .

Apprehension rates at the southern border have plummeted since the 1980s, and apprehensions of Mexicans specifically have reached their lowest point in nearly half a century.

March 28, 2017

immigration;homeland security

john conyers, jr.

John Conyers, Jr. represents Michigan’s 13th Congressional District.

national

a subcommittee hearing

Conyers said, "Apprehension rates at the southern border have plummeted since the 1980s, and apprehensions of Mexicans specifically have reached their lowest point in nearly half a century." In recent years, average apprehension numbers have been below 500,000. In the 1980s, they averaged 1 million. A nonpartisan think tank found that the number of apprehensions of Mexicans in fiscal 2015 was the lowest since 1969. It’s worth noting that there have been some ups and downs in the numbers. But overall, the decline has been notable. We rate Conyers’ statement .

Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies while holidaying in Texas

April 22, 2018

fake news;punditfact

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

a blog post

The website’s banner only says "New York," and its address is designed to give readers the impression that it’s the actual New York Times. (The real Times  can be found at www.nytimes.com.) Take this quiz to see if you know how to spot news sites. Nytimes-news.com’s post claiming Tutu died in Texas is made up. We rate it !

How many of you still don't know that Michelle Obama was born Michael Lavaughn Robinson and is a man?

August 18, 2020

facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

A Facebook post asks, "How many of you still don't know that Michelle Obama was born Michael Lavaughn Robinson and is a man?" There is no Obama is a transgender woman or was named "Michael" at birth.  We rate this post !