Datasets:

chengxuphd

/

liar2

like 2

For too long, Obamacare has caused high premiums and dismal coverage. ... Under Obamacare premiums in job-based coverage have increased by $3,775

March 14, 2017

health care

vicky hartzler

Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., represents Missouri's fourth district. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1994.

missouri

a tweet

Hartzler claimed that "Obamacare has caused high premiums and dismal coverage," and that "premiums in job-based coverage have increased by $3,775." Her ignores a key finding of the study from which her numbers came: that the increase in premiums is dramatically slowing. She also discounted the fact that experts believe that only 1 to 3 percent of the increase in premium cost was actually attributable to the Affordable Care Act. Due to her misinterpretation of the numbers, we rate Hartzler’s .

I never said that" Marco Rubio was Mark Zuckerberg's personal senator.

October 28, 2015

immigration

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

Boulder, Colo

In the debate, Trump said he "never said that" Marco Rubio was Mark Zuckerberg’s personal senator. But he may want to check his own website, which says exactly that. !

Law enforcement in the state of Arizona supports" the state's new immigration law.

July 1, 2010

immigration

jan brewer

Jan Brewer, a Republican, is the former governor of Arizona.

national

a Fox News interview with Greta Van Susteren

The police chiefs who filed declarations supporting the Obama administration’s attempt to block it stressed their own concerns about illegal immigration. But when it came to the new law, they expressed worry that it will stop undocumented witnesses from coming forth in serious crimes, impose large new amounts of work on police forces without additional compensation, invite lawsuits against police departments and divert police from focusing on crimes such as kidnappings and illegal drug smuggling. Brewer suggests unified support from police. Yes, there is support from two police groups, but there’s also opposition from police chiefs. We find her .

Responding to a major snow event in Atlanta would be like Kansas City, Mo., responding to a major earthquake.

February 7, 2014

weather

sly james

mayor of Kansas City Mo.

georgia

a radio interview

But to compare cleaning up the mess from 2 inches of snow  to recovering from a major earthquake rattles the very heart of the -O-Meter. One is relatively common over the span of decades. The other, extremely rare. The Kansas City mayor overreached on this one. We rate James’ statement .  

Says the high-speed rail project provides "short-term jobs.

March 2, 2011

jobs;stimulus;transportation

rick scott

Rick Scott, a wealthy Florida businessman, was first elected Florida's 45th governor on Nov. 2, 2010 and re-elected Nov. 4, 2014. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018 and is running for re-election in 2024.

florida

an interview with Fox News

Scott said the high-speed rail project provides "short-term jobs." He's largely right. More than 80 percent of the jobs created (talking job-years again) only exist for two years, and 98 percent of the jobs last no more than four years while the rail's being built. That leaves just 1,100 direct and indirect jobs created as a result of the operation of the train that are truly permanent. We rate Scott's .

Because of Jim Whelan, "the 1990s are the only decade since the 1920s when the population of Atlantic City actually went up.

September 15, 2011

gambling

jim whelan

State Sen. Jim Whelan is a Democrat from Atlantic County.

new jersey

a debate with Assemblyman Vince Polistina

Whelan’s statistics about Atlantic City’s population changes are on target, but the population growth came from a variety of factors. As the city’s political leader, Whelan obviously played a role in new development and other improvements, but he also inherited a booming casino industry and served at a time when more immigrants were moving to urban areas across the country. We rate the statement . To comment on this ruling, go to NJ.com .

Bill Gates' Former Doctor Says Billionaire 'Refused To Vaccinate His Children'

May 7, 2018

fake news;punditfact

yournewswire.com

A website associated with fake news.

a blog post

That was a clarifying moment for me. No child should die a preventable death. Bill and I have dedicated our lives to reducing the number who do." Without , Yournewswire claimed that a former doctor for Bill Gates said the philanthropist refused to vaccinate his own children. We rate the post !

Says Donna Campbell is pushing a 35 percent sales tax extending to medicine, groceries and real estate.

July 19, 2012

taxes

jeff wentworth

Jeff Wentworth, a state senator from San Antonio, lost his bid for the 2012 Republican nomination for the seat.

texas

a campaign mailer

Wentworth says Campbell is pushing a 35 percent sales tax extending to medicine, groceries and real estate. She’s not, though we can see the threads behind this . While running for Congress in 2010, Campbell  spoke out in favor of a possible 23 percent federal sales tax in return for wiping out federal income taxes. In the same spirit, she now supports replacing property tax revenue collected across Texas with income from the state sales tax. By itself, that move could drive the state sales tax rate to 14 percent or so. Then again, the conditions her campaign lays out could be taken as signals she’s not ready to embrace any sudden surge or broadening of the tax. Campbell’s two stances, taken years apart in campaigns for different offices, reflect on sales taxes at different levels of government.This distorts both positions by effectively combining the possible tax rates. All told, too, it’s to assert that Campbell, who has signed no-new-tax pledges, is pushing or calling for an expanded sales tax set at 35 percent. !

California's budget surplus is about "$30 billion

December 11, 2018

state budget

jerry brown

Jerry Brown is the governor of California. A Democrat, he earlier served as governor of California from 1975 to 1983.

california

an NPR interview

Gov. Jerry Brown in claimed in an interview with NPR that California’s budget surplus is "closer to $30 billion." A report by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office projects the state will have $14.5 billion in its Rainy Day reserve fund by the end of the next fiscal year. That would be an increase over the $13.8 billion the state expects to have in that fund when the next fiscal year starts July 1, 2019. The report also estimates the Legislature will have $14.8 billion in discretionary funds during the same time period. Brown’s description of a surplus "closer to $30 billion" is generally correct, though he leaves out the fact that this is a projection. Government finance experts pointed out there are restrictions on the Rainy Day money, a fact Brown clarified in the interview. They also note that California’s surplus is expected to dwindle in coming years, with an economic slowdown predicted. We found Brown’s statement was accurate but needs a couple clarifications, most notably that the "$30 billion" figure is a projection, not a certainty. We rate Brown’s statement .   – The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information.

Says the NBA is asking Donald Trump to "resign or we'll never play again.

April 5, 2020

facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

a fake news article

In January, we investigated how a network of more than 100 hoax sites republished Blair’s articles to become a popular source of misinformation on Facebook, where users shared the stories as if they were . Just like those sites, NewYork One News is bogus. Public domain records indicate the site was registered in mid-February and uses Google AdSense to monetize its articles. The article is and makes a . We rate it !

Actor Steven Seagal spotted among Russian special forces in Ukraine

February 28, 2022

facebook fact-checks;ukraine;russia

joe rogan

Joe Rogan is the host of "The Joe Rogan Experience," a Spotify podcast. He is also a comedian and color commentator for UFC.

a Facebook post

Rogan shared, then deleted, a screenshot of a CNN story that said actor Steven Seagal was spotted among Russian special forces in Ukraine. CNN said the story was fabricated, and Rogan took down the post, saying that it was "parody" but that "it wouldn’t be surprising if it was either." Alas, it was not . We rate this .

Schoolchildren across the nation "will be forced to watch the president justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other president.

September 1, 2009

education

republican party of florida

The Republican Party of Florida represents Republicans in Florida.

national

a press release

Now it states, "Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short–term and long–term education goals. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals." That change, however, does not alter our ruling. Based on the press release that the Republican Party of Florida used as a basis for this , there remains no that Obama intends to discuss the controversial policy issues of health care, banking, the automotive industry, taxes or the national debt during his address to students. And so we still find the party's to be .

Here in Wisconsin, prescription drug costs grew at a pace of nearly twice as much as the average Wisconsinite's income from 2015-2019.

February 18, 2022

drugs;economy;health care

sarah godlewski

Treasurer Sarah Godlewski is Wisconsin’s thirty-sixth State Treasurer and serves as the state’s chief financial officer. Godlewski is a candidate for U.S. Senate.   Prior to serving, she was the co-founder of a multimillion dollar socially responsible investment firm called MaSa Partners that invests in early-stage businesses. The Treasurer was also a founding member of WE Capital Fund which empowers female entrepreneurs through financing opportunities. Her work has been nationally recognized for achieving positive impact without sacrificing sound financial returns.    Beyond investing, Godlewski worked at the Pentagon for almost a decade where she helped save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and worked to create a performance-based budget for local government. She is a big proponent of financial literacy and supported such initiatives as an adjunct professor. The Treasurer started her financial career supporting micro-lending initiatives in rural India where she saw firsthand how access to capital can positively transform entire communities.    Godlewski dropped out of the Democratic U.S. Senate primary July 29, 2022, clearing the field of major contenders for the party's presumptive nominee, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

wisconsin

Campaign statement

Godlewski said "in Wisconsin, prescription drug costs grew at a pace of nearly twice as much as the average Wisconsinite's income from 2015-2019." The average annual cost of prescription drug treatment increased 26.3% in that time frame. The increase in income for all Wisconsin residents was actually 15.2%. The figure Godlewski was citing is for those age 50 and over, whose income increased 13.9%. For a statement that is accurate but needs clarification or additional information, our rating is .

80% of women who have been jabbed have lost their children in the first trimester.

August 21, 2021

public health;women;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

A video of a public meeting shows a man claiming that "80% of women who have been jabbed have lost their children in the first trimester." The is based on an erroneous interpretation of a research study.  Federal researchers have found no increased risk of miscarriage from receiving the COVID-19 vaccines. We rate the .

Says he never voted for a "tax increase.

August 8, 2012

debt;deficit;taxes

mark neumann

Mark Neumann is a developer and home builder from Nashotah. He was a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from Wisconsin in 2012. He ran for governor in 2010 and formerly represented southern Wisconsin in Congress.

wisconsin

campaign website statements

But that’s not the statement we’re testing. The was an absolute. Our rating Neumann said he never voted for a tax increase. But looking at just two of the major bills he supported, although they contained $370 billion in tax decreases, they also contained $130 billion in tax increases. We rate Neumann’s statement .

We are watching, you know, millions of illegal immigrants cross our borders, and many of them voting in the past election that's what, just a couple weeks ago.

November 15, 2018

immigration;elections;punditfact

lou dobbs

Lou Dobbs is a television host on Fox Business Network. He was formerly the host of CNN’s ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight’.

on Fox Business Network

Many credible researchers have panned the study as methodologically unsound f or using an opt-in Internet poll originally designed to survey citizens and not considering possible survey response error. The federal government recently brought charges against 19 foreign nationals who voted in the 2016 election in North Carolina, where a total of more than 4.7 million votes were cast. Experts said the Department of Justice under President George W. Bush, and Republican and Democratic election officials have investigated voter fraud extensively and found it is extremely rare. President Trump’s short-lived voter fraud commission couldn’t find any of widespread fraud before being disbanded. As for Dobbs’ , we rate it .

Scientists are "questioning the original idea that man-made global warming is what is causing the climate to change. … (It is) more and more being put into question.

August 17, 2011

environment;climate change;energy

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.

national

New Hampshire

Perry's remarks give the impression that the science of global warming is in dispute, that some scientists feel one way, and some scientists feel another way. He says that skepticism is growing. In fact, our research shows that's not the case. We found that there is solid consensus among the major scientific organizations and that the skeptics seems to be small minority. We rate his statement .

Says Mitt Romney has said different things about whether global warming is caused by humans

November 28, 2011

environment;cap and trade;climate change;energy;message machine 2012

democratic national committee

The Democratic National Committee is the national organization of Democrats.

national

a Web ad

In June 2011, Romney said he believed "the world is getting warmer" and that "humans contribute to that." In October 2011, Romney said that "we don’t know what’s causing climate change on this planet." Interestingly, in spite of his comments on the causes of climate change, Romney outlined the same set of energy policies: in favor of more natural gas and nuclear power; against foreign oil; for the continued use of domestic oil; against a cap-and-trade plan. Because he didn’t articulate any change of policy, we find Romney’s comments on the causes of climate change perplexing, and we would be interested in hearing him answer pointed questions on the matter. His spokeswoman says the two statements are consistent. But the videos clearly shows that he said different things on the causes of climate change to different audiences, and we believe Romney is savvy enough to know the difference between suggesting a human role in climate change and leaving it out. We rate the DNC’s statement .

South Florida ranks No. 1 in the gap between wages and housing.

March 16, 2017

housing;income;poverty

habitat for humanity of broward

Habitat for Humanity of Broward helps low-income families obtain housing.

florida

a press release

Habitat for Humanity says, "South Florida ranks No. 1 in the gap between wages and housing." Studies have repeatedly shown that South Florida tops the list in the gap between wages and housing. Although there are other metro areas with similarly expensive housing, wages lag behind in South Florida. We rate this .

Says Mitt Romney flip-flopped on gun control.

October 28, 2011

message machine 2012;guns

jon huntsman

Jon Huntsman was the governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. He served as ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011. He is a Republican candidate for president in 2012. 

national

a web advertisement

The largely supports the contention that Romney has flip-flopped on gun rights, particularly in his tone. Romney’s message during the 1994 and 2002 campaigns was that he was a strong supporter of gun control measures, while in the 2008 president campaign, he played up his pro-Second Amendment credentials and actively sought support from the National Rifle Association and other gun-owner groups. Substantively, the gap -- at least as of the 2008 campaign -- was somewhat narrower. He’s been vague about specific legislation he’d support, and in the interview with Schieffer, Romney acknowledged that "I support Second Amendment rights, but I don't line up 100 percent with the NRA. They take some positions that are different than mine." Still, between his early campaigns and his 2008 presidential run, Romney does appear to have shifted his views. On balance, we rate Huntsman’s .

America came along as the first country to end (slavery) within 150 years.

March 19, 2019

history;punditfact

katie pavlich

Katie Pavlich is a conservative journalist for Townhall.com and a Fox News contributor.

a panel discussion

Pavlich said, "America came along as the first country to end (slavery) within 150 years." The United States was not the first country to end slavery in terms of calendar year, and at least a dozen countries outlawed the practice earlier in their nation’s history than the United States did. We rate this .

If COVID-19 was real, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wouldn't have been "allowed to join 50,000 other football fans inside a stadium.

July 6, 2021

public health;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

instagram posts

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

an Instagram post

An Instagram post claims COVID-19 is a hoax and points to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attending a Euro 2020 match at Wembley Stadium as , saying if the pandemic was real they wouldn’t have attended the game. The threat of COVID-19 in the U.K. remains very real. The United Kingdom is in the middle of a surge of the virus, with more one out of 160 people testing positive. More than 5 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 throughout the pandemic and more than 128,000 people have died as a result. Wembley Stadium has capacity limits for attending Euro 2020 matches and requires attendees to wear masks when entering the stadium and in any indoor areas outside of their seats. Guests are also required to show proof they’ve been fully vaccinated or have had a negative rapid COVID-19 test 48 hours prior to a match. Both the Duke and Duchess have also received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in May. We rate this .

Says Joe Biden "will destroy your protections for pre-existing conditions.

September 10, 2020

health care

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.

Michigan

There is no basis for this . Biden wants to protect the Affordable Care Act, which created protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Trump and Republicans for years have tried to get rid of the health care law, without an alternative that would maintain the same protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Trump’s is and . We rate it !

Says a bill requiring ultrasounds before abortions "was supported by Republicans and Democrats.

April 11, 2012

abortion

bob mcdonnell

Bob McDonnell is the Republican governor of Virginia until January 2014. McDonnell was elected over Democratic state Sen. Creigh Deeds. McDonnell previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1992 to 2006 and as state Attorney General from 2006 to 2009. McDonnell graduated from the University of Nortre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind., with a bachelor's degree in 1976. He then served in the U.S. Army on active duty from 1976 to 1981 and in the reserves until 1997, retiring as a lieutenant colenel. He received a master's degree in business adminsitration from Boston University in 1980 and a master's and law degree from Regent University, Virginia Beach, in 1989.

virginia

a TV interview

McDonnell said the bill requiring an ultrasound before an abortion was approved with bipartisan support. It’s that the measure would not have passed the Senate without one of the two Democratic votes it received to complement near unanimous Republican support. But we have to consider the context of the governor’s statement; it came in response to a question about whether the abortion bill is contributing to some dissatisfaction with the GOP among independent women voters. It’s a stretch to tell a national TV audience that the legislation had bipartisan backing when, in fact, 49 of 52 Democrats in the General Assembly voted against it. The governor’s statement, while technically accurate, leaves a faulty impression. We rate it .

Says 99% of COVID-19 cases "are totally harmless.

July 4, 2020

coronavirus

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 Fourth of July speech

Trump said that 99% of all COVID-19 cases are totally harmless. The White House provided no supporting data. Looking at the worst possible outcome, the government’s numbers show a cumulative death rate of 4.5%, although the actual fatality rate could end up lower once we learn more about the disease  The rate at which new cases lead to hospitalizations has fallen, but it still remains at 4%. And public health researchers note that more and more, there are reports that even people with mild cases are hit with medical problems after they’ve recovered. There’s a lot more to be learned about this disease, but nothing says that it’s harmless for 99% of the people it touches. We rate this .

I am still waiting for someone to produce pieces of the alleged plane" that caused the Twin Towers to collapse.

April 16, 2018

homeland security;terrorism

lawana mayfield

LaWana Mayfield a member of the Charlotte City Council.

north carolina

a Facebook post

Mayfield described the planes that hit the World Trade Center on 9/11 as "alleged" planes and said pieces of the planes had yet to be revealed to the public. Eyewitness accounts, video, plane debris and most credible science points to the fact that airplanes struck the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, causing them to collapse. We rate Mayfield’s .

Colloidal silver is "harmless" unless you're allergic to it.

June 19, 2022

facebook fact-checks

instagram posts

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

an Instagram post

Though topical silver is sometimes used on skin to treat burns or to prevent conjunctivitis in newborns, "silver has no known function or benefits when taken by mouth," the agency said, and "there are no legally marketed prescription or over-the-counter drugs containing colloidal silver that are taken by mouth. "  Other health care groups have issued similar warnings about colloidal silver. Early in the pandemic, PolitiFact debunked claims that colloidal silver was an effective COVID-19 cure. Claims that colloidal silver is harmless are also .  We rate this .

America is No. 1 one in oil and gas.

January 20, 2015

energy;gas prices

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

his 2015 State of the Union address

Obama said "America is No. 1 one in oil and gas " The latest global oil and natural gas production statistics back up Obama’s . The United States has been the world’s largest oil producer since 2012, and the largest natural gas producer for years. We rate his statement .

Every year there is a slightly smaller percentage of American households owning guns.

February 24, 2016

guns

bill clinton

Bill Clinton was president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He is married to Hillary Clinton, the 2016 presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.

virginia

a campaign rally

Bill Clinton says "every year there is a slightly smaller percentage of American households owning guns." Although polls on gun-owning households are erratic, you can make a plausible argument they show a long-range downward trend. Clinton cites a series of surveys by the University of Chicago that show a drop of 19 percentage points since the early 1970s. Another set of polls by Gallup show the five-decade drop is 2 percentage points. A third series of polls by Pew shows a decrease of 12 percentage points since 1993. But much of the downward movement occurred in the 1990s, and Clinton goes overboard by saying the percentage is going down "every year." All three surveys show the yearly percentages have been fluctuating in recent years and that, since 2000 , the drop is about 1 or 2 percentage points. We rate Clinton’s statement .

Sen. McCain was already turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, and he became a leading supporter of an invasion and occupation of (Iraq).

August 19, 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

Orlando, Fla

"Saddam Hussein has the ability to make a far worse day of infamy by turning Iraq into a weapons assembly line for al-Qaida's network. ... Saddam is an international felon who has repeatedly violated the terms of his parole and is planning further crimes with his terrorist accomplices. He must be brought to justice once and for all." The record clearly supports the contention that McCain "was already turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11" — indeed he singled out Iraq on Letterman — and became a "leading supporter" of the war, as Obama said. We find his to be .

A referendum "gives the people the chance to decide" on cutting the Milwaukee County Board budget by two-thirds

May 15, 2013

county budget;county government

leah vukmir

Republican Leah Vukmir was elected to the Wisconsin state Senate in 2010, representing a suburban Milwaukee district. She served in the state Assembly from 2002 to 2008. She lost a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2018.

wisconsin

a news release

"Unfortunately, this bill flies in the face of the trust in the people of Milwaukee County and our Democratic system." Our rating Vukmir contended that Milwaukee County voters would decide whether the County Board budget takes a big cut. That’s . A referendum would determine County Board supervisors’ pay, but most of the changes in the bill -- including the County Board’s budget level -- would take effect directly through the legislation, without voter approval in 2014. We rate her .

A Penn State University study found that "electronic cigarettes . . . are far less addictive than cigarettes.

April 16, 2015

children;consumer safety;drugs;legal issues;public health;public safety;recreation;regulation;science

dino baccari

Dino Baccari lists himself as "founder and believer" of White Horse Vapor, which makes e-cigarettes.

rhode island

testimony before the Senate Committee on Health & Human Services

Dino Baccari said that a Penn State University study found that "electronic cigarettes … are far less addictive than cigarettes." He's not blowin' smoke. His characterization of the study's conclusion is accurate. But it's important to note that the conclusion is based on an open-to-anyone survey that relied on the recall of e-cigarette users who may have a natural bias toward reporting that the products they've chosen to use are less addicting than the cigarettes they're trying to avoid. Comparable studies support that conclusion. With the limitations in the methodology, we would characterize the statement as accurate, but in need of clarification or additional information, which we classify as . (If you have a you’d like PolitiFact Rhode Island to check, email us at [email protected] And follow us on Twitter: @politifactri.)

Says Sen. Elizabeth Warren "lives in a $5.4 million mansion.

October 29, 2014

candidate biography;housing

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

national

a meme on social media

The social media meme said Warren "lives in a $5.4 million mansion." Warren does live in a desirable neighborhood in an expensive urban center, which means that her house is much more expensive than that of most Americans. Still, the meme overshoots the facts of the case. The house’s estimated value is less than half of the stated $5.4 million, and calling it a mansion is a stretch. The statement contains some element of but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression, so we rate it .

The Texas Capitol faces South toward Goliad, in memory of the most horrific battle of the Texas Revolution.

July 11, 2015

history;states

christine gilbert

Christine Gilbert is an Austin artist.

texas

a letter to the editor of the Austin American-Statesman

Quoting a snippet on a Senate website, Gilbert said the Texas Capitol faces south toward Goliad in memory of a key battle in the Texas Revolution. We found no factual foundation to that; the Goliad also was removed from the site a few days after we launched our inquiries. Besides, we conclude, the Capitol faces south so lawmakers can perennially keep an eye on the Austin American-Statesman , located on the south bank of the Colorado River. Just kidding ! The historical consensus is that in keeping with Waller's Austin vision, the Capitol was built, on a gentle rise at the top of the city’s main street, to face south toward the capital’s heart. We rate the statement . – The statement is not accurate. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. CORRECTION, 10:30 a.m., July 25, 2015: This story has been amended to correct the original version stating there was no battle at Goliad during the Texas Revolution. The Texas forces won an 1835 battle in Goliad. This revision did not affect our rating of the statement.

Sanctuary cities are extremely dangerous.

July 5, 2017

criminal justice

pat toomey

Pat Toomey is a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, having won election to his seat in 2010 by defeating Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak. Toomey occupies the seat formerly held by Sen. Arlen Specter, to whom he narrowly lost in the 2004 Republican U.S. Senate primary.

pennsylvania

At a "town hall"

Our Ruling Pat Toomey said at a televised town hall, "Sanctuary cities are extremely dangerous." Despite several examples of crimes being committed by people ICE wanted detained but were released, no has been produced to prove sanctuary cities are dangerous because of the policy. In fact, one study from last year showed sanctuary city policies have no statistically significant effect on crime. Neither Toomey, nor any study has shown sanctuary cities are measurably dangerous. We rule the .

Right to Work states have: faster private sector employment growth

March 9, 2021

jobs;states

wisconsin manufacturers and commerce

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce is Wisconsin's largest business group. It says its members include large and small manufacturers, service companies, local chambers of commerce and specialized trade associations. WMC is also a lobbying organization and often gets involved in state political races.

wisconsin

Twitter

In a tweet, WMC claimed right-to-work states have faster private-sector job growth than in non-right-to-work states. While the numbers may add up, the report itself says the numbers can’t prove one causes the other. And outside experts say there are many factors at work, such as other pro-business policies or an existing trend of employment growth. We rate this statement .    

Says the Texas State Board of Education is considering eliminating references to Christmas and the Constitution in textbooks.

March 10, 2010

education

gretchen carlson

Gretchen Carlson is a co-anchor of the Fox News Channel morning show Fox & Friends.

texas

an episode of Fox & Friends

First, the board is hammering out changes to state curriculum standards, not textbooks. Second, the board is not considering removing Christmas from a list of various religious holidays. And third, the board has never considered removing the Constitution from history textbooks or the state's curriculum. The "Fox & Friends" anchor made things simple and irresponsibly far-fetched and . We rate Carlson's statement as .

Alison Alter "got an F in attendance in 2016" as an Austin parks board member "and was removed by a unanimous vote of the Austin City Council.

November 29, 2016

city government

sheri gallo

Sheri P. Gallo, a longtime Austin businesswoman, won election in 2014 as the District 10 member of the Austin City Council. She was sworn in along with the mayor and nine other council members in January 2015.

texas

a mailer to voters

Gallo said Alter "got an F in attendance in 2016 as a Parks Board member and was removed by a unanimous vote of the Austin City Council." This gets events flat in that we found no that Alter’s removal from the board--which occurred at Gallo’s behest--had anything to do with missed meetings. Austin volunteers who serve on city boards don’t get graded on attendance. Still, if Alter were graded on her entire tenure rather than a cherry-picked stretch, she’d merit a passing grade of ‘C.’ We find this and . ! – The statement is not accurate and makes a . Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.

Says that Tim Pawlenty eliminated health insurance for 33,000 to 35,000 people when he was governor of Minnesota.

May 22, 2011

health care

democratic national committee

The Democratic National Committee is the national organization of Democrats.

national

a Web ad

Pawlenty was succeeded by a Democrat, Mark Dayton, who campaigned on using the federal health care law of 2010 to expand the Medicaid program in Minnesota. Signing an executive order to do so was one of Dayton’s first acts as governor, which moved the General Assistance Medical Care program into Medicaid. The ad from the Democrats says that Pawlenty eliminated a health care program for 33,000 to 35,000 people. He did veto the program, but then he negotiated a change to lower costs by reducing benefits. So we rate the ad’s .

If the vaccine came out tomorrow, how in the heck would we get it to people? There is no game plan.

August 6, 2020

coronavirus

joe biden

Joe Biden is the president of the United States. A Democrat, Biden served as a Delaware senator from 1973 (elected at the age of 29) until 2009. During his time in the Senate, he served as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, chair of the International Narcotics Control Caucus and chair of the Judiciary Committee. He subsequently served as Barack Obama’s vice president from 2009 to 2016. Biden launched unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 1988 and 2008. He received a degree in history and political science from the University of Delaware and his J.D. from Syracuse School of Law. 

an interview with journalism associations

Biden said that "if the vaccine came out tomorrow, how in the heck would we get it to people? There is no game plan." Biden is correct that there isn’t a detailed vaccine distribution plan written by the federal government at this time. But the vaccine isn’t coming out tomorrow, and a federal plan is in the works. There are committees working on recommendations for vaccine distribution to include which groups should get the vaccine first. The CDC also asked four states and a city to pilot a program for vaccine distribution. Nationwide, states are expected to submit their own vaccination distribution plans by the end of September to the federal government. There are a lot of unanswered questions that will affect vaccine distribution. But the planning is happening. We rate this .  

Monster Energy's logo uses a sign of the anti-Christ as part of its marketing effort.

March 10, 2023

facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

national

a post

Most of Monster’s marketing on its social media sites show athletic imagery — Grand Prix motorcycle racing, skateboarding, snowsports, surfing, mixed martial arts and more. What we don’t see? References to the anti-Christ.    We rate this !  PolitiFact researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. 

Adjusting for inflation, West Virginia's median household income has not grown in a decade.

December 8, 2018

income;poverty

mike romano

Mike Romano is a Democratic state senator in West Virginia.

west virginia

an op-ed

Romano wrote that "adjusting for inflation, West Virginia’s median household income has not grown in a decade." West Virginia’s inflation-adjusted median income has dropped 9 percent in the last decade, even as the national figure has risen by 3 percent. We rate his statement .

Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH" by adding a fact-check label to Trump's tweet.

May 26, 2020

elections;legal issues;technology

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, "Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH." Six legal experts told us Trump is . The First Amendment limits the government, not private platforms like Twitter. Twitter’s decision to mark one tweet as is itself protected under the First Amendment. We rate Trump’s statement !

Immigrants start businesses at a faster rate; they seem to grow those businesses more successfully.

June 22, 2016

immigration

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.

arizona

an interview with Vox

Clinton said, "immigrants start businesses at a faster rate; they seem to grow those businesses more successfully." Federal data and the experts we spoke with back up her . While it’s important to note that on the success of immigrant-owned businesses is limited, what we did find supports what Clinton said, that immigrants "seem" to grow their businesses better than their native counterparts. We rate Clinton’s . https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/9e394b49-c56d-49c0-8cc7-46eb68e4e919

Under my predecessor, they cut funding for education, but they didn't give them anything in return to make up for that," leading to "less money" for school districts

March 16, 2013

education;taxes

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

That, he said, resulted in "less money" for local districts. This is a mixed bag. Aid was cut by Doyle, and Doyle’s slowing of overall revenue growth by districts did squeeze some and force layoffs. But it’s not that Doyle gave districts no way to address shortfalls; unlike Walker he allowed local property taxes to rise. On balance, we rate Walker’s statement .

Seventy-seven of the top 300 cities with the highest poverty rate" nationwide are in California.

June 6, 2017

economy;poverty;the 2018 california governor's race

antonio villaraigosa

Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, is a candidate for California governor, former mayor of Los Angeles and former state Assembly speaker. 

california

a speech

Candidate for California governor Antonio Villaraigosa recently claimed: "Seventy-seven of the top 300 cities with the highest poverty rate are in our state." He relied on a study that grouped  77 "economically challenged" cities in California among nearly 300 such cities in the nation. But it used data from four years ago, when many cities were still recovering from the Great Recession. Villaraigosa made it sound as if these cities are still experiencing the same level of hardship. Also, experts on poverty said the economically challenged label isn’t the same as Villaraigosa’s description of these cities as among the poorest in the nation. Nearly half the cities on the study’s list qualified for that label not because of their poverty level. Many, in fact, had poverty rates below the state average. Instead, they qualified because they had a high unemployment rate in 2013. The jobless rate in many of those cities has improved considerably since then. Villaraigosa touched on a real problem in California: Poverty remains widespread and entrenched. But he mischaracterized the results of a study and painted a darker picture of economic hardship in California than the facts bear out. We rate Villaraigosa’s .   –  The statement is not accurate. Click here for   more   on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.

Says "80 percent of the health care dollars are spent by 20 percent of the population.

February 14, 2012

health care;public health

alan bates

Alan Bates is an Oregon state senator. He represents Senate District 3, which covers Medford.

oregon

a floor speech

Bates said that 20 percent of the population accounts for 80 percent of the health care dollars spent. His is backed up by two studies from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. That data is a little old, but newer numbers from CareOregon show the same split and a professor who studies the issue also confirmed the senator’s . We give this statement a . Return to OregonLive to comment on this PolitiFact Oregon ruling.

I just talked about guns. I told you what my position was, and what I did as governor, the fact that I received the endorsement of the NRA.

December 16, 2007

guns

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

"Meet the Press" interview

We did find something funny: Turns out the NRA endorsed a Romney for public office, just not Mitt. Ronna Romney, divorced from Gov. Romney's brother Scott, earned the NRA's support in 1996 as she campaigned for a U.S. Senate seat representing Michigan. She won the primary, but lost to incumbent Sen. Carl Levin. Maybe that's why Mitt was confused. At least he admits it's .

Over 300K home owner suicides attributed to foreclosures.

April 25, 2014

economy;health care;housing;public health

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

national

a meme shared on social media

The meme said that over 300,000 homeowner suicides are attributable to foreclosures. But that would mean every suicide over a nine-year period would have been caused by a foreclosure, and experts say that’s not credible. We rate the .

The Justice Department's Fast and Furious gun-walking program "started in the Bush administration.

September 28, 2014

punditfact;guns

jane harman

Former U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., served nine terms in Congress before resigning in 2011 to take over as president and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank. She is a frequent guest on Sunday news shows.

a panel on "Fox News Sunday"

Harman said Fast and Furious "started in the Bush administration." Like a similarly worded from Obama two years ago, her is . There was a program run by ATF’s Phoenix Field Division called Operation Wide Receiver that started during the Bush administration, but Operation Fast and Furious was a specific effort launched after Obama took office in 2009. We rate her .

As a mayor, "John Fetterman chased down an innocent, unarmed Black man," wielded a shotgun and "falsely accused the man, triggering a confrontation with police.

September 1, 2022

candidate biography;crime;race and ethnicity;ad watch

american leadership action

American Leadership Action is a super PAC that supports the 2022 candidacy of Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. 

pennsylvania

an ad

An ad from a group supporting Oz claimed that as mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, Fetterman "chased down an innocent, unarmed Black man," wielded a shotgun and "falsely accused the man, triggering a confrontation with police." In the 2013 incident, Fetterman said that after hearing what he thought were gunshots, he chased a person. It is unclear whether Fetterman knew at the outset that the man, Miyares, is Black.  Fetterman displayed a shotgun to detain Miyares until police arrived. Police said Fetterman told officers "he knows this male was shooting." Police said Miyares was unarmed, released at the scene and not charged with a crime. The is accurate but needs clarification. We rate it .

Yet, for all that spending, health outcomes today on Medicaid are mediocre and many patients have difficulty accessing care.

February 11, 2020

health check

seema verma

As the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Seema Verma oversees a $1 trillion budget, representing 26% of the total federal budget, and administers health coverage programs for more than 130 million Americans. She was nominated by President Trump on November 29, 2016 – the seventh nomination by the President-elect – and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 13, 2017.

a speech to the American Medical Association

Verma said that "health outcomes today on Medicaid are mediocre and many patients have difficulty accessing care." Numerous studies show people’s health improves as a result of Medicaid coverage. This includes lower mortality rates, shorter hospital stays and more people likely to get cancer screenings. While it’s hard to specify what "many patients having difficulty accessing care" means, research does show that Medicaid enrollees generally say they have no trouble accessing care most of the time. We rate the as .  

Says he "never" donates to Democrats while Paul Workman "contributes to Democrat Kirk Watson and other Democrats running against Republicans.

February 22, 2010

elections

david sewell

David Sewell is a partner at the law firm Stahl, Bernal & Davies, where he specializes in Texas tax litigation.

texas

a campaign flier

Republicans were challenging the Workman-backed Democrats in three of the races. But Watson was never running against a Republican when he donated to Watson, as Sewell's implies. As for Sewell, we found no that he has contributed to Democrats in his own name. Still, his firm has contributed to Democrats — running against Republicans — throughout Sewell's time there. We rate Sewell's statement as .

George Allen "had 40,000 earmarks" while he was a senator.

May 4, 2011

federal budget

jamie radtke

Jamie Radtke, a Republican, was a candidate for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in 2012 and was president of the Richmond Tea Party and co-founder of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation. Radtke graduated from Liberty University, Lynchburg, in 1995 and earned a master's degree in public policy from the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, in 1998.

virginia

a TV interview

Radtke, at least three times, said that Allen "had 40,000 earmarks" during his tenure in the Senate. That suggests he actually requested those line items. Her campaign spokesman said that she means that Allen "voted for" those earmarks because that he said were included in overall appropriations bills that Allen supported. But that’s not what she said. Her statement is .

People carrying guns can't wear face masks to protect against the coronavirus because it's a "class 4 felony.

July 2, 2020

facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

illinois

a meme

A Facebook post says wearing a face mask while carrying a firearm in public is a class four felony. There is no federal law that bans carrying a concealed weapon while wearing a mask. There is a law against being "hooded, robed or masked" while carrying a gun in Illinois, but the Illinois State Police said the state’s COVID-19 mask requirements do not require law enforcement to arrest lawful concealed-weapon permit holders. We rate it .

The U.S. military "is in 130 countries. We have 900 bases around the world.

September 12, 2011

federal budget;foreign policy;military

ron paul

Ron Paul, a Texas physician, served two stints in the U.S. House. He also was the Libertarian Party nominee for president in 1988 before later seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2012. He didn't seek re-election to the House in 2012.

national

Tampa

Given the incomplete figures available from the Pentagon, Paul’s topline figures -- 130 nations, 900 bases -- are plausible when active military operations are included. "My eyebrows were raised many times" during the debate, Pike said, but this comment "was not one of those times." Still, we think it’s worth pointing out that many of the personnel deployments and facilities included in Paul’s number are fairly minimal in nature. On balance, we rate Paul’s statement .  

Palin had "executive experience" in the PTA.

August 31, 2008

candidate biography

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

This was her window into public service." We agree PTA can be hard, important and often thankless work. And principals often credit parental involvement in PTA as crucial to the success of schools. But since it does not appear that Palin served as an officer in PTA (though we acknowledge it's possible she did and folks just won't say) we think it's to count that as executive experience. Without any to support McCain's statement, we rate this one .  

Due to differing lockdown orders, New York has more COVID-19 cases, deaths, hospitalizations and job losses than Florida, and New York also lags on vaccinations.

February 11, 2021

corrections and updates;economy;public health;facebook fact-checks;new york;coronavirus

instagram posts

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

florida

an Instagram post

An Instagram post says New York’s lockdown measures led to more death and economic destruction while Florida’s more open approach led to less. The post overstates the correlation between the numbers and lockdown rules. It leaves out important factors, including environment and public health initiatives, and ignores that the two states collect and report data differently. Most significantly, it ignores that New York City was the epicenter of the nation’s first wave, before doctors had the equipment, therapeutics and experience needed to fight the new disease. States like Florida were able to learn and benefit from New York’s experience. We rate this . Correction, March 5, 2021: A subhead in this story has been updated to more precisely describe New York's position as one of the nation's earliest and hardest hit states in the COVID-19 pandemic.

If your body's pH is alkaline, you cannot get cancer. And if you have cancer, it goes away.

August 13, 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.

a Facebook post

Healthy people can’t change their body pH."  If the statement in the Facebook post were , Brockton said, "cancer would go away. It wouldn’t exist for anyone. "  Unfortunately, that’s not so.  We rate this .

Says Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani "was a designated terrorist by President Obama, who didn't do anything about it.

January 14, 2020

iran;terrorism

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 campaign speech

Trump said Soleimani "was a designated terrorist by President Obama, who didn't do anything about it." The Obama administration did designate Soleimani as a terrorist. The designation did not mean he was being targeted to be killed, as Trump ultimately targeted him.  Obama’s designation did put some restrictions on Soleimani’s ability to travel and conduct financial transactions and, according to experts, was part of a U.S. effort to pressure Iran to change its ways on terrorism. But the terrorist attacks that the United States blamed on Soleimani continued, and Obama did not take action against Soleimani beyond the designations. For a statement that is accurate but needs clarification, our rating is .

Cuomo ended cash bail ... and now the crime rate has gone through the roof.

August 20, 2020

criminal justice;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.

new york

a speech

Trump said that Cuomo "ended cash bail" and now the crime rate has gone up. The White House offered no in support of this .  Cuomo signed changes to cash bail into law, but many violent felonies and other crimes, such as sex offenses, are still eligible for bail.   In New York City, some violent crimes have increased, but not all violent crimes.  Crime researchers we spoke with said that more analysis is needed to determine whether the changes to cash bail have led to any increase in crime, but there is not strong suggesting that. In fact, preliminary analyses do not support Trump's .  We rate Trump’s .

A vast majority of the production in the United States comes from small independent oil and gas companies.

April 27, 2011

corporations;energy

dan boren

Dan Boren is a Democrat who represents a district in Oklahoma in the U.S. House of Representatives.

national

an interview on Fox News

Both companies are small compared to, say, ExxonMobil Corp ($105 billion in revenues, $9.3 billion in net income for 2010), but they’re hardly run out of someone’s basement. So we think the suggestion that those companies qualify as "small independent oil and gas companies" is . Ultimately, Boren makes a valid point that a majority of U.S. oil production comes not from the biggest multinational oil companies but from independent firms. Still, it’s not a "vast majority," as he said, and some of the firms in the "independent" category -- including the two he cited by name -- are hardly what most people would consider "small." On balance, we rate Boren’s statement .

Nearly half of all persons under 30 did not go to work today.

January 24, 2012

economy;jobs

mitch daniels

Mitch Daniels served as director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush and is now the governor of Indiana.  

national

a Republican response to the State of the Union address

We suppose in a narrow sense, Daniels has a point that "nearly half of all persons under 30 did not go to work today." But that’s because the number includes many people who have no desire to work -- for instance, full-time high school or college students, stay-at-home parents or others who are unable to work. We can understand the concern about the nation’s current high level of unemployment, particularly among youth. Americans age 16 to 19 have an unemployment rate of 23.1 percent, and those who are 20 to 24 have a rate of 14.4 percent -- both well above the 8.5 percent for all age groups, which is itself elevated from historical averages. Still, the statistic Daniels chose to document this one is a wildly one. We rate it . UPDATE : After we published our story, a spokeswoman for Gov. Daniels replied to our query. She said that "the employment-to-population ratio, which captures the number of people working as a percent of the population, is an important indicator of economic activity and the health of the society. For the 16-to-29-year-old cohort, the ratio peaked at 68.2 percent in 1989 and declined by 7.5 percentage points over the next 19 years, reaching 60.7 percent in 2008. The EPOP was 55.2 percent for 2011. So the nearly half -- 44.8% -- is correct. I would not agree that only those captured as unemployed in the unemployment rate are of concern. The total number of people actually working is important. Of course the governor wants students to pursue post-secondary education and has pursued ways to make it easier for them to do so during his tenure as governor." We stand by our original ruling.  

New tapes" of Nancy Pelosi show that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol "was all planned.

June 3, 2023

facebook fact-checks;jan. 6

benny johnson

Benny Johnson, a conservative activist, is chief creative officer of Turning Point USA.

a Facebook post

A Facebook post claimed "new tapes" of Nancy Pelosi show Jan. 6 "was all planned." Newly released security camera footage captured on Jan. 6, 2021, shows Nancy Pelosi being filmed by her daughter, documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi, during the Capitol attack. The footage does not prove the attack was scripted or planned, and we found no credible to support that . The attack was real; it caused millions of dollars in damage and prompted hundreds of arrests.  We rate these claims . RELATED: Who is John Solomon? Here’s what we know about the journalist whose stories shaped the Ukraine saga RELATED: The Jan. 6 Capitol attack: A year of debunking narratives RELATED: Video footage of Pelosi and Schumer on Jan. 6 doesn’t prove the Capitol attack was a setup

J.D. Vance profits off Russia propaganda.

May 10, 2022

candidate biography;technology

tim ryan

Tim Ryan is a representative of Ohio’s 13th Congressional District. Ryan served the state’s 17th Congressional District from 2003 until 2013, when he assumed office to represent the 13th District. In 2019, he ran for the Democratic nomination for president. In 2022, he is running for an Ohio U.S. Senate seat.

ohio

an attack ad

Ryan said, "Vance profits off Russia propaganda." Ryan’s is based on Vance’s investment in Rumble, the platform where RT posts its videos. RT amplifies Kremlin messaging, and in the past two and a half months, RT has produced nearly 2 million views on Rumble. More views mean more advertising revenues for Rumble, and RT’s presence adds value to Vance’s investment. But other programs on Rumble attract many more viewers, and the details on Vance’s investment in the company are not public. Rumble’s CEO earlier this year ​​said the company has yet to turn a profit. With that caveat in mind, we rate this .

Days after the (Osama bin Laden) raid, Hollywood was invited into the White House so that they could receive a briefing" that revealed intelligence sources and methods.

August 15, 2012

foreign policy;message machine 2012;military;terrorism

special operations opsec education fund

A group of former special forces and CIA officers who oppose release of classified information.

national

a Web video

The Web video by the group Special Operations OPSEC says "Days after the (Osama bin Laden) raid, Hollywood was invited into the White House so that they could receive a briefing" that revealed intelligence sources and methods. There is an element of to the because the producers did indeed visit the White House, met with national security officials and clearly got some cooperation from top brass at the Pentagon and CIA.  However, we find no for the main point of the , that the Obama administration engineered this and revealed intelligence sources and sensitive methods. We rate the .

Barack Obama "extended health care for wounded troops who'd been neglected.

June 12, 2008

military

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

So in fairness, this was a tweak to previous legislation. If Obama had said he had helped extend health care for wounded veterans who'd been neglected, we would have given him a better rating. But he phrased his accomplishment to take more of the credit than that. Missing the vote on the 2008 bill does not help his case. For all of these reasons, we find his statement .

Wikileaks also shows how John Podesta rigged the polls by oversampling Democrats, a voter suppression technique.

October 24, 2016

polls and public opinion

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

Florida

Trump said, "Wikileaks also shows how John Podesta rigged the polls by oversampling Democrats, a voter suppression technique." A leaked email shows the Clinton campaign of 2008 consulted data firm that suggest oversampling in what is likely internal polling. The term refers to a common technique used by pollsters to analyze demographics groups more precisely than possible in a random sample. We rate Trump’s . https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/a2406c00-0c22-4ea9-80cf-47ef7e301b30

In her first appellate argument, Ms. Kagan told the court that the speech and press guarantees in the First Amendment would allow the federal government to ban the publication of pamphlets discussing political issues before an election.

June 28, 2010

campaign finance;elections;kagan nomination

jeff sessions

Jeff Sessions is President Donald Trump's Attorney General. He was previously a U.S. Senator from Alabama.  

national

the Kagan confirmation hearing

But again, that's in the context of pamphlets paid for directly by corporations or labor unions making independent expenditures (not through their PAC) for a pamphlet advocating for a specific candidate within the last months of an election. That's an awful lot of limiting context left out. And the point is further muddled by using the example of Paine's Common Sense . It's not at all clear that that pamphlet would have fallen under the regulation of the McCain-Feingold Act. And so we rate Sessions' comment .

Florida is enjoying its lowest crime rate in 39 years.

September 1, 2010

crime

charlie crist

Charlie Crist lost the race for Florida governor as the Democratic candidate in 2022. He served as a U.S. congressman from St. Petersburg since 2017 and resigned Aug. 31, 2022 to focus on his campaign.  As a Republican, Crist served as governor from 2007 to 2011. Crist left the Republican Party in 2010 to mount a campaign for the U.S. Senate as an independent. Crist lost the race to Marco Rubio. In 2012, he endorsed President Barack Obama and announced that he had registered as a Democrat. He lost his race as a Democratic candidate for governor in 2014.

florida

a campaign website

Kenney said it's possible to argue that the auditing procedures today are better than in the past but still "yes they can cheat." So how does Crist's stack up? He's right on the math that the state's crime rate in 2009 was lower than it was in 1971. But Crist omits that it had dropped below the 1971 rate before he became governor and that the rate went up his first two years in office. So for that omission, we rate this .

We've created more jobs in the first eight months of my administration than any president in American history — total number of jobs created.

October 21, 2021

economy;jobs

joe biden

Joe Biden is the president of the United States. A Democrat, Biden served as a Delaware senator from 1973 (elected at the age of 29) until 2009. During his time in the Senate, he served as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, chair of the International Narcotics Control Caucus and chair of the Judiciary Committee. He subsequently served as Barack Obama’s vice president from 2009 to 2016. Biden launched unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 1988 and 2008. He received a degree in history and political science from the University of Delaware and his J.D. from Syracuse School of Law. 

Baltimore

Biden said, "We’ve created more jobs in the first eight months of my administration than any president in American history — total number of jobs created." The raw numbers support Biden’s , but the talking point glosses over the reality that the U.S. economy remains about 5 million jobs under its pre-pandemic peak. It also ignores that adjusting for population growth would have made Carter first, rather than Biden. In addition, comparing presidents as Biden did is highly sensitive to the economic conditions around the time of their inauguration. We rate the statement .

Democrats have accomplished a lot in just 2 months ... 1 Million energy jobs destroyed.

March 14, 2021

climate change;energy;jobs;california

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

an interview on Fox News

McCarthy said in the past two months, Democrats led by Biden have "destroyed 1 million energy jobs." The 1 million figure matches a number from an American Petroleum Institute report, but that report assumed all new oil and gas development on federal property would cease, while the Biden policy affects only new leasing. And the projected job losses were across the entire economy — not solely in energy. McCarthy spoke as if the jobs were actually lost in the past two months, but the figure came from a projection, which might never come to pass. We rate this .

Joe Biden's attorney general wants the FBI to go after parents for speaking out at school board meetings to protect kids from radical curriculum like critical race theory.

October 5, 2021

criminal justice;education;race and ethnicity;florida

rick scott

Rick Scott, a wealthy Florida businessman, was first elected Florida's 45th governor on Nov. 2, 2010 and re-elected Nov. 4, 2014. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018 and is running for re-election in 2024.

national

a tweet

Scott said that "Joe Biden’s attorney general wants the FBI to go after parents for speaking out at school board meetings to protect kids from radical curriculum like critical race theory." Attorney General Garland specifically said that "spirited debate" is protected. His memo targeted threats that go beyond passionate speech, and said nothing about critical race theory. The line between sincere debate and words that intimidate isn’t always clear, and there is a concern that officials might apply an overly broad interpretation. In the past, courts have ruled against that sort of loose approach to defining what constitutes a threat. Nothing in Garland’s memo says that is part of the plan. We rate this .

COVID19 PCR tests are scientifically meaningless.

June 27, 2020

public health;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

an article

RELATED: Coronavirus testing: What we know, all in one place There are legitimate questions about the accuracy of diagnostic COVID-19 tests, particularly for people who are not experiencing symptoms. There have been several cases of tests producing the results, and some experts are concerned about -negatives. But OffGuardian’s about PCR tests is and . We rate it !

The best evidence is that you lose -- if you use marijuana as a teenager regularly -- eight IQ points.

July 27, 2014

punditfact;marijuana

ruth marcus

Ruth Marcus is a columnist for the Washington Post.

comments on NBC's "Meet the Press"

Marcus said the best shows that teenagers who start smoking marijuana will lose eight IQ points. This overstates the actual underlying report. It would be more accurate to say the study showed a higher risk of losing that many points on an IQ test, not that a person necessarily would. More fundamentally, an equally reputable analysis found that IQ loss could be tied to household incomes as much as marijuana use. Clearly, a scientific consensus has yet to emerge, and Marcus ignored the ongoing debate. We rate the .

Mask mandates on children lead to learning loss that harms early childhood development.

December 21, 2021

children;public health;coronavirus

scott fitzgerald

Scott Fitzgerald is a U.S. Representative, R-Wisconsin, for the state's 5th Congressional District. He took office in 2021. He previously served as the state's Senate Majority Leader. He was first elected as state senator in 1994.

wisconsin

Twitter

Fitzgerald claimed that "mask mandates on children lead to learning loss that harms early childhood development."  But the article he and his colleagues cited is an opinion piece, not based on a study. In addition, it came out before other formal studies were completed that showed a different view.  The CDC says limited available data indicates "no clear that masking impairs emotional or language development in children." For a statement that contains an element of but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression, our rating is .    

Says the Texas General Land Office led by George P. Bush has repaired just two homes since Hurricane Harvey.

December 8, 2017

housing;natural disasters

jerry patterson

Jerry Patterson, who won election to three terms as state land commissioner starting in 2002, filed to seek the post afresh in the 2018 elections. The former state senator from Pasadena unsuccessfully sought the 2014 Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.

texas

an interview with Austin American-Statesman commentator Ken Herman

Patterson said that since Hurricane Harvey, the agency helmed by Bush has done just two home repairs. Patterson’s figure, confirmed by GLO, was accurate. However, this leaves out ample significant information such as FEMA’s overriding control of the complicated DALHR program, which isn't open to every homeowner and only funds partial repairs. Notably too, additional  homes were poised to qualify for or get repairs through DALHR at the time that Patterson spoke. We rate this statement . – 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.

This is Tara Reade" in a photo with Joe Biden.

May 1, 2020

candidate biography

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 tweet

The AP photo caption says: "Attorney General-designate Zoe Baird meets with Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Biden will chair the committee during Baird’s confirmation hearings." Baird ultimately withdrew her nomination after losing support because she hired two undocumented immigrants to help take care of her child.  Politico reported that Biden told the White House Baird was "dead-on-arrival after failing to pay Social Security taxes on her nanny." We rate these tweets about the photo .

Chinese tire imports threatened 1,000 American jobs, so President Obama "stood up to China and protected American workers. Mitt Romney attacked Obama's decision.

September 17, 2012

china;message machine 2012;trade

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

Obama’s ad is accurate in stating that the president imposed trade sanctions against China in an effort to protect American workers and "Mitt Romney attacked Obama's decision." But did the tariffs work? That’s less clear. Romney said the result was "bad for our workers," and there are studies that back him up. Even with tire-making jobs that were saved, one analysis found that the higher price of tires depressed spending on other retail, and ultimately led to a loss in retail jobs. The statement in the ad is accurate, but it needs additional information about the tire tariff’s effect. We rate it .

A European study has found COVID vaccines could be causing 'long-term brain damage.'

May 14, 2023

public health;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

tiktok posts

Posts on the video-sharing platform TikTok.

an Instagram post

The study found that the presence in the brain of the virus’ spike protein suggests that it "may contribute to long-term neurological symptoms." One of the study’s co-authors, Dr. Ali Ertürk, told The Associated Press: "We have done zero experiments using vaccine, and we have shown and zero side effects of the vaccine." We rate the that "a European study has found COVID vaccines could be causing ‘long-term brain damage’" .  RELATED: No, brain aneurysms are not a ‘common’ side effect of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines RELATED: There’s no linking COVID-19 vaccine to these athletes’ strokes, blood clots RELATED: No Justin Bieber’s facial paralysis caused by COVID-19 vaccine

Says his sons were "targeted" on Facebook "by out-of-state protesters.

March 31, 2012

children;families;privacy issues

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

State court records list Kristan with Wisconsin addresses dating back to 2003 and as recently as February 2012 . They also show he was convicted of misdemeanor disorderly conduct after pouring a beer on state Rep. Robin Vos , R-Rochester, in a Madison bar in September 2011. Our rating Walker said his sons were "targeted" on Facebook "by out-of-state protesters." A protester posted two critical messages on Facebook, one directed at Matt Walker and one at Alex Walker, but the protester is from Wisconsin. We rate Walker's statement .

Says Donald Trump "has the gall to say that prisoners of war like John McCain aren't heroes.

June 2, 2016

military;veterans

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

California

Clinton accused Trump in a speech Thursday of having "the gall to say that prisoners of war like John McCain aren’t heroes." In one sense, she has a point. Trump did in fact say that John McCain is not a hero despite his POW record, although Trump has since taken those comments back and called McCain a hero. However, Clinton’s speech was intended to more broadly attack Trump’s national security credentials, yet Trump has never made the general statement that POWs are not heroes, even if his McCain-specific comments did insinuate it. In fact, he has insisted to the contrary on multiple occasions. We rate this statement . https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/ab56e161-1120-4a75-b37a-cb955b2cc526

Indiana has purged no less than 20,000 voters in violation of a federal court order.

October 9, 2018

elections;facebook fact-checks

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

blog post

Palast said, "Indiana has purged no less than 20,000 voters in violation of a federal court order." Using data from the Indiana Office of Secretary of State, Palast found that roughly 20,000 Indiana voters were removed from the voting rolls in 2017 after their names matched an entry in the Crosscheck database. However, there is no those removals violated a federal court order. The court order blocked a law from going into effect that would have used only the database to kick voters off the rolls. The voters Palast identified were first sent mailers and were given two federal election cycles to respond. That process has not yet been found illegal by any court. We rate this statement .

Says Hillary Clinton will receive her "congressional salary until she dies" and the Secret Service pays her mortgage.

April 6, 2015

candidate biography

chain email

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

national

a chain email

A chain email said Hillary Clinton will receive her "congressional salary until she dies" and that the Secret Service pays her mortgage. Actually, a pension for a member of Congress cannot exceed 80 percent of the member’s last salary, according to law. Using federal employee retirement system formulas, Clinton’s retirement pension would likely work out to be about 25 percent of her congressional salary, about $41,000 a year. And while the Clintons are eligible to receive rent payments from the Secret Service -- who need space to operate at the Clintons’ house -- the rent amount would not have covered their mortgage payments. In any case, the Clintons do not accept these rent payments. We rate these claims .

Switzerland (where the government) issues every household a gun . . . has the lowest gun related crime rate of any civilized country in the world!!!

December 16, 2012

crime;government regulation;military;regulation;guns

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

rhode island

a Facebook posting

A Facebook posting, which has been shared more than 187,000 times, said, "Switzerland has the lowest gun related crime rate of any civilized country in the world." But Killias, a Swiss researcher, told us, "The way Switzerland is being depicted in some [accounts] is ." To say that the country has the lowest gun related crime rate is not for homicide, according to the few studies of crime in various countries that includes data on gun use. It's also not that Switzerland has the lowest crime rate, whether or not guns are involved. And survey data show that when a crime such as robbery or assault is committed, the likelihood of a gun being involved is lower in several countries than it is in Switzerland. In short, this appears to be completely fabricated. We rate it ! (If you have a you’d like PolitiFact Rhode Island to check, e-mail us at [email protected] And follow us on Twitter: @politifactri.)

Virginia now has the most liberal abortion laws in the world.

July 9, 2022

abortion

dave larock

Del. Dave LaRock, R-Loudoun County, was first elected to Virginia's House of Delegates in 2013. He has attracted attention for his anti-abortion, anti-gender identity stands. He was born in Oswego, N.Y. and attended the State University of New York at Canton. LaRock works as a general contractor.

virginia

a speech

LaRock’s has a point, however. Virginia’s abortion laws are among the most lenient in the world. We couldn’t find another nation that allows abortions on demand beyond Virginia’s two-trimester limit.  LaRock acknowledges his error. We rate his statement .  

82% of Americans...would experience a tax increase if Biden were elected.

September 9, 2020

economy;taxes

bob good

Bob Good is the 2020 Republican nominee for Virginia's 5th Congressional District seat. A self-described biblical conservative, Good is a former associate athletic director at Liberty University, and served a term on the Campbell County's Board of Supervisors. Good defeated incumbent Rep. Denver Riggleman at a convention in June 2020 to win the 5th District's GOP nominaion. He is opposed in the general election by Democrat Cameron Webb, a Charlottesville physician. Webb graduated from Liberty in 1988 with a degree in finance.

virginia

a debate

Good said "82% of Americans...would experience a tax increase if Biden were elected."  Good inaccurately described an analysis from the Penn Wharton Budget Model. The 82% is a calculation made using the model’s estimates that represents the percentage of people whose after-tax incomes would change under Biden’s plan. But there’s a difference between a tax increase and the share of corporate tax increases borne by individual taxpayers in the form or lower investment returns or incomes. Biden has pledged not to directly raise taxes on people earning less than $400,000 per year.  Some Biden tax credits not included in Penn Wharton analysis could potentially offset some of the indirect hits posed to lower earners as a result of Biden’s proposed corporate tax hike. We rate Good’s statement .  

Numerous studies have shown that these so-called right-to-work laws do not generate jobs and economic growth.

July 8, 2011

jobs;unions

sheila oliver

Sheila Oliver is the speaker of the New Jersey Assembly. A Democrat, Oliver represents parts of Essex and Passaic counties.

new jersey

a press release from Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex)

According to different studies and economic experts, the is mixed that right-to-work laws spur job growth. Right-to-work states have seen greater job increases, but one economist pointed out that such a dynamic doesn’t prove right-to-work laws were the cause. Another professor who believes job growth results from right-to-work laws acknowledged that many other factors also could be responsible. We rate Oliver’s statement . To comment on this ruling, go to NJ.com .

Illegal crossings at our southern border have been cut by over 40 percent.

April 25, 2018

immigration;criminal justice;legal issues

mike pence

Mike Pence is the former vice president of the United States. A Republican, Pence was elected governor of Indiana in 2012. Pence previously served for 12 years as a congressman from Indiana representing the Sixth Congressional District; he was first elected in 2000. During his time in the U.S. House of Represenatives, he served as House Republican Conference chairman and chairman of the House Republican Study Committee. Pence was born in Columbus, Ind. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1981 from Hanover College and a law degree in 1986 from Indiana University. After accepting Donald Trump's offer to be running mate, Pence ended his 2016 campaign to be re-elected as Indiana governor. 

wisconsin

a speech

And from March to April, there was an increase of about 2.3 percent. Our rating Pence said "Illegal crossings at our southern border have been cut by over 40 percent." The most recent official fiscal year numbers show a much smaller drop of about 26 percent. And the latest month-to-month numbers show an increase, not a decrease in apprehensions. We rate Pence’s .

President Joe Biden said, "To the Ukrainian people, I say to them all, you might you might they they might be able to make right and they're not able to.

December 22, 2022

facebook fact-checks;ukraine

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

In one such case , he stumbled over the words "I’m eager" and some social media users accused him of saying a racial slur.  The edited video in this Instagram post gives an incomplete and version of Biden’s speech.    We rate it .   RELATED: ‘Cheap fakes’: Viral videos keep clipping Biden’s words out of context

There were two shooters in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting.

October 17, 2022

facebook fact-checks;guns

instagram posts

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

nevada

an Instagram post

"The light and the gunshot sounds do not match" in that video and another that circulated at the time," the Times said. "And further, footage taken before and after the shooting shows that the light consistently flashed through the night. "   The light’s visible in this video posted on Instagram that was taken during a performance by country music duo Big and Rich, two hours before the shooting started.  We rate claims that there was a second gunman in the Las Vegas mass shooting . 

We spend more money on health care per capita in the United States than any other country in the world. Of the 30 developed countries in the world, we spend 2 1/2 times more than the average. Of the country that spends the second most per capita, Switzerland, we spend 175 percent more.

August 25, 2010

health care

david dewhurst

David Dewhurst, the former state land commissioner, was initially elected lieutenant governor of Texas in 2002. He lost his 2012 bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate and lost his bid for re-nomination in 2014.

texas

an editorial board meeting with the Austin American-Statesman

PolitiFact.com in Washington covered similar ground in March when it rated former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's statement that "the lifespan of the average American is less than that of people in nations that spend far less" on health care. "To put it bluntly, we spend more and die sooner," Romney said. Recap: As far as we can tell — and keeping in mind that Dewhurst didn't respond to our queries for backup — he was spot-on in saying the United States spends more money on health care per capita than the rest of the world, and he's right that we spend two-and-a-half times more than the average cost of all the OECD countries. He erred in his Switzerland comparison. We rate his statement as .

Says James Madison "signed the Declaration of Independence.

August 26, 2020

history

madison cawthorn

Madison Cawthorn is a Republican candidate for Congress in North Carolina's 11th District, located in the western part of the state. His opponent is Democrat Moe Davis. Cawthorn spoke at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte on Aug. 26, 2020.

north carolina

a speech at the RNC

He was 23 when he first ran for office in 1832, according to the Library of Congress . He finished eighth in a field of 13 candidates seeking a seat in the Illinois General Assembly, the NPS says. He was elected two years later. In a speech urging viewers to know American history, Cawthorn’s about Madison stands out. We rate Cawthorn’s .

Hollywood is #1 in Broward homicides in 2013. Thanks Chief Fernandez!

April 15, 2014

city government;crime

broward county police benevolent association

The Broward County Police Benevolent Association is the union that represents police officers and deputies including the Hollywood police and the Broward Sheriff's Office.

florida

a billboard

The police union’s billboard states, "Hollywood is #1 in Broward homicides in 2013. Thanks Chief Fernandez!" Hollywood had 16 homicides in 2013, and we could not find any city that had any more homicides than Hollywood. While the number is correct, the union cherry-picked crime statistics to find one that puts the city in the worst light. At this point, we have no idea if the number is part of a trend or an aberration. We also know that overall, crime decreased. The billboard places the blame on Chief Fernandez, but criminologists say the chief can’t be blamed for the number of murders, especially when it is such a small number. We rate this .

You have literally 140 people dying every day of opioid-related overdoses.

November 25, 2019

drugs;public health

eric schmitt

Eric Schmitt was sworn in as the 43rd Attorney General for the State of Missouri on Jan. 3, 2019.  He previously served as a state senator and as the state treasurer of Missouri.

missouri

a roundtable

"You have literally 140 people dying every day of opioid-related overdoses," Attorney General Eric Schmitt said at a public discussion about the opioid epidemic. The most recent data available from 2017 indicates that it’s actually about 130 people who die every day from overdoses involving opioids. Schmitt was off by only about 10 deaths. For this reason, we rate this  .

Says Kamala Harris oversaw a police department that was "abusing people's rights" and that she did not "disclose to defense attorneys" when there was exculpatory evidence: "She didn't do that. She never did it. And so, what happened? Along came a federal judge and said enough, enough, and he freed 1,000 of these people.

July 31, 2019

criminal justice;debates

joe biden

Joe Biden is the president of the United States. A Democrat, Biden served as a Delaware senator from 1973 (elected at the age of 29) until 2009. During his time in the Senate, he served as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, chair of the International Narcotics Control Caucus and chair of the Judiciary Committee. He subsequently served as Barack Obama’s vice president from 2009 to 2016. Biden launched unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 1988 and 2008. He received a degree in history and political science from the University of Delaware and his J.D. from Syracuse School of Law. 

national

a Democratic presidential primary debate

Biden said Harris oversaw a police department that was "abusing people’s rights" and did not "disclose to defense attorneys" when there was exculpatory : "She didn't do that. She never did it. And so, what happened? Along came a federal judge and said enough, enough, and he freed 1,000 of these people." According to the Wall Street Journal, Harris rejected staff recommendations urging her to adopt a "Brady policy" in 2005, and that lack of action backfired in 2010 when a scandal broke out and roughly 1,000 drug cases had to be dropped or dismissed. Harris later added such a policy. Overall, Biden’s statement is largely accurate but needs a few clarifications, including that there were 1,000 cases dismissed or dropped, not 1,000 prisoners freed.  We rate this statement .

I see no time in the history of this country when perfectly healthy people have been basically confined to their homes or only able to do essential things as in Kansas City or St. Louis.

March 22, 2020

public health;coronavirus

cindy o’laughlin

Cindy O’Laughlin is a Republican member of the Missouri state Senate.

missouri

a Facebook post

O’Laughlin said in a Facebook post: "I see no time in the history of this country when perfectly healthy people have been basically confined to their homes or only able to do essential things as in Kansas City or St. Louis." Many cities during the Spanish flu outbreak enacted similar restrictions. And in Missouri, based on St. Louis’ efforts to combat the 1918 flu pandemic, we can safely say that this "time in history" did occur. People were restricted on what they could do. Public gatherings were prohibited. Closed or canceled non-essential businesses, in-person churches and sports events also occurred then and now. We rate O’Laughlin’s statement .

Obama creates new tax on Christmas trees, fees get passed on to consumers.

November 9, 2011

agriculture;taxes

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

oregon

tweet and blogs

Sources appear split on whether this truly is a tax and whether the cost would be passed along to consumers. As for the that Obama created this new tax, that suggests that he came up with the program -- when it’s clear the idea preceded his presidency and originated with the industry. Those are pretty big facts to ignore. So we rate the : The statement contains an element of but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. Return to OregonLive to comment on this ruling.

Says George Norcross said the "TAKEOVER OF RUTGER$ CAMDEN WILL COST NEW JER$EY BILLION$.

April 15, 2012

education

r2rmerge

R2RMerge is a student movement from Rutgers University-Camden. The group opposes the planned merger of Rutgers-Camden with Rowan University.

new jersey

a flier

A flier distributed by the student group R2RMerge claims Norcross said during a February radio interview that the takeover of Rutgers-Camden will cost New Jersey billions. A cost estimate for the merger has not been stated publicly. During the interview Norcross said efforts to restructure higher education in New Jersey and boost the state’s national ranking for investment in higher education is "going to involve the voters of this state approving multibillion-dollar bond issues and southern New Jersey, undoubtedly, would receive its fair share of capital dollars, which historically it has not." Norcross’s comments referred to overall restructuring and investment in higher education, not folding Rutgers-Camden into Rowan University. We rate the . To comment on this ruling, go to NJ.com .

New Mexico was 46th in teacher pay (when he was elected), now we're 29th.

May 10, 2007

education

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

a TV ad

Richardson led a successful effort to raise teacher pay, but we cannot give him a fully truthful ruling because he neglects to mention that he is mixing rankings from two sources. The ranking of 46th is from the 2002-03 National Education Association survey of teacher pay. The newest NEA ranking, with 2004-05 statistics, only shows New Mexico has climbed to 40th. The New Mexico chapter of the NEA did its own estimate and concluded that the state now ranks 29th in teacher pay, but the local NEA chapter is run by Charles Bowyer, who identifies himself as a longtime Richardson supporter.