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Three courts have found the new health care law constitutional and two have found it unconstitutional.

April 1, 2011

health care;legal issues

james roosevelt

James Roosevelt Jr. is the chief executive officer of Tufts Health Plan.

rhode island

a segment of WPRI's Newsmakers program

The new law, she said, was a constitutionally acceptable way to stabilize the price of health insurance. Kessler, in granting the government's motion to dismiss the lawsuit, rejected the religious arguments, saying the purchase requirement would be an insignificant affront to their religious beliefs. So the score is three rulings upholding the law, two finding it unconstitutional. For now. We rate Roosevelt's   .

A 0.05 standard for drunken driving means having a glass of wine at dinner could make a person drunk.

May 14, 2013

alcohol;criminal justice;crime;public safety;transportation

tavern league of wisconsin

The Tavern League of Wisconsin describes itself as "a non-profit trade association dedicated to serving the needs of the retail beverage alcohol segment of the hospitality industry."

wisconsin

an interview

Most people would not reach 0.05 after one drink, she said. Our rating The Tavern League of Wisconsin said a proposal to make 0.05 the standard for drunken driving would mean that having a glass of wine at dinner could make a person drunk. The statement is accurate, in that it’s possible an individual could reach 0.05 after one drink. But it needs additional information, namely that the situation would apply only in a small number of instances and would depend on other factors, such as drinking on an empty stomach. We rate the statement .

Says Scott Walker "eliminated his own office of economic development in the middle of this recession.

October 12, 2010

jobs;message machine 2010

tom barrett

Tom Barrett served as the 44th mayor of Milwaukee from 2004 until 2021. The mayoral position is non-partisan. A member of the Democratic Party, he was previously elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly (1984–1989), Wisconsin Senate (1989–1993) and U.S. House of Representatives (1993–2003). Barrett lost bids for governor in 2002, 2010 and in the 2012 recall race against Gov. Scott Walker. He was sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg on Dec. 23, 2021.

wisconsin

a campaign TV ad

So, let’s return to the job -- and -- at hand. To draw a contrast on the critical issue of jobs, Tom Barrett says Scott Walker shut down his economic development office in the midst of a recession. The office did disappear, but in less than a year Walker was already trying to reinstate it -- though the County Board sliced back his plans. While the Barrett TV ad leaves the impression the county’s department was large, economic development has never been a major priority or function of the county. We rate Barrett’s .

Says Donald Trump "said illegal immigration has been a problem in America for 'thousands of years.'

January 6, 2019

immigration;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

And I hate to tell you that, because of the Internet, it’s worse than ever before. Human trafficking — it’s a horrible thing." Though Trump did say "thousands of years"—or, later, "a thousand years or more"—while talking about border security, it was to lend historical context to the broader problem of human trafficking. While Trump's stream-of-consciousness manner of speaking does sometimes leave room for interpretation, actual transcripts show he did not suggest the United States itself is thousands of years old, or that illegal immigration has been a problem here for that long. We rate this .  

There is little if any evidence that the use of red light cameras in New Jersey has reduced the number or severity of accidents at the intersections where they are used.

May 14, 2012

transportation

michael doherty

Michael Doherty is a Republican state Senator representing parts of Warren, Somerset and Hunterdon counties. He previously served in the state Assembly from 2002 to 2009.

new jersey

a news release

Doherty claimed, "There is little if any that the use of red light cameras in New Jersey has reduced the number or severity of accidents at the intersections where they are used." A state DOT report showed some decreases in certain types of crashes and the costs of damages, but emphasized that the data collected through June 1, 2011 is too small to make definitive decisions about the cameras’ effectiveness. We rate Doherty’s statement . To comment on this story, go to NJ.com .

Tax rates were significantly higher "in the '40s, the '50s, and the '60s.

April 30, 2008

taxes

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

South Bend, Ind

Today that would be $174,450, taxed at 33 percent. The 1963 rates are higher than today's rates. It's that the tax code is substantially different today, with many credits and rules that didn't exist then. But on the question of income tax rates, we find that Hillary Clinton has her history right. We rate her statement .

Says "a pack-a-day smoker who quits because of the tax increase will save about $1,650 a year.

April 4, 2013

public health;taxes

nancy nathanson

Nancy Nathanson represents District 13, which covers Eugene, in the Oregon House. She is a Democrat.

oregon

a House floor speech

There, you could get a pack for anywhere between $4.98 and $6.25. A carton of Marlboro reds came in at $50 for 10 packs, which seemed about right. The ruling: Nathanson said that a pack-a-day smoker would save $1,650 a year. Her numbers were based on a report from the Multnomah County Health Department, but it turns out that’s a pretty conservative estimate, at least for Portland. Still, her point is that quitting will save a hefty chunk of change and we rate that .

The Democrat-backed health care reform plan "will require (Americans) to subsidize abortion with their hard-earned tax dollars.

July 23, 2009

abortion;health care;taxes

john boehner

John Boehner of Ohio is the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was formerly the Republican minority leader from 2007-2011, and was the majority leader briefly prior to that.

national

an op-ed for National Review

The fact that several versions of the health care reform bill are floating around Congress makes it difficult to say with certainty what the final plan will or will not include. But while it appears likely the plan would allow for the coverage of abortions, we don't see anything in the plans that would require taxpayers to foot the bill for that. In fact, in a key version of the bill — the one passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee — members went to great pains to include an amendment to ensure that federal money is not used for abortion coverage. Again, things could change as the health reform package works its way through Congress, but for now, we don't see anything to support Boehner's that taxpayers would subsidize abortions. And so we rule his statement .

When Sarah Palin was in government, Barack Obama was a community organizer.

August 30, 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

Pittsburgh, Pa.

He was elected to the Illinois legislature in 1996. When Obama talks about his days as a community organizer, he usually is referring to the work he did prior to law school, most notably organizing the community around Atgeld Gardens on the issues of asbestos removal from public housing. For McCain's statement to be , you would have to consider Obama's voter registration drive work to be community organizing — an arguable point. In addition to that, municipal elections in Wasilla in 1992 were held in the first week in October, so at most Palin had won office for a month while Obama was a community organizer by an arguable definition. Because Obama's best-known days as a community organizer were prior to his graduation from Harvard Law School, from 1985 to 1988, and during those years Palin was graduating from college and working as a sports reporter, we rule McCain's statement .

Protesters "broke into the White House.

May 30, 2020

criminal justice;crime;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

Twenty-eight windows were broken, five lamp poles were damaged, and American flags were burned by demonstrators, according to Newsweek .  "One protester was able to gain access to the Statehouse through a broken window to an office," Newsweek quotes Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Craig Cvetan as saying. "However, the protester fled back out the window before troopers could apprehend him from the interior. He was taken into custody by Columbus police when he exited the window." We rate this Facebook post .

Birmingham is officially out of gas and fuel and can't get anymore.

May 10, 2021

gas prices;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

Drivers can still get gas and fuel at the stations there, he said.  "I know for a fact that 100% of stations in Birmingham are not out of gasoline," he said, and he doesn’t expect they’ll run out because of the cyberattack unless the problem lingers. Several years ago an accident caused the pipeline to shut down in Birmingham for about a week and stations didn’t run out of gas, he said.  AL.com reported on May 10 that the cyberattack may cause prices to rise, but there was no mention of entire cities running out of fuel.  We rate this post .

Says Raz Simone "conquered" part of Seattle, handed out guns to form a paramilitary force that murdered three people, robbed the locals and walked away without being questioned.

November 15, 2021

facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a post

Two people were fatally shot in or near CHOP, not three. One of the fatal shootings was between people who had been feuding since 2019. No arrests have been made in the other shooting, but no news reports indicate that a paramilitary was suspected of being involved. Simone has not been arrested or charged with robbery or any other crimes related to CHOP. We rate this .   

Gas is under $1 in 13 states, but $2.27 in Pennsylvania, because of the governor.

May 2, 2020

gas prices;transportation;taxes;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

pennsylvania

a Facebook post

A Facebook post blamed Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf for gas prices in Pennsylvania being higher than in 13 other states, where prices had dropped recently to lower than $1 per gallon in some places, while prices in Pennsylvania were above $2 A recent survey found gas prices under $1 in 13 states.  Pennsylvania has the second-highest gas tax in the nation and gas taxes are a major reason why gas is more expensive in Pennsylvania. But large increases in Pennsylvania’s gas tax took place under a law that was adopted before Wolf was elected. And there are other reasons — distance from supply, supply disruptions, and retail competition and operating costs — that cause gas prices to vary by region. We rate the Facebook post .

Obamacare could force thousands of volunteer fire stations to cut service or close entirely!

December 10, 2013

corrections and updates;health care;public safety

generation opportunity

Generation Opportunity is a "free-thinking, liberty-loving, national organization of young people promoting the best of Being American: opportunity, creativity and freedom." It came to prominence for a series of ads targeting President Barack Obama's health care law that featured a "creepy Uncle Sam" character.

national

a Facebook post

The Facebook post said "Obamacare could force thousands of volunteer fire stations to cut service or close entirely!" "Could" is a dangerous word that allows rabble rousers to generate hysteria without being completely , but we think it’s somewhat inflated. There certainly is cause for concern, but even those looking to change the status quo see this as an exaggeration. Furthermore, it sounds like those in the know expect the issue to be resolved now that pressure is mounting. The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details. We rate it as .

Says Nancy Pelosi's "legislative aide … is from the Ukraine and is connected to the Ukrainian Embassy, the Ukrainian military, the Ukrainian government and Ukrainian party life

October 1, 2019

corrections and updates;fake news;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

A Facebook post displays an image of a woman shaking hands with Nancy Pelosi and claims that the woman, Ivanna Voronovych, is "Pelosi’s legislative aide" from the Ukraine who is connected to "the Ukrainian Embassy, the Ukrainian military, the Ukrainian government and Ukrainian party life." Ivanna Voronovych has lived in Ukraine and once served as an unpaid intern for Pelosi for a semester in 2018. But she is also a U.S. citizen and is not employed by Pelosi. Her mother, an American citizen, has also been an activist in Ukraine and previously helped deliver food and supplies to army members. This rumor wrongly suggests Voronovych, an American, is a significant influence on Pelosi, based only on Voronovych’s Ukrainian heritage and because she once held an internship in Pelosi’s office. We rate it . Update, Oct. 10, 2019: This story has been updated to reflect that a spokesperson with the U.S. Agency for International Development confirmed that Roman Woronowycz is employed there. This addition does not affect the ruling.

Foreign aid makes up about 1 percent of our entire budget.

April 13, 2011

federal budget;foreign policy

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 speech

The totals reflect both economic and military aid. So Obama was almost exactly right in saying foreign aid consumes about 1 percent of the U.S. budget. In fiscal 2008 U.S. foreign aid spending of $49.1 billion made up 1.64 percent of total spending. The next year foreign aid spending was $44.9 billion, or 1.28 percent of the total budget. We rate the president’s statement .

Says Barack Obama "is the only president to ever cut $500 billion from Medicare.

April 4, 2012

candidate biography;health care;medicare

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

a speech to the Newspaper Association of America

Romney said Obama "is the only president to ever cut $500 billion from Medicare." It wasn’t a cut, rather a reduction in future growth (the size of the Medicare program will increase dollar-wise). And other presidents have cut Medicare in the past, though you can debate whether specific changes to the program constitute a "cut" in some of those cases as well. That’s a historical footnote, however, that doesn’t affect our ruling. We rate Romney’s statement .

The governor having a meeting ... isn't covered by the open meetings act.

August 4, 2011

transparency

sam olens

Sam Olens is Georgia's Attorney General

georgia

a talk at the Atlanta Press Club

Members of the media sued to complain that they were excluded from a General Assembly committee meeting, but legislators argued they weren’t covered by the open meetings law. The General Assembly won. So there you have it. Of all the elected officials covered by Georgia’s open meetings laws, Nathan Deal isn’t one of them. We rule Olen’s .

Washington Heidi supports sanctuary cities, where illegal immigrants can be released on our streets, like this criminal, who was let go and then sexually assaulted a child.

October 11, 2018

immigration

senate leadership fund

Senate Leadership Fund is a Super PAC with the stated goal to "protect and expand the Republican Senate Majority." 

national

a campaign ad

The Senate Leadership Fund said, "Washington Heidi supports sanctuary cities, where illegal immigrants can be released on our streets, like this criminal, who was let go and then sexually assaulted a child." Heitkamp voted against bills that blocked law enforcement grants for sanctuary cities, because she said she didn't want to punish law enforcement agencies. She also voted in favor of other bills that ramped up immigration law enforcement. The ad suggests that Heitkamp sympathizes with abolishing ICE, when she called the idea "crazy town." The ad also suggests sanctuary cities allow violent criminals to roam the streets, but that's a skewed interpretation. We rate this statement .

In Europe, "church attendance rates (are) in the single digits" because churches are supported by taxes.

July 18, 2011

new hampshire 2012

rick santorum

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

national

Henniker, N.H

Santorum’s other , that European governments collect taxes and send the money to churches, is also a mixed bag. Santorum is correct when he says some countries assess so-called church taxes. But more importantly to his main point, scholars say they don't see a connection between the taxes and church attendance. Indeed, the rate in Italy is about 39 percent. So we rate this statement .

Says 282 Texas school districts have requested emergency waivers to increase elementary school class sizes because of "unprecedented fiscal challenges.

January 9, 2012

education;state budget

silvestre reyes

Rep. Reyes, D-El Paso, was first elected to the U.S. House in 1996. He was the first Hispanic American in U.S. history to chair the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which drafts the laws that govern, fund and oversee the 16 agencies that comprise the U.S. intelligence community. He lost his bid for the Democratic nomination for the seat in 2012 to Beto O'Rourke, a member of the El Paso City Council.

texas

a press release

Reyes accurately recaps how many districts had requested class-size waivers from the state education agency as of late December 2011 — a number that subsequently grew. Yet, his suggestion that financial difficulties born from the 2011 Legislature’s actions are responsible for all of the waiver requests is an overstatement, considering that historically, dozens of districts have sought and received waivers each year. Then again, 60 percent of districts that had received a waiver as of early January cited the new "financial hardship" reason when seeking permission to exceed the class-size law. We rate Reyes' statement .

Since 2000, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy have been spraying the entire United States sky with the toxic brew of chemicals and other biologic agents.

January 27, 2022

environment;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a post

In a TikTok video shared on Facebook, a speaker says, "Since 2000, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy have been spraying the entire United States sky with the toxic brew of chemicals and other biologic agents."  The is part of a conspiracy theory about "chemtrails," which are not real, according to atmospheric chemists and geochemists.  The EPA is not aware of any deliberate release of chemicals or biological agents into the atmosphere, and the Air Force says the theory is a hoax.  We rate this !   

Says she is the subject of 60 books.

April 13, 2008

candidate biography

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

Grantham, Penn

because it sounded more novelty item than literature. Our WorldCat search came up with 48 books. Wikipedia's list was more complete: 69 books if you include the scholarly studies, 58 if you don't. So Clinton was in the ballpark. We rate her statement .  

Pete Buttigieg claims Bible says babies can be aborted 'up to their first breath.'

September 6, 2019

abortion;religion

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

a blog post

The host interjects and says, "I’m pro-choice." Buttigieg replies, "Me too. But I think no matter where you think about the kind of cosmic question of how life begins, most Americans can get on the board with the idea, of I might draw the line here, you might draw the line there, but the most important thing is the person who should be drawing the line is the woman making the decision." The story includes this context but the headline overreaches by saying "Pete Buttigieg claims Bible says babies can be aborted ‘up to their first breath.’" We rate this headline .

The CIA paid two psychologists $81 million "to develop and run their torture program.

January 11, 2015

afghanistan;human rights;iraq;terrorism;punditfact

doonesbury

Doonesbury is a Pulitzer Prize-winning comic strip by G.B. Trudeau.

the Sunday comics

Doonesbury , aka Garry Trudeau, said that the CIA paid two psychologists $81 million to develop and run its torture program. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report confirms the amount of money spent on a variety of things. Other news organizations revealed the actual names of the two men -- though in reality seven people owned the company. The is accurate but needs additional information. We rate it  . Help fund PolitiFact’s Kickstarter to live fact-check the 2015 State of the Union and GOP response.

The proposed transportation tax plan revokes a tax-credit for consumers' electric cars while the state retains similar credits for similar vehicles for businesses.

February 10, 2015

transportation;taxes

atlanta journal-constitution

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is metro Atlanta's largest daily newspaper.

georgia

news reports

But the question here is whether, today, Georgia’s transportation legislation eliminates a popular consumer tax credit while retaining a similar break for businesses. It does. One caveat: the tax credit for businesses, which is not mentioned in the latest proposal, would expire in two years anyway. Both of those issues may be the topic of debate to come. But as it stands, we rate the .

The Unvaccinated Beware, COVID-19 mRNA Shots Cause Death and Disease Through GMO Shedding

April 27, 2021

facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a video on Facebook

A Facebook video claims that people who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 should "beware" because being around people who have received the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines could cause "death and disease." There is no anyone has died after being close to someone who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Experts say there is no way for people to shed mRNA or spike proteins after they’ve been vaccinated. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cannot affect people who are not vaccinated.  We rate this .

The pastor McCain calls his 'spiritual guide,' Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a 'false religion.'

April 5, 2008

religion

moveon.org

MoveOn.org is a left-leaning political advocacy group. It endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination.

national

an e-mail message

UPDATE: On May 22, 2008, McCain rejected Parsley's endorsement at the same time he rejected the endorsement of another minister, John Hagee. (For details on the Hagee controversy, see our statement update here .) A report from ABC News about Parsley had aired that morning discussing Parsley's views on Islam. "I believe there is no place for that kind of dialogue in America," McCain said of Parsley.

In Texas, there are 668 Democratic Hispanic elected officials to the 60 in the Republican Party.

March 3, 2012

candidate biography;elections;history;race and ethnicity

texas democratic party

The Texas Democratic Party says it's "working to advance issues like job creation, comprehensive immigration reform, good schools, health care and building an economy that lasts."

texas

a quoted comment

The Texas Democratic Party’s spokeswoman correctly cited two figures from the 2011 NALEO directory suggesting that Latino elected Democrats in Texas greatly outnumber their Republican counterparts. Still, this is missing substantive context -- that NALEO did not determine the party memberships of most Latino Texas officeholders. If this were done, the Democratic-Republican ratio might change. We rate the .

Nearly 25 percent of all automobile accidents are caused by texting while driving.

March 13, 2013

public safety;transportation

doug holder

Rep. Doug Holder, 46, is a Republican small businessman from Venice, Fla.  He was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2006.

florida

a committee hearing on HB 13

Holder’s statistic that 25 percent of all crashes are the result of texting at the wheel missed the mark. It would have been more accurate had he said "distracted driving" or "using cell phones." There’s a grain of in that texting is one of the ways a driver can be distracted. We rate Holder’s statement .

In his first TV interview as president, Obama said we "should talk to Iran.

August 30, 2012

foreign policy

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

Tampa

And as I said during my inauguration speech, if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us. Again, we’re not evaluating in this fact-check whether Obama’s policies on Iran have worked to slow Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. But Obama said in his first presidential interview that we should "be willing to talk to Iran." Romney’s characterization of that interview is very close. We rate his .

Says that when the Rolling Stones performed in an Austin park, they paid $25,000 to the nearby city of Rollingwood "for one night of inconvenience.

June 13, 2013

city government;recreation

barry bone

Barry Bone won election as mayor of Rollingwood in 2012.

texas

the Westlake Picayune

Bone said the Rolling Stones gave $25,000 to Rollingwood after the band performed at Zilker Park. That’s the amount of money that flowed through the Austin Parks Foundation to the city described as proceeds from the big show. We rate the statement as .

That's 5,615 projected coal-powered plants in just 8 countries. The USA has 15 - building 0 more.

August 23, 2019

environment;climate change;energy;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

A Facebook post said there are "5,615 projected coal-powered plants in just 8 countries. The USA has 15 - building 0 more." The post stated that the number includes plants in operation and being built, but didn’t cite a source and we found no to back it up. The Global Plant Coal Tracker showed a total of 3,074 if we include those that exist now, are under construction or in preconstruction. The Facebook post the number of coal plants. We rate it .

Says "Obama paid FBI informant over $1 million to do it to Trump.

May 22, 2018

elections;fake news;punditfact

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

a fake news blog post

Some money came before Trump announced he was running The article’s math is also off. About 40 percent of the money was awarded before Trump even got into the race in June 2015. So even if there were a tie between the contracts and Halper’s conversations with Trump campaign advisers – and there’s zero indication of that —  the amount would be less than $1 million. The article strings together a handful of facts to gin up a compelling headline, but nothing holds together. We rate this .

Says Chris Wallace tweeted to Donald Trump, "You're a fraud. A charlatan. A thug. A loser. A trust fund baby.

November 20, 2019

candidate biography;facebook fact-checks

viral image

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

a Facebook post

The account also retweeted country singer Toby Keith, who was promoting an upcoming appearance on the show. The account didn’t reply to anyone that day, nor since. Additionally, we found no personal Twitter account for Wallace. A Fox News host aggressively attacking the president would have garnered the same kind of attention as Trump’s salvo, but we could find none.  We rate this Facebook post !

The New York State Senate "passed legislation allowing minors to race snowmobiles, get their own hunting licenses, and not be employed gathering or picking rags, cigar stumps, or collecting bones.

June 21, 2017

children

samantha bee

Samantha Bee is a comedian whose show Full Frontal appears on TBS. She previously appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

new york

a segment on her show "Full Frontal"

Comedian Samantha Bee said the New York State Senate "passed legislation allowing minors to race snowmobiles, get their own hunting licenses, and not be employed gathering or picking rags, cigar stumps, or collecting bones." Each of the bills is real and passed the Senate this year. Her is .

The Great Wall of China, built 2,000 years ago, is 13,000 miles (long).

March 2, 2016

history

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

remarks after the Super Tuesday balloting

Trump said that the Great Wall of China was "built 2,000 years ago" and "is 13,000 miles" long. He has repeated two figures that are widely cited and, superficially at least, seem credible. But when we ran them by several experts in Chinese history, we found that the reality is more nuanced. Major unifications of early portions of the wall did occur about 2,200 years ago. However, the wall was built over the course of many centuries, and the best preserved, most iconic portions of the wall are a lot younger -- roughly 500 years old. Meanwhile, a Chinese government survey from 2012 reported a total length of 13,000 miles. However, this figure includes many bits and pieces of wall, some of them quite isolated. Trump’s statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details, so we rate it .

Florida has "the most errors and exonerations from death row.

May 27, 2014

legal issues;supreme court

american civil liberties union of florida

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida advocates for "individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights."

florida

a news release

Florida has "the most errors and exonerations from death row," ACLU of Florida executive director Howard Simon said in a press release. According to a count by the Death Penalty Information Center, Florida has exonerated 24 death row inmates -- the most of any state in the nation. But another resource that uses a different definitions of "exoneration" and has a different time period -- the National Registry of Exonerations -- shows Florida had eight exonerations, fewer than Illinois, Louisiana and Texas. The ACLU's makes it seem like Florida is unchallenged for the most exonerations, but the data is actually murkier. So we rate this .

After the U.S.-led military alliance ejected Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait in 1991, the Kuwaitis "never paid us.

April 27, 2011

history;foreign policy;military

donald trump

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

national

a press conference

Total paid: $52.9 billion A final accounting published a decade later by the House Budget Committee’s Democratic staff found that the final reimbursements eventually crept up slightly, to $54.1 billion. Of that, $48.4 billion was in cash, and $5.7 billion was in kind. So Trump was flat that Kuwait "never paid us." When the books were closed on the war, the United States found itself out of pocket by about $7 billion -- less than half of the $16 billion shelled out by the Kuwaitis. We rate his !

A recent economic uptick appears to "coincide" with "the expectation of a new Republican Congress.

January 7, 2015

economy;jobs

mitch mcconnell

Mitch McConnell is a U.S. Senator from Kentucky and the Republican minority leader in the U.S. Senate.

national

a Senate floor speech

McConnell said a recent economic uptick appears to "coincide" with "the expectation of a new Republican Congress." Even leaving aside the question of causation, key statistics show that the economic recovery was under way well before September, which is our best estimate for when the "expectation" of a GOP Senate solidified. We rate the statement . Help fund PolitiFact's Kickstarter to live fact-check the 2015 State of the Union and GOP response.

Data from around the world suggests that omicron favors the fully vaccinated.

January 3, 2022

public health;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

a blog post

A blog post claimed that data from around the world showed that the fast-spreading omicron variant of COVID-19 "favors people who are fully vaccinated." That’s not accurate.  Early research suggests that vaccines may not be as effective against omicron as they have been against other variants, but there is no to support the that omicron favors people who are vaccinated. Experts say that vaccinated people have more protection, and that the high numbers of infections among vaccinated people are due in part to the high vaccination rates in certain countries.  We rate this .  

Under President Barack Obama's jobs bill, "you can sue if you are unemployed and don't get the job and think you weren't hired because you are unemployed.

September 13, 2011

jobs;legal issues;pundits;workers

sean hannity

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

national

a discussion on Fox News' "Hannity"

Lynne Bernabei, a Washington employment lawyer best known for representing whistleblowers, agreed that Hannity described the law accurately, though she said that individuals suing under the new provisions -- if they are ultimately enacted as written -- will still face a steep climb in the courts before they secure any compensation. "Any individual suing under this law has to prove that he was discriminated against because he was unemployed," Bernabei said. "Discrimination is always difficult to prove, and it wouldn't be any easier to prove in this context." But Hannity didn’t suggest that plaintiffs would somehow be assured of winning in court; he simply said that they would have the opportunity to sue. We rate Hannity’s statement .

The Trump administration put secret watermarks on official ballots to trick cheating Democrats.

November 4, 2020

elections;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

A QAnon-related conspiracy theory claims that Trump, with the help of the Department of Homeland Security, added secret watermarks to ballots in order to catch Democrats cheating. The federal government doesn’t print ballots or play an active role in the mechanics of elections. State and local governments are in charge of administering elections, including printing ballots, which is typically contracted with printing companies.  We rate this .  This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click  here , for more.

Says Joe Biden's website shows that he supports the Green New Deal, despite denials in debate.

October 1, 2020

environment;climate change;debates

tiktok posts

Posts on the video-sharing platform TikTok.

a video

The TikTok post claimed that text on Joe Biden’s campaign website proves that he supports the Green New Deal, despite his denials in the first presidential debate.  Biden’s plan shares some of the Green New Deal’s goals, and he has acknowledged that his plan was inspired by it. But his plan differs in scope. We rate this .

In 2009, Democratic Wisconsin state senators "rammed through a billion-dollar tax hike in 24 hours with no public input.

February 19, 2011

labor;state budget;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 news release

This is one budget-repair bill debate we can bring swiftly to a close. Accused by Senate Democrats of rushing a vote on his repair bill, Walker fired back with his own charge. He said that two years earlier, many of those senators had rammed through a billion-dollar tax hike contained in a Democratic repair bill -- in 24 hours and without public input. The record is clear. We rate Walker’s statement .

In the past six years alone, changes to the pension formula … have saved over half a billion dollars.

September 9, 2011

labor;legal issues;retirement;unions;workers

rhode island retirement security coalition

The Rhode Island Retirement Security Coalition is a group of nine Rhode Island public sector employee unions representing teachers, police officers, fire fighters, correctional officers, and state and municipal employees.

rhode island

a YouTube video

(The unions won an initial round in their challenge, but it’s far from over.) In summary, the union video accurately describes changes to the state pension plan which are projected to save the state more than a half-billion dollars over the lifetime of the beneficiaries. But the that the money has been "saved" misconstrues a projected savings as an actual savings. In reality, the total savings wouldn’t be realized for decades. For that reason, we rule the statement as .

One hundred and ninety-four countries signed the Paris Agreement to control greenhouse gases. Our own voluntary agreement to accomplish the same goal — the Under2  MOU — has 165 signatories, representing a billion people.

January 24, 2017

climate change

jerry brown

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

national

his State of the State address

Brown said, "194 countries signed the Paris Agreement to control greenhouse gases. Our own voluntary agreement to accomplish the same goal — the Under2 MOU — has 165 signatories, representing a billion people." The Under2 MOU, spearheaded by California and the Germany state Baden-Württemberg, is a climate change agreement signed by 155 cities and states that have pledged reductions in carbon emissions and endorsed by 10 countries. While its emissions impact is not as far-reaching as the Paris agreement, experts told us it is a very similar deal that fosters international cooperation on climate change and fills a void in times of national hesitation to act. We rate Brown’s .

Tom Hanks shouting "sexy baby" is connected to Jeffery Epstein and pedophilia.

January 3, 2023

pop culture;facebook fact-checks

instagram posts

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

a video

"  "Toddlers & Tiaras," which aired from 2009 to 2016 on TLC, was criticized throughout its run for sexualizing young children competing in beauty pageants, wearing costumes and performing routines that were considered overly adult in tone.  The sketch mocked the reality show; it did not endorse pedophilia. It featured Hanks as an overbearing father obsessed with a fictional daughter named Sophie winning a nonexistent child beauty pageant called "Miss Ultimate Sexy Baby Nevada. "  QAnon conspiracy theorists have long claimed, without , that some prominent politicians and celebrities are involved in a satanic child sex trafficking ring. We rate this about Hanks as !

Says President Barack Obama is trying to "pack" the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

June 3, 2013

legal issues

chuck grassley

Chuck Grassley is a Republican senator from Iowa.

national

a news release

The that Obama is "packing" the D.C. Circuit Court largely runs counter to American legal and political history. Genuine court packing has involved one branch of government proposing to change the structure of the courts, either expanding or decreasing the number of judges. That's not what Obama's doing.  We rate the .

Says Wisconsin 'could compel' Foxconn to install solar panels that would power 33,000 homes.

April 22, 2018

corporations;energy;jobs

tony evers

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

wisconsin

an appearance on UpFront with Mike Gousha

Our rating Evers says the state "could compel" Foxconn to install solar panels, and those would have enough capacity to power 33,000 homes. Experts say the quoted capacity is theoretically possible, though it would be extremely expensive and vastly larger than anything put on a roof in the world to date. And the logistical issues are many. Meanwhile, Foxconn construction is underway and incentive agreements have been signed, so the state doesn’t appear to have a route to force such action unless outside factors lead to reopened negotiations. We rate Evers’ .

Obama has "visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office.

November 19, 2009

foreign policy

chain email

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

national

a widely circulated e-mail

No sitting U.S. president left the country until Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. He made a single foreign outing: a three-day visit to Panama in November of that year to inspect construction of the Panama Canal." Including his most recent Asia trip, Knoller notes that Obama has taken eight foreign trips to 20 countries. Make what you will of Obama's globe-trotting, Watson's e-mail is correct that Obama has visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office. We rate it .

Video shows Hillary Clinton dressed as a space cult leader in a satanic ritual.

September 8, 2022

facebook fact-checks

instagram posts

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

an Instagram post

In the YouTube video, Clinton’s comments can be heard in full: "There’s a lot that’s really wonderful about this gathering and this event tonight, to be brought together by Ann and to help her celebrate her birthday." Drake, president and founder of a woman’s leadership organization called Lincoln Road Enterprises and the former chief executive officer of DSC Logistics, is Clinton’s friend . We found an invitation online for the party called "Close Encounters of a New Kind" that happened over Labor Day weekend. For one of the events, guests were encouraged to wear "space" and "future-focused" costumes.  We rate this post .

Says liberals are trying to make pedophilia legal "in preparation of Sharia Law in America.

May 20, 2015

fake news;facebook fact-checks

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

a story

Nevertheless, the story’s message is . The article’s content seems to suggest that the Democratic Party’s support of the gay community, Muslims, and the successful bids of Democratic Muslim congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ihan Omar is reason enought to that the party is aiming to make pedophilia legal. There is no that any U.S. politician, liberal or otherwise, is trying to make pedophilia legal or that they are pushing any sort of religious views or laws. The is and . !

If you're a … wealthy CEO or a … hedge fund manager in America right now, your taxes are … lower than they've been since the 1950s.

June 29, 2011

taxes

barack obama

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

national

a press conference

The top marginal income tax rates were lower between 1988 and 1992 than they are today, but otherwise, Obama is right. They were higher for the other years. Meanwhile, the rates that are used to tax carried interest for hedge-fund managers have been at historical lows since 2003. And effective tax rates for high-income earners were either at their lowest since 1960 or very close to their lowest (at least according to the most recent data available). On balance, we rate Obama’s statement .

North Carolina last year was second in the nation in overdose deaths

April 9, 2019

drugs

harry brown

Harry Brown, a Jacksonville Republican, is the NC Senate Majority Leader. He represents District 6.

north carolina

a committee meeting

But even what he meant to say — that NC had the second-largest increase in total drug deaths — is based on an outdated stat. We rate his . This story was produced by the North Carolina Fact-Checking Project, a partnership of McClatchy Carolinas, the Duke University Reporters’ Lab and PolitiFact. The NC Local News Lab Fund and the International Center for Journalists provide support for the project, which shares fact-checks with newsrooms statewide. To offer ideas for fact checks, email  [email protected] .

Ken Lanci is a lifelong Clevelander

May 1, 2013

candidate biography

ken lanci

Chairman and chief executive of Consolidated Graphics Group Inc.; ran for Cuyahoga County Executive in 2010.

ohio

news release, website

He graduated from high school in another community. He has had residencies and voted in other communities. At one point he served in local government in another community. In running for mayor of the city, Lanci is seeking the votes of an electorate he has never previously been part of. A statement that has some accuracy but is lacking important details that are needed to put it into context gets one rating on the -O-Meter: .

President Barack Obama's budget threatens national security by proposing "an Army of fewer personnel than we had before Pearl Harbor.

April 15, 2014

federal budget;military

jim sensenbrenner

U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., has served in Congress since 1979. He represents a district covering Milwaukee suburbs.

wisconsin

a town-hall meeting

And the comparison of today’s military to its predecessors in 1917 or 1947 was deemed . Our rating Sensenbrenner said that President Obama’s budget proposed "an Army of fewer personnel than we had before Pearl Harbor." The congressman doesn’t read as much into the numbers as did Romney. But he flubbed the historical comparison pointed out by others, and experts say it’s a limited and potentially comparison in any event. We rate the .

The NAACP has received credible information that some of the white nationalist groups … will be looking to snatch black men and boys and hang them, shoot them, torture them and kill them.

November 6, 2020

race and ethnicity;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

"We are calling on all Georgians to remain calm as election results surface throughout the week," the group’s president, Rev. James Woodall, said in a statement. "We are getting numerous reports of misinformation that is being used to invoke fear in our communities as a distraction to our huge success in Black voter participation. "  We rate this Facebook post . This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here , for more.

Under Mayor Tom Barrett, the number of Milwaukee police officers "has not increased.

July 29, 2014

city budget;crime

bob donovan

Bob Donovan is a Milwaukee alderman, representing a district on the city's south side.  He was elected to the Common Council in 2000. In July 2014 he declared himself a candidate for mayor of Milwaukee in the 2016 election.

wisconsin

an interview

The mayor will propose his 2015 budget in September. Our rating Donovan said the number of Milwaukee police officers "has not increased" under Mayor Tom Barrett. Donovan’s is on target because reports from the city’s Fire and Police Commission indicate a decline in the number of officers since 2004. And other measuring sticks offered by Barrett’s office show the same trend. We rate Donovan’s .

$360 million of our tax dollars went straight to ... the Taliban.

September 1, 2011

afghanistan;iraq;military

alan grayson

Alan Grayson was initially elected to Congress in 2008, then defeated for re-election in 2010. He was elected again to Congress from a different district in 2012. He lost the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Florida in 2016.

florida

an e-mail to supporters about his opposition to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars

But Grayson's statement comes with two minor caveats. He said that tax dollars went "straight to ... the Taliban." The process is actually more complicated and involved a type of money laundering. And the money went to bad actors other than the Taliban in some cases. Those are noteworthy clarifications and enough to rate Grayson's statement .

Says a quote defending President Donald Trump can be attributed to Clint Eastwood.

December 28, 2019

fake news;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

That post included a meme that showed a photo of Eastwood and quoted him as saying, "If Congress really gave a rat’s ass about the American people, they would resign. "  For what it’s worth, we checked Google and Nexis and could not verify that Eastwood ever made that statement about Congress, either.  In 2013, he did criticize Washington, saying, "It’s almost like they don’t give a damn." He also spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2012. We rate this post .

Social Security has never contributed one cent to the deficit. Not one cent.

August 7, 2014

social security

jeff merkley

Jeff Merkley is a Democratic senator from Oregon. He was elected in 2008. Merkley won his first campaign for the Oregon Legislature as a representative in 1998. He was elected Democratic leader in 2003 and speaker of the House in 2007. He studied international relations at Stanford University and earned a graduate degree in public policy at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

oregon

a roundtable discussion with senior citizens

The senator argues, reasonably, both that Social Security is by law a closed system, and that its trust fund is sufficient for now to cover the current gap. It’s also , however, that these gaps do affect other parts of the federal government because they require borrowing elsewhere to make up the difference. We rate Merkley’s . Thoughts on the ruling? Click on over to OregonLive/politics.com to join the discussion.

There is "no system to vet" refugees from the Middle East.

June 13, 2016

immigration;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 speech on terrorism and immigration

Trump said there is "no system to vet" refugees from the Middle East. While there are concerns about information gaps, a system does exist and has existed since 1980. It involves multiple federal intelligence and security agencies as well as the United Nations. Refugee vetting typically takes one to two years and includes numerous rounds of security checks. We rate Trump’s .

The Lancet peer-reviewed study confirms vaccine efficacy, not as 95% stated by the vaccine companies, but as: AstraZeneca 1.3%; Moderna 1.2%; J&J 1.2%; Pfizer 0.84%.

May 26, 2021

public health;coronavirus

instagram posts

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

an Instagram post

An Instagram post says, "The Lancet peer-reviewed study confirms vaccine efficacy, not as 95% stated by the vaccine companies, but as: AstraZeneca 1.3%; Moderna 1.2%; J&J 1.2%; Pfizer 0.84%." The post says the vaccine developers "deceived everyone." The Lancet Microbe article cited as was a commentary, not a peer-reviewed study. And the commentary did not say that the COVID-19 vaccines don’t work, or that the widely reported vaccine efficacy numbers — such as Pfizer’s 95% efficacy — were . The post errs by conflating two different efficacy measures to give the impression that the vaccines are far less effective than advertised, and that the vaccine developers gave numbers to the public.  We rate this Instagram post .

Charles Darwin predicted a sub-species of humans "will deny biology" and "attempt to undo the centuries of human development by rewriting history.

March 15, 2023

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

Searching these and other writings we could find online, we found nothing like what appears in the Facebook post.  We didn’t turn up any other searching more broadly online. The quotation doesn’t appear in the University of Cambridge’s Darwin Correspondence Project site, though it does appear on several meme sites, and in one case , someone said he was explaining supporters of former President Donald Trump. That is also baseless — not to mention Darwin died 64 years before Trump was born. We rate claims that this is an authentic Darwin quote .

Rick Scott's former health care company, Columbia/HCA, committed "fraud.

June 10, 2010

candidate biography;health care

bill mccollum

Bill McCollum is a former Florida Attorney General. He campaigned to be governor and was defeated in the Republican primary on Aug. 24, 2010. 

florida

a statement from his campaign

Scott was in charge so he bears some responsibility and has said so. But there has yet to come to light any detail of how much he knew, and when he knew it. Though that won’t keep us from looking. McCollum's campaign, in a statement, said Rick Scott's former company Columbia/HCA committed fraud. We rate the statement .

A recent Gallup poll found that 72 percent of Americans and 56 percent of Democrats "say the biggest threat to our nation's security is big government.

April 12, 2014

government regulation;polls and public opinion

marsha blackburn

Marsha Blackburn, a native of Laurel, Miss., was first elected to represent Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District in 2002. Blackburn was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018,

national

New Hampshire

Blackburn said a recent Gallup poll found that 72 percent of Americans and 56 percent of Democrats "say the biggest threat to our nation's security is big government." She got the numbers right, but the specific poll only offered respondents three options: "big government," "big business" or "big labor." Her phrasing gives the impression that there is wide consensus -- even among Democrats -- that "big government" is the biggest threat to the nation’s security. Other polls, including Gallup’s own, show that when respondents are asked an open-ended question, other issues such as the economy rise to the top of the list. So Blackburn is essentially cherry-picking among polls. Blackburn’s statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context, so we rate it .

Illegal immigration "wasn't a subject that was on anybody's mind until I brought it up at my announcement.

August 6, 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

the first Republican debate

Trump said that if it weren’t for him, Wallace in particular and the media in general wouldn’t be talking about illegal immigration. The numbers tell a very different story. For Wallace and his Fox News show itself, the topic came up just as frequently before Trump announced as afterward. For mentions in major newspapers, the pattern is somewhat mixed, but mentions were common before Trump announced. There’s no doubt Trump’s bombastic comments brought additional attention to the issue, but the issue was on the minds of the media -- and politicians -- before Trump entered the fray. But Trump stated that the topic would not be on the table at all if not for him. That is clearly not the case. We rate this .

In the 513 days between Trayvon dying, and today's verdict, 11,106 African-Americans have been murdered by other African-Americans.

July 14, 2013

crime

tweets

Twitter is a messaging service where people often discuss politics. Individual messages are called Tweets.

florida

tweets

In response to the Zimmerman case, social media repeated this : "In the 513 days between Trayvon dying, and today’s verdict, 11,106 African-Americans have been murdered by other African-Americans." Some who are citing this statistic are using it to portray race as an overemphasized point in the Zimmerman trial. We’re not evaluating that opinion; we’re fact-checking the math based on the available data. The number sounds extremely precise, but it's actually something of a rough guess based on back-of-the envelope math. No one actually knows how many African-Americans were murdered by other African-Americans in that time frame, and the numbers cited are actually an extrapolation of murder statistics for 2005. More current figures from 2011 show fewer deaths. So the specific numbers are not literally accurate. Also, this lacks important context. Yes, it’s that the majority of black murder victims are murdered by blacks, but the same holds for whites: Most whites are murdered by whites. And in both cases, this race statistic is not available for all murders, but only ones where the race of both perpetrator and victim can be determined. The contains an element of , but it's not fully accurate. We rate this .

Gasoline would rise in price by approximately 50 cents a gallon" if the McCain-Lieberman bill became law.

January 28, 2008

energy

mitt romney

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

national

West Palm Beach, Fla

But again, that's a projection for 2030. Janet Peace, a senior economist with the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, doesn't take issue with either the EPA or EIA projections — based on the assumptions they made — but she argues that the farther out you go in years, the more difficult it is for the government to anticipate energy technology that may significantly alter the picture. The whole idea is to decrease Americans' reliance on fossil fuels through alternative energy sources. Romney's claims didn't give a time frame, but we bet voters would be surprised to hear that he's talking about 20, 30, maybe even 40 years from now. We rate his statement .

Uses a picture of a mansion to say that Rep. Nancy Pelosi lives surrounded by "a high perimeter wall with gun toting security.

December 13, 2018

immigration;facebook fact-checks

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

a Facebook post

We checked with Pelosi’s office and the San Francisco real estate records . Here is what her actual house looks like: Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s home in San Francisco. (Google Maps street view) Notice the absence of a wall. Our fellow fact-checkers at Snopes pointed out the about the walled-off home in February. This Facebook post and all others like it are .

Video shows "Russian desert base and infrastructure hit by Bayraktar TB2 drone.

May 23, 2022

facebook fact-checks;russia

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook .) Searching for the title of the Facebook video online, we found the same footage on YouTube where it was clearly labeled as showing a recording of the video game Arma 3.  The game is an ongoing source of misinformation as Facebook accounts share it in a way that could mislead people into thinking it shows actual combat between Russian and Ukrainian fighters.  But that’s not the case, and we rate claims that this is real footage . 

Hunters contribute more than $500 million" to West Virginia.

November 5, 2018

animals;economy;guns

jim justice

Jim Justice is the Republican governor of West Virginia. A businessman, Justice was originally elected as a Democrat.

west virginia

a tweet

Justice said that "hunters contribute more than $500 million" to West Virginia. This statistic comes from a comprehensive, 50-state report, but it’s worth noting that the data is more than seven years old, that it uses an estimate of economic impact beyond just retail sales, and that the report was funded by an industry trade group. We rate the statement .

Says that under the Obama administration, "the debt has nearly doubled.

August 2, 2016

economy

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. 

arizona

a Phoenix town hall

Pence said that under the Obama administration, "the debt has nearly doubled." His numbers are on the mark. But it is important to note that the debt cannot all be blamed on Obama. Congress has a role in approving spending. And, experts told us that money needed to be spent in a free-falling economy. We rate Pence’s . https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/74377f97-8d5a-4dd0-b0c1-12c13563759c

Vaccines are why flights have been shut down worldwide.

December 30, 2021

coronavirus

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

A Facebook post claimed that flights were shut down worldwide because pilots have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and have experienced severe negative reactions.  There is no that flights are being canceled around the world because pilots have experienced adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines. Airlines have said that wintry weather and coronavirus infections among their staff members have resulted in canceled flights.  We rate this .   

...Secret documents reveal that Iran could obtain a nuclear weapon far sooner than we were told. And Tammy Duckworth voted 'yes' (on the Iran nuclear deal).

August 9, 2016

nuclear

independent voice for illinois pac

A conservative political action committee.

illinois

an attack video advertisement of Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth

In their anti-Duckworth campaign ad, the Independent Voice for Illinois PAC says "...Secret documents reveal that Iran could obtain a nuclear weapon far sooner than we were told. And Tammy Duckworth voted ‘yes.’ " Duckworth did vote in favor of the JCPOA, but the Independent Voice for Illinois PAC’s ad is still on several fronts. The advertisement indicates there are multiple documents. But according to the Associated Press story the ad references, there is only one secret document. The ad also says these "secret documents" would allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon sooner than we were told. This, too, is . The document explains the secret agreement would boost uranium enrichment capacity, but never says Iran would be able to obtain a weapon sooner. Finally, an expert told PolitiFact Illinois that there is actually no contradiction between the main agreement and the secret document, just a bit more detail. Together, these points show a manipulation of the facts. IVFI misinterpreted information from the Associated Press in their advertisement, potentially leading people to believe Iran will have access to a completed and usable weapon before the deal expires. For that, we rate this .

Greece "has a GDP the size of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

May 9, 2010

economy;foreign policy;pundits

george will

George Will is a conservative columnist syndicated by the Washington Post.

national

a roundtable segment on ABC's This Week

New York City's economy, in fact, was about three and a half times the size of Greece's in 2008. Just to be sure, we also compared statistics for GDP adjusted by "purchasing power parity" -- a tweak that eliminates distortions based on the relative value of currencies and the local costs of commodities. The adjusted GDP for Greece is $330 billion, which is smaller than Greece's unadjusted GDP, but only by a modest amount. (The adjusted GDP uses the U.S. as its yardstick for comparison, so its GDP number does not change.) All in all, we rate Will's comment .

The U.S. deficit "increases at $3 million per second.

June 24, 2010

economy;federal budget;health care

bill clegg

Bill Clegg, a lawyer, is a former executive director for ethics and compliance at Textron. He is also a a former member of the board of directors of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation and a current member of the Rhode Island Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline. He ran for Congress in the 2nd District in 2010. Born in 1955, he graduated from the University of Rhode Island and the Syracuse University College of Law. Clegg was also a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and served in Iraq in 2004. He is married and the father of two.

rhode island

candidate web page

For the record, the two agencies don’t agree on what the debt was last Dec. 31. OMB says the debt was $11.876 trillion. The Bureau of Public Debt - which says it uses a daily tally, not estimates - reports that it was $12.145 trillion, a difference we couldn’t immediately resolve. In any case, neither number is even close to the candidate's of $3 million added to the debt each second. So in the final tally, the -O-Meter rates it as .

Since 1973, the income of the bottom 90 percent, so pretty much all of us, didn't budge, or even retreated a little bit.

April 1, 2019

economy;income

pete buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg is the Transportation secretary under President Joe Biden. Buttigieg was elected mayor of South Bend, Ind., in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015. He decided not to seek re-election and his term ended in January 2020. From 2009 to 2017, he served in the U.S. Navy Reserve and was a lieutenant. He received a bachelor’s degree in history and literature from Harvard College and a first-class honors bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Pembroke College as a Rhodes Scholar. He ran for president in the 2020 Democratic primaries.

national

a podcast interview

Buttigieg said, "Since 1973, the income of the bottom 90 percent, so pretty much all of us, didn’t budge, or even retreated a little bit." Actually, income for every group, as calculated by the CBO, has increased beyond the rate of inflation since the 1970s. However, another measurement --  the share of income taken by the bottom 90 percent -- has indeed declined since 1973. We rate the statement .

Says President Obama and his allies in Congress gave "power" to control Medicare patients' health care decisions to "a commission of 15 unelected bureaucrats in Washington.

February 29, 2012

health care

marsha blackburn

Marsha Blackburn, a native of Laurel, Miss., was first elected to represent Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District in 2002. Blackburn was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018,

tennessee

a press release announcing her vote against the Independent Payments Advisory Board

Blackburn to her credit did not mention rationing -- connecting that practice to the IPAB is what pushed Boone’s to judged . But she did say that President Obama -- through the law -- would be giving the "power" to control Medicare patients’ health-care decisions to "a commission of 15 unelected bureaucrats in Washington." Since we find that the IPAB would not control decisions made at the individual patient level, we rate it .   

There's about 9% of (the American Rescue Plan) actually going to COVID, meaning 91% of it is not even COVID-related.

February 24, 2021

stimulus;coronavirus

ted budd

Ted Budd is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represents parts of central North Carolina between Greensboro and Charlotte. He joined Congress in 2017.

north carolina

a speech

Budd said about 9% of Biden’s stimulus plan "is actually going to COVID, meaning 91% of it is not even COVID-related." In the first part of his statement, Budd accurately describes the proposed spending on efforts to combat the virus itself.  However, he’s to suggest the rest of the bill isn’t related to COVID-19 at all. He may disagree with how much the bill would spend on unemployment insurance and other financial relief efforts. But the bill does aim to address the financial cost of the pandemic. His statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details. We rate it .

Of the Trump administration's European travel restrictions that exempt the U.K.: "Well, you can just get into the Chunnel, and you'll be in the U.K.

March 12, 2020

corrections and updates;health care;public health;coronavirus

nancy pelosi

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

a press conference

So someone in France who traveled to England would not be immediately exempt from the restrictions.  Pelosi’s statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context. We rate it . RELATED: Fact-checking Donald Trump’s mistakes about European travel due to coronavirus

Says Bill Gates will provide "money-500K, car, phone, visa" or other gifts if you email him.

December 17, 2019

fake news;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

Social media experts will remind users to always be skeptical with posts claiming to be from celebrities but lack a verified status. We also checked with a representative of the real foundation, and they confirmed to us via email that the post did not come from them. The foundation has struggled with scammers trading on their name for years. The post does not come from Bill Gates’ foundation, so don’t expect any gifts to follow. We rate the post .

I started the whole year" as a senior on the University of Illinois football team and "led the team in interceptions and tackles from defensive back.

January 8, 2014

candidate biography;education;sports

scott turner

Scott Turner, a former NFL player, won election to the Texas House in 2012. He declared his candidacy for Texas House speaker in January 2014.

texas

a speech

Turner said he started every game of his senior season, leading the team in tackles and interceptions from defensive back. Turner indeed started every game. But he finished eighth in tackles and tied for second in interceptions with several players. He also did not lead defensive backs in either category. We rate this as . – The statement contains an element of but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.

The Obama administration is allowing state waivers from welfare work requirements "only if they had a credible plan to increase employment by 20 percent.

September 5, 2012

welfare

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.

national

a convention speech

    Clinton said in his convention speech that the Obama administration "agreed to give waivers to those governors and others only if they had a credible plan to increase employment by 20 percent, and they could keep the waivers only if they did increase employment."     That's an accurate recap of the planned changes to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. By granting waivers to states, the Obama administration is seeking to strengthen welfare-to-work efforts by letting states try different approaches based on their residents’ needs. That’s important too -- the waivers would be considered for individually evaluated pilot programs. HHS is not proposing a blanket, national change to welfare law.     The waiver offering was spurred by requests from several governors, including Republican governors, and Sebelius explicitly stated that only requests that "demonstrate clear progress" toward enhancing employment will be approved by HHS. Clinton’s statement is accurate. We rate it .

Despite opposition from national Club for Growth, Club for Growth Wisconsin "has endorsed" him for U.S. Senate.

September 12, 2011

elections

tommy thompson

Tommy Thompson, a Republican, was a 2012 candidate for the U.S. Senate from Wisconsin. He served as governor of Wisconsin from 1987 until 2001, when he left office to become President George W. Bush's secretary of health and human services. He previously spent 20 years in the Wisconsin Assembly. Thompson briefly ran for president, withdrawing in 2007.

wisconsin

an interview

What’s more, Club for Growth Wisconsin doesn’t even endorse in federal races. Our conclusion In trying to fend off criticism from the national Club for Growth, Thompson told a national TV audience he has been endorsed by Club for Growth Wisconsin in his U.S. Senate bid. He hasn’t been. And, under the group’s charter, couldn’t be. We rate Thompson’s .

National Geographic's photo of the year" is a great white shark leaping out of the water.

May 23, 2018

fake news;facebook fact-checks

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

a post on Facebook

In December 2016, National Geographic posted a blog refuting a that the photo was its photo of the year—an award the magazine doesn’t have. But editor Daniel Stone took the opportunity to blast news as a "threat to those of us in the business of telling the ." He also shared 14 real shark photos. Check them out here . We rate this !

Rhode Island "charter schools are nationally recognized as outperforming their counterparts across the country.

March 29, 2015

children;education;states

rose mary grant

Rose Mary Grant is head of school at Highlander Charter School in Providence and president of the board of the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools.

rhode island

a Providence Journal commentary

The study that Grant cited in her column did show that the learning gains of the state’s charter school students surpassed the learning gains of their Rhode Island peers and that these gains were greater than gains in the other states that participated in the study by Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes. But the writers of the study cautioned educators not to lose sight of the importance of proficiency. Grant did not reflect this concern in her column. Further, while she boasts that Rhode Island charter schools were "nationally recognized," the study cites Rhode Island as one of nine states that "deserve mention." For these reasons, we rule the statement . (If you have a you’d like PolitiFact Rhode Island to check, email us at [email protected] And follow us on Twitter: @politifactri.)

Says Baltimore police are "trained by Mossad and Shin Bet.

April 26, 2015

israel;public safety;punditfact

nation of islam research group

The Nation of Islam Research Group is the research arm of the Nation of Islam.

a Facebook post

The Nation of Islam Research group said that police in Baltimore had been trained by Mossad and Shin Bet. The source they cited referred to optional training in Krav Maga for the police department and listed a trainer who gained experience in Los Angeles. There’s no of any training ties to Israel. This is utterly unproven. We rate the .

Few, If Any, Doses of Spikevax or Comirnaty Available in United States, Despite FDA Approvals

February 2, 2022

facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

an article

After vaccines receive FDA approval, companies are allowed to market them under brand names, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman told USA Today . An article headline says, "Few, If Any, Doses of Spikevax or Comirnaty Available in United States, Despite FDA Approvals." The falsely implies that Spikevax and Comirnaty are different from the non-branded COVID-19 vaccines that have been in use since December 2020. But the branded vaccines have the same formulation as the non-branded ones, which are widely available in the U.S. Comirnaty also is available in the U.S. We rate this .

In Rhode Island, 9 percent of workers use the state's temporary disability insurance program each year while in New Jersey, the rate is only 3 percent.

July 2, 2013

disability;labor;states;workers

patricia morgan

State Rep. Patricia L. Morgan, a Republican from West Warwick, is a vice president and financial adviser with Spire Investment Partners and has served as member of the House in the Rhode Island General Assembly since 2011.

rhode island

a speech on the House floor

Rep. Patricia Morgan said that in Rhode Island, 9 percent of employees use TDI each year while in New Jersey, which also mandates TDI, the rate is only 3 percent. The actual rates are closer to 8 percent in Rhode Island and 4 percent in New Jersey. But New Jersey’s figures include only workers who receive state coverage, not private coverage. We don’t know how that would affect the usage rate there, but neither does Morgan. Because Morgan’s figures are so far off, the judges rate her statement . (If you have a you’d like PolitiFact Rhode Island to check, e-mail us at [email protected] And follow us on Twitter: @politifactri.)

Bill Gates Outlines 2018 Plan To Depopulate The Planet.

April 30, 2018

fake news;punditfact

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

a blog post

"When more children live, you get one generation that’s relatively big. Then, when families decide to have fewer children, the next generation is much smaller. Eventually, a country ends up with relatively more people in the labor force producing economically—and relatively fewer dependents (very old or very young people)," Bill Gates said in the 2018 letter. "That’s a recipe for rapid economic development, especially if countries take advantage of it by investing in health and education." We rate Mysterious Times’ post !

New Jersey's once-broken pension system is now solvent.

May 31, 2013

pensions

13th district gop slate

The 13th District GOP slate includes state Sen. Joe Kyrillos and Assembly members Declan O'Scanlon and Amy Handlin. The trio won their primary contests Tuesday, June 4 and will be on the November 2013 ballot.

new jersey

A primary election campaign mailer

  A primary campaign flyer from Assembly members Declan O’Scanlon and Amy Handlin, and state Sen. Joe Kyrillos last week claimed, "New Jersey’s once-broken pension system is now solvent."   O’Scanlon said ‘once broken’ refers to the state’s pension system being on a path to insolvency or bankruptcy without major reforms – but admits the state has always been able to pay its pension bills. If the system was once broken, those bills wouldn’t have been paid. Furthermore, O’Scanlon and experts told us that a pension system being able to pay its obligations means the system is solvent. We rate this .   To comment on this story, go to NJ.com .

Epstein dies while in custody, his private banker is found dead, a judge had a trial regarding Epstein and the Deutsche Bank. Her son has been killed now and her husband has been shot. The shooter who shot the son and shot the judge's husband has now also been found dead.

September 3, 2020

crime;facebook fact-checks

viral image

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

a Facebook post

The lawyer suspected in the shooting at Salas’ home was Roy Den Hollander, a self-described "anti-feminist" who had compiled a dossier on her and her family and arrived at their home that morning carrying a FedEx package.  "He was apparently angry at Judge Salas for not moving quickly enough on a lawsuit he had brought challenging the constitutionality of the male-only draft," according to the Times.  Days before the shooting at Salas’ residence, Hollander had traveled to San Bernardino County, Calif., where authorities say he shot and killed a rival men’s rights lawyer at his home. Hollander later killed himself.  We rate this Facebook post .

It's just crazy that the government will ... make it illegal to use the old [incandescent] bulbs.

June 13, 2011

environment;energy

mike stenhouse

Mike Stenhouse is the chief executive officer of the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a conservative think tank. A Cranston, R.I., native, he is a former player for the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos. Previously, he was executive director of the Ocean State Policy Research Institute. He has an economics degree from Harvard University, served as chairman for the 2010 Rhode Island Clean Slate campaign, and as vice president of the Board of Directors for Rhode Island Special Olympics.

rhode island

an appearance on a talk show

Stenhouse needn’t fret personally about which bulbs to use. There’s plenty of light emanating from his trousers. We rate this one ! (Get updates from PolitiFactRI on Twitter . To comment or offer your ruling, visit us on our PolitiFact Rhode Island Facebook page.)

It's not that there is no evidence the election was stolen, but that no court had the guts to HEAR the evidence. They dismissed the cases, NOT the evidence.

October 25, 2022

elections;legal issues

instagram posts

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

an image shared on Instagram

An Instagram post claimed: "It’s not that there is no the election was stolen, but that no court had the guts to hear the . They dismissed the cases, not the ." Although a number of lawsuits challenging the 2020 election’s results were dismissed for procedural or jurisdictional reasons, it’s to say that judges refused to review the of alleged fraud. Court records show that some judges dismissed cases after reviewing the and determining it did not sufficiently prove election fraud.  We rate this . RELATED: Donald Trump has lost dozens of election lawsuits. Here’s why RELATED: Trump did not win two-thirds of election lawsuits ‘where merits considered’ RELATED: The facts of a fair US election have only gotten stronger since Capitol attack

Bill Gates Explains That The COVID Vaccine Will Use Experimental Technology And Permanently Alter Your DNA

May 15, 2020

public health;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a blog post

Our Ruling A blog post shared on social media reads "Bill Gates Explains That The COVID Vaccine Will Use Experimental Technology And Permanently Alter Your DNA." This is . Gates never said that the first licensed COVID-19 vaccine would use experimental technology or permanently alter DNA; he said specifically that "we don’t know yet what the COVID-19 vaccine will look like." The most recent research also shows that RNA vaccines, which are being tested for COVID-19 right now, do degrade naturally and don’t alter DNA permanently. We rate this .

Grateful insurance company executives and their lobbyists" from Bermuda gave McCain $50,000.

September 23, 2008

taxes

barack obama

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

national

a television ad

The McCain campaign responded to the Obama ad by pointing out that the Obama campaign rents office space from Accenture, which is based in Bermuda. The Chicago Sun-Times reported in 2007 that the Obama campaign was leasing the 11th floor of an office tower for its headquarters from Accenture. The company is based in Bermuda. The ad states that McCain got $50,000 from people connected to Bermuda-based companies, and we find this accurately portrays the contributions received. We rate Obama's statement .      

Says "Cape May, Cumberland, Salem and part of Atlantic counties are all south of the Mason-Dixon line.

April 9, 2012

history

raymond bateman

Raymond Bateman, a Republican, served in the New Jersey Assembly from 1958 to 1968, and then in the State Senate until 1978. Bateman ran for governor in 1977, but lost to Gov. Brendan Byrne.

new jersey

an opinion piece on DailyRecord.com

In an April 9 opinion piece, Bateman claimed "Cape May, Cumberland, Salem and part of Atlantic counties are all south of the Mason-Dixon line." But historical records and experts confirmed that the Mason-Dixon Line never entered New Jersey. The boundary was first established in the 1760s to settle a border dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania. We rate the statement . To comment on this ruling, go to NJ.com .

Says "the one person (Donald Trump) has suggested that would make a good justice is his sister, who is a court of appeals judge appointed by Bill Clinton. She is a hardcore pro-abortion liberal judge.

February 14, 2016

abortion;supreme court

ted cruz

Ted Cruz is a U.S. Senator from Texas, first elected in 2012. Cruz also was a candidate for president of the United States in 2016. He is the former solicitor general for the state of Texas, previously serving as the director of the Office of Policy Planning at the Federal Trade Commission, an Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, and as a domestic policy advisor on the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign, according to his campaign biography.

national

on ABC's "This Week"

Cruz said of Trump, "The one person he has suggested that would make a good justice is his sister, who is a court of appeals judge appointed by Bill Clinton. She is a hardcore pro-abortion liberal judge." Cruz’s is . Yes, Trump said his sister would make a good Supreme Court justice. But he said he wouldn’t appoint her, and he has named two other potential nominees. And yes, Clinton elevated Trump’s sister to the appeals court. But Cruz leaves out that Reagan appointed her to the federal bench in the first place. Trump’s sister did join in ruling a New Jersey ban on partial-birth abortions unconstitutional. It’s worth noting that Justice Alito — hardly a "hardcore pro-abortion liberal judge" — joined in that opinion. Cruz twisted and left out facts to make a faulty about Trump’s views on the Supreme Court. We rate Cruz’s .