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liar2

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We've got about $3 trillion in trapped cash overseas that basically can't come back in this country because of our tax laws.

September 1, 2017

corporations;taxes

paul ryan

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R.-Wis., became Speaker of the House in 2015 and served until his retirement in January 2019. Ryan was elected to represent southern Wisconsin in Congress in 1998 and for part of his tenure chaired the House Budget Committee. He was Mitt Romney's vice-presidential running mate in the 2012 presidential election. He did not seek re-election in 2018.

wisconsin

an interview

Our rating Ryan says: "We've got about $3 trillion in trapped cash overseas that basically can't come back in this country because of our tax laws." To avoid a 35 percent U.S. tax, U.S.-based multinational companies have opted not to "repatriate" roughly $3 trillion of their foreign profits, a figure that is growing. That is, they don’t bring the money back to their U.S. headquarters, where it can be used for things such as dividend payments or investments in their domestic operations. But the overseas profits aren’t literally trapped and indeed some foreign-earned profits are repatriated, though they are subject to the 35 percent tax. Ryan’s statement is accurate but needs additional information, our definition of .

Says Kamala Harris said, "We will take their (health) insurance away.

February 14, 2019

health care;medicare

cory gardner

Cory Gardner, a Republican, won a seat to represent Colorado in the U.S. Senate in 2014. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Colorado House of Representatives.

national

an interview

Gardner says that Harris said, "We will take their (health) insurance away." Gardner’s reference was to Harris’ remarks at a CNN town hall. Gardner was adamant that's what Harris said, but that's . Asked about her support for Medicare for All, and its elimination of private health insurance, Harris criticized various aspects of private insurance and said, "let’s do away with all of that." The context was clear. That said, Harris does support Medicare for All, which would end the private health insurance system. But where Gardner was silent is that the plan Harris supports would create a single, national health insurance program that would cover everyone. People would change health insurance. We rate Gardner’s statement .

Russian President Vladimir Putin "was assassinated.

March 19, 2022

facebook fact-checks;ukraine;russia

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

a blog post

On March 18, Putin made his first public appearance — speaking at a Moscow rally — since Russia invaded Ukraine. There have been no reports since then that the Russian president was assassinated. On March 3, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., suggested that someone should kill Putin, which the Biden White House said doesn’t reflect the U.S. government’s position. President Joe Biden has called Putin a "murderous dictator" and a "pure thug," and the New York Times reported on March 20 that Russia had summoned the American ambassador to Moscow to warn him that Biden’s name-calling had endangered the countries’ relations.  We rate this post . 

A typical married couple "will contribute $119,000" into Medicare but will "receive $357,000 in Medicare benefits over their lifetimes.

November 8, 2011

corrections and updates;deficit;health care;medicare

bob corker

Bob Corker is a senator from Tennessee.

tennessee

a USA Today column

"If only one member of the couple had worked, we calculate a six-fold difference between contributions and benefits since both spouses are eligible for Medicare yet only one has paid taxes." The disparity has been noted by other researchers as well. One study by the Congressional Budget Office in 1983 found an even greater disparity than that cited by the Urban Institute. We find that Corker's description of the study merits a rating on the -O-Meter. Editor's Note: Since this item was published, we made a modification in the ruling statement to make it more clear what precisely we were checking.

Says $15-an-hour proposal in Cleveland is "the most aggressive minimum wage increase in the country.

April 25, 2016

labor;workers

joe roman

President and CEO, Greater Cleveland Partnership, a chamber of commerce organization

ohio

a Plain Dealer article

A proposed $15 minimum wage in Cleveland is the "most aggressive minimum wage increase in the country," according to the head of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, a chamber of commerce group. It turns out that Cleveland, with a minimum wage of $8.10, is at the lowest starting point of any municipality that has passed or is considering a $15 hike.  Also, the Cleveland proposal would increase the wage to $15 at once instead of building up gradually, as most other cities have done. We rate this statement .

Says "my advocacy questioning contracting out in Parks … delayed and altered the renewal of the Brooks contract, and reduced the number of contracted employees in Parks from over 100 to fewer than 40.

April 12, 2012

city budget;city government;unions;workers

amanda fritz

Amanda Fritz is a Portland city commissioner.

oregon

a questionnaire

Labor had concerns. The terms of the Brooks contract did not change materially after 2009. The city, notably, did not reclassify positions to favor direct hires, as her office claims. Certainly Fritz’s questioning helped prompt a council-level discussion about an issue dear to the union and troubling to the parks commissioner. But the mechanism to reduce the use of contracted temps was a rule change, which stemmed from a charter change, in effect a year before Fritz took office.

Joe Biden left Marines behind in Afghanistan. And now he left a Marine behind in Russia.

December 8, 2022

afghanistan;military;wisconsin

tom tiffany

In 2004 and 2008, Tom Tiffany ran for the 12th State Senate District, first against Senator Roger Breske, and then Jim Holperin losing both times in very close elections. In 2010, he ran for the Wisconsin State Assembly after the position was vacated by retiring incumbent, Representative Donald Friske. Tiffany won the primary, and later defeated Democrat Jay Schmelling 58.09% - 41.81%. In 2012 Tiffany chose not to seek re-election to the State Assembly and to seek election to the State Senate after Holperin announced he would not run for reelection. He defeated Democrat Susan Sommer, 56% - 40%, in the general election on November 6, 2012. Tiffany succeeded fellow Republican Sean Duffy in Congress, winning a special election against Democrat Tricia Zunker in 2020.

national

Twitter

Tiffany claimed that Biden has left Marines behind in both Afghanistan and in Russia during his time in office.  Although the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 was hectic and resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. Marines, none were left behind when the withdrawal was complete.  As for Russia, Whelan was discharged from the Marines about a decade before his arrest. He was also not in Russia on any Marines-related business at the time, either. But, as noted, the view of the Marine Corps is that one truly never becomes a former Marine. We rate this , meaning "the statement contains an element of but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression."

Donald Trump's second impeachment "cost $33 million.

February 13, 2021

impeachment;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

national

a text post

Facebook post says Trump's second impeachment "cost $33 million." That’s . There is no concrete estimate for Trump’s second impeachment, which lasted just a few weeks. The $33 million figure appears to be based on an incomplete and reporting of the cost of the Mueller investigation, which was not related to either of Trump’s impeachments. The CBO does not have cost estimates for the impeachment resolutions, and the House Judiciary Committee said the first inquiry had no effect on taxpayers. Experts say congressional salaries and other institutional costs are built into the budget. The Facebook post is . We rate it . RELATED:  Impeachment over, Donald Trump faces more investigations

Says Joe Biden told a factory worker, "I don't work for you!" while pointing a finger in the worker's face.

October 12, 2020

public service;facebook fact-checks;guns

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a post

A Facebook post suggests Biden told a factory worker, "I don’t work for you!" while pointing a finger at the worker’s face.  Biden and the worker got into a confrontation over Biden’s proposed gun control policies; the worker falsely accused Biden of wanting to take away people’s guns. While news accounts differ on what words Biden said, the quotes are similar to the phrase attributed to Biden in the Facebook post. Biden was not pointing at the worker during that part of the exchange. The is partly , but leaves out important details and context.  We rate this .

Dr. Anthony Fauci said lockdowns are a method for coercing people to comply with COVID-19 vaccinations.

April 19, 2022

facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a post

A Facebook post suggests that Fauci said lockdowns are a method for coercing people to comply with COVID-19 vaccinations. The includes a truncated version of Fauci’s comments that was taken out of context.  In his 90-second reply, he talked specifically about vaccine efficacy and uptake in China, where there is an ongoing lockdown. And Fauci did not indicate at any point that lockdowns should be used as a tool of coercion, as the post implies. We rate this . 

The total number of dollars that passes through the Department of Development is like $900 million and like $650 (million) of it has nothing to do with development, which is breathtaking when you think about it.

August 17, 2010

state budget

john kasich

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

ohio

a statement to reporters

To Kasich’s point, it is hard to believe that a state agency charged with bringing and retaining jobs for Ohio could spend only a small fraction of its state funds on its primary duty. Give him credit for the over-arching point. But his figures are off and do not encapsulate the full picture. Take some credit away for that. We rate his statement as .

The 'New York Times' writes this long story" about Donald Trump's tax returns but "didn't point out there was no wrongdoing" until paragraph 18.

October 2, 2016

candidate biography;taxes;punditfact

rudy giuliani

Rudy Giuliani is the former mayor of New York City. He was born in Brooklyn in 1944 and previously served as a federal prosecutor, as well as an associate attorney general under President Reagan. He graduated from Manhattan College and earned a law degree from New York University Law School. He has been married since 2003 to Judith Nathan and was married twice before. He has two children, Andrew and Caroline. He withdrew from the presidential race on Jan. 30, 2008.

an interview on "Meet the Press"

Image taken from the New York Times website. We’ll keep this short and sweet. Giuliani’s is not accurate. It rates . https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/18b969c4-f93b-4b71-b4a7-04001126c5f4

We have the fourth highest in-state tuition for public universities in the country.

January 3, 2013

education

maggie hassan

New Hampshire Democrat Maggie Hassan was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016. She formerly served as governor and as a state lawmaker in New Hampshire. 

new hampshire

her inauguration speech becoming NH governor

Data for the 2011-12 or 2012-13 school years isn’t available yet. But, according to the U.S. Department of Education, which compares tuition rates across the country, the University of New Hampshire was one of the nation’s most expensive schools in 2010-11 for in-state students. The state’s other public schools -- Granite State College, Keene State College and Plymouth State University -- didn’t make the national list. But UNH’s $13,672 tuition placed fourth at the time, trailing only Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Vermont. We rate the .

During the debate, Kamala Harris said, "that's a great segway to the next question," suggesting she knew the next question.

October 8, 2020

debates;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

national

a Facebook post

"No one at either campaign, or at the commission, or anywhere else has been told in advance what topics I’ll raise, or what questions I’ll ask," she said.  Harris does not make the statement that the Facebook post attributes to her, but she did say, "that’s a great segue." It’s unclear what she meant when she said that, and it doesn’t prove that she knew debate questions ahead of time.  Page, however, was explicit when she said that neither Harris nor Pence knew what topics or questions she would cover.  We rate this Facebook post .  

Singer Miley Cyrus: 'Trump fans are destroying my career, I can't stand them and I decided to move to…'

March 8, 2018

fake news;punditfact

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

A news story said that Miley Cyrus is blaming Trump supporters for her discontentment with her career and that she is planning to leave the United States. Cyrus has recently expressed satisfaction of her career and life, and she specifically reversed her prior feelings on leaving the country. We rate this .  

The U.S. representatives that voted to keep militarizing the police received 73 percent more campaign money from the defense industry" than the representatives who voted to stop it.

April 30, 2015

campaign finance;corrections and updates;criminal justice;federal budget;military

represent.us

Represent.us is "building a fiercely non-partisan movement to pass tough anti-corruption laws in cities and states across America.”

national

a meme on social media

The group Represent.us created a meme that read, "The U.S. Representatives that voted to keep militarizing the police received 73 percent more campaign money from the defense industry" than did the representatives who voted to stop it. The correct number is actually 70 percent, which is close to what the meme said. But it’s worth noting there's significant doubt about how meaningful this connection is. Several independent experts said it’s not obvious that the defense industry would have a strong self-interest in supporting the continued existence of the program, and if they don’t, that would undercut the meme’s underlying message. Others say defense contractors do have a small but real interest in seeing that police get the equipment. Overall, the statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information, so we rate it . Correction: This article has been changed to reflect that Maplight's data on campaign contributions automatically updates. We initially reported that a numerical difference was due to mistaken typing. 

Says the New York bike path assault "was the ninth vehicle assault used by ISIS.

October 31, 2017

terrorism

michael mccaul

Michael McCaul was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004.

texas

an interview by Fox News

McCaul said the New York bike path assault "was the ninth vehicle assault used by ISIS." McCaul based his on nine 2017 attacks--none of them confirmed to have been conducted by ISIS. Regardless, it looks like more than half may have been ISIS-inspired and if you consider actions globally over time, ISIS merits blame for at least nine vehicular assaults. We rate this statement . – The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.

A video shows wreckage of the recent plane crash in Nepal.

January 16, 2023

facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

Universal Studios Hollywood offers a studio lot tour featuring sets from movies, including "War of the Worlds." The plane in that set is a Boeing 747. The plane in the Nepal crash was a twin-engine ATR 72 . Authentic photos of the crash don’t reflect the video in the Facebook post.  We rate claims that it shows the crash’s wreckage .

The stimulus includes "$7 million to build a bridge in Thedford, Nebraska, to help 168 residents avoid a 30-second wait at a local train crossing. Not one full-time job will be created.

February 19, 2010

stimulus

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

a press release

But that doesn't mean it didn't create any jobs -- only that those jobs went to people in Colorado, less than 100 miles away. So Boehner has the project and the pricetag correct, but we think it's to the bridge only leads to a town of 168, when it is crossed more than 1,200 times a day. And the that it has not created any jobs is . It might not create any full-time jobs for Thedford residents, but it will for those employed by the Colorado company that got the multimilion dollar contract. And so we rule this .

Says EPA regulation of greenhouse gases will endanger 575 Texas dairy facilities, 58 swine operations, 1,300 corn farms and 28,000 beef cattle operations.

May 25, 2010

environment;energy

todd staples

Staples was first elected agriculture commissioner of Texas in 2006 after previously serving in the Texas Senate and House. He unsuccessfully sought the 2014 Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, afterward resigning for another job.

texas

a campaign Web post

Where does all this leave Staples’ statement? The commish had a basis for his numbers in the 2008 USDA letter. But his assumption that farms would be subject to the regulations expired when the EPA issued its final rule weeks ago. Since, Staples has neither adjusted nor reasonably explained his outdated complaint. His statement is .

And 100 percent, John, of your ads . . . 100 percent of them have been negative.

October 15, 2008

candidate biography

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

Hempstead, N.Y

That's far short of 100 percent. (It also found 61 percent of Obama’s ads have been negative.) That’s up for both parties from the 2004 election, when 64 percent of George Bush’s ads were negative, compared to 34 percent of John Kerry’s. So Obama might be right for one week, but he is way off for the overall campaign, when McCain's negative ads accounted for 73 percent. That's so far off that we find it .

Says in regard to providing "more tax cuts for the rich," Bill Pascrell said, "Republicans had great ideas. I liked some of their ideas.

May 8, 2012

elections;message machine 2012;taxes

steve rothman

Steven R. Rothman served as a Democratic congressman representing parts of northern New Jersey between January 1997 and January 2013. He left office after losing a primary election to Rep. Bill Pascrell.

new jersey

a video posted on YouTube

In an attack ad from Rothman’s campaign, the narrator claims Pascrell "wants more tax cuts for the rich." Then the video suggests Pascrell admitted to supporting such tax cuts by showing a clip of him saying, "Republicans had great ideas. I liked some of their ideas." But when Pascrell made those comments during a "Hardball" interview, the congressman was discussing efforts to reach a bipartisan compromise on health care reform. In fact, the phrase "tax cuts" was never mentioned during the entire interview. Editing a political ad to distort the meaning behind an opponent’s comments is not just , it’s . ! To comment on this ruling, go to NJ.com .

In addition to his compensation as a judge, "Roy Moore and his wife (paid themselves) over $1 million from a charity they ran.

August 2, 2017

candidate biography;corrections and updates;religion

senate leadership fund

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

national

an ad

Senate Leadership Fund attack ad said, "Roy Moore and his wife (paid themselves) over $1 million from a charity they ran." From 2005 through 2013, the Moore family drew $1,030,875 from The Foundation for Moral Law. But the ad gave the impression that Moore took a salary from the nonprofit while serving as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.  We rate this .

No one thought we could get a bipartisan bill (Medicaid) passed. We did in the Florida Senate.

May 22, 2011

health care;medicare;state budget

mike haridopolos

Mike Haridopolos, a Republican, is the president of the Florida Senate.  Haridopolos represents District 26 which spans portions of Osceola, Brevard and Indian River counties. He was elected to the state senate in 2003, and previously served in the State House of Representatives.

florida

TV interview

But the final, official tallies in the Senate were both strict party-line votes. Democrats even agreed in their caucus that they would oppose Medicaid reform, and they remained united on that. Haridopolos' spokesman points out a couple Democrats who voted for reform in committee -- but the version of the bill they voted on never reached the Senate floor and was not the version that passed. We looked for bipartisanship but didn't find it here. We rate this .

Says that when he first ran for office in the late 1980s, "there were still folks who didn't have phone service. Soon I'd helped ensure that everyone in North Florida could access a dial tone.

April 23, 2010

elections;message machine 2010

allen boyd

Allen Boyd is a former congressman from Monticello representing Florida's 2nd Congressional District in North Florida. He was defeated in a re-election campaign on Nov. 2, 2010.

florida

a TV ad

And yes, Boyd voted for the state bill, which supports his cautious of "helped." (The campaign has not portrayed him as a leader on the effort, although one of his supporters has.) But the state bill was just part of the reason for the big increase in telephone coverage. The federal law also played a role in deregulating the market. So we find his .

Says Texas school districts are the fifth largest employers in the world.

February 25, 2011

corporations;education;small business;workers

dan patrick

As a Houston state senator, Dan Patrick won election as lieutenant governor of Texas in November 2014 after earlier defeating incumbent David Dewhurst for his party's nomination. Patrick also has hosted a daily talk show on AM700 in Houston.

texas

a Texas Tribune article

"It’s a perfectly legitimate comparison," he said. "The point is made: Our schools employ lots of people." Yep, and the math behind his statement looks solid. Still, we find it questionable whether any workforces in the public sector, where the goal is supposed to be public service, are directly comparable to those in private sector, where the goal is to make money. We rate Patrick’s statement .

The crew of the U.S.S. Constitution consumed more than 252,000 gallons of alcohol and only 10,000 gallons of water on a seven-month trip.

December 5, 2021

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 museum does the math.  With 475 men on board, "each would have had to consume 395 gallons during the cruise, or about 1.8 gallons each day. If you’ve ever tried consuming nearly two gallons of spirits in a day, you’d probably not be around to read this." This tale didn’t happen. We rate this post . 

For the first time in U.S. history, a one-year-old appears in court as a defendant.

April 10, 2019

immigration;children;legal issues;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

A viral image on social media makes the that a "one-year-old appears in court as a defendant" for the first time in U.S. history. Recent data does show a significant increase in the amount of young unaccompanied children appearing in immigration proceedings over the last fiscal year, but the practice was not implemented by the Trump administration – it’s been in place for over a decade. We rate this post .

The insurance industry is actually run by mostly Democrats.

October 31, 2013

health care;punditfact

dana perino

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

comments on Fox News Channel's "The Five."

Perino claimed that the health insurance industry is run by Democrats. We could find almost nothing to suggest that’s the case. The way most large businesses and industries show their political stripes, through campaign contributions, suggests that large health insurers and their trade associations are more likely to support Republicans. Or at the least, that they hedge their bets by supporting both sides. We rate Perino’s .

Covid-19 is NOT killing people. Weak immune systems and bad doctors are.

August 31, 2020

facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

viral image

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

a Facebook post

Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the public health department in Chicago, explained during a news conference that coronavirus can exacerbate or cause health problems. "If, unfortunately, this person dies while they’re in the hospital, the doctor has to fill out the death certificate and you list things that this person had as well as what is the ultimate cause of death," she said .  Like Fauci, she said that these people are dying from COVID-19 — not their other conditions.  And young, healthy people do die from COVID-19, even if they represent a minority of the disease’s victims, according to the Proto , a publication from Massachusetts General Hospital.  We rate this Facebook post .

Florida leads the nation in elected officials charged with crimes.

February 8, 2010

crime

dan gelber

Dan Gelber is a former Florida state Senator representing Miami Beach. He campaigned to be Florida Attorney General and was defeated on Nov. 2, 2010.

florida

his campaign blog

That's not what the DOJ report tracks. Rather, Florida has the highest number of people convicted of public corruption crimes, only a fraction of whom are actually elected officials. And again, while it's certainly valid to note that Florida leads the nation in the sheer number of public corruption convictions, we think that when it comes to ranking states, it makes more sense to look at per capita rates. By that measure, Florida still ranks up there (No. 10) -- particularly when compared to other highly populated states -- but it's not tops on the list. And so we ruleGelber's   statement .

Says she has "quadrupled agents to secure our border.

December 2, 2009

immigration

kay bailey hutchison

Kay Bailey Hutchison, initially elected to the U.S. Senate in 1993, did not seek re-election in 2012. She ran for governor in 2010, losing the Republican nomination to incumbent Rick Perry.

texas

a campaign video

Hutchison has advocated increasing border agents, but she didn't personally quadruple anything. In many cases, the increases were pushed by President Bush and she was one of many who supported them. We find her . Editor's note: This statement was rated when it was published. On July 27, 2011, we changed the name for the rating to .

Under Maggie Hassan's leadership, "we increased state spending in the middle of the great recession by 24 percent leading up to and following it.

September 27, 2012

state budget

ovide lamontagne

Ovide Lamontage, a fourth generation New Hampshire resident, ran un nsuccessfully ran for governor in 1996 and sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2010, a seat now held by U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte. Lamontage served as legal counsel for the New Hampshire State Senate in 1991. In 1993, he was appointed by then Governor Stephen Merrill as Chairman of the New Hampshire State Board of Education, where he served until 1996, when he resigned to run for governor. In 2003, as an attorney representing the  Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, he negotiated the settlement between the diocese and the alleged victims of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of priests. The settlement spared the diocese from being criminally charged by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office. 

new hampshire

a debate at Rivier University

In trying to paint his challenger as a big spender, Lamontagne pointed to four years of state budgets when Hassan was in the Senate. While the proposed budgets show a 24 percent increase from all sources, total spending went up by 20 percent, which is slightly less. And looking at the money state budget writers have the most control over -- funds spent from state taxes and fees -- spending actually went down a hair, since the Democrats twice reopened the budget to make cuts.   Based on this analysis, we find the of state spending having gone up 24 percent to be .

Says a video shows Joe Biden lolling his tongue.

April 28, 2020

facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a video

Both Biden and Trump have published deceptively edited campaign videos attacking one another. In those cases, the ads used clips that omitted context. They did not transform footage altogether as this widely shared altered video does. The Facebook video is and . We rate it !

Wisconsin is one of the few states that doesn't allow absentee ballots to be processed before Election Day.

December 11, 2020

elections;states

tim carpenter

Timothy W. Carpenter is a Democratic member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 3rd District since 2003. He earlier served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1985 through 2003. 

wisconsin

a news release

Carpenter said Wisconsin is one of the few states that don’t allow absentee ballots to be processed before Election Day. However we define that processing, it’s clear Wisconsin in the extreme minority. Just a handful of states ban election workers from beginning work on absentee ballots before Election Day. We rate this .

Congresswoman Bachmann actually said we should be 'weaned' off our Social Security and Medicare. She wants to privatize Social Security and replace Medicare with some kind of voucher system.

February 18, 2010

medicare;social security

americans united for change

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

national

a radio ad

The group said that Bachmann wants to wean people off Medicare and Social Security, which is . But the group is exaggerating in the second part of its that Bachmann wants to "privatize Social Security and replace Medicare with some kind of voucher system that won’t even cover the full cost of medical care or prescriptions." To date, Bachmann has no specific proposal for how she would like to overhaul the two entitlement programs. Rather, she mentioned a separate proposal made by fellow Republican Paul Ryan, though she's made no commitments to his -- or anyone else's -- plan. As a result, we find the Americans United for Change .

Says Gov. Greg Abbott offered the uncle of a Uvalde shooting victim money to say "we don't need stronger gun laws.

May 26, 2022

facebook fact-checks

tweets

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

texas

a tweet

The publication also contacted the Twitter account about the , and the unidentified person behind it told The Daily Beast that it had been hacked. We couldn’t verify whether that really happened. But The Daily Beast and other journalists have noted that this account has made a number of claims in connection with tragic circumstances the past, such as that a sheriff in eastern Washington state killed another nephew, that he needed financial assistance for colon cancer treatments, that he suffered a stroke, was placed in a medically induced coma, received approval for assisted suicide, and that his body was "struggling to accept its new liver." The account has also said that he received "the Purple Heart in Afghanistan," where he was shot in the chest , and that he was a "9/11 first responder."   We rate these tweets about Abbott !

Says pre-cut onion used to cook the following day "becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.

August 15, 2019

fake news;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

An old myth circulating online warns consumers that pre-chopping an onion to cook the following day is dangerous because it "becomes highly poisonous" and "creates toxic bacteria." Any vegetable can become contaminated with bacteria if it isn’t handled or stored properly. Onions do not attract bacteria more than other vegetables and actually inhibit pathogen growth.  We rate this . 

Americans spend "6.1 billion hours a year" on tax preparation.

April 15, 2014

taxes

virginia foxx

Virginia Foxx is a Republican member of the House of Representatives from North Carolina.

national

a comment on Twitter

Foxx said, "6.1 billion hours a year, just to figure out how much money the government is going to take."   The number came from the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s 2013 report to Congress, which stated that  individuals and businesses spent 6.1 billion hours preparing their taxes.   It’s important to note that the figure is an estimate. It comes from taking the number of tax forms filed in the last year and multiplying it by the IRS’s estimate of the time it takes to prepare the forms. Foxx’s larger point, that it takes a very long time for Americans to comply with filing their federal taxes, is accurate. The number is an estimate, but it’s from a credible, independent report. We rate this statement .

Chickens aren't laying eggs because RNA is being added to commercial chicken feed.

January 19, 2023

animals;food;facebook fact-checks

tiktok posts

Posts on the video-sharing platform TikTok.

national

a TikTok post

A TikTok video claims that RNA is being added to feed and that’s why chickens aren’t laying eggs.  RNA is a naturally occurring nucleic acid found in all living cells. There’s no that any synthetic version of it is being added to commercial chicken feed, or that it’s causing a sudden drop in the number of eggs hens are laying.  Reasons for sudden egg production drops may include management mistakes, improper chicken nutrition, parasite infection, disease and stress, experts said.  We rate this .  RELATED: No, mRNA vaccines aren’t widely used in livestock and can't get into the food supply   RELATED : Eggflation? Social media post scrambles the facts on high egg prices RELATED: The Bill Gates egg shortage conspiracy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be  

The majority support (raising) the minimum wage.

March 16, 2014

economy;elections;punditfact

katrina vanden heuvel

Katrina vanden Heuvel is the editor of The Nation.

a broadcast of ABC's "This Week"

Vanden Heuvel said most Americans support raising the minimum wage. The polls confirm it. About two-thirds of the public consistently say boosting the minimum wage to $10.10 is a good idea and as many as a half of all voters say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who backs that increase. But how much a candidate’s position on the minimum wage matters in the polling booth is much less clear. The minimum wage is not top of mind except for a small fraction of voters. Still, vanden Heuvel's specific is accurate. We rate the statement .

Says carbon monoxide is still employed to euthanize dogs and cats in 29 Texas animal shelters.

March 19, 2013

animals;crime

kirk watson

Kirk Watson, who initially won his seat in the Texas Senate in 2006, was previously mayor of Austin. Earlier, he served on the Texas Air Control Board, precursor to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. He was the 2002 Democratic nominee for Texas attorney general.

texas

a news article

Watson said 29 cities use carbon monoxide to euthanize dogs and cats. That’s supported by an advocacy group’s survey research, it appears, though the total also has gone down by more than 10 cities since 2011, according to the group. We rate this as .

Do you know that, statistically, when you take the SAT a second time, one third of the people that take the SAT, even if they've been studying, will get a lower score than they did the first time around?

March 19, 2013

children;education

larry valencia

Larry Valencia, a Democrat, is a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, representing portions of Richmond, Exeter and Hopkinton. He is a freelance medical and technical writer.

rhode island

radio interview

State Rep. Larry Valencia, D-Richmond, said, "Do you know that, statistically, when you take the SAT a second time, one third of the people that take the SAT, even if they've been studying, will get a lower score than they did the first time around?" Figures from the College Board confirm that. We give Valencia the highest score on the -O-Meter test:  . (For the record, Valencia reported that he got a 73 percent on the NECAP sample math test portion, which would be a "3," or "proficient," with just 4 of the 50 adults getting a higher score.) (If you have a you’d like PolitiFact Rhode Island to check, e-mail us at [email protected] And follow us on Twitter: @politifactri.)

John McCain's health care plan "won't guarantee coverage of cancer screenings or maternity care.

October 24, 2008

health care

planned parenthood

Planned Parenthood Federation of America identifies itself as the nation's leading women's health care provider, educator, and advocate, serving women, men, teens, and families. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Planned Parenthood Votes is a super PAC affiliated with Planned Parenthood.  

national

a TV ad

"It's very different from what we have right now." Planned Parenthood's ad says that McCain's plan doesn't "guarantee" coverage of cancer screenings or maternity care, and on a literal level, that's . But Planned Parenthood's deeper point is that some people have a "guarantee" under their respective state's current laws, and they could lose that guarantee under McCain's plan. McCain's plan has no literal guarantees for coverage, and Planned Parenthood makes an additional case that his regulations could undermine existing state guarantees. On that basis, we rate Planned Parenthood Action Fund's statement .

WHO now saying you do not need to wear a mask.

January 25, 2021

public health;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

a blog post

"  A page on the WHO’s website that was last updated on Dec. 1 offers guidance on when, where and why people should wear masks, which the site describes as "a key measure to suppress transmission and save lives." The WHO recommends medical masks for health workers in clinical settings, anyone feeling unwell, people waiting for COVID-19 test results, people caring for someone with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, people 60 and older, and people with underlying health conditions.   For everyone else in the general public, non-medical fabric face coverings are OK, according to the WHO.  We rate this blog post .

The minimum number of infrastructure (needs) in Atlanta is $900 million.

July 29, 2014

city government

kasim reed

Kasim Reed is Mayor of Atlanta.

georgia

press conference

The understanding is that more money would be requested from voters down the road, she said. A final list of proposed projects for the referendum is expected by November or December. To summarize: Reed said the city has infrastructure needs that will cost at least $900 million. That’s a conservative estimate based on studies and previous comments by him and others. We rate Reed’s statement as .

The Milwaukee County Board's staff grew from four workers to 38 over four decades and now costs taxpayers "a lot more," while the total county workforce was more than cut in half in the same period.

January 18, 2013

county budget;county government

chris abele

Chris Abele is Milwaukee County Executive, a position he won in an April 2011 special election to finish out the final year of the term of Scott Walker, who was elected governor in November 2010. The election was the first attempt at political office for Abele, a Milwaukee philanthropist and business owner. The office is nonpartisan, but Abele has indicated he is a Democrat.

wisconsin

an interview

The system dates to 1960, when John Doyne became the first elected county executive. Our rating Abele said the County Board’s staff grew from three or four workers to 38 since the 1970s, and now costs taxpayers "a lot more," while the total county workforce was more than cut in half in the same period. He slightly overstates the growth in Board staff, and the time frame needs some clarification, but it’s accurate to say the County Board staff has grown notably since the early 1970s. And even in inflation-adjusted dollars, the board costs a lot more today than in 1970, from a budget standpoint, even though there are fewer elected supervisors. We rate Abele’s statement .

President Trump, COVID-19 coronavirus: U.S. cases 1,329; U.S. deaths, 38; panic level: mass hysteria. President Obama, H1N1 virus: U.S. cases, 60.8 million; U.S. deaths, 12,469; panic level: totally chill. Do you all see how the media can manipulate your life.

March 13, 2020

corrections and updates;public health;facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

viral image

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

a viral image

The impact in the United States of swine flu might appear much worse than COVID-19, but it lasted for a year, whereas the coronavirus has been here only about two months. And while it’s too soon to calculate how deadly COVID-19 will be, two experts told us it is clearly more deadly than H1N1. This statement contains an element of in that the figures quoted were accurate at the time they were posted, but the post ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate this . Correction, March 19, 2020: An earlier version of this story contained a typo in the first paragraph that mischaracterized the being made in the viral image. The story has been updated.

Says "in Oregon only 41 percent of adults have ever been tested" for HIV.

February 21, 2012

public health

alissa keny-guyer

Alissa Keny-Guyer represents Oregon House District 46.

oregon

a floor speech

While speaking about a bill that seeks to raise the rate of HIV testing in Oregon, Keny-Guyer told colleagues that "only 41 percent of adults have ever been tested." The most recent statewide number is actually a bit lower -- 37 percent. But Keny-Guyer used a correct statistic, it was just a year old. We don't consider that significant enough to downgrade our ruling. We rate the statement .

Says Bill Daley, as part of former Gov. Bruce Rauner's transition team, wrote "the blueprint" for record Springfield gridlock.

February 13, 2019

state budget

susana mendoza

Susana Mendoza is the Illinois comptroller. Mendoza served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2001-2010, before becoming the first woman to be elected city clerk of Chicago in February 2011. 

illinois

a campaign ad

Susana Mendoza’s ad says that as part of the governor’s transition team, Bill Daley wrote "the blueprint" for what she calls Rauner’s "four years of crisis and destruction." Daley helped produce a report that outlined general priorities for Rauner’s incoming administration on a long list of issues. But there is no that document, which was heavy on generalities but extremely light on concrete policy recommendations, guided Rauner’s later actions that contributed to two years of gridlock with the Democrat-controlled General Assembly over how to govern the state. Mendoza's that Daley laid the framework for Rauner’s role in the state’s protracted budget impasse boils down to a broad accusation of guilt by association. We rate it . — The statement is not accurate. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.

Says "Every single person who has cancer has a pH that is too acidic," and claims Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for proving that cancer can't survive in an alkaline-rich environment and thrives in an acidic, low oxygen environment.

July 5, 2019

corrections and updates;public health;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

A recently posted on Facebook says "every single person who has cancer has a pH that is too acidic" and that Dr. Warburg’s research proved cancer cannot survive in an alkaline environment. The human body’s pH varies, so it is not possible for a person to simply have a universal pH that is "too acidic." And while it is correct that cancer thrives better in acidic conditions versus alkaline, cancerous cells are known to help produce the acidic environment themselves. We rate this . Correction: Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize in 1931, not the Nobel Peace Prize. This story has been updated.  

There's still about $400 billion or $500 billion of the stimulus plan that has not been spent. Why don't we stop it.

August 8, 2010

federal budget;stimulus;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 interview on NBC's 'Meet the Press'

Another $25 billion has been awarded but isn’t under contract yet. And the final $25 billion is in the process of being awarded. So it would be possible to put the brakes on some of the stimulus funding, though it would likely anger folks who have received awards or who are well into the process of applying for awards. But there's not nearly as much unspent -- and that could conceivably be used to offset the expense of extending the Bush tax cuts -- as Boehner suggested. We rate his .

Coal production up 7.8% in past year. Down 31.5% last 10 years. #endingwaroncoal.

October 31, 2017

energy

donald trump

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

national

a tweet

Trump said that coal production rose 7.8 percent since 2016. The number tracks back to a government forecast, which is less certain than actual production figures. But based on data for the first nine months of 2017, the increase was even higher -- 12 percent compared to the same period a year earlier. Trump tied the increase to the theme of "ending the war on coal." The research we found said shifts in the price of natural gas and foreign demand are the primary drivers, not government regulation. We rate this .

Says Obama "refuses to recognize Jerusalem" as the capital of Israel.

August 5, 2012

israel;foreign policy;message machine 2012

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 campaign ad

The ad says Obama "refuses to recognize Jerusalem" as the capital of Israel. As a candidate, Obama identified Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. But as president since then, he has shied away from making statements that could be perceived as taking sides in the ongoing peace process. That’s not so much a refusal on his part but a continuation of the line taken before him by previous presidents. Formally, the United States does not recognize any state as having sovereignty over Jerusalem. Both the state department and CIA under his administration note Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, with a footnote attached. Romney’s ad portrays Obama’s position as a betrayal of an ally. That’s . We rate it .

Says U.S. House candidate Carlos Curbelo "opposes the repeal of Obamacare.

July 26, 2014

health care

ed macdougall

Ed MacDougall is the mayor of Cutler Bay and a candidate in the 2014 Congressional District 26 Republican primary in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

florida

a radio ad

MacDougall said that Curbelo "opposes the repeal of Obamacare." MacDougall points to an interview Curbelo gave in December in which he said he was against total repeal but wanted to replace the law. In subsequent interviews, Curbelo called for a substantial overhaul of the law. MacDougall’s statement could leave voters with the impression that Curbelo is a straight-up supporter of the health care law. Curbelo supports at least a couple of policy goals in the law -- such as providing coverage to those with pre-existing conditions -- but overall he is  very critical of the law. The statement contains an element of but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate this .

Under Scott Walker, "average wages, when adjusted for inflation, are lower today than they were under Jim Doyle.

November 4, 2017

economy;income

matt flynn

Milwaukee attorney Matt Flynn announced in October 2017 that he is running for the Democratic nomination for governor of Wisconsin in the 2018 election. A former chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Flynn lost bids for the U.S. Senate in 1986 and 1988 and was defeated in contests for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978 and 2004. 

wisconsin

a news release

Our rating Flynn says that under Walker, "average wages, when adjusted for inflation, are lower today than they were under Jim Doyle." Adjusting for inflation, the average wage is higher under Walker than it was when Doyle left office in 2010. But sometimes people use the more common term average when they’re actually referring to the median -- which some economists say is a better measure for wages because an average can be distorted by people who earn very high wages. The median wage was higher when Doyle left office than it is under Walker.   Flynn’s statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details -- our definition of .

Police discover meth lab in back room of Alabama Walmart.

December 10, 2017

drugs;fake news;crime;punditfact

ufconly

Ufconly is a website that posts fake news.

a headline

In August 2016, police discovered a meth lab inside a 6-foot-high drainage pipe under a Walmart parking lot in Amherst, N.Y. The " about" section of the Ufconly website doesn’t describe the website’s content and instead stated that "Ufconly is a small village in the mountains of the Western Cape, South Africa." We found no such place. There is no that police discovered a meth lab inside a Walmart in Decatur, Ala. We rate this .

Expanding the sale of full-strength beer and wine to grocery stores is "good for everybody.

March 16, 2016

alcohol

your choice colorado

Your Choice Colorado is a campaign pushing a Colorado ballot measure to allow full-strength beer and wine in grocery and big box stores.

colorado

a TV ad

Opponents forecast precisely the opposite effect, saying it would close 700 liquor stores, cause the loss of 10,000 jobs, and hurt craft breweries and wineries. Independent economists say the proposal would increase competition, giving consumers lower prices and convenient one-stop shopping. But they acknowledge that liquor stories will be negatively impacted. The ad makes a fair point about consumer benefits but goes too far in saying the measure works out for all sides. We rate the .

For the last 10 years, our economy has grown at less than 2 percent on average every single year for 10 years. We have not had a decade like that in a century in America.

October 22, 2017

economy;taxes

james lankford

James Lankford, a Republican, is a U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. Previously, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to joining the House, he served as director of student ministry at the Baptist Convention of Oklahoma and as director of the Falls Creek Youth Camp.

national

an interview on "Face the Nation"

Lankford said that average yearly growth in the past 10 years has been under 2 percent and that "we have not had a decade like that in a century in America." Lankford is correct that growth since 2007 has averaged under 2 percent. The data don’t carry his argument over a full century because the government numbers only go back to 1930, not 1917 as would be necessary. He also has cherry-picked his definition of a decade. His numbers are correct by the yardstick he chose, but by another common interpretation of decade, average growth in the first 10 years of this century fell below 2 percent. That runs counter to the heart of his assertion. At the same time, using that definition, it is fair to say that growth since 2000 has been lower than in the decades before that. We rate this .

Says there are "indications of grossly improper conduct from election officials right here in my district.

November 5, 2020

elections

dan bishop

Dan Bishop is a North Carolina state Senator who represents Mecklenburg County in District 39. In 2019, he was a candidate for North Carolina's 9th Congressional District.

north carolina

a tweet

Bishop said there are "indications of grossly improper conduct from election officials right here in my district." His spokeswoman cited complaints about campaign volunteers outside a polling place. Complaints were filed against Anson County campaign volunteers accusing them of trying to coerce people into voting a certain way. And Bishop thinks local election officials didn’t do enough to stop campaign volunteers from improperly assisting voters with their ballots. But the North Carolina elections board says it’s not aware of any direct misconduct by Anson County election officials. We rate this .

Says Obama is only president in history who has deliberately removed the words "endowed by their Creator" when referring to the Declaration of Independence.

September 23, 2012

history;message machine 2012

government is not god pac

Government Is Not God is a political action committee for social conservatives founded in 1992 by William J. Murray who is currently the chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition. The mission of Government Is Not God - PAC is the election to Congress of men and women who hold conservative beliefs on both moral and economic issues.

national

a newspaper ad

GING-PAC’s ad says Obama is "the only president in history who has deliberately removed the words." Not so. It’s that Obama has omitted "endowed by their Creator" in speeches, but he’s also included those words many times. And at least three other presidents -- including Ronald Reagan -- have left out the Creator. We rate the .

On average, 17% of a family's income goes towards child care in Wisconsin.

February 6, 2021

children;families;income

sarah godlewski

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

wisconsin

a tweet

Criticizing the high cost of child care in Wisconsin, Godlewski claimed, "On average, 17% of a family’s income goes towards child care in Wisconsin." She’s right that child care costs can be a financially impossible burden for many families. But her stat misses on several points. That figure isn’t an average, it simply compares the price of full-time, center-based child care to the typical family income, expressing that ratio as a percentage. This number only holds for a family with one child who has that child in full-time center-based care, which is far from a typical situation. Many families use a combination of options, or pay for home-based care.  And this phrasing actually drastically understates the cost for a single-parent family or a family with multiple children using center-based care. We define as a statement that is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context. That fits here.

You had supported John McCain's military strategies pretty adamantly until this race.

October 2, 2008

iraq

sarah palin

Sarah Palin was the Republican nominee for vice president in 2008. She is also the former governor of Alaska and the author of  Going Rogue: An American Life. Sarah Palin's previous experience includes leading the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and serving as the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

national

St. Louis

"Stay there forever?" So Biden "supported McCain's military strategies pretty adamantly," as Palin claimed, only when it came to military funding. He voted to authorize the war, but his reluctance stood in stark contrast to McCain's zeal. And he and McCain were utterly at odds on the surge. We find Palin's to be .

Obamacare … means that for up to 20 million Americans, they will lose the insurance they currently have, the insurance that they like and they want to keep.

June 28, 2012

health care

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

Washington, D.C.

Romney said that "Obamacare … means that for up to 20 million Americans, they will lose the insurance they currently have, the insurance that they like and they want to keep." That number is cherry-picked, and he’s to describe it as only including people who "like" their coverage, since many of those 20 million will be leaving employer coverage voluntarily for better options. Romney also ignores that under the status quo, many more people today "lose" coverage than even the highest, cherry-picked CBO estimate. We rate his statement .

Chrysler is leaving Mexico and moving back to Michigan.

January 16, 2018

jobs;trade;taxes

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

Washington

Trump said that Chrysler is leaving Mexico and moving back to Michigan. The company does plan to spend $1 billion to shift production of Ram trucks from Saltillo, Mexico, to Warren, Mich. However, this is no zero-sum game where a U.S. gain is Mexico’s loss. The Mexican plant will start making another kind of vehicle, and the company expects no change in the number of workers. There is no question though that the company’s billion dollar investment will add many new jobs in Michigan where Chrysler has long had a presence. We rate this .

The fact is that right now the vast majority of Democrats do not support Medicare for All.

November 20, 2019

health care;health check

joe biden

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

comments made during the November Democratic presidential primary debate

  During the recent presidential primary debates, Biden said: "The fact is that right now the vast majority of Democrats do not support Medicare for All." Based on a cursory review of polls, this statement appears off-base. After all, most polls find that when Democrats are simply asked if they support Medicare for All, they answer "yes."  However, when those same polls dig deeper into this support by asking about the favorability of other Democratic-favored health policies -- Medicare for All, the public option or expansions of the Affordable Care Act -- or if such a Medicare for All program should replace private insurance, this support becomes weaker. The polls do seem to suggest support among Democrats for the moderate reforms Biden backs. Still, the is lacking to support Biden’s that a "vast majority" of Democrats oppose Medicare for All.   For these reasons, we rate this statement . 

The House of Representatives has never passed a resolution of disapproval to condemn a member's behavior.

September 15, 2009

history

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

a floor speech

While there may be more such instances deep in congressional history - finding them would require reviewing reams of legislation introduced since the founding of Congress - the only example the historian's office could readily find was against Rep. Bill Thomas, who, in 2003 as the Republican chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, called in the U.S. Capitol Police to remove Democratic panel members who were protesting Thomas' handling of a pension bill. The resolution was dropped by a vote of 170-143.   So, back to Boehner's . In recent history, there's only been one instance of the chamber specifically using a resolution of disapproval to punish a lawmaker, though the historian's office said there may be more. Given that small bit of uncertainty, we give Boehner a .

Half of all personal bankruptcies in America "are caused by medical bills.

September 17, 2007

health care

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

Des Moines, Iowa

In the study, only 28.3 percent of bankruptcies were attributed to "illness or injury" alone. In response to questions, 46.2 percent of people declaring bankruptcy cited illness or injury; unpaid medical bills; lost income due to illness; or the mortgage of a home to pay medical bills. Forty-six percent is closer, but still less than half. The bankruptcy number only goes above 50 percent when the cause includes such things as gambling addiction, drug and alcohol addiction, the adoption of a child or the death of a family member. As serious as these issues may be, they are not what most people think of as "medical bills."

Winning enough pledged delegates is "not impossible.

May 1, 2016

elections

bernie sanders

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

national

an interview on CBS News' "Face the Nation"

Sanders said it is not impossible for him to surge past Clinton. The experts we reached agreed. Mathematically, it is not impossible. Outside the realm of theory, however, his performance in past contests shows it is far more likely that he won’t hit the winning percentage he needs. The proportional allocation rule works against Sanders, leaving him no room to fall short. Sanders' is accurate with a major caveat. We rate the . https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/d546e1d5-6b47-4c08-962d-2b9643544db1

Obama's plan for health care reform "ends exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays.

August 13, 2009

health care

david axelrod

David Axelrod is a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama. He is now an analyst for NBC News.

national

a chain e-mail

'Exorbitant' may be in the eye of the beholder. For a family, $10,000 in the course of a year can be a serious financial hit. (The median income for a family of four is $67,000.) Still, the new limits are better than nothing, and health care advocates praise them as an important safeguard for consumers. So we rate Axelrod's statement .

Photo shows someone in a swastika shirt giving a Nazi salute at a recent Donald Trump rally.

April 3, 2022

facebook fact-checks

viral image

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

a tweet

We found another image of what appears to be the same woman holding a "white pride" flag in a Facebook post that says "Neo-Nazi Rally and March against immigration, Knoxville, August 2010. "  Searching for the words "Knoxville" and "Nazi" in August 2010, we found an Aug. 14, 2010, Knoxville New Sentinel video posted to YouTube showing a rally at the courthouse after members of the National Socialist Movement marched there that day. The Southern Poverty Law Center says the National Socialist Movement "was once one of the largest and most active neo-Nazi groups in the United States. "  This particular march predates Trump’s candidacy and presidency by several years. We rate claims that this photo was taken at Trump’s rally .

I was banned from talking about" Bill Ayers during the 2008 presidential campaign.

July 26, 2013

elections;pundits;terrorism

sarah palin

Sarah Palin was the Republican nominee for vice president in 2008. She is also the former governor of Alaska and the author of  Going Rogue: An American Life. Sarah Palin's previous experience includes leading the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and serving as the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

national

an interview with Fox News

Palin said she was banned from talking about one-time domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, but the record shows the complete and utter opposite. Not only did Palin talk about Ayers, so did the man at the top of the ticket, as did a recorded message from the RNC that went out to voters in battleground states. When the public record and the candidate’s own words speak so strongly against a statement, we have little choice. We rate the .

Says there are "$500 billion in Medicare cuts required to pay for this flawed [health care law].

June 28, 2012

health care

jon runyan

A former offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jon Runyan is a Republican Congressman representing New Jersey's 3rd district, which includes parts of Burlington, Camden and Ocean counties.  

new jersey

a press release

Runyan, repeating a Republican talking point about Obama’s health care law, said there are "$500 billion in Medicare cuts required to pay for this flawed legislation." The legislation aims to slow projected spending on Medicare by more than $500 billion over a 10-year period, but it does not cut that money from the program. Medicare spending will increase over that time frame. Still, a sliver of exists in this , because the difference in the spending will help offset costs of other provisions in the law. We rate this .   To comment on this ruling, go to NJ.com .

Passage of a referendum on an aquarium for Clearwater means "NO future funding for our neighborhoods.

October 21, 2013

city budget;water

friends of clearwater pac

The Friends of Clearwater political action committee opposes a new downtown aquarium in Clearwater.

florida

a flier

But since the aquarium plan is to seek only half of the increment revenue, and only for 20 years, the remaining half of that revenue would theoretically remain available for projects benefitting the downtown neighborhood. And use of those dollars downtown wouldn’t hurt other neighborhoods in the city, since those dollars can’t legally be spent elsewhere. There is no proof that approval of Tuesday’s referendum — which would only authorize the city to negotiate a lease and doesn’t ensure construction of the aquarium — will mean no future funding for Clearwater neighborhoods. The opponents’ statement is based on speculation, with no foundation in fact. We rate it .

People are participating in "National Rape Day'" on April 24.

April 23, 2023

crime

tiktok posts

Posts on the video-sharing platform TikTok.

national

a post

Fact-checkers at Snopes found that claims of a National Rape Day came before 2021. Urban Dictionary, a website on which people post definitions of slang words, showed a May 26, 2018, post about the term on its site, describing April 24 as "the day when it’s legal to rape people!" Snopes reported that Urban Dictionary deleted the entry. We find no to substantiate the that men are coordinated in an effort to sexually assault women on April 24.  We rate this . 

Borax can be used to treat a variety of health problems, including joint pain, kidney stones, osteoporosis and chronic fatigue.

July 18, 2023

public health;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook video

Social media posts claimed borax, a household cleaning product, can be ingested to treat multiple health problems. Borax should not be used as an alternative to boron supplements or naturally occuring boron in foods, health and nutrition experts say. Consuming borax can cause adverse health effects, and in large amounts, it could lead to death. We rate this !

Every general City of Milwaukee employee "pays toward his or her pension, but approximately 88 percent of our police officers and firefighters do not.

September 22, 2015

city budget;city government;labor;pensions;public safety;unions;taxes

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 speech

Because the law exempts police and firefighters, only Milwaukee police officers and firefighters hired since late 2011 make pension contributions -- the vast majority, 88 percent, do not. However, it’s worth noting that the police and firefighter unions in effect are paying toward their pension in that they made wage concessions in exchange for not making direct contributions to their pensions. We rate Barrett's statement .   More on City of Milwaukee Ald. Nik Kovac says police, fire workers routinely get 4% raises () Milwaukee Police Association says it has offered several million dollars in savings in contract negotiations with the City of Milwaukee ()

More than 80% of Republicans think we ought to at least be doing universal background checks.

January 26, 2020

guns

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

Des Moines

Buttigieg said, "More than 80% of Republicans think we ought to at least be doing universal background checks."  Buttigieg cited two polls that showed Republican support for background checks for all sales at 83% and 90%. We found additional polls in the same ballpark.  The support in polls doesn’t necessarily translate to support for specific legislation or ballot measures, and it’s possible that some respondents are unaware of current laws. That said, there are plenty of polls to back up Buttigieg’s statistic. We rate this statement .  

You've got thousands of people serving in the military who are transgender.

July 26, 2017

military

ted lieu

U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu is a Democrat who represents parts of Los Angeles County. 

national

comments on CNN

Lieu said, "You've got thousands of people serving in the military who are transgender and they're doing a fantastic job." There are no solid numbers from the Defense Department, but two sources have provided recent estimates extrapolated from survey and insurance data. One 2014 UCLA brief estimated as many as 15,500 active duty and reserve service members may identify as transgender. A 2016 RAND Corp. study commissioned by the Pentagon suggested between 2,150 and 10,790 active and reserve duty troops. While both estimates said there are likely thousands of transgender people in the military, those are still estimates. Lieu should note that in his talking point. We rate the statement .

Whoopi Goldberg humiliated, handcuffed and dragged out of the TV studio.

August 14, 2017

fake news;punditfact

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

an Internet post

Goldberg has been a target of the site before. TheLastLineOfDefense.org has said Goldberg has been charged by the Secret Service , hired by Fox News Channel and faced the ire of President Donald Trump’s administration . And that’s just since March. This is another charge leveled by a website that makes up all its content, which is reshared online with no indication of its origins. We rate this !

Says "Monica Lewinsky Found Dead" in a burglary.

June 3, 2017

fake news;crime;punditfact

bloggers

Blog posting on the Internet

Internet posts

A number of news writers said former White House intern Monica Lewinsky had been tragically killed in a burglary and named the Clintons as possible suspects. The item is circulating on websites that make no secret of their irreverent mission to confuse readers, especially conservatives, into mistaking their satire for . Days after publication, Lewinsky herself removed any possible doubt by Tweeting out an article debunking the . We rate this statement .

It makes no sense to require vaccinations for the previously infected.

July 14, 2021

facebook fact-checks;coronavirus

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

a Facebook post

Experts are unsure exactly how long someone is protected against COVID-19 after they have been infected. The CDC says vaccination is a more effective way of building protection against the virus, including variants. The authors of the studies Mercola cited recommended that people who were previously infected with COVID-19 still get vaccinated. They say vaccination does make sense, because everyone can have varying degrees of immunity and it is unclear how long natural immunity lasts. We rate Mercola’s .

Says the impeachment of President Donald Trump would be the first in U.S. history "without a specific criminal statute or crime that the president who is impeached would have allegedly committed.

December 7, 2019

impeachment;crime;punditfact

paul gigot

Paul Gigot is editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal and host of "Journal Editorial Report" on Fox News Channel.

an interview

Gigot said if Trump is impeached, this would be the first impeachment in U.S. history "without a specific criminal statute or crime that the president who is impeached would have allegedly committed." The two presidents who have been impeached, Johnson and Clinton, were not charged with violating any criminal code. But that is only part of the story: Johnson was accused of breaking a law that carried a possible prison sentence, and Clinton was accused of the crime of perjury.  The is partially accurate but takes things out of context. We rate the .

In 2009, Jim Doyle and the Democrats rushed through a budget repair bill with billions in tax increases and held no public hearings.

November 29, 2010

state budget;taxes

jeff fitzgerald

Wisconsin Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, is the speaker of the state Assembly. He was elected to the Assembly in 2000. His brother is Wisconsin state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. In October 2011, Jeff Fitzgerald ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2012.

wisconsin

a news release

On the question of public hearings, Fitzgerald is right there were none -- but his rhetoric skipped past the fact such hearings have not always been held. Indeed, both parties have had a hand in that fact.   We rate his . Editor's note: This statement was rated when it was published. On July 27, 2011, we changed the name for the rating to .

Says "the acting chief of the IRS said he – and the majority of IRS employees – would rather stay with his current" health "plan than switch to Obamacare.

August 2, 2013

health care

jeb hensarling

Jeb Hensarling is a U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House Republican Conference.

texas

a press release

Hensarling said that "the acting chief of the IRS said he – and the majority of IRS employees – would rather stay with his current plan than switch to Obamacare." Werfel did say that he and other IRS workers would prefer no change in their insurance coverage. But the context for that statement is not as Hensarling suggested. IRS and other federal workers are not objecting to the law known as Obamacare but to proposed legislation designed to take away their current employer-provided insurance and make them buy coverage through exchanges created by Obamacare. We rate Hensarling’s partly accurate , which leaves the misimpression that IRS workers are scrambling to get out from under a law that actually applies to the nation’s uninsured, as .

Due to the sequester, "people are going to be unsafe. Homes are going to burn.

February 26, 2013

federal budget

ami bera

Ami Bera is a Democrat who represents a California district that includes Sacramento in the U.S. House of Representatives.

national

a House floor speech

Bera said that due to the sequester, "people are going to be unsafe. Homes are going to burn." The precise impact of sequester cuts on firefighting is speculative, but it’s safe to assume there will be some impact on the margins, at least in places that receive federal firefighting grants. Still, Bera’s language is overheated, both on Sacramento’s case in particular and in the overall picture. In the communities lucky enough to receive SAFER grants, such funds typically account for a small portion of the total departmental budget. In addition, firehouse woes do not begin and end with the sequester; local budgets and policies also deserve some blame. Finally, blaming the sequester obscures even larger cuts the administration itself proposed prior to the sequester. On balance, we rate Bera’s .

Says "Your kid just ate 16 packs of sugar.

July 10, 2012

county government;public health

multnomah county

Multnomah County is Oregon's most populous county. The City of Portland is in Multnomah.

oregon

a public health campaign

We figure parents are smart enough to figure out the sugar-gram-to-cola-ounce ratio themselves. The smaller the drink, the fewer the sugar packets. All this really means is that we find the county’s statement accurate. We rate it . And that’s the unsugar-coated . 

Prayer rugs have recently been found on the Texas side of the border in the brush.

September 26, 2014

immigration;religion;terrorism

david dewhurst

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

texas

Washington, D.C

Dewhurst said "prayer rugs have recently been found" in brush on the Texas side of the U.S.-Mexico border. This is weakened because it’s not backed up by sourced-by-name witnesses nor did any authority confirm such a find when we inquired. If prayer rugs were showing up to someone’s alarm, we think there'd be legitimate photographs and the rugs themselves available for inspection. Another hole: While people of the Muslim faith surely cross the Mexico-Texas border – that’s not at issue in this fact check – it’s unreasonable to presume the presence of prayer rugs means individuals carrying them intend to commit violent acts on U.S.soil, an implication of Dewhurst’s declaration. In the end, we find his statement and . Rugs (we mean Pants) on Fire!

Queens voters received pre-marked ballots for Joe Biden.

October 29, 2020

elections;facebook fact-checks

tweets

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

new york

a tweet

A tweet claimed that several Queens residents received ballots that were already marked with votes for Biden and other Democratic candidates.  No supports this .  One voter Novak interviewed said he’d received a ballot with his daughter’s name on it that was already filled out. The New York City Board of Elections spokesperson told PolitiFact the voter in question had filled out the ballot and tried to mail it to the Board of Elections, but someone accidentally opened it.  The Associated Press reported that the voter had used the envelope and mailed it to her previous address. We rate this . This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here , for more.

Says Mitt Romney had millions in the Cayman Islands, a tax haven.

July 14, 2012

message machine 2012;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 TV ad

Obama’s ad says Romney had millions of dollars in the tax-friendly Cayman Islands. Romney’s trustee acknowledged investing Romney’s money in funds located there, and several are listed on his financial disclosures. Those forms indicate the value of those investments is in the millions. There's no of anything illegal or improper, but it's clear that Romney had millions in the Caymans. We rate the from the Obama ad .

An election worker in Georgia threw away a ballot.

November 5, 2020

elections;facebook fact-checks

facebook posts

Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.  

georgia

an Instagram post

The post claimed to show in a video that a poll worker committed voter fraud by throwing away a ballot. The man was throwing away a paper with voter instructions, elections officials said.  We rate this .

A Florida millionaire was arrested after admitting to burying more than 700 bodies on his property.

June 4, 2019

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

On Facebook, many users posted comments calling out the post’s credibility. But others seemed convinced, and the image that appeared on the social media platform included the words "now this is crazy" with frowning emojis. That seems designed to lead people to believe the story is authentic. Fortunately for Florida Men everywhere, it’s not.  We rate this post !

Antifa "are killing our police. Looting our businesses. Assaulting the elderly and burning our churches.

June 22, 2020

dane eagle

Dane Eagle was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2012 and reelected subsequently. He was the Majority Whip 2016-2018 and the Majority Leader 2018-2020. He lives in Cape Coral and is a commercial real estate broker.

florida

a social media ad

Eagle said in a social media ad that antifa "are killing our police, looting our businesses, assaulting the elderly and burning our churches." Eagle’s campaign broadly blames antifa for violence and property destruction, echoing a statement by U.S. Attorney General William Barr. But the campaign didn’t point to proof that antifa was behind any specific act of violence or criminal behavior.  We found no that antifa has played any significant role in any of the violence that broke out amid recent peaceful protests against police brutality. We rate this .

Says Rep. Martha McSally "is a #FlipFlopBorderHawk.

March 16, 2018

immigration;homeland security

kelli ward

Kelli Ward, a former state senator, is running for John McCain's U.S. Senate seat in the 2016 election cycle.

arizona

a Facebook post

Ward in a Facebook post called McSally a #FlipFlopBorderHawk. In 2017, McSally publicly questioned a funding request for border barriers — due to limited details — but ultimately voted in favor of it. McSally has said a border wall alone will not stop illegal immigration or criminal organizations, but can work in certain areas. In 2018, McSally has offered a strong embrace, saying she has "always supported building a wall." Ward’s statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details. We rate it .

Says more than 2 million Oregonians have received important medical services because of his health plan.

August 15, 2010

health care

john kitzhaber

John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, was governor of Oregon for two terms, starting in 1995. He was inaugurated in 2011 for an unprecedented third term. He was elected to the Oregon Legislature in 1978, rising to the position of Senate President. He spearheaded the Oregon Health Plan as a legislator and as governor. Kitzhaber graduated from Dartmouth College and the University of Oregon Medical School (now Oregon Health & Science University). He worked as an emergency room physician in Roseburg from 1974 to 1988.

oregon

a radio interview

That means 41 percent got coverage because of Kitzhaber’s health plan. Kitzhaber is indeed the creator of the Oregon Health Plan and -- as the records shows -- he can legitimately credit for expanding health coverage to about 820,000 people. Taking credit for the entire 2 million is a stretch. We find his .   Comment on this item.

Says Doug Jones "is for full-term abortion.

November 17, 2017

abortion;elections;women

kayla moore

Kayla Moore is the wife of Judge Roy Moore, the special election Republican nominee for U. S. Senate in Alabama.

national

a women for Moore rally

Kayla Moore said Jones is for full-term abortion. The language of the abortion debate is imprecise, but the phrase "full-term abortion" had virtually no track-record before Moore said it. Jones said he supports laws that allow abortions after 20 weeks or so of gestation, commonly known as late-term abortions, to protect a mother’s life or health. He hasn’t addressed a situation that, in the view of a leading medical researcher, doesn’t exist in practice. Moore measured Jones against a term that is disconnected from reality. We rate this .

The sun is not 93 million miles away … it is local and under a firmament dome.

September 13, 2022

corrections and updates;space;facebook fact-checks

viral image

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

an Instagram post

We rate claims that the sun isn’t that far away, and rather under a dome, ! Correction Sept. 15, 2022 : It would take the sun eight minutes to reach Earth traveling at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. A previous version of this story cited an amount of time.  Clarification, Sept. 16, 2022 : The Earth is a sphere that is 93 million miles away from the sun. A previous version of this story included an planetary reference. 

Says there won't be a recount in Alabama because a Democratic judge said "we're going to erase all the computer files ... on Wednesday morning.

December 13, 2017

elections;punditfact

alex jones

Alex Jones is a conservative radio show host based in Austin, Texas. He hosts The Alex Jones Show and runs InfoWars.com, a website known to traffic in fake news and conspiracy theories.

a broadcast of the "Alex Jones Show"

Jones said that a recount in the Alabama Senate election was not possible because a Democrat judge allowed the state to erase computer files. The one tidbit Jones got right is that a court ruling cleared the way for erasing digital images of ballots. In every other respect, he was . It wasn’t one Democratic judge, but nine Republican ones that issued the ruling. A recount not only is possible without the image files, state law requires that a recount use the original paper ballots, which are kept in sealed containers for nearly two years. Jones took a bare scrap of data and turned it into the stuff of conspiracy. We rate this .

Education Week rates Ohio schools in the top five in the nation.

June 22, 2010

education

yvette mcgee brown

Yvette McGee Brown is a justice for the Ohio Supreme Court, appointed by Gov. Ted Strickland to fill a vacancy created by the 2010 elections. She also was Strickland's running mate in the 2010 gubernatorial election.

ohio

a campaign speech

To calculate the overall rankings, the trade publication graded each state on four primary areas.   Ohio’s rating in some of those areas belies its lofty overall ranking:         Brown’s statement is correct about the overall ranking. But we believe it is important to add context to that overall ranking by noting that Ohio received C+ ratings, or average, in three of the four areas graded. We rate this statement . Comment on this item .

Three out of the 18 benchmarks of the (GAO) have been fulfilled. Even among Republican math, that is a failing grade.

November 15, 2007

iraq

bill richardson

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

national

Las Vegas, Nev

How many benchmarks the Iraqi government has actually met depends on whom you ask. The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, determined three targets had been met and four were partially met. An analysis released by the White House shortly after the GAO report concluded nine of 18 goals had been met. We'll skip the debate over how much progress has been made in Iraq. Richardson cites his source and gets it right; the GAO says three of 18 benchmarks have been met.