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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Judge in Civil Epstein Case Died in March

Judge in Civil Epstein Case Died in March

Robert Sweet, a federal judge who was overseeing a civil case against Jeffrey Epstein, was not “killed,” as a headline claims, nor did he die in August, as other recently published stories suggest. Sweet died of natural causes in March at age 96.

Meme Inflates Rise in Congressional Salaries

Meme Inflates Rise in Congressional Salaries

A viral meme on Facebook falsely claims that members of Congress have received a “231%” increase in pay in the last 30 years. Automatic cost-of-living adjustments have resulted in an increase of 94.4% from 1989 to 2009.

Video: Harris, Warren on Michael Brown Shooting

Video: Harris, Warren on Michael Brown Shooting

In this fact-checking video, CNN’s Jake Tapper explains the Obama-era Department of Justice’s finding that Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, was shot and killed by a white police officer in “self-defense,” not “murdered,” as Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris claimed.

U.S.-Japan Trade Deficit Not ‘Changing Rapidly’

U.S.-Japan Trade Deficit Not ‘Changing Rapidly’

In Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the trade deficit with Japan is “changing rapidly.” In fact, the U.S. deficit in goods and services with Japan is up slightly under Trump.

Biden Misleads on Top 1% Tax Rate

Biden Misleads on Top 1% Tax Rate

The top 1% of taxpayers, on average, pay a higher effective tax rate than middle-income people, contrary to a claim Joe Biden made on the campaign trail.

Harris Wrong on Autoworker Jobs

Harris Wrong on Autoworker Jobs

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris wrongly claimed that “as many as 300,000 autoworkers may be out of a job before the end of the year.” That’s a high-end estimate for total job losses — not solely among autoworkers — due to the potential impact of the Trump administration’s trade policies, including actions not yet taken.

Misinformation Flows Following Epstein’s Death

Misinformation Flows Following Epstein’s Death

Unfounded claims and baseless conspiracy theories have run rampant in the aftermath of the Aug. 10 death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Here we recap some of the stories that we have written so far on the Epstein case.

Baseless Claim About Barr Visit to Epstein Prison

Baseless Claim About Barr Visit to Epstein Prison

A baseless claim that Attorney General William Barr visited the prison where accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was being held has been circulating online. But the sole source of that claim — a former mob associate — told us he has no idea if Barr went to the prison.