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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Exploring the Legality Questions About Venezuela Military Strike

Exploring the Legality Questions About Venezuela Military Strike

Several Democrats have claimed that the Trump administration’s Jan. 3 military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, was “illegal,” violating both domestic and international law.

Trump’s Native-Born Job-Creation Claim Based on Questionable Figures

Trump’s Native-Born Job-Creation Claim Based on Questionable Figures

For months, President Donald Trump or members of his administration have used federal data showing a large increase in employment for U.S.-born workers and a decrease in employment among foreign-born workers to claim that “all net job creation” in his second term has been for citizens. And for months, multiple economists and labor experts have said that officials should not do that because these specific figures are misleading.

FactChecking Trump’s Rapid-Fire Prime-Time Address

FactChecking Trump’s Rapid-Fire Prime-Time Address

President Donald Trump blitzed through a prime-time address to the nation on Dec. 17, but while short, Trump’s speech contained a number of inaccurate or misleading claims, many of which he has repeated in public speeches for months.

Probing Trump’s Verbal Attack on Somalis

Probing Trump’s Verbal Attack on Somalis

In a disparaging attack on Somalia in which he said he didn’t want people of Somali descent in the United States, President Donald Trump said Somalis “ripped off” Minnesota “every year” for “billions of dollars,” an apparent reference to a fraud investigation, and suggested that “like 88%” of Somalis receive “welfare” benefits. But the White House didn’t provide us with evidence for either of those figures.

Experts Say Democratic Video Not ‘Seditious,’ as Trump Claims

Experts Say Democratic Video Not ‘Seditious,’ as Trump Claims

After six congressional Democrats released a video advising members of the U.S. military and national security community to “refuse illegal orders,” President Donald Trump said the lawmakers should be tried in court for “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” But legal experts told us this was not sedition and that the legislators were restating the law that only lawful orders must be followed.

Experts Raise Doubts About Trump’s Dividend Payment Proposal

Experts Raise Doubts About Trump’s Dividend Payment Proposal

Q: Will U.S. citizens receive stimulus or tariff-based checks of $2,000 in November?

A: No checks are being issued. President Donald Trump said he wants to use tariff revenue to give “dividend” payments of “at least $2,000” to “middle-income people and lower-income people.” But no formal plan has been finalized and approved by Congress. Fiscal policy experts say there’s not enough tariff revenue for that. 

Trump Serves a Misleading Thanksgiving Meal Statistic

Trump Serves a Misleading Thanksgiving Meal Statistic

Walmart’s 2025 Thanksgiving meal consisting of pre-selected products costs about one-quarter less than last year’s meal, but it also includes fewer grocery items and different food brands. Yet President Donald Trump has been misleadingly touting the decline in the price of this year’s meal without mentioning the reasons for the big decrease.

Explaining Democrats’ Request to Restore Foreign Aid

Explaining Democrats’ Request to Restore Foreign Aid

Q: Did Democrats request funding for “climate resilience” in Honduras, “civic engagement” in Zimbabwe, and “LGBTQI+ democracy grants” in the Balkans, to end the government shutdown?

A: A Democratic proposal would restore almost $5 billion in unused funding for foreign aid that President Donald Trump let expire on Sept. 30. The proposal did not specify which international projects should receive the funds.

FactChecking Trump’s ‘60 Minutes’ Interview

FactChecking Trump’s ‘60 Minutes’ Interview

In a lengthy “60 Minutes” interview, President Donald Trump made false and questionable claims about nuclear weapons testing, inflation and military strikes in the Caribbean Sea. He also repeated numerous misleading claims he has made before on a range of topics.

Pritzker’s Inaccurate Pushback on Chicago Murder Rate Claim

Pritzker’s Inaccurate Pushback on Chicago Murder Rate Claim

Defending Chicago in a recent Fox News interview, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said it was “not in the top 30” of “big cities” with the highest rates of murder. But in 2024, Chicago had the 15th highest murder rate among U.S. cities with at least 250,000 residents, according to FBI data. It ranked higher if limiting to cities with even larger populations.