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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Border Czar Makes Misleading Claim About Immigrants With Criminal Records

Border Czar Makes Misleading Claim About Immigrants With Criminal Records

Border Czar Tom Homan has been repeating the misleading claim that there are “over 600,000 illegal aliens with criminal records walking the streets of this nation.” That number includes legal immigrants, not just those who entered the country illegally; about a third of them have only been charged, not convicted; and it’s unclear how many of them have been, or currently are, incarcerated.

Unraveling the Big Beautiful Bill Spin

Unraveling the Big Beautiful Bill Spin

As the Republican budget bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, nears the July 4 deadline set by the White House, lawmakers have been ramping up the rhetoric. We referee the claims from both sides.

Changes to Discrimination Language in VA Hospital Bylaws

Changes to Discrimination Language in VA Hospital Bylaws

Q: Has President Donald Trump issued a rule that VA doctors can refuse treatment to Democrats?

A: No. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs changed the wording in its bylaws to comply with recent executive orders. In making the changes, words including “national origin, politics, marital status” were removed from language prohibiting discrimination. But existing federal law already prohibits discrimination on those grounds, the VA says.

Q&A on Federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles

Q&A on Federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles

The disagreement between President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom over Trump deploying state National Guard troops to Los Angeles is now being debated in court. We’ll explain how the situation developed and answer some common questions.

Explaining Trump’s Claim of a ‘68%’ Tax Increase

Explaining Trump’s Claim of a ‘68%’ Tax Increase

The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center estimates that, on average, Americans’ taxes would rise about 7.5% if the 2017 tax cuts are allowed to fully expire at the end of the year. But President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that if the Republican budget bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, doesn’t pass, Americans “will get a 68% tax increase.”

Trump Video Doesn’t Show ‘Burial Sites’ in South Africa

Trump Video Doesn’t Show ‘Burial Sites’ in South Africa

In a salient moment with the leader of South Africa, President Donald Trump played a video that he said showed “burial sites” for a thousand white farmers — the victims of what he has called a genocide — along a roadside in South Africa. It actually showed a 2020 demonstration bringing attention to the issue of violence against farmers of all races in South Africa.

Trump’s Growing Exaggeration of U.S. Investments

Trump’s Growing Exaggeration of U.S. Investments

President Trump has repeatedly touted the value of announced financial investments in the U.S. and taken credit for attracting them. He started out citing $3 trillion in investments and, four months later, was claiming totals of more than $10 trillion. It’s unclear where, exactly, he’s getting these totals. But they appear to be an exaggeration of pledges to invest made by various companies and countries.

Bondi Far Overstates the Impact of Fentanyl Seizures on American Lives

Bondi Far Overstates the Impact of Fentanyl Seizures on American Lives

In the April 30 meeting of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, which followed his 100th day in office, Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the president’s progress so far and highlighted efforts to curb the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. But Bondi overstated the impact of drug seizures, claiming that they had saved the lives of more than half of all Americans.

Trump’s 100th Day Spin

Trump’s 100th Day Spin

To commemorate his first 100 days in office this term, President Donald Trump gave a speech in Michigan and granted interviews to several news outlets. In our review of his remarks, we found false and misleading claims, including quite a few Trump has made before.

Due Process and the Abrego Garcia Case

Due Process and the Abrego Garcia Case

The Supreme Court ruled on the evening of April 10 that the Trump administration must comply with a lower court’s order to “facilitate” the release from custody of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an immigrant who was deported without a hearing to a mega prison in El Salvador. The case underscores the issue of due process and what legal protections are afforded to noncitizens.