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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Major Driver of Worsening Canadian Wildfires Is Climate Change, Not Forest Mismanagement

Major Driver of Worsening Canadian Wildfires Is Climate Change, Not Forest Mismanagement

President Donald Trump has blamed improper forest management for Canadian wildfires whose smoke drifted into the Midwestern and Northeastern U.S. earlier this month. But climate change — and not a lack of “Debris Removal,” as Trump suggested — is the main factor leading to worsening Canadian wildfires and smoke pollution, experts from both sides of the border told us. 

One Big Beautiful Bill Not (Yet) Driving ACA, Medicaid Declines

One Big Beautiful Bill Not (Yet) Driving ACA, Medicaid Declines

Multiple Democratic lawmakers have claimed that 8 million Americans have lost healthcare coverage as a result of the Trump-backed budget reconciliation bill that passed a year ago, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. But experts told us the enrollment declines seen to date are largely due to other factors — including other Trump administration policies.

FactChecking Trump’s Election Security Speech

FactChecking Trump’s Election Security Speech

In a July 16 prime-time speech that warned of “shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure,” President Donald Trump cast doubt on the country’s ability to hold “free and fair elections” but offered no evidence that widespread fraud had occurred.

No Clear Evidence Religion Is ‘Bigger and Stronger’ in U.S., Despite Trump Claim

No Clear Evidence Religion Is ‘Bigger and Stronger’ in U.S., Despite Trump Claim

President Donald Trump said at a June faith conference that “religion is back in our country, bigger and stronger than it has been in many, many years” and “it’s going up.” The statement is misleading, as multiple surveys show lower religious affiliation and engagement than in past years — despite a recent rise in the perceived influence of religion in America.

Democrats’ and Republicans’ Screwworm Blame Spin

Democrats’ and Republicans’ Screwworm Blame Spin

Politicians of both political parties have blamed either the Trump or the Biden administration for the arrival of the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating fly that affects the cattle industry, in the U.S. after decades of eradication. But experts say the reasons are different or more complicated than either side is saying — and that it’s no one administration’s fault.

Trump’s Unsupported Claims About Reflecting Pool Vandalism

Trump’s Unsupported Claims About Reflecting Pool Vandalism

President Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damaging the new blue lining of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is now peeling, as well as for algae in the water. But the administration has not provided evidence to back up the president’s claims. Experts say the pool’s ills have a variety of plausible explanations that do not involve intentional harm.