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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

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.

How Trump’s Preliminary Deal with Iran Compares with His Rhetoric

How Trump’s Preliminary Deal with Iran Compares with His Rhetoric

President Donald Trump signed a preliminary agreement to end the war with Iran on June 17. But some of what is included in the framework — or not — is at odds with what Trump said about a potential deal prior to approving the memorandum of understanding last week.

Trump Makes Unsupported Claims About Drug Flows

Trump Makes Unsupported Claims About Drug Flows

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that his administration has “cut” by 97% “the flow” of illegal drugs entering the U.S. “by water, by ocean and sea.” But available federal data do not support that claim.

Trump Exaggerates Previous Spending on Reflecting Pool

Trump Exaggerates Previous Spending on Reflecting Pool

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool began filling with water on June 4 following maintenance work that President Donald Trump called a “big project.” Trump claimed that “the Biden administration and the Obama administration spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to get it to work, and they failed.” That exaggerates the amount spent by previous administrations.

What Will Happen to Gasoline Prices When the Iran War Ends?

What Will Happen to Gasoline Prices When the Iran War Ends?

President Donald Trump on multiple occasions has assured the public that high gasoline prices will “rapidly” or “quickly” decline “as soon as” the war with Iran ends. Energy experts told us that prices will start to fall when the conflict is resolved, but it could take many months before the national average price is back to where it was before the conflict began.

Who’s Paying for the White House Ballroom?

Who’s Paying for the White House Ballroom?

Q: Has President Trump asked for a billion dollars for the ballroom?

A: Since the White House announced plans in July for a ballroom, the president has promised to fund its construction without using public money. But in May congressional Republicans proposed $1 billion in federal funding for “security adjustments and upgrades” including at the White House and the ballroom site.

Republicans Repeat Problematic Estimate of Medication Abortion Harms

Republicans Repeat Problematic Estimate of Medication Abortion Harms

In the midst of a court battle over whether to continue to allow access by mail to the medication abortion pill mifepristone, Republican lawmakers have claimed that 10% or more of women who take the drug have serious side effects. A 2025 report from an anti-abortion group that put forward the figure has been criticized by reproductive health researchers for methodological issues and a lack of transparency about its data source.

Kennedy Denies the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Spending Cuts to Medicaid

Kennedy Denies the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Spending Cuts to Medicaid

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $900 billion over a decade. But in a series of congressional hearings last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. misleadingly claimed that “there are no cuts to Medicaid” as a result of that 2025 law.

Democratic Ad Attacks Collins on Healthcare, Iran War

Democratic Ad Attacks Collins on Healthcare, Iran War

An ad attacking Sen. Susan Collins in Maine claimed that she voted “to raise healthcare costs and raise insurance premiums,” as well as give President Donald Trump “a blank check for his war in Iran.” But neither claim fully explains Collins’ more nuanced position on those issues.