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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

NASA Won’t Pay You to Smoke Weed

NASA Won’t Pay You to Smoke Weed

Q: Does NASA pay $18,000 for people to stay in bed and smoke weed for 70 straight days?

A: No. NASA conducts bed-rest studies, but it does not allow participants to smoke marijuana or even drink alcohol.

Double-Counting Growth

Double-Counting Growth

The president’s budget counts on economic growth to reach a balance, but his tax cut plan also relies on that growth to remain revenue-neutral. Tax and budget experts say that’s double-counting the same money.

Gingrich Spreads Conspiracy Theory

Gingrich Spreads Conspiracy Theory

Newt Gingrich claimed that a Democratic National Committee staffer “apparently was assassinated” after “having given WikiLeaks something like … 53,000 [DNC] emails and 17,000 attachments.” But there’s no evidence for his claim.

Can Opioid Addiction Be Cured?

Can Opioid Addiction Be Cured?

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price made two claims about opioid addiction that are contradicted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is part of the department Price heads.

Special Counsel Q&A

Special Counsel Q&A

On May 17, the Justice Department announced the appointment of former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III as special counsel to investigate any possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government’s efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Obama on Childhood Obesity Rates

Obama on Childhood Obesity Rates

Former President Barack Obama falsely claimed that Let’s Move, an initiative of former First Lady Michelle Obama, “helped bring down America’s obesity rates for our youngest kids for the first time in 30 years.”

GOP Bill and Sexual Assault

GOP Bill and Sexual Assault

Q: Are sexual assault and rape preexisting conditions under the GOP health bill?

A: No. The bill doesn’t identify any preexisting conditions, and it says insurers can’t deny coverage to individuals who have them. But insurers could charge more for medical conditions in certain cases.

Why Did Trump Fire Comey?

Why Did Trump Fire Comey?

Why did President Donald Trump fire FBI Director James Comey? The president and top administration officials have offered contradictory accounts in recent days.

Trump’s ‘Nothing to See Here’ Spin

Trump’s ‘Nothing to See Here’ Spin

The Trump administration has offered some “nothing to see here” spin in response to the president’s firing of FBI Director James Comey. But President Donald Trump and White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders have twisted some facts to fit that narrative.

Premium Spin

Premium Spin

Democrats have stressed that the GOP’s American Health Care Act would increase health insurance premiums, while Republicans have said it would lower them, both citing the Congressional Budget Office. Which is it? A little of both.