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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

False Maxine Waters ‘Meetings’ Statistic

False Maxine Waters ‘Meetings’ Statistic

Q: Has Rep. Maxine Waters attended only “10 percent of congressional meetings for 35 years”? 
A: No. That claim was made in a blog post that cited an inaccurate comment on Reddit.

Trump’s Lawyer Spins Russia Facts

Trump’s Lawyer Spins Russia Facts

Jay Sekulow, an attorney on President Donald Trump’s legal team, made the rounds of the Sunday shows to talk about the Russia investigation. But he glossed over relevant facts in defense of his client.

Trump Didn’t Bill the Obamas

Trump Didn’t Bill the Obamas

Q: Did President Donald Trump send Barack Obama a bill for his “vacation scam”?
A: No. That bogus claim comes from a “satirical publication.”

Explaining Trump’s Russia Tweets

Explaining Trump’s Russia Tweets

President Donald Trump went on a tweetstorm about the Russia investigation. He accused his vanquished rival Hillary Clinton of obstruction of justice (without any evidence) and blamed others for his firing of FBI Director James Comey (even though Trump said he was planning to fire Comey regardless of any recommendation).

Can Trump Fire Mueller?

Can Trump Fire Mueller?

Q: Can President Donald Trump fire special counsel Robert Mueller?

A: Not directly. Only the deputy attorney general who appointed Mueller can fire him and only for cause. But Trump could fire the DAG, or order the special-counsel regulations repealed and fire Mueller himself.

Preexisting Condition Spin

Preexisting Condition Spin

Opponents of the Republican House health care bill are claiming its provisions on preexisting conditions reach further than they actually do.

Fake Spicer Quote About ‘Covfefe’

Fake Spicer Quote About ‘Covfefe’

Q: Did White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer say that the president has the “legal right and power to decide how words in the English language are spelled”?

A: No. That bogus quote comes from a “satirical” article about President Donald Trump’s infamous “covfefe” tweet.

Will Paris Have a ‘Tiny’ Effect on Warming?

Will Paris Have a ‘Tiny’ Effect on Warming?

President Donald Trump and his top environmental official said the Paris Agreement would reduce the global average temperature by only 0.2 degrees Celsius. Former Vice President Al Gore said that’s “not true.” Who’s right?

Clinton Foundation Not Shutting Down

Clinton Foundation Not Shutting Down

Q: Was the Clinton Foundation ordered to cease operations and Chelsea Clinton charged with fraud?

A: No. Those baseless claims were made up by a self-described “satirical” website.

Trump’s Coal Spin

Trump’s Coal Spin

President Donald Trump touted the opening of a new coal mine in Pennsylvania as evidence that his administration is “putting the miners back to work.” But construction of the mine in question began before the 2016 election. And experts say it’s not evidence of a resurgence in coal mining.