Former President Barack Obama, like many major party presidential nominees before him, released his tax returns — despite a popular social media post that implies otherwise.
Social Post Wrong About Obama’s Tax Returns
Economists: Tariffs Not Boosting GDP
Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have a small, negative impact on gross domestic product growth, according to economists, the Congressional Budget Office, the International Monetary Fund and the top White House economic adviser. That contradicts President Donald Trump’s repeated claim that the tariffs have boosted the GDP.
Meme Inflates School Shooting Deaths
A meme circulating online claims that 7,182 students have been “killed in U.S. schools” since 2012, but that number is inflated. It likely refers to all firearm fatalities involving children, including suicides and shootings off campus.
Kamala Harris Spins Facts on Truancy Law
Sen. Kamala Harris acknowledges that a 2010 state truancy law she sponsored resulted in some parents being jailed. But she misleadingly claims that jailing parents was an “unintended consequence” of the law.
The ‘Raccoon’ Rant Not Written by Steve Harvey
Q: Did the comedian Steve Harvey author a post in support of President Donald Trump circulating on social media?
A: No. It was written by an anonymous, 80-year-old American, according to the conservative website that first published it in 2016.
O’Rourke Wrong on Gun Control Stat
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke advocated universal background checks for gun purchases, claiming that state laws mandating universal checks “have been shown to reduce gun violence by 50 percent.” But academic research doesn’t support that.
Trump Distorts the Facts on Disaster Relief
President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Democrats “are trying to stop” disaster relief aid from going to several states. This is an old political trick of claiming the other party doesn’t support something, when both parties support it but have pushed different versions of the legislation.
Steve King’s Climate Change Rainfall Claims
In a recent town hall, Iowa Rep. Steve King focused on the positives of climate change, inaccurately stating that increased evaporation under higher temperatures will lead to rain in “more and more places” — a result that’s “surely gotta shrink the deserts and expand the green growth.”
Trump: 17 Repeats in 17 Hours
Over the course of 17 hours, President Donald Trump repeated 17 false and misleading claims that we have written about since he became president.
Trump ‘Quote’ Originated as Satire
President Donald Trump didn’t call for the “death penalty” for “suicide bombers,” as social media posts say. That’s a made-up quote from a satirical story published in 2017.