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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Stimulus Money for Jobs Overseas?

Stimulus Money for Jobs Overseas?
May 2, 2012

An ad from the conservative Americans for Prosperity distorts the truth about stimulus money for “green jobs” going overseas. The ad, titled “Wasteful Spending,” introduces some new wrinkles to this well-used line of attack.
According to the ad, the stimulus included:

“$1.2 billion to a solar company that’s building a plant in Mexico.” Actually, the loans were to finance a solar ranch built and operated in California. It’s true that the company that got the loans also recently opened a solar-panel manufacturing plant in Mexico,

A New Front in the ‘War on Women’

A New Front in the ‘War on Women’
May 1, 2012

Mitt Romney’s senior adviser Ed Gillespie distorted some economic facts on “Meet the Press” when he accused President Obama of creating a U.S. economy that is “hostile” to women.

Gillespie said the “number of single-mother families living in poverty” is now the highest “in recorded history.” But poverty statistics date only to 1959, and the poverty rate for single mothers — which is a better indicator than the total number — is still relatively low,

FactCheck Mailbag, Week of April 24-30

May 1, 2012

This week, readers sent us letters about the recall election for governor of Wisconsin, General Electric Co.’s taxes, and our alleged “liberal tilt.”
In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the email we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.

Two More Webbys for FactCheck

Two More Webbys for FactCheck
May 1, 2012

Once again, FactCheck.org has been awarded the Webby for best politics website by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

Realtors, the 3.8% ‘Sales Tax’ and $247 Medicare Premiums

April 30, 2012

Q: Is the National Association of Realtors lobbying to repeal a 3.8 percent “sales tax” on homes before it takes effect in 2013?

A: No. There’s no such “sales tax” in the new health care law. And Medicare premiums aren’t going to $247 either. But these virulent falsehoods keep going around.

FreedomWorks for America

April 27, 2012

FreedomWorks for America is a super PAC formed by some of the conservative leaders in the tea party movement.

‘Big Oil’ Backing Romney?

‘Big Oil’ Backing Romney?
April 26, 2012

A pro-Obama TV ad says that “big oil” pledged $200 million to help Mitt Romney, making him the industry’s “$200 million man.” But that’s a pretty slippery claim. The fact is that there is no evidence that truly big oil companies like BP, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. are behind the money in question. Rather, it’s a funding goal of the Koch brothers, the libertarian billionaires whose diversified corporation has fingers in lumber, commodity trading,

The Whole Truth in Wisconsin Air Wars

The Whole Truth in Wisconsin Air Wars
April 26, 2012

If using partial truths in political advertising is an art, then ads in the Wisconsin recall election for governor should be in a museum. Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett are among the Democrats seeking to unseat Republican Gov. Scott Walker …

Straining the Facts on Federal Spending

Straining the Facts on Federal Spending
April 26, 2012

A TV ad by a conservative group gives some factually challenged answers to its own rhetorical question, “How exactly does President Obama spend your tax dollars?”

It wrongly claims that the boss of the General Services Administration “couldn’t make it to Vegas because she had meetings planned … at Solyndra.” That’s not true. The claim linking the two scandals is based on an inaccurate April 10 report that was quickly corrected — nearly two weeks before the ad first aired.