FlackCheck.org, our sister website for political literacy, recaps the recent work of SciCheck, our new feature on false and misleading scientific claims that are made by partisans to influence public policy.
FlackCheck.org Video: SciCheck Findings
Person: Barack Obama
Moving the Goalposts
President Obama says the Affordable Care Act is working “a little bit better than we anticipated,” based on the 11.4 million people who signed up for insurance on the exchanges. That’s better than the administration anticipated, but worse than a CBO projection.
Huckabee’s False Witnessing
Mike Huckabee made a number of twisted claims about President Obama’s recent reference to the Crusades and the Inquisition at the National Prayer Breakfast.
Obama and ‘American Exceptionalism’
Bobby Jindal revived an old criticism about President Obama’s penchant for multilateralism, but he went too far when he said Obama “won’t proudly proclaim American exceptionalism.”
Slower Premium Growth Under Obama
Republicans say the average family health insurance premium has increased by $4,154 under President Obama. That’s right — and it’s a much slower rate of growth than under President George W. Bush.
Obama’s Loophole Logic
The White House is claiming that the top 1 percent of all earners would pay 99 percent of the capital gains tax increase proposed by the president. But that claim rests on some debatable logic.
Obama Juices the Genome Numbers
President Obama repeated an outdated and questionable number for the Human Genome Project’s return on investment, and oversold just how cheap sequencing a single person’s full genetic code has become.
Obama Fudges Facts in Philly
In a speech to House Democrats, President Barack Obama stretched the facts to underscore political points about national security and the improving economy.
The State of the Union
WCBS radio’s Wayne Cabot interviews FactCheck.org Deputy Managing Editor Rob Farley about President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union address.
FactChecking the GOP Responses
There were multiple official and unofficial Republican responses to President Obama’s State of the Union address, but only a few instances of the president’s critics stretching the facts.