Nov 02 Analysis: How much could the federal government shutdown cost the economy? By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact In past shutdowns, estimates of lost economic activity have reached into the billions of dollars. In the context of a $30 trillion economy, that’s not a lot. But on the margins, economists say it can have an effect. Continue reading
Oct 31 Why the Trump administration is sending election monitors to California and New Jersey By Amy Sherman, PolitiFact The Justice Department will send election monitors to five California counties and one New Jersey county for the Nov. 4 election in response to state Republicans’ requests. Monitors can observe but can’t interfere with voting. Continue reading
Oct 26 Fact-checking claims that a Canadian ad was misleading about Reagan's tariff warning By Louis Jacobson, Amy Sherman, PolitiFact The one-minute ad included some of Reagan’s remarks out of chronological order and omitted that Reagan recorded the address after imposing duties on some Japanese products. However, the ad’s overall message doesn’t misrepresent Reagan’s views on tariffs. Reagan said he believed that… Continue reading
Oct 24 Fact-checking Democrats' claim that White House said ballroom is Trump's top priority By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact Leading Democrats said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called a new White House ballroom Donald Trump’s top priority as president. But Leavitt said it was his top priority compared only with other White House construction projects. Continue reading
Oct 19 Fact-checking Trump's claim that each boat strike off Venezuela's coast saves 25,000 lives By Maria Ramirez Uribe, PolitiFact President Donald Trump said U.S. military strikes on five Venezuelan boats have saved more than 100,000 lives because the maneuvers thwarted drug smuggling. Several aspects of Trump’s statement make it wrong. Continue reading
Oct 09 Fact-checking Hawley's claims that the FBI 'tapped' his and other senators' phones By Louis Jacobson, Amy Sherman, PolitiFact Legal experts said Hawley misused the term "tapping" to describe the data searches. Continue reading
Oct 02 Fact-checking what politicians are saying about the 2025 government shutdown By Louis Jacobson, Samantha Putterman, Amy Sherman, PolitiFact When Congress can’t reach a funding agreement, both sides of the political aisle whip up talking points about what a shutdown means for the economy, immigration, worker paychecks, disaster response and services for low-income families. The blame is nearly always… Continue reading
Sep 26 How a government shutdown could give Trump more power By Amy Sherman, PolitiFact A fight between Republicans and Democrats could lead to an Oct. 1 federal government shutdown, leaving President Donald Trump and his congressional allies in charge of the government. What can Trump do on his own?… Continue reading
Sep 17 Research doesn't show using Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism. Here are 5 things to know By Madison Czopek, PolitiFact There’s no known single cause of autism. Continue reading
Sep 05 4 fact-checks from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Senate testimony over COVID-19 vaccines, CDC By PolitiFact staff PolitiFact fact-checked some of the most notable back-and-forth moments. Continue reading