Q: Did Pope Francis endorse Donald Trump? Is Tom Hanks supporting him? A: No, the pope has not endorsed him, and Tom Hanks does not support him. FULL QUESTION Did Pope Francis endorse Donald Trump? Has Tom Hanks come out in support of Donald Trump? FULL ANSWER We’ve received many questions asking whether Pope Francis has endorsed Donald Trump, and a few asking if the actor Tom Hanks has voiced his support for Trump.| FactCheck.org
Amid upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including the firing of the agency’s director, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. distorted the facts to falsely claim that the agency’s website lists abortion as one of the “10 greatest advances in medical science.” The post RFK Jr. Defends Ouster of CDC Director by Distorting List of Public Health Achievements appeared first on FactCheck.org.| FactCheck.org
Over the Labor Day weekend, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is running digital ads on social media blaming House Republicans for "driving up the price of burgers." But that's misleading. The sizable rise in ground beef prices is tied to drought conditions in recent years, among other factors. The post DCCC Serves up Spin for the Labor Day Cookout appeared first on FactCheck.org.| FactCheck.org
Q: Did President Donald Trump solve seven wars in seven months? A: Trump has claimed he “ended” six or seven wars since returning to the White House in January. Experts in international relations said the president has had a significant role in ending fighting in four conflicts, though officials in one country refute Trump’s claim. But some of the international disagreements Trump cites have not been wars, and some clashes have not ended, experts said. FULL ANSWER In recent months Presi...| FactCheck.org
While signing executive orders at the White House on Aug. 25, President Donald Trump wrongly said that an 11-day span of no homicides in Washington, D.C., was the "first time that's taken place in years," a claim reiterated by other members of the administration who credited Trump's federal takeover of the district's law enforcement. The post D.C. Homicide-Free Streak Not First in ‘Years’ appeared first on FactCheck.org.| FactCheck.org
In early August, President Donald Trump claimed that a trade deal he negotiated with the European Union in July came with hundreds of billions of dollars that the U.S. can use for “anything we want.” But that’s not how the terms were described in a joint statement with the EU on Aug. 21. The post Trump on EU and Japan Investments in the U.S. appeared first on FactCheck.org.| FactCheck.org
Since announcing the temporary federal takeover of Washington, D.C.'s, law enforcement, President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized state laws limiting the use of cash bail. But his arguments have strayed from the facts in three key areas. The post Trump’s Distortions on Cashless Bail appeared first on FactCheck.org.| FactCheck.org
The Trump administration has accused the Washington, D.C., police department of reporting "phony crime stats" and "cooking the books," citing the suspension of a police commander for allegedly altering crime data. The U.S. attorney's office in the district reportedly opened an investigation into whether city officials had manipulated crime statistics. Here's what we know about the allegations. The post Assessing Claims About the Reliability of D.C. Crime Data appeared first on FactCheck.org.| FactCheck.org
The Environmental Protection Agency is holding public hearings this week on its effort to undo the legal foundation for its regulation of greenhouse gases, the heat-trapping gases that cause climate change. In a major policy shift announced in late July, the Trump administration EPA said it would rescind the so-called "endangerment finding," which allows the agency to regulate such emissions, arguing that legal and scientific developments justify a reconsideration. The post Q&A on the Trump...| FactCheck.org
Europe has allocated more money in direct, bilateral aid to Ukraine than the U.S. has during the war with Russia. But in President Donald Trump’s remarks surrounding recent meetings with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, he falsely claimed that the U.S. has given Ukraine more than three times as much as Europe. The post Trump Repeats False Ukraine Aid Claim appeared first on FactCheck.org.| FactCheck.org
President Donald Trump launched his second-term assault on mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines on Aug. 18, firing off a series of unfounded claims while announcing an effort to do away with both.| FactCheck.org
Former President Donald Trump wrongly boasted that his administration "got 58 hostages released from various hostile countries without paying any money, or giving up anything."| FactCheck.org
In justifying the government's termination of $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine projects, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claimed mRNA vaccines "fail to protect effectively" against COVID-19 and suggested they are unsafe. The mRNA shots saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and have shown promise against influenza.| FactCheck.org
In recent months, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary has amplified unfounded concerns about the safety of seed oils, a subset of vegetable oils used in infant formula. There isn’t evidence these fat sources are harmful to infants.| FactCheck.org
Month: April 2025| FactCheck.org
Unfounded rumors linking an extreme weather event to human attempts at weather modification are again spreading on social media. It is not plausible that available weather modification techniques caused or influenced the July 4 flash flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas.| FactCheck.org
Month: July 2025| FactCheck.org
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the House version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would reduce Medicaid enrollment and cause millions of people to become uninsured by 2034. It didn’t say that “5 million” of the people who are “going to lose insurance” would have “other insurance” so “they’re still insured,” as National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett misleadingly claimed.| FactCheck.org
Q: Is it true that if President Donald Trump hadn’t defunded the National Weather Service, the death toll in the Texas flooding would have been far lower or nonexistent? A: The Trump administration did not defund the NWS but did reduce the staff by 600 people. Those staffing cuts did not cause the high number of deaths in the flash floods on July 4, experts said. Local forecasting offices were sufficiently staffed and issued timely warnings.| FactCheck.org
A CDC advisory panel vote to recommend against use of seasonal influenza vaccines containing small amounts of thimerosal followed a presentation that misled on the risks of the rarely used preservative. There isn’t evidence that thimerosal in vaccines is harmful, and studies assessing a variety of health problems, including neurological conditions, have supported its safety.| FactCheck.org
Q: Are FEMA funds being used to construct an immigrant detention facility in the Everglades? A: Yes, the immigrant detention facility in Florida, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” is being “funded largely” by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Shelter and Services Program, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. The funding does not come from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund. FULL ANSWER Este artículo estará disponible en español en El Tiempo Latino. An immigration detention...| FactCheck.org
As the Republican budget bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, nears the July 4 deadline set by the White House, lawmakers have been ramping up the rhetoric. We referee the claims from both sides.| FactCheck.org
Treasury Department data show that revenue from tariffs on imported foreign goods increased substantially in April and May, setting monthly records. But the total is less than half the figure President Donald Trump has cited. At least twice this month, the president has wrongly claimed that the U.S. “brought in $88 billion” from tariffs in "two months."| FactCheck.org
Q: Has President Donald Trump issued a rule that VA doctors can refuse treatment to Democrats? A: No. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs changed the wording in its bylaws to comply with recent executive orders. In making the changes, words including “national origin, politics, marital status” were removed from language prohibiting discrimination. But existing federal law already prohibits discrimination on those grounds, the VA says. FULL ANSWER Este artículo estará disponible en e...| FactCheck.org
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel, claiming it “has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine.” But there’s no evidence of problematic conflicts of interest or that the group inadequately scrutinizes vaccines.| FactCheck.org
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and others posted unfounded claims on social media about the political affiliation of the gunman arrested in the June 14 fatal shootings of a Democratic Minnesota lawmaker and her husband and the wounding of another Democratic state lawmaker and his wife.| FactCheck.org
Month: June 2025| FactCheck.org
The disagreement between President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom over Trump deploying state National Guard troops to Los Angeles is now being debated in court. We’ll explain how the situation developed and answer some common questions.| FactCheck.org
The Department of Health and Human Services has defended cuts to vaccine research with statements that mislead on the safety of mRNA technology, despite an extensive history of testing.| FactCheck.org
Q: Is there an ad in Craigslist to hire people to riot in L.A.? A: No, there has been no such ad on Craigslist. Some social media posts cited a Craigslist ad to falsely claim it showed that people protesting the immigration raids in Los Angeles were being paid for their actions. But a pair of podcasters told the Associated Press they placed the ad as a prank for their show, and it had nothing to do with the protests.| FactCheck.org
President Donald Trump recently boasted that the nation's murder rate has "plummeted by 28%" since he took office. Data supplied by local police departments do show the nation's murder rate is dropping, as it has been for several years. Notably, Trump now seems comfortable with crime data that he criticized repeatedly during the campaign as "fake news."| FactCheck.org
A viral graphic warns that if the House-passed reconciliation bill becomes law, "we won't have another election." But there is no evidence to support that or some of the graphic's underlying claims about "what's coming" if the Senate also approves the legislation without any changes. For other claims, it's unclear what they are based on.| FactCheck.org
Republican and Democratic leaders have either downplayed or overstated the estimated impact of the House reconciliation bill on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that due to work requirements in the bill, 3.2 million people would lose all of their SNAP benefits, which provide financial help to low-income people for groceries.| FactCheck.org
Month: May 2025| FactCheck.org
Year: 2025| FactCheck.org
Republicans say that able-bodied adults who don’t work would lose Medicaid coverage under the House tax-cuts-and-spending bill, while Democrats say the legislation would hurt vulnerable groups. The bill’s main target is those able-bodied adults, but other groups would lose coverage due to paperwork burdens and other provisions in the bill, health policy experts say.| FactCheck.org
In the past two weeks, U.S. public health authorities have skirted normal procedures and announced two major policy changes that will likely reduce access to COVID-19 vaccines and restrict use to higher-risk populations. Here, we explain what we know -- and don't -- about these new COVID-19 vaccine policies.| FactCheck.org
The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center estimates that, on average, Americans' taxes would rise about 7.5% if the 2017 tax cuts are allowed to fully expire at the end of the year. But President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that if the Republican budget bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, doesn't pass, Americans "will get a 68% tax increase."| FactCheck.org
Multiple independent analyses say the recently passed House reconciliation bill -- even with its deep spending cuts in some areas -- would add trillions of dollars to the federal deficit over 10 years. Those analyses contradict Republican lawmakers who have downplayed the net cost of the bill and White House claims that it wouldn't increase the deficit at all.| FactCheck.org
Under the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services has canceled or frozen billions of dollars in scientific research grants and attempted to cull around 20,000 agency employees, including some scientists. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., however, has misleadingly claimed that there have been no cuts to “life-saving” research or "working scientists."| FactCheck.org
A TV ad from a group supportive of President Donald Trump makes misleading claims, and uses outdated data, to argue that he is "fixing" an economy "ruined" by Democrats.| FactCheck.org
Since regaining power in January, the Trump administration has repeatedly claimed with false certainty that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in a lab. But there isn’t clear evidence that the virus came from a lab. A new government website promoting the claim also gets some basic facts wrong.| FactCheck.org
A House-passed reconciliation bill would reduce federal funding to states that provide state-funded health insurance to people in the U.S. illegally, resulting in 1.4 million people losing coverage, according to a preliminary Congressional Budget Office analysis. But President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have wrongly cast the bill as removing these immigrants from Medicaid.| FactCheck.org
Former President Joe Biden's office announced on May 18 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer two days earlier, following the discovery of a prostate nodule. President Donald Trump and others have suggested, without evidence, that Biden's diagnosis had been known much earlier and hidden from the public.| FactCheck.org
In a salient moment with the leader of South Africa, President Donald Trump played a video that he said showed "burial sites" for a thousand white farmers -- the victims of what he has called a genocide -- along a roadside in South Africa. It actually showed a 2020 demonstration bringing attention to the issue of violence against farmers of all races in South Africa.| FactCheck.org
Assessing Medicaid Coverage Losses Under House Reconciliation Bill | FactCheck.org
Month: February 2025| FactCheck.org
The Supreme Court ruled on the evening of April 10 that the Trump administration must comply with a lower court's order to "facilitate" the release from custody of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an immigrant who was deported without a hearing to a mega prison in El Salvador. The case underscores the issue of due process and what legal protections are afforded to noncitizens.| FactCheck.org
In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made several unsupported or misleading claims about the measles vaccine, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said is safe and “the most important tool to prevent” the disease. Meanwhile, a measles outbreak in Texas continues to expand.| FactCheck.org
In the midst of a growing measles outbreak in Texas that has killed one child, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has misleadingly focused on vitamin A, including from cod liver oil, and two non-standard medications as treatments for measles.| FactCheck.org
After U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump made several false and misleading statements about the conflict and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.| FactCheck.org
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the Department of Health and Human Services, downplayed the seriousness of an ongoing measles outbreak in Texas, falsely claiming that people had been hospitalized “mainly for quarantine” and misleadingly stating that the situation is “not unusual.” The Texas outbreak is already larger than any single outbreak last year and has led to the first measles death in the U.S. since 2015.| FactCheck.org
Our SciCheck team has combed through RFK Jr's recent interviews to identify and correct some of his most common health claims.| FactCheck.org
Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s suggestion that vaccines might cause autism because “there’s not been a direct study on each individual vaccine” misunderstands what’s known about autism, the extensive research on the subject and how science works.| FactCheck.org
In one of his most controversial Cabinet picks, President-elect Donald Trump said he would nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Here, we summarize our past work fact-checking Kennedy's claims about health and science.| FactCheck.org
Q: Does a proposed law in Washington state say that the government can take children away from parents who don’t agree to gender transition surgery? A: No. Under the bill, licensed youth shelters no longer have to report the location of a runaway child to the child’s parents if the child is seeking gender-affirming or reproductive care. Instead, the shelters must notify the state’s child services department. FULL QUESTION Is it true that SB-5599 say[s] that the government can take away ...| FactCheck.org
The president repeatedly sows doubt about mail-in voting, echoing what intelligence officials have said is a Russian strategy to undermine public trust in the election. We review his statements this month and recap our stories on his false, misleading and unsupported claims.| FactCheck.org
