Facts Check

Quick Take There is no evidence that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said “owning guns is not a right,” contrary to what a viral meme claims. Full Story Since joining Congress in January, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has used her position to support gun control measures — co-sponsoring legislation requiring universal background checks, for example, and advocating for bans on bump stocks and semi-automatic weapons. (She’s also no supporter of the National Rifle Association.) But there is no evidence…

This fact-checking video by CNN’s Jake Tapper explains two false claims President Donald Trump made about illegal immigration. When asked about his administration’s zero-tolerance border policy that resulted in thousands of migrant children being separated from their parents last year, Trump claimed that “President Obama separated the children. … I’m the one that stopped it.” The suggestion that there was a similar policy under Obama is false. Immigration experts told us that previous administrations separated families…

Asked whether he believes federal law requires him to give Congress his tax returns, President Donald Trump responded, “There’s no law whatsoever.” He’s wrong about that. There is, in fact, a federal tax law that specifically states if the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee makes a written request for an individual’s tax returns — as Rep. Richard Neal has done seeking Trump’s — the Treasury secretary “shall furnish” those returns. The law…

Quick Take A meme targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar uses an edited quote to cast doubt on her “allegiance” to the United States. Full Story Online falsehoods about Rep. Ilhan Omar are in no short supply. We’ve previously covered deceptive claims about the Minnesota Democrat’s religion, her election and her commitment to the U.S. Constitution. The latest work of fiction about Omar — one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress — uses a doctored quote to cast doubt…

The U.S. does not currently have economic “growth over 4 percent,” as White House counselor Kellyanne Conway claimed recently. On a quarterly basis, real gross domestic product (which is adjusted for inflation) last grew at an annualized rate of more than 4 percent in the second quarter of 2018. On an annual basis, GDP growth has not been higher than 2.9 percent since President Donald Trump took office. Conway made her claim during a CNN interview…

Quick Take A meme circulating on Facebook gives the false impression that there is no cap on the number of refugees that can be admitted to the U.S., and that Social Security beneficiaries did not receive a cost-of-living increase this year. Full Story A meme that was only partially true at the time it was created is still circulating three years later, when none of what it says is accurate. The meme, which appears to…

Summary Since President Donald Trump took office: Attempted unauthorized crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border soared to the highest levels in over a decade. The trade deficit rose by more than $100 billion — 23.5 percent. The economy added 5.1 million jobs; unemployment fell to the lowest rate in nearly half a century. Economic growth picked up, but fell short of what Trump promised. The number of restrictions in the federal rulebook stopped growing, and fell…

Last year, the Trump administration announced a “zero tolerance” border policy that resulted in children being separated from their parents who were detained for entering the U.S. illegally. Yet President Donald Trump recently claimed that “President Obama separated the children. …  I’m the one that stopped it.” The suggestion that there was a similar policy under Obama is false. Trump “stopped” his own policy after a public backlash to the family separations.  The Trump administration…

Quick Take A popular meme wrongly claims that a photo showing protesters advocating the demise of the U.S. was taken in Michigan. The image is from a 2013 rally in Iran. Full Story Facebook users have spread a meme that falsely presents an anti-America image as if it were taken in Michigan. “This is not the Middle-East where America is hated and terrorists are born,” the meme erroneously claims. “THIS IS MICHIGAN.” Actually, the image was taken…

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrongly stated that Syrian President “Bashar al-Assad controls a small fraction of Syria.” Middle East experts tell us that Assad controls a majority of Syria’s land and population. Pompeo made his remarks during an April 8 interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier. Pompeo urged the Cuban government to stop supporting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — telling Baier that Maduro’s “days are numbered” — when in an aside the secretary also remarked about Assad’s…