In a highly competitive race for an open U.S. Senate seat in Missouri, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan accuses Republican Rep. Roy Blunt of supporting a "Big Oil bailout" and sticking the taxpayers with the cleanup costs. We find the charges to be false. In two similar videos in a fundraising solicitation appearing on her website and e-mailed to her supporters, the Democratic candidate misstates and distorts Blunt’s position on corporate liability stemming from the oil spill in... Click to read more

Here are a couple of new falsehoods being circulated about the Census, to add to the bogus claims we told you about back in March: It’s not true that Census workers can demand that your landlord let Census workers into your apartment when you are absent, as claimed by a conservative former House member. And it’s also not true that the Census Bureau is artificially inflating official employment figures by causing temporary hires to be counted multiple times, as claimed by a newspaper... Click to read more

In episode 13 of FactCheck Radio, we look at a Republican ad that was condemned by the head of the GOP in New Mexico. Plus, we debunk labor union ads attacking Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, and we update listeners on claims about Muslims and the health care law. (Click the play button below to listen to the podcast. Or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.)   AudioPlayer.embed("pod_audio_1", {soundFile: "http://factcheck.org/images/image/radio/FCRadio_episode13.mp3"});... Click to read more

In his May 27 press conference on the oil spill, President Barack Obama declared Gulf Coast beaches safe and encouraged Americans to visit them. “Except for three beaches in Louisiana, all of the Gulf’s beaches are open, they are safe and they are clean,” he said. But it depends on your definition of “safe” and “clean,” and you had better hurry up, because the coast states are bracing for more closures. Alabama hasn’t closed any beaches, but the state’s... Click to read more

Summary New TV spots from two labor unions try to paint Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas as a slick politician who has done the bidding of big-business donors, such as oil companies. But the claims just don’t stick. One ad claims Lincoln "helped George Bush and Dick Cheney give oil and gas companies over $14 billion in tax breaks." In fact, she voted with a Democratic majority for an energy bill that actually raised the tax burden on oil and gas companies. Another ad claims... Click to read more

Q: Does the new health care law require workers to pay income tax on the value of employer-provided health insurance? A: No. The value will appear on employees’ W-2 forms for information purposes, but will not be considered taxable income. Click to read more  Read More →

Summary We can’t recall a time when a candidate’s ad was denounced as misleading and dishonest by the head of his own party. But that’s what has happened in New Mexico. Harvey E. Yates Jr., New Mexico’s Republican state party chairman, stepped in to referee a dispute between the gubernatorial campaigns of Allen Weh and Susana Martinez. Each GOP candidate ran a TV ad that the other labeled false. Yates issued a statement on May 23 condemning an ad by Weh that claimed Martinez... Click to read more

This week, readers sent us comments about misinformation burnout, immigration, Sunday shows and the word "gender." In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the e-mail we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length. Click to read more  Read More →

This Sunday’s collection of morning talkfests produced a few points worth noting, including distortions of Rand Paul’s use of the term "un-American," a bit of cherry-picking on job growth numbers under President Obama, a false accusation that oil companies are making "record profits," and misleading innuendo that the White House has been slow to respond to the Gulf oil crisis because of the industry’s campaign donations. A Bit of Flag-Waving On "Fox News... Click to read more

As the days tick down to Hawaii’s May 22 special congressional election, Republican Charles Djou is airing an ad falsely accusing former Democratic Rep. Ed Case of voting to raise "taxes that kill 3,000 local jobs a year.” The ad, which first ran May 14, makes this claim: “Case said he’s against higher taxes, but in Congress he voted to raise taxes. Taxes that kill 3,000 local jobs a year.” It cites a Jan. 5, 2006, "web memo" from the Heritage Foundation,... Click to read more