Month: February 2015
FactChecking CPAC
A parade of potential Republican presidential candidates took turns at delivering speeches and answering questions at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference that started on Feb. 26. Along the way there were some distortions of facts.
Will Power Plant Rules Cause Blackouts?
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency told Congress her agency’s proposed rules governing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants will not affect the reliability of electricity service. That’s debatable.
Biden Resurrects Bogus Talking Points
Vice President Joe Biden resurrected years-old, Democratic talking points on the Affordable Care Act and U.S. oil production during a recent speech in New Hampshire.
Feb. 21: ACA, Immigration, NIH Budget
‘Amnesty Bonuses’?
Q: Will people living in the U.S. illegally receive “amnesty bonuses” because of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration?
A: There is no automatic payment, but some working immigrants could claim up to four years of earned income tax credits if they meet eligibility requirements.
FlackCheck.org Video: SciCheck Findings
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.
Paul Knocks Flies and NIH Funding
Sen. Rand Paul made several misleading statements about the National Institutes of Health and some of the research that it funds.
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.
Boehner and Benghazi
House Speaker John Boehner says there are “unanswered questions” about the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi.