FactCheck.org Author: Lori Robertson

The Facts on Judge Jackson’s Defense Work for Gitmo Detainees

March 22, 2022

In the first day of Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn echoed a party talking point, saying that Jackson used her “time and talent not to serve our nation’s veterans or other vulnerable groups, but to provide free legal services to help terrorists get out of Gitmo and go back to the fight.” Jackson was a federal public defender on four cases, in which the men were not convicted, and continued to represent one man when she worked for a private firm.

Polio Vaccine Is a Four-Shot Series, Contrary to Greene Comments

March 18, 2022

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it “recommends that children get four doses of polio vaccine.” But Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, when speaking against a potential fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, wrongly suggested that the CDC doesn’t recommend four shots of the polio vaccine.

Both Sides Spin Domestic Oil Production

March 17, 2022

With the U.S. blocking new purchases of Russian oil, the White House, Republicans and the oil industry are engaged in a disagreement over whether the administration has hampered domestic oil production on federal land or whether the industry is holding back. Both sides are spinning the facts.

What We’ve Learned About So-Called ‘Lockdowns’ and the COVID-19 Pandemic

March 8, 2022

Plenty of peer-reviewed studies have found government restrictions early in the pandemic, such as business closures and physical distancing measures, reduced COVID-19 cases and/or mortality, compared with what would have happened without those measures. But conservative news outlets and commentators have seized on a much-criticized, unpublished working paper that concluded “lockdowns” had only a small impact on mortality as definitive evidence the restrictions don’t work.

FactChecking Trump’s CPAC Speech

February 28, 2022

Former President Donald Trump’s keynote speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference included several false and misleading claims, some of which we’ve fact-checked before. Here we focus on assertions about foreign policy and energy.

Studies Show Boosted Immunity Against Omicron with Booster Doses

January 28, 2022

Neither primary vaccination nor natural immunity is generally stopping infections with the omicron variant, but research shows booster doses substantially increase protection. Yet, Republican Sen. Rand Paul claimed that a case of COVID-19 provides “an immunity better than the vaccine.”

FactChecking Biden’s Press Conference

January 20, 2022

In a nearly two-hour press conference, President Joe Biden stretched the facts and left out important context on vaccinations, funding for lead pipe removal, child poverty and more.

Biden’s Numbers

January 20, 2022

Statistical measures of the president’s term to date.

Q&A on At-Home Rapid Tests

January 14, 2022

The demand for at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests — sparked by the fast-spreading omicron variant in December — has continued in 2022. With that demand have come questions about the tests’ efficacy, how to use them and where to get them. We answer those queries and more.

FactChecking the Justices’ COVID-19 Claims

January 10, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 7 challenging the Biden administration’s attempts to expand COVID-19 vaccinations. Here we present the facts on some COVID-19 claims made by the justices.