It’s that time of year again when we look back — perhaps not so fondly — on the most noteworthy nonsense from the past 12 months.
Whoppers of 2013
Featured Posts
Who Holds Our Debt?
Q: Who are the holders of U.S. debt?
The Keg Stand Obamacare Ads
Let’s clear this up: The edgy “got insurance?” Obamacare ads that have gone viral on the Web were not created by the Colorado state exchange or any other governmental agency, nor are they taxpayer-funded, as two Republican congressmen have claimed.
Spinning ENDA
House Speaker John Boehner announced his opposition to a bill that would prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity with a statement from his spokesman saying the bill “will increase frivolous litigation and cost American jobs, especially small business jobs.”
Democrats Exaggerate Shutdown Costs
Some Democrats have taken to exaggerating the cost of the federal government shutdown, suggesting that it cost the economy nearly 1 million jobs, and claiming that it cost taxpayers $30 billion. Neither statement is accurate.
Obama’s Numbers, October Update
Jobs, debt and poverty all are up. Our latest report on statistical measures of his presidency.
FactChecking ‘Pernicious’ Obamacare Claims
There’s plenty of fodder for fact-checkers in Sen. Ted Cruz’s looong attack on Obamacare, and in President Obama’s defense of it.
Obamacare Myths
We’ve been batting down bogus claims about the Affordable Care Act for years, since 2009, when legislation was still in the debate stage. But they’ve been increasing in intensity in recent months as we approach Oct. 1, the date the insurance exchanges will be open for business.
No ‘Special Subsidy’ for Congress
Rep. Robert Pittenger is misleading his constituents by saying that he will decline the health insurance offered to members of Congress next year because it includes a “special subsidy” from the president that “exempted” Congress from the Affordable Care Act.
The Messy Facts in Virginia
The Virginia governor’s race is breaking our general expectations as fact-checkers: There’s strident attack galore, but much of it is accurate. We normally find the harsher the attack, the more likely it’s false. So much for that.