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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Posts Wrongly Conflate U.S.-China Prisoner Swap with Biden’s Recent Pardons

Posts Wrongly Conflate U.S.-China Prisoner Swap with Biden’s Recent Pardons

President Joe Biden granted pardons and commutations to more than 1,500 individuals on Dec. 12. Social media posts wrongly claim those pardoned included a Chinese national, Shanlin Jin, imprisoned for child pornography. Jin was granted clemency as part of a prisoner swap last month that freed three Americans held for years in China.

Trump’s Problematic Claims on the Auto Industry

Trump’s Problematic Claims on the Auto Industry

In Michigan, former President Donald Trump has courted voters in the auto industry with false and no-evidence claims about Chinese auto plants in Mexico and auto industry growth under his administration.

Trump’s Latest False Claim About the U.S.-China Trade Deficit

Trump’s Latest False Claim About the U.S.-China Trade Deficit

The total U.S. trade deficit with China in goods and services in 2023 was about $252 billion, the lowest it has been in 14 years. Former President Donald Trump was way off when he falsely claimed that the U.S.-China trade gap is about four times as high.

Pro-Haley PAC Misattributes Quote to DeSantis

Pro-Haley PAC Misattributes Quote to DeSantis

A TV ad from a political action committee that supports Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, accuses Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of “lying” — but then the ad goes on to make one false and another exaggerated claim about him.

Ads Attacking Dave McCormick

Ads Attacking Dave McCormick

The campaign of Dr. Mehmet Oz and a super PAC supporting him are running ads that seek to paint his chief rival in the Pennsylvania Senate Republican primary, Dave McCormick, as a “friend” of China who outsourced Pittsburgh jobs and is out of step with former President Donald Trump. But the ads distort some facts to make that case.

The Wuhan Lab and the Gain-of-Function Disagreement

The Wuhan Lab and the Gain-of-Function Disagreement

A disagreement between Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci has put $600,000 of U.S. grant money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology back into the spotlight, while making “gain-of-function” research a household term — all amid calls for more investigation into the origins of SARS-CoV-2.