In this week’s fact-checking video, CNN’s Jake Tapper dissects the president’s false tweets about the death toll in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria.
Video: Trump on Hurricane Maria
Locations: National
Kaepernick Arrest Story is False
Q: Was Colin Kaepernick arrested during an NFL game on Sept. 9?
A: No. That story was originally published on a self-described satirical website.
Trump’s False Tweets on Hurricane Maria’s Death Toll
In a pair of early morning tweets, President Donald Trump rejected Puerto Rico’s official estimate of 2,975 hurricane-related deaths after Hurricane Maria and, in the process, made some false and misleading claims.
Obama, Fox News and the Free Press
Former President Barack Obama stood up for a free press in his first political speech of the 2018 campaign season, but he engaged in a bit of revisionist history when it came to his administration’s dealings with Fox News.
Were Funds Shifted Away from Hurricane Relief?
As Hurricane Florence continued to threaten the East Coast, Sen. Jeff Merkley released a document that he said shows nearly $10 million that could have been used for hurricane recovery efforts was diverted from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to immigration enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security insisted no relief funding was taken from FEMA. We review the facts.
Obama Cherry-Picks Uninsured Figure
Former President Barack Obama claimed that Republicans’ “sabotage of the Affordable Care Act has already cost more than 3 million Americans their health insurance.” That’s according to one estimate, but another found no significant change in the rate or the number of uninsured from 2016 to 2017.
Times Didn’t Say ‘Resistance’ Op-Ed is ‘Fake’
Q: Did the New York Times admit that the anonymous op-ed essay it published was not written by a Trump administration official?
A: No. That claim was made up by a website that trolls conservatives.
Trump’s Bungled Twitter Attack on Obama
In a pair of tweets, President Donald Trump pushed back at former President Barack Obama for taking partial credit for the post-recession economic recovery. But, in doing so, Trump got the facts wrong.
Partisan Site Revives Old Pence Controversy
Q: Was “VP Mike Pence Busted Stealing Campaign Funds To Pay His Mortgage”?
A: He used campaign funds for personal expenses during his run for Congress in 1990, but the Federal Election Commission could not agree on whether he violated campaign finance laws.
Kavanaugh Files: Abortion Rights
Advocates for abortion rights are concerned that Judge Brett Kavanaugh could become the deciding vote in a future case to potentially overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that recognized a woman’s right to an abortion. We review the specific points raised by the Democrats and the facts in each case.