Q: Did a potential nominee for “chief scientist” at the U.S. Department of Agriculture call scientists “dumb, regular people” who “think dinosaurs actually existed and the Earth is somehow getting warmer”?
A: No. That’s a bogus quote in a fake story by a “News/Satire” website.
In the wake of another terrorist attack in Britain, President Donald Trump fired off several tweets about the need for his court-blocked travel ban, contradicting statements from members of his own administration and distorting the facts in the process.
The Environmental Protection Agency head said that the “coal sector” added 7,000 jobs in May and “almost 50,000 jobs” since the fourth quarter of last year. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an increase of just 400 coal mining jobs in May and 1,300 since December.
President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2018 is the subject of this week’s fact-checking video from CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Q: Have scientists confirmed that e-cigarettes cause an incurable respiratory disease called “popcorn lung”?
A: No. The vapor of some e-cigarettes contains a chemical associated with popcorn lung, and a case report suggests a possible link. But there’s not enough evidence to conclude the vapors cause the disease.
Q: Does NASA pay $18,000 for people to stay in bed and smoke weed for 70 straight days?
A: No. NASA conducts bed-rest studies, but it does not allow participants to smoke marijuana or even drink alcohol.
The president’s budget counts on economic growth to reach a balance, but his tax cut plan also relies on that growth to remain revenue-neutral. Tax and budget experts say that’s double-counting the same money.
Newt Gingrich claimed that a Democratic National Committee staffer “apparently was assassinated” after “having given WikiLeaks something like … 53,000 [DNC] emails and 17,000 attachments.” But there’s no evidence for his claim.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price made two claims about opioid addiction that are contradicted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is part of the department Price heads.
On May 17, the Justice Department announced the appointment of former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III as special counsel to investigate any possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government’s efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.