FactCheck.org’s SciCheck feature focuses exclusively on false and misleading scientific claims that are made by partisans to influence public policy. It was launched in January 2015 with a grant from the Stanton Foundation. The foundation was founded by the late Frank Stanton, president of CBS for 25 years, from 1946 to 1971.
Donald Trump suggests “there is no drought” in California because the state has “plenty of water.” He promises “to start opening up the water,” and he says he’ll “get it done quick.” But there is a drought, and we explain why there is no “quick” solution.
Trump said wind farms in the U.S. “kill more than 1 million birds a year.” Reliable data are scarce, but current estimates range from 20,000 to 573,000 bird deaths per year. Trump also falsely claimed shooting an eagle leads to five years in prison.
During a recent congressional hearing, Rep. Steve King of Iowa underestimated what scientists know about the relationship between farming practices and water quality.
For at least five years, Donald Trump has been making false claims about hairspray and its impact on the ozone layer.
During floor addresses urging Congress to act on President Obama’s $1.9 billion request for emergency funds to combat the Zika virus, a number of senators made claims that were either misleading or lacked context.
This week, CNN’s Jake Tapper, with the help of FactCheck.org, fact-checks Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s claim that “you can’t do any research about” marijuana because it’s a Schedule I drug. That’s false.
A Michigan health official told Congress that his department’s “initial analysis” showed blood lead levels in Flint children in the summer of 2014 were “within range of years before.” That’s false.
Hillary Clinton said at a town hall meeting that “you can’t do any research about” marijuana because it’s a Schedule I drug. That’s false. Schedule I classification makes it difficult to conduct research on a substance, but not impossible.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin falsely said she is “as much a scientist” as Bill Nye, best known for his children’s show, “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” Nye has multiple credentials that make him more of a scientist than Palin.
In a recent “fact sheet” on the threat climate change poses to human health, the White House cherry-picked data on the estimated number of premature deaths due to future extreme temperatures.