PolitiFact's guide to key 2018 midterm races

PolitiFact's guide to key 2018 midterm races

Fact-checking Fox News analyst’s pro-Trump ‘The Russia Hoax'

Fact-checking Fox News analyst’s pro-Trump ‘The Russia Hoax'

Rubio wrong on states not beefing up voting security

Rubio wrong on states not beefing up voting security

What you need to know about QAnon and a Donald Trump rally

What you need to know about QAnon and a Donald Trump rally

Rulings from PolitiFact National

Says Sen. Dean Heller "wants to cut programs like Social Security and Medicare to ... — Jacky Rosen
Says Jacky Rosen "skipped work ... at the expense of veterans" to "attend a ... — Dean Heller
"President Trump in his first year and a half has already tripled what President ... — Sarah Huckabee Sanders
"Hospitals are closing in rural America because they don't have access to high-speed internet." — Marsha Blackburn
"Most of that money (made by the NFL) goes to the players." — Donald Trump
Says "43 of Joe’s legislative proposals have become law, including 21 since President Trump ... — Joe Donnelly
Says Matt Rosendale "consistently supported land use rules that would help developers like him ... — Jon Tester
"America’s hard-working agricultural producers … have taken a disproportionate hit when it comes to ... — Sonny Perdue
"I've always voted for keeping the government open. I’ve never cast a vote to ... — Kevin Cramer
"You see the Nazi platform from the early 1930s ... look at it compared ... — Donald Trump Jr.
Says the Koch Brothers sponsored "a study that shows that Medicare for All would ... — Bernie Sanders
"U.S. Steel just announced that they are building six new steel mills." — Donald Trump
Says HHS Secretary Alex Azar called family separations at the border and detention of ... — Equity Forward
"Just last year we gave the military a $700 billion budget increase, which they ... — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
"Between the first and second quarters of 2018 — after the tax cuts were ... — Nancy Pelosi

The Latest from PunditFact

False

She didn't say that

teaparty.org

"Pelosi sinks to new low, tells Dems: if you have to lie to voters to win, do it."

— PunditFact on Friday, August 17th, 2018

Mostly False

Less than meets the eye

Patriot News Alerts

Patriot News Alerts

"U.S. government reports record tax haul after Trump tax cuts spur economic growth."

— PunditFact on Friday, August 17th, 2018

Pants on Fire!

He didn't say that

Bloggers

"VIDEO Kevin Bacon Saying ‘We Are Blessed To Have Donald Trump As Our President’"

— PunditFact on Wednesday, August 15th, 2018

Half-True

Clanked off the backboard

Wannabe Entertainment

Wannabe Entertainment

"LeBron’s ‘I Promise School’ To Cost Taxpayers Millions Of Dollars Every Year"

— PolitiFact Ohio on Thursday, August 9th, 2018

False

That's not what he said

AmericanJournalReview.com

AmericanJournalReview.com

"James Clapper Flips On Live TV, Admits Obama Behind Entire Russia Witch Hunt! (Video)"

— PunditFact on Monday, August 6th, 2018

Mostly True

Not precise enough

Bloggers

Say a "left wing extremist, chases down, rams car over Trump bumper sticker."

— PunditFact on Friday, August 3rd, 2018

Mostly True

Decided, but not unprecedented

Bloggers

Says Donald Trump contradicted his own administration when he said the decision to allow blueprints for 3D-printed guns to be distributed "doesn’t seem to make much sense."

— PunditFact on Thursday, August 2nd, 2018

False

Scenarios not recommendations

Infowars

"Revealed: UN plan to flood America with 600 million migrants."

— PunditFact on Wednesday, August 1st, 2018

Mostly False

Correlation, not causation

Bloggers

"SHOCK REPORT: Senator McCaskill BUSTED Funneling Millions of Tax Dollars to Her Hubby."

— PunditFact on Wednesday, August 1st, 2018

Mostly False

All's (not) fair in love and (trade) wars

Other 98%

"Trump just gave a $12 billion bailout to farmers hurt by his failed tariffs. This will cost every household in the U.S. $95 … Trump is borrowing the money from China since his tax cuts blew a trillion dollar hole in the deficit."

— PolitiFact National on Wednesday, August 1st, 2018

False

Pinning down the facts

Bloggers

ABC News recently banned reporters from wearing American flag lapel pins on air.

— PunditFact on Wednesday, July 25th, 2018

Mostly False

More context to consider

SupremeInsider.com

SupremeInsider.com

"Barack Obama: I'm 'the First Sitting American President to Come From Kenya.'"

— PunditFact on Wednesday, July 25th, 2018

False

Verdict: False

Pirro

Says Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced in February that "the Russia collusion investigation is over."

— PunditFact on Wednesday, July 25th, 2018

False

Doesn't hew to the facts

Hewitt

Says FBI agent Peter Strzok’s hearing confirmed Republican Congressman Jim Jordan’s theory about how the Justice Department got the Steele dossier.

— PunditFact on Tuesday, July 24th, 2018

Half-True

Not outright ban

Bloggers

"Republicans vote to make it legal nationwide to ban gays and lesbians from adopting."

— PunditFact on Tuesday, July 24th, 2018

Mostly False

No official connection to NASA

Bloggers

"NASA prepping 17-year-old Alyssa Carson to become first human on Mars."

— PunditFact on Friday, July 20th, 2018

Pants on Fire!

Lacks proof

YourNewsWire.com

YourNewsWire.com

"Lisa Page squeals: DNC server was not hacked by Russians."

— PunditFact on Friday, July 20th, 2018

False

More than a stretch

Bloggers

"Hillary in hiding as police discover dead body hidden in Huma Abedin’s dumpster."

— PunditFact on Thursday, July 19th, 2018

Mostly False

No, not a party member

DeSantis

Says John Brennan "was a member of the Communist Party during the Cold War."

— PolitiFact Florida on Thursday, July 19th, 2018

Pants on Fire!

Illegal, alive or dead

Bloggers

"Clint Eastwood Leaves His Estate To The Trump 2020 Campaign"

— PunditFact on Wednesday, July 18th, 2018

What is PunditFact?

PunditFact is a project of the Tampa Bay Times and the Poynter Institute, dedicated to checking the accuracy of claims by pundits, columnists, bloggers, political analysts, the hosts and guests of talk shows, and other members of the media.

We define a pundit as someone who offers analysis or opinions on the news, particularly politics and public policy. One can engage in punditry by writing, blogging or appearing on radio or TV. A pundit is not an elected official, not a declared candidate nor anyone in an official capacity with a political party, campaign or government.

PunditFact is funded in part by $625,000 in grants over two years from the Ford Foundation and the Democracy Fund. Seed money for the project was provided by craigconnects.

Check out new After the Fact responses.

Reporters and editors from the Times fact-check statements by pundits and rate them on PolitiFact’s Truth-O-Meter:

TRUE – The statement is accurate and there’s nothing significant missing.

MOSTLY TRUE – The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information.

HALF TRUE – The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context.

MOSTLY FALSE – The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.

FALSE – The statement is not accurate.

PANTS ON FIRE – The statement is not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim.

For more details, see the Principles of PolitiFact, PunditFact and the Truth-O-Meter.

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