Latest Fact Checks By Louis Jacobson

Is interest on the federal debt costing more than national defense?

By Louis Jacobson

April 5, 2023

“In the next two years, we'll spend more on interest on our national debt than we do on the national defense.”

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U.S. national debt is as big as the economy, but it has been for a while

By Louis Jacobson

March 30, 2023

“We have a national debt the size of our nation’s economy for the first time since World War II.”

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Most US high school grads read below standard. That doesn’t mean half can’t read their diplomas

By Louis Jacobson

March 20, 2023

"Half the kids in this country, when they graduate, can’t read their diploma.”

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Whoopi Goldberg gets it wrong on lying and the First Amendment

By Louis Jacobson

March 17, 2023

"The First Amendment doesn’t allow you to willingly lie."

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George Santos said he “never claimed to be Jewish.” That’s Pants on Fire!

By Louis Jacobson

February 22, 2023

“I never claimed to be Jewish.”

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Joe Biden miscalculates how much billionaires pay in taxes

By Louis Jacobson

February 20, 2023

The “average tax” for billionaires is “about 3%,” which is “a lower tax than a schoolteacher or a firefighter."

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Biden says U.S. is losing ground to China in R&D spending. His rankings are off.

By Louis Jacobson , Matthew Crowley

February 13, 2023

“We used to rank No. 1 in the world in research and development, now we rank No. 9. China used to rank No. 8, now…

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Joe Biden is right that preschool benefits college attendance, though research varies

By Louis Jacobson

February 13, 2023

"Studies show that children who go to preschool are nearly 50% more likely to finish high school and go on to earn a two- or…

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Sen. Rick Scott’s false claim that Joe Biden ‘cheated’ on taxes

By Amy Sherman , Louis Jacobson

February 10, 2023

President Joe Biden “cheated on his taxes and got away with it.”

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Joe Biden’s boast about job creation needs some asterisks

By Louis Jacobson

February 7, 2023

“We created more new jobs in two years than any president did in their entire term.”

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez overestimates Trump tax cuts’ contribution to national debt

By Louis Jacobson

February 1, 2023

“The largest contributor to the debt ceiling, or to our deficit, has been the Trump tax cuts.”

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Joe Biden touts big joblessness drop, but pandemic programs skew key comparison

By Louis Jacobson

January 27, 2023

“Two years ago this week, 18 million people were out of work needing unemployment benefits. Today, that number is under 1.6 million, the lowest in…

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