Latest Stories By Louis Jacobson

Showing 361-372 of 1260 items
Chris Paul

How should top-tier sports be handling the coronavirus?

June 18, 2021

As coronavirus vaccination rates rise and the United States opens up after a lengthy pandemic, one of the emerging flashpoints involves elite sports. The questions sports teams and leagues are facing are the same types of questions that are puzzling businesses, schools, shops and restaurants as the United States continues to open back up. But […]

G-7 leaders

Ask PolitiFact: What is China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and why is Joe Biden concerned?

June 16, 2021

At their recent summit in Cornwall, England, the G-7 countries backed an effort to offer an alternative to the “Belt and Road Initiative,” China’s sprawling, eight-year-old effort to build physical and digital infrastructure in other countries.  The G-7 effort, called “Build Back Better for the World,” or B3W for short, is being championed by President […]

Jan. 6

Is a select congressional committee the next best option for probing Jan. 6?

June 14, 2021

What happened at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 has been described variously as an insurrection, a coup and domestic terrorism — but whatever you call it, it was a significant historical event. And as the nation nears their six-month anniversary, there is little agreement on a roadmap for how to investigate events that threatened […]

Eric Nelson and Derek Chauvin

Do police officers have a shorter life expectancy than the general public?

June 8, 2021

After the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of Black resident George Floyd, Chauvin’s attorney asked the judge for a more lenient sentence than the official guidelines would suggest. In a motion filed June 2, attorney Eric Nelson sought to have Judge Peter Cahill sentence Chauvin to probation plus the […]

About face on mask-wearing: Why did the federal guidance change?

May 25, 2021

To say that federal guidance on mask-wearing has been confusing would be an understatement. Back in 2020, during the earliest days of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., mask-wearing was discouraged. Then officials changed this guidance, citing clearer findings that the virus could be transmitted by people who showed no symptoms. The advice to wear […]

What is the scope of the proposed Jan. 6 commission? And is there a Plan B?

May 21, 2021

Since Jan. 6, calls for an independent commission to investigate Capitol insurrection have been growing. Recently, all House Democrats and 35 Republicans voted in favor of a bill that sets up a commission similar to the one that investigated 9/11. After House passage, the measure moved to the Senate, where Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., […]

Home construction

How big is the threat of inflation in the post-pandemic era?

May 13, 2021

Inflation — a phenomenon that most Americans haven’t had to think about much for a decade or two — has reemerged as a concern as the economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. On May 12, the government announced that the consumer price index was 4.2% higher in April 2021 than a year earlier, the fastest […]

Stacey Abrams

Georgia’s election law sparks ‘Jim Crow’ rhetoric, as well as pushback

April 30, 2021

In recent weeks, Democrats have repeatedly warned that Republican-backed election bills like the one enacted in Georgia amount to a resurgence of Jim Crow, the legal structures in the pre-1960s South that kept Blacks segregated and politically powerless. The system included both segregationist laws and social norms that relegated Blacks to second-class status. Significant elements […]

timscott rebuttal jointsession 100 days

Fact-checking Sen. Tim Scott’s GOP response to President Joe Biden

April 29, 2021

U.S Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said President Joe Biden is dividing Americans and has failed to deliver on his promise of unity. “I want to have an honest conversation,” Scott said. “About common sense and common ground. About this feeling that our nation is sliding off its shared foundation and how we move forward together.” […]

Joe Biden 100 Days Speech JointCongress - women clapping

Fact-checking President Joe Biden’s first speech to Congress

April 29, 2021

In his first speech before Congress, President Joe Biden argued it was time to turn the coronavirus pandemic into a historic opportunity to expand government for the benefit of a wider range of Americans, urging investments in jobs, climate change, child care, infrastructure and more.  Biden said that taxes should be increased on corporations and […]

McCarthy on FNS

What happened during the Jan. 6 call between Donald Trump and Kevin McCarthy?

April 26, 2021

On Jan. 6, supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop the official counting of the Electoral College vote. What did then-President Trump know, and when did he know it? And how did Trump view the actions of his supporters who overran the Capitol Police? The answer: It’s still murky.  Trump’s role […]

100 Days: Lead art

Evaluating President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office

April 26, 2021

In the first 100 days, new presidents try to turn campaign promises into quick legislative victories, defuse lingering crises, set themselves apart from their predecessor, and set a leadership tone for the next four years — all while avoiding blunders that could destroy their momentum.  So how is President Joe Biden doing as he approaches […]

Showing 361-372 of 1260 items