UPDATED, April 2, 2020: This article has been updated to reflect the decision by the Democratic National Committee to delay its convention until August. Can the Democratic and Republican conventions survive in an era of coronavirus? That’s unclear, and it’s a question that needs to be resolved quickly. Historically, the parties’ conventions are a focal […]
We’re all fact-checkers now. In these days of COVID-19, everything needs to be fact-checked. Posts on social media need fact-checking. Texts and messages from friends and family need fact-checking. The president needs fact-checking at his daily press conferences. We can’t accept everyday information that comes our way during a critical public health crisis. We have to […]
It’s April 2, or International Fact-Checking Day, and it’s clear facts are critical right now. PolitiFact is scrutinizing as many as 10 coronavirus claims each day. We’re debunking fake coronavirus cures on Facebook, fact-checking statements made by President Donald Trump, and helping you understand what’s in — and not in — the federal stimulus bills. […]
President Donald Trump voiced disbelief at the skyrocketing demand for protective masks at New York hospitals. “Are they going out the back door? How do you go from 10,000 to 300,000?” Trump asked at a March 29 press conference. “And we have that in a lot of different places. So, somebody should probably look into […]
Restaurant dining rooms across the U.S. are closed due to COVID-19, but many are offering more takeout and delivery service than ever before. The option to savor your favorite dish from your neighborhood haunt may feel like a silver lining during this time of stay-home directives. But one nagging question may spoil your appetite: Is […]
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, public health officials have advised healthy Americans not to wear face masks. The reason: There’s a shortage of masks, and they should be reserved for health care workers. That guidance may change soon. “When we get in a situation where we have enough masks, I believe there will […]
States have been clashing with the federal government over who’s responsible for ensuring that critical medical equipment and supplies get to the places that need them most amid the COVID-19 pandemic. After declaring a national emergency over the health crisis on March 13, President Donald Trump directed governors to order their own ventilators, respirators and […]
President Donald Trump has been tossing around the word “hoax” since before he won the White House in 2016. Now, that favorite term might be coming back to bite him. Joe Biden and liberal super PACs bolstering his 2020 presidential campaign are using Trump’s own words against him in a flurry of TV and digital […]
President Donald Trump’s critics have charged that he undermined efforts that could have helped the nation respond faster and better to the coronavirus. He’s been criticized for downgrading the focus on pandemic threats on the National Security Council and chastised for seeking budget cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That isn’t the […]
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on around the world, people are grasping for any sign that an end is in sight. One popular ray of hope: warm weather. After all, the seasonal flu and milder strains in the coronavirus family tend to spike in winter and dwindle in spring. Will the novel coronavirus also work […]
In a dramatic session in which members social-distanced themselves throughout the House chamber, the U.S. House on March 27 passed the coronavirus relief bill that had already passed the Senate unanimously. The bill, which has a price tag north of $2 trillion, now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature. Previously, we detailed the […]
Many of the states with more than 1,000 coronavirus cases have told their residents to stay at home to limit the spread. Not Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis is against it. DeSantis prefers a “surgical” approach, with measures tailored for the hardest-hit counties that spare ones with few or zero cases from the economic hardship of […]