Author: Data and Research Manager

What Trump got wrong on Twitter this week

The following article by Michelle Ye Hee Lee was posted on the Washington Post website January 6, 2017:

President-elect Donald Trump speaks in Hershey, Pa., during his “thank you” tour. (Don Emmert/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

As we enter the administration of a president who is both prolific on Twitter and prone to tweeting factual inaccuracies, the Fact Checker faced a conundrum: How much effort should we devote to fact-checking President-elect Donald Trump’s tweets?

Tweets are ephemeral — in theory, at least. By the time we start on one fact check of Trump’s tweet, he may have tweeted many others that are fact-checkable. Many of Trump’s tweets are easy to debunk and do not rise to the level of a Pinocchio rating. In fact, Twitter users often correct Trump within minutes, in fewer than 140 characters.

So, we are launching an occasional feature looking at what Trump got wrong on Twitter in a given week. We will continue to devote full fact checks of claims Trump makes on Twitter when the fact check allows for discussion of a substantive policy issue. But as for the rest, we will include them in a roundup on Fridays. We will keep the analysis of each tweet as short as possible, with links to additional information for readers who want to know more. As always, we welcome reader suggestions. Continue reading “What Trump got wrong on Twitter this week”

Americans don’t want to scrap Obamacare without something to replace it, new poll shows

The following article by Noam N. Levey was posted on the L.A. Times website January 6, 2017:

The vast majority of Americans do not support Republican plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act without enacting a replacement, a new nationwide poll finds.

Nearly half the country does not want the law, commonly called Obamacare, to be repealed at all.

Even among those who want to see the law rolled back, most say Congress should wait to vote on repeal until the details of a replacement plan have been announced.

Just two in 10 Americans support the GOP strategy to quickly vote for repeal and work out details of a replacement later, according to the poll by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

President-elect Donald Trump and senior GOP lawmakers indicated this week that they plan to move quickly to sweep away major pillars of Obamacare, insisting they have a mandate from voters to scrap the 2010 healthcare law.

But Republicans haven’t detailed how they will replace the law’s coverage program, which has helped extend health insurance to more than 20 million previously uninsured Americans. Continue reading “Americans don’t want to scrap Obamacare without something to replace it, new poll shows”

Poll: Voters in Trump states want Democrats to keep him in check

The following article by David Weigel was posted on the Washington Post website January 4, 2017:

Donald Trump walks off his plane to speak during a campaign event at an Atlantic Aviation hanger in Moon Township, Pa., on Nov. 6, 2016. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

A poll of voters in red or purple states, conducted for the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress Action Fund, has found a sizable majority willing to back Democrats if they oppose President-elect Donald Trump.

The poll, which surveyed 1,206 voters in 14 states Dec. 19-23 — all with Senate races next year — found 49 percent approving of Trump’s conduct as president-elect. That’s higher than the number in national polls, which have included samples from bluer states. Depending on how the question was asked, anywhere from 56 percent to 61 percent of voters said that Democratic lawmakers should act as a “check and balance” on the incoming president. (The number was lower if voters were asked specifically if the senator should “block” Trump.)

“Even in states that Trump won handily, Democrats are in a good position,” said Neera Tanden, CAP’s president. “Eight years ago, if you asked this question, people were much more inclined to say that everyone should get along. Here, you’ve got people who voted for Trump but want Democrats to block or oppose his agenda. That seems to be a new thing for American politics.” Continue reading “Poll: Voters in Trump states want Democrats to keep him in check”

President-Elect Trump Is Historically Unpopular; His Press Coverage Should Reflect That

The following article by Eric Boehlert was posted on the Media Matters website January 3, 2017:

There are lots of ways the political press continues to normalize President-elect Donald Trump’s often radical behavior. From regurgitating his vague tweets as news while he refuses to grant press conferences, to shying away from calling the serial prevaricator a liar, journalists continue to play nice.

Here’s another way Trump’s getting the benefit of the doubt: He’s a wildly unpopular political figure, yet the press continues to gloss over that fact while granting him soft coverage.

In terms of polling data, there’s virtually no good news for Trump. The results generally point in the same direction: He’s widely disliked and inspires little confidence in his presidential abilities. Continue reading “President-Elect Trump Is Historically Unpopular; His Press Coverage Should Reflect That”

Trump alleges delay in his briefing on ‘so-called’ Russian hacking; U.S. official says there wasn’t one

Arriving at an annual New Year’s Eve celebration at his Mar-a-lago, Fla.,
estate, President-elect Donald Trump left open the possibility
of a meeting with Taiwan’s president if she visits
after he is sworn in on Jan. 20. Trump also pushed back on
intelligence claims about Russian hacking. (Reuters)

President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday night to say that a planned intelligence briefing for him on “so-called ‘Russian-hacking’ ” had been delayed until Friday, a development he called ‘very strange!” — but one that a U.S. official said wasn’t a delay at all.

The tweet was the latest sign of Trump’s skepticism about a case pressed by the Obama administration, based on the work of U.S. intelligence and law-enforcement agencies, that Russia tried to influence the U.S. presidential election by hacking several Democratic email accounts, among other actions. Several leading Republicans have also endorsed that view.  Continue reading “Trump alleges delay in his briefing on ‘so-called’ Russian hacking; U.S. official says there wasn’t one”

A day of chaos at the Capitol as House Republicans back down on ethics changes

 

The following article by Robert Costa, Mike DeBonis and Philip Rucker was posted on the Washington Post website January 3, 2017:

A day of pageantry to open the 115th Congress and usher in a new period of Republican governance was overtaken Tuesday by an embarrassing reversal on ethics oversight, with the GOP gripped by internal division and many lawmakers seeking to shield themselves from extensive scrutiny.

The 19 hours of tumult was set in motion the night before behind closed doors at the Longworth House Office Building, where Republican lawmakers decided over the objections of Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) to amend House rules to effectively gut the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. Continue reading “A day of chaos at the Capitol as House Republicans back down on ethics changes”

What Journalists Can Do When The President Is A Liar

The following article by Matt Gertz was posted on the Media Matters website January 3, 2017:

President-elect Donald Trump shouts out to members of the media at the clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

When Donald Trump is inaugurated later this month, the presidency will officially be held by an inveterate liar. And the way the press has covered Trump in the two months since his November election victory suggests that many journalists need to adjust their approach to address that reality before Trump takes office.

On New Year’s Eve, Trump cast doubt on the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russian government-backed hackers intervened in the presidential election, suggesting that he would release evidence to the contrary early this week. Continue reading “What Journalists Can Do When The President Is A Liar”

Inside Donald Trump’s Extremist Education Agenda

The following article by Jeff Bryant was posted on the Alternet website January 5, 2017:

The Hillsdale College connection links Trump to the right-wing evangelical community of Betsy DeVos.

Donald Trump’s election to the U.S. presidency left education policy experts at a complete loss to explain what this would mean for the nation’s schools. During his campaign, Trump gave few clues about what would inform his education leadership, only that he had some antipathy for the Department of Education, he was no fan of Common Core and he would advocate for more “school choice.” Continue reading “Inside Donald Trump’s Extremist Education Agenda”