a:8:{s:8:"encoding";s:5:"utf-8";s:5:"title";s:50:"Politifact.com Truth-O-Meter rulings from National";s:4:"link";s:40:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/";s:11:"description";s:49:"The latest statements PolitiFact.com has reviewed";s:8:"language";s:5:"en-us";s:13:"lastBuildDate";s:31:"Thu, 03 May 2018 09:30:00 -0400";s:5:"items";a:10:{i:0;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:98:"Bernie Sanders - Bernie Sanders says Amazon paid no federal income tax in 2017. He's right";s:4:"link";s:112:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/03/bernie-s/amazon-paid-0-federal-income-taxes-2017/";s:11:"description";s:883:"The Truth-o-Meter says: True  |   Bernie Sanders says Amazon paid no federal income tax in 2017. He's right
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<p>The Forbes headline looked pretty good for Amazon chief Jeff Bezos: With the stock soaring, the world’s richest man accrued $9 billion in just two days. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., offered a different take on the company. "You know what Amazon paid in federal income taxes last year?" Sanders tweeted. "Zero." See Figure 1 on PolitiFact.com We’ve taken a look at a series of exaggerated claims about Amazon in the past. But in this case, Sanders is on the money. Amazon’s 2017 tax return is not public, and a company spokesman did not return ...</p> <a href="/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/03/bernie-s/amazon-paid-0-federal-income-taxes-2017/">>> More</a>";s:4:"guid";s:112:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/03/bernie-s/amazon-paid-0-federal-income-taxes-2017/";s:7:"pubDate";s:31:"Thu, 03 May 2018 09:30:00 -0400";}i:1;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:105:"Patrick Morrisey - Did Evan Jenkins once say his philosophy was 'progressive mainstream'?";s:4:"link";s:131:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/02/patrick-morrisey/did-evan-jenkins-once-say-his-philosophy-was-progr/";s:11:"description";s:984:"The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True  |   Did Evan Jenkins once say his philosophy was 'progressive mainstream'?
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<p>The accusations flew fast and furious in a Fox News-sponsored debate between three Republican Senate contenders in West Virginia. We’re checking several claims from the May 1 debate, which featured former coal CEO Don Blankenship, U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. Each is running for the nomination to face Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in the general election. Here, we’ll fact-check one of several assertions Morrisey made about Jenkins’ past Democratic affiliation. As we’ve previously noted, Jenkins was initially registered as a Democrat, then switched to Republican, then back to Democratic when he sought a seat ...</p> <a href="/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/02/patrick-morrisey/did-evan-jenkins-once-say-his-philosophy-was-progr/">>> More</a>";s:4:"guid";s:131:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/02/patrick-morrisey/did-evan-jenkins-once-say-his-philosophy-was-progr/";s:7:"pubDate";s:31:"Wed, 02 May 2018 18:02:12 -0400";}i:2;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:83:"Evan Jenkins - Did Evan Jenkins correctly cite past PolitiFact rulings in a debate?";s:4:"link";s:127:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/02/evan-jenkins/did-evan-jenkins-correctly-cite-past-politifact-ru/";s:11:"description";s:945:"The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True  |   Did Evan Jenkins correctly cite past PolitiFact rulings in a debate?
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<p>It’s not every day that PolitiFact fact-checks are wielded as rhetorical weapons in U.S. Senate debates, but that’s exactly what happened in a May 1 debate that pitted three Republican candidates for U.S. Senate in West Virginia. During the hotly contested campaign, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has regularly attacked one of his rivals, U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, for a history of deviating from conservative orthodoxy. As we’ve previously noted, Jenkins was initially registered as a Democrat, then switched to Republican, then back to Democratic when he sought a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates in ...</p> <a href="/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/02/evan-jenkins/did-evan-jenkins-correctly-cite-past-politifact-ru/">>> More</a>";s:4:"guid";s:127:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/02/evan-jenkins/did-evan-jenkins-correctly-cite-past-politifact-ru/";s:7:"pubDate";s:31:"Wed, 02 May 2018 17:46:22 -0400";}i:3;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:81:"Donald Trump - Donald Trump says wrongly the Iran nuclear deal expires in 7 years";s:4:"link";s:127:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/02/donald-trump/donald-trump-said-wrongly-iran-nuclear-deal-expire/";s:11:"description";s:936:"The Truth-o-Meter says: False  |   Donald Trump says wrongly the Iran nuclear deal expires in 7 years
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<p>President Donald Trump has until May 12 to decide whether to continue waiving sanctions against Iran under the 2015 agreement that rolled back the country’s nuclear program. At an April 30 press conference, Trump said pulling out of the deal would send the right message on American policy. "In seven years that deal will have expired, and Iran is free to go ahead and create nuclear weapons," Trump said. "That's not acceptable. Seven years is tomorrow. That's not acceptable." Trump is incorrect about the expiration date. The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, puts a cap ...</p> <a href="/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/02/donald-trump/donald-trump-said-wrongly-iran-nuclear-deal-expire/">>> More</a>";s:4:"guid";s:127:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/02/donald-trump/donald-trump-said-wrongly-iran-nuclear-deal-expire/";s:7:"pubDate";s:31:"Wed, 02 May 2018 16:47:37 -0400";}i:4;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:113:"Donald Trump - Donald Trump says US spent $7 trillion on Middle East wars. A lot of that money has not been spent";s:4:"link";s:120:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/01/donald-trump/donald-trump-and-7-trillion-dollar-cost-war/";s:11:"description";s:931:"The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True  |   Donald Trump says US spent $7 trillion on Middle East wars. A lot of that money has not been spent
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<p>At a campaign-style event in Washington, Mich., President Donald Trump upped the ante on the costs of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. When running for president in 2016, Trump said America had spent $6 trillion on its response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks. In Michigan, he added another trillion. "We have spent $7 trillion — trillion with a T — $7 trillion in the Middle East," he told the crowd April 28, 2018. "You know what we have for it? Nothing. Nothing." We found that Trump inaccurately treated money that university researchers have predicted will be spent ...</p> <a href="/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/01/donald-trump/donald-trump-and-7-trillion-dollar-cost-war/">>> More</a>";s:4:"guid";s:120:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/01/donald-trump/donald-trump-and-7-trillion-dollar-cost-war/";s:7:"pubDate";s:31:"Tue, 01 May 2018 10:19:50 -0400";}i:5;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:78:"Sue Bell Cobb - Alabama ranks lowest by state and local tax revenue per capita";s:4:"link";s:123:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/01/sue-bell-cobb/alabama-lowest-state-local-tax-revenue-capita/";s:11:"description";s:985:"The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True  |   Alabama ranks lowest by state and local tax revenue per capita
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<p>Democratic candidate Sue Bell Cobb made a bold claim about the poor state of Alabama’s budget at the governor’s debate on April 24, 2018. Cobb, former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, was responding to a moderator’s question about whether she would consider raising taxes. Cobb said she would present the Legislature "a modest but adequate increase in our fuel tax" to repair the state’s crumbling infrastructure. The reason? "Alabama is operating government on the lowest amount of tax revenue of any state in the nation, which is why we’re lagging behind our sister southern states," she said. Our fact-checker ears ...</p> <a href="/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/01/sue-bell-cobb/alabama-lowest-state-local-tax-revenue-capita/">>> More</a>";s:4:"guid";s:123:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/01/sue-bell-cobb/alabama-lowest-state-local-tax-revenue-capita/";s:7:"pubDate";s:31:"Tue, 01 May 2018 09:30:00 -0400";}i:6;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:101:"Don Blankenship - Don Blankenship claims illegal immigration costs $130 billion a year. Is that true?";s:4:"link";s:130:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/30/don-blankenship/don-blankenship-claims-illegal-immigration-costs-1/";s:11:"description";s:960:"The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False  |   Don Blankenship claims illegal immigration costs $130 billion a year. Is that true?
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<p>Seeking to represent West Virginia in the U.S. Senate, former coal mining executive Don Blankenship called for an end to illegal immigration, saying it costs billions of dollars a year. "We have to stop illegal immigration, costing us $130 billion a year to house and feed and give benefits to people that shouldn’t be even in the country," Blankenship said during an April 23 debate among Republican primary candidates. We wanted to know the facts behind Blankenship’s claim on the cost of illegal immigration. Blankenship’s statement stems from a report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform ...</p> <a href="/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/30/don-blankenship/don-blankenship-claims-illegal-immigration-costs-1/">>> More</a>";s:4:"guid";s:130:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/30/don-blankenship/don-blankenship-claims-illegal-immigration-costs-1/";s:7:"pubDate";s:31:"Mon, 30 Apr 2018 17:50:31 -0400";}i:7;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:68:"Todd Rokita - Did Luke Messer and Mike Braun raise taxes in Indiana?";s:4:"link";s:126:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/30/todd-rokita/did-luke-messer-and-mike-braun-raise-taxes-indiana/";s:11:"description";s:874:"The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True  |   Did Luke Messer and Mike Braun raise taxes in Indiana?
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<p>In Indiana’s Republican primary, no candidate for U.S. Senate wants to be accused of hiking taxes. So when U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita called out his fellow challengers, U.S. Rep. Luke Messer and Mike Braun, for raising taxes in the April 23 debate, we budgeted some time for a fact-check. "I am the only one onstage who has never voted to raise your taxes," Rokita said. "These two, each, a billion dollars worth of votes to raise your taxes." Is that the case? The answer depends on what defines a tax increase. Through one lens Rokita may have a point. Through ...</p> <a href="/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/30/todd-rokita/did-luke-messer-and-mike-braun-raise-taxes-indiana/">>> More</a>";s:4:"guid";s:126:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/30/todd-rokita/did-luke-messer-and-mike-braun-raise-taxes-indiana/";s:7:"pubDate";s:31:"Mon, 30 Apr 2018 10:58:43 -0400";}i:8;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:68:"Diamond and Silk - Were Diamond and Silk paid by the Trump campaign?";s:4:"link";s:122:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/27/diamond-and-silk/were-diamond-and-silk-paid-trump-campaign/";s:11:"description";s:940:"The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True  |   Were Diamond and Silk paid by the Trump campaign?
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<p>Pro-Donald Trump activists Diamond and Silk insisted in sworn congressional testimony that they never received payment from Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. "We have never been paid by the Trump campaign," Lynnette Hardaway repeatedly told the House Judiciary Committee during an April 26 hearing. Hardaway makes up half the social media ensemble, along with her sister Rochelle Richardson. Diamond and Silk stuck to their claim even after confronted with an FEC filing showing the campaign gave them $1,274. We decided to look closer. Travel expense reimbursement Diamond and Silk were on Capitol Hill for a hearing into allegations that social ...</p> <a href="/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/27/diamond-and-silk/were-diamond-and-silk-paid-trump-campaign/">>> More</a>";s:4:"guid";s:122:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/27/diamond-and-silk/were-diamond-and-silk-paid-trump-campaign/";s:7:"pubDate";s:31:"Fri, 27 Apr 2018 16:42:41 -0400";}i:9;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:105:"Donald Trump - Donald Trump says Iran got $150 billion and $1.8 billion in cash. That's Half True";s:4:"link";s:123:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/27/donald-trump/donald-trump-iran-150-billion-and-18-billion-c/";s:11:"description";s:945:"The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True  |   Donald Trump says Iran got $150 billion and $1.8 billion in cash. That's Half True
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<p>In a wide ranging phone call to Fox & Friends, President Donald Trump repeated his objection to the 2015 nuclear agreement that rolled back Iran’s nuclear program. "The past administration made a horrible deal giving $150 billion," Trump said April 26 on the Fox News morning show. "Giving $1.8 billion in cash — in actual cash carried out in barrels and in boxes from airplanes." Of the two numbers he gave, $150 billion and $1.8 billion, the first is dodgy and the second is slightly exaggerated. And there’s no evidence that barrels and boxes were involved. We reached out ...</p> <a href="/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/27/donald-trump/donald-trump-iran-150-billion-and-18-billion-c/">>> More</a>";s:4:"guid";s:123:"http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/apr/27/donald-trump/donald-trump-iran-150-billion-and-18-billion-c/";s:7:"pubDate";s:31:"Fri, 27 Apr 2018 10:49:15 -0400";}}s:11:"items_count";i:10;}