The History Book Club discussion
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY - GOVERNMENT
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STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESSES
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https://abc7chicago.com/politics/fact...
ECONOMY
TRUMP: "In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom - a boom that has rarely been seen before. There's been nothing like it. ... An economic miracle is taking place in the United States."
THE FACTS: The president is vastly exaggerating what has been a mild improvement in growth and hiring. The economy is healthy but not nearly one of the best in U.S. history.
The economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.8 percent last spring and summer, a solid pace. But it was just the fastest in four years. In the late 1990s, growth topped 4 percent for four straight years, a level it has not yet reached under Trump. And growth even reached 7.2 percent in 1984.
Almost all independent economists expect slower growth this year as the effect of the Trump administration's tax cuts fade, trade tensions and slower global growth hold back exports, and higher interest rates make it more expensive to borrow to buy cars and homes.
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https://abc7chicago.com/politics/fact...
TAX CUTS
TRUMP: "We passed a massive tax cut for working families and doubled the child tax credit."
THE FACTS: The president said that his tax plan provides tax cuts to working families and while that's true in the short term, multiple analyses found wealthier Americans and corporations will receive the largest benefit over the long term.
The GOP tax plan reduces taxes on average for all income groups initially, including middle-class Americans.
The average household will see a tax cut of $1,610 in 2019 according to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank. Overall, most Americans -- eight in 10, according to the center -- will pay lower taxes this year.
But multiple independent analyses concluded that wealthier Americans and corporations will receive the largest benefit over the long term. "In general, higher-income households receive larger average tax cuts as a percentage of after-tax income," the center found. "On average, in 2027 taxes would change little for lower- and middle-income groups and decrease for higher-income groups." Most of the individual income tax provisions will expire after 2025, unless Congress acts. The corporate tax rate cuts are permanent.
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https://abc7chicago.com/politics/fact...
WOMEN IN WORKFORCE
TRUMP, in prepared excerpts: "All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before."
THE FACTS: Of course, there are more women working than ever before. But that's due to population growth - and not something that Trump can credit to any his policies.
The big question is whether a greater percentage of women is working or searching for a job than at any point in history. And on this count, women have enjoyed better times.
Women's labor force participation rate right now is 57.5 percent, according to the Labor Department. The rate has ticked up recently, but it was higher in 2012 and peaked in 2000 at roughly 60 percent.
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https://abc7chicago.com/politics/fact...
ENERGY
TRUMP, in prepared excerpts: "We have unleashed a revolution in American energy - the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world."
THE FACTS: True, if "we" means Trump and his recent predecessors. It's not all to Trump's credit. The government says the U.S. became the world's top natural gas producer in 2013, under Barack Obama's administration.
The U.S. now leads the world in oil production, too, under Trump. That's largely because of a boom in production from shale oil, which also began under Obama.
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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...
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Assaults on female migrants
CLAIM: One in three women migrants is sexually assaulted on the journey north.
FACTS: This is challenging to judge, and there may not be enough data to fully represent the facts. "The percentage of women who have been sexually abused or assaulted is all over the place, since there is no single representative sample of all the women who cross Mexico to reach the United States," Nestor P. Rodriguez, a sociology professor and a research associate of the Population Research Center at the University of Texas, told PolitiFact in January about this particular claim.
There is a report, however, that gives a "snapshot in time" of a select population of people, and it does appear to reflect what the president is likely talking about. A 2017 Doctors Without Borders report found "nearly one third" of women had been sexually abused during their journeys, and that was based on a review of the 2015 medical data of of more than 400 migrants in facilities where migrants seek assistance. Doctors Without Borders did not use the term sexual assault, but sexual abuse, to describe various types of violence against women and men.
The report is careful to point out in its methodology that its data demonstrates the "harrowing realities faced by many people on the route north," but "these interviews are not necessarily representative" of the entire migrant population traveling through Mexico.
- Katiana Krawchenko
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NATO
CLAIM: We are also getting other nations to pay their fair share. For years, the United States was being treated very unfairly by NATO -- but now we have secured a $100 billion dollar increase in defense spending from NATO allies.
FACTS: This is accurate. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said President Trump's tough talk has ultimately strengthened the 70-year-old alliance by leading member nations to contribute tens of billions of additional dollars to ensure their own security.
In all, Stoltenberg continued, "by the end of next year, NATO allies will add hundred - 100 billion extra U.S. dollars toward defense. So we see some real money and some real results. And we see that the clear message from President Donald Trump is having an impact."
- Kate Rydell
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China tariffs
CLAIM: We recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion dollars of Chinese goods -- and now our Treasury is receiving billions of dollars.
FACTS: This is somewhat misleading. Treasury is taking in billions, but China isn't paying the tariffs: the duties are paid by importers that either swallow the cost or pass it along to consumers. In other words, it's often U.S. consumers who have been footing the bill for tariffs.
-- Irina Ivanova/Carrie Rabin
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Arrests by ICE
CLAIM: In the last two years, our brave ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of criminal aliens, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 killings.
FACTS: Mostly true -- the sex crimes figure stated is a few thousand higher than what ICE records show. During the Trump administration, ICE has made 274,231 criminal arrests, according to ICE's year-end statistics. Over the course of fiscal years 2017 and 2018, ICE has arrested 99,207 individuals charged with assault, 24,020 charged with sex crimes, and 3,914 homicide charges.
- Ellee Watson
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Jobs
CLAIM: In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom -- a boom that has rarely been seen before. We have created 5.3 million new jobs and importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs --something which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact is, we are just getting started.
FACTS: Partially true. On jobs -- in 2017 and 2018, the U.S. economy added 4.8 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counting the months after the election, but before Mr. Trump took office, the figures do add up to 5.3 million. Because jobs figures are very late to respond to economic data, most economists don't give a particular administration credit for job creation until a month or two into the term.
MANUFACTURING JOBS: A little short of true. Between January 2017 when Mr. Trump took office and January 2019, at least according to preliminary numbers for January 2019, the number of manufacturing jobs increased by 454,000. That is slightly lower than the president's figure. It is accurate that under President Obama's administration, the number of manufacturing jobs decreased by roughly 200,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Irina Ivanova and Katiana Krawchenko
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https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/201...
Drug prices
CLAIM: Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place.
FACTS: This is true. According to the National Institutes of Health, per capita prescription drug spending in the U.S. does exceed that of all other countries. This is largely driven by brand-name drug price increases that far surpass the consumer price index. Per capita spending in 2013 was $858 in the U.S., compared with an average of $400 for 19 other industrialized countries. And according to U.S. Health and Human Services, prices charged by drug manufacturers to wholesalers for Medicare Part B drugs are 1.8 times higher in the U.S. than in other countries for the top drugs.
- Elizabeth Campbell
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https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/201...
Women in the workforce
CLAIM: America has more women in the workforce than ever before.
FACTS: True, but more context is needed. The number of women working was 73.6 million as of January -- higher than ever before. But the portion of women who are employed is lower than it was in the two previous economic expansions.
Today, 55.2 percent of women have a job. In September 2007, that figure was 56.8 percent. And in April 2000, 58 percent of women were employed, which is still the record high, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
-- Irina Ivanova
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https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/201...
Wage increases
CLAIM: Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades, and growing for blue collar workers, who I promised to fight for, faster than anyone else.
FACTS: This is mostly true. Through January, average hourly wages grew 3.2 percent from a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They rose an even stronger 3.4 percent for non-managers, who represent the large majority of the U.S. workforce. That represents the fastest rate of wage growth in nearly a decade (not "in decades"), and is a sign that the economic expansion is finally reaching lower-paid and lower-skilled workers. But it's far lower than the pay growth seen in prior economic recoveries. At the peak of the previous two economic expansions, in 2000 and 2007, average workers' wages grew between 4 and 4.5 percent annually.
-- Irina Ivanova/Carrie Rabin
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https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/201...
Energy production
CLAIM: The United States is now the #1 producer of oil and natural gas in the world.
FACTS: This is accurate. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Short-Term Energy Outlook from September, the United States became the number one crude oil producer in the world last year. U.S. crude oil production exceeded that of Saudi Arabia for the first time in more than two decades in February 2018, and surpassed Russia in June and August 2018 for the first time since February 1999.
The U.S. surpassed Saudi Arabia to become the top petroleum producer in 2013, and has continued to hold to that trend.
The United States has been the number one producer of natural gas since 2009, when it surpassed Russia to claim the top rank.
-- Sara Cook
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Fact Checking the 2019 State of the Union Address
President Trump appeared in front of a joint session of Congress for the annual address. Here’s how his remarks stacked up against the facts.
By Michael Tackett and Eileen Sullivan
Feb. 5, 2019
President Trump leaned hard on the strength of the American economy during his second State of the Union address on Tuesday, but with a blend of precise statistics and gauzy superlatives that are much more difficult to measure.
He also returned to a theme that dominated the second year of his presidency — a quest for a border wall with Mexico to cope with what he said is a crisis of crime and drugs in the United States caused by illegal immigration.
The two issues dominated his address, which in tone was more measured than his biting Twitter feed, but in substance contained numerous claims that were false or misleading.
Here’s what Mr. Trump has said so far and how it stacks up against the facts.
Mr. Trump said that American troops have been “fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years.”
This is false.
American troops deployed to Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001, to begin Operation Enduring Freedom — the American military and NATO mission to rid Afghanistan of Al Qaeda. But Afghanistan is not technically considered part of the Middle East — it is in southwest Asia. The United States invaded Iraq, which is in the Middle East, in March 2003 — nearly 16 years ago.
Mr. Trump said that the United States and allies have liberated virtually all of the territory held by the Islamic State.
This is true.
The Defense Department reports that the Islamic State now controls only around 20 square miles of territory in Syria, down from 34,000 in 2014. But many of the gains against the militant Sunni extremist caliphate began under President Barack Obama, with the Trump administration continuing Obama administration policy. And the top American military commander in the Middle East told a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the Islamic State could return if the United States and its allies abandon the fight. In December, Mr. Trump said announced he was withdrawing American troops from Syria.
Mr. Trump said that the United States has spent more than $7 trillion in the Middle East.
This is exaggerated.
This is an updated version of Mr. Trump’s assertions during the campaign in 2016 that the wars in the Middle East have cost $6 trillion. But then as now, he is citing the high-end estimate of credible analyses of spending associated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is confusing money that has been spent with money that researchers say will be spent. A 2016 Brown University study put the cost of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan between 2001 and 2016 at $3.6 trillion. Adding in money for war spending through 2017, the total reached $4.79 trillion. But the figure also included future obligations for veterans medical and disability costs through 2053.
Mr. Trump said he has a good relationship with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.
This is misleading.
Mr. Trump frequently says that thanks to his efforts, the United States has “a very good relationship” with North Korea. He also frequently mentions the flowery letters he has received from Mr. Kim. The two do seem to have forged a personal relationship that no other American president has sought. But the United States remains technically at war with North Korea, and intelligence leaders have concluded that Mr. Kim has no desire to give up the country’s nuclear weapons.
Mr. Trump claimed El Paso turned from one of the most dangerous to “one of our safest cities” after a border barrier was built.
This is false.
El Paso was never one of the most dangerous cities in the United States, and crime has been declining in cities across the country — not just El Paso — for reasons that have nothing to do with border fencing. In 2008, before border barriers had been completed in El Paso, the city had the second-lowest violent crime rate among more than 20 similarly sized cities. In 2010, after the fencing went up, it held that place.
Mr. Trump said the “socialist policies” of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela have ruined his nation.
This is misleading.
This has become a popular talking point among American conservatives. It is true that the rule of Mr. Maduro has brought Venezuela to economic ruin. Inflation is at astronomical rates, and ordinary people are struggling to get basic food and health supplies. Three million citizens have fled. Some of the collapse can be traced back to Mr. Maduro’s economic policies, which do fall under the broad label of “socialism.” But analysts say that corruption, the lack of rule of law and the absence of democracy — all the hallmarks of a dictatorship — have played just as big or larger roles. There are many nations in South America, Europe and other parts of the world that have adopted their versions of socialist economic policies and had positive outcomes.
Mr. Trump said he thought the United States would be in a “major war with North Korea” if he had not been elected president.
There is no evidence.
In 2016, at the end of the Obama administration, there was no sign that the United States and North Korea were about to go to war, though Pyongyang had been conducting nuclear tests and President Barack Obama had continued economic sanctions. In Mr. Trump’s first year in office, he increased tensions with North Korea by attacking its leader, Kim Jong-un, in a series of Twitter posts, which prompted hostile statements from Pyongyang. Mr. Trump wrote that North Korea’s actions would be met with “fire and fury” and called Mr. Kim “Little Rocket Man.” Analysts said at the time that the chances of war between the two nations had grown because of these exchanges.
Mr. Trump said North Korea had released all its American hostages or prisoners.
This is true.
In May, North Korea released three imprisoned Korean-American men in what was seen as a gesture of good will ahead of a historic presidential summit meeting. After Mr. Trump met with Mr. Kim, in Singapore, North Korean security officers detained an American man who was caught trying to sneak into the country, but officials quickly released him.
Mr. Trump said that lawmakers in New York cheered the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth.
This is misleading.
On Jan. 22, the 46th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat of New York, signed the Reproductive Health Act, which ensures a woman’s right to an abortion in New York if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned. It does not broadly allow abortions until shortly before birth, as Mr. Trump suggested. Instead, it will allow for an abortion after 24 weeks to protect the mother’s health or if the fetus is not viable. Under the prior law, abortions were allowed after 24 weeks only if the woman’s life was in jeopardy.
Mr. Trump said the United States was withdrawing from the I.N.F. treaty because Russia had repeatedly violated the terms of the pact.
This is true.
Intelligence officials have long said Russia was violating the Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty by developing nuclear-capable missiles within the range banned by the pact. NATO allies have backed Washington’s assessment and repeatedly said Russia is in violation. Mr. Trump says the treaty is flawed because it does not include China. Many experts agree with him on that point — even those who lament the expected end of the arms control pact.
Mr. Trump said he had secured a $100 billion increase in NATO defense spending, after years of unfair treatment by NATO.
This is true.
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, said last month that by 2020, allies will have increased their defense spending by $100 billion. European defense spending was on its way up before Mr. Trump took office, motivated in part by Russian aggression in Ukraine. But Mr. Trump’s pressure on allies has helped further drive up spending. Whether America was previously treated unfairly by NATO before is debatable. The Obama administration also complained about defense spending by European powers.
Mr. Trump said that scientific breakthroughs had made it possible to “eliminate the H.I.V. epidemic in the United States within 10 years.”
This is true.
Many scientists agree that this goal is achievable, with medicines that greatly reduce the chances that people will transmit the virus or become infected. The Trump administration says it will seek additional funds in the president’s budget, but it is not clear whether they will be enough.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/us...
The economy
Trump said: “The U.S. economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world.”
This is false.
The American economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2018.
Growth in Latvia and Poland was almost twice as fast.
Same for China and India.
Even the troubled Greek economy posted stronger growth. And a wide range of economic analysts estimate that the growth of the American economy slowed in the fourth quarter, and slowed even further in the first month of 2019.
Trump said: “We recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods — and now our Treasury is receiving billions and billions of dollars.”
This is true.
Since Mr. Trump imposed tariffs on certain imports from China — and imported steel and aluminum from around the world — federal tariff revenues have increased.
Revenues from customs duties, which include tariffs, rose by $13 billion in the third quarter of 2018 compared with a year earlier, the Commerce Department reported.
Technically, that money is paid by Americans who bring the goods across the border, and it is often passed on to American consumers in the form of higher prices.
Trump said: “My administration has cut more regulations in a short period of time than any other administration during its entire tenure.”
This is false.
The Trump administration has slowed the pace of adopting new rules, and it has moved to roll back some existing or proposed federal regulations, particularly in the area of environmental protection. The White House claimed that as of October, a total of $33 billion worth of future regulator costs had been eliminated. But experts say the scale of the rollbacks in the Trump era still does not exceed extensive cuts in federal rules during the Carter and Reagan administrations, when rules governing airline, truck and rail transportation were wiped off the books, among other changes.
Trump said: “We have created 5.3 million new jobs and importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs — something which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact is, we are just getting started.”
This is false.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that since January 2017, when Mr. Trump took office, the economy has added 4.9 million jobs, including 454,000 jobs manufacturing jobs. Far from being “impossible,” that is closely comparable to the pace of job creation during some two-year periods during the Obama administration, and significantly slower than the pace of job creation in manufacturing in the 1990s.
Trump said: Wages were “growing for blue-collar workers, who I promised to fight for. They are growing faster than anyone thought possible.”
This is true.
Wages are rising faster for construction and manufacturing workers than workers in service occupations, according to the Labor Department.
Trump said: “More people are working now than at any time in our history.”
This is misleading.
While the total number of people working in the United States is higher than ever, it is not because of the president’s policies. It is because more people than ever live in the United States.
Immigration
Trump said: “The border city of El Paso, Tex., used to have extremely high rates of violent crime — one of the highest in the entire country, and considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities. Now, immediately upon its building, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country.”
This is false.
El Paso was never one of the most dangerous cities in the United States, and crime has been declining in cities across the country — not just El Paso — for reasons that have nothing to do with border fencing.
In 2008, before border barriers had been completed in El Paso, the city had the second-lowest violent crime rate among more than 20 similarly sized cities. In 2010, after the fencing went up, it held that place.
Trump said: “San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in our country. In response, a strong security wall was put in place. This powerful barrier almost completely ended illegal crossings.”
This is misleading.
Border apprehensions decreased by 91 percent in the San Diego sector between the 1994 fiscal year, right after the original border fencing was completed, to the 2018 fiscal year. But, according to the Congressional Research Service, that fence alone “did not have a discernible impact” on the number of immigrants crossing the border into the United States illegally.
Trump said: “As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States.”
This is exaggerated.
At the end of January, a new caravan of thousands of migrants from Central America was headed north, and some of the travelers said they intended to try to cross into the United States.
But many in the caravan have said they plan to remain in Mexico, thanks in part to policies put in place by the new Mexican government.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has made it easier for Central Americans to get visas and work in Mexico.
President Trump’s warnings of an imminent invasion from new caravans is overstated.
Trump said: “I hope you can pass the U.S.M.C.A. into law, so we can bring back our manufacturing jobs in even greater numbers, expanding American agriculture, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring that more cars are proudly stamped with the four beautiful words: Made in the U.S.A.”
This is exaggerated.
The revised trade deal with Canada and Mexico, known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, does include provisions that are intended to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States — like minimum wage provisions for some auto manufacturing.
But some economists have said those provisions could ultimately push more manufacturing — and jobs — outside North America.
The deal does allow American farmers to sell more dairy products to Canada.
But the trade pact has yet to be approved by Congress, and both Democrats and Republicans say that is unlikely to happen without significant changes.
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https://www.vox.com/2019/2/5/18212533...
Source: Vox
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4...
Source: The Hill
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https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics...
Transcript:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics...
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However there were a few low points - the segments mired with self pity and remarks about investigations were quite self serving as well as the fear mongering about upcoming caravans which drew groans even from Republicans.
Of course as Trump faulted previous administrations one should realize that many, if not most, of the politicians in the chamber had been there through multiple administrations. Trump’s statements, even if true,much of the time had little to do with proposed actions forward.
And the economy is lifted on the short term deficit spending under our new tax structure.
There were enough inconsistencies and untruths, for me, to discredit the speaker - I think we all have invest time learning from honest impartial sources, thinking & then acting smartly.
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Yes, many of the statements were slanted and misleading which had half truths in them and were stated for a single purpose - for his base but like I said it could have been a lot worse and in fact some of the segments were good.
The speaker has discredited himself as far as truth goes before he walked to the podium (smile) but for our purposes we were examining the words and the delivery. Also the New York Times fact checkers did a good job.
Honesty and truth are not his strong suits for sure. And he certainly was also trying to get his digs in and also at the same time talk about his wall. There were also some dangerous arguments that he made and we do have separation of church from state for a reason and some of those lines were blurred in his speech too.
But overall the speech itself could have been worse. And the speech seemed inordinately long and drawn out - that could have been the delivery. Trump has the habit when he is using the teleprompter to sound like he is talking in a sing song voice. He caught his stride mid way through but the ending was a little too rhapsodic for me. He does not have very good speech writers but this speech like I said had its moments and then it became the same old - same old - and it could have been much more divisive than it actually was.
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Foreign policy
Foreign Policy - Trump said: "When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Just two years ago. Today, we have liberated virtually all of the territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty monsters.”
This is true.
The Defense Department reports that the Islamic State now controls only around 20 square miles of territory in Syria, down from 34,000 in 2014.
But many of the gains against the Sunni extremist caliphate began under President Barack Obama, with the Trump administration continuing Obama administration policy.
And the top American military commander in the Middle East told a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the Islamic State could return if the United States and its allies abandoned the fight.
In December, Mr. Trump announced he was withdrawing American troops from Syria.
Trump said: “We condemn the brutality of the Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and despair.”
This is misleading.
This has become a popular talking point among American conservatives.
It is true that the rule of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela has brought that country to economic ruin.
Inflation is at astronomical rates, and ordinary people are struggling to get basic food and health supplies.
Three million citizens have fled. Some of the collapse can be traced to Mr. Maduro’s economic policies, which do fall under the broad label of socialism.
But analysts say that corruption, the lack of rule of law and the absence of democracy — all the hallmarks of a dictatorship — have played just as big or larger roles.
Trump said: “If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea."
There is no evidence.
In 2016, at the end of the Obama administration, there was no sign that the United States and North Korea were about to go to war, though Pyongyang had been conducting nuclear tests and Mr. Obama had continued economic sanctions.
In Mr. Trump’s first year in office, he increased tensions with North Korea by attacking its leader, Kim Jong-un, in a series of Twitter posts, which prompted hostile statements from Pyongyang.
Mr. Trump wrote that North Korea’s actions would be met with “fire and fury” and called Mr. Kim “Little Rocket Man.”
Analysts said at the time that the chances of war between the two nations had grown because of these exchanges.
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Reporting was contributed by Eileen Sullivan, Michael Tackett, Linda Qiu, Edward Wong, Eric Lipton, Eric Schmitt, Adam Liptak, Binyamin Appelbaum, Caitlin Dickerson, Charlie Savage, Coral Davenport, Glenn Thrush, Helene Cooper, Jim Tankersley, Julian E. Barnes, Katie Benner, Matt Phillips, Robert Pear and Thomas Gibbons-Neff.
If you are curious about the accuracy of a claim? Anyone can email [email protected]
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Abortion
Trump said: “Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments from birth.”
This is misleading.
On Jan. 22, the 46th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision Roe v. Wade, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Democrat of New York, signed the Reproductive Health Act.
The new law ensures a woman’s right to an abortion in New York if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned.
It does not broadly allow abortions until shortly before birth, as Mr. Trump suggested.
Instead, it will allow for an abortion after 24 weeks to protect the mother’s health or if the fetus is not viable.
Under the prior law, abortions were allowed after 24 weeks only if the woman’s life was in jeopardy.
Trump said: “We had the case of the governor of Virginia where he stated he would execute a baby after birth.”
This is false.
In an interview last month, Gov. Ralph Northam said that he supported a late-term abortion bill that would loosen restrictions on the procedure, and allow women to consult with a doctor on an abortion up to, but not including, the time of birth.
The governor, a pediatric neurologist, also talked about some of the dangerous medical emergencies that pregnant women could face, such as carrying a nonviable fetus.
He said that in such a case, the mother would deliver the infant and then, “the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
While Mr. Northam was talking about an end-of-life care discussion in the case of a child that would not live, Republicans seized on his remarks as evidence that Mr. Northam supported killing babies after their birth.
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Stacey Abrams
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2...
Source: CNN
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NowThis Politics
Bernie Sanders response:
https://www.facebook.com/NowThisPolit...
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By Juliana Silva and Bill McGowan - CNN
Editor's Note:Juliana Silva is a strategic communications adviser at Clarity Media Group, a global communications coaching firm based in New York. Bill McGowan is the founder and CEO of Clarity Media Group. He is also the author of "Pitch Perfect: How to Say It Right the First Time, Every Time.". The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
Members: Note that I pointed out in my commentary immediately that his red tie was skewed, that he looked ill at ease, and the someone should have told him about his tie. And that the speech had some very good moments although it had some major valleys as well as those peaks. He also appeared very stiff in front of the teleprompter but I thought his delivery got better midway.
(CNN) — Donald Trump strode into the House chamber Tuesday night off balance in every way. His dangling red tie was not centered, his left hand fell limp at his side while the right actively pressed the flesh of adoring GOP lawmakers. Even his attempt at a smile looked crooked and pained.
Remainder of article:
https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/02/06/opin...
Source: CNN
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https://www.cnn.com/videos/media/2019...
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...
Sources: CNN, Huffington Post
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I was right!
However, as it is right now, POTUS seems to have certainly bested himself with what is now the third longest SOTU ever.
Trump's 2018 speech was the second longest one in history and Bill Clinton's 2000 SOTU was the longest one in history.
One disenchanted Republican called the Donald Trump SOTU - the Doctor Jekyll - Mr. Hyde speech. He talked a good ballgame in the SOTU speech about everything wonderful under the sun and bipartisanship and bringing people together yet the same day before his speech and every day since he became President - he has been vitriolic, mean and name calling everybody under the sun and has done more to divide America than anybody else. In other words - one speech does not a President make.
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Ana Navarro: Dr. Jekyll, meet Mr. Hyde
President Donald Trump's speech tonight was like watching Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde give the State of the Union.
If you had been in a coma for the last three years, and suddenly awoke in time to hear just the opening minutes and closing minutes, you would think Trump was a unifying, bipartisan, gracious leader.
But alas, we have seen, heard, and read the tweets of the unscripted Trump.
Just a few hours before this speech, he hosted a lunch with TV anchors where he, according to a New York Times report, attacked Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren and John McCain -- a national hero who has been dead for over five months.
Then there was the part during the speech where he railed against illegal immigration, which he said results in lower wages for the American working class. Has he no shame?
Just in recent weeks, the Trump Organization had to fire many undocumented employees who've worked in at least five of his properties for years. Some of those workers were sitting in the audience.
Remainder of article:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/06/opinio...
Source: CNN
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/fact...
PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES
TRUMP: "Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place."
THE FACTS: This is true. A government study has found that Medicare pays more for some drugs than other wealthy nations.
Last fall, the government released a study that found Medicare - the federally run health care program for seniors - paid more than other industrialized countries for physician-administered drugs. While the precise amount varied by product, the study found that prices charged by those manufacturers are 1.8 times higher in the U.S. than in other countries.
Trump has proposed that Medicare only agree to pay costs based on cheaper prices paid by other nations. It's one of several proposals he's made in recent months in a bid to drive down costs, although that proposal wouldn't take place for another year or so.
The drug industry had criticized the approach, contending that the money paid goes toward ground breaking research that benefits Americans first. According to one industry group, Americans have access to cancer medicines on average two years earlier than in countries like the United Kingdom, Germany and France. Industry executives also say it's not fair to compare what the U.S. pays for drugs compared to people in countries with socialized health care systems.