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Get the Facts: Analyzing Kamala Harris' acceptance speech at the DNC

Get the Facts: Analyzing Kamala Harris' acceptance speech at the DNC
2025 was *** major talking point. The conservative handbook is billed as *** blueprint for the next Republican president regarding abortion and fertility. Harris said this about project 2025 as *** part of his agenda. He and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication, abortion and enact *** nationwide abortion ban. This one needs more context. First project 2025 does not call for an outright national abortion ban but it does push *** plan to largely limit access to abortions and medications on contraception project. 2025 suggests actions to impact the cost of emergency contraception. In some cases, it would let employers deny covering contraception and the group wants to end any taxpayer money going to Planned Parenthood. Going back to when Donald Trump, that claim is mostly false on the campaign trail. Trump has vowed not to make cuts from either program. One as president, he did propose cutting back some parts of social security but not others.
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Get the Facts: Analyzing Kamala Harris' acceptance speech at the DNC
Kamala Harris spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday to formally accept the party's nomination for president. We fact checked her claims. Here's what we found.Claim: "Consider the power he will have, especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails, and how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security, but to serve the only client he has ever had himself."Get the Facts: The statement suggests that Donald Trump would have unchecked power if re-elected, particularly emphasizing that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that he would be "immune from criminal prosecution." This interpretation requires a careful fact-check against the actual Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. United States (July 1, 2024).In regard to immunity from criminal prosecution, the court actually ruled that Trump, as former President, has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions that fall within his "conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority," which are core constitutional powers exclusive to the Presidency. The court also stated, though, that Trump would have presumptive immunity for other, less defined, official acts, which could be challenged in court if the government can show that prosecuting these acts does not interfere with the functioning of the Executive Branch.Finally, the court ruled that there is no immunity for unofficial acts, or acts outside the scope of presidential duties. Any crime committed through these acts could be prosecuted.Harris claims the Supreme Court has removed all constraints on Trump's actions if he were re-elected, but if that were true, all guard rails would also be removed if Harris were elected. The reality is that the ruling does not provide any president with absolutely immunity for all actions. Rating: MisleadingClaim: We are not going back to when Donald Trump tried to cut Social Security and Medicare.Get the Facts: Harris and Democrats all week have claimed Trump wants to cut Social Security and Medicare. We rate that as mostly false. On the campaign trail, Trump has vowed to "not cut one penny" from Social Security and Medicare. As president, he did propose cutting back some parts of Social Security, but not others. While he supported bipartisan efforts to reduce Medicare growth, those benefits would have been untouched. Rating: MisleadingClaim: "Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes when he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers."Fact-Check: This statement refers to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Donald Trump did make claims of widespread voter fraud and attempted various legal challenges to overturn the election results, none of which succeeded. On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump held a rally where he encouraged his supporters to "peacefully and patriotically" make their voices heard but also used language like "fight like hell." The crowd subsequently marched to the Capitol, where some individuals violently attacked law enforcement officers and breached the Capitol building.While Trump did not directly send the mob, his rhetoric and actions have been widely criticized as contributing to the violence that occurred. Multiple investigations, including by the House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack, have scrutinized Trump's role in the events.Rating: Needs ContextClaim: "For an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans, and separately found liable for committing sexual abuse."Get the Facts: Donald Trump has faced several legal challenges post-presidency. In May 2023, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. This was a civil case, not a criminal one, so Trump was not found "guilty" in the criminal sense, but he was held liable by a jury.Our Fact Check partners at factcheck.org offer this as part of a Q&A on Trump's conviction for 34 counts of fraud: Donald Trump became the first U.S. president, current or former, to be convicted of a criminal offense when a 12-person jury in New York on May 30 found him guilty on 34 felony counts of business fraud as part of an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 election by making payments to suppress a sordid tale of sex with a porn star.Click here to read the entire Q&ARating: TrueClaim: "Consider his explicit intent to set free violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol."Get the Facts: Donald Trump has suggested that he might pardon individuals convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol if he were to be re-elected. This includes people who have been convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers. Trump has stated that he believes these individuals were treated unfairly, which has led to concerns that he might issue pardons for those involved in the January 6th insurrection.Rating: TrueClaim: "His explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents and anyone he sees as the enemy."Get the Facts: This claim is based on statements Trump has made about pursuing investigations or legal actions against political opponents and media figures. For example, during his presidency and afterward, Trump has often expressed hostility toward journalists and political opponents, sometimes suggesting that they should be investigated or prosecuted. However, while Trump has made concerning statements about using the legal system against his adversaries, there has not been explicit, detailed policy proposals to jail journalists and political opponents.Rating: MisleadingClaim: "His explicit intent to deploy our active duty military against our own citizens."Get the Facts: This likely refers to Trump's consideration of invoking the Insurrection Act during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 to deploy the military in U.S. cities. While Trump did not ultimately invoke the Insurrection Act, his administration did use federal forces, including from the National Guard and other federal agencies, in response to the protests.Rating: Needs ContextClaim: "Donald Trump handpicked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom, and now he brags about it in his words. 'I did it, and I'm proud to have done it.'"Get the Facts: This statement refers to the fact that Donald Trump appointed three conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—who were part of the majority in the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. Trump has publicly stated that he was proud of his role in reshaping the Supreme Court and has taken credit for the Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. He has said things like, "God made the decision" and "It was my appointments that made the difference," which aligns with the claim that he is proud of this outcome. Thus, this quote is true in the context of his public statements.Rating: TrueClaim: "Stories of women miscarrying in a parking lot, developing sepsis, losing the ability to ever again have children, all because doctors are afraid they may go to jail for caring for their patients."Get the Facts: This statement reflects concerns that have arisen in states with strict abortion laws post-Dobbs. There have been reports of doctors hesitating to provide care for miscarriages or other pregnancy complications due to fear of legal repercussions, potentially leading to worse outcomes for patients. For example, the case of a woman in Texas who was denied care for a miscarriage until she developed sepsis has been widely reported. The specifics can vary by state, but there is documented evidence of such cases occurring, especially in states with "trigger laws" that went into effect after Dobbs.Rating: TrueClaim: "Couples just trying to grow their family cut off in the middle of IVF treatments."Get the Facts: While there have been concerns about the impact of strict abortion laws on IVF (in vitro fertilization), particularly in states where personhood laws could define embryos as legal persons, direct cases of couples being "cut off" from IVF treatments due to recent laws are less documented. However, the potential for such an impact exists and has been a significant topic of concern among reproductive health advocates and legal experts. This statement could be seen as misleading if taken as a widespread occurrence, but it reflects real fears and potential legal implications.Rating: MisleadingClaim: "As part of his agenda, he and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban, with or without Congress."Get the Facts: Donald Trump has expressed support for restrictions on abortion, and some Republican lawmakers and conservative groups have proposed limiting access to medication abortion and enacting a nationwide abortion ban. However, the extent of Trump’s specific policy proposals on birth control is less clear, though some of his allies have supported measures that could limit access. The mention of a nationwide abortion ban and medication abortion restrictions aligns with policy goals of some Republican leaders. Trump himself has said he wants to leave it up to individual state ballot measures, though has noted that some of those ballot measures have not gone the way Republicans hoped.Rating: Partially TrueClaim: "He plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report on women's miscarriages and abortions."Get the Facts: This likely refers to Project 2025, which Donald Trump has disavowed and distanced himself from. There is not a specific "national anti-abortion coordinator" in the Project 2025 documents, but it does call for "an unapologetically pro-life politically appointed Senior Coordinator of the Office of Women, Children, and Families." It does also call for the CDC to have detailed data on miscarriages and abortions. Though many have connected the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 to Trump, again, he has said he does not know much about it, nor does he support it.Rating: Needs Context

Kamala Harris spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday to formally accept the party's nomination for president. We fact checked her claims. Here's what we found.

Claim: "Consider the power he will have, especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails, and how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security, but to serve the only client he has ever had himself."

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Get the Facts: The statement suggests that Donald Trump would have unchecked power if re-elected, particularly emphasizing that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that he would be "immune from criminal prosecution." This interpretation requires a careful fact-check against the actual Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. United States (July 1, 2024).

In regard to immunity from criminal prosecution, the court actually ruled that Trump, as former President, has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions that fall within his "conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority," which are core constitutional powers exclusive to the Presidency.

The court also stated, though, that Trump would have presumptive immunity for other, less defined, official acts, which could be challenged in court if the government can show that prosecuting these acts does not interfere with the functioning of the Executive Branch.

Finally, the court ruled that there is no immunity for unofficial acts, or acts outside the scope of presidential duties. Any crime committed through these acts could be prosecuted.

Harris claims the Supreme Court has removed all constraints on Trump's actions if he were re-elected, but if that were true, all guard rails would also be removed if Harris were elected. The reality is that the ruling does not provide any president with absolutely immunity for all actions.

Rating: Misleading

misleading infographic
Hearst Owned


Claim: We are not going back to when Donald Trump tried to cut Social Security and Medicare.

Get the Facts: Harris and Democrats all week have claimed Trump wants to cut Social Security and Medicare. We rate that as mostly false. On the campaign trail, Trump has vowed to "not cut one penny" from Social Security and Medicare. As president, he did propose cutting back some parts of Social Security, but not others.

While he supported bipartisan efforts to reduce Medicare growth, those benefits would have been untouched.

Rating: Misleading

misleading infographic
Hearst Owned

Claim: "Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes when he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers."

Fact-Check: This statement refers to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Donald Trump did make claims of widespread voter fraud and attempted various legal challenges to overturn the election results, none of which succeeded.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump held a rally where he encouraged his supporters to "peacefully and patriotically" make their voices heard but also used language like "fight like hell." The crowd subsequently marched to the Capitol, where some individuals violently attacked law enforcement officers and breached the Capitol building.

While Trump did not directly send the mob, his rhetoric and actions have been widely criticized as contributing to the violence that occurred. Multiple investigations, including by the House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack, have scrutinized Trump's role in the events.

Rating: Needs Context

needs context infographic
Hearst Owned

Claim: "For an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans, and separately found liable for committing sexual abuse."

Get the Facts: Donald Trump has faced several legal challenges post-presidency. In May 2023, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. This was a civil case, not a criminal one, so Trump was not found "guilty" in the criminal sense, but he was held liable by a jury.

Our Fact Check partners at factcheck.org offer this as part of a Q&A on Trump's conviction for 34 counts of fraud: Donald Trump became the first U.S. president, current or former, to be convicted of a criminal offense when a 12-person jury in New York on May 30 found him guilty on 34 felony counts of business fraud as part of an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 election by making payments to suppress a sordid tale of sex with a porn star.

Click here to read the entire Q&A

Rating: True

true infographic
Hearst Owned

Claim: "Consider his explicit intent to set free violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol."

Get the Facts: Donald Trump has suggested that he might pardon individuals convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol if he were to be re-elected. This includes people who have been convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers. Trump has stated that he believes these individuals were treated unfairly, which has led to concerns that he might issue pardons for those involved in the January 6th insurrection.

Rating: True

true infographic
Hearst Owned

Claim: "His explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents and anyone he sees as the enemy."

Get the Facts: This claim is based on statements Trump has made about pursuing investigations or legal actions against political opponents and media figures. For example, during his presidency and afterward, Trump has often expressed hostility toward journalists and political opponents, sometimes suggesting that they should be investigated or prosecuted. However, while Trump has made concerning statements about using the legal system against his adversaries, there has not been explicit, detailed policy proposals to jail journalists and political opponents.

Rating: Misleading

misleading infographic
Hearst Owned

Claim: "His explicit intent to deploy our active duty military against our own citizens."

Get the Facts: This likely refers to Trump's consideration of invoking the Insurrection Act during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 to deploy the military in U.S. cities. While Trump did not ultimately invoke the Insurrection Act, his administration did use federal forces, including from the National Guard and other federal agencies, in response to the protests.

Rating: Needs Context

needs context infographic
Hearst Owned

Claim: "Donald Trump handpicked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom, and now he brags about it in his words. 'I did it, and I'm proud to have done it.'"

Get the Facts: This statement refers to the fact that Donald Trump appointed three conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—who were part of the majority in the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. Trump has publicly stated that he was proud of his role in reshaping the Supreme Court and has taken credit for the Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. He has said things like, "God made the decision" and "It was my appointments that made the difference," which aligns with the claim that he is proud of this outcome. Thus, this quote is true in the context of his public statements.

Rating: True

true infographic
Hearst Owned

Claim: "Stories of women miscarrying in a parking lot, developing sepsis, losing the ability to ever again have children, all because doctors are afraid they may go to jail for caring for their patients."

Get the Facts: This statement reflects concerns that have arisen in states with strict abortion laws post-Dobbs. There have been reports of doctors hesitating to provide care for miscarriages or other pregnancy complications due to fear of legal repercussions, potentially leading to worse outcomes for patients. For example, the case of a woman in Texas who was denied care for a miscarriage until she developed sepsis has been widely reported. The specifics can vary by state, but there is documented evidence of such cases occurring, especially in states with "trigger laws" that went into effect after Dobbs.

Rating: True

true infographic
Hearst Owned

Claim: "Couples just trying to grow their family cut off in the middle of IVF treatments."

Get the Facts: While there have been concerns about the impact of strict abortion laws on IVF (in vitro fertilization), particularly in states where personhood laws could define embryos as legal persons, direct cases of couples being "cut off" from IVF treatments due to recent laws are less documented. However, the potential for such an impact exists and has been a significant topic of concern among reproductive health advocates and legal experts. This statement could be seen as misleading if taken as a widespread occurrence, but it reflects real fears and potential legal implications.

Rating: Misleading

misleading infographic
Hearst Owned

Claim: "As part of his agenda, he and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban, with or without Congress."

Get the Facts: Donald Trump has expressed support for restrictions on abortion, and some Republican lawmakers and conservative groups have proposed limiting access to medication abortion and enacting a nationwide abortion ban. However, the extent of Trump’s specific policy proposals on birth control is less clear, though some of his allies have supported measures that could limit access. The mention of a nationwide abortion ban and medication abortion restrictions aligns with policy goals of some Republican leaders. Trump himself has said he wants to leave it up to individual state ballot measures, though has noted that some of those ballot measures have not gone the way Republicans hoped.

Rating: Partially True

partially true infographic
Hearst Owned

Claim: "He plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report on women's miscarriages and abortions."

Get the Facts: This likely refers to Project 2025, which Donald Trump has disavowed and distanced himself from. There is not a specific "national anti-abortion coordinator" in the Project 2025 documents, but it does call for "an unapologetically pro-life politically appointed Senior Coordinator of the Office of Women, Children, and Families." It does also call for the CDC to have detailed data on miscarriages and abortions. Though many have connected the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 to Trump, again, he has said he does not know much about it, nor does he support it.

Rating: Needs Context

needs context infographic
Hearst Owned