“About 59 percent of the U.S. trade deficit is due to petroleum imports.“
Download: GDP 3rd Quarter 2008 Report
Download: Trade Stimulus
The gross domestic product — driven largely by consumer spending — shrank but not as much as expected. Still, economists predict things will get worse before they get better. Consumers cinched their belts sharply in the last few [...]
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- Matalin: With Afghan surge, Obama resembles George W. Bush
- Obama gives pep talk to Senate Democrats on health care
- State of the Union: John King's Crib Sheet for December 6
- Romney praises Afghan surge, slams confusion about timeline
- CNN Poll: Americans mostly agree with Obama on Afghanistan
- Kyl: By announcing date, Obama has 'complicated' Afghan war
- Obama aides fine-tune meaning of Afghan withdrawal date
- Dem: If we don't deliver health reform, 'we've got a problem'
- Jones on getting Bin Laden: 'We're going to have to get after that'
- Obama adviser: Key date in new Afghan strategy 'not a cliff'
- Gallup Poll tv | Politics & Government
- Obama Approval by Party Not Atypical
- Americans React to Obama’s Afghanistan Strategy
- Job Creation Boost in the South
- Americans Mixed on U.S. Jobs Outlook
- Weekly Economic Insights: Little Holiday Inspiration
- The Importance of Purpose in the Workplace
- Americans See Access as Most Urgent Health Problem
- Views of U.S. Healthcare Edge Higher From '08 to '09
- In U.S., Cost, Bureaucracy Top Healthcare Reform Concerns
- Engaging Students to Improve Community Well-Being
- PolitiFact.com statements
- Alan Grayson: "In the past year, more than 20 percent of Americans have changed their mind about the war in Afghanistan. They conclude we shouldn't be there."The Truth-o-Meter says: Barely True | Polls on Afghanistan show a mixed picture President Barack Obama gave a major speech Dec. 1 to make the case for increasing troops in Afghanistan. But antiwar Democrats still say it's the wrong decision. One of those Democrats is Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida. The night before Obama's speech, Grayson appeared on […]
- John Murtha: "We're going to have more troops (in Afghanistan) . . . than the Russians had."
- Barack Obama: "In the last few months alone, we have apprehended extremists within our borders who were sent here from the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan to commit new acts of terror."The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Obama says 'extremists' sent to U.S. from Afghanistan-Pakistan border area President Barack Obama has decided to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and he made the case for the increase in a speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y."I make this decision because I am convinced […]
- Glenn Beck: Less than 10 percent of Obama's Cabinet appointees "have any experience in the private sector."
- Mitch McConnell: The Senate health care bill does not contain limits on medical malpractice lawsuits.
- Mike Pence: Under the Democratic health plan, families "will be forced to spend an additional $2,100 a year to keep their current health care."The Truth-o-Meter says: Barely True | Rep. Mike Pence says Democratic health plan would drive up family premiums One of the big questions for health care reform has been how the legislation would affect insurance premiums for consumers. On Nov. 30, the Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, released a detailed analysis on how health insurance premiums might be […]
- Keith Olbermann: A new Republican litmus test "would have resulted in (the GOP) kicking out Ronald Reagan."The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Olbermann says proposed GOP litmus test would freeze out Reagan To enforce ideological purity, a proposal before the Republican National Committee would deny party funding to any GOP candidate who bucks the party's stance on at least three items from a 10-point checklist of issues. The idea has sparked controversy wit […]
- Lou Dobbs: On legalizing illegal immigrants.The Truth-o-Meter says: Half Flip | Did Lou Dobbs oppose amnesty? He doesn't oppose it now. Before resigning as a CNN anchor Nov. 11, Lou Dobbs made a name for himself opposing illegal immigration. So we were surprised to see him a few weeks later on the Spanish-language network Telemundo declaring himself a friend to Latinos. "Whatever you have th […]
- Paul Krugman: "If you want to talk firsts for Bush, this was the first time in American history that a president took us into a war and cut taxes."The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Krugman says Bush was first president to lead country into war and cut taxes With President Barack Obama scheduled to make a speech on Dec. 1 on how the United States will proceed with the war in Afghanistan, war spending was the topic du jour on the Sunday political talk shows. Some Democratic officials have even talked […]
- Chain e-mail: "The Congressional Budget Office -- supposedly non-partisan -- estimates that in just a few years the average cost to every family of four (from cap and trade) will be $6,800 per year."
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | $6,800 for cap and trade not a CBO estimate Critics of the Democratic cap-and-trade proposal have many complaints about the plan, but their biggest is cost. They say it will cost so much that it will be a significant burden on a typical American family. The latest variation of this comes in a chain e-mail that contends the cap […]
- Alan Grayson: "In the past year, more than 20 percent of Americans have changed their mind about the war in Afghanistan. They conclude we shouldn't be there."
- Global News
- Politifact.com stories
- Checking facts on AfghanistanPresident Obama announced an increase in troops for Afghanistan this week, renewing debate on a complicated area of American foreign policy. We looked into a few different facts we heard during the discussion. Rep. John Murtha criticized the buildup, saying the United States would have more troops in Afghanistan than Russia did during the 1980s. We found his […]
- Obameter finds more promises Stalled
- Beck wrong on Cabinet's private sector experience
- Was Ronald Reagan a Republican?To enforce ideological purity, a proposal before the Republican National Committee would deny party funding to any GOP candidate who bucks the party's stance on at least three items from a 10-point checklist of issues. Keith Olbermann, the liberal host of Countdown on MSNBC, told viewers that the resolution would have effectively blackballed Ronald Reag […]
- Mission: AfghanistanAs a candidate, Barack Obama regularly called the Iraq war a misguided effort in the fight against al-Qaida. The real enemies were hiding in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said, and finding those enemies would not be easy. "There are tribes (there) that see borders as nothing more than lines on a map, and governments as forces th […]
- Lou Dobbs on the Flip-O-MeterBefore resigning as a CNN anchor Nov. 11, Lou Dobbs made a name for himself opposing illegal immigration. So we were surprised to see him a few weeks later on the Spanish-language network Telemundo discussing his views on immigration. "We need the ability to legalize illegal immigrants on certain conditions," Dobbs said.That last point surprised us […]
- Mailbag: 'Your Truth-O-Meter needs repair'Our inbox was so full we're running two installments of mailbag this week! This is the second; read the first batch from Thanksgiving Day. How many years of natural gas?We looked at a statement from America's Natural Gas Alliance; they said that the United States has a supply of "more than 100 years of natural gas." We rated that Half Tru […]
- Obama's Top 25 Promises: A Progress ReportWhen we launched the Obameter -- an online database of Obama's 515 campaign promises -- we designated 25 promises as the most significant. As President Barack Obama closes in on his first full year in office, we found that he's made at least some progress on most of them.Here is the current tally of Obama's top promises:In the Works: 18Promise […]
- Mailbag: Readers give thanks, and criticismAs usual, the inbox is bursting with strong opinions from our readers. It's been awhile since our last mailbag, so look for a second installment on Sunday.The House of Representatives' health care bill and abortionWe received a few letters from readers who said we missed the boat with our coverage of health reform legislation in the U.S. House of R […]
- Tracking stimulus dollars gets trickyThe Obama administration has promoted its Web site Recovery.gov as a bold new step in government transparency and a convenient way for voters to see that the economic stimulus program is working. Some Republicans say the site is a bunch of unreliable propaganda.Florida Republican Rep. Jeff Miller ridiculed the site in a newsletter Nov. 19, writing about how […]
- Checking facts on Afghanistan
