Fact-checking Trump and CPAC

Is Biden to blame on gas prices?

This week:  The golden Trump statue ... Fact-checking the H.R. 1 voting bill ... What is section 230? ... More misinfo about vaccines ... What are gas prices doing? A weekly note from the editor-in-chief of    The above image is an unaltered news photo from CPAC. Read our fact-check to see the fake image, clearly labeled as such, that was shared on social media. (AP) Photo of leaders praying over golden Trump statue is fake Social media users are circulating an image that purportedly shows faith leaders surrounding and praying over a gold-painted statue of former President Donald Trump that appeared at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. "Evangelicals literally praying to a golden idol. LITERALLY," one post said, alluding to the golden calf idol in the Bible's Old Testament. "Caption this photo taken today of CPAC's evangelical leaders. Yes, they are praying to a golden statue of their holy insurrectionist," another reads. But the image is altered, and the photo it's based on wasn't taken in 2021. We rated the claim False.  We conducted a reverse-image search, which showed that the original photo depicted Trump meeting with a group of evangelical leaders. In the doctored version, the gold-painted statue was edited in to replace Trump. The authentic photograph was taken by photographer Marco Bello at an "Evangelicals for Trump" launch event at the King Jesus International Ministry in Miami on Jan. 3, 2020.  — Samantha Putterman Share Tweet Forward The Latest from PolitiFact Trump at CPAC on immigration. Trump gave the closing speech of CPAC and opened by criticizing President Joe Biden's immigration policies. "He has effectively ordered a shutdown of ICE, halting virtually all deportations, everyone, murderers, everybody, no more," Trump said. We rated that False. Biden has not closed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Biden administration's deportation priorities include people convicted of serious crimes. Trump at CPAC on voting. Trump reeled off multiple objections to H.R. 1, a proposed new voting law, including that it "automatically registers every welfare recipient to vote." We rated that Mostly False. H.R. 1 does not single out people seeking public assistance. Rather, it would broadly require government agencies to help people who are eligible to register to vote, including agencies that handle firearms registration or veterans services. Biden on Hispanic population growth. Right before a meeting with the president of Mexico, Biden highlighted America's historic connection to Mexico. "As you know, the fastest-growing population in the United States is Hispanic," Biden said. "And 60% of the Hispanic population is Mexican American. They're an integral part of our history." But Biden was wrong about the fastest-growing population; we rated his statement Mostly False. Hispanics are the second-fastest-growing group in the U.S., after Asian Americans. Hispanics did record the largest numerical increase in population of any racial or ethnic group from 2010 to 2019, but that's a different measure than "fastest-growing." Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help   Yes, I support PolitiFact! Make a tax-deductible donation to make this message go away. Are gas prices going up? And is it Joe Biden's fault? There's been chatter online recently about the recent spike in gasoline prices — and whether Biden is to blame. One Facebook post features a photograph of Biden with the caption, "Gas prices going up? How do you like me now?" We investigated and reached the following conclusions: Gas prices have gone up under Biden, continuing an upward trend that began in May 2020. The increase is largely due to supply and demand, energy experts say, rather than presidential policies. The coronavirus pandemic prompted a big fall in oil demand and gasoline prices, due to declines in driving and air travel. As the economy has slowly rebounded, growing demand has boosted prices at the pump. Read our full report that includes charts showing gas prices since 1994. — Louis Jacobson How we know Capitol riot wasn't antifa PolitiFact is on YouTube! Recently, we looked at how we know members of antifa were not involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Go to our YouTube page for the video report and to see our other videos. Meet Section 230: 'the most important law protecting internet speech' A law credited with birthing the internet — and with spurring misinformation — has drawn bipartisan ire from lawmakers who are vowing to change it. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields internet platforms from liability for much of what its users post. Both Democrats and Republicans point to Section 230 as a law that gives too much protection to companies like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Amazon and Google — with different reasons. We dug into the history and details of section 230 to give a better sense of the issues at stake and how we got here. Read our extended report. — Daniel Funke Quick links to more fact-checks & reports  U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.: The $1.9 trillion relief package is "about a bridge for Chuck Schumer, a tunnel for Nancy Pelosi." Mostly False.    Sorting out how politics, policies swirl around N.Y.'s nursing home Covid-19 mortality rates   Donald Trump: Says he requested "10,000 National Guardsmen" for his Jan. 6 rally, but Nancy Pelosi "rejected it." False.   Fact-checking claims about deportations in Biden's first month Do you smell smoke?  Here's your Pants on Fire fact-check of the week:  The COVID-19 vaccine causes neurodegenerative diseases. This is misinformation. No evidence supports this. See what else we've rated Pants on Fire this week.  Have questions or ideas for our coverage? Send me an email at holan@politifact.com. Put "Fact-checking" in the subject line. Thanks for reading! Angie Drobnic Holan  PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief  Send this link to your friends so they can sign up for this email! Copyright © 2021 PolitiFact, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website, attended one of our events, or communicated with us. Our mailing address is: PolitiFact 801 3rd St S 33701 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Add us to your address book  Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.  Subscription Information This email was sent to Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog