chengxuphd/liar2 huggingface dataset:
Statement: The average tax refund is down about $170 compared to last year. Let's call the President's tax cut what it is: a middle-class tax hike to line the pockets of already wealthy corporations and the 1%.
Speaker: kamala harris
About the speaker: Kamala Harris is the vice president of the United States. Harris was elected as a senator from California in 2016. She previously was California’s attorney general from 2011 to 2017. From 2004 until 2011, she was the district attorney of San Francisco. Harris received a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Howard University and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. In 2019, she ran for the Democratic nomination for president and dropped out in December. On Aug. 11, 2020, former Vice President Joe Biden named Harris as his running mate.
Date: February 11, 2019
Location: california
Topics: taxes
Context: a tweet
Fact-check justification: Harris said, "The average tax refund is down about $170 compared to last year. Let’s call the President’s tax cut what it is: a middle-class tax hike to line the pockets of already wealthy corporations and the 1%." Average tax refunds are down by $170 so far this year, though that’s a preliminary number that may or may not hold up. And the wealthy do gain disproportionately from the tax changes passed in 2017, but this glosses over the projections saying that most households will see tax cuts for the first eight years or so. However, stating these two assertions in quick succession suggests that the smaller tax refunds are  of the tax bill’s negative impact on middle-income taxpayers, and that’s not the case. It’s entirely possible to get back a smaller refund even as you’re paying less in total taxes for the year, as a big majority of taxpayers are in 2018. We rate the statement .
Statement: Barack Obama "cut taxes for working families.
Speaker: barack obama
About the speaker: Barack Obama is the former president of the United States. Obama also served as a U.S. senator from Illinois. He was born in 1961 in Hawaii, where his parents met as students at the University of Hawaii. Obama's father is from Kenya and his mother is from Kansas. He graduated from Columbia University and received his law degree from Harvard Law School. Obama previously served in the Illinois state Senate and was an instructor at the University of Chicago Law School. He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.
Date: June 19, 2008
Location: national
Topics: taxes
Context: a television ad
Fact-check justification: But the bill had a sunset clause, and when it came time to renew it in 2003, Obama filed the bill and was its chief sponsor. Another 20 senators signed on to co-sponsor it. Rather than renewing it for another few years, the Obama bill made the state earned income tax credit permanent. The record shows Obama was a minor co-sponsor in cutting taxes in 2000 and was the leader in the state Senate in 2003 in making the tax credits permanent. It takes more than one person to pass a bill, and although he played a significant role in making the tax credits permanent, the record on Obama's statement supports only a .
Statement: Says that "the state spends more money on tax giveaways than it receives in tax collection.
Speaker: our oregon
About the speaker: Our Oregon describes itself as a 501(c)(4) organization "dedicated to fighting for economic and social fairness for all Oregonians. Our coalition represents organizations and individuals who care about a range of issues, from preserving funding for our schools and critical services to protecting the environment."
Date: December 4, 2012
Location: oregon
Topics: state budget;taxes
Context: a blog post
Fact-check justification: But context matters. In the sentence before the statement we’re ruling on, Our Oregon compares apples and oranges. You can’t count revenues the Legislature has control over  and then compare them with tax breaks that include some the Legislature has no say in. We find that additional clarification is needed. We rate this  .
Statement: President Barack Obama "put in place historic fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks to lower costs at the pump and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Speaker: barack obama
About the speaker: Barack Obama is the former president of the United States. Obama also served as a U.S. senator from Illinois. He was born in 1961 in Hawaii, where his parents met as students at the University of Hawaii. Obama's father is from Kenya and his mother is from Kansas. He graduated from Columbia University and received his law degree from Harvard Law School. Obama previously served in the Illinois state Senate and was an instructor at the University of Chicago Law School. He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.
Date: January 3, 2012
Location: national
Topics: energy;message machine 2012
Context: an Obama for America video
Fact-check justification: The Obama administration has launched new fuel efficiency standards. They're not exactly a break from the past, but they do significantly raise the bar for automakers over the next decade. Fuel costs for new-car drivers will drop, though it's important to point out they'll likely pay more up front for more efficient machines. Meanwhile, past increases in fuel standards have pushed down foreign petroleum imports — though consumption overall is up, partly because there are more of us, and we drive more than we used to. Those factors mean even more efficiency might not reduce imports. The ad's statement that Obama "put in place historic fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks to lower costs at the pump and reduce dependence on foreign oil," is partially accurate, but leaves out some important details. We rate it .
Statement: Says Scott Walker's jobs agency gives financial incentives that lead "Wisconsin companies to look at shipping jobs elsewhere. ... A company got $4.6 million in taxpayer money and actually reduced its jobs by 300 people.
Speaker: mary burke
About the speaker: Burke is a former Trek Bicycle executive and former Wisconsin Commerce Department secretary who announced on Oct. 7, 2013 that she would seek the Democratic nomination for governor in Wisconsin in the fall 2014 election against incument Republican Gov. Scott Walker. She lost to Walker on Nov. 4, 2014. She is a school board member in Madison, Wisconsin.
Date: September 10, 2014
Location: wisconsin
Topics: economy;jobs;state budget;workers;taxes
Context: an interview
Fact-check justification: A company got $4.6 million in taxpayer money and actually reduced its jobs by 300 people." There is an element of  in the statement, in that Plexus Corp.'s Wisconsin employment dropped by 300 after it received about $4.6 million in state tax credits . Burke could criticize WEDC for giving money to a company that soon after laid off Wisconsin employees, but there is no  the aid led the company to move jobs elsewhere. Indeed, the aid went toward building a new plant in Wisconsin. Our rating is .
Statement: Between the year 2000 and 2006, (insurance) premiums in this country doubled.
Speaker: chris van hollen
About the speaker: Chris Van Hollen is a Democratic U.S. Congressman from Maryland.
Date: January 18, 2011
Location: national
Topics: health care
Context: comments on the House floor
Fact-check justification: We also looked at just the portion of premiums paid by employees, because that's the number most consumers really care about. For individuals, the average premium paid by the employee went from $334 to $627; and for families, the employee contribution went from $1,619 to $2,973. That's an increase of 87 percent and 83 percent, respectively. Those numbers get pretty close to Van Hollen's  about doubling, but not quite. And so we rate his  .
Statement: Says Ellen Rosenblum "has said over and over again that this is a job where 80 percent of the job is being the government's lawyer.
Speaker: dwight holton
About the speaker: Dwight Holton is a former interim U.S. Attorney running for Oregon Attorney General in 2012.
Date: April 4, 2012
Location: oregon
Topics: candidate biography;message machine 2012
Context: a radio interview
Fact-check justification: She’s not saying that’s all she’ll do. Holton’s statement is partially accurate in that Rosenblum did describe the job of attorney general as 80 percent government work. But there are important details missing: She said in the same interview that she would advocate on behalf of children, consumers, the environment and small businesses. We also think it would be impossible for Holton to wiggle out of representing state government if he is elected. We find Holton’s statement .
Statement: Says she helped lead the launch of curbside recycling.
Speaker: mary nolan
About the speaker: Mary Nolan represents Southwest Portland in the Oregon House of Representatives. She has said she will run for a seat on the Portland City Council in 2012
Date: September 21, 2011
Location: oregon
Topics: environment;city government
Context: campaign literature
Fact-check justification: Let’s also remember that Portland had a curbside recycling system before Nolan. We know it was clumsy and disorganized and hardly resembled what we have today, but the word "launch" makes it sound as if she initiated curbside recycling. Nolan says she "helped lead landmark improvements in … launching curbside recycling." We find this statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details. We rate the statement .
Statement: Polls show Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to Obamacare, especially the individual mandate.
Speaker: rick santorum
About the speaker: Rick Santorum is running for the Republican nomination for president in 2016. He is a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and was a Republican presidential candidate in 2012.
Date: March 26, 2012
Location: national
Topics: health care
Context: "U.S. News & World Report"
Fact-check justification: Santorum wrote that, "Polls show Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to Obamacare, especially the individual mandate." We consulted several recent polls and found that, in broad terms, opinion on the health care law is more unfavorable than favorable, but not overwhelmingly. As Bowman said, it "tilts negative." But it's also worth noting that four of the most recent polls show stronger opposition than when we have ruled on similar statements in the past. Objection to the individual mandate, however, is resounding. Some polls found approval rates in the low 30s and disapproval in the high 60s. That fits Santorum’s description of "overwhelming." We rate the statement .
Statement: Say President George W. Bush " 'borrowed' $1.37 trillion of Social Security surplus revenue to pay for his tax cuts for the rich and his war in Iraq and never paid it back.
Speaker: facebook posts
About the speaker: Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.
 
Date: March 27, 2015
Location: national
Topics: iraq;social security;taxes
Context: comments on social media
Fact-check justification: A Facebook posts says, "Bush ‘borrowed’ $1.37 trillion of Social Security surplus revenue to pay for his tax cuts for the rich and his war in Iraq and never paid it back." By law, the Social Security surplus is converted into bonds, and the cash is used by the Treasury to pay for government expenses. If we agree that this is "borrowing," every president since 1935 has done it, to fund all sorts of things. Even if Bush "borrowed" from the surplus, the amount is more like $708 billion, and the borrowing wasn’t earmarked for a special purposes. As for not "paying back," the bonds won’t need to be repaid until 2020. Overall, the  is  and confuses many points. So we rate it .
Statement: Nancy Pelosi set to resign from Congress as Trump files impeachment lawsuits against her.
Speaker: facebook posts
About the speaker: Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.
 
Date: September 12, 2022
Topics: impeachment;facebook fact-checks
Context: a Facebook post
Fact-check justification: So far, no House majority has ever impeached a president of the same party. It’s not clear a member of Congress can even be impeached, but for what it’s worth, no House majority has ever impeached a speaker of the same party, either.   Pelosi was named in a lawsuit the Republican National Committee filed involving the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. But a federal judge rejected that case. We rate this post .
Statement: Lead levels in Milwaukee's water "are higher than Flint, MI.
Speaker: lena taylor
About the speaker: Lena Taylor is a Milwaukee Democrat, was elected to the Wisconsin Senate in 2004. She previously served for nearly two years in the state Assembly.
Date: November 20, 2019
Location: wisconsin
Topics: consumer safety;public health;water
Context: news release
Fact-check justification: Taylor said Milwaukee has "a clean water catastrophe with lead levels that are higher than Flint, MI." Milwaukee does top Flint in two key measurements: Water tested at homes and lead levels in the blood of children.  But characterizing the situation as a "clean water catastrophe" goes too far. Milwaukee’s situation is far different from Flint as it relates to the water supply, and numbers from tests at homes fall below allowable levels. What’s more, the  of a "clean water catastrophe" ignores the role that lead-based paint and other factors are known to have on children. Our definition of  is "The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context." That fits here.
Statement: Granite State shipbuilders . . . built the first ship that sailed into battle under a new American flag.
Speaker: frank guinta
About the speaker: Frank Guinta is a Republican Congressman from Manchester who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. In New Hampshire, he served two terms as a Manchester city alderman, two terms as a state representative, and two terms as mayor of Manchester.
Date: July 4, 2016
Location: new hampshire
Topics: history;military
Context: an email
Fact-check justification: Guinta said "Granite State shipbuilders . . .  built the first ship that sailed into battle under a new American flag." Although the USS Raleigh sailed fewer than two years before it was captured, its service spanned two versions of the American flag. The Raleigh definitely flew an earlier variant of the American Flag, called the Continental Colors, but it wasn’t the first to do so. Experts said it likely flew the other variant, an early version of the Stars and Stripes, but there’s no  that it was the first to do so in battle. The gist of Guinta’s  is : New Hampshire shipbuilders were critical to the success of the fledgling American Navy. He could have easily pointed to the story of the Portsmouth-built Ranger carrying the first American flag that was ever saluted by a foreign nation. But there’s scant  to support the idea that the Raleigh was the first to sail into battle flying any variant of the American flag. On balance, we rate the  .
Statement: Roy Cooper's refusal to do his job is costing taxpayers money.
Speaker: pat mccrory
About the speaker: Pat McCrory, a Republican, was governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. Previously, he served as mayor of Charlotte.
Date: August 2, 2016
Location: north carolina
Topics: ethics;legal issues;public service;states
Context: a press release
Fact-check justification: Gov. Pat McCrory said that in the voter ID lawsuit, Attorney General Roy Cooper’s "refusal to do his job is costing taxpayers money." There is a question whether Cooper has the power to decide not to appeal further. But the issue of money is more clear – his decision is actually saving the state money. Since McCrory hit on a valid topic of debate with his  about Cooper’s job duties but missed the mark on his  about money, we rate this  .
Statement: The health care law imposes a federal mandate requiring middle-class Americans to buy health insurance "whether they can afford it or not.
Speaker: artur davis
About the speaker: Artur Davis is a Republican. He was formerly a Democratic congressman from Alabama.
Date: August 28, 2012
Location: national
Topics: health care
Context: Tampa
Fact-check justification: Still, Davis’ remarks at the Republican National Convention make it sound like the law is indifferent to issues of affordability. That’s hardly the case. People earning less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level would qualify for tax credits to purchase insurance. And if a health insurance policy exceeded 8 percent of income, people would qualify for a hardship exemption under the law. We rate Davis’  .
Statement: Three years after getting the $100 million (from Mark Zuckerberg), less than two-thirds of students in Cory Booker's Newark graduate.
Speaker: bookerfail
About the speaker: BookerFail is a website run by American Commitment, a conservative super PAC.
Date: August 1, 2013
Location: national
Topics: education
Context: a YouTube video
Fact-check justification: A super PAC’s ad criticized Mayor Booker for Newark’s low graduation rate three years after Zuckerberg donated $100 million to improving the city’s education. Newark does have a graduation rate right around two-thirds -- it's actually a touch higher than that -- but there’s more to the picture. Despite the ad’s implications, the city’s graduation rate is on the rise. The ad’s phrasing also implies that Booker is the official responsible for schools even though he’s not in charge of them. The money is only a small sliver of the school district's overall budget, and it hasn't all been spent yet, so it's not clear if it's had time to make an impact. Because the ad omits necessary context about the grant money and Newark’s improving graduation rate, in addition to implying that Booker is to blame, we rate this  .
Statement: Japan has banned all (Black Lives Matter) apparel from the Olympics. No one can kneel or raise fists during the anthems either.
Speaker: facebook posts
About the speaker: Posters on Facebook and other social media networks.
 
Date: June 20, 2021
Topics: race and ethnicity;sports;facebook fact-checks
Context: a Facebook post
Fact-check justification: A Facebook post claims, "Japan has banned all (Black Lives Matter) apparel from the Olympics. No one can kneel or raise fists during the anthems either." The post is partly accurate. The IOC, not a host country, sets the rules athletes have to follow. Apparel that says Black Lives Matter may be seen as a form of political expression, and  Olympic officials for decades have had a rule prohibiting any form of political expression. Kneeling or raising a fist are forms of prohibited political expression. The IOC’s rule does not specifically target Black Lives Matter, or any one ideology or movement. We rate the post .
Statement: Says Hillary Clinton's plan "would tax many small businesses by almost 50 percent.
Speaker: donald trump
About the speaker: Donald Trump is the former president of the United States. He was elected the 45th president of the United States on Nov. 8, 2016.  He has been a real estate developer, entrepreneur and host of the NBC reality show, "The Apprentice." Trump's statements were awarded PolitiFact's 2015, 2017 and 2019 Lie of the Year. In November 2022, he announced he would run for president in 2024.
Date: August 8, 2016
Location: national
Topics: economy;small business;wealth;taxes
Context: a speech
Fact-check justification: Trump said Clinton's plan "would tax many small businesses by almost 50 percent." Clinton's proposal isn't directed at small businesses. Her surtax is intended to apply to rich individuals. The top tax rate (plus Medicare taxes) would go from the current 43.4 percent to 47.4 percent, but it would only be applied to amounts over $5 million. A mere 0.02 percent of tax returns fall into that category and some of those payers will not be small business owners. The statement has an element of  but leaves out important details that would give a different impression. We rate it .
Statement: This photo shows former President Donald Trump "last week.
Speaker: viral image
About the speaker: Graphics, pictures and charts shared on social media give chain emails a run for their money when it comes to spreading too-good-to-be-true claims all over the Internet. A common form is is the "Internet macro," which uses an easily recognized and repurposed image (called a meme) wth superimposed text to make a funny but political argument. Sometimes these images are passed across social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit so widely that the original source is nearly impossible to determine.
Date: January 29, 2023
Topics: facebook fact-checks
Context: an Instagram post
Fact-check justification: Donald Trump Jr. shared it online in September 2021.   The Instagram post directs users to a website that gives them two link options: One link takes them to a website where they can buy pro-Trump T-shirts, and the other link takes them to another site focused on the diet pills. (Trump isn’t mentioned on that site.)   The "last week" photo of Trump is more than a year old. We rate this post .
Statement: A video shows a whistleblower creating fraudulent military ballots during the 2020 presidential election.
Speaker: instagram posts
About the speaker: Posters on Instagram, where people share photos and graphics and sometimes add filters.
Date: November 3, 2022
Location: national
Topics: elections
Context: a video
Fact-check justification: A video shared on Instagram says it shows a whistleblower creating fraudulent military ballots during the 2020 presidential election. The clip does not depict the fraudulent creation of real ballots.  A Justice Department official confirmed that the video features the same content as one linked to a 2020 voter intimidation and influence campaign. That video was a simulation, and the people who created it were charged with breaking several federal laws. We rate the  . PolitiFact researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. RELATED: Election denying candidates sought to undo voting rights. Many lost key races RELATED: A coalition of ‘stop the steal’ Republicans aims to take control of US elections. QAnon is helping
Statement: Says PolitiFact "validated and independently documented" its "criminal history" claims about Adan Ballesteros.
Speaker: texans for accountable government
About the speaker: Texans for Accountable Government describes itself as a non-partisan effort to rein in intrusive government.
Date: July 26, 2012
Location: texas
Topics: candidate biography;criminal justice;crime
Context: an email blast
Fact-check justification: As the group’s email suggests, our story that was the basis of the email’s PolitiFact reference sketches out the complaint and investigation that preceded Ballesteros’ firing and the fact that the firing was upheld and his lawsuit found baseless. However, we did not validate Ballesteros’ "criminal history," as the group’s email can be read, and the group’s statement fails to point out he was not indicted or that the workforce commission tribunal saw no preponderance of  of criminal acts. Broadly, the group indicates we reached a conclusion about Ballesteros being a criminal that we did not reach. The  rates .
Statement: Washington cannot hide from the fact that Congress hiked the national debt ceiling to $14.3 trillion. They cannot hide from the fact . . . that the budget that they're going forward with has more than a $5 trillion in debt in it over the next five years.
Speaker: rick perry
About the speaker: Rick Perry is the U.S. Energy Secretary and was governor of Texas from late December 2000 through 2014. He was re-elected in 2002, 2006 and 2010. He unsucessfully ran for president in 2012 and 2016.
Date: March 2, 2010
Location: texas
Topics: federal budget
Context: a speech
Fact-check justification: Gordon said it's typical for government to run a deficit during an economic downturn. In the end, Obama’s proposed budget won’t sail through Congress; presidents (and governors) propose, lawmakers dispose. Still, Obama's proposal seems a reasonable basis for Perry’s debt . The governor also is correct on the size of the increased federal debt limit. We rate Perry's statement as .