Holding claims to account — documenting lies, half-truths, and misinformation.
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SAN ANTONIO — At the Commodity Classic here Thursday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that USDA is establishing a “One Farmer, One File” technology system “to create a single, streamlined record that follows the farmer...
Alaska's Division of Elections transferred private voter data — including the last four digits of Social Security numbers — to the Trump administration's Department of Justice, despite state laws designating such information as confidential. The data sharing is part of a broader federal effort to build a national voter database by comparing state voter rolls to Department of Homeland Security immigration records to identify noncitizens. At least three federal courts and several other states have rejected similar federal requests, while Alaska signed a Memorandum of Understanding that requires the state to remove voters flagged as ineligible by the DOJ within 45 days. Alaska legislative committees are now examining who directed the state's Division of Elections director to sign the agreement and what political pressure may have influenced the decision.
Donald Trump has appointed numerous individuals who supported his unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" through widespread voter fraud to key government positions, including roles within the Justice Department and election oversight bodies. Experts and officials, including former CISA Director Chris Krebs, have maintained that the 2020 election was the most secure in American history and that no credible evidence of fraud exists. Critics warn that placing election fraud proponents in influential positions could undermine public trust in the electoral process and make it more difficult to counter election-related misinformation.
Former President Donald Trump has long promoted conspiracy theories about voting, designed to explain his 2020 electoral defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. Now, Trump is filling his new government with people who supported his false claims of election fraud.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in February to strike down Trump's tariff regime, with only three conservative justices — Roberts, Gorsuch, and Barrett — applying the "major questions doctrine," a principle the Court's conservatives have previously invoked exclusively against Biden administration policies. Gorsuch and Barrett wrote separate concurrences attempting to defend the doctrine's legitimacy, but reached contradictory conclusions: Barrett argued it reflects ordinary statutory interpretation and common sense, while Gorsuch acknowledged that common sense actually supported the Biden administration's legal arguments in past major questions cases. Gorsuch's concurrence contended the doctrine is necessary to prevent executive overreach, a rationale Barrett criticized as improper "judicial flex" outside the Court's role. The dueling opinions highlight internal tension among the conservatives and reinforce criticism that the doctrine functions as a selective ideological tool rather than a neutral interpretive principle.
A historian writing for The Conversation draws comparisons between White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's public statements and George Orwell's concepts of "doublethink" and "doublespeak" from the novel "1984." The article cites specific instances where Leavitt's claims diverged from available data, including her assertion that inflation was at 2.5% when the actual September rate was 3%, and her characterization of the Trump administration as the "most transparent in history" while defending withholding of information. The author also points to several other statements from Leavitt that have been disputed or fact-checked as inaccurate, including claims about USAID spending, tax policy, and the origin of the phrase "peace through strength."
The U.S. Department of Justice and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost have filed an antitrust lawsuit against OhioHealth, a corporation that operates 16 hospitals and approximately 200 additional healthcare facilities across Ohio. The complaint alleges that OhioHealth uses its market dominance to impose contractual restrictions that prevent insurers from offering lower-cost health insurance options, effectively shielding itself from price competition. Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated the lawsuit is part of the DOJ's broader effort to protect consumers and reduce healthcare costs nationwide.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams argues that recent changes to the federal childhood immunization schedule — removing universal recommendations for flu, hepatitis, RSV, and other vaccines — eliminate a clear national standard and increase health risks for children and vulnerable populations. He points to surging flu hospitalizations, a 33-year high in measles cases exceeding 2,000 in 2025, and rising pediatric deaths as consequences of declining vaccine uptake. While criticizing the rollbacks, Adams also acknowledges that public health institutions damaged their own credibility during the COVID-19 pandemic through poor communication and dismissiveness toward parental concerns. He calls for rebuilding trust through transparency, state-level policy leadership, empowering parents with honest information, and supporting local healthcare providers in vaccine conversations.
As measles spreads across the U.S. — with over 1,100 cases reported in 2026 and more than 2,200 last year — anti-vaccine groups with ties to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are actively working to eliminate school vaccine mandates in more than 20 states, including at least six with active measles outbreaks. The effort is led by organizations including the Health Freedom Defense Fund, Stand for Health Freedom, and Kennedy-affiliated groups like Children's Health Defense and Maha Action, which are backing legislation modeled on a 2025 Idaho law prohibiting medical mandates. Public health experts warn that weakening these mandates will lower vaccination rates and lead to more illness, hospitalizations, and deaths, with Yale modeling projecting a sustained 1% annual decline in MMR vaccination rates could cost the U.S. $7.8 billion by 2030. The anti-vaccine coalition has disputed these warnings and characterized measles outbreaks as exaggerated, while promoting claims about vaccine safety that experts say are false or misleading.
Texas Biomedical Research Institute CEO Dr. Larry Schlesinger has publicly criticized recent federal changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, stating he sees no legitimate scientific basis for reevaluating long-established vaccines. Under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the recommended number of childhood disease immunizations was reduced from 17 to 11, $500 million in mRNA vaccine research funding was cut, and the CDC removed its statement that vaccines do not cause autism — changes that 15 states have since sued to reverse. Schlesinger warned that adding complexity to vaccination guidelines reduces compliance, contributing to rising outbreaks of measles and other preventable diseases. He noted that Texas Biomed has remained largely insulated from federal funding cuts by diversifying its revenue sources, and has recently taken on contracts to develop measles therapeutics in response to growing case numbers.
Past statements from Trump administration officials are resurfacing in light of U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran, with critics noting apparent contradictions between current actions and prior rhetoric. Trump, JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, and Stephen Miller all made statements emphasizing opposition to war with Iran and portraying Trump as a peace candidate during the 2024 campaign. Gabbard's past remarks are particularly striking, as she previously warned that war with Iran "would make the Iraq War look like a cakewalk" and even sold anti-war merchandise, before later endorsing Trump as the pro-peace candidate. The strikes, part of "Operation Epic Fury," have drawn mixed reactions in Congress, with some lawmakers seeking a war powers resolution while others, including Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. John Fetterman, praised the operation.
USA TODAY invited readers to share their reactions to President Trump's State of the Union address, delivered on February 24, 2026, which lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes and was noted as the longest ever. The address featured Trump touting his economic and immigration policies, though it drew scrutiny from fact-checkers for numerous exaggerations and falsehoods. Reader responses were sharply divided, with some praising Trump's focus on border security, government waste, and American achievements, while others criticized the speech as dishonest, divisive, and lacking substantive focus on affordability and domestic economic concerns. Most respondents indicated the address did not change their plans to vote in the upcoming midterm elections.