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Has research found that armed officers deter school shootings?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

A 2024 RAND report and four experts in mass shootings said they know of no research concluding that the presence of armed officers deters school shootings.

The armed officers claim was made Dec. 19 by school safety advocate Ryan Petty in an interview about a mass shooting Dec. 16 at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. 

That school didn’t employ an officer.

Petty’s daughter was killed in the 2018 mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, school, which did.

Petty said the connection is “proven.” He didn’t cite research to Wisconsin Watch.

Whether arming school resource officers “leads to net harms or benefits … could be addressed with strong scientific research designs or observational studies,” RAND said.

A 2023 University at Albany-RAND study found school resource officers reduce some violence and increase weapon detection, “but do not prevent gun-related incidents.”

A 2021 U.S. DOJ-funded study said “data suggest no association” between armed officers and deterring mass shootings.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Think you know the facts? Put your knowledge to the test. Take the Fact Brief quiz

Has research found that armed officers deter school shootings? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Does the US import more food than it exports?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

The value of food imported into the U.S. exceeds what is exported.

That’s a recent reversal of a long-term trend, as U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden stated Dec. 2.

But it doesn’t necessarily mean the U.S. is “beholden on other nations,” as the western Wisconsin Republican claimed.

The U.S. was an annual net exporter of agricultural products from at least the 1970s through 2018, but since then has mostly been a net importer, and the gap is widening.

In fiscal 2025, the value of agricultural imports is projected at $215.5 billion and exports $170 billion. 

William Ridley, a University of Illinois agricultural and consumer economics professor, said the U.S. produces more food for itself than ever, but it’s a net importer because of demand for imported food, much of it from allies.

Some imports, including out-of-season produce, come from foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies, said Steve Suppan, of the nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Think you know the facts? Put your knowledge to the test. Take the Fact Brief quiz

Does the US import more food than it exports? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Has Wisconsin’s Act 10 union law saved taxpayers billions of dollars?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

Act 10, which effectively ended collective bargaining for most Wisconsin public employee unions, has saved taxpayers billions of dollars.

The 2011 law could be reviewed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court because of a recent judge’s ruling.

The law achieved savings mainly by shifting costs for pension and health benefits for public employees to the employees.

The nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum found in 2020 that state and local governments saved $5 billion from 2011 to 2017 in pension costs alone.

PolitiFact Wisconsin reported in 2014 that public employers saved over $3 billion on pensions and health insurance.

Getting rid of Act 10’s pension, health insurance and salary limits would raise annual school district costs $1.6 billion and local government costs $480 million, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty estimated in September.

However, the recent court ruling doesn’t invalidate Act 10’s higher employee contribution requirements, said attorney Jeffrey Mandell, who represents unions in the pending case.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Think you know the facts? Put your knowledge to the test. Take the Fact Brief quiz

Has Wisconsin’s Act 10 union law saved taxpayers billions of dollars? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Did Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford try to overturn Act 10?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford was among attorneys who sued seeking to overturn Act 10, a 2011 law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most Wisconsin public employee unions.

The law spurred mass protests for weeks in Madison.

At the time, Crawford said the law violated Wisconsin’s Constitution and was “aimed at crippling public employee unions.”

In 2014, the state Supreme Court upheld Act 10, calling collective bargaining “a creation of legislative grace and not constitutional obligation.”  

Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, Crawford’s conservative challenger in the April 1, 2025, election, made the claim about Crawford Dec. 1, 2024. Crawford is a Dane County judge.

On Dec. 2, Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost struck down Act 10 in a lawsuit in which Crawford is not listed as an attorney. 

An appeal notice was filed the same day. Appeals are likely to reach the Supreme Court, which has a 4-3 liberal majority.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Think you know the facts? Put your knowledge to the test. Take the Fact Brief quiz

Did Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford try to overturn Act 10? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Do Wisconsin election officials verify citizenship when a person registers to vote?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

U.S. citizenship is required to vote in Wisconsin, but election officials generally don’t try to verify citizenship when someone registers to vote.

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, made the citizenship claim Nov. 24, 2024. 

The Wisconsin Elections Commission said Nov. 5:

  • “Voters must attest to their U.S. citizenship on their voter registration form under penalty of perjury.” 
  • Wisconsin and federal law don’t provide for systematically verifying citizenship “beyond the attestation.”
  • Falsely claiming citizenship at registration is a felony.

There’s no evidence of noncitizens voting in elections in meaningful numbers.

Voters Nov. 5 amended the Wisconsin Constitution to limit voting to citizens. Republican supporters said it would prevent any move allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections, as some U.S. jurisdictions allow.

Over 9% of voting-age U.S. citizens (21.3 million people) cannot readily access proof of citizenship, because they do not have it or could not access it easily, a University of Maryland survey released in June said.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Think you know the facts? Put your knowledge to the test. Take the Fact Brief quiz

Do Wisconsin election officials verify citizenship when a person registers to vote? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Is there a legal way to get raw milk in Wisconsin?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

The sale of raw or unpasteurized milk generally is illegal in Wisconsin, although “incidental sales” are legal.

An incidental sale is when a dairy farm sells raw milk directly to a consumer at the farm.

But those sales are illegal “if done as a regular business, or if they involve advertising of any kind.”

Robert Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, has indicated he would promote raw milk.

Public health authorities consider raw milk a health danger because it hasn’t been pasteurized — heated enough to kill illness-causing bacteria such as E. coli. But 13 states allow raw milk sales in stores. Advocates say it’s more nutritious, though experts say there isn’t enough evidence to prove that.

A Wisconsin Senate bill introduced in December 2023 would have created licensing for farms that want to sell raw milk. It failed to pass the Senate.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Think you know the facts? Put your knowledge to the test. Take the Fact Brief quiz

Is there a legal way to get raw milk in Wisconsin? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Does it take six months on average for the US Senate to confirm a president’s nominees?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

The average time the U.S. Senate takes to approve nominees to a president’s administration is more than six months.

The nonprofit Center for Presidential Transition reported that as of Nov. 11, 2024, the average number of days has more than doubled under presidents elected since the 1980s:

Joe Biden: 192

Donald Trump: 160.5

Barack Obama: 153.3

George W. Bush: 108.2

Bill Clinton: 100.3

George H.W. Bush: 64.7

Ronald Reagan: 69.4

The nominees include more than 1,000 leadership positions, including Cabinet posts such as attorney general.

One reason for the six-month average: Any senator can “hold” a nominee’s confirmation, sometimes to extract something in return. 

An August research paper concluded it is doubtful that reducing the number of positions needing confirmation would speed up confirmations.

Trump has said he wants the Senate to allow “recess appointments,” which wouldn’t require Senate confirmation, for his next administration.

The issue was raised Nov. 21 by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who called for streamlining confirmations. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Think you know the facts? Put your knowledge to the test. Take the Fact Brief quiz

Does it take six months on average for the US Senate to confirm a president’s nominees? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Did a late night ‘ballot dump’ in Milwaukee cost Eric Hovde the US Senate election?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Ava Menkes ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

Milwaukee counts absentee ballots at a central location and reports the totals only when they are finished.

Those results were delayed a few hours this year because election officials in Milwaukee recounted about 30,000 absentee ballots during the night of Nov. 3 into Nov. 4 because doors on the ballot tabulators were not properly sealed. 

In a Nov. 11 social media post, user End Wokeness claimed a 3:30 a.m. “ballot dump” lost candidate Eric Hovde the Senate race in Wisconsin. The chart in the post shows no evidence of fraud, just Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s vote total increasing when Milwaukee reported its absentee ballot results.

Baldwin received 82% of votes from the city’s absentee ballots and 78% overall, the Milwaukee Election Commission reported.

Wisconsin law requires clerks to post the number of total outstanding absentee ballots by the close of polls.

Baldwin won with 49.4% of the vote to Hovde’s 48.5% statewide, according to unofficial results. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Think you know the facts? Put your knowledge to the test. Take the Fact Brief quiz

Did a late night ‘ballot dump’ in Milwaukee cost Eric Hovde the US Senate election? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Has Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford opposed Wisconsin’s voter ID law?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford has opposed the state’s voter identification law.

The 2011 law requires proof of identification to vote. Because of court challenges, it didn’t take effect until 2016.

Crawford was one of three lawyers in a 2011 lawsuit challenging the requirement, which the Supreme Court rejected.

In 2016, Crawford said the law would be “acceptable” if voters could sign an affidavit swearing to their identity rather than providing proof of identification.

In 2018, she called the law “draconian.”

A University of Wisconsin-Madison study estimated the law prevented 4,000-11,000 Milwaukee and Dane county residents from voting in the 2016 presidential election.

The University of California, Berkeley, reported in 2023 that many studies found voter ID laws have little to no impact on voter turnout nationally, while others indicate “a disproportionate negative impact” on minority groups.

Crawford, a Dane County judge, is running April 1, 2025, against conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Has Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford opposed Wisconsin’s voter ID law? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Has 83% of the money from Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts gone to the top 1%?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

Higher-income Americans have received the largest savings from the 2017 tax cut law signed by President Donald Trump, but the top 1% have not received 83% of the savings.

The 83% claim was made Nov. 10, 2024, by U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis. He alluded to the expectation that Trump will aim to get Congress to renew the cuts, most of which expire after 2025.

The law cut individual income tax rates across the board.

In 2025, the top 1% of income tax filers will receive about 25% of the total benefits, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center projected.

In 2027, the share for the wealthiest 1% rises to 83%.

However, that’s because most individual tax cuts would have expired, but corporate tax cuts, which benefit higher-income people, would remain.

If the tax cuts are extended, their 2026 value would be about $400 billion, with the top 1% receiving $100 billion.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

MSNBC: ‘We’re going to protect everyone’: House Dems on standing up to Trump

Reuters: Republican sweep gives Trump power to slash taxes, may strain deficits

Wisconsin Watch: Did Donald Trump lower taxes on billionaires and raise them on everyone else?

Tax Policy Center: Understanding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Tax Policy Center: T24-0023 – Make Certain Provisions in the 2017 Tax Act Permanent, by ECI Percentile, 2026

Tax Policy Center: Distributional Analysis of the Conference Agreement for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Washington Post: The zombie claim that the 2017 tax cut gave ‘83 percent’ to the top 1 percent

PolitiFact: Nevada TV ad cherry-picks tax cut benefits to top 1%

Has 83% of the money from Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts gone to the top 1%? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Does Wisconsin have twice as many registered voters as active voters?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

Wisconsin has 4.27 million inactive voters and 3.66 million registered voters.

Inactive voters are not registered and are not eligible to vote unless they re-register on or before an Election Day.

Republican Eric Hovde added the numbers together in claiming Wisconsin has “almost 8 million registered voters on our voter rolls with only 3.5 million active voters.”

Hovde raised election administration questions one week after losing Nov. 5, 2024, to U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. Unofficially, Baldwin won by less than 1 percentage point.

People are made inactive when they die, move and register in another state, are convicted of a felony, are adjudicated incompetent to vote, or have their name purged.

Purging occurs every two years. The Wisconsin Elections Commission is required to make registered voters inactive if they have not voted in the past four years and have not responded to a mailing about their registration status.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Wisconsin Elections Commission: Inactive voters

Wisconsin Elections Commission: November 1, 2024 Voter Registration Statistics

LiveNOW from FOX: Eric Hovde (R) refuses to concede Wisconsin Senate race, weighing recount

Associated Press: Wisconsin Republican Hovde admits he lost US Senate race, still weighing a recount

Wisconsin Elections Commission: No, there are not almost 8 million registered voters on Wisconsin’s voter rolls

Wisconsin Elections Commission: Wisconsin Elections Commission: Deactivates 108,378 voter records – WisPolitics

NPR: Voter roll data is messy, leading to baseless election claims : NPR

Does Wisconsin have twice as many registered voters as active voters? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Are 40% of children in US taking antidepressants?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

Less than 8% of minors in the U.S. use antidepressant prescription drugs, the latest data indicate.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., campaigning in Milwaukee for former President Donald Trump, claimed that “40% of our kids are on antidepressants.”

Two Kennedy organizations did not provide information to back his claim.

A 2022 federal estimate based on surveys done from 2013 to 2018 said 6.6% of individuals ages 3-17 used a psychotropic medication such as an antidepressant during the previous 30 days.

In 2022, 2 million adolescents ages 12-17 filled at least one antidepressant prescription, according to a 2024 University of Michigan-led study. That’s 7.9%.

Also in 2022, antidepressants were obtained for 2.7% of children 17 and under, according to a federal agency.

Antidepressants are often effective in treating depression and anxiety in children and teenagers, but rarely “there can be severe side effects,” including suicidal thinking, according to Mayo Clinic.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Forbes Breaking News: RFK Jr. Lambasts Democratic Party At Trump’s Rally In Milwaukee, Wisconsin

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Mental Health Surveillance Among Children — United States, 2013–2019

Pediatrics journal: Antidepressant Dispensing to US Adolescents and Young Adults: 2016–2022

Annie E. Casey Foundation: Child population by age group in United States

U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Email 11/8/24

Mayo Clinic: Antidepressants for children and teens – Mayo Clinic

Are 40% of children in US taking antidepressants? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Are Milwaukee vote tabulation machines connected to the internet?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

Milwaukee ballot tabulation machines are not connected to the internet.

“Tabulation machines are not connected to Wi-Fi and the idle speculation suggesting they are vulnerable is simply incorrect,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson posted on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024.

For years, the city has used flash drives — thumb-size data-storing devices — to transmit results.

Flash drives are cleared and reformatted before being put in sealed envelopes; the process is witnessed, and both a Democrat and a Republican are among the observers who certify the process. After all ballots are processed, voting results from the tabulation machines are exported to the flash drives. Witnesses also sign a document certifying the exports.

On Election Day afternoon, election officials restarted the absentee ballot count after an observer noticed panel doors on Milwaukee’s 13 tabulators weren’t properly closed.

City election officials said there was no indication any of the tabulators had been tampered with.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

X: Mayor Cavalier Johnson post

X: Alexander Shur post

Milwaukee Election Commission: Central Count Tabulator Results Procedure

Wisconsin Watch: Wisconsin election: Milwaukee to recount thousands of ballots

Are Milwaukee vote tabulation machines connected to the internet? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Can anyone order Wisconsin absentee ballots ‘for anyone and ship the ballots anywhere in the world’?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

Only registered Wisconsin voters can use Wisconsin’s MyVote website to request absentee ballots by mail.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission told Wisconsin Watch that MyVote does not automatically send an absentee ballot to the requester. Requests generate an email to the requester’s municipal clerk, who determines whether the voter has provided information, including a photo ID, to receive an absentee ballot.

MyVote is the most common way Wisconsin voters request absentee ballots.

Wisconsin-based HOT Government, which alleged fraud in Wisconsin in the 2020 election, falsely claimed Nov. 2, 2024, that “anybody from around the world” can use MyVote to “illegally order absentee ballots for anyone and ship the ballots anywhere in the world.”

In 2022, the organization’s president Harry Wait was charged with four crimes for allegedly using MyVote to request absentee ballots for two Wisconsin elected officials be mailed to his Racine-area home. The case is pending.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Wisconsin Elections Commission: Vote absentee by mail

Google Docs: Wisconsin Elections Commission email 11/3/24

Wisconsin Elections Commission: How Wisconsin is Ready for the November 2024 Election

HOT Government: HOT Government

HOT Government: Wisconsin Election Fraud in 2020

X: HOT Government post

Wisconsin Justice Department: Union Grove Man Charged with Election Fraud

Wisconsin Circuit Court Access: Harry Wait case summary

Can anyone order Wisconsin absentee ballots ‘for anyone and ship the ballots anywhere in the world’? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Was the Biden administration’s revision of a jobs report fraud?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

The government revises job numbers annually as more information becomes available.

Former President Donald Trump falsely stated in Milwaukee that the Biden administration “fraudulently claimed” to have created 818,000 jobs.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Aug. 21, 2024, “in accordance with usual practice,” its estimate of the annual “benchmark revision” of jobs numbers. The revision will occur in February 2025.

The estimate said the number of jobs added in the year ending March 31, 2024, was 818,000 fewer than had been previously shown in monthly reports.

Monthly figures come from employer surveys; the annual revision comes from unemployment records.

“Economists across the ideological spectrum” said the revision was not manipulation, PolitiFact reported.

The revision of 0.5% was higher than the 0.1% average and the highest since 2009.

Under Trump, there was a 0.3% downward adjustment of 514,000 jobs for the year ending March 31, 2019.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Forbes Breaking News: Trump Unleashes Attacks On Kamala Harris At Campaign Rally In Milwaukee, Wisconsin

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: CES Preliminary Benchmark Announcement

Economic Policy Innovation Center: Why Did the Bureau of Labor Statistics Just Cut Its Employment Estimates by 818,000 Jobs? – EPIC for America

PolitiFact: Donald Trump’s Pants on Fire claim that Biden, Harris manipulated job data

Conference Board: Payroll Revisions Could Cut 800,000 from Jobs Gains, or Not

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: BLS Establishment Survey National Estimates Revised to Incorporate March 2019 Benchmarks

Politico: US job totals will likely be revised down by 818,000 as Trump cries fraud – POLITICO

SanTander Corporate Investment & Banking: A primer on the benchmark payroll revision

Was the Biden administration’s revision of a jobs report fraud? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Has Tammy Baldwin taken steps to lower prescription drug prices?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., has backed efforts to reduce prescription drug prices:

  • Cosponsored 2024 legislation to cap annual out-of-pocket costs at $2,000 per individual and $4,000 per family for people with private health insurance. No action has been taken.
  • Sent letters in January 2024 along with other senators to drug manufacturers demanding information on “exorbitant” asthma inhaler prices.
  • Sponsored 2023 legislation to require drug manufacturers to provide details of and justification for certain price increases. No action has been taken.
  • Supported the Inflation Reduction Act, which became law in 2022. It requires Medicare to negotiate the price of certain drugs.

Baldwin’s challenger in the Nov. 5, 2024, election, Republican Eric Hovde, stated that Baldwin “always talks about, ‘I’m going to lower drug prices.’ She’s done nothing on that.”

Average U.S. prescription drug prices are 2.78 times higher than in 33 other nations, the RAND think tank reported in February.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

U.S. Congress: S.4671 – Capping Prescription Costs Act of 2024

U.S. Congress: S.4671 – Sponsors

U.S. Congress: S.4671 – Action

WisBusiness: Baldwin, other senators investigating drug companies’ asthma inhaler pricing

U.S. Congress: S.935 – Fair Accountability and Innovative Research Drug Pricing Act of 2023

U.S. Congress: S.935 – Action

U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 117th Congress

U.S. Congress: H.R.5376 – Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 – Action

U.S. Congress: H.R.5376 – Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

Google Drive: 20241013 Hovde – 1280AM The Closer.mp4

RAND: Prescription Drug Prices in the U.S. Are 2.78 Times Those in Other Countries

Has Tammy Baldwin taken steps to lower prescription drug prices? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Does Eric Hovde support raising the Social Security retirement age for younger Americans?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

Republican Eric Hovde supports raising the retirement age for receiving Social Security, but only for younger Americans, despite misleading attacks on him.

Hovde is running Nov. 5, 2024, against U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.

Hovde said Oct. 21: “Nobody who’s on Social Security or heading to Social Security with any reasonable time frame should have Social Security touched.”

But because life expectancy has increased since Social Security was created, the retirement age should be raised for younger people. “You could start someplace in the 40s,” Hovde said, reiterating previous campaign comments.

Retirees can start receiving partial Social Security benefits at 62; the age for receiving full benefits varies.

Baldwin in an ad and on social media has attacked Hovde without saying his proposed eligibility change would apply only to younger workers.

Advocates say raising the retirement age would protect Social Security, which is projected to remain solvent only through 2033.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

WisconsinEye: Eric Hovde interview

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Claim that Eric Hovde proposed cutting Social Security is Mostly False

Hovde for Senate: Truth Matters: Eric Hovde Slams Tammy Baldwin For Lying About His Position On Social Security – Eric Hovde

Social Security Administration: Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction

Tammy Baldwin for Senate: Favor Both

X: Tammy Baldwin on X: “Let me tell you about Eric Hovde’s plan for Social Security. (Hint: you’re not gonna like it!) -Raise retirement age as high as 72 -Cut benefits 28% -Rob average retiree of $6K+/y

Congressional Research Service: CRS Updates Report on Social Security Trust Fund Solvency

Does Eric Hovde support raising the Social Security retirement age for younger Americans? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Does the US allow 10,000 additives into food?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates that more than 10,000 chemicals “have been authorized or are considered generally recognized as safe for use in food, or in contact with food in the U.S.”

The chemicals include food additives, color additives and chemicals used to make additives.

An Institute of Food Technologists journal reported in 2011 that the U.S. allows 10,000 additives in human food. An estimated 66% were approved by federal agencies, such as the FDA.

“Manufacturers and a trade association made the remaining decisions without (FDA) review by concluding that the substances were generally recognized as safe,” the researchers wrote.

The lead researcher, Thomas Neltner, told Wisconsin Watch he believes the count of chemicals is now 11,000.

Using the word “ingredients,” U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said Sept. 24, 2024, he heard the 10,000 statistic in testimony.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Google Docs: Email from FDA 10/29/24

Institute of Food Technologists: Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety: Navigating the U.S. Food Additive Regulatory Program

IHeart: Vicki McKenna Show – Aiding and Abetting – The Vicki McKenna Show

Google Docs: Ron Johnson food ingredients claim made Sept. 24, 2024

Does the US allow 10,000 additives into food? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Did Eric Hovde call for banning beer sales?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

An ad by the liberal super PAC WinSenate mischaracterizes what Republican Eric Hovde said about beer sales.

Hovde is running Nov. 5, 2024, against U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.

The ad says: “How do you know a politician’s not from around here? How about calling for a ban on beer sales? … And he actually said that.”

The ad alludes to a March Rolling Stone article. It reported Hovde in 2017 responded to a question about legalizing marijuana by saying:

“So, if we just decriminalize (marijuana)? Fine. … Frankly, it should have happened with alcohol. … Alcohol has a lot of negative byproducts. If somebody wanted to distill it, drink it. Fine, go ahead. But, sadly, as we know, it’s produced a lot of negative byproducts. … And saying that, I think the cat’s out of the — or, the horse is out of the barn, and it’s going to be hard to put back.”

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

AdImpact: Beer 30s

WisPolitics: WinSenate ad knocks Hovde’s criticism of alcohol sales – WisPolitics

OpenSecrets: WinSenate PAC Outside Spending • OpenSecrets

Washington Examiner: Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate suggested banning alcohol sales in state known for its booze: Report – Washington Examiner

Rolling Stone: GOP Senate Candidate Took Bold Stance Against the Sale of Alcohol … in Wisconsin

Did Eric Hovde call for banning beer sales? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Is the US producing more energy than it consumes for the first time since the 1950s because of Biden-Harris policies?

✇Wisconsin Watch
By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

The U.S. produced more energy than it consumed, for the first time since 1957, before Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office.

Campaigning for Harris, former President Bill Clinton claimed that “we’re now producing more energy than we consume for the first time since the 1950s because this administration followed what they called an all-of-the-above strategy — basically, natural gas, solar, wind, geothermal.”

Production surpassed consumption in 2019; Biden and Harris took office in January 2021.

Consumption generally began to level off in the early 2000s; production generally began increasing around 2010.

In 2019, the U.S. produced 101 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) of energy and consumed 100.2 quads.

Increased production was “largely a result of increases in crude oil and natural gas production,” the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported.

Production has continued to exceed consumption through 2023.

Clinton is scheduled to campaign for Harris in Wisconsin on Oct. 31, 2024.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

U.S. Energy Information Administration: In 2019, U.S. energy production exceeded consumption for the first time in 62 years – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

ABC15 Arizona: Former President Bill Clinton speaks at Harris-Walz campaign event in Phoenix

U.S. Energy Information Administration: U.S. energy facts – imports and exports – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

PolitiFact: Overall U.S. energy production is at a record high

Institute for Energy Research: The United States Was Energy Independent in 2019 for the First Time Since 1957 – IER

Is the US producing more energy than it consumes for the first time since the 1950s because of Biden-Harris policies? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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