PolitiFact is reporting that a U.S. senator's unvetted accusations crumbled in real time during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. It said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., questioned former special counsel Jack Smith about whether he attended a Feb. 3, 2024, NBA game in Atlanta between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks, suggesting text messages showed Smith was there. PolitiFact said Smith ruled out attending a basketball game in Atlanta, and that after Smith reviewed a poster displayed by an aide, he said he had attended a University of Maryland women's basketball game around that time to watch then-University of Iowa star Caitlin Clark. PolitiFact said the Hawkeyes defeated the Terrapins on that date in College Park. It said Schmitt later posted on social media, "Who knew Jack Smith was a Caitlin Clark fan?"
PolitiFact is reporting that it rated Mostly False a claim by Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers that his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, "supports defunding the police and emptying prisons." It said the statement contains an element of truth because El-Sayed previously supported diverting police funding and spoke about releasing some prisoners during the pandemic, but that it is not his current position and El-Sayed has called for funding for police during his campaign.
PolitiFact is reporting that it rated False claims in a Maine Senate ad by WinSenate, a super PAC supporting Democrat Troy Jackson's bid, that accused Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, of opposing the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. It said the ad misled voters about Collins' Epstein-related votes and that it found no business relationship between a donor to a pro-Collins PAC and Epstein.
PolitiFact is reporting that PolitiFact North Carolina rated False a Republican National Committee post claiming that "54% of North Carolina commercial driver's licenses were issued illegally to foreign nationals" under former Gov. Roy Cooper, now a Democratic Senate candidate. It said state officials reported that of more than 325,000 commercial driver's licenses, 1,149 — or 0.35% — were issued incorrectly to noncitizens, and none of those drivers were in the country illegally.
PolitiFact is reporting that the Trump administration released taxpayer-funded ads prominently featuring President Donald Trump promoting his agenda, and that Democratic lawmakers called them illegal propaganda. It said the White House defended the videos as public service announcements, saying past administrations have similarly used PSAs. PolitiFact said experts in campaign and government law told it they are not convinced, with University of Michigan law professor Samuel Bagenstos saying the ads do not inform citizens about how to access or understand government programs and that paying for them with government funds violates a prohibition on using federal funds for "publicity or propaganda."
PolitiFact is reporting that with fewer than five weeks before Election Day, Trump is traveling the country in support of Republican candidates, with a four-rally run beginning in Durant, Oklahoma, followed by events in Mobile, Alabama; Vandalia, Ohio; and Grand Island, Nebraska. It said it published a fact-checked guide to his expected talking points.
PolitiFact is reporting that sleep experts say there is little evidence to support the purported health benefits of mouth taping, a trend marketed as a way to improve sleep, and that there is some clear evidence of risk and potential harm.