Robert Farley
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Articles by Robert Farley
FactChecking Trump’s Post-Election ’60 Minutes’ Interview
In his first sit-down interview since the midterm elections that saw Democrats retake control of both the House and Senate, President Donald Trump blamed Republicans’ poor showing on “bad messaging” — essentially not properly conveying to American voters all of the accomplishments of his second term.
Common Themes in the 2026 Midterms
Over the course of this election, we’ve monitored key toss-up congressional races, fact-checking false claims and distortions of the facts on a host of topics. But some issues have loomed larger than others. Before the Election Day polls open, here’s a look at the major midterm themes we’ve written about and how both parties have twisted the facts in trying to garner voters’ support.
Explaining the Case of the Two Dan Sullivans on Alaska’s Ballot
In the Alaska Senate race, the candidacy of retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. — not the incumbent Republican senator, Dan S. Sullivan — has been the subject of months of legal wrangling. But the issue took on increased national prominence this past week. At the behest of President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice took the unusual step on Oct. 22 of filing a preemptive lawsuit arguing that if Sen.
FactChecking Claims from Trump’s Midterm Rallies
Throughout October, President Donald Trump has traveled across the country, holding campaign rallies supporting Republican candidates in the 2026 midterms. He has several more rallies scheduled before Election Day on Nov. 3. In his remarks, which tend to last more than an hour, he has mostly boasted about his and Republican policies, while attacking some Democrats running for office and others who are not.
A US Pivot Toward Commercial Espionage?
However justified or inevitable it might be, this represents a major shift in how the U.S. has thought about intellectual property for the last three decades. Credit: Unsplash Subscribe for ads-free reading Washington has spent three decades lecturing the world about intellectual property protection. Now it looks as if the United States wants to start stealing economic secrets from China and elsewhere.
Alaska Ad Missing Context in Attacking Peltola’s Border Votes
An ad from the campaign of Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska features a mother whose 22-year-old son died from fentanyl and who claims Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola took contributions from “liberals [who] opened our borders to the drug cartels” and then “voted with them against securing our border.” But the ad leaves out several important points of context.
The US Army Looks to the Pacific – and Space – for Future Relevance
The U.S. Army sees its future as preparing for a fight in the Pacific, and it’s taking lessons from both the current fight in the Middle East and Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine. In addition to missiles, drones, and electronic warfare, that means an increasing presence for the land service in the space domain.
The US Army Looks to the Pacific – and Space – for Future Relevance
The U.S. Army sees its future as preparing for a fight in the Pacific, and it’s taking lessons from both the current fight in the Middle East and Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine. In addition to missiles, drones, and electronic warfare, that means an increasing presence for the land service in the space domain.
Alaska Ad Criticizing Sullivan’s Votes Leaves Out Context, Makes False Suggestion
An ad from a Democratic-aligned super PAC claims Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan “voted to raise Alaskans’ healthcare costs by $1,800 and on that same day voted to give himself a $500,000 taxpayer-funded payout.” But that’s not the whole story, and the ad leaves the false impression that Sullivan received that money. The words shown on the screen suggest the senator cashed in on the “taxpayer-funded payout.” He didn’t.
Misleading GOP Attacks Over Taxes on Tips, Overtime, Social Security
In congressional races around the country, Democrats find themselves under attack in political ads for allegedly opposing the popular tax cuts for tips, overtime and older Americans that were part of Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. While the ads warn that the Democratic candidates opposed or would do away with those tax cuts, many of the candidates themselves say they support those particular provisions.
What Will Indonesia Do With Its New Aircraft Carrier?
Febry Triantama has asked difficult questions in these pages about the strategic reasoning behind Indonesia’s acquisition of KRI Sriwijaya, a small aircraft carrier formerly owned and operated as the Giuseppe Garibaldi by the Italian Navy. Much regarding the future of the carrier (and the future of the Indonesian Navy) depends on how much Indonesia invests in maintaining and optimizing the vessel and its air wing.
What Will Indonesia Do With Its New Aircraft Carrier?
The KRI Sriwijaya is a small aircraft carrier and may be better understood as an amphibious support ship. Credit: Subscribe for ads-free reading Febry Triantama has asked difficult questions in these pages about the strategic reasoning behind Indonesia’s acquisition of KRI Sriwijaya, a small aircraft carrier formerly owned and operated as the Giuseppe Garibaldi by the Italian Navy.
Experts Question the White House’s Defense of Taxpayer-Funded Ads
The White House has defended three taxpayer-funded advertisements featuring President Donald Trump by comparing them to ads that were paid for by past presidential administrations. But some legal experts have said the Trump White House commercials are political messages intended to influence the 2026 midterms and may violate U.S. laws, including a prohibition against using federal funds for propaganda. The White House described its ads as “public service announcements” in a Sept.
Delivered to the Wrong Address? F-35 Parts Re-routed to Hong Kong
Last summer a shipment of F-35 parts was reportedly re-routed to Hong Kong from its intended destination in Australia. Australia is a partner in the F-35 program; the People’s Republic of China is not. U.S. authorities are reportedly trying to recover the parts and prevent future breaches. The incident has caused consternation in the United States and Australia, both of which have effectively committed to the F-35 as the foundation of their future airpower.
Delivered to the Wrong Address? F-35 Parts Re-routed to Hong Kong
The F-35 is a supremely advanced fighter aircraft with many proprietary components that would be of immense value to several foreign intelligence services. It is also a consumer product. A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing, takes off from Burlington International Airport in South Burlington, Vermont, March 11, 2026.
Trump’s Ban of News Organizations Goes Beyond Obama, Biden Actions
In banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, the Trump administration has argued that the move is similar to actions taken by Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. But the ban goes beyond what those presidents did. The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Sept. 21. Photo by Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images. In a Sept.
FactChecking Trump’s Midterm Convention Speech
In a nearly two-hour speech at the first Republican midterm convention, President Donald Trump promised to pay Americans if Republicans won, and he repeatedly said communists could take over Congress if they didn’t, among other familiar claims. Trump said every adult citizen would get a “dividend” of $5,000 if Republicans won the House and Senate. He suggested his tariff policies would pay for that, but it would take more than six years for tariffs to cover the $1.2 trillion price tag.
Ad Attacking N.C. Republican Senate Candidate Uses His Own (Dated) Words Against Him
In his campaign’s latest TV ad, Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper of North Carolina highlights the issue of affordability using direct quotes from his Republican opponent — “No AI, no special effects, just Michael Whatley in his own words.” They are, in fact, direct quotes from Whatley — but they are a bit dated, and some of the comments were more defensible or true at the time when Whatley made them.
Ad Attacking Cooper Makes False Connection to Murder
An ad from a super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley features a heart-wrenching testimonial from the father of a woman who was murdered in 2025. The ad falsely implies the accused murderer was one of the prisoners released during the COVID-19 pandemic when Whatley’s Democratic opponent, Roy Cooper, was governor of North Carolina. The problem: Cooper had nothing to do with the accused murderer’s release.
Trump’s Misleading Crime Drop Claims
In announcing the latest FBI annual report on nationwide crime, President Donald Trump wrongly cast the decline in crime in 2025 as a dramatic turnaround and made misleading claims about the impact of his administration’s policies. Speaking to an audience of law enforcement officers at the Nassau County Police Academy on Aug.
Alaska Senate candidates attempt to link each other to Epstein
In Alaska's tossup Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola has put out a new ad misleadingly accusing Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of casting “the deciding vote” to keep the Epstein files “hidden.” While Sullivan voted against considering an amendment to an otherwise unrelated bill that would have released the files earlier, he, like the rest of the Senate, supported a bill to make the records public.
Nate Morris jumps through last hoops before confirmation as ambassador to Colombia Original
On Wednesday, Nate Morris jumped through one of the last hoops to become the next U.S. Ambassador to Colombia. Morris answered questions from the Senate Foreign Relations committee, in preparation for a committee vote that will send his nomination to the full Senate. Morris is a native Kentuckian, a successful businessman, and a popular figure on the ideological right. How common is it for a person of his profile to become a United States ambassador?
Trump Overstates Magnitude of Noncitizen Voting in New Jersey
New Jersey’s governor announced that “a software error” in the state’s motor vehicle registration system resulted in 6,600 noncitizens being improperly added to the state’s voter registration list. The state’s preliminary investigation found that up to 400 votes were cast by noncitizens, far fewer than the “thousands of votes” claimed by President Donald Trump. Trump has seized on the incident as validation of his longtime but unsupported claims about massive numbers of noncitizens voting.
Trump’s Continued Claims of Vandalism at Reflecting Pool Disputed by U.S. Attorney Memo
President Donald Trump continues to insist damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was the result of vandalism, despite a Department of Justice motion filed on July 31 that placed the blame squarely on a contractor’s “botched” installation of the pool coating “and not vandalism as initially represented” by the Department of Interior.
Trump’s Distorted Venezuela Elections Claim Original
In claiming that American voting machines are vulnerable to manipulation, President Donald Trump provided an incomplete and distorted summary of the CIA’s reporting about Venezuelan efforts to manipulate electronic voting machines in that country.
FactChecking Trump’s Election Security Speech
In a July 16 prime-time speech that warned of “shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure,” President Donald Trump cast doubt on the country’s ability to hold “free and fair elections” but offered no evidence that widespread fraud had occurred. He made one reference to never watching “a stolen election again,” but otherwise suggested, rather than outright claimed, that the 2020 election, which he lost, had been “rigged,” as he has often said and has never backed up.
Is Ukraine’s Decentralized Drone Innovation a Blip or a Revolution?
A technician works on a drone at a workshop at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on Oct. 7, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A technician works on a drone at a workshop at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on Oct. 7, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images Over the last year, reports from Ukraine have described the development of a new ecosystem of drone innovation.
Alaska Senate Race Ads Mislead on Peltola’s Votes on Military Pay Raise
Ads in the Alaska Senate race are trading competing claims about former Rep. Mary Peltola’s votes on military pay raises. In late 2023, Peltola, a Democrat, voted in favor of a compromise defense bill that included a 5.2% pay increase for members of the military. Earlier that year, she voted against a House version of the bill that included several Republican amendments she opposed. TV ads from Republican Sen.
¿Puede el Congreso revocar la ciudadanía por nacimiento mediante una ley? Esto dicen expertos Original
Después de que la Corte Suprema anulara la orden ejecutiva del presidente Donald Trump que buscaba poner fin a la ciudadanía por derecho de nacimiento, el presidente instó al Congreso a derogarla mediante una ley, argumentando que no se necesitaría una enmienda constitucional “larga y engorrosa”. Pero los expertos en derecho constitucional y migratorio discrepan.
Pennsylvanians feel the impact of Trump's tax law one year later
WASHINGTON — A year after President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans enacted a massive tax and spending bill, Pennsylvanians are feeling its effects amid a debate on how big and beautiful the One Big Beautiful Bill actually was. The legislation provided for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, extending the reductions enacted during Trump’s first term while also reducing the taxes taken from tips, Social Security, new cars made in America and overtime pay.
Trump’s Dubious Claim that Birthright Citizenship Could Still Be Overturned with Legislation
After the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship, the president called on Congress to end it through legislation, saying a “long and unwieldy” constitutional amendment was not necessary. But constitutional and immigration law experts disagree.
Trump’s Inaccurate Anecdote on ‘Right to Repair’ Cars
President Donald Trump waded into the contentious “right to repair” your own auto debate, but he recounted a wildly inaccurate anecdote to bolster his support for consumers. According to Trump, in remarks on June 4, “They gave a man seven years in jail, actually, because he fixed his own car.” The following day, at a roundtable on agriculture in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, the president again referenced the case.
FactChecking Trump’s Contentious ‘Meet the Press’ Interview
President Donald Trump walked out of a sit-down interview with Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” That happened after he made, or repeated, a number of false and unsupported claims — some of which Welker pushed back on. Trump seized on the slow vote-counting procedures in California to claim, without evidence, that its recent primary election was “rigged.” The president falsely claimed that he “didn’t guarantee” that he’d keep the U.S. out of “new wars” in his second term.
Trump’s Push to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent
Legislative efforts to make daylight saving time permanent year round got a boost with support from President Donald Trump, who criticized the twice-yearly clock switching as cost-prohibitive. But there is no strong evidence that Trump’s solution — switching permanently to daylight saving time — would provide the economic boost Trump suggests it would.
Ebola case shows how Kentucky connects to the rest of the world Original
by Robert Farley, Kentucky Lantern May 28, 2026 Earlier this month, Ebola touched the Commonwealth of Kentucky, if only indirectly. Dr. Peter Stafford, who completed his residency at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine in 2018, was diagnosed with Ebola and flown to Germany for treatment. Dr. Stafford had been working as a physician and missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he contracted the disease after performing surgery on a patient who later died.
Definition of ’86’ at the Heart of Comey Indictment Original
A federal indictment against former FBI Director James Comey hinges on the meaning of “86.” The Department of Justice said it indicates a threat of physical harm, while the more common dictionary definition is to throw out or get rid of something. Legal experts have said the ambiguity of the meaning will make this a difficult case for the DOJ.
What Do We Know About ‘Birth Tourism’?
Q: How real is birth tourism? A: The government doesn’t provide estimates of the extent of so-called birth tourism — pregnant women coming to the U.S. on tourism visas in order to obtain birthright U.S. citizenship for their newborn child. One outside group has estimated it may be more than 20,000 births per year. Some argue it’s not common enough to justify upending longstanding birthright citizenship policies.
Fact Check: Trump’s prime-time address on Iran
A month after the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, President Donald Trump addressed the nation in a prime-time speech on April 1, saying the military operation was “getting very close” to completing its mission. Trump repeated some false and questionable claims we’ve written about before. • Trump said the U.S. “totally obliterated” three nuclear facility sites in Iran in June.
Trump Fumbles the Facts with Farmers
In a speech to what he called “the single largest gathering of American farmers that the White House has … ever had,” President Donald Trump distorted the facts on the estate tax, soybean exports and more. Trump falsely claimed that “we saved 2 million American farms from extinction by virtually ending the unfair estate tax.” That’s roughly the total number of farms in the country.
Fact Check: Trump’s prime-time address on Iran
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FactChecking Trump’s Prime-Time Address on Iran Original
A month after the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, President Donald Trump addressed the nation in a prime-time speech on April 1, saying the military operation was “getting very close” to completing its mission. Trump repeated some false and questionable claims we’ve written about before. Trump said the U.S. “totally obliterated” three nuclear facility sites in Iran last June.
3 FBI agents fired after investigating Trump file class action suit alleging 'retribution campaign'
WASHINGTON — Three fired FBI agents sued on Tuesday to try to get their jobs back, saying in a class action lawsuit that they were illegally punished for their participation in an investigation into President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
Judge orders Trump administration to halt White House ballroom construction unless Congress OKs it
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to suspend construction of a $400 million ballroom it demolished the East Wing of the White House to make space for, barring work from proceeding without congressional approval. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preservationist group’s request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts President Donald Trump ’s White House ballroom project.
Flaws in Government Tool to ID Noncitizen Voters
Republican Sen. Mike Lee said that he believes there are “at least tens of thousands, probably hundreds of thousands” of noncitizens illegally registered to vote in the U.S., adding that a federal tool used in nearly two dozen states would help identify the number. But the tool has wrongly flagged many as being noncitizens, and there’s no evidence of widespread noncitizen voting.
Is the U.S. at ‘War’? Politicians Disagree
Is the U.S. at “war” with Iran? Americans are getting conflicting messages from the Trump administration and congressional leaders. “We are not at war. We have no intention of being at war,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a press conference on March 5, hours after Republicans in the House blocked a war powers resolution that would have required congressional approval for any further military action against Iran.
Assessing Trump's Claims on Iran's Nuclear and Missile Capabilities
In discussing his reasoning for launching U.S. airstrikes on Iran, President Donald Trump said, “An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a dire threat to every American.” But arms control experts have disputed his claim that Iran “soon” could have missiles capable of reaching the U.S., and they say there’s a lack of evidence that the country “attempted to rebuild” nuclear enrichment facilities damaged by U.S. strikes last year.
FactChecking Trump’s State of the Union Address
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5 hours ago President Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address in American history on Tuesday night, insisting that he had overseen a “turnaround for the ages” during his first year back in office, even as voters lose confidence in his handling of the economy. In his remarks, which clocked in at …
By Robert Farley Verified, D'Angelo Gore Verified, Lori Robertson Verified, Jessica McDonald, Kate Yandell Verified, Saranac Hale Spencer Verified, Sanjana Juvvadi, Andrew Noh, Ashley Wang
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FactChecking Trump’s State of the Union Address
In the first State of the Union address of his second term, President Donald Trump proclaimed that “our nation is back, bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.” “What a difference a president makes,” Trump said. “A short time ago, we were a dead country. Now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world.” But our review of his speech found that he distorted a number of facts about the state of the economy, health care, immigration and other topics.
A Pre-SOTU Guide to Trump's Economic Claims
In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has made a series of claims about the economy, a topic that should feature prominently in his State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 24. “We have the hottest country anywhere in the world,” Trump said at a White House press briefing on Jan. 20, adding later that “America is booming.” He made similar comments the following day, asserting that “we were a dead country” a year ago.
New subpoenas issued in inquiry on response to 2016 Russian election interference, AP sources say
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has issued new subpoenas in a Florida-based investigation into perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump and the U.S. government response to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
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