The Related Press
The vice presidential candidates, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, on Tuesday engaged in a fast-moving, largely civil debate on a variety of points. Right here’s a have a look at some false and deceptive claims from the controversy.
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Iran has not obtained $100 billion in unfrozen property beneath the Biden-Harris administration
VANCE: “Iran, which launched this assault, has obtained over $100 billion in unfrozen property due to the Kamala Harris administration. What do they use that cash for? They use it to purchase weapons that they’re now launching in opposition to our allies.”
THE FACTS: The Biden administration agreed final 12 months to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian property as a part of a deal to free 5 U.S. residents being held by Iran. However administration officers say not a greenback of that has but been given to Iran. It was a part of a deal negotiated by the Obama administration, earlier than Biden and Harris took workplace, that would have allowed Iran to entry frozen property in alternate for accepting limits on its nuclear program.
In 2016, Iran mentioned it had obtained entry to greater than $100 billion price of frozen abroad property following the implementation of a landmark nuclear take care of world powers. The cash had been held in banks in China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey since worldwide sanctions had been tightened in 2012 over Tehran’s nuclear program. Then-Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew instructed Congress that solely about $50 billion of the frozen property would really be accessible by Iran.
Walz overstates the price of insulin earlier than cap
WALZ: “They had been charging $800 earlier than this regulation went into impact.”
THE FACTS: Walz overstated how a lot People had been paying for insulin earlier than a brand new regulation capped costs at $35 per thirty days for tens of millions of older People on Medicare. A December 2022 research discovered that individuals who had been on Medicare or enrolled in personal insurance coverage paid $452 yearly on common earlier than the brand new regulation took impact.
Vance hyperlinks unaffordable housing to immigrants who’ve come into the nation illegally
VANCE: “You’ve obtained housing that’s completely unaffordable as a result of we introduced in tens of millions of unlawful immigrants to compete with People for scarce houses.”
THE FACTS: Most economists blame a long-term decline within the housing provide for the regular enhance in house costs. The variety of new houses beneath development plunged from an annual tempo of 1.4 million in April 2006 to barely above 400,000 in August 2011, and didn’t recuperate to 2006 ranges till 2021.
Vance mentioned no less than one outstanding financial evaluation from the Federal Reserve helps his claims that immigrants are pushing up housing prices, however he didn’t present particulars. He was seemingly citing a Could 2024 weblog submit by Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Financial institution of Minneapolis. Kashkari says immigration’s long-run impact on inflation is “unclear,” however immigrants want a spot to reside and their arrival has overlapped with larger costs.
There is likely to be upward stress on house costs in some markets due to immigrants arriving, however most economists say the problem is an absence of provide of houses available on the market. Homebuilders say they want the immigrants to construct the houses. Fed Chair Jerome Powell mentioned at a September information convention that top mortgage charges imply individuals aren’t itemizing their houses on the market and there has not been sufficient provide.
Walz wrongly claims Venture 2025 creates being pregnant registry
WALZ: “Their Venture 2025 goes to have a registry of pregnancies.”
THE FACTS: That’s not true. The conservative initiative requires the gathering of “correct and dependable statistical information about abortion, abortion survivors, and abortion-related maternal deaths,” however not a report of each being pregnant that happens.
Extra particularly, Venture 2025 proposes that the Division of Well being and Human Providers require all states to report detailed details about abortions which can be carried out inside their borders, together with the whole variety of abortions, the age and state of residence of the mom, the gestational age of the fetus, the rationale for the abortion and the strategy used to carry out the abortion. It means that this information be separated into classes similar to spontaneous miscarriages, intentional abortions, stillbirths and different medical therapies that consequence within the loss of life of the fetus, like chemotherapy.
Vance overstates immigration numbers
VANCE: “We’ve obtained 20, 25 million unlawful aliens who’re right here within the nation.”
THE FACTS: That determine is very inflated. U.S. Customs and Border Safety stories greater than 10 million arrests for unlawful crossings from Mexico from January 2021 by means of September 2024.
That’s arrests, not individuals. Below pandemic-era asylum restrictions, many individuals crossed greater than as soon as till they succeeded as a result of there have been no authorized penalties for getting turned again to Mexico. So the variety of individuals is decrease than the variety of arrests.
In keeping with the Division of Homeland Safety’s newest obtainable estimate, there have been roughly 11 million individuals dwelling illegally within the U.S. as of January 2022, 79% of whom entered previous to January 2010.
Vance distorts Minnesota abortion regulation
VANCE: “It says that a physician who presides over an abortion the place the newborn survives, the physician is beneath no obligation to offer lifesaving care to a child who survives a botched late-term abortion.”
THE FACTS: This declare misrepresents a invoice Walz signed into regulation in 2023, updating language concerning the care of newborns.
The brand new language makes use of the phrase “an toddler who’s born alive” as an alternative of “a born alive toddler on account of an abortion.” It states that medical personnel are required to “look after the toddler who’s born alive” relatively than “protect the life and well being of the born alive toddler.”
Each the present model of the regulation and the 2015 model that was amended state that “an toddler who’s born alive shall be absolutely acknowledged as a human individual, and accorded quick safety beneath the regulation.”
Infanticide is criminalized in each state, together with Minnesota, and the invoice doesn’t change that.
Vance on Trump and Jan. 6, 2021
VANCE: “Keep in mind he mentioned that on January the sixth, the protesters must protest peacefully.”
THE FACTS: It’s true that Trump instructed the group gathered close to the White Home, “I do know that everybody right here will quickly be marching over to the Capitol constructing to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
However Vance ignored the incendiary language Trump used all through his speech, throughout which he urged the group to march to the Capitol, the place Congress was assembly to certify President Joe Biden’s victory. Trump instructed the group: “In the event you don’t battle like hell, you’re not going to have a rustic anymore.” That’s after his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, declared: “Let’s have trial by fight.”
Related Press writers Melissa Goldin in New York, and Amanda Seitz, David Klepper, Chris Rugaber, Ellen Knickmeyer and Josh Boak in Washington contributed.
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