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2585d ago / 5:55 AM UTC

Fact Check: Trump Says 'Vast Majority' of People Convicted for Terror-Related Crimes Are Foreigners

“According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country. We have seen the attacks at home — from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and yes, even the World Trade Center," Trump said.

The Facts: It’s unclear which data Trump is actually citing. Lacking the DOJ data Trump cites, the Associated Press notes data from the Department of Homeland Security that indicates Trump is overstating the threat of foreign-born individuals. Just over half of the people convicted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 are foreign born. The rest were born in the United States, including some of the perpetrators of the attacks Trump cited, including San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook and the shooter in the Orlando nightclub attack, Omar Mateen, who was born in Queens. 

2585d ago / 5:42 AM UTC

Fact Check: Trump Claims the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines Create 'Tens of Thousands' of Jobs

JOBS

“We have cleared the way for the construction of the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines — thereby creating tens of thousands of jobs," President Trump said.

The Facts: A 2014 State Department estimated last year that the two pipelines combined would create a 16,100 temporary construction jobs, while 26,000 jobs are expected to come from contractor and employee spending (think the fast food worker who serves construction workers breakfast).

Less than 100 are expected to outlast construction, according to the State Department and a Brookings Institution estimate.

2585d ago / 5:25 AM UTC

Fact Check: Trump Says Immigrants Cost Taxpayers Billions. But They Give Back More Over Time

IMMIGRATION

“According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs America's taxpayers many billions of dollars a year," President Trump said.

The Facts: Estimating the cost of immigrants is tough, but the study Trump cites on immigration found that first-generation immigrants do cost taxpayers about $57 billion a year. However, second and third-generation immigrants become a boon to government coffers, adding $30 billion and $223 billion dollars a year. The report said immigration was “integral to the nation’s economic growth,” and particularly praised high-skilled workers, who create jobs and have a significant “positive effect” on the economy.

2585d ago / 5:23 AM UTC

Fact Check: Trump Quotes Mattis Claiming the SEAL Raid in Yemen Yielded 'Vital Intelligence'

TERRORISM

"I just spoke to General Mattis who reconfirmed that, and I quote, 'Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemies,'" President Trump said of the raid in Yemen that killed Navy SEAL Ryan Owens.

NBC News Investigations' reporting disputes this claim. Multiple sources, including senior U.S. officials in different parts of the government with knowledge of the situation, told NBC News that last month's deadly commando raid, the first of its kind approved under Trump, has so far yielded no significant intelligence. But as NBC reported yesterday on "Nightly News," Department of Defense officials and military officials push back on that and insist they have obtained "significant intelligence," including data on explosives, according to a senior U.S. official cited by the AP. 

2585d ago / 4:53 AM UTC

Fact Check: Trump Says Obamacare Is 'Collapsing'

"Obamacare is collapsing — and we must act decisively to protect all Americans," President Trump said.

This depends on your definition of "collapsing." More than 9.2 millionpeople signed up for Obamacare for the 2017 coverage year and more than 20 million now have coverage because of the law's provisions. Premiums on the Obamacare exchanges are going up: They rose by an average of 22 percent this year, but a recent report found that was an in part expected adjustment because the premiums were artificially low the year before. Health insurance premiums had been rising long in all sectors before the ACA became law.

But that doesn't mean that insurers aren't worried. Insurers say they're struggling to make money and that they've been hurt by expensive customers who use special enrollment periods to sign up for coverage only when they need help paying big medical bills. 

Despite its flaws, polls have indicated that voters want to keep many, if not most, aspects of the law. They like provisions that stop insurers from capping benefits, refusing to cover people with preexisting conditions, and allowing adult children up to age 26 to stay on their parents’ policies.