Polygraph

Will California Elect a Republican Governor? Steve Hilton Thinks He Can Win

On with Kara Swisher, Checked

Polygraph score
86Holds up47 claims checked
Details
What it claims
2 false11 mixed8 can’t tell43 true
How it argues
Nothing found
How it persuades
Nothing found
What it’s built on
Nothing found
On with Kara SwisherAug 10, 2026
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On with Kara Swisher cover art
On with Kara SwisherWill California Elect a Republican Governor? Steve Hilton Thinks He Can WinWhole episode, 1:01:23
64 claims

What it claims

Claims

  1. 1TrueCalifornia is one of the most Democratic states in the nation.Multiple sources show California is among the most Democratic states: the Secretary of State registration report shows Democrats at 44.92% versus Republicans at 24.81%, a Cook PVI of D+13 is cited, and The American Prospect says 'by any metric, California is the most Democratic state.' The claim's 'one of the most' phrasing is a mild, accurate hedge; as of 2026-08-10 the picture was unchanged, and the sources are consistent with it.6 sources →

    ▶ 4:30

  2. 2TrueSteve Hilton is a former Fox News host.Multiple tier1 sources (AP, BBC) report that Steve Hilton hosted a Fox News show for six years (2017 to about 2023), and sources published after the claimed posting date (Fox News radio, Washington Examiner) continue to describe him as a former Fox News host. The claim matches the passage's own description and the sources confirm the core assertion.6 sources →

    ▶ 0:35

  3. 3TrueSteve Hilton received Donald Trump's endorsement for the primary election.Multiple tier1 sources (AP, BBC, Reuters) and tier2 NBC report that President Trump endorsed Steve Hilton for California governor, and the Reuters and ABC10 pieces describe the endorsement as covering the primary, with Hilton receiving it for both primary and general elections. The post's own passage says Hilton 'scored President Trump's endorsement ahead of the primary,' so the claim matches the passage and no source contradicts it.7 sources →
  4. 4TrueSteve Hilton was born in London to Hungarian refugees who fled communism.Multiple independent sources (LA Times, ITV, Independent Goleta report, Modesto Bee, AP-based coverage) state Steve Hilton was born in London to Hungarian parents who were refugees from communism/the 1956 uprising. The claim's core assertions are supported and none are contradicted; the Wikipedia and Independent sources describe the parents as emigrating after the 1956 revolution, consistent with fleeing communism.7 sources →

    ▶ 0:50

  5. 5TrueSteve Hilton served as an advisor to former British Prime Minister David Cameron.Multiple independent sources (AP 2017, NPR 2016, NYT 2016, ITV 2026, Wikipedia, KTLA 2026) confirm Steve Hilton served as an adviser or senior adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, roughly 2010 to 2012. The extracted claim matches the passage, which states the same thing about Hilton's background.8 sources →

    ▶ 0:54

  6. 6TrueXavier Becerra is the Democratic opponent running for governor of California in the 2026 election.Multiple reliable sources (AP, Reuters, KPBS/CalMatters, Desert Sun, Daily Cal) confirm Xavier Becerra advanced from the June 2026 primary as the Democratic nominee facing Republican Steve Hilton in the November 2026 general election for California governor. The claim's framing matches the passage, and the 'as of 2026-08-10' date is consistent with sources showing him as the Democratic nominee from June onward.8 sources →

    ▶ 1:41

  7. 7TrueOne party has been in control of California for 16 years.Sources consistently report that Democrats have held California's governorship for about 16 years (since Schwarzenegger left office in 2011), and Democrats have controlled the legislature for longer, so the claim that one party has controlled California for 16 years is supported. The claim is a faithful extraction of the speaker's statement, though 'control' is a loose term that the sources read mainly as the governorship and legislative majorities.4 sources →

    ▶ 4:48

  8. 8MixedCalifornia has the highest poverty rate in the country, tied with Louisiana.The claim's ranking depends on the poverty measure. Under the official measure, Louisiana (18.1% in 2025) is the highest state and California (about 10.7%, the national rate) is not near the top. Under the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), California was tied with Louisiana in the prior release (17.7%, per CalMatters), but the 2025 SPM data shows Louisiana ahead at 19.0% versus California at 17.8%, making California second. As of the post date (2026-08-10), the prior-release tie partly supports the claim on the SPM measure, but the claim is contradicted on the official measure and by the latest data.6 sources →

    ▶ 5:01

  9. 9TrueCalifornia has the highest unemployment rate of all 50 states.As of the August 2026 data, California's 5.1% unemployment rate was tied with Oregon for the highest among the 50 states, and the September BLS-based coverage also places it at the top among states (behind only DC, which is not a state). The tie and the sparse, mostly unrated sourcing keep confidence moderate, and the July 2026 figure that was current on 2026-08-10 is not explicitly ranked by any source.5 sources →

    ▶ 5:06

  10. 10MixedElectric bills in California have doubled in the last 10 years.The claim that California electric bills doubled over 10 years is supported by some measures but not others. EIA data cited by energyfactbook.com shows the average residential rate up 58% from August 2016 to August 2026 (versus 41% nationally), while the 2024 Public Advocates analysis reported utility rates up roughly 82% to 110% over 10 years and called bills 'essentially doubled.' The CPUC's 2026 SB 695 report, with 8 to 10% average annual increases, implies roughly a doubling over about nine years, but it measures rates rather than bills.4 sources →

    ▶ 5:11

  11. 11MixedCalifornia electric bills are double the national average.Electricity rates in California are roughly double the national average in several sources (about 62% to 92% higher, depending on the source and period), so the claim holds if 'electric bills' means per-kWh rates. Read literally as monthly bills, the record does not support 'double': Energy Factbook shows an average August 2026 bill of $234.85 versus $209.23 nationally (about 12% higher), because Californians use less electricity per month. The claim's date (2026-08-10) falls within this period, and the post's own 'electric bills' wording matches the bill reading, so the verdict is mixed.8 sources →

    ▶ 5:14

  12. 12True2.3 million people voted for Steve Hilton in the primary election.The certified AP results show Steve Hilton received 2,277,318 votes (24.6%) in the June 2026 all-party primary, which rounds to 2.3 million. NPR's tally (2,277,315) and CNN's (2,277,318) match, and the extraction dropped only the phrase 'to be the challenger', which does not change the figure.5 sources →

    ▶ 6:41

  13. 13TrueDemocrats have a nearly two-to-one voter registration advantage over Republicans in California.The claim matches the post's wording and the record. The California Secretary of State's 60-day report (data as of April 3, 2026) shows 10,382,269 Democrats versus 5,784,486 Republicans, a ratio of about 1.8 to 1, which fairly reads as 'nearly two to one'. Later sources, including a May-based OC Register figure and an October Yahoo piece, describe the same advantage.4 sources →

    ▶ 8:06

  14. 14TrueA poll from last month showed Steve Hilton trailing the Democratic candidate by 25 points.The San Francisco Chronicle (published Aug. 18, 2026) reports that a PPIC poll from the prior month, i.e. July relative to the Aug. 10 post, found the Democrat leading Hilton by 25 points, which matches the claim. The post names the Democrat as 'Pescara', which no source uses (the candidate is Xavier Becerra), but the extraction's 'the Democratic candidate' is a faithful generalization, and the claim rests on a single unrated source for the July poll.5 sources →

    ▶ 8:11

  15. 15MixedBarely a third of Americans approve of President Trump's job performance.As of August 10, 2026, the record is split by measure: the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll before that date had Trump at 35%, close to 'barely a third,' while August polling averages and several individual polls put approval around 39-41%. The claim is therefore partly supported and partly overstated depending on whether one uses a single poll or an average. Later polls (33% Reuters/Ipsos, 33% Economist/YouGov on Aug 11) fall after the claim date and show the figure moved lower afterward.4 sources →

    ▶ 9:48

  16. 16TrueJoe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.Multiple tier1 and primary sources (AP, Reuters, FEC official results) confirm Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election with 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232 and about 81.3 million popular votes. The extracted claim matches the passage's assertion, which the post made as its own content; the claimant's dispute over 'certified' does not change the core assertion.6 sources →

    ▶ 10:34

  17. 17TrueThe FCC sided with phone companies against California regulators regarding the provision of landlines.The FCC approved AT&T's petition on June 29, 2026 to end copper landline service in California over the objection of state regulators, which supports the claim that it sided with the phone company against California. The approval does not immediately allow disconnection, and the broader federal override of California's carrier-of-last-resort rules is still pending, so the post's 'just' and 'couldn't get cell service' framing is loose but does not change the core assertion.5 sources →

    ▶ 11:31

  18. 18MixedCalifornia is the world's fourth-largest economy.Sources conflict on California's world rank. The California Department of Finance's IMF-based ranking (published 2026-10-08) places California fifth, behind Japan, while the Governor's office (2026-10-05) and a later Bay Area op-ed say it is fourth; the post's claim matches the fourth-place reading, and the sources do not cover the state of affairs on 2026-08-10 itself.6 sources →

    ▶ 13:45

  19. 19TrueCalifornia has the highest gas prices in the United States.Multiple sources dated around the August 10, 2026 posting (AAA-based state averages, LA Times citing AAA, Mercury News, Empower, and BTS-era state data) consistently show California had the highest average regular gasoline price in the U.S., roughly $5.6 to $6.3 per gallon versus a national average near $4.2 to $4.3. The claim is a faithful paraphrase of the passage's 'highest gas prices in the country' and is graded as true on the record as of that date.9 sources →

    ▶ 14:24

  20. 20TrueCalifornia charges the highest gas tax rate in the United States.Multiple sources rank California first for state gas tax rates as of 2026, including the Tax Foundation dataset (73.6 cents per gallon gasoline, first among states) and USAFacts (highest excise rate at 61 cents). Rankings shift with the measure used, but California stays at the top in every source, so the claim holds as of 2026-08-10 and the extraction matches the post's wording.7 sources →

    ▶ 14:40

  21. 21FalseThe California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) refuses to issue permits for the maintenance of oil wells.The claim that CalGEM refuses to issue permits for well maintenance is contradicted by sources showing the agency approving rework and repair permits for existing wells. The passage's sweeping 'any part of the production process' framing is not supported, though the sources do show that new drilling approvals had slowed sharply as of 2023.4 sources →

    ▶ 18:35

  22. 22TrueThe California state budget has nearly doubled in the last 10 years.Several sources, all from advocacy or partisan outlets, report that California's budget has more than doubled over roughly the last ten years, and no source disputes the total-budget claim. Official sources confirm current totals of about $350 billion but do not state the ten-year growth themselves, and the Hoover Institute's 75% figure over eight years is roughly consistent with doubling over ten, so confidence is capped.6 sources →

    ▶ 19:22

  23. 23TrueCalifornia's state budget for the current year is approximately $350 billion.California's enacted 2026-27 budget, signed June 29, 2026, totals about $351.7 billion in state funds, which matches the claim's approximately $350 billion. The figure depends on the measure: General Fund spending is about $251 billion and all-funds spending including federal money is about $539 billion, but the state-funds total is the standard reading of the state budget.5 sources →

    ▶ 19:43

  24. 24MixedCalifornia's state budget in January 2020 was $220 billion.The January 2020 proposal's total budget across all funds was about $222 billion, so $220 billion is close on that measure. On the General Fund measure, the proposal was about $153 billion, so the $220 billion figure does not hold there.Minor detail. The sources confirm the claim; only a minor detail differs, such as a name's spelling, a title's wording or a rounding.4 sources →

    ▶ 19:48

  25. 25MixedIt costs four times as much to build the equivalent piece of road in California as it does in Texas.The sources agree that building a road costs more in California than in Texas, but none supports a four-fold gap. The Illinois EPI cost-per-lane-mile data implies roughly 2.3 times, and the Texas Public Policy Foundation figures imply about 3 times, while the 4x figure appears only in the claimant's own repeated anecdote, and the PolitiFact 2017 check of a 4.7x figure was later revised to about 2.5x against the national average, not Texas.5 sources →

    ▶ 20:26

  26. 26FalseCalifornia spends $13 billion a year on full-scope Medicaid for citizens of other countries.The $13 billion figure matches no source. The sources put California's state-funded cost of covering undocumented immigrants at about $8.5 billion a year from the general fund (CalMatters, IJPR, 2025) and about $6.4 billion total for roughly 1.5 million enrollees (KVPR, 2024), so $13 billion is roughly double the total estimate. The claim also calls them 'citizens of other countries', though the sources describe undocumented immigrants, and Newsom's cut-back to eligibility is consistent with the sources.7 sources →

    ▶ 21:18

  27. 27TrueCalifornia is reducing eligibility for full-scope Medicaid for citizens of other countries.As of 2026-08-10, California had already narrowed full-scope Medi-Cal for immigrants without legal status: a new-enrollment freeze took effect January 2026, and further federal-driven restrictions on non-citizen full-scope eligibility were set for October 2026. The claim's wording ('citizens of other countries') is the post's own phrasing and is loosely used for non-citizens, which does not change the core assertion.6 sources →

    ▶ 21:22

  28. 28FalseCalifornia's mail-in ballot system sends millions of ballots to people who have moved out of state or to multiple addresses.The sources do not support 'millions of ballots' going to people who moved out of state or to multiple addresses. Officials acknowledge some erroneous ballots are mailed to movers because of lag times, and the 2026 Spectator piece reports voters who still get multiple ballots, but the largest mover-related counts are roughly 400,000 to 458,000 (2020), and PolitiFact found that claim overstated because it ignored roll maintenance. The 10.8 million figure is unreturned ballots, not ballots sent to movers. The claim departs from the passage only in 'millions' not being stated for this specific scope; the speaker said 'millions of ballots sent out to people who have moved,' so the post itself makes the claim.6 sources →

    ▶ 24:03

  29. 29TrueSan Francisco allowed non-citizens to vote in school board elections.San Francisco did allow noncitizen parents, guardians and caregivers to vote in school board elections under Proposition N (Measure N), approved by voters in 2016 and in effect from 2018. A 2022 Superior Court ruling struck it down, but a 2023 Court of Appeal decision upheld it, and SF.gov still lists a 2026 school board election under the program. The claim departs only slightly from the post's hedged wording ('I think San Francisco did it'), which the sources confirm in substance.6 sources →

    ▶ 25:52

  30. 30TrueWegovy is an FDA-approved weight loss medication available as a pill and a pen.The sources show Wegovy is an FDA-approved weight loss medication sold as both a pill (FDA-approved December 22, 2025) and a pen, as of the 2026-08-10 claim date. The post says 'Wogovi,' which the extraction rendered as 'Wegovy'; I read this as the same drug, since no separate product by that name appears in the sources.5 sources →

    ▶ 28:10

  31. 31TrueIn a clinical trial of Wegovy, people lost an average of 14% of their body weight at 64 weeks alongside diet and exercise.The 14% average weight loss at 64 weeks is supported: the OASIS 4 trial of oral Wegovy 25 mg, run alongside diet and exercise, reported about 14% (13.6%) loss regardless of adherence, versus about 2% for placebo. The sources also note a higher ~17% figure for patients who stayed on treatment, and the post's 'Wogovi' is treated as the same product as Wegovy, the oral pill.8 sources →

    ▶ 28:25

  32. 32TrueNvidia announced a half-trillion-dollar investment in the United States in April 2025.Reuters and AP both report that Nvidia announced on April 14, 2025 plans to produce up to half a trillion dollars of AI infrastructure in the US over four years, so the claim's core is supported. The claim drops the 'up to' qualifier, a minor imprecision, and the claimant's remark that the numbers were inflated is opinion rather than a checkable element.6 sources →

    ▶ 31:00

  33. 33MixedCalifornia has the highest unemployment rate of any state in the United States.As of the most recent state rankings in the sources (September 2026), California was tied with Connecticut at 5.1% for the highest state unemployment rate, so it was joint-highest rather than uniquely highest. The 2025 Center Square figures, which put California alone at the top, predate the claim, and the sources do not give the exact August 2026 state ranking.3 sources →

    ▶ 31:30

  34. 34TrueCalifornia's labor force participation rate is approximately 62 percent.As of 2026-08-10, the most recent California labor force participation figures in the sources were about 61.8% (June 2026, seasonally adjusted, down from 62.0% in May), so 'approximately 62 percent' holds within rounding. Not-seasonally-adjusted readings (61.0–61.4% in May–August) run about a point lower, and later data (61.6% in July, 61.4% in September, seasonally adjusted) show the rate drifting down since the claim was made.5 sources →

    ▶ 31:43

  35. 35TrueCalifornia's labor force participation rate has historically reached nearly 70 percent.The only source giving a California peak is PPIC, which says participation peaked at roughly 68 percent in 1989 (and cites a high of 68 percent in 1990). That is reasonably described as 'nearly 70 percent,' and no source contradicts it, though no source states 70 and PPIC is an unrated single source.5 sources →

    ▶ 31:49

  36. 36TrueSteve Hilton wrote the book 'More Human: Designing a World Where People Come First' in 2015.Multiple sources show the book 'More Human: Designing a World Where People Come First' was published in May 2015 under Steve Hilton's name, matching the claim and the post's own statement that he wrote it in 2015. Later 2016 editions, listed with co-authors Scott and Jason Bade, do not contradict the 2015 original, and the extraction faithfully reflects the passage.6 sources →

    ▶ 32:57

  37. 37TrueJonathan Haidt proposed 14 as the age for a social norm against smartphone use for children.Multiple sources report that Jonathan Haidt's proposed social norm is no smartphones before age 14, matching the claim as extracted from the post. Some sources describe the norm as 'high school' (about 14), and the claim's wording is a faithful paraphrase of the passage.9 sources →

    ▶ 34:51

  38. 38TrueA Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable in a case regarding the design of their platforms to hook children.Multiple reliable sources (Politico, NPR, PBS, AP via Chicago Sun-Times, NBC News) report that a Los Angeles jury in March 2026 found Meta and YouTube liable (negligent in platform design) in a case about addictive design harming a child, matching the claim; the post's 'earlier this year' fits that March verdict. The claim's phrasing 'hook children' paraphrases the reported claim that the platforms were designed to addict young users.7 sources →

    ▶ 35:05

  39. 39MixedCalifornia passed a smartphone ban in schools that is not being enforced.California did pass a law (AB 3216, the Phone-Free School Act) requiring every district to adopt a policy limiting or prohibiting pupil smartphone use by July 1, 2026, so the passage part holds, though it is a mandate for district policies rather than a single statewide ban. Enforcement is documented as inconsistent and uneven, but sources show many districts actively enforcing their policies, so 'not enforced at all' is contradicted; the claim also departs slightly from the speaker's wording by treating the law as a ban. As of 2026-08-10 the law had taken effect with policies being rolled out, and later coverage (through September) confirms the uneven enforcement picture.7 sources →

    ▶ 37:00

  40. 40TrueA recent Gallup poll found Americans are becoming more skeptical of AI as they become more familiar with it.Gallup's July 28, 2026 report 'Americans Cool Toward AI' found that familiarity with AI rose (70% say they are knowledgeable, up from 64% in 2024) while attitudes turned more skeptical, with more Americans saying AI does more harm than good and perceptions more negative especially among young adults. That matches the claim as of 2026-08-10, though the sources show an association over time rather than proof that familiarity causes skepticism.4 sources →

    ▶ 39:18

  41. 41TrueElon Musk committed abuses against local areas and citizens in Memphis regarding data centers.Multiple tier-1 and tier-2 sources document Musk-linked xAI operations in Memphis drawing allegations of unpermitted gas turbines, air pollution, and noise harming nearby Black neighborhoods, so the claim's substance is directionally supported. However, these are allegations in pending lawsuits, not adjudicated findings, so 'abuses' is a characterization the sources support only as alleged.6 sources →

    ▶ 40:04

  42. 42TrueOpenAI was formed to ensure that AI is developed in a way that benefits humanity.Multiple sources confirm OpenAI was founded in 2015 with a mission of developing AI to benefit humanity, so the core of the claim holds. The claim is a faithful paraphrase of the passage, and the sources do not contradict it.6 sources →

    ▶ 41:10

  43. 43Can’t tellIndeed sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs.The only source that addresses the 95% figure is Indeed's own help page, which repeats the number as its own data, so it is not independent corroboration. No independent source confirms or disputes the statistic, and the extracted claim drops the post's attribution ('According to their data').4 sources →

    ▶ 43:42

  44. 44True3.3 million employers worldwide use Indeed to connect with talent.The claim that 3.3 million employers worldwide use Indeed is supported by Indeed's own May 2026 BusinessWire release (3.3 million employers) and its July 2026 hiring resource page (over 3.3 million companies), both published before the 2026-08-10 post date. Other Indeed pages cite 3.5M+ employers, a difference within the range of company-reported figures and not a contradiction; the claim matches the post's wording and is consistent with the sources.5 sources →

    ▶ 43:49

  45. 45TrueTexas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988.Multiple sources state that the last Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas was Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, matching the claim's wording that Texas has not elected a Democrat since then. The only conflicting detail is that Bob Krueger was appointed to the seat in 1993 and lost the special election that year, which is an appointment, not an election, so it does not contradict the claim.8 sources →

    ▶ 44:37

  46. 46TrueJames Talarico is leading in most polls for the Texas Senate race.The claim matches the extracted passage and is supported for the period around the August 10 posting. Late-October polling shows Talarico ahead in most surveys, though many leads fall within margins of error, and an August 25 poll says several summer polls also had him ahead. Most sources post-date the claim, so this rests on directional evidence rather than polls taken on August 10 itself.6 sources →

    ▶ 44:45

  47. 47TrueICE agents are killing innocent people on the streets of America right now.Sources from July 2026 report ICE agents fatally shooting drivers on streets in Houston and Biddeford, Maine, and CBS's October tracker counts nine people killed by federal immigration agents, so the core claim that ICE agents are killing people on American streets is supported as of the August 10 posting. 'Innocent' is a contested characterization: DHS says its officers feared for public safety, while critics and some outlets say the victims were not threats, but no authoritative source dismisses the killings. The extraction matches the passage, which refers to ICE agents and the current administration's crackdown.6 sources →

    ▶ 47:11

  48. 48MixedMore than 11 million Californians are from someplace else.Under the most common measure, foreign-born residents, California had about 10.9 million in 2024 (PPIC, USAFacts, immigrationnumbers.org), just under the claimed 'more than 11 million', though some sources say 'nearly 11 million' or about 11 million in 2017. If 'from someplace else' includes Californians born in other states, the figure would be far higher, since CalMatters reports only 56% of Californians were born in the state, but no source gives a count for that broader group. The claim as checked on 2026-08-10 is therefore borderline on the immigrant reading and unquantified on the broader one.5 sources →

    ▶ 47:21

  49. 49Can’t tellThe current administration is causing carnage by unleashing immigration authorities on the streets of California and across America.The factual core, a surge of immigration enforcement on the streets of California, is well documented as of 2026-08-10 and in later sources, but the claim's central thrust, that the administration is causing 'carnage', is an evaluative characterization rather than a checkable fact. The extraction faithfully tracks the post, so the verdict turns on that characterization.5 sources →

    ▶ 47:25

  50. 50TrueSteve Hilton's wife moved to the U.S. in 2012 for her job as a top executive at Google.Multiple sources report that Hilton moved to the U.S. (California) in 2012 to join his wife, Rachel Whetstone, who was a senior Google executive, which matches the claim. The Stanford Daily framed the move as personal rather than professional, but it still describes it as accommodating her Google career, so the core assertion holds.6 sources →

    ▶ 51:55

  51. 51MixedThe Trump administration has stripped legal status from close to 2 million immigrants.The figure is grounded in an official USCIS count of about 2.2 million enforcement actions to revoke or terminate status, but the sources say that count is not the same as the number of people who actually lost legal status, which is unclear and partly tied up in litigation. The Atlantic's figure of more than 1.5 million (TPS and similar permissions) is a narrower measure, so the claim holds under one measure and is uncertain under the stricter one.8 sources →

    ▶ 52:00

  52. 52TrueHollywood has been losing jobs in California.Multiple sources, including Reuters citing Milken Institute data (California shed 17,234 entertainment positions 2019–2023), CBS/BLS (roughly 40,000 California film and TV jobs lost in 2023), Variety and CalMatters (73,000 U.S. production jobs lost since 2022, two-thirds in LA), and Spokesman/LA Times-style coverage (about 57,000 LA jobs shed in four years), show Hollywood/California entertainment employment declining as of the August 2026 claim date. The claim's wording matches the passage's 'bleeding jobs in California' without adding scope beyond the post.8 sources →

    ▶ 54:57

  53. 53MixedGeorge Osborne devised a UK tax incentive for the film industry while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer.Sources show Osborne, as Chancellor, announced and enlarged UK film and TV tax relief (2012 consultation, 2014 enhancements, 2015 25% rate), which supports the timing and his role. But the sources describe these measures as changes to an already-existing film tax relief scheme, and none says he originated the incentive, so 'devised' is not supported and the earlier scheme is not credited to him. The post says 'he devised the UK tax incentive', which the claim mirrors faithfully.4 sources →

    ▶ 55:21

  54. 54TrueCalifornia is leading a lawsuit to block the merger between Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery.California led a coalition of 12 states that sued on July 13, 2026 to block Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, so the claim was true as of the August 10, 2026 posting date. Source 5 reports that the states' suit later settled on September 21, 2026, but that later development does not make the claim false as of its posting date.6 sources →

    ▶ 57:24

  55. 55TrueCalifornia Attorney General Rob Bonta obtained a temporary restraining order in the lawsuit against the Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery merger.The sources confirm that U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted a temporary restraining order halting the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger in the 12-state antitrust lawsuit led by Bonta. The order was granted on the states' request, so the claim's phrasing that Bonta obtained it is a fair, slightly compressed description. The claim's references to the preliminary injunction and March trial date are not part of the extracted claim and are not graded here.4 sources →

    ▶ 59:03

  56. 56TrueThe trial regarding the Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery merger is scheduled for March.The claim that the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger trial is scheduled for March matches the record: on Aug. 4, 2026, Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín set the trial for March 2, 2027, running 12 court days. This was before the Aug. 10, 2026 posting date, so the claim was accurate on that date. The post's 'not till March' is a faithful paraphrase, and the claim's omission of the year is a dropped detail, not a contradiction.5 sources →

    ▶ 59:07

  57. 57MixedIt is illegal to live on the streets in California.Sources show that many California cities have made living or camping on the street illegal and can enforce those ordinances, but no source shows a statewide ban; sources describe it as up to individual jurisdictions, so the blanket statewide claim is not supported as stated. The claim faithfully extracts the speaker's wording, and the 2026 sources (PBS, IJPR) largely reflect a candidate's assertion rather than a statewide legal finding.4 sources →

    ▶ 1:01:11

  58. 58Can’t tellThere are 1.5 million empty properties in California.None of the sources gives a statewide count of 1.5 million empty properties. The post hedged the figure as "by one estimate," which the extracted claim dropped. The only statewide empty-home figure is 691,343 totally empty homes for 2013-2017 from a 2019 article, a different period and measure, so it is not a direct contradiction.2 sources →

    ▶ 1:01:33

  59. 59MixedThere are 188,000 homeless people in California.The claimed 188,000 is close to the official HUD counts but sits above the most recent figure available on the claim date. The 2024 count was 187,084 and the 2025 count, published June 2026, was 181,934, so the claim fits the 2024 figure rather than the latest one, and the speaker hedged it with 'something like that'. The post is from 2026-08-10, before the October 2026 preliminary 2026 estimates (about 175,836 total), which do not change the verdict as of that date.9 sources →

    ▶ 1:01:40

  60. 60TrueThe Medicaid system prohibits federal reimbursement for mental health care delivered in facilities with more than 16 beds.The IMD exclusion, in place since 1965, bars federal Medicaid matching funds for inpatient mental health care in facilities with more than 16 beds, so the core claim is supported by several authoritative sources. The claim omits the age limit (adults 21 to 64) and the state waiver exceptions, and it cites 'Medicare' where the post said 'Medicaid,' but none of these defeats the core assertion. The post's '1960s' origin is consistent with the 1965 date given by CBO.5 sources →

    ▶ 1:02:01

  61. 61TrueThe first Trump administration created a waiver that allows states to exempt themselves from the 16-bed limit for Medicaid mental health reimbursement.Sources show the first Trump administration announced in November 2018 a Medicaid waiver opportunity letting states seek federal reimbursement for short-term inpatient mental health treatment in facilities with more than 16 beds, despite the IMD exclusion. The claim's wording is a looser paraphrase, and the waiver requires states to apply and meet budget-neutrality conditions, but the core assertion holds. The post's California framing is not part of the claim as extracted.5 sources →

    ▶ 1:02:26

  62. 62TrueCalifornia voters have not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger's reelection in 2006.The claim is accurate as of the posting date. The AP election table shows Republican Schwarzenegger winning the 2006 governor's race and Democrats Jerry Brown (2010, 2014) and Gavin Newsom (2018, 2022) winning every race after that, and Reuters and CNN say Schwarzenegger was the last Republican governor. The 2026 race had not been decided when the sources were checked, and the claim concerns only past elections, so it is not affected.5 sources →

    ▶ 0:29

  63. 63MixedCalifornia imports nearly 80% of the oil used in the state from countries like Iraq or the Amazon rainforest.The sources put California's foreign oil share at roughly 60% to 77%, depending on the measure, with about 75% the most common figure, so 'nearly 80%' is at the high end or a modest overstatement. Iraq is a major named supplier, but 'the Amazon rainforest' is not a country, and the sources attribute Amazon-region supply to Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana and Argentina.6 sources →

    ▶ 18:23

  64. 64TrueCalifornia Senate Bill 54 was passed in 2017.SB 54, California's sanctuary state law, was passed by the Legislature in September 2017 with a 27-11 vote, and Governor Jerry Brown signed it on October 5, 2017. The extraction faithfully matches the post's wording, and no source contradicts the 2017 date.6 sources →

    ▶ 49:14

Sources

Fact-checkers 60Primary records 64Most reliable outlets 4Reliable outlets 27Less reliable outlets 2Unrated 199

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