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The Michael Berry Show
KTRH (KTRH-AM)
Politics and current events from the Czar of Talk Radio.
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False60% confidence6 sourcesAug 18, 202631% of Black children live in poverty.Said by AThe 31% figure matches a 2021 national statement and a Pennsylvania state figure for 2023–2024, not the current national record. The 2025 Census data show a Black official poverty rate of 17.3% and a child poverty rate of 13.4% overall, so a national Black child rate of 31% is roughly double what the record supports. The sources do not give the 2025 Black child official rate directly, which limits confidence. The claim was made on 2026-08-18, and the 2025 data was released later, but the national figures it contradicts describe 2025 and earlier years.False70% confidence5 sourcesAug 18, 2026The national average for child poverty is 18%.Said by AThe claim that the current national child poverty rate is 18% is contradicted by 2024–2025 Census data showing 14.4% (2024) and 13.4% (2025) on the official measure, and 15.5% and 14.8% in the ACS. The 18% figure matches the national child poverty rate for 2018 in an NCES report, so it was a real but outdated statistic when the claim was made on 2026-08-18.False85% confidence7 sourcesAug 18, 2026The Biden administration left between fifty and eighty billion dollars in American assets in Afghanistan during the withdrawal.Said by AThe claim's $50–80 billion figure is roughly seven to ten times the amount the Pentagon reported as US-provided equipment left in Afghanistan, which was about $7.12 billion according to the DoD report. PolitiFact rated the closely related '$80 billion-plus' claim False, and FactCheck.org called the $83 billion figure a debunked claim. The extracted claim matches the post's wording, so this is a grading of the post's own figure.False90% confidence9 sourcesAug 18, 2026The Biden administration left 85 billion dollars in American military equipment behind for the Taliban.Said by AThe claim that the Biden administration left $85 billion in American military equipment for the Taliban is contradicted by multiple authoritative fact-checks and by the Pentagon's own report. The $85 billion figure traces to total Afghan security-force funding over two decades, most of which was salaries and training rather than equipment, and the Pentagon's congressionally reported figure for equipment left behind is about $7.12 billion, of which it said most was Afghan-government property rather than U.S. military gear.False80% confidence7 sourcesAug 18, 2026John Bolton has pleaded guilty to taking guidance from foreign governments.Bolton pleaded guilty on June 26, 2026 to one count of retaining national defense information, and the plea resolved all 18 counts. No source says he pleaded guilty to taking guidance from foreign governments. The claim also departs from the passage, which was about officials beholden to financial interests, and the sources show the Iran link only as a hacker who obtained his classified material, not as guidance he took.Mixed55% confidence8 sourcesAug 18, 2026Insurance companies will pay for testosterone therapy if a patient's testosterone level is below 350.Said by AThe claim that insurers will pay for testosterone therapy when levels are below 350 ng/dL is partly supported: sources say insurance coverage for TRT depends on a low-level threshold that some plans set at 350 ng/dL (lowtcenter.com), but most insurers and the FDA/Endocrine Society framework use 300 ng/dL, and coverage also requires symptoms, two morning labs, and prior authorization, so a 350 cutoff guaranteeing coverage is not established. The claim also departs slightly from the passage, which said 'very good chance' rather than a guarantee.Mixed50% confidence5 sourcesAug 18, 2026James Talarico claims his mother's home as his own for the purpose of running for office.Said by AProPublica and Texas Tribune records show Talarico listed his parents' address on his voter registration from November 2021 and kept it until September 2024, after buying a home in June 2022, so the 'claims his mother's home as his own' element is supported. The 'for the purpose of running for office' motive and the voter-fraud characterization are disputed: his campaign says he lives in his north Austin home, and documents reviewed by the Current contradict the Federalist's fraud allegation. The extracted claim drops the post's 'which is voter fraud' qualifier, and the claim is graded without it.True85% confidence8 sourcesAug 18, 2026The United States of America was established in 1776.Said by AThe sources consistently date the founding of the United States to 1776, with the Declaration of Independence adopted on July 4 and the 1776 Report calling the nation's birthday July 4, 1776. The claim's year matches the extraction, which the passage itself states. One scholarly blog argues the nation was truly created in 1787 with the Constitution, but that is an interpretive dissent, not a contrary factual record.True95% confidence7 sourcesAug 18, 2026Thirteen U.S. service members were killed at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan.Said by AMultiple independent sources, including the Pentagon investigation reported by AP and CNN and official U.S. government statements, confirm that 13 U.S. service members were killed in the August 26, 2021 bombing at Abbey Gate in Kabul. The extracted claim matches the passage's core assertion without adding anything the post does not say.True90% confidence5 sourcesAug 18, 2026The withdrawal from Afghanistan occurred five years prior to August 2026.Said by AThe U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan was completed on August 30, 2021, which is five years before August 2026, so the claim's core timing holds. The post's reference to a weekend anniversary is a timing detail that does not affect the grade, and the extracted claim is a faithful paraphrase of the passage.True90% confidence5 sourcesAug 18, 2026James Talarico is 37 years old.Said by AJames Talarico, the Texas Democratic Senate candidate, was born May 17, 1989, so he was 37 on the posted date of 2026-08-18. The WSJ and NYT, both published in late October 2026, describe him as 37, and the birth date is consistent across Britannica and Wikipedia. The claim matches the passage's wording, and the post's 'Tallarico' spelling refers to the same person.True95% confidence4 sourcesAug 18, 2026The Declaration of Independence and The Wealth of Nations were both written in 1776.Said by AMultiple tier1 and primary sources confirm The Wealth of Nations was published March 9, 1776 and the Declaration of Independence was adopted July 4, 1776, so both were written/published in 1776 as claimed. The claim faithfully reflects the passage, and the only nuance is that the Declaration was adopted (and signed August 2) in 1776 while The Wealth of Nations was published that year, which does not change the core assertion.