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PolitiFact

The Newsroom runs PolitiFact Illinois, the local arm of the nationally renowned, Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking enterprise that rates the truthfulness of statements made by governmental leaders and politicians.

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PolitiFact

Fact-Check: No, USPS Isn’t Operating With a Multibillion Dollar Surplus

U.S. Representative Darin LaHood said he voted against legislation to infuse the postal service with $25 billion because the agency is operating with “a $12 billion surplus.” But USPS has operated at a net loss since 2007.
Sep 6, 2020 2:00 PM
PolitiFact

Fact-Check: No, an Illinois Couple Who Received Five Vote-by-mail Applications Cannot Vote Five Times.

A viral Facebook post incorrectly asserts an Illinois couple who received multiple unsolicited ballot applications can ask for them all and fraudulently vote with them all. They cannot, and neither can anyone else.
Aug 18, 2020 6:00 AM
PolitiFact

Fact-Check: Pritzker’s Mostly Correct About Illinois’ Historic Unemployment Spike

Speaking to the challenges the state unemployment system faced when COVID-19 struck, Gov. Pritzker said unemployment claims topped numbers seen during the Great Recession many times over. His estimate is in the ballpark.
Aug 14, 2020 3:30 PM
PolitiFact

Fact-Check: It’s Not Against the Law to Carry a Firearm While Wearing a Face Mask

False claims being shared on social media trace back to a longstanding Illinois prohibition on individuals carrying a firearm while wearing a face covering to conceal their identity.
Jul 9, 2020 6:00 AM
PolitiFact

Fact-Check: Attack Ad Wrongly Claims Pritzker Hiked Politicians’ Pay During Pandemic

A TV ad from a local right-wing group says the governor “gave huge pay raises” to politicians this year. While it’s possible state lawmakers could sue to receive an increase, that’s not because of Pritzker.
Jul 3, 2020 6:00 AM
PolitiFact

Fact-Check: No, the Novel Coronavirus Was Not 'Man-Made'

Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford said the novel coronavirus did not occur naturally. In response to our inquiry, she acknowledged she has no proof to back that up.
May 21, 2020 6:00 AM
PolitiFact

Fact-Check: LaHood Overstates Chicago’s Share of Illinois COVID-19 Cases

Arguing his region of the state should be allowed to start reopening, the congressman said Chicago accounts for nearly all cases of the novel coronavirus in Illinois. But data show the city makes up less than half of the state’s total.
May 14, 2020 3:00 PM
PolitiFact

Fact-Check: Pelosi Exaggerates Rauner’s Role in Illinois’ Fiscal Woes

Striking back at President Trump, the House Speaker claimed Illinois got into financial problems because of former Gov. Bruce Rauner. But there are many more fingerprints on the shovel that dug the state into the hole.
May 8, 2020 3:30 PM
PolitiFact

Fact-Check: Has Illinois Fallen Behind Other States in Testing for the Coronavirus?

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says the state is behind most others when it comes to COVID-19 testing — including all of its neighbors. But data show that while Illinois’ testing rate falls below average nationally, the state is outpacing those that surround it.
Apr 15, 2020 12:00 PM
PolitiFact

Fact-Check: No, the Coronavirus Did Not Cause the Death Rate to Drop in Chicago

A Facebook post shared over 2,000 times claimed that COVID-19 lowered the death rate in Chicago. But an analysis of cases from the Cook County medical examiner suggests the opposite.
Apr 3, 2020 1:30 PM

PolitiFact

Fact-Check: No, USPS Isn’t Operating With a Multibillion Dollar Surplus

Fact-Check: No, an Illinois Couple Who Received Five Vote-by-mail Applications Cannot Vote Five Times.

Fact-Check: Pritzker’s Mostly Correct About Illinois’ Historic Unemployment Spike

Fact-Check: It’s Not Against the Law to Carry a Firearm While Wearing a Face Mask

Fact-Check: Attack Ad Wrongly Claims Pritzker Hiked Politicians’ Pay During Pandemic

Fact-Check: No, the Novel Coronavirus Was Not 'Man-Made'

Fact-Check: LaHood Overstates Chicago’s Share of Illinois COVID-19 Cases

Fact-Check: Pelosi Exaggerates Rauner’s Role in Illinois’ Fiscal Woes

Fact-Check: Has Illinois Fallen Behind Other States in Testing for the Coronavirus?

Fact-Check: No, the Coronavirus Did Not Cause the Death Rate to Drop in Chicago