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Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Nov 28, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Reality check: Examining Trump's wild morning of retweets

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

President Trump had a busy Wednesday morning on Twitter, retweeting a number of tweets from parody and fan accounts.

Why it matters: Trump's Twitter is his favorite form of direct communication to the American people — former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer once called Trump's tweets "official statements" — yet the accounts he retweeted are littered with controversial statements, inaccuracies and misinformation.

The retweets

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

Reality check: Along with a host of prominent Democrats, one of the individuals accused of treason in this tweet is Trump's own Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — as well as Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

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The big picture: GM has been on Trump's mind since its decision to idle four plants in the U.S. and cut 15% of its salaried workforce. He tweeted Tuesday that he is looking at ending electric vehicle subsidies for the automaker.

As Axios' Dan Primack notes, there are no GM-specific electric vehicle subsidies. Instead, there are industrywide federal tax credits of up to $7,500 on EVs purchased in the United States. Trump also could not end the credits without the help of Congress, which soon will have a Democrat-controlled House.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

Reality check: The $3,874 figure appears to be from a debunked internet rumor about payments received by refugees in Canada. According to the Refugee Cash Assistance program, a family of two in the U.S. that is not working and eligible for the program receives $420 a month for the first eight months.

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The backdrop: Trump said earlier this month that migrants throwing rocks at border agents and military personnel that he sent to the border would constitute lethal action: "They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back. We're going to consider it — I told them, consider it a rifle."

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

Reality check: This is a parody account of Vice President Mike Pence.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

Reality check: In this clip, Clinton is calling out the interviewer for confusing prominent African-American Democrats Eric Holder and Cory Booker, insinuating that the interviewer thinks "they all look alike."

Go deeper: Trump's tweet by dictation

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Rebecca Falconer, Andrew Freedman

Updated 32 mins ago - Energy & Environment

"Atmospheric river" to whiplash Northern California from drought to flood

A map depicting 24-hour preciptation forecast (inches) ending Monday at 5a.m. local time. Photo: NOAA

A series of powerful "atmospheric river" storms are set dump historic amounts of rainfall across parts of drought-stricken California and the Pacific Northwest from this weekend, forecasters warn.

Why it matters: A strong atmospheric river, packing large amounts of moisture, is predicted to whiplash Northern California from drought to flood.

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Rebecca Falconer

8 hours ago - Energy & Environment

10,000 trees near giant sequoia groves to be removed after fires

A firefighter looks up at a giant sequoia tree after fire burned through the Sequoia National Forest near California Hot Springs, California, on Sept. 23. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

"Upwards of" 10,000 trees near giant sequoia groves have been "weakened by drought, disease, age, and/or fire" and must be removed in the wake of California's wildfires, the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks announced.

Why it matters: The damage to these trees, considered "national treasures," and work to remove them means a nearby key highway must remain closed to visitors as they have "the potential to strike people, cars, other structures, or create barriers to emergency response services," per a statement from the national parks.

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10 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Obama stumps for McAuliffe, urges Virginians not "to go back to the chaos"

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Former President Barack Obama framed a Nov. 2 gubernatorial race as a bellwether for the Democratic Party and the country, telling a crowd at a campaign event for Terry McAuliffe on Saturday that "I believe you, right here in Virginia, are going to show the rest of the country and the world that we're not going to indulge in our worst instincts."

Why it matters: With just over a week to go before Election Day in the Commonwealth, McAuliffe is bringing out the big guns. The 44th president appeared on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University to urge supporters to get to the polls.

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