Combination image of Donald Trump on Oct. 22 and Kamala Harris on Oct. 21.The Associated Press
This article is part of The Globe’s initiative to cover dis- and misinformation. E-mail us to share tips or feedback at disinfodesk@globeandmail.com.
‘Progress 2028′ is not connected to the Harris campaign
Several fact-checking organizations have found that ads on Facebook promoting a series of contentious policies called Progress 2028, purportedly to be from the Harris campaign, is in fact run by a Republican-aligned political action committee called Building America’s Future.
Open Secrets, an independent and non-partisan group that tracks money in American politics, found that Building America’s Future registered to use Progress 2028 as a name on Sept. 23 with its website created three days later. Open Secrets said the site, “appears to be created by IMGE LLC, a firm run by Republican political operatives that the New York Times described as the “hidden hand” behind Building America’s Future.”
Screenshot of Meta's ad library showing misleading ads by Progress 2028, falsely linked to the Harris campaign.Meta
The Progress 2028 name appears to be a reference to Project 2025. Developed by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 states its goal is to, “assemble an army of aligned, vetted, trained, and prepared conservatives to go to work on Day One to deconstruct the Administrative State.” The controversial plan includes closing the Department of Education, cutting funding for welfare programs and effectively banning abortion pills like mifepristone by reversing their regulatory approval.
Claims that 320,000 migrant children missing are a distortion
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance have both made misleading claims that distort figures about migrant children missing in the United States.
Mr. Vance said during the vice-presidential debate that 320,000 children were “effectively lost” by Homeland Security. Mr. Trump said at a rally on Sept. 23 that “She [Vice-President Kamala Harris] lost more than 325,000 migrant children,” and repeated the number at an event on Oct. 22.
The claim appears to mistakenly combine two numbers from an August report by Homeland Security’s inspector-general. It said more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children failed to appear for their immigration court hearings between 2019 and 2023. The report also said that, as of May, 2024, more than 291,000 unaccompanied children had not been served a notice to appear in court for an immigration hearing. Adding the two numbers (32,000 and 291,000) gives 323,000, close to the figure amplified by Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance.
The Homeland Security report doesn’t say the 291,000 children without court orders were missing. Neither did it say that all 32,000 children who failed to appear at court could not be located.
The report is critical of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, urging the agency to take action to ensure the safety of unaccompanied minors, saying that children who do not appear for court are considered at higher risk for trafficking, exploitation or forced labour.
Billions spent on small number of EV charging stations is an exaggeration
Claims that US$9-billion were spent on fewer than 10 EV charging stations appear to be an exaggeration of the amount allocated and doesn’t take into account the timeline for the program.
The Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed into law in November, 2021, allocated US$7.5-billion over five years to help build a network of EV charging stations across the United States.
A Washington Post report in March highlighted the slow rollout of the program and said seven charging stations were in operation with a total of 38 spots for EVs. In May, Autoweek reported eight charging stations were open.
EV analyst group Atlas Public Policy told The Post that the funding should be enough to build up to 20,000 charging spots in around 5,000 stations. Atlas added that the permitting process, requirements including proximity to highways, and state transportation agencies inexperienced in deploying charing stations were responsible for the slow start.
The Biden administration in 2023 stated a goal of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2030, with at least half of all new car sales being electrics by then.
An electric car at a charging point in Denver.David Zalubowski/The Associated Press
Yes, a wrong-way driver did pass a Harris motorcade
A man who drove the wrong way on a Milwaukee freeway on Oct. 21, past a motorcade for Ms. Harris, has raised new questions about the Secret Service.
A local TV station posted traffic camera video of the incident on X, where a white vehicle can be seen hugging the freeway’s concrete divider as the motorcade passes in the opposite direction.
The vehicle was stopped by police who reportedly found an open container of alcohol in the vehicle and conducted sobriety tests on the driver.
A spokesperson from the Secret Service told CNN the agency, “is aware of the incident involving a motorist travelling in the opposite direction on the highway while the Vice-President was in her motorcade.”
The Secret Service was already facing scrutiny after the assassination attempt against Mr. Trump in Pennsylvania. Kimberly Cheatle, director of the Secret Service at the time, resigned in the wake of the incident. An independent review of the Trump rally shooting revealed, “deep flaws in the Secret Service, including some that appear to be systemic or cultural.”