Fact checkers find a lot to check in presidential presser

In the news conference he held Friday to announce he was declaring a national emergency at the southern border, President Trump "strung together a long list of false, misleading and unsupported claims on illegal immigration, drug smuggling, human trafficking, trade deficits and other issues," reports FactCheck.org, an independent, nonpartisan service of the University of Pennsylvania.

In The Washington Post's "Fact Checker" column, Glenn Kessler and Meg Kelly summarize "14 of the most noteworthy claims," including those involving national emergencies, the cost of illegal immigration, how most illegal drugs get into the country, the status of border-barrier construction, and the president's notion that the revised trade agreement with Mexico will pay for his wall, a claim the fact-checkers give four Pinocchios, meaning clearly false.

Fact Check looks at some of the same issues, as well as Trump's use of the terms "catch and release" and "chain migration," and more. FactCheck encourages republication of its material, free with credit. Kessler has told The Rural Blog that his Fact Checker columns may be republished free, as long as credit is given to the Post.