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** Trump’s Attack on Government Statistics
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a wealth of data on employment, wages, inflation and more. Each month, the BLS issues monthly employment figures, which come from a survey of employers. And each year, the nonpartisan number-crunchers at the BLS revise those employment figures, based on more comprehensive data obtained later from state unemployment insurance filings.

The BLS has followed a routine procedure for these revisions for years. But when the agency announced ([link removed]) a preliminary estimate for this year’s revision – which would reduce the number of jobs created over the 12 months ending in March by 818,000 – former President Donald Trump claimed it was a “total lie.”

Without evidence, he claimed that “the Harris/Biden administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating job statistics.” He further asserted, “They wanted it to come out after the election, but somehow it got leaked.”

As Managing Editor Lori Robertson writes ([link removed]) , the revision wasn’t “leaked.” The BLS had announced on July 5 that the preliminary estimate would be released on Aug. 21, around the time it had done so in past years, including during Trump’s administration.

The 818,000 downward revision would be -0.5% of the March level of employment, a larger revision than the average over the last 10 years of plus or minus 0.1%. But there have been other large revisions in the past.

The annual revision for 2019, under Trump, was a reduction of 514,000 jobs, or -0.3% of the initial March 2019 employment estimate. The 2009 revision was a reduction of 902,000, or -0.7% of the original March 2009 estimate.

Read the full story, “Trump Calls a Routine Revision of Job Numbers a ‘Lie ([link removed]) .’”

HOW WE KNOW
NASA is best known for space flights to the moon ([link removed]) and beyond ([link removed]) . But we rely on it more for its work on climate change. For her article on sea level rise, FactCheck.org Science Editor Jessica McDonald used the latest NASA data on the current rate of global sea level rise. On its website, NASA says ([link removed]) : "We operate 26 missions in orbit and sponsor hundreds of research programs and studies each year. We observe our planet’s oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere, and measure how a change in one drives change in others."
FEATURED FACT
Sea level rise has accelerated in recent years, and that trend is expected to continue. For example, for much of the last century, oceans rose by an average of 1.4 millimeters, or 0.06 inches, per year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But between 2006 and 2015, the average more than doubled to 3.6 millimeters, or 0.14 inches, per year. According to the latest data from NASA, the current rate of global sea level rise is 4.2 millimeters, or 0.17 inches, per year. Read more ([link removed]) .
WORTHY OF NOTE
In the fiscal year that ended June 30, we received 1,319 gifts from individual donors totaling $124,022 -- slightly more than the previous year.

The largest single donation was $15,000. The average individual donation was $94, and half of our individual donations were $25 or less.

For more information about our donors, you can visit "Our Funding ([link removed]) " page.

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You can also mail a check to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, 202 S. 36th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104-3806. The University of Pennsylvania’s tax ID number is 23-1352685.

Thanks to everyone who supported us this past fiscal year! Have a happy and healthy Labor Day weekend.
REPLY ALL

Reader: Can a felon in Florida still vote?

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: Convicted felons can vote in Florida, but only after they have completed their sentences and paid off any outstanding legal costs related to their convictions.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has a fact sheet on its website called “Voting with a criminal record in Florida ([link removed]) ” that explains when and how a convicted felon can vote in Florida: “You lose your voting rights only for a felony conviction, and only while serving your sentence. Florida law has included in your sentence paying off ‘legal financial obligations’ (LFOs), which may include ‘fines,’ ‘fees,’ ‘costs,’ and ‘restitution’ related to your felony conviction.”

We cited the ACLU of Florida in an article that we did in May when a jury in New York found former President Donald Trump guilty on 34 counts of business fraud – “Q&A on Trump’s Criminal Conviction ([link removed]) .” Trump is a resident of Florida, but Florida law doesn’t apply in Trump’s case.

In that story, we wrote:

Can Trump vote in the 2024 election?

Yes, Trump can vote as long as he is not in jail on Election Day, which this year is on Nov. 5.

Trump owns homes in New York and Florida, but in 2019 he changed his primary residence ([link removed]) to Florida. However, Florida law does not apply in Trump’s case because he was convicted in New York. Instead, New York law applies.

“If you were convicted outside Florida, your voting rights are governed by the state where you were convicted,” as the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida explains ([link removed]) on its website.

In 2021, New York state enacted a law that “restores the right to vote for a person convicted of a felony upon release from incarceration, regardless of if they are on parole or have a term of post-release supervision,” the New York State Board of Elections says ([link removed]) . “If a convicted felon is not incarcerated, they are eligible to register to vote.”

Trump's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 18 ([link removed]) . However, New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan must first rule on Trump's motion to overturn the conviction based on a U.S. Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling last month. Merchan's ruling is expected Sept. 16. The judge also needs to rule on another Trump motion to postpone the sentencing date until after the election.


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* "Trump TV Ad Falsely Claims Harris Has ‘Unleashed’ IRS on Tipped Workers ([link removed]) ": The Internal Revenue Service did not implement a new voluntary program that certain employers could have used to report tips earned by their workers. But the proposal is partly the basis for a Trump campaign TV ad that falsely claims Vice President Kamala Harris “weaponized” and “literally unleashed” the IRS on tipped workers.
* "Trump’s False Claim That Harris Met with Putin ([link removed]) ": In February 2022, Vice President Kamala Harris attended an annual security conference in Germany to talk with European leaders about Russian aggression toward Ukraine and other world topics. She didn’t go to Russia, and there is no evidence she met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, contrary to an unsupported claim made by former President Donald Trump.
* "Trump Revives — and Further Decreases — His Absurdly Low Estimate of Sea Level Rise ([link removed]) ": On the campaign trail this summer, former President Donald Trump has routinely cast doubt on climate change by falsely claiming that the oceans will rise just “one-eighth of an inch over the next 400 years.” He’s previously used the same measurement over a period of 250 years. In fact, the current rate of sea level rise is already a little more than one-eighth of an inch each year.
* "Social Media Posts Twist Harris Campaign’s ‘Joyful’ Message ([link removed]) ": Vice President Kamala Harris has referred to participants in the Democratic presidential campaign as “joyful warriors,” and “joy” has been a theme at the party’s rallies and convention. Instagram posts, however, have falsely claimed the phrase “strength through joy,” which echoes a Nazi-era program, has become a Harris campaign slogan.

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* "Cómo respondió Walz a los disturbios en Minnesota tras la muerte de George Floyd ([link removed]) ": Durante años, el gobernador de Minnesota, Tim Walz, ha sido criticado por algunos por su respuesta a los disturbios en su estado después de que George Floyd fuera asesinado por un oficial de policía de Minneapolis en mayo de 2020. Esas críticas se repitieron este mes cuando la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris eligió a Walz como su compañero en la fórmula presidencial demócrata de 2024. Aquí ofrecemos una breve cronología de los acontecimientos.
* "Las afirmaciones falsas y engañosas de Trump sobre el historial de Harris respecto al crimen ([link removed]) ": En un acto de campaña en Atlanta y otros lugares, el expresidente Donald Trump ha intentado pintar a la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris, exfiscal general de California y fiscal de distrito de San Francisco, como una persona blanda frente al crimen. Varias de las afirmaciones de Trump van más allá de los hechos o distorsionan las posturas de Harris.
* "Última noche de la Convención Nacional Demócrata ([link removed]) ": En el discurso de aceptación de la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris, encontramos afirmaciones familiares sobre impuestos, aborto, control de la natalidad, Seguridad Social y Medicare.
* "Tercera noche de la Convención Demócrata ([link removed]) ": El candidato a vicepresidente y otros abordaron temas familiares como el aborto, la Seguridad Social y Medicare, y los impuestos.
* "Segundo día de la Convención Nacional Demócrata ([link removed]) ": Algunos oradores sesgaron los hechos sobre los planes de Trump para otro mandato.
* "Noche inaugural de la Convención Nacional Demócrata ([link removed]) ": Verificamos los hechos del discurso de Biden, que incluyó muchas afirmaciones que hemos escuchado antes, así com los comentarios de otros oradores.


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