MinnPost is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking here.
Yes. A national poll released by Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee found half of Republican respondents believed former President Donald Trump had classified materials at his Florida estate and the other half did not.
No. A state law approved by Gov. J.B. Pritzker will allow migrants legally authorized to work in the U.S. to become police officers in Illinois.
Yes. On a visit to Iowa for a Democratic Party news conference on July 28, Walz said “I mention coming down to Iowa, which we commonly refer to as the Deep South for Minnesota.”
Yes. Iowa’s unemployment rate has averaged lower than Minnesota’s between January and June 2023, but just slightly — by less than one-tenth of one percent.
Yes. The Minnesota Department of Human Services has posted a job for the position of “Call Center Navigator” for the Uniting for Ukraine program.
No. Solar energy accounted for 3.4% of the state’s electricity production in 2022, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
No. Gov. Tim Walz did not sign into law a bill imposing consequences for vehicles parking in bike lanes. The Minnesota legislative session adjourned on May 22, 2023, and will not reconvene until February 12, 2024.
No. Mayor Frey signed an executive order on July 21 lowering the priority that psychedelics have for law enforcement. The city states that “many other higher priorities,” such as addressing violent crime and opioid use, take precedent.
Yes. A new law signed by Gov. Tim Walz in March allows Minnesota residents, regardless of their immigration status, to get a driver’s license starting Oct. 1, 2023.
No. The Schmitt Music Company commissioned the Schmitt Music mural at its downtown Minneapolis headquarters in 1972 after a Minneapolis Star columnist called the building ugly.
Yes. Beginning in 1940, a group of Minneapolis businessmen created the Aquatennial, a civic festival and parade, to “improve Minneapolis’s reputation nationally” following labor strikes in the 1930s, according to the Minnesota Historical Society.
Yes. A national poll asked lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning people age 13 to 24, “How have recent debates about state laws restricting the rights of LGBTQ young people impacted your mental health?”
Yes. A Marquette Law School Poll found that 71% of U.S. adults favor requiring that transgender athletes compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender with which they identify, and 28% were opposed.
Yes. The national debt on Jan. 19, 2017, the day before Donald Trump was inaugurated president, was $19,944,429,217,107.
No. A driver’s license does not grant a person the right to vote.
No. It is not unconstitutional to teach about the Bible in public schools. This extends to all religions and religious texts.
Yes. In Minnesota, minors do not need to notify a parent or legal guardian before receiving an abortion.
Yes. No state currently outlaws traveling for an abortion.
No. Minnesota’s climate legislation plans out a goal for a 100% carbon-free electricity standard by 2040. This includes wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear sources of energy.
Yes. A program led by the Minnesota Department of Education’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Center lists helping teachers develop and implement anti-racist curricula as one of its goals.