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. In celebration of Taylor Swift’s Minneapolis performances on June 23 and 24, 2023, the Minnesota Department of Transportation updated electric highway signs with “Taylor Swift related” content for the week.
No. The Make-a-Wish Foundation confirms former Sen. Al Franken’s tweet was satire.
Yes. Minneapolis police have recorded 4,328 motor vehicle thefts as of June 25, 2023, compared to 2,388 by this time in 2022. Such thefts averaged 2,052 per year by this date over the past three years.
No. During the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Minnesota bars cannot sell alcohol 24 hours a day but are allowed to do so “30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after a scheduled broadcast of a live World Cup match.”
Yes. The Department of Justice estimates the Minneapolis Police Department stopped Black people 6.5 times and Native Americans 7.9 times more than white people from 2016 to 2022.
Yes. Minnesota’s Legislature in 2023 established the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board with responsibility over wages, benefits and working conditions specifically for nursing home workers.
No. Uber is continuing its normal operations in Minnesota cities beyond the Twin Cities metro area, according to a company spokesperson.
Yes. Minnesota identification cards present the options “M” for male, “F” for female and “X” for nonbinary.
Yes. It was the sixth hottest May on record in the state of Minnesota based on data from the Midwestern Regional Climate Center.
Yes. Under a policy that went into effect in January 2023, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals can request placement at a facility that is in alignment with their gender identity, rather than their gender assigned at birth.
Yes. Climate change has affected wildfire patterns by increasing wildfires’ frequency, severity and the areas of land they burn, and lengthening the wildfire season, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Yes. A bill that would have lifted a pandemic-related pause on federal student loan payments received support from two Democrats in the U.S. House and two in the U.S. Senate.
No. The North Star Promise program enacted last month applies to all eligible Minnesotans — not just undocumented immigrants.
After declining in 2018 and 2019, violent crime in Minnesota increased 17.2% in 2020 and 21.6% in 2021, according to Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s 2021 statewide crime report.
MinnPost joins two other nonprofit news organizations — Wisconsin Watch and the Nevada Independent — in researching and responding to claims through fact briefs.
No. The bill, House File 24, was signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz on May 17, 2023, allocating $240 million toward replacing lead pipes that link homes to water systems throughout the state.