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Fact-checkers find exaggerations in Obama, Biden conventions speeches - Fox News Posted: 08 Sep 2012 08:47 AM PDT President Obama and Vice President Biden made statements in their convention speeches about unemployment, Medicare and other issues that fact-checkers say appear inaccurate or at least misleading. Among the questionable remarks were Biden's argument that "after the worst job loss since the Great Depression we created 4.5 million private sector jobs in the past 29 months" – a frequent response by the Obama campaign when questioned about the slow economic recovery. The Associated Press and others point out that statement is misleading because it counts jobs from the recession's lowest point to where employment began to grow again – excluding jobs lost earlier in Obama's term and masking that overall unemployment has increased over that period. "Overall, roughly 7.5 million jobs were lost during the recession that began in December 2007 and ended officially in June 2009," according to the wire service. The Associated Press also points out that Obama said in his speech that he wants to use money saved by ending the wars to build highways, schools and bridges. However, the wars were largely financed by borrowing "so there is no ready pile of cash to be diverted to anything else," the wire service writes. The group FactCheck.org listed eight instances in which either Biden or Obama "spun" facts during their speeches Thursday night in Charlotte, N.C. The group point out that Obama boasted that "independent experts" found his economic plan would cut the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years. However, one such analyst called a key element of the plan a 'gimmick,' the group said. Other examples include the president saying U.S. auto makers are back on top of the world. "Nope," writes FactCheck, pointing out that General Motors has slipped back to No. 2 and is headed for third place in global sales this year behind Toyota and Volkswagen. The group said Biden misquoted Mitt Romney when he said the GOP presidential nominee "believes it's OK to raise taxes on middle classes by $2,000." Romney in fact promises to lower middle-class taxes, FactCheck points out. Still, Obama and Biden were not alone, fact-checkers also dissected Romney and running mate Rep. Paul Ryan' convention speeches a week earlier in Tampa, Fla. FactCheck said it found just "a few bits of exaggeration and puffery" in the Romney speech, even citing a tweet by Bill Burton, a former Obama press secretary, saying likewise. The group said Romney exaggerated about the loss of family income under Obama because some occurred 13 months he took office. However, the group said Ryan, in his acceptance speeches, made "false claims" or gave "misleading statements" at least five times – among them were that president's health care law funnels money away from Medicare "at the expense of the elderly." FactCheck pointed out Medicare's chief actuary says the law "substantially improves" the system's finances and that Ryan has embraced the same savings. |
Severe weather forecast across Northeast US - CBS News Posted: 08 Sep 2012 09:16 AM PDT Last Updated 12:22 p.m. ET (CBS News) The National Weather Service has issued a public severe weather advisory for much of the Northeastern United States for Saturday afternoon and evening. The advisory said significant severe thunderstorms, including the development of widespread damaging winds and a few tornadoes, are expected across portions of the lower Great Lakes, New England and Mid-Atlantic States Saturday afternoon into tonight. The strong upper-level weather system will interact with a moist and unstable airmass as it moves into the northeastern U.S. Areas most likely to experience this activity include Western and Central Connecticut, Northern Delaware, Western and Central Massachusetts, Northeastern Maryland, Southwestern New Hampshire, New Jersey, Central and Eastern New York, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Central and Southern Vermont. New York City firefighters responded to a beachfront neighborhood after reports of a possible tornado strike. An NYFD spokesman said there were power lines down and possibly other damage in the Point Breeze section of the Rockaway peninsula in Queens. Video posted online by YouTube member rcurrlin shows a funnel cloud coming ashore at Breezy Point in Queens. Click on the video player below. The general manager of the Breezy Point Surf Club tells the Associated Press the storm ripped up cabanas and even picked up industrial-sized metal trash bins. Another video posted on YouTube by gerritsenbeach (click on the player below) shows what appears to be a funnel cloud at Breezy Point. Severe storms are also possible from the Northeastern United States into the Carolinas. Damaging wind gusts will be common across the moderate risk area, and some locations could receive wind gusts of over 70 mph. A tornado watch was in effects for New York City and parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, New York State and Massachusetts, in effect until 9:00 p.m. Saturday. The NWS issued a tornado warning for Queens and Brooklyn Saturday morning as a line of strong thunderstorms moved through New York City, after radar detected a "strong rotation" in a band of severe weather sweeping across neighborhoods that included Kennedy and LaGuardia airports. There was no immediate indication whether a twister actually formed or touched down. The warning was in effect through 11:30 a.m. State and local emergency managers are monitoring this developing situation. Those in the threatened area are urged to review severe weather safety rules and to listen to radio, TV and NOAA weather radio for possible watches and warnings. |
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