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Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida introduced his presidential bid on Wednesday evening in a livestream on Twitter that was delayed by technical difficulties and peppered with often deceptive claims.
Right here’s a reality verify of a few of his claims.
What WAS Stated
“Biden’s additionally politicized the army and triggered recruiting to plummet.”
This lacks proof. Navy leaders have not too long ago warned that a number of branches of the armed forces are struggling to fulfill recruiting targets, however the causes they’ve cited have little to do with President Biden. Specifically, many youthful People merely fail to qualify.
A 2020 Pentagon examine discovered that simply 23 p.c of 17- to 24-year-olds can meet service requirements, with many failing the army’s entrance exams or health and psychological checks. That fee decreased by six share factors from the earlier examine in 2017.
Military leaders addressed recruiting points in a congressional listening to in April, noting that the problem has been ongoing.
“The tough recruiting panorama we face didn’t occur in a 12 months, and it’s going to take us greater than a 12 months to show this round,” mentioned Christine Wormuth, the secretary of the military.
Ms. Wormuth additionally famous {that a} Pentagon survey of two,400 individuals ages 16 to twenty-eight had requested about obstacles to enlisting. Respondents cited concern of harm and dying as the highest concern whereas cultural and political points — “wokeness within the army or the Covid vaccine mandate, for instance — these have been comparatively low on the listing of limitations to service,” she mentioned.
What WAS Stated
“In Florida, our crime fee is at a 50-year low. You have a look at the highest 25 cities for crime in America, Florida doesn’t rank amongst the highest 25.”
That is largely true. The state’s crime fee did fall to a 50-year low in 2021, however Mr. DeSantis omits an enormous caveat: Many legislation enforcement businesses within the state switched to a unique reporting methodology and the info is provisional and incomplete in lots of circumstances, The Tampa Bay Instances reported.
Knowledge from simply 59 p.c of Florida businesses masking 57.5 p.c of the inhabitants was used for the state’s complete combination crime fee in 2021. That mirrors a nationwide development: Throughout the nation, practically 40 p.c of legislation enforcement businesses didn’t report 2021 crime knowledge due to the brand new methodology.
No Florida metropolis ranked close to the highest for violent crime fee compiled by non-public corporations and information shops. But it surely’s value noting the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prison justice specialists have additionally lengthy suggested towards evaluating crime charges throughout cities, given the large variation in inhabitants dimension and demographics.
What WAS Stated
“No person most likely has made Disney more cash than me as a result of they have been open throughout Covid. They usually have been closed in California and that went on for a lot of, many months the place actually, I had all of the theme parks in Florida opened in 2020.”
That is exaggerated. Disney World in Florida closed on March 15, 2020, together with each different Disney theme park worldwide. It reopened in July, after being shut down for 4 months. Disney resorts in Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo additionally reopened in 2020 after being closed for months. Disneyland in California reopened April 30, 2021, after a yearlong shutdown, the longest among the many Disney resorts, as soon as the state allowed theme parks to welcome again guests.
Mr. DeSantis can also be downplaying his personal actions through the coronavirus pandemic. He issued an govt order on April 1, 2020, directing all residents in Florida to “restrict their actions and private interactions exterior of their dwelling to solely these obligatory.” Whereas the order didn’t explicitly shut theme parks, it restricted openings to important providers and actions, and prohibited gatherings of greater than 10 individuals. The order expired on Might 1.
What WAS Stated
“The entire e-book ban factor is a hoax. There’s not been a single e-book banned within the state of Florida. You possibly can go purchase or use no matter e-book you need.”
That is deceptive. There was no statewide ban of a e-book, however Mr. DeSantis is vastly taking part in down the extent to which particular person college districts and libraries in elements of the state have eliminated books. In truth, Florida ranks second, behind Texas, because the state with probably the most bans at 357, in response to PEN America, a nonprofit that helps free expression.
Laws signed by Mr. DeSantis limiting dialogue of sexual orientation, gender identification and race has led academics and administrations to take away books.
Books which were faraway from cabinets in Florida embody an image e-book about two male penguins elevating a chick, Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” and Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Story.”
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