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Lie of the Year: PolitiFact singles out Trump/Vance, Springfield, ‘eating pets’
PolitiFact.com, a nonprofit journalism fact-checking site, has handed President-elect Donald Trump and running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio their annual “Lie of the Year” award.
• Context: Trump and Vance didn’t originate the false claim that Haitian immigrants were eating Springfield residents’ pets. But they grabbed the false social media rumor and ran with it during the presidential campaign.
• What Trump said: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame.”
• No evidence: City, county and parks officials confirmed that there was no evidence to support the claims. Erika Lee, the original social media poster, acknowledged her own claim was false.
• PolitiFact statement: PolitiFact said part of the reason they chose the Trump-Vance Haitian-pets claim as their lie of the year was that as story after story made clear that it wasn’t true, Trump and Vance stuck with the lie for their campaign.
• Major consequences: PolitiFact said the pair’s persistent lies created major consequences, including threats to city officials, and schools closing due to bomb threats.
‘Fight for the people who make this country work’: Sen. Sherrod Brown bids farewell in final Senate speech
Ohio’s U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown this week spoke on his values and his career, while calling for lawmakers to champion the rights and needs of workers over the interests of large corporations, in an 18-minute farewell speech to his Senate colleagues.
• His career: Brown has been a U.S. senator since 2007 and chaired the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Ohio House of Representatives and as Ohio’s Secretary of State.
• Taking his spot: In 2024 Brown lost his bid for reelection against Republican Bernie Moreno in a race that was marked by record spending.
• What Brown said: Brown talked about fighting for working people above large corporate interests, saying that a congressperson’s job is “not to listen to Wall Street, not the drug companies, not the railroads, but to fight for the people who make this country work.”
• On his future: “This is my last speech on the Senate floor, but I promise you this is not the last time you will hear from me,” Brown said.
What to know today
• One big takeaway: Dayton Public Schools will pay $85 per monthly bus pass to the Greater Dayton RTA next year to transport students to school. It costs the average person $60 for the same monthly pass.
• Tip of the day: The deadline to apply for the homestead exemption — a tax credit that could provide some relief to homeowners following record-high property tax hikes — is Dec. 31.
• 2024 in review: As the curtain falls on another year in theater, here are our choices for the best performances of 2024 in Dayton and beyond.
• Big move of the day: Dayton History plans to start renovating the well-known former Neil’s Heritage House restaurant, where it will centralize about 3 million items of a collection from some of the area’s most storied businesses.
• Quote of the day: “I’m just so thankful that I have been able to serve our citizens of Montgomery County. I’m going to still be in our community, trying to make a difference. I just appreciate Montgomery County, and I’m proud of all of you and the work we do.” - Debbie Lieberman, during the last Montgomery County commission meeting of her 20-year tenure.
• Thing to do: Dayton music icon Kim Deal will kick off her first-ever solo tour on Feb. 20 at the Brightside.
• Photo of the day: Five Rivers MetroParks recently hosted its annual Christmas on the Farm event at Carriage Hill MetroPark’s Daniel Arnold Historical Farm in Huber Heights. A Victorian Christmas and its many different traditions were represented. See all the photos from Tom Gilliam.
