The Kano State Chairman of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, Hashimu Dungurawa, has said the former governor of the state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, appointed the 15th Emir, Aminu Ado Bayero and four other first-class Emirs in pursuance of political gains ahead 2023 elections.
He stated this amid the controversies that trailed the Kano Emirate tussle.
Dungurawa made this known while fielding questions from newsmen in his office, explaining that it was a gamble that was arranged to expire with the tenure of the former governor, who eventually lost the elections.
According to the NNPP Leader, the Emirs enjoyed the status of appointed Commissioners by Ganduje, stressing that it was a matter of public good that they ceased to be recognized after the tenure of the former governor.
He said, “The five first-class Emirs we met on the throne were only commissioners appointed by Ganduje to assist him in winning elections. They were sustained to 2023 and they lost. And so their tenure came to an end.
“The fact remains that immediately Ganduje lost the elections and stepped down as Governor of Kano State, they ought to have also vacated their seats because none of them occupied the vacant seat of Emir of Kano since Muhammadu Sanusi II left.
“But maybe they didn’t accept that their tenure had expired after their benefactor lost the elections which witnessed Dr. Ganduje’s exit from the seat of power in the state.”
He posited that the decision to relieve them of their traditional status was rooted in public outcry over the vacant position of the Emir of Kano.
While reacting to the hoisting of flags at the Nasarawa palace, Dungurawa said, “Don’t forget Nasarawa mini palace is a guest house for the Emir. It is all about the Kano Emirate, it shows the SA Emir of Kano is doing his job faithfully by overseeing the graveyard of their forefathers laid to rest in the mausoleum.”
The Nigerian Federal Government says the disbursement of N150 billion in loans to micro, small and medium enterprises and manufacturers would commence by the end of July 2024.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, disclosed this in a statement through her official X handle on Thursday.
Uzoka-Anite said that 60 percent of the proposed one million beneficiaries of the Presidential Conditional Grant had received a financial grant of N50,000 without repayment obligations in the 774 local government areas of the country.
She said, “To all applicants of the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme who are yet to be paid, thank you for your continued patience. The disbursement process is still ongoing, and we have allocated about 60 percent of the 1 million grants.
“You can track the number of beneficiaries per LGA paid so far on grant.fedgrantandloan.gov.ng/learn-more/dis.
“We are also at the final stages of vetting for the MSME and Manufacturing loans. Applications remain open, and disbursement will begin by July ending.”
Recall that in December 2023, the Federal Government unveiled the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme as part of the Presidential Palliatives Programme aimed at supporting businesses to navigate the economic crunch caused by government policies.
Accordingly, the fund dedicates N75 billion to MSMEs and another N75 billion to the manufacturing sector to help businesses in Nigeria navigate the harsh economic realities.
DAILY POST reports that at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting on Thursday, President Tinubu approved an N50,000 uplift grant for 3.6 million families in Nigeria.
Sharon Ooja, the Nigerian actress, has revealed how she met Ugo Nwoke, her husband.
Ooja, who got married to her partner in an Abuja traditional ceremony on Thursday, shared how they met during a chat with Bella Naija.
She recounted how her sister introduced them shortly after she had gone through a severe heartbreak.
Ooja stated that she was initially hesitant but Ugo persistently tried to reach out to her.
She added that they got engaged within two and a half months and legally married two months later.
“My love story is one I will say is short of a miracle,” she said.
“I will say I had just recovered from what I consider the worst heartbreak of my life.
“I was filming, and my sister said to me, ‘Oh, a friend of mine wants to speak to you’.
“I was like, ‘Please, I’m not really in the mood. I do not want to talk to anybody’.”
“Anyways, she gave this person my number. We did not speak much. Months passed, and he kept on trying to reach me.
“We dated for two and a half months, and I was engaged in the third month. We married two months after that.”
Ooja’s traditional marriage hosted Nollywood stars including Jemima Osunde, Funke Akindele, Beverly Osu, Nancy Isime, and Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, among others.
Bisola Aiyeola served as the maid of honour.
Ooja rose to fame with her role as Shalewa in the web series ‘Skinny Girl in Transit’.
She has also starred in notable Nollywood films including ‘Oloture’, ‘Bad Comments’, ‘Glamour Girls’, and ‘Dead Serious’.
UEFA has dismissed two Spanish referees, Alejandro Hernández Hernández and Jesús Gil Manzano, from officiating at Euro 2024 after receiving complaints about their performance.
Hernández, who served as the VAR official, faced criticism for dismissing Scotland’s penalty claim in their 1-0 loss to Hungary last Sunday. Manzano was under fire for his error during France’s 1-0 victory over Austria.
Alongside the two referees, their assistants, Diego Barbero Sevilla and Ángel Nevado Rodríguez, have also been sent home.
This decision leaves Martínez Munuera, a VAR official, as the only Spanish representative for the remainder of the tournament.
Former La Liga referee Iturralde Gonzalez has called on the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to improve relations with UEFA following the dismissal of four out of five Spanish officials after the group stage.
“There is an urgent need for a Spanish representative on the refereeing committee,” Gonzalez told Spanish radio network Cadena SER.
In related news, Argentine referee Facundo Tello, who dismissed Scotland’s penalty protests against Hungary, has been named the fourth official for Italy’s last-16 tie against Switzerland on Saturday, despite earlier reports suggesting he had been dropped by UEFA.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke was visibly frustrated after his team was denied a penalty when Stuart Armstrong was brought down inside the box by Willi Orban.
Tello dismissed the claim, and lead VAR Hernández did not advise a review.
Clarke commented, “In a European competition it might have been better to have a European referee. But we had European VAR. Maybe the referee didn’t see the challenge clearly on the pitch, but what’s the purpose of VAR if they’re not going to come in on something like that? It’s a penalty. It’s 100 percent a penalty.”
Austria also expressed their displeasure with Manzano’s officiating in their 1-0 defeat to France, after they were not awarded a corner shortly before Max Wöber’s own goal secured the win for Didier Deschamps’ side.
Veteran Nollywood actor, John Okafor, better known as Mr Ibu, has been laid to rest in his hometown of Amuri, in the Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Naija News recalls that Mr Ibu died on 2nd March 2024 at the age of 62 after a prolonged battle with illness.
The Nigeria Actors Guild (AGN), alongside the family of the late comic actor, has been involved in a series of events to pay tribute and last respect to him.
Videos that emerged online show moments from the ongoing funeral ceremony in Enugu as friends and family members bid farewell to the late thespian.
Watch the videos below.
Video
Media
Ten officers of the Nigerian Army, all on the ranks of a general, have retired from active service after successfully serving out their required number of years.
The Generals, from the Nigerian Army Armoured Corps (NAAC), comprise six Major-Generals and four Brigadier-Generals.
They include: Major-General Nsor Okpa Ojiji, Major-General MH Magaji, Major-General GB Audu, Major-General M Danmadami, Major-General JG Mohammed and Major-General UI Mohammed.
Others are Brigadier-General A. Israel, Brigadier-General BA Mohammed, Brigadier-General D. Abdulsalam and Brigadier-General SP Akpan.
Speaking on behalf of the others who were also pulled out of service, Ojiji expressed delight at being able to complete the years of active service successfully and commended the Army leadership for the roles played.
He, however, appealed that more be done for those still in service to make them perform optimally in the service of the nation.
“We recall that the Nigerian Army Armoured Corps (NAAC) has a lot of challenges, which range from poor accommodation to inadequate professional and medical facilities, amongst a myriad of others.
“Today, however, I am happy to note that there are many very functional accommodation blocks; even the ambience of these barracks is very welcoming. Many resources and efforts have changed the situation. This is heartwarming.
“Kudos to commander NAAC, his team of officers, soldiers, and their families, who are determined together that things must improve in the corps,” he said.
Ojiji highlighted the need to address poor equipment grading, especially in formations and units and appealed to the Minister of Defence to look into it.
He added, “We hope that the minister of defence, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar, also make this his cardinal objective during his tenure. I plead with the Hon. Minister through this medium to deem it fit to do so.“
On his part, the commandant of the Armoured Corps, Major General Mohammed Ahmed, congratulated the retired officers, wished them well in their future endeavours and urged them to make themselves readily available for consultations and helpful advice on improving the Armoured Corps.
“We are happy we did what we should do. We carry out a lot of services to the community, ranging from free medical services to the provision of pipe-borne water, among others, and if they tell us about their problems, we promptly attend to those problems.
“There is no army in the world that has enough, and the Nigerian Army has developed its capacity to the level that you can see in most of our equipment, which is highly maintained,” Ahmed said.
Nigerian-born British heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua, doesn’t want to wait for too long to fight a fellow British boxer, Tyson Fury.
The rivalry between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury has been raging for years but the two boxers haven’t been able to agree on a bout even though they were close to doing so a couple of times.
Due to the online banter between the boxers, especially from Fury, most boxing enthusiasts are anxiously looking forward to when the two Britons will finally clash in the ring.
Hence, it is expected to be one of the most talked about and lucrative fights of all time especially if it takes place now that they are still at the peak of their respective boxing career.
But currently, the two fighters are preparing for different bouts. 35-year-old Fury is preparing for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in December, while 34-year-old Anthony Joshua is preparing for his IBF world title fight with Daniel Dubois on September 21.
If Fury beat Usyk and Joshua beat Dubois, the two British veteran boxers will finally face off in a unification bout. But AJ told the BBC that his meeting with Fury is long overdue.
“It’s a fight that’s been brewing for a long time,” Joshua said on Thursday.
“I can’t wait until I’m 50 to fight Fury because I’d have had so many wars, I can’t sit around and wait, I’ve got to continue to fight.”
BBNaija Season 4 winner, Mercy Eke has stated that she is ready to get married.
The entrepreneur shared her wish via Snapchat while attending the wedding of actress Sharon Ooja.
A follower wrote to Mercy, "marry me."
And she replied, "I'm so ready... I don't mind the gender like this. Love is sweet. I'm so so ready."
Nigerian rapper and singer, Folarin Falana, also known as Falz, has disclosed that he has not had a relationship since he left the university.
According to the 33-year-old, he is still single because he does not want to marry the wrong person.
The ‘Marry Me’ crooner spoke during a recent interview with Naija 102.7 FM, Lagos.
Falz stated that his parents, especially his father, are pressuring him to get married.
He asserted that the last time he was in a serious relationship was during his undergraduate days.
The singer explained that his status as a celebrity makes finding the right woman for marriage difficult.
According to him, “I’m not yet married. I’m single to stupor. My dad expresses concern over my marital status daily. If I greet my dad good morning, he would say the morning will be good if you were married.
“Both my mum and dad are deeply concerned about my status, although my dad pressures me the most. My mum is a bit calm now. It seems like she has passed the baton to my dad. No one can pressure me into getting married, not even my dad [laughs].
“Currently, I’m not dating anyone. I’m a straight man. I like women. But for a while now, I haven’t experienced a serious relationship. I was still in the university the last time I had a serious relationship.
“My lifestyle as a celebrity is difficult to find someone to commit to. Also, there are a lot of happenings in the industry that make having a booming career and a healthy relationship seem difficult. So because of that, I’m trying to be careful. There’s no issue. I’m just trying to be careful.”
The Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Emomotimi Agama, disclosed yesterday that Nigeria’s cryptocurrency market is estimated to be “worth over $400 million”.
Agama spoke at the 2024 Annual Conference of the Association of Capital Market Academics of Nigeria (ACMAN) in Abuja, themed “Crypto Assets and the Nigerian Economy: Implications for Financial Markets Regulation”.
Agama said a “significant portion of the population is involved in cryptocurrency trading and transactions”, predicting that the market volume “will reach $52.5 million by 2028”, representing “a 12.66 percent increase from 2024 to 2028”.
He noted that despite economic challenges, Nigeria has “emerged as one of the leading countries globally in terms of crypto adoption and volume of transactions”.
He stated further: “Reports indicate that Nigeria’s crypto transaction volume reached $56.7 billion between July 2022 and June 2023, representing a nine percent year-over-year growth.
“The country’s crypto market is estimated to be worth over $400 million, with a significant portion of the population involved in cryptocurrency trading and transactions.”
However, Agama acknowledged that challenges persist, including concerns over illicit activities, regulatory uncertainty, security concerns, and financial literacy.
“A balanced regulatory approach is essential to harness the benefits of crypto assets while mitigating risks,” he emphasized.
In his remarks, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr. Mairiga Katuka, said the introduction of crypto presents an advantage for the markets and urged all to chart a course forward for Nigeria with its vibrant financial markets.
More...
…Aircraft shortage turns passengers to ticket scavengers
…Planes grounded on high costs
In the last few months, only few airplanes have been deployed to serve domestic route passengers as Nigerian airlines struggle with fleet reduction owing to high cost of maintenance.
Some airlines have sent their aircraft on maintenance, but they are unable to return them due to the skyrocketing maintenance costs fueled by the foreign exchange crunch.
Others have been forced to ground their aircraft by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for their inability to send them for maintenance, thus reducing airplanes available for passengers.
In addition to these, the grounding of Dana Air, a relatively low-cost carrier which had six aircraft in its fleet, has also impacted the fleet operating the domestic routes.
Routes previously operated by Dana Air have seen increases in ticket costs.
The Lagos -Abuja route has seen more passenger glut than others as airlines, which charged between N60,000 to N80,000 three months ago, now charge as high as N200,000 or more for a one-way economy ticket on the route. With no other choice, passengers have had to cough out the sum.
On Tuesday, passengers who tried to book flights from Lagos to Abuja for Wednesday could not get flights, as all airlines were fully booked.
On Thursday morning, Valuejet operated only two flights from Lagos to Abuja with one flight at 6:45am and another at 7:30am.
Similarly, passengers could not get flights from Anambra to Abuja on Thursday.
On Thursday, airlines sold a one-way economy ticket on Asaba to Abuja route for as high as N175,000, an increase from about N70,000 three months ago.
Data obtained by BusinessDay from NCAA on Thursday showed that 13 domestic airlines operating in Nigeria, including Aero, Air Peace, Arik, Azman, Dana, Green Africa, Ibom Air, Max Air, NG Eagle, Overland, Reno Air, United Nigeria Airline and ValueJet put together operate a total of 91 aircraft. This data includes aircraft that have gone on maintenance.
Sources close to the NCAA told BusinessDay that apart from Dana Air that has been grounded, more than half of the 91 airplanes have gone on maintenance, putting a strain on the few operating aircraft.
BusinessDay’s checks show that five years ago, when just 10 domestic airlines operated on Nigerian routes, they had over 120 fleet.
Travel experts say the reduction in aircraft has made travel exclusively for the rich and created monopolies on certain routes.
“If you walk up to any counter at the domestic airport terminals and you don’t have a minimum of N200,000, you may not get a seat.
“Surprisingly, some of the airlines now tell you that they are selling premium economy to you, whereas there is nothing like premium economy. They sell you the business class and when you get onboard the aircraft, you’ll see that it is an economy class that has been sold to you,” Olumide Ohunayo, an industry analyst and director of research at Zenith Travels, told BusinessDay.
Ohunayo said the situation has been a problem that is ongoing and has continued to happen on routes where Dana operated.
“The withdrawal of Dana’s license and the grounding of aircraft that can’t go on maintenance due to lack of foreign exchange have led to reduction in fleet size.
“The grounding of Dana is a major problem. We need to find a way around this capacity problem and seats available. The passengers have not increased, but the supply of aircraft has dwindled. The passengers are really suffering during this period,” he said.
Ndukwe Ginika Ogechi, chief executive officer, Geena Travels And Tours Ltd, told BusinessDay that in the last few weeks, ticket prices have continued to increase while seat capacity dwindles because there are no aircraft to service underserved routes.
“My clients have been complaining because it has been difficult to get flights going to destinations such as Asaba, Enugu, Owerri and some northern destinations, as the airlines which previously operated two or more flights to these destinations may either operate one daily flight or not have any flight at all,” Ogechi said.
An airline operator who would not want to be quoted told BusinessDay that the reason flights are fully booked in recent times is as a result of capacity issues.
A source at Air Peace said the airline understands the situation and is trying to provide more flights to some domestic connections once some of the airline’s aircraft return from maintenance checks
“The Abuja route is the most flown route in Nigeria, as there is also the plethora of business opportunities attached to the destination, ranging from major business summits this month and political events,” the source added.
Airlines sell tickets in naira but pay for spares, aircraft maintenance and insurance premiums in dollars. They are facing higher operating costs as the naira has depreciated significantly against the greenback on the official and parallel markets.
When the naira-dollar exchange rate was N400/$, airlines paid between N200 million and N400 million to carry out C-check. But with the current exchange rate of about N1507/$, airlines have to pay between N800 million and N1.5 billion to carry out C-check on a single aircraft.
Airlines were already paying high insurance premiums due to the country’s perception as a high-risk operating environment and the alleged high insurance premium demanded by local insurance firms in Nigeria.
BusinessDay’s findings show that while Nigerian airlines pay eight percent to 10 percent of the value of a piece of aircraft to insure one, carriers that operate in Ghana, South Africa and other African countries pay two to three percent.
Also, airlines operating in Europe and the United States pay 0.5 percent to 1 percent to insure the same aircraft.
Airlines operating in Nigeria pay an average of $1 million annually to insure a B737-300 aircraft while those in Ghana or the US pay between $200,000 and $300,000 to insure the same aircraft type. With the increase in exchange rate, airlines pay higher for the cost of insurance.
At the backdrop of sustained surge in inflation, it has been established that cost of a Healthy Diet, CoHD, rose by 32 percent to N1,041 per adult per day in May 2024 from N786 in December 2023.
The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, disclosed this yesterday in its CoHD report for May 2024, noting that the rise was driven by increase in the prices of starchy staples, legumes, nuts and seeds, and animal source foods.
Analysis of the NBS CoHD report for the period (December 2023 to May 2024) showed that the cost of healthy diet increased by 9.2 percent month-on-month, MoM, to N858 in January 2024 from N786 in December 2023. CoHD increased by 9.3 percent to N938 in February and up by 4.7 percent to N982 in March.
The upward trend continued in April as CoHD grew by 5.4 percent to N1,035 in April and up by 0.6 percent to N1,041 in May.
The report stated: “The national average cost of a healthy diet was N1,041 per adult per day in May 2024. The CoHD has been steadily rising over the past six (6) months, since December 2023.
“In May 2024, the CoHD was 32 percent higher than it was in December 2023 (N786). It was also 1.0 percent higher than the cost in April 2024 (N1,035).
“The main drivers of this increase in CoHD are starchy staples, legumes, nuts and seeds, and animal source foods. Vegetables and fruits, on the other hand, saw the smallest increase in price month-on-month.”
On cost share by food group, NBS said: “Animal source foods were the most expensive food group recommendation to meet in May, accounting for 36 percent of the total CoHD to provide 13 percent of the total calories.
“Fruits and vegetables were the most expensive food groups in terms of price per calorie. They accounted for 11 percent and 12 percent, respectively, of total CoHD, while providing only 7.0 percent and 5.0 percent of total calories in the healthy diet basket.
“Legumes, nuts and seeds were the least-expensive food group on average, at 7.0 percent of the total cost.”
The bureau noted that at the state level, Ebonyi State had the highest average CoHD with N1,225 per adult per day, while Kano State accounted for the lowest cost with N898.
At the zonal level, the South East had the highest CoHD with N1,189 per day, while the North West had the lowest average CoHD with N919 per day.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said it is working on a new regulation aimed at improving the level of compliance and corporate governance practice by fintechs in the country.
The Deputy Governor of Financial Systems Stability at CBN, Mr. Philip Ikeazor, disclosed this during the FITC Fintech (TechNnovation) Conference held in Lagos on Thursday.
He said the new regulation is crucial to mitigate the risks of the digital era.
Presenting a keynote address, titled: “Building Trust in the Digital Age: Balancing Performance with Compliance” said the digital banking platforms have made financial services more accessible to millions of Nigerians, fostering greater financial inclusion and convenience.
However, on the flip side, he said digitalization also brings challenges that can erode trust if not properly managed.
According to him, issues like cybersecurity threats, data breaches, and digital fraud are persistent concerns that can erode consumer confidence in the system.
Mitigating the risks
To manage the risks, Ikeazor said the CBN has been at the forefront of this revolution, implementing policies that foster innovation while ensuring the stability and integrity of the financial system.
“In addition to existing measures, the central bank is working on a new regulation to further enhance performance and compliance. This will focus on two key areas: corporate governance and licensing requirements.
“Every organization should conduct its business processes in compliance with the law and the various regulations. Financial institutions need to take the compliance function as extremely important.
“Corporate Governance is also very critical. Organizations need to have the right structure and be effective transparent and accountable in the administration of their affairs. And especially now when you look at the body language of the regulator, this is the era of compliance and you’re going to be seeing very effective and dissuasive sanctions,” he said.
The fintech revolution
In her opening address, the Chief Convener and the Chief Executive Officer of FITC, Mrs. Chizor Malize, said the emergence of fintech has revolutionized financial services, shifting consumer behaviour towards digital consumption and away from traditional brick-and-mortar establishments globally.
According to her, the rise of companies like PayPal and Square, alongside innovations such as blockchain technology and mobile payment systems such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet, has demonstrated the immense of potential fintech to disrupt traditional banking models and enhance consumer convenience.
While noting that Africa stands at the forefront of this fintech revolution with companies like Interswitch, Flutterwave, Moniepoint, and others leading the charge, she said Nigerian banks such as Providus Bank, GTBank, and Stanbic IBTC and others are also embracing fintech innovations to meet evolving consumer demands.
“These initiatives showcase Africa’s potential to drive financial inclusion and economic growth through digital innovation. With widespread mobile technology adoption and a growing demand for financial services, these platforms have transformed digital payments, financial inclusion, and banking services, contributing significantly to Africa’s fintech revolution.
“The conference theme, “Building Trust in the Digital Age: Balancing Performance with Compliance,” captures the duality we face head-on. Trust is the cornerstone of any financial system, and in an age of rapid technological advancement, maintaining that trust is more crucial than ever.
“As we strive for peak performance and efficiency, we must uphold the highest standards of compliance and integrity. Strong regulation and compliance are essential for ensuring financial system stability, which is the focus of this conference. Education and knowledge intervention are vital to innovation, transformation and growth,” she said.
The FITC is a not-for-profit professional organization, which has the CBN, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), and all licensed banks in Nigeria as members.
[Nairametrics]
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump met for a showdown over policy and their records, but not everything claimed by the candidates onstage was factual.
Inflation rates, border crossings, Jan. 6, abortion, the stock market and the cost to America of the Paris Climate Accord were among the issues the two sparred over that need a closer look.
ABC News’ politics team analyzed their comments to break down fact from fiction.
Did Biden inherit 9% inflation?
TRUMP CLAIM: "He also said he inherited 9% inflation -- no. He inherited almost no inflation, and it stayed ... stayed that way for 14 months, and it blew up under his leadership …"
FACT CHECK: This is mostly true. In January 2021, when Biden was inaugurated, year-over-year inflation was about 1.4%. Under Biden, year-over-year inflation peaked at 9.1 % in June 2022. But it is now down to 3.3 %. Under Trump, inflation rose 7.76 % from January 2017 to January 2021, and year-over-year inflation peaked at 2.9 % in July 2018.
--Zunaira Zaki
Brian Snyder/Reuters
Were there any military conflicts during Trump's term in office?
TRUMP CLAIM: "We got…a lot of credit for the military, and no wars and so many other things. Everything was rocking good."
FACT CHECK: Needs context. While it's true that Trump did not formally declare war against a foreign power while in the White House, he significantly scaled up military action in Syria and Iraq in the fight against ISIS and also authorized the air strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, putting the country on the brink of a direct conflict with Iran. Pentagon records also show that at least 65 American troops were killed in action during Trump's term.
--Shannon Kingston
Crime and the Border
TRUMP CLAIM: "We have a border that's the most dangerous place anywhere in the world, considered the most dangerous place anywhere in the world, and he opened it up, and these killers are coming into our country, and they are raping and killing women."
FACT-CHECK: False. The reality is that no evidence points to a significant surge in crime caused by recent arrivals. The former president's claims ignore the fact that, overall, crime is down across the country. According to the latest FBI statistics released quarterly, violent crimes were down 6% in quarter 4 of 2023 (through Dec 2023) compared to the same time frame in 2022. There was a 13% decline in murders and a 4% drop in property crimes across the country. That declining trend followed unprecedented spikes in 2019 and 2020, Trump's last two years in office.
--Armando Tonatiuh Torres-García
Hunter Biden's laptop
TRUMP CLAIM: "It's the same thing -- 51 intelligence agents said that the laptop was Russian disinformation. It wasn't that -- it came from his son, Hunter. It wasn't Russia."
FACT CHECK: True, but needs unpacking At the final presidential debate of the 2020 cycle, Joe Biden suggested the contents of his son's laptop's hard drive -- which by then had been dubbed the "laptop from hell" in the New York Post and other conservative outlets -- were "garbage" and a "Russian plant."
Biden's claim that the laptop hard drive was a "Russian plant" was an apparent reference to a letter signed by 51 retired intelligence officials who wrote that the timing of its emergence "has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."
Several of those signees have since said that Biden mischaracterized the language in their letter.
Furthermore, earlier this month, prosecutors at Hunter Biden's criminal trial in Delaware introduced the laptop into evidence and, in one of the more theatrical moments of the trial, showed jurors the physical MacBook Pro 13 that Hunter Biden purportedly abandoned at a Wilmington computer repair shop in April 2019.
"Ultimately, in examining that laptop, were investigators able to confirm that it was Hunter Biden's laptop?" prosecutor Derek Hines asked an FBI agent who testified as an expert witness in Hunter Biden's recent gun case.
"Yes," the FBI agent said.
--Lucien Bruggeman
Gerald Herbert/AP
Late-term abortions
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "The problem they have is they are radical because they will take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month and even after birth."
FACT CHECK: This is not true. Abortions that occur later in pregnancy are around 1% of abortions, according to KFF. Democrats do not call for abortions late into pregnancies, and infanticide is illegal in the U.S. Democrats often respond that abortions that do happen in the third trimester are the result of tragic circumstances in a pregnancy.
--Cheyenne Haslett
Who had a better stock market?
TRUMP CLAIM: "[Biden] created mandates. That was a disaster for our country but other than that we had, we had given back a country where the stock market actually was higher than pre-COVID, and nobody thought that was even possible.
FACT CHECK: Unclear. The Dow hit 30,000 for the first time on November 24, 2020. But that was after the last presidential election, so it's hard to say whether it was because of Trump's presidency or because of Biden's win.
--Zunaira Zaki
Are more terrorists now crossing the border into America?
TRUMP CLAIM: "We have the largest number of terrorists coming into our country right now."
FACT CHECK: Largely exaggerated. Trump appears to be referring to the increasing number of migrants on the federal terror "watchlist" who are encountered at the border. The number of people encountered by border authorities on the watchlist jumped from three in Trump's last full year to nearly 100 in the first full fiscal year under Biden. However, the Terrorist Screening Dataset, maintained by the FBI, includes names of people who have suspected ties to individuals who may be affiliated with a foreign terror organization. It is not a comprehensive list of actual terrorists.
--Quinn Owen
Paris Climate Accord
TRUMP CLAIM: "The Paris Accord was going to cost us a trillion dollars and China nothing and Russia nothing, and India nothing. It was a rip-off of the United States, and I ended it because I didn't want to waste that money because they treated us horribly."
FACT CHECK: Not entirely true. Biden rejoined the Paris Climate Accord on his first day in office, according to a State Department memo. One-hundred and ninety-six countries signed on to the Paris Accord, agreeing to work together to limit the impacts of climate change and global warming. As part of that, the more developed, wealthier nations committed to contributing $100 billion to support developing countries more vulnerable to climate change's impacts.
Biden pledged to work with Congress to authorize $11 billion to contribute to the Paris Agreement's $100 billion in funds to support developing countries who need help adapting to climate change's impacts. As of 2023, the U.S. was on track to meet that goal with $9.5 billion committed to financing global climate initiatives, according to the State Department.
--Stephanie Ebbs
Gerald Herbert/AP
National Guardsmen on Jan. 6
TRUMP CLAIM: "I offered her [House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] 10,000 soldiers who are National Guard. And she turned them down, and the mayor of - in writing, by the way, the mayor, in writing, turned it down. The mayor of D.C. They turned it down. I offered 10,000 because I could see I had virtually nothing to do. They asked me to go make a speech."
FACT-CHECK: False. The final report by the bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol determined there was "no evidence" to support the claim that Trump gave an order "to have 10,000 troops ready for January 6th."
The report quoted President Trump's Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, who directly refuted this claim under oath, saying, "There was no direct order from the President" to put 10,000 troops to be on the ready for January 6th.
Instead, the report noted that when Trump referenced that number of troops, it was not to protect the Capitol but that he had "floated the idea of having 10,000 National Guardsmen deployed to protect him and his supporters from any supposed threats by left-wing counter-protesters."
--Luis Martinez
Iran, Israel, and Oct. 7
TRUMP CLAIM: "He [Putin] never would have invaded Ukraine, never, just like Israel would have never been invaded in a million years by Hamas. You know why? Because Iran was broke with me. I wouldn't let anybody do business with them. They ran out of money. They were broke. They had no money for Hamas. They had no money for anything, no money for terror. That's why you had no terror at all during my administration.”
FACT CHECK: Not true. Iran has been Hamas' principal backer for decades, including through the Trump presidency. Although Trump did withdraw from an Obama-era nuclear deal and levy sanctions against Tehran that dealt a sharp blow to its economy, records retrieved from inside Gaza by the Israeli Defense Forces and verified by independent news outlets indicate Iran still funneled tens of millions of dollars to Hamas during his administration. Two of Trump's top advisers for Middle Eastern affairs also claimed that Iran was supplying Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups with $100 million each year in an op-ed published in 2019.--Shannon Kingston
Trump's Manhattan hush-money case
TRUMP CLAIM: "That was a case that was started, and … they moved a high-ranking official, a DOJ, into the Manhattan DA's office to start that case. … [Biden] basically went after his political opponent because he thought it was going to damage me."
FACT CHECK: There are a few things to unpack here – but there is no evidence to support either statement.
First, there is no evidence that Joe Biden, as president of the United States, directed or choreographed a state prosecution -- which was brought by the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg. Biden has no authority to do so, and there is no evidence to support Trump's assertion.
Second, with regard to the "high-ranking" DOJ official who Trump claims was moved into the District Attorney's office to "start the case," Trump appears to be referring to Matthew Colangelo, who left the Justice Department in December of 2022, years after the investigation began. There is no evidence that Biden or the Justice Department coordinated Colangelo's move. The case was brought by Bragg, an elected Democrat in New York.
Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers.
--Lucien Bruggeman
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Were tax cuts under Trump the largest in history?
TRUMP CLAIM: "I gave you the largest tax cut in history. I also gave you the largest regulation cut in history, that's why we had all the jobs."
FACT-CHECK: False. According to Erica York at the Tax Foundation, the Trump-era tax cut (TCJA) was a large tax cut but not the largest in history. If you look at percent of revenue as share of GDP in the first two years, several tax cuts going back to 1940 were larger. The most recent that was larger was the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.Separately, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the tax cuts under President Ronald Reagan were the largest tax cuts in recent history as a percent of GDP.
At the time the law went into effect, the Tax Foundation estimated that it would boost long-term employment by more than 300,000 jobs. But Moody’s Chief Economist Mark Zandi says, "the tax cuts did support job growth, but at the cost of adding approximately $2 trillion to the nation’s debt." He added, “The regulatory changes had no measurable impact on job growth.”
--Zunaira Zaki
[abcNews]