Abdul El Sayed: 'I Don't Want to Buy 2,000 Pound Bombs'

Mehdi Hasan6Only

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1. Claim 1

   Attributed toMehdi HasanAuto-attributedMisleading94% confidence▶ 0:00

   “This week Donald Trump apparently has approved a whopping 2.8 billion dollar deal to send 2,000 pound bombs, 40,000 2,000 pound bombs to Israel.”

   The Trump administration approved a $2.8 billion deal to send 40,000 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.

   The reported package did contain 40,000 2,000-pound bombs and was valued at $2.8 billion. However, reliable reports described it as a planned or pending sale that was not yet final, so stating that Trump had already approved the deal overstates its status.

   Omits: The package was reported as planned or proposed, had only been informally communicated to congressional committees, and was described as not yet final.

   • Israel and Palestine
   • US elections and domestic politics

   Sources

   • 1Trump administration plans to send powerful bombs to Israel in $2.8 billion weapons sale↗

     BackgroundThe $2.8 billion package includes 40,000 of the bombs, made up of 20,000 Mk84s and 20,000 BLU-117s, according to two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the plan who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the package, which is not yet final.

   • 2Trump administration plans $2.8 billion munitions sale to Israel, sources say↗

     RefutesWASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration is planning to sell to Israel a munitions package worth $2.8 billion, which will include tens of thousands of highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs, according to a U.S. official familiar with the sale.

2. Claim 2

   Attributed toMehdi HasanAuto-attributedAccurate50% confidence▶ 0:10

   “One of the largest such measures in years.”

   The package was among the largest sales or transfers of 2,000-pound bombs in years.

   Reports described the proposed package as the largest single sale of these controversial munitions in recent years, which supports the speaker's less absolute formulation that it was one of the largest such measures in years.

   Sources

   • 1Trump’s planned sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel is largest in years↗

     SupportsThe Trump administration is preparing a multibillion-dollar sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in the largest single sale of the controversial munition in recent years, a U.S. official told The Washington Post.

3. Claim 3

   Attributed toMehdi HasanAuto-attributedUnverifiable50% confidence▶ 0:13

   “It's not a sale by the way. It's being called a sale but we're paying for it. The US taxpayer is paying for Israel to have these bombs”

   U.S. taxpayers would fund most of the package through foreign military financing rather than Israel paying directly from its own funds.

   The financing arrangement was reported as foreign military financing, under which U.S. taxpayer dollars are provided to Israel and used to purchase U.S.-made weapons. The package was still formally described as a sale, but the taxpayer-funding assertion is supported.

   Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned Accurate and the second False. Recorded as Unverifiable.

   • Israel and Palestine

   Sources

   • 1Trump administration plans to send powerful bombs to Israel in $2.8 billion weapons sale↗

     SupportsCongress has been informally notified about the pending deal, most of which is to be paid for with foreign military financing — in which U.S. taxpayer dollars are given to Israel to turn around and buy the weapons from the United States.

4. Claim 4

   Attributed toMehdi HasanAuto-attributedMisleading50% confidence▶ 0:16

   “The US taxpayer is paying for Israel to have these bombs that they then drop on densely populated areas in Gaza.”

   U.S.-made 2,000-pound bombs have been used by Israel in Gaza, including in densely populated areas.

   Reporting supports that Israel has used U.S.-made 2,000-pound bombs in Gaza and that such weapons have caused casualties in densely populated areas. But the $2.8 billion package was still pending, so the statement improperly treats the proposed shipment as already used.

   Omits: The specific package was still pending and not finalized, so there is no evidence that the exact bombs in this proposed shipment had already been delivered and dropped; the evidence concerns earlier U.S.-made 2,000-pound bombs of the same general type.

   The phrase "these bombs" can refer either to the specific pending shipment or to 2,000-pound bombs generally. Judged as referring to the specific shipment, it is misleading because that shipment had not yet been finalized or delivered.

   Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned Accurate and the second Misleading. Recorded as Misleading.

   • Israel and Palestine

   Sources

   • 1Trump administration plans to send powerful bombs to Israel in $2.8 billion weapons sale↗

     SupportsThough the Israeli military has offered few details about what bombs and artillery it has used in Gaza, experts analyzing strike footage and blast fragments found on-site believe the U.S.-made bombs have been used there, targeting a tunnel network used by Hamas but also killing of people in densely populated areas.

   • 2US preparing sale of 40,000 one-ton bombs to Israel, sources say↗

     RefutesWhile the State Department has informally notified key congressional committees about the pending sale, the administration has not yet initiated a formal review process and the package has not been finalized, the sources said.

5. Claim 5

   Attributed toMehdi HasanAuto-attributedAccurate97% confidence▶ 0:44

   “Detroit public schools just had a massive infusion of 700 million dollars to fix broken buildings.”

   Detroit Public Schools Community District received a $700 million facility investment or plan for school buildings.

   DPSCD approved a $700 million facilities plan for major renovations, rebuilds, and other school-building work. Calling it an infusion to fix buildings is a reasonable summary of that investment.

   Sources

   • 1Detroit school board approves $700 million facility plan↗

     SupportsThe Detroit Public Schools Community District will see major renovations and rebuilds to schools across the district following a vote Tuesday by school board members to approve a $700 million facility plan.

6. Claim 6

   Attributed toMehdi HasanAuto-attributedFalse90% confidence▶ 0:48

   “Do you know what how much more they would have to spend to get to a level where every school is safe, clean, and dry? 1.7 billion dollars.”

   Detroit Public Schools Community District needs an additional $1.7 billion to make every school safe, clean, and dry.

   The district's official figures state that it identified a $2.1 billion facilities need while having $700 million in one-time funding available. Those figures do not support the stated $1.7 billion additional requirement; their simple difference is approximately $1.4 billion.

   Sources

   • 1Facility Master Plan - Detroit Public Schools Community District↗

     RefutesThe District has identified a $2.1 billion need in facilities investments, with $700 million in one-time funding currently available.