separating truth from spin, this morning with the help of fact check.org we tackle immigration, planned parenthood and hillary clinton's e-mails and the iran nuclear deal. a local organization is here to help us peel the deception and confusion surrounding these issues. and firefighters who lack even the most basic equipment forced to fight flames in their street clothes. find out what our first responders are doing about it. >> good morning, i'm keith jones. no matter who you are, making sense of big issues could be tough. it's hard to know what's accurate and what's not.

that's for the local nonpartisan group fact check.org comes in. they monitor what politicians tell us and weighs in when the factors don't add autopsy. u gene kiley, the director of factcheck.org, part of the public policy center at penn. they review federal policy at the local and state and federal level. i appreciate your time. >> thanks for having me. >> let's dive in. donald trump has made statements about immigration. you say some statements stray from the facts. >> well, he recently came out been talking about immigration quite some time and came out with an immigration plan that he posted on his website. what we did is went through the plan and looked at some of the claims that he was making within that plan. for example, on birth right citizenship which has been an issue he's been talking a lot about lately, it was just at a really where he said that one of

the few countries -- first said the only country then said one of the few countries that even allow birth right citizenship and said they don't allow it in mexico. we're one of 30 countries that allow it and mexico is one of them. >> okay. >> so that's the kind of thing that we're looking at. in his plan itself, on birth right citizenship, he says that it's the biggest magnet for illegal immigration, the biggest. he tends to hyperbole, biggest, huge, best, that kind of language. in this case he's wrong. the biggest magnet is jobs. people come here for jobs and surveys have shown that and research shown that over time. >> what about the conversation that immigration is somewhat tied to crime? >> well, he brought that up again in his immigration plan. he said that there were 3 million that the incarcerated alien population was responsible for 3 million arrests.

it actually -- even the report that he cites was 1.7 million arrests. and those arrests were not all resulting in convictions. and it also deals with a period of time that's rather broad. it goes from 1955 to 2010. >> moving right along, planned parenthood, there's a push from some republicans to defund it, the reason is undercover video showing officials talking about taking money for fetal tissue. planned parenthood says one senator supports shutting down the government in order to defund planned parenthood. where do we start? what's the fact and fiction when it comes to this? >> to go to the video, what we did -- we've been looking at all videos as they've beenry leased and seven or eight of them now. they release them on a regular basis, they being the center for medical progress, the name of

the organization that did this undercover operation. what we looked at was what was being said in those videos about the fees that they charge and the fees range somewhere between i think it was 30 to $100. and what we did, we spoke to experts in the field of fetal tissue procurement and found those fees were reasonable. the law, the federal law allows you to recover a certain amount as long as reasonable. >> interesting. >> and that was the case here. now, there's more to be released and going to be more congressional hearings. we'll see what happens. there's multiple planned parenthood clinics that do this kind of research work. so whether there's more information that comes out later, perhaps, but what we know now not. >> and you guys cover bases clearly too and moving forward with this jeb bush, he's claim

that planned parenthood is not actually doing women's health issues. is that true or false? you say false. >> yes, we're not the only ones in that other fact check organizations have said the same thing. it's not clear what he was talking about. when we went to the campaign, all we got was a tweet that jeb bush had sent out in response to hillary clinton saying that he was wrong. but you know, the facts are clear that planned parenthood provides women's health. they do provide abortions, 327,000 that were performed there in 2013. but there's tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infection, 4.5 million of those. contraception related services, 3.6 million. >> the list goes on and on. >> you know, it's obvious. >> hillary clinton's e-mails, there's concern she was using a private e-mail account to handle professional business.

you call her accounts odd and factually inaccurate, is that right? >> well, on a very specific point, what you were referring to was her remark that if i had not asked for my e-mails to be made public, none of this would have been in the public arena. and that if you just look at the time line of how this played out and she said this on two occasions. if you look at the time line, this goes back to august of 2014 when it was first discovered by a house committee that she was using personal e-mail for official business. so that's number one. then later, the new york times in march of this year did say story that said she wasn't just using personal e-mail for official business, that was exclusively using personal e-mail and she had a server. so when you look at that, i mean, just on its face, again,

she's wrong. and one of the big issues here is whether or not there's classified information on her computer. initially she said there is no classified material. this was back in march. then there was an ig inspector general's report that was released that said that there was classified material on it. they did a limited sample of 40 of her e-mails and found four cases of that. they weren't marked classified terlt. that's what she is saying to make it clear that her statement that she said back in march was accurate. okay, but you know, that -- there was classified material on there. and so now that's what this latest brouhaha is about. >> she's covering her tracks. you mentioned before, donald trump and hyperbole, making these grand iose statements. in your line of work having done this years, is this presidential election cycle different from others? are there more fictitious statements being made than ever

before or is it the same? >> i think it's about the same. you have somebody like donald trump who is not your typical politician. he doesn't use teleprompters, speaks off the top of his head. any time that happens, you'll have more of these kinds of bloopers, shall we say. >> sure. >> so in his case, yes, other candidate are very scripted. hillary clinton is scripted and doesn't give many press interviews and conferences. >> because she doesn't have, has a big lead. >> big top of the polls why risk that. but for the republicans, they are all fighting for time so they could get to a level where they can even be in the presidential debates. so for them, they are on tv a lot and giving a lot of speeches and have more targets there. >> they are good for the fact checking business as you put it before. >> 17 of them, yeah. >> don't go anywhere, we have so many more topics to cover with you. we'll discuss the spin next on the iran nuclear deal, including

claims about america's inability to protect against a new anti-aircraft weaponry which iran is planning to buy. we'll be right back.

welcome back to "nbc 10 @ issue." we're discussing what's accurate and what's not when it comes to big issues. fact check.org that monitors what politicians tell us and weighs in when the facts don't add up. eugene kiley is the director of factcheck.org, part of the public policy center at penn. the group reviews public policy and local and state and federal level. let's tackle the iran nuclear deal, praptz the best thing is to provide background. lawmakers on both sides have expressed concerns about the agreement which is aimed at curbing iran's nuclear program

in exchange for relief from sanctions. the u.s. and five world powers want the plan to move heard. congress is the midst of a 60-day review. you've analyzed remarks from all of these candidates and the big esh issue is the fact versus fiction, especially with corpsy booker and bob casey still have yet to say anything what they think about it. how do we separate the fact from the fiction? >> in this case it's very difficult because a lot of what is being said is opinion. a lot of what is being said deals with -- the deal itself is very complicated. there are parts of it that are confidential. so there are facts that are in dispute, it depends on what assumptions you bring to the table. for example, the breakout time, the most important thing, which is after 15 years, how long would it take iran to have a nuclear weapon? there are critics who say it as

little as two months, others say a year. it depends on what goes into that. for example, there was one very respected former inspector at -- who is involved with the u.n. inspections in iraq, which says it is somewhere in between. it could be as little as six or seven months or seven to nine months. so it's hard to pin these facts down because a lot of it makes assumptions that go into the calculation. >> sure, you've uncovered a bit of spin from presidential candidate mike huckabee. >> there are times when people go too far. and that's the case with mike huckabee a couple of times that you referred to. we just wrote about. in one case he said that there were no -- we cannot allow iran to self-inspect. that's the statement he gave.

the deal itself, doesn't -- the deal itself requires iran to sub met to daily inspections at all declared nuclear facilities and continue with electronic monitoring. for the declared nuclear facilities, that's not the case. what he's talking about is a side deal that deals with one very important military site. and in that case, that's a confidential agreement. we don't know what's in it. on one side you have people like mike huckabee saying there are self-inspections, meaning that iran would be collecting samples and then turning them over to the u.n., but the iaea says well, that's not the case at all. that that's misrepresenting the facts. so you know, again, facts are in dispute. >> of course. and vaccines. very briefly presidential candidate carly fiorina made

claims that some vaccine preventible diseases are not kmunicable. what's the fact versus fiction? >> we looked at this and have someone sci check, our science writer and there are 14 immunizations and all cover communicable diseases. so she was wrong. >> a non-profit and nonpartisan, which is very important. how does this process work? do you just see what everyone is talking about, see what the topics that seem to be trending i suppose in town hall meetings and stump speeches and go from there? >> what we do is systemically go about this. right now with the presidential candidates, we're looking for transcripts and videos because we want to get exactly what they said. you can't rely on news reports of what they said. so once we go to that source material, which we can find on

c-span and find there are some msnbc tapes a lot of these and puts them on the website. we go through these speeches and these debates obviously. and we'll identify claims that are fact based. and then put them to the test, determine whether or not they are indeed facts. if they are being spun and distorted, if they are just flat-out wrong. >> how good are you at this? you've done this years, is it the kind of thing you hear it and go, that's false? >> yes, it depends on the candidate but if we've been following this candidate as we have now with all of these republican candidates and the democratic candidates in the field, yeah, we can listen to a typical stump speech where the talking points are repeated over and over again and we've already fact checked that. that's wrong. that's right and we can go down the list. very interesting there sfwl what can the average person do? >> i think there's a lot they can go.

factcheck.org, obviously. first of all, they should be skeptical of what they are hearing. and they shouldn't assume that everything is wrong, shouldn't be cynical. we prefer to say be skeptical, not cynical. secondly, if they want to do research on their own, they can go into google and do some searching around. but be warned that you need to go to respected sources. and what we're doing is going to some of these sources like the cbo, gao, the eia, all of these alphabet letters, organizations at the government that provide data and analysis. >> you bring it all together then too. one quick question, what's the most memorable claim that you have debunked? >> well, one that i found particularly interesting was joe biden, when he was pushing for legislation to be passed that the administration wanted that would have dealt with crime. he was in flint, michigan saying the rapes in flint michigan

doubled because of the police force had been cut. in a second speech he said they had tripled by the time he got to university of pennsylvania for a speech -- >> where you are? >> yep, they said it quad rupled. the fact is they did not increase at all. >> they remained flat. >> pretty much. >> eugene keily, thanks for your time. our viewers at home certainly appreciate it. coming up next, imagine fighting a fire in street clothes with little or no equipment. how local firefighters have sounded the alarm and how they are helping out. that's next. ce company offers guaranteed acceptance life insurance to men and women ages 50 to 85. i talk to customers every day who are concerned that they won't qualify for life insurance due to their health. they worry about leaving behind funeral expenses and unpaid medical bills for their loved ones.

but i'm proud to tell them that a policy from colonial penn can help with their insurance needs. many people struggle financially, worrying about paying their bills. i explain that we offer coverage starting at $9.95 a month and our whole life insurance, it's an affordable way to help the final expenses. that gives them peace of mind without going over budget. applying for insurance can sometimes be confusing and overwhelming. but it doesn't have to be. at colonial penn, we make insurance simple. i'm alex trebek. call now about colonial penn's guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance. this plan is affordable, with coverage options for just $9.95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. they have a rate lock guarantee. that means your rate is locked in for life and can never increase. and your acceptance is guaranteed. you cannot be turned down because of your health. don't wait, call for your free information now. (soft music)

♪ (colonial penn jingle) welcome back "nbc 10 at issue. a brutal civil war in sierra

leone destroyed all of the fire stations in the country and firefighters are there are still struggling to rebuild. a local firefighter from delaware county is on a mission to help. with me is ahage sacco, a sierra will leone native that came to the u.s. in 2000. thanks for joining us. describe the need, if you can to bring the message home and how desperate it is there? >> when i went there in 2013, i met the fire department, the firefighters sleeping on card boards and had no gear at all, no bunk or nothing like that. they had to do with bare clothes they were wearing and they get so close to the fire, they breathe the bad smoke and stuff like that and inhale those bad smoke that they shouldn't.

because they have no breathing apparatus as well. >> that was 2013. that was you left at 16 years old and come back then at 29. >> right. >> and you see that. why is it taking so long to rebuild after that civil war? >> well, the civil war pretty much destroyed all parts of the country as a whole, the education, health care system and infrastructure and buildings all destroyed. i think those priorities set in place. the fire department is literally the last of those priorities that the government is dealing with. >> as if you needed another stumbling block or obstacle in place, ebola ended up hurting efforts because you've got to get the equipment that you have here over to the country. >> right, well, it delayed everything for sure when ebola was at the peak, the focus was to bring it to zero. everything was ats stand still, i was still continuing to pay storage fees for the gear and my fire department continued to collect donations, we raised 250

sets of gear. the original plan was to raise no more than 30 sets. that's what i promised them. but it's -- i'm really astonished by the level of support from the other fire departments in delaware county who saw the need to help their comrade and done just that. >> how have your fellow firefighters reacted to this? obviously they've come and helped you fulfill the promise? >> they like the concept and been encouraging from day one. very supportive as well. >> let's talk about moving forward. what do you still need? >> i need some money to really help me to send the gear to see era leone, i've done some fundraisers here and there but i'm kind of shot. >> where did you get help? >> my fire department, some friends came over and had a go fund me account but everything slowed down a little bit. we're looking forward to send the gear to sierra leone.

>> are you willing to sell something of your own then to help? >> right, by the end of this month, i will auction off my only car to offset the costs and gear because i made those guys a promise, i promised them. and i would like to see it come to few igs. that's what i'm ready to do. >> what are your future plans then? you're planning on going back to the country? >> once the gear is shipped, i'll return to seira leone and run some calls with those guys and live with them for two months. i'm trying to boost the morale of the fire department over there. collectively we want to make a case for more support from the local government. i'll sleep on the floor with them, go for days without food, so i will. >> very good. >> how can people help at home?

somewhere they can go tore donate? >> sure, people can go to go fundme.com/trtsuk. >> i appreciate your time and it's amazing what you're doing. >> the pleasure is mine. >> if you're looking for work, stick around, we'll tell you who's hiring when we come right back.

listen to this. the city of allentown is hiring crossing guards and they need people who can start soon. applicants must be 18 or over and pass a criminal and child abuse back ground check. the job pays between 8.50 and $9.50 an hour. you can apply online or get more information on allentownpa.gov. that's it for this edition of

qu"nbc 10 @ issue." join me weekdays here on nbc 10. thank you for joining us.

[♪] man: tree fu, go! [♪] ♪ come with tom ♪ tree fu tom ♪ to a world that's filled with fun ♪ ♪ it's tree fu tom ♪ adventure, magic too ♪ where tom and you ♪ help all of his magical friends ♪ ♪ twigs ♪ squirmtum ♪ ariela