The Latest: Trump’s praise of leader doesn’t match US facts

WASHINGTON – The Latest on AP Fact Checks for the previous week (all times local):

5:45 p.m.

President Donald Trump says the leader of the Philippines is doing a “great job” combatting his country’s drug problems. But an AP Fact Check finds those efforts come with harsh consequences, according Trump’s own administration.

Trump congratulated Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in a phone call April 29 and praised him for “the unbelievable job on the drug problem.” That’s according to a transcript obtained by The Washington Post.

Yet a State Department human rights report describes in harsh terms the thousands of killings by police and vigilantes of suspected Philippine drug dealers and users. The killings have been carried out without formal evidence or trials.

That same report says Duterte released lists of suspected drug criminals. Some on those lists were killed.

___

11 a.m.

It’s been a muted week for President Donald Trump when it comes to tweeting. But AP Fact Checks have spotted some tall tales in his rhetoric during his first foreign trip since taking office.

For one, Trump claimed that fellow NATO members “owe massive amounts of money” to the common defence.

They don’t.

The actual issue is that the United States wants them to live up to their commitment to increase spending on their own military budgets by 2024.