Smerconish: How did America get to $40 trillion in debt? | Flipboard

Flipboard · 🇺🇸 public United States · Aug 22, 2026 · 184 words · By CNN

National Debt Government failure

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What to know about National Debt

Flipboard reports: Smerconish: How did America get to $40 trillion in debt?.

Propaganda risk 20%

Claims checked 4

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Flipboard reports: Smerconish: How did America get to $40 trillion in debt?.

Why it matters

Smerconish examines how the United States went from $10 trillion to $40 trillion in national debt, and why Washington has failed to address the growing crisis.

Common ground

The clearest point to anchor on is this: America get to $40 trillion in debt.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this National Debt story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that America get to $40 trillion in debt?
How does this story connect National Debt with Government failure over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://flipboard.com/topic/news/smerconish-how-did-america-get-to-40-trillion-i…

analyticsAnalysis

20%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 4 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

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Claim 1: “America get to $40 trillion in debt”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent reports from Flipboard (aggregating various news sources) confirm that the U.S. national debt has reached $40 trillion.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States). The U.S. also possesses five major territor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_St…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States

+ 5 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “More than 167,000 pounds of meat with false inspection labels recalled nationwide”

CORROBORATED

The claim is corroborated by multiple independent web sources, including Yahoo News Canada and ABC17NEWS, which report a recall of over 167,000 pounds of meat due to false inspection labels.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of the most populous municipal corporations of the United States. As defined by the United States Census Bureau, an incorporated place includes cities, towns, villages, boroughs, and mu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_b…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “More than 167,000 pounds of meat are being recalled across the United States after being produced without proper federal inspection, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that the USDA announced a recall of over 167,000 pounds of meat produced without proper federal inspection.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — USDA is the United States Department of Agriculture. USDA may also refer to: Union Solidarity and Development Association, a mass organisation in Myanmar United States Attorney, sometimes called Unit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USDA_(disambiguation)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Ag…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Star Meat Delivery Inc., based in Lucama, North Carolina, is recalling 167,639 pounds of raw pork, beef and …”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (Google News/Nick Viviani, ABC17NEWS, and a USDA-specific report) explicitly name Star Meat Delivery Inc. of Lucama, North Carolina, and the specific amount of 167,639 pounds of raw pork, beef, and goat.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Star Meat Delivery Inc., based in Lucama, North Carolina, is recalling 167,639 pounds of raw pork, beef and goat products that were distributed to restaurants and retailers, the agency said Tuesday.
https://abc17news.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2026/…

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web search NEUTRAL — Star Meat Delivery recalls 167,639 pounds of meat over false USDA inspection label.More than 167,000 pounds of beef, pork, and goat meat recalled. 18 hours ago. By Nick Viviani.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Star Meat Delivery Inc., based in Lucama, North Carolina, is recalling approximately 167,639 pounds of raw pork, beef, and goat products after USDA inspectors found the meat carried a counterfeit insp…
https://kpq.com/ixp/1137/p/star-meat-delivery-pork-beef-reca…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.