Fact-checking Sen. JD Vance's heated Sept. 15 CNN interview

In the days since President Donald Trump repeated a baseless rumor about Springfield, Ohio, pets during a Sept. 10 debate viewed by 67 million people, the city’s authorities have responded to multiple threats of violence. They evacuated city hall, several K-12 schools and a state motor vehicle agency and canceled activities at two Springfield college campuses. On Sept. 15, Ohio Sen. JD Vance — Trump’s running mate and the first of the Republican presidential ticket candidates to elevate false claims that Haitians in Springfield were eating pets — defended his...