Capital Public Radio: Politifact California Podcast

By Chris Nichols Vice President and former California Senator Kamala Harris recently claimed one-third of all small businesses have closed during the pandemic. CapRadio’s PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols fact-checked that and other statements in this week’s Can You Handle The Truth segment. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Interview Highlights On when Harris made this claim and if it’s correct She made it during a TV interview that aired this week on MSNBC, and she was talking about the toll the pandemic has taken on small businesses. “This is one of my areas of focus I care so deeply about, which is … let’s just be clear about where we are. Half of America’s workforce works for a small business or owns a small business,” Harris said. “Sadly, during the course of the pandemic, one-third of our small businesses have closed.” It really is a stark figure, and we found a couple of sources that do support her statement. A spokesperson for Harris pointed to a Harvard University p