My cousin asks me if there is any truth to the political BS that is out there
There is plenty of BS to be sure. There are websites that specialize in doing fact checking, and it is a good way to get somewhat of an idea. I say “somewhat”, because I have come across so-called fact-checking sites that in fact are themselves furthering an agenda by promoting more BS. So you have to look to the reputation of the fact-checker.
The unfortunate aspect is that the clueless will tend to latch on to only the loudest and most repeated sound bites. The Dems seem to have a good grasp of this, and therefore resort to a constant barrage of such things. That is, you can say any lie you want and it will be effective, as long as you said it often and loud.