Plus, analysis of the big end-of-term Supreme Court decisions.
Publication: Politics
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Lady Gaga Did NOT Endorse Trump For President In 2024 — It’s An Altered Image In A Fake Post
Does a photo circulating on social media show pop star Lady Gaga endorsing Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign on his social media application Truth Social? No, that's not true: The image has been digitally altered. The original pho
Truth or Fiction?→ FDR and the Business Plot of 1933
On July 6 2023, a post to Reddit’s r/todayilearned subreddit shared a post about United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and “The Business Plot” of 1933: TIL of The Business Plot of 1933, a failed attempt t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Hillary Clinton Did NOT Endorse Ron DeSantis — It’s A Deepfake Video
Did former first lady, Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton go on MSNBC to express her support for Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis? No, that's not true: The video
Truth or Fiction?→ Oklahoma Education Head Says State Will Not Back Away From Tulsa Race Massacre
The head of Oklahoma’s state Department of Education drew local and national criticism after a July 6 2023 meeting for a seemingly evasive answer to a question about the infamous 1921 attack on Tulsa’s “Black Wall Street” —
The Dispatch→ Could It Be? A Policy Debate in the GOP?
The party would benefit from coming to a consensus on abortion.
The Dispatch→ When Reality Is a Punch in the Face
Reflections on an old column.
The Dispatch→ The Joy of Anti-Trumpism
Chris Christie and the 20 percent.
The Dispatch→ Pence’s January 6 Defense
Plus, Nikki Haley offers her refined version of MAGA.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Twitter Community Note Falsely Claims Video In Benny Johnson Tweet Shows Paris Gas Explosion Aftermath
Does this video actually show damage to a Paris building from a gas explosion last month, as a Twitter Community Note suggests? No, that's not true: This video shows the collapse of a pharmacy building in the town of Montargis, France. Th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Animals ‘Roaming The Streetz’ After Protesters In France Release Them
Did protesters in France release animals from the zoo after police shot a teen, causing the animals to roam the streets? No, that's not true: Social media posts making this claim are showing old video clips of various animals running loos
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: United Nations Did NOT Declare Pedophilia Is A ‘Human Right’
Did the United Nations declare that pedophilia is a "human right"? No, that's not true: The person making the claim referenced a UN report that never says that pedophilia is a "human right" or that it should be legal or allowed. The repor
The Dispatch→ A Tumultuous SCOTUS Term
Plus: Biden administration hit with court order limiting communications with Big Tech platforms.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show 2023 Protest In Paris — It’s A 2019 Algerian Pro-Democracy Protest
Does a video show that Algerians have taken over France in the summer of 2023? No, that's not true: The video was filmed in Paris in 2019 at a time when there were protests in Algeria. Peaceful protests were attended in cities around the
Truth or Fiction?→ U.S. Navy Twitter Account Features Russian Ship on Independence Day Post
The U.S. Pacific Fleet — which calls itself the largest naval force of its type in the world — tweeted, then deleted a tweet marking the July 4th Independence Day holiday after a researcher pointed out that it used a photo depicting Russian
The Dispatch→ The End of COVID Politics
Dead or just resting?
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Building Fire Did NOT Happen In France During 2023 Riots — It Was In The UAE
Does a video show a building on fire in France amid the 2023 protests following the police shooting death of a teenager of North African descent? No, that's not true: The video shows a fire in a residential building in Ajman, United Arab
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Hamish Harding Tweeted About ‘Biden Crime Family’ Before Diving In OceanGate Titan Sub
Did Hamish Harding, an aviation businessman and aircraft pilot who died in the OceanGate Titan submersible disaster, tweet on June 17, 2023, that the Biden family tried to hire his aviation company for human smuggling? No, that's not true
Logically→ The President of Angels for Peace was not assaulted during the recent unrest in France
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: WH Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre NOT In DC ‘Drunk Driving Accident’
Was White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre caught in a "drunk driving accident" by DC Metro Police? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support this claim. The White House press office called the assertion "false" and the
The Dispatch→ Anti-Gay for the Stay
How far right would President DeSantis be?
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Anti-Zelenskyy Graffiti Did NOT Appear In The Hague On June 28, 2023
Is graffiti of a hanged Volodymyr Zelenskyy in The Hague, Netherlands, as of this writing? No, that's not true: The image was created by an art group that posts their work on Instagram purportely in random locations worldwide, but there i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Simpsons’ Episode Did NOT Predict Death Of Donald Trump On March 13, 2023
Was the death of Donald Trump predicted to occur on March 13, 2023, in an episode of "The Simpsons"? No, that's not true: This is not a real episode of "The Simpsons" but an edited hoax. Additional material was spliced into a section of t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence ‘Massive Vote Discrepancy’ Found In 2022 Arizona Midterm Election
Was there a massive vote discrepancy found in the 2022 Arizona midterm election? No, that's not true: An election expert told Lead Stories the claims of vote discrepancy were "100% false." The Arizona Secretary of State spokesperson said
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Does NOT Show French Protesters In Apparently Stolen Police Van In July 2023 — It’s From A Movie
Did a picture on social media capturing what looked like a group of armed people riding a police van portray France in early July 2023? No, that's not true: It was a screenshot from a fictional movie released in 2022. The claim appeared i
Logically→ No, this video does not show looters robbing a jewelry store in France
The Dispatch→ The Fundraising Do-or-Die Moment for 2024 Hopefuls
Plus: The GOP field for the Michigan Senate race is wide open.
The Dispatch→ Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Has the Wrong Job
She leans into political rhetoric when the law doesn’t take her side.
Logically→ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ ಸ್ಥಾನದಿಂದ ಡಿಕೆ ಶಿವಕುಮಾರ್ ಅವರನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಹಾಕಿಲ್ಲ.
The Dispatch→ Patriotic Visionaries
It is time for Americans of good conscience, left or right, to hoist the flag higher.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Military Did NOT Guard Donald Trump In Columbus, Georgia — And, No, An ‘Armed Military’ Escort Does NOT Make Him President
Does a video show "armed military escorting" former President Donald Trump during a June 10, 2023, visit to a Waffle House in Columbus, Georgia, and does this escort prove that Trump is still the president of the United States? No, that's
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Former Biden Campaign Worker Runs ‘Erica Marsh’ Twitter Account — Name Not Known To Biden Campaign, DNC, FEC
Is a Twitter account under the name of Erica Marsh run by someone with that name who identifies themself as a "Proud Democrat: Former Field Organizer to elect President Biden. Volunteer for the Obama Foundation"? No, that's not true: Ther
The Dispatch→ There Oughta Be a Law
Want to forgive student loans? Win more elections.
The Dispatch→ You Keep Using That Word
I do not think ‘liberal’ means what you think it means.
The Dispatch→ The Biggest Loser
A Biden-Trump rematch in 2024 would get ugly.
The Dispatch→ Mike Pence’s Campaign Stop in Kyiv
Plus: Montana’s Tim Sheehy jumps into the Senate race with key endorsements.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Flying To US West Coast From Miami In Missile Defense Relocation
Does the video and caption in a social media post accurately portray a B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber flying over Miami as part of the moving of "missile defense systems" to "locations on the U.S. west coast"? No, that's not true: The footage
The Dispatch→ The Kennedy Conspiracy
Why is RFK Jr. running for president?
Truth or Fiction?→ Right-Wing Media Pushes Claims of Ukrainian ‘Baby Factories’
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continued through 2023, so did attempts by right-wing bloggers and broadcasters on the fringe to generate and promulgate ghoulish allegations against Ukrainians. One recent example is the claim that Russian troops dis
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘600,000 Americans Per Year’ Are NOT ‘Dying From COVID Shots’ — The Vaccines Save Lives
Are "600,000 Americans Per Year Are Dying From COVID Shots"? No, that's not true: COVID-19 vaccines have undergone rigorous testing and monitoring for safety and efficacy before being approved for use. While vaccines can have side effects