Rep. George Santos watches proceedings in the House chamber. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.)The cautionary tale of George Santos.The post Fake It ‘Til You Make It—All the Way to Congress appeared first on The Dispatch.
Publication: Politics
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Biden’s Face Was Altered In Video That Shows Him Accidentally Referring To ‘July The 6th’
Does this video of President Joe Biden speaking show that his face was twisted in a squinty sneer when he misspoke and accidentally referred to January 6th as "July the 6th"? No, that's not true: While Biden did misspeak and the audio tra
Truth or Fiction?→ Tennessee Lawmaker Switches From School ‘Litter Box’ Hoax to ‘Leashes’ Narrative
When asked to admit her claims of “litter boxes” in schools were a hoax, a right-wing Tennessee lawmaker instead shifted to claiming she was told about “leashes” instead. The Tennessee Holler news outlet posted footage of an int
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show 2023 Fighting Spawned By 2023 Arrest Of Ovidio Guzman Lopez
Does a video shot from a helicopter show an airborne machine gun assault, either just before or after the January 5, 2023, arrest of the son of "El Chapo" Guzman, Ovidio Guzman Lopez? No, that's not true: Some of the footage circulating i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Special Forces Did NOT Raid Biden Beach House
Did the Special Forces, a branch of the U.S. Army, raid the Biden family beach house in Delaware? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to back up the claim, and Real Raw News has a history of writing about fake Special Forces raids.
The Dispatch→ The Election Crisis We Dodged
(Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images.)A proposal to prevent the seating of House members from states with ‘bad’ election laws would be disastrous. The post The Election Crisis We Dodged appeared first on The Dispatch.
Truth or Fiction?→ Before Being Elected, George Santos Pushed His Own ‘Stolen Election’ Hoax
Amid continuing criticism and demands — even from local party members — that he leave office, a video circulating online shows right-wing Rep. George Santos (R-New York) appearing at a January 5 2021 rally and falsely claiming that an elect
The Dispatch→ When Words Fail
Rep. Matt Gaetz talks to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy during the fourth day of elections for speaker of the House. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Last week exposed the poverty of our political vocabulary.The post When Words Fail appea
The Dispatch→ Video: Biden Documents, Congress, Immigration, and More
Watch the video of our weekly livestreamed conversation.The post Video: Biden Documents, Congress, Immigration, and More appeared first on The Dispatch.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: BBC Did NOT Post Graph Of ‘Fortunes Of Ukrainian Politicians’
Did the BBC post a graph that showed a dramatic increase in the "Fortunes of Ukrainian politicians" between February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and December 2022, after the receipt of billions of dollar
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CIA Did NOT Say It Killed President John F. Kennedy
Did the Central Intelligence Agency say it killed former President John F. Kennedy? No, that's not true: A video posted on Facebook that makes this claim provides no supporting evidence. There is no evidence elsewhere that the CIA has eve
The Dispatch→ Inside the Club for Growth’s Push for Kevin McCarthy
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy takes the gavel after securing the speakership on the 15th ballot on Saturday. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)A deal that helped revive his flailing speakership bid could reshape down-ballot races i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: McCarthy Did NOT Post Twitter Poll Asking If He Should Step Down as ‘head of Congress’
Did newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweet a poll asking Americans if he should step down as the "head of Congress"? No, that's not true: A review of McCarthy's official Twitter account found no such tweet, and there is no singl
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Reports Do NOT Show More Than 16,000 People Have Died Because Of COVID Vaccination
Has the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded more than 16,000 people who have died within a few days of taking the COVID-19 vaccine where the deaths were proven to have been caused by the vaccine? No, that's not true:
Truth or Fiction?→ GOP Installs Election Denier Atop Homeland Security Committee
Days after finally electing a House Speaker, the incoming right-wing majority in the House of Representatives installed election-denying Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee (R) atop the Homeland Security Committee. Green confirmed his election on Twitter whil
Truth or Fiction?→ John Deere and ‘Right to Repair,’ Explained
On January 9 2022, a top post on Reddit’s r/all claimed that farmers in the United States had won the “right to repair” John Deere equipment; the post originally appeared on r/news: US Farmers win right to repair John Deere
Logically→ Video shows thousands gathered at TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu’s padayatra in Kuppam constituency, Andhra Pradesh.
The viral video is from Siddeshwara Swami's funeral procession in Vijaypura, and is not related to Naidu's padayatra in Kuppam.
The Dispatch→ McCarthy Gets the Gavel in Dramatic Fashion
Rep. Mike Rogers is restrained after getting into an argument with Rep. Matt Gaetz during the 14th round of voting for speaker of the House. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)After more than a dozen votes and days of negotia
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: World Economic Forum’s Klaus Schwab Did NOT Tweet, Say ‘Jesus Is the Original Fake News’ — It’s A Fake News Story
Did the World Economic Forum (WEF) or its founder and executive chairman, Klaus Schwab, tweet or say that "Jesus is the original fake news"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the statement is from Schwab or the WEF. The claim
Truth or Fiction?→ George Santos Hand Gesture
Amid ongoing and fruitless efforts to elect a U.S. House Speaker on January 5 2023, a photograph of embattled freshman Rep.-elect George Santos (R-New York) using the “OK sign,” a hand gesture appropriated for signaling by white supremacist
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pope Benedict Did NOT Ask Biden Not To Attend His Funeral — Ex-Pontiff Wanted Simple Ceremony
Did Pope Benedict ask President Joe Biden not to attend his funeral? No, that's not true: According to a Vatican spokesperson, the wish of the retired head of the Catholic Church was to have a simple ceremony, and there is no evidence tha
The Dispatch→ Could Kevin McCarthy Give Away Too Much?
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy talks to Rep.-elect Andy Ogles in the House chamber Thursday. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)Concessions to the House Freedom Caucus runs the risk of alienating more moderate allies.The post Could Kevin M
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CIA Did NOT Create Term ‘Conspiracy Theorist’ After JFK Assassination
Did the Central Intelligence Agency come up with the term "conspiracy theorist" to discredit the views of those casting doubts on the results of the official investigation into the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy? No, that's not tru
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The House Jan. 6 Committee Did NOT Withdraw Trump Subpoena Because ‘They Knew Trump Did Nothing Wrong’
Did the U.S. House of Representatives' committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol withdraw its subpoena of former President Donald Trump because "they knew Trump did nothing wrong"? No, that's not true: The wi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Obama Is NOT Hitler’s Grandson
Is former U.S. President Barack Obama the grandson of Nazi-era Germany's leader Adolf Hitler? No, that's not true: U.S. census data and Obama's birth certificate show that his mother, Ann Dunham, was born in Kansas in 1942 to American par
The Dispatch→ The Speakership Stalemate Continues
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy talks to Reps. Chip Roy and Jim Jordan Wednesday. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Kevin McCarthy’s team made concessions to their Republican opponents Wednesday night, but will it be enough to earn him th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence ‘White Hats Disable Amphibious Cruiser That Attacked GITMO’
Did "white hats" in the U.S. military "disable an amphibious cruiser that attacked GITMO" as of January 4, 2023? No, that's not true: The aircraft carrier identified with a photo as the "aggressor" was never put into service and was sold
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Endorse Rep. Byron Donalds For House Speaker
Did former President Donald Trump endorse Florida Rep. Byron Donalds for House speaker? No, that's not true: Trump, himself, says the claim is false. He described the statement making the claim as a forgery and a fake. Trump has publicly
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Japan Is NOT Investigating ‘Millions Of COVID Vaccine Deaths’ — No Such Death Tolls Reported, No Investigation Launched
Did Japan launch an official investigation into "millions of COVID vaccine deaths" in December 2022 or early January 2023? No, that's not true: As of January 4, 2023, there is no available evidence to suggest that "millions" of people in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Nancy Pelosi Did NOT Cry After Clashing With Sen. Chuck Grassley
Did former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi cry after Iowa's Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley presented information about business ties between Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, and the Chinese government? No, that
The Dispatch→ A Weak Speaker Is a Good Step Toward a Stronger Congress
Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds the gavel after ending the 117th Congress. (Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.)The chamber has operated on a top-down approach for too long.The post A Weak Speaker Is a Good Step Toward a Stronger Congress appeared first
The Dispatch→ Kevin McCarthy in Leadership Limbo
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy waits as the House of Representatives holds the election for speaker Tuesday. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)After three rounds of votes, House Republicans ended Tuesday in a stalemate over who should be the n
The Dispatch→ Video: Speaker Who?
Watch the video of our weekly livestreamed conversation.The post Video: Speaker Who? appeared first on The Dispatch.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Biden Is NOT Seriously Blaming Elton John For ‘Spending Taxpayer Money To Fight AIDS’ In This Clip — It’s A Joke
Did President Joe Biden blame Elton John for the U.S. spending taxpayer money to "fight AIDS"? No, that's not true: There is missing context to this video. A transcript of this event shows that Biden is praising John. Both the audience an
Truth or Fiction?→ Who Had the Metal Detectors Removed From the Capitol?
Before the incoming right-wing House of Representatives majority could elect a new Speaker, metal detectors were removed from the Capitol floor on January 3 2023 — but it is unclear who ordered it to happen. The devices were installed outside of
The Dispatch→ The Agonizingly Low Stakes of Today’s Vote for House Speaker
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.)It’s a bad job at a bad time for the party.The post The Agonizingly Low Stakes of Today’s Vote for House Speaker appeared first on The Dispatch.
The Dispatch→ ‘America’s Recovery Potential Is Awesome’
Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse.(Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images.)But it won’t come through politics. An exit interview with Sen. Ben Sasse.The post ‘America’s Recovery Potential Is Awesome’ appeared first on The Dispatch.
The Dispatch→ How to Elect a Speaker
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images.)Kevin McCarthy’s precarious path to power.The post How to Elect a Speaker appeared first on The Dispatch.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Anthony Fauci NOT Arrested After Elon Musk Document Dump — It’s From Satire Site
Did police in Washington, D.C., arrest top virologist Dr. Anthony Fauci after Twitter CEO Elon Musk released information that Fauci lied about COVID-19 research and imposed unnecessary restrictions on Americans? No, that's not true: The c
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: World Economic Forum Did NOT Issue Weekly Bathing Order As Response to Climate Change
Did the World Economic Forum (WEF) issue an order directing the public to bathe once weekly or less as part of an effort to combat climate change and save the planet? No, that's not true: There is no credible evidence that WEF has issued