On April 13 2020, former presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden, causing memes and tweets that attributed a quote to Sanders (“I will never tell you how to vote. If I do, don’t listen to me”) to recirc
Publication: Politics
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Bans on Plastic Shopping Bags Being Reversed Because of COVID-19?
Citing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, at least three states took steps to walk back bans on plastic shopping bags, while environmental advocacy groups accused the plastics industry of seizing on the virus for their own purposes. In late March 20
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden’s Campaign Hold a $2,800 ‘Virtual Fireside Chat’?
In early April 2020, rumors circulated that Joe Biden’s presidential campaign had scheduled a “virtual fireside chat,” charging $2,800 for any donors wishing to access a livestream of the event: Joe Biden asking for $2800-$25,000
Truth or Fiction?→ Does H.R. 5717 Require That Gun Owners Be Licensed by the Government?
A graphic spreading online opposing a gun safety bill misconstrues its origin in an effort to paint it as an attempt at government overreach capitalizing on the COVID-19 pandemic. The meme, which contains a strange spacing gap resembling a copy-and-pa
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the President of the United States Tell Governors Seeking Ventilators That Favors Are ‘a Two-Way Street’?
In late March 2020, a quote attributed to United States President Donald Trump involving various state governors and access to ventilators began spread in the form of several text-based status update memes: One of the shares appeared on the page
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Canadian Government Giving Citizens $2,000 a Month Because of COVID-19?
On March 25 2020, social media users quickly drew comparisons between the help Canadian citizens are receiving from their government and a bill passed in the U.S. Senate. On Twitter, the comparison was spread most heavily in a tweet shared more than 1
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Bernie Sanders Does NOT Quit Democratic Primary And Does NOT Endorse Trump
Did Bernie Sanders officially end his Democratic presidential primary run, and then endorse Trump for president? No, that's not true: Sanders has been nothing but critical of Trump, publicly calling him a jackass on the campaign trail. In any
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Obama Family NOT Flown to Private ‘Safe Island’
Did the Obama family fly to a private island to escape the coronavirus pandemic. No, that's not true: This is work of fiction published by a well-known satire network. If you see it without the satire labeling, then it was stolen by a publishe
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Say ‘People Are Dying Who Have Never Died Before’
Did President Trump make the nonsensical statement, "People are dying who have never died before," during a White House briefing updating the country on the state of his administration's response to the coronavirus? No, that's not true: A sear
Truth or Fiction?→ Chuck Grassley’s ‘Spanish Flu’ Tweet Adds to Wave of Xenophobic COVID-19 Rhetoric From GOP
As United States President Donald Trump and his supporters continued to try to normalize xenophobic rhetoric surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa came under criticism online for his own effort. “I don’t unders
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO, Trump Is NOT Promising To Send Americans Checks – Only After Checking People’s Social Media History
Did President Trump tweet that he had ordered the U.S. Treasury to send checks to Americans - but only after checking people's social media posts to make sure they were not unfavorable to the president. No, this is a satirical post: Whle Trump
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Timeline of Trump’s COVID-19 Statements’ Meme
As criticism spread against United States President Donald Trump’s administration for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020, one graphic disseminated on social media listed his multiple attempts to downplay the disease: In thi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ‘Nancy and the Dems’ Try to ‘Slip Taxpayer-Funded Abortion’ into a Coronavirus Aid Bill?
On March 12 2020, a Facebook user shared a status update claiming that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the entire Democratic Party tried to “slip taxpayer-funded abortions” into a funding package designed to help blunt the worst effects of
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Every Household In The U.S. Is NOT Getting $500 Emergency Food Stamps Or $1,000 Stimulus Check
Is every household in the United States receiving $500 in emergency food stamps and a $1,000 stimulus check? No, that's not true: The U.S. House has passed a sweeping coronavirus response package, but the U.S. Senate has not yet taken it up -
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Companies With More Than 500 Workers Exempt From a Coronavirus Relief Bill?
Shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the House Resolution 6201 that both Democrats and Republicans promised would help American workers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, both parties came under criticism for an exemption that woul
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Two Congressmen Propose a Bill Granting Americans Between $1,000 and $6,000?
A new bill proposed by two Democratic Party congressmen would expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for Americans who earned less than $65,000 in 2019 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. News of the bill by Reps. Ro Khanna (California) and Rep.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Rep. Omar Did NOT Say ‘When We Win in November, We Will Eliminate Social Security Entitlements for Seniors’
Did U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, vow to cut social security entitlements for seniors at a rally? No, this is not true. A satire website with a long history of hoaxes originally posted the original article to troll conservatives
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: New York City Is NOT Set To Undergo Citywide Quarantine
Will New York City begin a citywide quarantine? No, that's not true: That is false information tweeted by a self-proclaimed "patriotic American" backed up by no facts. In fact, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted a plea for people spreading
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Coronavirus Scare Did NOT Start Immediately After Impeachment
Did the coronavirus scare start immediately after impeachment in a plan to upend U.S. President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: That is a theory being spread by conservatives, ignoring the fact the outbreak began in China in late 2019, and
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro Test Positive for COVID-19?
A tweet reporting that Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro had tested positive for COVID-19 circulated quickly online on March 12 2020 before being taken down, although after it was removed it still moved around social media in screenshot form. Th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: AOC Did NOT Claim Illegal Immigrants Were Held In Nazi Detention Camps
Did U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claim Hitler held Jews in detention camps for being illegal immigrants. No, that is misleading, and the claim seems to be a new spin on a controversy sparked in Summer 2019 by the liberal New York Congres
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Meme Does NOT Contain Accurate Figures for H1N1 Deaths In The United States
Does a meme that users are sharing contain accurate figures for H1N1 deaths in the United States? No, it does not: The meme contains false information and seeks to make an apples-to-oranges comparison between the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, also known
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. Election Is NOT Canceled Due To Coronavirus
Is the U.S. presidential election canceled due to the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, allowing President Trump to remain in office for four more years? No, that's not true: Obviously, the meme is a joke. However, concerns over congregating in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Overview Of Claims Made During Biden’s Argument With Michigan Autoworker Over Guns
Did Joe Biden, a U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, spar with a Michigan autoworker over the issue of gun control? Yes, that's true, and here's some context: Biden and the man, Jerry Wayne, did exchange words at a Detroit, Michigan, auto
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Biden Campaign Ad Edits Several Trump Quotes Together; Watch Them In Context Here
Did Joe Biden's presidential campaign selectively edit several soundbites from President Trump in a newly-released advertisement? Yes, that's true, and here is some context: After Twitter labeled a video of Biden that was shared by Trump as "m
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden Say He Would Veto a ‘Medicare for All’ Bill?
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was criticized in March 2020 following an interview with MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell as he faced accusations of intending to veto a bill expanding Medicare services for all Americans. The exchange fr
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NOT 10,000 Deaths In Virus Outbreak in Michigan, Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, Missouri, Mississippi
Were there 10,000 deaths confirmed in a virus outbreak in Michigan, Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, Missouri, and Mississippi? No, that's not true: The claim that nearly 200,000 cases of an unnamed "virus" and "10,000 confirmed deaths" is a h
Truth or Fiction?→ If You Misspell BernieSanders.com as BernieSander.com, Do You Get Redirected to a Donation Page for the Biden Campaign?
On March 10 2020, a Twitter user shared a Reddit thread about a purported redirect from “BernieSander.com” (versus “BernieSanders.com”) to a campaign donation page for Joe Biden: No matter what you think about Bernie/Biden
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Every U.S. Election Year Does NOT Have A Disease
Does every U.S. election year have a disease associated with it? No, that's not true: A whiteboard photograph being shared online contains some inaccurate dates and information. It presents a U.S.-centric view of global epidemics and pandemics
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did Not Tweet About "Dow Joans" Falling More Than 1,000 Points
Did Donald Trump tweet in 2015 that if the "Dow Joans" were to fall more than 1,000 points in a single day, the president should be shot out of a cannon? No, that's not true: The tweet-within-a-tweet was made up, and the author has admitted it
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Department Of Homeland Security Officials Did NOT Say Illegal Border Crossings May Spread Coronavirus
Did the U.S. Department of Homeland Security say that they fear illegal border crossings may increase the spread of the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The headline of an article in The Washington Times is not supported by the reportin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Say At Town Hall Forum He’ll Cut Social Security And Medicare
Did President Trump say at a recent town hall forum that he will cut Social Security and Medicare? No, that's not true: According to a transcript of the event on March 5, 2020, Trump never specifically mentioned those entitlement programs by n
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Rep. Bobby Rush Removed From the House Floor for Wearing a Hoodie?
After Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) donned a gas mask while Congress debated a bill securing emergency funding to fight the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the United States and beyond, one of his colleagues rebuked both him and an apparent set of
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden Vote for a Bankruptcy Bill Which Made Student Loans ‘Ineligible for Financial Relief’?
A March 5 2020 r/SandersForPresident (and r/all) thread featured a title maintaining that Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden “passed the bill” making student loans “ineligible for financial relief,” and an attach
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Joe Biden Did NOT Campaign With Grand Wizard of KKK
Did Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden formerly campaign with a grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan? No, that's not true: Former U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia renounced his 1940s Klan activity. The claim has previously been chal
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 449,163 Non-Citizens Did NOT Decline Jury Duty And Were NOT Registered To Vote In California Elections
Did 449,163 registered voters decline jury duty because they were not U.S. citizens? No, that's not true: The viral claim has been debunked several times before, and the meme being shared offers no sourcing for this claim. It suggests that vot
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Joe Biden Promising That If He Wins, He’s "Coming For" Your Guns
Did Joe Biden, the U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, promise in a video that he's "coming for" your guns? No, that's not true: This is a complete misrepresentation of what the former vice president actually said in the video. Biden was s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: DNC Group Did NOT Teach Illegals To Vote
Was a DNC group caught on video teaching illegal immigrants how to vote illegally? No, that's not true: A video purporting to catch someone with a voter registration group linked to the Democratic National Committee was edited to inaccurately
Truth or Fiction?→ Did MSNBC Switch Colors for “Favorable” and “Unfavorable” for Only Bernie Sanders in a Super Tuesday Chyron?
Super Tuesday reporting generated a lot of social media discourse in March 2020, and among circulating claims was one that network MSNBC manipulated their on-screen graphics by “swapping colors” for presidential candidates Bernie Sanders a
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Coronavirus Bill Stalled Because of Arguments Over How Much to Charge for Vaccines?
As negotiations in the United States government continued through March 3 2020 on a federal spending package to address the spread of the coronavirus strain known as COVID-19, Politico reported on negotiations stalling between Democratic and Republic