Is this a photo of the "Lady Ghost", a schoolteacher named Margaret Lee from Abilene, Kansas who killed five men, raiders, who in 1871 had killed twenty students when they burned the one-room schoolhouse? No, that's not true on two counts
PolitiFact→ Fact-checking Donald Trump’s speech in Israel on same day as hostage, prisoner releases
Fact-checking Trump’s speech to Israel’s Knesset
PolitiFact→ Nihilistic violent extremism: What the FBI term means and why experts warn against overuse
What is nihilistic violent extremism?
PolitiFact→ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – RFK Jr. misses mark in touting rural health transformation fund as historic infusion of cash
“It's going to be the biggest infusion of federal dollars into rural health care in American history.”
The Dispatch→ Why Snobbery Is Cheap
On getting the details—and arguments—right.
The Dispatch→ Trump’s Incoming Farm Bailout
Struck by tariffs, trade wars, and immigration crack-downs, America’s farmers are in a tough spot.
The Dispatch→ The Future of Television Journalism | Interview: Sam Feist
C-SPAN and the future of journalism.
The Dispatch→ The Necessity of Pruning Our Busy Lives
How going local and honoring our souls could save our world.
The Dispatch→ The Evil That Is AI Child Porn
Our courts and culture are ill-equipped to grapple with 21st-century horrors.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Threaten To End His Super Bowl Sponsorship If Bad Bunny Performs At The Halftime Show — Viet Spam
Did Elon Musk threaten to end his Super Bowl sponsorship if Bad Bunny performs at the halftime show? No, that's not true: Elon Musk does not sponsor the Super Bowl. The claim that he does and has threatened to end his sponsorship was publ
The Dispatch→ Is MAGA Christianity True Christianity?
We’re witnessing another schism in American Protestantism.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Clickbait Brandon Lake Super Bowl Halftime Show Charlie Kirk Tribute Story Made Up By Foreign Spam Network
Did the NFL announce the Super Bowl half time show will have a Charlie Kirk tribute including a performance by Brandon Lake? No, that's not true: A viral story making that claim was published by a foreign-run spam network with elements in
The Dispatch→ Our Best Stuff From a Big Week in the Middle East
Israel announces a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Bad Bunny Was NOT Caught Sitting Down During National Anthem At Yankees Game — It Was God Bless America
Was Bad Bunny caught sitting down during the National Anthem at a New York Yankees game on October 8, 2025? No, that's not true: Videos circulating on social media show Bad Bunny seated during the last verse of "God Bless America," not th
The Dispatch→ A Feminist Manifesto | Interview: Leah Libresco Sargeant
Women’s equal rights depend on advocating for women as women.
The Dispatch→ Bummed Out, Mustache-Twirling Villains | Ruminant
Let’s talk about the Constitution instead.
The Dispatch→ The Life of a Formerly Sad Girl
Taylor Swift is finally happy. But good art requires being challenged.
The Dispatch→ Daniel Day-Lewis Can’t Save This Movie
‘Anemone’ has the pieces of a good film, but can’t fit them together.
The Dispatch→ The Kitchen Is for Writing
A new book shows how famous writers also dabbled in writing recipes.
The Dispatch→ Practicing Rootedness in an Uprooted Age
How to tie yourself to a place—even if it’s temporary.
Lead Stories→ What We Know About The Image From Portland Of An ICE Supporter, Posted By ICE And Dismissed By Social Media Users As A Fake
Did ICE post an AI-generated image on its X account to make a point that it was not only protesters but also supporters who showed up in Portland, Oregon, in early October 2025? Here's what we know so far: Lead Stories asked, but ICE had
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: BBC Photo Of UK Teacher Is Pasted Onto Post By ‘Clara Holt’, Retiring Denver Teacher NOT Listed In Colorado Records
Is a viral post about the retirement of a Denver kindergarten teacher named Clara Holt illustrated with a photo of someone named Clara Holt? No, that's not true: The photo is copied from a BBC report about the reunion of students of Shirl
The Dispatch→ Grabbing Opportunity by the Throat
Of diplomacy, states’ rights, and shutdowns.
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on the 2025-2026 COVID-19 Vaccines
As has been the case each year since 2022, updated COVID-19 vaccines were released leading into the fall season, and the shots should be broadly available to people age 6 months and up. For the first time, however, the vaccines are not approved for al
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Comey’s Charges Were NOT Dismissed, As Of October 10, 2025; Prosecutor Did NOT Misspell His Name As ‘Homey’
Did a federal judge in Virginia drop charges against former FBI Director James Comey because the prosecutor misspelled Comey's last name as "Homey"? No, that's not true: The rumor on social media originated from a satire website. As of Oc
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Nobel Chair Did NOT say Donald Trump Didn’t Win Peace Prize Because He Lacked ‘Courage And Integrity’
Did the chair of the Nobel committee that chose the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize say that Donald Trump was not chosen because they only "give the award to people of courage and integrity?" No, that's not true: A reporter asked Nobel Committee c
The Dispatch→ Japan’s Iron Lady
Sanae Takaichi is set to inherit a Japan reshaped by inflation, weak growth, and political turnover.
Full Fact→ Fake AP report claiming Trump disqualified from Nobel Prize spreads online
Social media posts use a fake AP news report to claim that Donald Trump has been barred from consideration for a Nobel Prize.
Full Fact→ A £27 monthly ‘WiFi charge’ is not being introduced in the UK
Contrary to a video being shared on social media, the government is not bringing in the fee for UK residents.
Full Fact→ Video does not show Global Sumud Flotilla boat arriving in Gaza
The clip was actually filmed in Tunisia in September 2025.
The Dispatch→ Conservatives Turning Against Israel | Roundtable
Plus: Israel’s PR problem.
The Dispatch→ Breaking Down the Trump Administration’s Higher Ed Compact
What the offer to trade preferential funding for cultural and operational reforms could mean for universities.
The Dispatch→ The Political Furies Come For a Maine Oasis
Colby College used to be fairly quiet. No longer.
The Dispatch→ Republicans See No ‘Blue Wave’ on Horizon—Unless Economy Falters
Party operatives point to the president’s resilience and the Democrats’ struggles as reasons to be optimistic about the 2026 midterms.
The Dispatch→ The Mamdani Conundrum
Despite his anti-Israel rhetoric, the progressive Democrat is poised to become mayor of the most Jewish city in America.
The Dispatch→ When the Latter-Day Saints Came Marching
How the quest for religious freedom transformed a people and the nation.
The Dispatch→ GOP Senators Push for More Intel on Drug Boat Strikes
Some are increasingly skeptical that targeting the boats is justified.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Delta Did NOT Remove Elderly Man From Flight For Wearing A MAGA Hat — Profane Word
Does a video show Delta Airlines removing an elderly man from a flight because he was wearing a MAGA hat? No, that's not true: The man was wearing a red hat that read "Build Back Better My Ass," not "Make America Great Again." The pilot,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Completed California Prop 50 Redistricting Ballots Are Visible, NOT Readable Through Mail-In Envelope
Are completed California Proposition 50 redistricting ballots visible through Sacramento County's mail-in envelopes? Yes, but that is missing context. A mark on a Prop 50 ballot can be seen through a hole in the vote-by-mail envelope from
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Pregnant Woman Saying Her Doctor Told Her To Leave Texas Because Of A Possible Late Term Abortion Is NOT Authentic — Creator Calls It ‘Engage Bait’
Is a video of a pregnant woman saying her doctor told her to leave Texas to deliver her baby because of the state's abortion laws authentic? No, that's not true: The woman posted another video explaining that she is not pregnant and not f