Videos circulating online claim that from 2026 purchases above £20 will need digital ID verification, and repeated cash payments could result in fines. But neither of these claims are true.
Full Fact→ Tesco hasn’t rebranded all its Christmas trees to ‘evergreen trees’
Claims that Tesco is not celebrating Christmas because it is selling an “evergreen” tree are missing context.
Full Fact→ PM hasn’t announced royals and MPs digital ID exemption
Digital ID will only be mandatory to prove your right to work. The government confirmed they haven’t announced any exemptions, but we can't say for sure whether MPs and royals will end up needing it.
The Dispatch→ The Cultural Minefield | Interview: John Podhoretz
Cinema is no longer the dominant art form
The Dispatch→ The Future of the Administrative State | Interview: Adam White
Limiting presidential policymaking, affirming removing heads of agencies.
The Dispatch→ We Are Pilgrims, Still
On being in the world, and praying from there.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Final Verdict Has NOT Been Reached — No Trial Date Yet For Decarlos Brown In Iryna Zarutska Stabbing Case
Does a video show the final verdict being handed down in the trial of Decarlos Brown for the killing of Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed while riding a train in Charlotte, North Carolina? No, that's not true: This video montage was
PolitiFact→ Richard Hudson – No, turkey prices aren’t at their lowest in 25 years
“This Thanksgiving, turkey prices are at their lowest point since 2000.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Disney World Did NOT Announce It Is Closing Permanently In 2025 — Claim Originated From Satire Website
Did Disney World announce it is closing permanently at the end of 2025? No, that's not true: The rumor originated from a satire website. As of this writing, no credible news outlet has reported that Disney World is scheduled to shut down
The Dispatch→ The Truth, the Whole Truth, Everything but the Truth
On the dangers of the relativist right.
PolitiFact→ Social Media – Will nurses face new federal student loan borrowing caps? Nurses pursuing graduate degrees might.
The Trump administration removed nursing from the list of professional degree programs, affecting aspiring nurses’ student loan access.
Full Fact→ Has the chancellor kept Labour’s manifesto commitments on tax?
Many have accused the government of breaking its manifesto promises in the 2025 Budget, yet Rachel Reeves claims to have kept “every single one” of Labour’s manifesto commitments.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Iwona B. Horyn IS The Real Name Of The Acting Chief Security Officer At DHS — Not A Joke
Is Iwona B. Horyn the real name of the acting chief security officer at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security? Yes, that's true: Some social media users have questioned if this was a joke, but Horyn's name is listed on several pages of
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Acquire Donald Trump’s Truth Social For $10 Billion
Did Elon Musk acquire Donald Trump's Truth Social for $10 billion in November 2025? No, that's not true: A message purporting to be from Donald Trump's Truth Social account was fake. The person who posted a fake screenshot of the fake mes
The Dispatch→ Happy Thanksgiving From The Dispatch
The traditions, recipes, and thoughts of the team.
The Dispatch→ Commerce, Not Conquest | Interview: William Easterly
‘Don’t justify violence in the name of progress.’
The Dispatch→ Holding the Line in Pokrovsk
Ukrainian soldiers know the city will likely fall, but they are focused on what comes next.
The Dispatch→ What About the Poor?
In discussing what’s wrong with capitalism, its effect on poverty is left out.
The Dispatch→ An Abusive Relationship
House Republicans consider leaving the president.
PolitiFact→ Whooping cough cases are rising. Know the symptoms and how to avoid infection.
Whooping cough cases on the rise: symptoms, treatment
FactCheck.org→ Sorting out the Facts on Epstein Claims
The House voted nearly unanimously on Nov. 18 to force the Department of Justice to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Israeli Soldiers Burning an American Flag
Does a viral video of Israeli soldiers setting an American flag on fire show a real-life event? No, that's not true: The clip was likely created using AI, probably Sora, whose watermark appeared to have been covered by an emoji of a skull
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FedEx Driver Did NOT Comfort Boy In Spiderman Pajamas — Fictional Clickbait
Did a FedEx delivery driver comfort an eight-year-old boy wearing Spiderman pajamas while they waited for police to arrive because the boy's parents were involved in a domestic disturbance? No, that's not true: The video was likely AI-gen
Full Fact→ Are asylum seekers given Freedom Passes for free travel in London?
There is no specific provision for asylum seekers to get free travel in London but they may be eligible for Freedom Passes like any other Londoner.
Full Fact→ Budget 2025: fact checked
Join us tomorrow as we fact check Rachel Reeves’s second Budget as chancellor.
The Dispatch→ The Draft Peace Deal for Ukraine
A leaked U.S.-Russia peace plan has triggered intense diplomatic negotiations and European counterproposals.
The Dispatch→ Case Against Comey Dismissed
Judge tosses criminal cases against James Comey and Letitia James.
The Dispatch→ The Battle For the Minds of Men
How psychology fails half the population—and how it might be changing.
The Dispatch→ Antitrust Law Has Never Been Static
Neither the courts nor Congress has been consistent on how best to protect competition.
The Dispatch→ Flash in the Pan or the Future of MAGA?
Marjorie Taylor Greene will leave Congress soon. What's next?
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show A Real Story About A Man Helping A Mother Wolf Shot With An Arrow — AI Generated
Does a video show the real story of a man who helped a mother wolf get veterinary help after she was shot with an arrow, and who cared for her wolf puppies while she recovered? No, that's not true: This video is AI-generated. It originate
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Netflix Did Not Announce Upcoming Documentary About Pete Buttigieg
Did Netflix announce it is releasing a documentary about the life of former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg titled "Pete: A Spectacular Life"? No, that's not true: Neither the company nor media organizations said anything
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pete Buttigieg Did NOT Stand At A ‘Town Hall’ Podium With Biden And Announce ‘I’m Running For President’ — AI-Generated Post Is Part Of Vietnam-Based Scam System
Did Pete Buttigieg stand at the podium at a public town hall meeting with Joe Biden joining by live feed, and announce he's running for President in 2028? No, that's not true: At the time the rumor was posted, no news outlets had carried
The Dispatch→ Too Many Cooks
Trying to make sense of the Ukraine peace plan mess.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: German Lost Wallet Return System Is NOT Real — It’s AI-Generated Techno-Utopian Clickbait
Did Germany introduce an automated system which will return lost items to the owner and protect their privacy at the same time? No, that's not true: The picture on social media features an AI generated image of several automated kiosks in
FactCheck.org→ Experts Say Democratic Video Not ‘Seditious,’ as Trump Claims
After six congressional Democrats released a video advising members of the U.S. military and national security community to “refuse illegal orders,” President Donald Trump said the lawmakers should be tried in court for “SEDITIOUS BE
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – Donald Trump doesn’t have the ‘highest poll numbers’ of his career. They’re near his lowest
“I have just gotten the highest poll numbers of my ‘political career.’”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Viral Stories About AOC And Barron Trump Are NOT Real — NO Confrontation, NO Video
Do viral posts about a confrontation between AOC and Donald Trump's son Barron, with the involvement of Louisiana Senator John Neely Kennedy, describe a real-life event? No, that's not true: Contrary to the claim, there is no video record
PolitiFact→ Fact-checking claims about Border Patrol’s immigration crackdown in North Carolina
Border Patrol affecting NC traffic? Jails blocking access to inmates? Fact-checking claims about crackdown in NC
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Record ‘Matthew’s Haberdashery’ Seattle Clothing Store Ever Existed — ‘Moving Sale’ Ad Uses Images From Mass-Market Internet Retailers
Is a high-end Seattle store called "Matthew's Haberdashery" moving to Charlotte, North Carolina and selling Seattle-made men's clothes at a discount in a moving sale? No, that's not true: the store never existed, and the website and Faceb