Assassination and tribalism.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Metallica’s Frontman James Hetfield Did NOT Say That Killing Of Charlie Kirk Resulted From Conspiracy And ‘A Dark Plan’
Did Metallica's frontman James Hetfield publicly suggest that the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was the result of "a dark plan"? No, that's not true: No credible media outlets reported that. The musician didn't write that
PolitiFact→ Social Media – Did the 1948 Smith-Mundt Act hold news broadcasters accountable for ‘lying’? That’s wrong
Former President Barack Obama eliminated a law that “held news corporations accountable for lying to the American people.”
PolitiFact→ Hepatitis B vaccine Q&A: Why do babies need the shot?
Hepatitis B vaccine Q&A: Why do babies need the shot?
PolitiFact→ Katherine Clark – Yes, ACA subsidies cut and premium rise could mean your health insurance bill goes up 75%
“Republicans are spiking health insurance premiums by 75% for everyday Americans” if they don’t extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
FactCheck.org→ The Facts Behind Claims on Autism, Tylenol and Folate
News reports have indicated Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may point to Tylenol and folate deficiency in his promised announcement on the causes of autism. But neither Tylenol nor folate deficiency has been shown t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Cory Zukatis, The Man Found Hanged In Vicksburg, Mississippi In September 2025
Does this photo, found in several viral social media posts, show the man that Mississippi police found hanging from a tree on September 15, 2025? No, that's not true: Police said the dead man found near the Ameristar Vicksburg Casino was
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Eagle Nest ‘Secret Guardian’ Cat Is AI-Generated — Snake Has Two Tails
Is a video of a cat guarding an eagle's nest to keep a snake from eating the eggs authentic? No, that's not true: The video was made by artificial intelligence tools. One telltale sign is the snake's two tails seen in the first four secon
FactCheck.org→ Few Mass Shooters Have Been Transgender
Q: Have many of the mass shooters been transgender? A: The number of transgender mass shooters in the U.S. varies depending on how “mass shooting” is defined, but is relatively small. The Gun Violence Archive, which uses a broader definition, l
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Streamer Destiny Was NOT Banned On Twitch In September 2025 — Ban Was Imposed in 2022
Was Steven Kenneth Bonnell II, also known as streamer Destiny, permanently removed from Twitch in the aftermath of his September 2025 comments on Charlie Kirk's assassination? No, that's not true: The real, indefinite ban still affecting
The Dispatch→ An ICE Raid in Georgia Becomes a Massive (and Unsurprising) U.S. Policy Failure
Zero-sum thinking comes with big costs.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mookie Betts And Others Did NOT Post Quote About Speaking Kindly In Reaction To Charlie Kirk Shooting — Foreign Spam Network
Did Mookie Betts or other athletes say "If you want people to speak kindly about you after you're gone, then you should speak kindly while you're alive." in relation to the shooting of Charlie Kirk? No, that's not true: The fake quote, al
The Dispatch→ The TikTok Deal
China and the U.S. are close to an agreement to keep the platform operating in the U.S. But will it address national security concerns?
The Dispatch→ The Next Generation of Woke | Interview: Claire Lehmann
‘Australia is sort of the Texas of the British Empire.’
The Dispatch→ Has Trump’s Drug War Become an Unjust War?
The administration continues to withhold key facts about lethal military strikes on Venezuelan boats.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Of Sydney Sweeney In A Turning Point Shirt Is Fake — Original Predates Fake By Three Months
Is that a real photo of Sydney Sweeney in a Turning Point USA shirt? No, that's not true: The t-shirt photo that appeared on social media in September of 2025 is a manipulated copy of a paparazzo's photo taken three months earlier. Enough
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Of Sydney Sweeney In A Turning Point Shirt Is Fake — Original Predates Fake By Three Months
Is that a real photo of Sydney Sweeney in a Turning Point USA shirt? No, that's not true: The t-shirt photo that appeared on social media in September of 2025 is a manipulated copy of a paparazzo's photo taken three months earlier. Enough
The Dispatch→ Fighting Words
Pam Bondi knows what time it is.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Missing Hiker ‘Sara Jenkins’ Was NOT Found As Scarecrow — Story Is NOT Real
Do posts about the missing hiker "Sara Jenkins" on social media tell the true story of the discovery of that person's remains? No, that's not true: No credible media organizations reported that. Lead Stories found no court records confirm
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Luke Bryan And Other Celebrities Did NOT Issue Lifetime Bans To The Man "Celebrating" After Kirk Was Shot
Did a variety of musicians, athletes, and coaches issue a lifetime ban against a man who was filmed "celebrating" in the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk's shooting? No, that's not true on two counts: First, the articles about the life
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Charlie Kirk’s Wife Erika Saying She Will ‘Never Marry Anyone Else’ Is FAKE
Is a video showing Charlie Kirk's wife Erika Kirk saying "I will never marry anyone else" after his death authentic? No, that's not true: The video is likely AI generated. Erika Kirk has spoken publicly once since her husband was shot and
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Message From Africa’ Video For Charlie Kirk Was Ordered From Africa Birthday Greeting Group
Did a group of African men send a "God bless you" video message to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk because of his missionary work in Africa? No, that's not true: The video was produced by an African company that takes orders for
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ted Cruz Did NOT Cover Over Graffiti That Said "Release The Epstein Files" — The Photo Was Edited, The Graffiti Cruz Painted Over Said "F— Charlie Kirk"
Did U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz paint over graffiti which said, "Release the Epstein Files"? No, that's not true: The image has been edited. The original image was shared on social media by Cruz and showed him painting over graffiti that said "F--
Full Fact→ Video of mass funeral following Afghanistan earthquake is probably AI
The clip, which has circulated previously following other natural disasters, was probably generated using Artificial Intelligence.
Full Fact→ Has the government brought the railways into public ownership?
Full Fact looks at Labour’s pledge to bring Britain’s railways into public ownership.
The Dispatch→ Nepal’s Youth Revolt
The country, plagued by political instability and economic hardships, exploded in riots last week after a social media ban.
Internet Archive→ Washington Journal 09/16/2025 : CSPAN : September 16, 2025 7:00am-10:00am EDT
[LIVE].This item belongs to: movies/TV-CSPAN.This item has files of the following types: Captions Align JSON, Closed Caption Text, Item Tile, JSON, MPEG1, Metadata, SubRip, TV Clips JSON, Thumbnail, h.264
The Dispatch→ A Brief History of Trump’s Empty Threats Against Russia
Since his first term, the president has repeatedly pledged to sanction Russia while rarely following through.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: AI Story About Chihuahua Who Joins A Wolf Pack Contains Edited Images — Originals Don’t Show Dog
Do viral online posts show screenshots of real trail cam footage of a Chihuahua dog who "joins the wolf pack"? No, that's not true: The dog has been digitally inserted into two different trail cam images. According to specialized detectio
The Dispatch→ Superhighways of Foreign Influence
Divided nations and ‘violent’ speech.
The Dispatch→ Making Sense of Dynamic Pricing
When executed well, pricing based on fluctuating demand can match buyers and sellers effectively.
The Dispatch→ Bored Equal: A Tired History of the Constitution
A ‘grand narrative’ is actually quite garden variety.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Claiming Two Clips Of Charlie Kirk’s Shooter In Action Shows The Wrong Building In One Clip
Does a video posted on TikTok show two clips of Charlie Kirk's shooter on the roof of a Utah Valley University building when the fatal shot was fired? No, that's not true: The post uses two different video clips and the first one does not
PolitiFact→ X posts – Does new North Carolina law allow doctors to practice without completing U.S. exams?
“North Carolina has just approved a law permitting foreign doctors to practice without completing U.S. training or licensing exams.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Charlie Kirk Quote About "Brain Processing Power" Slammed Four Specific Black Women — Read Full Quote
Did the late Charlie Kirk say "Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously" as social media posts claim? No, that's not a precise quote: Attacking affirmative action, Kirk slammed by name four prominent libera
The Dispatch→ Deep Freeze
Cancel culture under a postliberal regime.
The Dispatch→ No Evidence White House Video on Charlie Kirk’s Assassination Is AI
The claim went viral based on questions about the president’s hand movement.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO EVIDENCE Palm Gun Was Used In Fatal Shooting Of Charlie Kirk
Does a video from social media prove that the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was carried out with a palm gun? No, that's not true: The video doesn't show what posts claim it does. According to the authorities, the gun
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Adam Sandler Did NOT Reveal Final Text Message From Charlie Kirk — It’s A Clickbait Formula Using Several Celebrity Names
Did Adam Sandler reveal "final text messages from Charlie Kirk" that said, "They're watching me. If I fall, don't let my voice die." No, that's not true: A post on social media promises the final text Charlie Kirk sent to Adam Sandler, bu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Tyler Robinson From St. George, Utah Who Donated Money To The Trump Campaign Was NOT The Charlie Kirk Shooter Suspect
Did Tyler Robinson, the man arrested for shooting Charlie Kirk in Utah, donate money to the Trump campaign in 2020? No, that's not true: Lead Stories spoke with the Tyler Robinson who owned the property that was listed as the address on t