A viral video that was digitally altered to make it appear that U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was slurring her words and drunk has raised questions about what social platforms can do to limit fake content's spread. Since Lead Stories was the
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FactCheck.org→ Decades-Old Video Doesn’t Show Congresswoman
Quick Take Musician Ted Nugent posted a 1989 video of a now-deceased woman who called for “making America Muslim.” He wrongly described her as “the new congresswoman from Michigan.” Full Story Sharifa Alkhateeb died in 2004. But
Snopes→ Judge Orders Facebook to Turn Over Records on Data Privacy
The data of more than 50 million Facebook users had been misappropriated without their knowledge by Cambridge Analytica in 2015.
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘I Want to Present you as the Beneficiary’ Advance Fee Scam
According to this email, a senior banker in Turkey wants to present you as the beneficiary of a multi-million dollar fund left in his late client's bank account. The post ‘I Want to Present you as the Beneficiary’ Advance Fee Scam appea
Snopes→ Judge: Anheuser-Busch Must Pull Some Ads About MillerCoors
MillerCoors sued Anheuser-Busch, arguing that its rival spent as much as $30 million on a "false and misleading" campaign.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Muslims in Dearborn, Michigan Do NOT Get Welfare Payments For Up To Four Wives
Do Muslims in Dearborn, Michigan get welfare payments for up to four wives? No, that's not true: The claim was made up to support the argument that Sharia law is gaining a foothold in the state by catering to Muslim immigrants who practice pol
Snopes→ Among Highest Paid CEOs Are Discovery’s Zaslav, Disney’s Iger
Pay for chief executives rose to a median of $12 million last year, including salary, stock and other compensation.
FactCheck.org→ Manipulated Video Targeting Pelosi Goes Viral
Quick Take A doctored video of an interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi portrays her speech as being slowed and slurred, and has been used to advance a false claim that she was “drunk.” Full Story Within hours of her interview at th
FactCheck.org→ Biden Stretches Industry Support for Fuel Standards
Joe Biden distorted the facts when he asserted that the auto industry thought the Obama administration’s fuel standards were “a good idea” and that automakers “didn’t even agree” with President Donald Trump’s p
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pelosi Did NOT Insult Melania, Did NOT Call Her ‘The Hired Help Wife’
Did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insult first lady Melania Trump by calling her "the hired help wife"? No, that's not true: The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republicans about
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – Donald Trump's international comparison of 'merit-based' immigration, fact-checked
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Donald Trump's international comparison of 'merit-based' immigration, fact-checked As he proposed more changes to legal immigration, President Donald Trump said the United States lags other countries that admit
FactCheck.org→ O’Rourke Twists Facts at Town Hall
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke twisted the facts on several topics, including immigration and gun control, during a CNN town hall. O’Rourke incorrectly said Trump is “proposing to build a 2,000-mile wall” at a cost of $30
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Study Did NOT Find Drinking Tequila Helps You Lose Weight
Did a new study find a link between drinking tequila and losing weight? No, that's not true: a 2014 study by Dr. Mercedes G. López that looked at the effect on mice being fed the sugars found in agave fruit (from which tequila is made) has be
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a 1989 ‘U.N. Predicts Disaster if Global Warming Not Checked’ Article Authentic?
On May 14 2019, a Facebook user shared the following screenshot (archived here), purportedly showing a 1989 Associated Press item prognosticating “disaster” by the year 2000 if “global warming” remained unchecked: In the scree
FactCheck.org→ Unverified Teddy Roosevelt ‘Quotation’ Lives On
Quick Take Viral social media posts attribute a quotation about how “to anger” a conservative and a liberal to President Theodore Roosevelt. But there’s no evidence he ever said it. Full Story A popular meme revived on social media puts
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ocasio-Cortez And Omar Did NOT Vow To Remove Senior’s ‘Entitlements’, Social Security/Medicare
Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar vow to remove entitlements like social security and Medicare from seniors? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and
Climate Feedback→ Commentary in The Australian by Ian Plimer relies on false claims to make its case
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This commentary by Ian Plimer, published by The Australian, criticizes a political leader’s stance on climate change, but makes a number of verifiably false claims about climate science and energy systems as
Snopes→ Commencement Speaker Stuns Grads, Promise to Pay Off Their Student Loans
A billionaire technology investor stunned the entire graduating class at Morehouse College when he announced at their commencement that he would pay off their student loans -- estimated at $40 million.
FactCheck.org→ The Trumps vs. de Blasio on NYC Crime
President Donald Trump and his son Eric both took shots this week at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, saying crime has risen in the city under his leadership. That’s wrong, according to crime data kept by the New York Police Department. Major
FactCheck.org→ Meme Distorts Gillibrand’s Immigration Idea
Quick Take Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has not proposed giving Social Security benefits to “illegal aliens,” as a popular meme claims. She wants to overhaul the immigration system to give individuals in the U.S. illegally a way to become citize
FactCheck.org→ Solitaire Image is Old, Out of Context
Quick Take An image of elected officials playing a computer card game has gone viral on social media. But the photo is from 2009, and it shows state lawmakers in Connecticut, not members of Congress. Full Story Deception and poker go hand in hand,
Snopes→ Internet Sensation Grumpy Cat Dies at Age 7
The famous feline had millions of social media followers and her owners say she helped "people smile all around the world."
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ocasio-Cortez Does NOT Want to Take Guns Away From Cops
Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez propose to take all guns away from beat and patrol cops? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republicans about the need to ac
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Bernie Sanders DID Say Whites ‘Don’t Know What It’s Like To Be Poor,’ But 70% Of Americans In Poverty Are NOT White
Did Sen. Bernie Sanders say 'When you're white, you don't know what it's like to be poor' and are 70% of Americans living in poverty white? Yes, the quote is true, but no, the statistics is wrong: Sen. Sanders did say that during a presidentia
FactCheck.org→ Kamala Harris Spins Facts on Truancy Law
Sen. Kamala Harris acknowledges that a 2010 state truancy law she sponsored resulted in some parents being jailed. But she misleadingly claims that jailing parents was an “unintended consequence” of the law. In fact, the law added Section 270
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pelosi’s Office Did NOT Spend More on Alcohol Last Year Than Food
Did the office of Nancy Pelosi spend more on alcohol last year than on food? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republicans about the need to actually cl
Lead Stories→ Fake News: There Will NOT Be Enough Muslim Voters In The United States In 20 Years To Elect A President
Will there be enough Muslim voters in the United States in 20 years to elect a president? No, that's not true: The Muslim population in the United States is predicted to be about 3,850,000 during the 2020 presidential race -- less than 1% of t
FactCheck.org→ Trump Distorts the Facts on Disaster Relief
In a May 8 rally in Florida, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Democrats “are trying to stop” disaster relief aid from going to several states. This is an old political trick of claiming the other party doesn’t support somet
FactCheck.org→ Trump: 17 Repeats in 17 Hours
Over the course of 17 hours, President Donald Trump repeated 17 false and misleading claims that we have written about since he became president. Trump began with an evening rally in Panama City Beach, Florida, on May 8, that lasted more than an hour,
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Bernie Sanders Say ‘Christianity is an Insult to Muslims’?
On April 20 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based status update to their personal timeline, claiming Bernie Sanders said that “Christianity is an insult to Muslims.” The text on the post read: Bernie Sanders Says Christianity Is An Ins
Snopes→ UN report: Humans Accelerating Extinction of Species
More than half a million species on land "have insufficient habitat for long-term survival" and are likely to go extinct, many within decades.
FactCheck.org→ The Facts on Fuel Economy Standards
The Trump administration is in the process of rolling back Obama-era fuel economy standards, which were originally set to hit an average of 54.5 miles per gallon for passenger cars and trucks by 2025. While not yet finalized, the Trump administration&
Lead Stories→ Fake News: First Slaves Shipped To The American Colonies In 1619 Were NOT 100 White Children From Ireland
Were the first slaves shipped to the American Colonies in 1619 100 white children from Ireland.? No, that's not true: While there are historical records of several thousand Irish children being shipped to the colonies decades later as orphans
Snopes→ Cicada Swarm About to Emerge in Parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio
The insects have been waiting underground for nearly two decades, and millions are about to make their debut.
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Four Photographs Show the ‘Sunny Sanctuary State’ of ‘Once Beautiful California’?
On April 24 2019, a Facebook user shared the following images and status update (archived here), purportedly showing images from California that included piles of trash on a beach and by roads and trails: In the status update (“Welcome to the S
FactCheck.org→ Biden’s Campaign Kickoff Claims
Former Vice President Joe Biden kicked off his third campaign for president with a speech in Pittsburgh that contained a few false and misleading statements: Biden said “we have the most productive workers in the world.” U.S. workers are
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Twitter Withholding a ‘Nazi-Hunting’ Algorithm for Fear of Inadvertently Banning Republican Lawmakers?
On April 25 2019, a Twitter user posted a claim that the social media platform possessed a “Nazi-hunting” algorithm, but opted not to employ it specifically because it would also filter the tweets or accounts of some Republican lawmakers:
PolitiFact→ The money and politics of prescription drugs: What you need to know
If there’s one area of health care where Republicans and Democrats might strike a deal, it’s prescription drugs. President Donald Trump has floated a plan to cut drug prices. Democratic and Republican ideas abound in Congress, where lawmake
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Facebook Deem Images of 9/11 Offensive and Prohibit Them?
On April 1 2019, a Facebook user shared a photograph of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 (archived here), claiming that the social media site “feels this photo is offensive and keeps removing it or hiding it”: Apparently Faceb
FactCheck.org→ Measles Misinformation Gets an Immigration Twist
Quick Take A Facebook meme incorrectly blames the measles outbreak in the U.S. on immigrants from South America. The virus, however, was eliminated there in 2016. The recent uptick in measles cases is due to travelers returning from countries with outb