REVIEW Aluminum salt is a component, also known as an adjuvant, of some vaccines that boosts the immune response to the vaccine’s active ingredient. This helps to give longer-lasting protection against disease. It has been used for nearly a centu
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Zelenskyy's statement about Ukraine aid didn't reveal money laundering operation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “just threw the whole Ukraine money laundering operation under the bus … by stating he’s received less than half of the over $177 billion in aid sent by the United States.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Indian Nationals Handcuffed And Chained During Deportation — Guatemala Deportation Flight
Does a photo show handcuffed and chained Indians being deported from the U.S.? No, that's not true: The photo shows people from Guatemala sitting on a military aircraft at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas awaiting deportation to Guatemala. Th
The Dispatch→ Trump’s Shakeups Face Opposition
Legal challenges await the administration’s moves to reshape agencies and purge personnel.
The Dispatch→ Economists Without Borders
On bitcoin dragons, China, and crackpots.
The Dispatch→ The Markets Can’t Be Bullied
Tycoons might be lining up to appease Donald Trump, but stocks are traded on economic reality.
The Dispatch→ Donald Trump Keeps Up His Fundraising Under a Reorganized PAC
Money raised will most certainly go toward 2026 contests—and perhaps beyond.
The Dispatch→ Trump Is Poised to Repeat Biden’s Economic Errors
His proposals would expand budgets, threaten growth, and create inflation.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Did NOT Wear ‘Make America Mexicana Again’ Hat — Image Was Made Using X’s AI Tool
Did the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, wear a "Make America Mexicana Again" hat? No, that's not true: A representative from the Embassy of Mexico told Lead Stories the image was "NOT real." A reply under the social media post wit
The Dispatch→ No Fences
Moving fast and breaking things.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Tweet ‘Anyone Protesting The Trump Administration Will Be Suspended From X’
Did Elon Musk tweet "Anyone protesting the Trump Administration will be suspended from X"? No, that's not true: There is no record that Musk, the owner of the X platform, ever posted this message on his official X account @ElonMusk, accor
The Dispatch→ Assessing Claims About the Declassified JFK Files
Trump signed an executive order to release the records, but they are not yet publicly available.
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – No, Melania Trump didn’t sue ‘The View’ for $900 million
“Melania wins $900 million ‘defamation lawsuit’ against The View & Sunny Hostin.”
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – No, Karoline Leavitt didn’t invoke Jesus Christ in response to a tariffs question
Says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Jesus didn’t have electricity and he did just fine.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, this video doesn’t show the Jan. 29 plane crash in Washington D.C.
Video shows “airplane crash with helicopter in Washington D.C.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Claim says Biden, others took millions in kickbacks from Ukraine. That’s Pants on Fire!
Ukrainian officials released list of “kickbacks” given to 18 U.S. politicians.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mexican President Sheinbaum Did NOT Impose 50% Counter-Tariff On Tesla, Call Elon Musk ‘Pendejo’
Did Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo impose a 50 percent retaliatory tariff on Tesla cars sold in Mexico, calling Elon Musk "pendejo"? No, that's not true: As of February 4, 2025, Lead Stories found no credible media or governmen
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No, CNN wasn't reporting on the Potomac River plane crash hours ‘before it happened’
CNN reported on the Potomac River plane and helicopter crash “hours before it happened.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, Elon Musk didn’t ban pride content on X
“Elon Musk shocks the world by blocking Pride on X forever: ‘Children must come first.’”
PolitiFact→ Ashley Moody – Fact-check: Florida Sen. Ashley Moody claims trafficking hotline isn’t reporting tips to authorities
The National Human Trafficking Hotline “in the last four years decided that they would no longer report tips to law enforcement, that they would take a more victim-centered approach.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Of ICE Agent Restraining Crying Girl Is NOT Authentic — AI Generated
Does an authentic photo show an agent from Immigration and Customs Enforcement restraining a distressed little girl? No, that's not true: This image is AI generated. Hive, an AI-generated image detection service determined with 97.4 perce
Internet Archive→ President Trump Signs Executive Orders on U.N. & Iran : CSPAN : February 4, 2025 3:31pm-4:01pm EST
[LIVE] President Trump signs executive orders, including ones that withdraw the U.S. from the U.N. Human Rights Council, prohibit future funding for the U.N. relief agency in Gaza, and impose a "maximum economic pressure" campaign on Iran....This item
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Public Record Colin Powell Said ‘Lazy Immigrants’ Quote
Is former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell accurately credited with a "lazy immigrants" quote often shared on social media? No, that's not true: The quote was first published on social media in 2019 by a user on X who acknowledged hav
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ed Sheeran Did NOT Perform For IDF Soldiers To Show Support For Israel — Performance Was ‘A Large Scale Public Concert’
Did singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran perform for wounded soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces to show support for Israel? No, that's not true: Sheeran denied this rumor in a now-deleted Instagram story. He stated a charity organization boug
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Samuel Hydén NOT The Shooter In Örebro, Sweden, School Shooting On February 4, 2025
Was Samuel Hydén (or Sam Hyde) the perpetrator of a school shooting in Örebro, Sweden, on February 4, 2025? No, that's not true: Comedian Sam Hyde is often named as the perpetrator by internet trolls whenever a mass-casualty incident ha
The Dispatch→ Photo Purporting to Show ICE Detaining a Trump Supporter Is Altered
The actual photo is from a 2018 raid on an Ohio meatpacking plant.
The Dispatch→ Controversial Posts by State Department Appointee Are Genuine
Screenshots of tweets by Darren Beattie have not been edited.
Full Fact→ Donald Trump’s tariffs: what’s happening and what could it mean for the UK?
Our new explainer looks at the latest announcements on tariffs from the new US administration.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Parody Account Claimed Pentagon Spent $600 Million On Sushi, Air Force $1,280 Per Paper Coffee Cup, IRS $230K on Cinnamon Coffee
Did Elon Musk post he found out at DOGE that the Pentagon spent $600 million per year on sushi, the Air Force $1,280 per paper coffee cup and the IRS $230k per month on "Starbucks Cinammon Roast K Cups"? No, that's not true: Those claims
PolitiFact→ Ron Johnson – Wis. Sen. Johnson says US is one of 'very few' nations with birthright citizenship
“We’re one of the very few nations that allowed birthright citizenship,
Full Fact→ ‘CNN report’ on striking Yale professors is fake
The fake report, which claims the professors are striking because of students using AI, has been shared more than 10,000 times on TikTok.
The Dispatch→ Trump Administration Threatens USAID
The aid agency’s future is uncertain amid mixed signals from the president and Elon Musk.
The Dispatch→ You’re Fired
Plus: Will a 25 percent tariff on Canada solve our existential crisis?
The Dispatch→ Strange Bedfellows
Uniting the political extremes against the center is producing some baffling results.
The Dispatch→ When Elon Musk’s Twitter Becomes Real Life
The tech-bro CEO is taking a sledgehammer to the federal government.
The Dispatch→ Why Is Trump Trying to Lose Our New Cold War With China?
He doesn’t care about the policies or ideals that helped us prevail against the USSR.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NOT ‘Breaking News’ — Video Claiming ‘Woman Found Truck Full Of Childrens’ Bodies’ Is Mix Of Old Video Clips
Does a video accurately report "breaking news" about a woman who found a truck full of children's bodies in Mexico? No, that's not true: No recent news story matches the narrative's details as of this publication. The video clips in the m
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Canada Is NOT Planning To Cut Off Energy Exports To US in Response To Trump Tariffs As Of February 3, 2025
Did Canada plan to stop sending energy to the United States in February 2025 because of President Donald Trump's tariffs? No, that's not true: After a call between the two leaders on February 3, 2025, both Canadian Prime Minister Justin T
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Melania Trump Did NOT Win A $900M Defamation Lawsuit Against ‘The View’
Did Melania Trump win a $900 million defamation lawsuit against the TV show "The View"? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for "The View" told Lead Stories the story was false. No news websites indexed by Google News reported anything ab
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Nine-Star US Flag Icon On Federal Websites Since At Least 2020 — NOT Related To 2025 Events
Has the U.S. flag icon in the header of several federal U.S. government websites been replaced by a nine-star version in 2025, or has this icon been added recently? No, that's not true: The icon in the "official website of the United Stat