Summary Since President Donald Trump took office: Attempted unauthorized crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border soared to the highest levels in over a decade. The trade deficit rose by more than $100 billion — 23.5 percent. The economy added 5.1 mi
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FactCheck.org→ Pompeo Wrong on Assad Control in Syria
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrongly stated that Syrian President “Bashar al-Assad controls a small fraction of Syria.” Middle East experts tell us that Assad controls a majority of Syria’s land and population. Pompeo made his remarks
Snopes→ Is the ‘Haiku Bird’ a Real Creature?
The four-legged, banana-eating, immortal pet of a deity is a remarkable specimen indeed.
FactCheck.org→ Old Decision in Tax Lawsuit Gets New Spin
Quick Take A website known for spreading misinformation writes that a man who cited religious reasons for not paying his income taxes “has won an historic lawsuit against the IRS.” That’s misleading. One charge was dropped, but four o
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pope Francis Did NOT Compare Christians To Fungus
Did Pope Francis compare Christians to a fungus during an address in Morocco? No, that's not true: The speech quoted in misleading stories included the pope quoting a biblical passage in which Jesus responds to a question about the nature of t
Truth or Fiction?→ Does an Image Show ‘Worthless’ Money in the Gutter in Venezuela?
On March 22 2019, a Facebook user shared the following post (archived here), purportedly showing unfathomable amounts of money discarded in a gutter in Venezuela. A caption said: This is a street in Venezuela. That’s money in the gutter. It̵
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a New Netflix Show Aim to Transform Boys into ‘Sexy’ Little Girls?
In late March and early April 2019 an Instagram screenshot circulated on Facebook, asserting a “new Netflix show” aimed to transform boys into “sexy little girls.” The earlier iteration circulating in March appeared to have bee
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Golden Corral NOT To Open In Jackson
Is Golden Corral planning to open a franchise in Jackson? No, that's not true: some joker put out a story to that effect on a prank website but it is not true. The company makes no mention of it on its website. The story originated from an ar
Lead Stories→ Fake News: The American Civil War Did NOT Start Because Of The Morrill Tariff Act And Slavery WAS The Main Factor
Did the American Civil War start because southern states were angry because of the Morrill tariff enacted by President Abraham LIncoln and not because of a fight to preserve the institition of slavery? No, that's not true: The Morrill tariff w
FactCheck.org→ Deceptive Facebook Post Distorts Rally Against Hate
Quick Take A Facebook post falsely describes a video of an interdenominational rally against Islamophobia as a “Muslim rally … demanding their Sharia Rights.” Full Story The mass shooting that killed 50 people in two New Zealand mosques
Truth or Fiction?→ Wave of Garbage On the Dominican Republic’s Coast?
On March 18 2019 the Facebook page “Ascend (Podcast)” shared the following video (archived here), purportedly showing the shores of the Dominican Republic two days earlier: The status update read: ‘DEAD” Sea……&#
Truth or Fiction?→ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: ‘Socialism for the Rich, Rugged Individualism for the Poor’?
On April 2 2019, Facebook page “The Other 98%” shared a meme (archived here) with an apparent quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on “socialism for the rich” and “rugged individualism for the poor”: To the rig
FactCheck.org→ Ocasio-Cortez Gets FDR History Lesson Wrong
At a town hall meeting on the Green New Deal, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got her history wrong when she was asked what lessons she learned from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The freshman Democrat, who sponsored the Green New Dea
Lead Stories→ Press Release: Happy Fact-Checking Day! #factcheckingday
Lead Stories is happy to support Fact-Checking Day 2019! ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (April 2, 2019) - In most of the world, April 1 is a day for fools. April 2is a day for facts. Today is International Fact-Checking Day, and the Poynter Institute'sI
Lead Stories→ April Fools Day 2019: Running List of Jokes, Pranks and General Foolery…
If you are a fan of pranks and jokes today is undoubtedly the day you have been waiting for. Here is a roundup of some of the funniest or weirdest April Fools jokes we have spotted today, in no particular order. Note: we are not fact checking
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Russia Investigation Repeats
In his first extended interview since the completion of the special counsel probe, President Donald Trump repeated several false and misleading claims regarding the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The FBI investigation be
PolitiFact→ Julián Castro – Yes, more people are uninsured since Donald Trump took office, but be leery of specific numbers
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Yes, more people are uninsured since Donald Trump took office, but be leery of specific numbers The Trump administration’s decision to ask a federal court to declare the entire Affordable Care Act unconstit
Truth or Fiction?→ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Facts Meme
On March 14 2019, the Facebook page Occupy Democrats shared a meme (archived here), making a number of claims about U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York): Next to a photograph of Ocasio-Cortez, the meme’s text read: In high school she
Truth or Fiction?→ Do 21 Fathers Die of Suicide Each Week Because of Child Custody Disputes?
In March 2019, a photo-based Facebook image post (archived here) contained the claim that 21 fathers died by suicide every week specifically because of “child access issues”: The post included a status update comment and a message on a si
Truth or Fiction?→ Woodland Hills ‘Sharia Law’ Poster
On March 24 2019, a Facebook post in the group “Political Liars” (archived here) attributed a poster that apparently appeared in Woodland Hills, California to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, also known as CAIR: A status upda
Snopes→ Avenatti Charged with Trying to Extort Millions from Nike
Avenatti, who was also accused of embezzling a client's money to pay his own expenses, was charged with extortion and bank and wire fraud in separate cases in New York and California.
Snopes→ Family Suffers Extreme Stalking Through Service Calls
Walt Gilmore’s family in suburban Salt Lake City has been the target since August of a stalker using phone calls and texts to send a parade of people to the home for legitimate services and illegal activities.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Making Love In The Sea Has NO Effect On The Eye Color Of Your Children
Can making love in the sea cause your baby to be born with blue eyes? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Spanish humor website for entertainment purposes. It is not real. The story originated from an article published on March 20
FactCheck.org→ The Facts on White Nationalism
In the wake of the attack on two New Zealand mosques, President Donald Trump said he did not see white nationalism as a rising threat around the world, but rather “a small group of people that have very, very serious problems.” Experts, how
FactCheck.org→ Satirical Story on Harris Treated as Fact
Quick Take A story originally written as satire has been circulating online without a disclaimer, sparking angry comments from social media users on the story’s made-up claim that a new bill from Sen. Kamala Harris would restrict the use of weapo
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Whistleblower: Obama Was NOT Indonesian Citizen & NOT Given Financial Aid As Foreign Student At Occidental College
Did a whistleblower reveal that former U.S. President Barack Obama was an Indonesian citizen and was given financial support as a foreign student while attending Occidental College in Los Angeles? No, that's not true: It is one of a series of
Snopes→ Court: Middle Finger Protected by the Constitution
A federal appeals court says a Michigan woman’s constitutional rights were violated when she was handed a speeding ticket after giving the finger to a suburban Detroit officer in 2017.
FactCheck.org→ Supposed ‘Child Bride’ Photo Debunked in 2014
Quick Take A photo circulating online claims to show a young girl being “sold into sexual slavery.” But, according to fact-checking sites in 2014, the picture is from an old video of a child participating in a Quran recitation. Full Story
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Sam Hyde Was NOT The Shooter At Christchurch Mosque
Was Sam Hyde one of the gunmen who opened fire at a Christchurch, New Zealand mosque on March 15, 2019? No, that's not true: unfortunately the shooting did happen, with latest reports putting the number of dead at 48, but Sam Hyde was not the
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a World War II Photograph of Unwanted Babies for Sale in France?
On March 14 2019, the Facebook page “Pictures in History” shared an image (archived here) with the following status update: Unwanted babies for sale in France during World War II, 1940 This wasn’t this particular group’s fi
FactCheck.org→ How Much Will the ‘Green New Deal’ Cost?
Since the ambitious and controversial Green New Deal debuted last month, Republicans and Democrats have sparred over the cost of the measure — a nonbinding resolution that broadly outlines how the U.S. should address climate change over the next
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Passage of HR1 Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Vote?
On March 8 2019, a text-based status update began circulating on Facebook (archived here), asserting that the passage of legislation called HR1 granted “illegal immigrants” the right to vote. The white text across a purple background read
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Chicago Does NOT Have City ID Cards Which Allow Illegal Immigrants To Vote
Does Chicago have city ID cards which allow illegal immigrants to vote in local, state and federal elections? No, Chicago's CityKey ID program does not give non-citizens a way to illegally cast ballots when they otherwise would not be able to
FactCheck.org→ Larry Kudlow’s Revenue Deception
On the day the Trump administration released its fiscal 2020 budget, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow misleadingly claimed that “overall revenues are up about 10 percent.” In fact, federal revenues are down since the Republican tax
PolitiFact→ Elizabeth Warren – Comparing Manafort's sentence to life sentence for man who sold pot
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Comparing Manafort's sentence to life sentence for man who sold pot As far back as 2010, President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort was hiding a lot of money from the IRS. Prosecutors
FactCheck.org→ Trump Wrong About Obama Documents
In response to a sweeping document request from a congressional committee looking into potential criminal activity, President Donald Trump wrongly claimed that in the face of similar congressional inquiries, his predecessor, President Obama, “did
FactCheck.org→ Spinning GDP
The White House is claiming the economy grew 3.1 percent last year, while the statisticians at the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis put growth at 2.9 percent. What gives? Answer: The White House is spinning the numbers, focu
FactCheck.org→ Baseless Oklahoma City Bombing Conspiracy Theory
Quick Take A viral meme has revived an old, baseless conspiracy theory claiming that Hillary Clinton is linked to the Oklahoma City bombing. Full Story An old conspiracy theory from the 1990s has gotten a 21st Century update — it’s now spr
FactCheck.org→ Old and New Claims in Trump’s CPAC Address
In a two-hour address to the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 2, President Donald Trump made questionable and false claims about the fight against ISIS, tariffs and African American income. He also repeated a bevy of claims we’v
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Real Momo Videos,’ Viral Hoaxes, and Ostension
In the aftermath of the March 2019 U.S. media frenzy surrounding the Momo challenge, a number of “real Momo videos” have opportunistically surfaced and quickly racked up large share counts. We came across several of the likely many survivi