Summary The debate season for the 2020 presidential election kicked off with 10 Democratic candidates taking the stage in Miami and exaggerating or garbling the facts on Iran, wages, Medicare, the opioid crisis and guns. Sen. Cory Booker claimed the I
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Truth or Fiction?→ There Is No Credible Evidence Rep. Ilhan Omar Married Her Brother
On June 23 2019 pundit Dinesh D’Souza tweeted a very old claim: That Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) once married her own brother: I’m trying to keep the @IlhanMN story straight. She marrried her brother to evade immigration laws? Then she div
FactCheck.org→ Facts on Warren’s Wealth Tax Plan
In her campaign speeches, Sen. Elizabeth Warren likes to say, “I’ve got a plan for that.” She has lots of plans, but there is one on which many of the others hinge: her plan for an “Ultra-Millionaire Tax,” an annual wealth
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Trump Did NOT Cancel Funding For Obama’s Free House And Library
Did President Donald Trump cancel funding for Obama's free house and library and is Michelle Obama furious about it? No, that's not true: an old hoax from a satire website has been turned into a clickbait story that is still circulating the in
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the ‘New Congresswoman from Michigan’ Describing ‘What the Enemies of America’ Plan to Do?
On May 26 2019, rock musician turned conservative commentator Ted Nugent shared the following video and caption to his Facebook page: Listen very closely to the new congresswoman from Michigan what the enemies of America believe especially on Memorial
Lead Stories→ Fake News: MN Democrats Did NOT Vote For Elementary School Pornography
Did Minnesota Democrats vote for elementary school pornography? No, that's not true: The Minnesota state house voted a "Comprehensive Sex Education" provision that required each school district to teach sex ed, but it would not have mandated a
FactCheck.org→ Social Post Wrong About Obama’s Tax Returns
Quick Take Former President Barack Obama, like many major party presidential nominees before him, released his tax returns — despite a popular social media post that implies otherwise. Full Story As congressional Democrats fight to obtain Presi
FactCheck.org→ Meme Inflates School Shooting Deaths
Quick Take A meme circulating online claims that 7,182 students have been “killed in U.S. schools” since 2012, but that number is inflated. It likely refers to all firearm fatalities involving children, including suicides and shootings off campus.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: The Real Reason Thomas Jefferson Owned A Copy Of The Quran Was NOT To Better Know His Enemy
Did Thomas Jefferson own a copy of the Quran (or Koran) to better know his enemy, as he "led the charge" in a United States' war on Islam? No, that's not true: Jefferson obtained his copy of Islam's Quran as a law student in 1765, which was 20
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
FactCheck.org→ O’Rourke Wrong on Gun Control Stat
After the Colorado school shooting, Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke advocated universal background checks for gun purchases, claiming that state laws mandating universal checks “have been shown to reduce gun violence by 50 p
FactCheck.org→ Sign of the Times: Phony Photo Politicizes School
Quick Take A doctored photo circulating on Facebook falsely claims that a California middle school congratulated President Donald Trump “on reaching his 10,000th lie.” The image came from an online generator that lets users enter their own
FactCheck.org→ Social Posts Spin Harris’ Gun Control Proposal
Quick Take Sen. Kamala Harris, a Democratic candidate for president, has not called for Americans to “surrender” their guns, as social media posts wrongly assert. Full Story At a CNN town hall in April, California Sen. Kamala Harris said
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Chicago Police Urinate on Food for a Black Panthers Free Breakfast Program in 1969?
On April 29 2019, a researcher shared the following tweet showing a screenshot of text reporting that in 1969, police in Chicago had urinated on food and supplies gathered by the Black Panthers for a free breakfast program: Holy shit – I’m r
FactCheck.org→ ‘Ban’ on Hot Dogs in NYC? Not Quite.
Quick Take Headlines shared widely on social media misleadingly tell readers New York City will “ban” hot dogs. A city spokesman told us a plan to phase out government purchases of processed meats and reduce purchases of beef “would not impact ho
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Democratic Sen. Scott Dibble Did NOT Suggest Using ‘Allah’ In Place Of ‘God’ — As In ‘In Allah We Trust’
Did Minnesota Democratic State Sen. Scott Dibble suggest using "Allah" in place of "God" -- as in "In Allah We Trust" -- as a motto to be placed in schools? No, that's not true: Sen. Dibble actually proposed using "Yahweh," the Hebrew name for
FactCheck.org→ Meme Gets an ‘F’ on College Claims
Quick Take A popular Facebook post gives readers a false impression about the recent college admissions scandal and the cost of college for immigrants in the United States illegally. Full Story Where can you find an inaccurate comparison between the
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Research Did NOT Show Chemicals In Foods Are Making Young Men Gay In The U.S.
Did recent research show chemicals in foods are making young men in the U.S. gay? And does this happen especially in the African American community? No, that's not true: a clickbait website used two pieces of unrelated research to spin a frigh
FactCheck.org→ Rep. Ilhan Omar’s 9/11 Comments in Context
The controversy over Rep. Ilhan Omar’s reference to the 9/11 terrorist attacks continued to boil on the political talk shows on Sunday. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders claimed that Omar had spoken “dismissively” about the 9/
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Flint Still Not Have Clean Water?
In April 2019, a July 2017 text-based status update (archived here) about a lack of clean water in Flint, Michigan continued making the rounds on social media. Across a blue sky background, white text read as follows: 1188 days still no clean water fo
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Flint Still Not Have Clean Water?
In April 2019, a July 2017 text-based status update (archived here) about a lack of clean water in Flint, Michigan continued making the rounds on social media. Across a blue sky background, white text read as follows: 1188 days still no clean water fo
Snopes→ Huffman, 12 Other Parents to Plead Guilty in College Scheme
The “Desperate Housewives” star and the other parents will admit to charges in the scheme, which authorities say involved rigging standardized test scores and bribing coaches at such prestigious schools as Yale and Georgetown.
Washington Post→ Betsy DeVos’s claim about public funding for ‘Education Freedom Scholarships’
A carefully worded tweet by the education secretary blurs out the government's role in funding scholarships for private or religious schools.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rod Serling’s ‘Twilight Zone’ Use Sci-Fi to Push Politics Past Network Censors?
The beginning of April 2019 also marked the premiere of the third television iteration of The Twilight Zone. This time, Rod Serling’s mid-century television classic series was rebooted with producer Jordan Peele at the helm. On the day the firs
Snopes→ County Bans Unvaccinated Minors in Public as Measles Spreads
Under the declaration, which lasts for at least 30 days, anyone under 18 who is not vaccinated against measles is barred from public gathering places, including shopping malls, civic centers, schools, restaurants and even houses of worship.
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
Hoax-Slayer→ Fact Check — Did Sharifa Alkhateeb Discuss Long Term Plans to Convert America to Islam?
A video entitled "Sharifa Alkhateeb Talks About Using Public Schools to Convert America to Islam" is currently being shared via social media. The post Fact Check — Did Sharifa Alkhateeb Discuss Long Term Plans to Convert America to Islam? appeare
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Why Did Slaves Come to America?’ School Worksheet
In March 2019, two viral Facebook posts circulated with an image of an alarmingly inaccurate “Why Did Slaves Come to America?” worksheet. The viral Facebook posts were part of a larger controversy in February and March 2019 about myriad i
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say Her Girl Scout Troop Recreated the Challenger Launch?
On March 10 2019, right-wing YouTube personality and conspiracy theorist Mark Dice shared the following meme to Twitter and Facebook about a purported quote by U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: First, Dice tweeted the image above with no
FactCheck.org→ A Falsehood About Chicago’s CityKey ID Cards
Quick Take Viral social media posts have revived a false claim regarding a Chicago ID card program. The CityKey cards do not allow noncitizens to vote; that is still illegal. Full Story Before Chicago rolled out a new municipal ID program last spring
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
FactCheck.org→ Social Posts Spin Sanders Photo
Quick Take A viral hoax claims that Sen. Bernie Sanders was arrested in 1963 for “throwing eggs” at black civil rights protesters. He was arrested while protesting on behalf of civil rights. Full Story A black-and-white photograph from 19
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an Arkansas Republican Propose Cutting Free Lunches to Punish Students?
On February 26 2019, the Facebook page “Occupy Democrats” shared the following meme (archived here), alleging that state legislator from Arkansas Alan Clark proposed cuts to school lunch programs for disadvantaged children: Text around a
Truth or Fiction?→ Underground Railroad to Mexico?
On February 13 2019, a Facebook user shared a screenshot of a tweet, originally tweeted a day earlier by @HISTORY about a purported version of the Underground Railroad running south to Mexico: Text for the tweet read: Slaveholders knew that enslaved p
Truth or Fiction?→ Has Wu-Tang’s GZA Lectured on Quantum Physics at Harvard?
In February 2019, a #BlackHistoryMonth post on Facebook asserted that the Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA (also known as The Genius) is a scientist, has lectured at Harvard, and is educated in quantum physics: Above two photographs of GZA, text stated: Peopl
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Peppa Pig’ Giving American Kids British Accents?
In early February 2019, a number of outlets began reporting on the “Peppa effect,” a purported trend causing American preschoolers who watched the show to speak in British accents. The claims were virtually guaranteed to achieve viral tract
Truth or Fiction?→ 1921 Tulsa Race Riot
In February 2019, a meme about the 1921 Tulsa race riot was shared to Facebook, racking up tens of thousands of shares in 24 hours: Above what looked to be an archival photograph of Ku Klux Klan members lining a dirt road, and caption (“History
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Modern Caesarean Sections Invented in Africa?
On February 6 2019, a Facebook post circulated claiming that “modern c-sections” were invented by midwives in Africa. The post had the hashtag #BlackHistoryMonth, and it said in its entirety: Did you that modern C sections were invented by
FactCheck.org→ Unsupported MLK Claim Circulates Again
Quick Take Facebook posts claim that Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican. That’s a longstanding, unsupported claim that his children have denied. Full Story On the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and days after what would have been his 9