Michael Cohen gave public testimony under oath that contradicted past statements by President Donald Trump on WikiLeaks, Stormy Daniels and a proposed Moscow real estate deal, as well as Trump’s Vietnam War deferrals and his net worth. Here we la
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FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Sanders’ CNN Town Hall
In a televised town hall, newly announced presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders repeated several misleading claims that we have written about in the past. Sanders said Trump sought to “throw 32 million people off of the health care they had
FactCheck.org→ Darla Shine’s Measles Misinformation
Over a nearly 18-hour Twitter spree, Darla Shine, the wife of Bill Shine, President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff for communications, made a series of false and misleading statements about measles and vaccines. Shine said to “bring back”
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Misdirection on ‘Criminal Aliens’
In declaring a national emergency at the southern border, President Donald Trump spoke of an “invasion” by “all types of criminals and gangs.” He suggested that the media “take a look at our federal prison population” and “see
Lead Stories→ Fake News: British Man Did NOT Sleep With Hundreds of Girls by Passing Himself off as Prince Harry
Did 34-year-old Henry Hampshire from Dorset claim he bedded hundreds of credulous girls by pretending to be Prince Harry? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living by publishing fictiona
Truth or Fiction?→ Safety Standards in the 1960s Chairlift Photo
On February 20 2019, the Facebook page Pictures in History shared a version of the photograph of a chairlift seen above simply captioned: “Safety standards in the 1960s.” The photograph was not new to the internet, and the meme-style versi
Truth or Fiction?→ Meghan Markle’s Royal Portrait?
In February 2019, several Facebook posts appeared that purported to show the royal portrait of Meghan Markle, the actress turned Duchess of Sussex. In one popular version, the sharer lauded the fact that “they” (presumably the Queen) didn&
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NBC Did NOT Finally Pull The Plug – Saturday Night Live NOT Canceled
Did NBC cancel its "Saturday Night Live" comedy series? No, the popular long-running late night show has not been cancelled -- despite tweets from President Trump that the show is unfunny and unfair. A report published by a website that bills
Snopes→ Smile: Some Airliners Have Cameras on Seat-Back Screens
American Airlines and Singapore Airlines both said that they have never activated the cameras and have no plans to use them.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Supreme Court Did NOT Rule National Emergency Order ‘Within the Powers of the POTUS’
Did the U.S. Supreme Court rule that President Donald Trump's national emergency order concerning the southern U.S. border is 'within the powers" of the president? No, it is a fake story intended by its original publisher as satire, but copied
Truth or Fiction?→ Are FDR and LBJ Era ‘Say No to Socialism’ Buttons Authentic?
On February 21 2019, economist and former United States Secretary of Labor Robert Reich published a tweet alongside what appeared to be an image of two political buttons from Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s and Lyndon B. Johnson’s campaigns: A
Lead Stories→ Fake News: RNC Office That Held Clinton Evidence NOT Burned To The Ground
Did an office building used by the Republican National Committee which contained evicence against Hillary Clinton burn down? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporte
Washington Post→ Trump’s repeated claim that China is paying ‘billions’ in tariffs to the Treasury
Over and over, President Trump says the Treasury is earning "billions" from tariffs. But Americans, not China, pay the tariffs and so far, it's a net loser for the government.
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Border Signs Admit the United States Has Lost Control of Border Territory?
On January 13 2019, Facebook user Steve Raabe shared a photograph purportedly showing a sign at the U.S.-Mexico border, along with the following status update: I live on the border with Mexico. As a matter of fact, I live right on the edge. I was rais
Truth or Fiction?→ Uber Sex Trafficking Warning?
On February 19 2019, a woman shared a harrowing account via Facebook which reported that a phony Uber driver in Tampa had nearly successfully abducted her for the purposes of sex trafficking. In her post, Emmy Hurley described the purported brush with
FactCheck.org→ Meme Misleads on Minnesota’s Somali Refugees
Quick Take Facebook posts distort the number of Somali refugees who have resettled in Minnesota to advance an unsupported claim about a freshman congresswoman’s electoral victory. Full Story Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s family fled from h
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Family Separation Genocide?
In February 2019, a mid-2018 tweet about family separations and the permanent and widespread transfer of children from their families to other people qualifying as genocide began recirculating. The tweet was initially published in June 2018, and it sai
Truth or Fiction?→ Heinz Ketchup Ingredients, U.S. vs UK
On February 14 2019, Vani Hari (popularly known as the “Food Babe” in the media) shared a graphic that compared the purported difference between Heinz Ketchup’s ingredient list in the United Kingdom versus the United States: The imag
FactCheck.org→ Spinning Trump’s National Emergency Declaration
Both sides are spinning the facts in response to President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency on the Southwest border: As justification for the border wall, White House adviser Stephen Miller cited an increase in border crosser
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pressing Cancel Twice Before Inserting Card Will NOT Protect You From ATM PIN Theft
Will pressing the "cancel" button two times before inserting your credit or debit card at an ATM prevent the theft of your PIN code? No, it is a myth that has spread through posts on Facebook since November 2018. It is typically titled "Messag
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft Did NOT Buy and Donate 204 Miles of Border Wall Property
Did Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft, the owners of the Cowboys and the Patriots, buy 204 miles of land along the Texas border so President Trump could build his border wall there? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire w
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
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s National Emergency Remarks
In declaring a national emergency at the Southwest border, President Donald Trump strung together a long list of false, misleading and unsupported claims on illegal immigration, drug smuggling, human trafficking, trade deficits and other issues. We br
FactCheck.org→ Anti-Muslim Myth Gets A New Twist
Quick Take Congress didn’t “quietly” repeal a law barring Muslims from serving in public office, as social media posts allege. No such law existed in the first place. Full Story Popular posts on Facebook put a new twist on the long-
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Red Cross Assisting Migrant Caravans with Tents and Supplies?
In October 2018 a Facebook user shared the following status update, alleging that the Red Cross was providing tents and food to a group of people moving through Mexico to the United States to request asylum at its southern border: Against a red backgr
FactCheck.org→ The Facts on the ‘Green New Deal’
On Feb. 7, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced her Green New Deal in the House and Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts introduced a companion resolution in the Senate. The text of the legislation, which is a nonbinding resolution, lays out
Snopes→ Make El Chapo Pay for a Border Wall? Don’t Count on It
Some Americans have floated an idea they see as poetic justice: Why not take some of the Mexican drug lord's billions in ill-gotten gains and make him pay for a border wall?
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Winston Churchill Say Socialism is the Philosophy of Failure?
On February 8 2019, a Facebook user shared the following meme, featuring images of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez above a purported quote from British wartime leader Winston Churchill: Underneath two identical images of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, it fea
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s El Paso Rally
Summary President Donald Trump made several claims in his Feb. 11 political rally in El Paso that distorted the facts, including: He said “the trade deficit really went down very big this last month,” leaving out the fact that the previous month w
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pope Francis Did NOT Say World Government Must Rule U.S. ‘For Their Own Good’
Did Pope Francis say a world government must rule the U.S. for their own good? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a website that attracts clicks and visitors by taking existing news reports out of context and adding an incendiary he
Snopes→ Pence Urges Europe to Quit Iran Deal, Back US Sanctions
Vice President Pence was especially critical of Britain, France and Germany for unveiling a new financial mechanism that U.S. officials believe is intended to keep the nuclear deal alive by evading American sanctions.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Democrat Senator Stuart Boll Did NOT Switch Sides or Pledge To Vote With Trump
Did a senator from Maine named Stuart Boll switch his affiliation from Democrat to Republican and did he pledge to vote with President Trump from now on? No, that's not true, the senator does not even exist. The story was published by a libera
FactCheck.org→ Kamala Harris Mistweet on ‘Tax Hike’
Sen. Kamala Harris, a declared candidate for president, cited preliminary IRS tax refund data for 2018 to criticize the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as “a middle-class tax hike.” That’s a misreading of the data. “Refunds are not the sa
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Mississippi Did NOT Pass Anti-Richard Dawkins Law
Did Mississippi pass the 5-71-226 Anti-Youth Subversion Act banning talking to minors about atheist Richard Dawkins? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a satire website mocking religiously motivated politicians. It is not true. The
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the Original ‘Lone Ranger’ a Black Man?
In January 2019, a meme that appeared to be a screenshot of an older post asserting that the real Lone Ranger was a black man named Bass Reeves spread on social media: Above what appeared to be an archival photograph of a black man and the television
FactCheck.org→ Trump Is Wrong About Fact-Checkers
In a political rally in El Paso, President Donald Trump falsely suggested that fact-checkers didn’t hold then-President Barack Obama accountable for his false promise that if you like your health care plan or your doctor, you can keep them under
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Tom Selleck NOT Dead, Final Words NOT ‘Help Trump To Help America’
Did actor Tom Selleck die and were the Magnum, P.I. star's final words 'Help Trump To Help America'? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republicans about
Snopes→ New Jersey Becomes First US State to Take Legal Oscars Bets
New Jersey is the first state in the U.S. to allow sportsbooks to accept wagers on the Oscars, taking after a common practice in Europe and giving American fans another option besides informal office pools.