When pressed in private by Democrats asking why he wouldn't end the shutdown, President Trump responded at one point, "I would look foolish if I did that."
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump Say Generals at the Pentagon Were Better Looking and Stronger Than Tom Cruise?
On January 2, 2018, the Facebook page Union Thugs shared a meme attributing a quote about Pentagon generals and how they compared to actor Tom Cruise: The quote was bookended with commentary from the meme’s maker. It read: An actual thing the P
Snopes→ Sanders Contrite as 2016 Aides Face Harassment Allegations
There was no immediate indication that Senator Bernie Sanders was backing away from another presidential run.
Snopes→ Pelosi Poised to Become House Speaker, Making History
The Republicans will relinquish the majority to House Democrats under leadership of Nancy Pelosi as speaker, beginning a new era of divided government.
Washington Post→ Does it matter that Trump has only spent 6 percent of the ‘wall’ money?
Democrats have highlighted the supposedly slow pace of spending on Trump's border projects. But that's a misleading metric.
Snopes→ Did Florida State Rep. Kimberly Daniels Once Say, ‘I Thank God for Slavery’?
The Jacksonville Democrat's pronouncements as a preacher came under intense scrutiny in 2018.
Snopes→ Did This Frozen Grape Instantaneously Turn Water Into Ice?
Supercooled water, which remains liquid below its freezing point, can be tricky to create but is useful for party tricks.
Snopes→ Daryl Dragon, of ‘The Captain and Tennille,’ Dead at 76
Dragon died of renal failure at a hospice in Prescott, Arizona, according to spokesman Harlan Boll. Tennille was by his side.
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Border Blunders
On the day he met with congressional leaders to discuss the budget stalemate, President Donald Trump repeated several false and misleading claims about the Southwest border and the wall he wants to build: Trump tweeted that “Mexico is paying fo
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Man Did NOT Snort 10 Lines of Cocaine During Countdown To New Year, Did NOT End Up In Hospital
Did a man snort ten lines of cocaine during the countdown towards 2019 and was he subsequently taken to hospital with an overdose? No, that's not true: it did not happen in New York and it didn't happen in Santander, Spain either. The story
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pelosi Did NOT Offer To Build The Wall In Exchange For Full Gun Ban
Did Nancy Pelosi offer to build Donald Trump's planned Southern border wall in exchange for a full gun ban in the United States? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump sup
Snopes→ Is Olivia Newton-John Dying of Cancer?
Celebrity gossip websites reported in December 2018 that the 70-year-old singer had only days or weeks to live.
Snopes→ Does This Photograph Show a Giant Amethyst Geode?
Uruguay is known for producing some of the world’s most impressive such formations.
PolitiFact→ Can House Democrats release Donald Trump's tax returns?
As Democrats edge closer to taking control of the U.S. House, many of the party’s supporters are wondering what, if anything, the new House majority can do to obtain and make public President Donald Trump’s tax returns. Breaking with tradit
Snopes→ Did the SS Warrimoo Exist in Two Centuries at Once?
The SS Warrimoo was reportedly once navigated to a point such that it simultaneously spanned four different hemispheres and two centuries.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Muslim Men Attack a UK Serviceman on New Year’s Eve?
On January 1, 2019, British far-right activist Tommy Robinson (née Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon) shared a post with photographs of an injured man, claiming that fifteen Muslim men had seriously assaulted a British serviceman one day prior in Ba
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Man Doing ‘Bird Box Challenge’ Did NOT Get Jumped And Mugged In Hood
Did a man named Anthony Hanes participating in the #BirdBoxChallenge try to go around blindfolded in a bad neighbourhood and did he get jumped and robbed? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a site that publishes invented stories ab
Internet Archive→ President Meets With Cabinet : CSPAN : January 2, 2019 1:44pm-3:25pm EST
President Trump meets with his cabinet at the White House on the 12th day of a partial government shutdown. Sponsor: White House.This item belongs to: movies/TV-CSPAN.This item has files of the following types: Closed Caption Text, Columbia Fingerprint
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Bandersnatch’ a Real Game?
Netflix released Black Mirror standalone special “Bandersnatch,” which featured an interactive “choose your own adventure” style plot, on December 28, 2018. Immediately, viewers began dissecting its elements — chief among th
Snopes→ Did Beto O’Rourke Say Old People and Wounded Veterans Should Be ‘Thrown in the Trash’?
A widely-shared Facebook meme took aim at the potential 2020 Democratic presidential contender.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: 10,800 U.S. Children Were NOT Raped By Illegal Immigrants in 2018
Were 10,800 U.S. children raped by illegal immigrants in 2018? Almost certainly not. The actual statistics haven't been published yet and the 10,800 number is just a very sloppy extrapolation based on data from one state that also includes n
Washington Post→ President Trump’s error-filled holiday tweets on the border wall
The president kept tweeting during the government shutdown, but his claims were often suspect.
Snopes→ US Fires Tear Gas Across Mexico Border to Stop Migrants
U.S. authorities fired tear gas into Mexico during the first hours of the new year to repel about 150 migrants who tried to breach the border fence in Tijuana.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Woman NOT Charged After Slowly Eating Husband Alive Over Three Years
Was a woman in Centerville, Ohio (or anywhere else) charged after slowly eating her wheelchair-bound husband alive? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a website that is part of a larger network of sites all publishing made up tales
Snopes→ Spanish Police Discover 2 Migrants Hidden Inside Mattresses
Desperate to reach Europe from North Africa, two African migrants were discovered by police attempting to cross the Spanish border hidden inside a pair of mattresses.
Snopes→ Human Waste, Trash Overwhelm Some National Parks in Shutdown
Human feces, overflowing garbage, illegal off-roading and other damaging behavior in fragile areas were beginning to overwhelm some of the West's iconic national parks as a partial government shutdown left the areas open to visitors but with little sta
Snopes→ Loretta Lynn Death Hoax
Country singer Loretta Lynn did not die after checking into hospice care.
Snopes→ Louis C.K. Mocks Parkland Students in Audio of Stand-Up Set
The sound-only recording was posted in a since-removed YouTube video that said it was from a Dec. 16 stand-up set at a Levittown, New York, comedy club.
Snopes→ Elizabeth Warren Takes Big Step Toward 2020 Presidential Bid
Warren burst onto the national scene a decade ago during the financial crisis with calls for greater consumer protections.
Hoax-Slayer→ American Express ‘Primary Cardmember Message’ Phishing Scam
According to this email, which purports to be from credit card provider American Express, errors were encountered during a recent security analysis. The post American Express ‘Primary Cardmember Message’ Phishing Scam appeared first on Ho
Snopes→ Is Meth in Louisiana Contaminated with the Zika Virus?
Crime may not pay, but neither is it fooled so easily.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Bar’ an Acronym for ‘Beer and Alcohol Room’?
A meme with the claim that the word “bar” is an acronym for “beer and alcohol room” suddenly appeared in late December 2018: The meme was virtually identical in both presentation and format to a similar post claiming the word
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Two-Thirds of Millennials Not Know What Auschwitz Is?
In late December 2018, the Facebook page for Yahoo! Now shared a link to an article with a comment that two-thirds of millennials “don’t know what Auschwitz was”: The post linked to an article aggregated to Yahoo! from Newsweek on Apr
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Merkel’s Muslim Migrants Did NOT Form Sharia Police To Patrol Streets Of Berlin And Terrorize Locals
Are migrants in Germany running a "Sharia Police" in the streets of Berlin to enforce "sharia law" and to terrorize locals? No, that's not true: an old article mixing together several incidents from years ago keeps getting republished over and
Snopes→ Will Using the ‘Wrong PIN’ Protect You from Debit Card Fraud?
A tip spread via social media advises that debit card theft via card readers can be easily thwarted
Hoax-Slayer→ Faux Image – Mounted Police Officer Riding Giant Dog
Circulating image appears to depict a police officer mounted on a giant dog alongside another officer on a horse. The post Faux Image – Mounted Police Officer Riding Giant Dog appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Angela Merkel Did NOT Say Nation States Must Give Up Sovereignty To New World Order
Did Angela Merkel say states must give up sovereignty to the "New World Order"? No, that's not true: while Merkel did call on states to surrender some sovereignty she did not mention a "New World Order" and she stressed the importance of parli
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ted Nugent Did NOT Announce ‘Build The Wall’ Benefit Concert
Did singer Ted Nugent announce he was organizing a benefit concert to "Build The Wall"? 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
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Border Wall GoFundMe Founder Brian Kolfage NOT Dead Under Suspicious Circumstances
Did Brian Kolfage, the tripple-amputee veteran who set up the GoFundMe campaign to build a wall on the Southern border of the United States, die under suspicious circumstances? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a liberal satire we
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Porn Actress Funeral Did NOT End in Cemetary Orgy
Did the funeral of porn actress Sara Peláez end with an orgy at the cemetary? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Spanish satire website and later got translated (badly) for the English version of the site. It did not happen for