Quick Take Facebook posts shared by thousands of people make the unsupported assertion that “3 Muslim congress women” are refusing to uphold the Constitution. Full Story The 116th Congress, which will convene next month, will include a rec
Snopes→ Is Tooka Pizinistee the First Woman to Lead a Muslamic Congregation in the USA?
If the U.S. Congress sees such a congregation, it probably won't be lead by Lady Gaga.
PolitiFact→ What can we expect during a government shutdown?
A government shutdown looms, as President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders in Congress skirmish over funding for a border wall between the United States and Mexico. If a shutdown occurs, it would be the third in the span of a year, following tw
PolitiFact→ What can we expect during a government shutdown?
A government shutdown looms, as President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders in Congress skirmish over funding for a border wall between the United States and Mexico. If a shutdown occurs, it would be the third in the span of a year, following tw
Snopes→ Was Kelly Clarkson Fired from ‘The Voice’?
Genuine news articles typically don't contain plugs for scammy diet pills.
Snopes→ Did the Trump Administration Auction Off 150,000 Acres of Public Land for Fracking?
Activists warned that the Bureau of Land Management was ignoring scientific evidence in opening the land up to business interests.
Snopes→ Yemeni Mom Overcomes Travel Ban to Finally Hold Dying Son
Citizens from Yemen and four other mostly Muslim countries, along with North Korea and Venezuela, are restricted from coming to the United States under the travel ban enacted under President Donald Trump.
Snopes→ Conservatives Warn Trump Not to Retreat on Border Wall
President Trump's critics worry that the unfilled pledge for a U.S.-Mexico border wall could hamper his re-election campaign.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Viral ‘Package Thief vs. Glitter Bomb Trap’ Video Real?
On December 17, 2018 YouTube content creator and former NASA engineer Mark Rober shared a video called “Package Thief vs. Glitter Bomb Trap,” which purportedly showed the aftermath of a glitter bomb deployment on unwitting porch pirates wh
Snopes→ 2 Little Pigs ‘Pardoned’ Ahead of Miami Christmas Eve Feasts
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he was instituting a new holiday tradition when he pardoned little pigs Layla and Luna outside a Miami restaurant.
Snopes→ Was a Newly-Discovered Species of Amphibian Given the Name ‘Dermophis Donaldtrumpi’?
Reports in December 2018 referred to a recently discovered "blind creature that buries its head in the sand."
Snopes→ Judge Declines to Throw Out Harvey Weinstein Criminal Case
Judge James Burke ruled that Weinstein's claims of prosecutorial misconduct had "no basis." He also denied Weinstein's request for an evidentiary hearing.
Snopes→ Travelers Face Chaos as Drones Shut London’s Gatwick Airport
All incoming and outgoing flights were suspended, and the airport's two terminals were jammed with thousands of weary travelers.
Snopes→ Putin Issues Chilling Warning on Rising Nuclear War Threat
Speaking at his annual news conference, Putin warned that if the U.S. puts intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Russia will be forced to take countermeasures.
FactCheck.org→ The Whoppers of 2018
Summary For the fourth year in a row, Donald Trump dominates our list of the whoppers of the year. Before he entered politics as a presidential candidate in 2015, we had never singled out one person as the most egregious teller-of-falsehoods in these y
FactCheck.org→ The Viral Spiral of 2018
Summary All this month, we’re celebrating 15 years of holding politicians accountable. We’ve been writing about false and misleading viral claims for nearly as long. Early on, we mostly fact-checked viral messages in the form of chain email
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Mike Huckabee Tweet About the Clinton Foundation Real?
Following news on December 18, 2018 that the Trump Foundation would close, a tweet attributed to former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in which he appeared to think that the Clinton Foundation was closing circulated in screenshots on social media. In
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Muslim Somali Sex Gang Did NOT Say Raping White British Children Was Part of Their Culture
Did members of a "Muslim Somali sex gang" responsible for grooming and raping several underage girls claim that raping white British children was part of their culture? No, that's not true: a Macedonian fake news site embellished an actual cla
NPR→ FACT CHECK: Mexico Isn’t Paying For The Border Wall, Military Unlikely To Build It
With a proposed government funding bill not putting money into President Trump's border wall, he's now talking about different ways to complete his long-promised project.(Image credit: Guillermo Arias)
NPR→ FACT CHECK: Mexico Isn’t Paying For The Border Wall, Military Unlikely To Build It
With a proposed government funding bill not putting money into President Trump's border wall, he's now talking about different ways to complete his long-promised project.(Image credit: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images)
NPR→ FACT CHECK: Mexico Isn’t Paying For The Border Wall, Military Unlikely To Build It
With a proposed government funding bill not putting money into President Trump's border wall, he's now talking about different ways to complete his long-promised project.(Image credit: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images)
Lead Stories→ Fake News: ‘Belgians’ Did NOT ‘Rise Up’ & ‘Overthrow’ Government For Signing UN Global Migration Pact
Did "Belgian patriots" rise up and overthrow the Belgian Government for signing the UN Global Compact on Migration? No, that's not true. The Belgian cabinet did fall and it was over support for the UN pact but there was no "uprising" (just a d
Snopes→ Are Over 100 Whales Trapped in Underwater ‘Jails’?
Animal welfare activists and experts are deeply concerned about 90 belugas and 11 orcas packed into pens off the Russian coast.
Snopes→ Did Joe Biden Once Advise the Public to Use Shotguns for Self-Defense?
A meme featured an eye-catching quotation attributed to the former vice president.
Hoax-Slayer→ TRUE — The Tale of The Lion, Tiger and Bear Rescued from a Drug Dealer
Circulating message that features a photograph depicting a lion, a tiger and a bear together claims that the animals were rescued from a drug dealer's property early in their lives and have lived together in an animal sanctuary ever since. The post TRU
Snopes→ Banksy’s New Artwork in Wales: A Comment on Air Pollution?
Street artist and social commentator Banksy has apparently popped up in Wales, leaving a new artwork on a garage in Port Talbot.
Snopes→ Trump Pulling All US Troops from Syria, Declaring IS Defeat
Trump's declaration of victory was far from unanimous, and officials said U.S. defense and military leaders were trying to dissuade him from ordering the withdrawal right up until the last minute.
Snopes→ Illinois Finds 500 More Catholic Clergy Accused of Abuse
A spokeswoman said that the allegations date back decades and include some priests who are now deceased.
Snopes→ Did a Traffic Stop Uncover a Bag of Human Penises?
The sum of strange mugshots and outlandish claims is almost always junk news.
Snopes→ Did 17 Women Discover They’re All Pregnant by the Same Man?
If true, the profligate impregnator faces a world record child support bill.
Snopes→ Did David ‘Avocado’ Wolfe Post a Meme About Solar Panels Draining Light from the Sun?
“Solar panels are not renewable, the light they absorb is lost forever,” he wrote, adding “like and share!”
Snopes→ Did Four AI Robots Kill 29 Scientists in Japan?
The claim came from a UFOlogist -- and, yes, it does sound like something from a movie.
Snopes→ Elon Musk’s New Tunnel ‘a Little Rough Around the Edges’
The tunnel is just a test to prove the technology works and could one day cure traffic.
Truth or Fiction?→ Does the Arrow on a Car’s Gas Gauge Indicate Which Side Has the Fuel Tank?
A tweet published in December 2018 reiterated a long-circulating purported “life hack,” in which an easy-to-miss arrow on a car’s gas gauge indicated the side of the vehicle on which its gas tank was located: How old were you when yo
Snopes→ Yemeni Mom on Way to Give Ill Son Kiss After Getting Waiver
She needed a waiver from the Trump administration's travel ban to fly to California where her 2-year-old son is on life support.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: United Airlines Pilot and Copilot NOT Fired, Did NOT Have Loud Sex During Flight
Were United Airlines pilots Jordan McPhee and Bayani Ceniza fired for having loud sex in the cockpit during a Manilla-Los Angeles flight? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living by pub
Snopes→ Does a Texas Law Require Government Contractors to Swear They Won’t Boycott Israel?
A December 2018 lawsuit highlighted the case of an elementary school pathologist in Austin.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Four Artificially Intelligent Robots Kill 29 Humans in a Japan Lab?
On December 15, 2018, a Facebook user shared what appeared to be a screenshot of an article reporting the shocking news that dozens of Japanese scientists had been killed by rebellious artificial intelligence: An Instagram handle was visible in the sc
Snopes→ UK Opposition Leader Denies Calling PM May ‘Stupid Woman’
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was caught on camera appearing to mutter the insult during the prime minister's weekly question-and-answer session.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Routine Traffic Stop Did NOT End With Officers Finding Dead Lover’s Hand in Man’s Anus
Did police officers in Rainbow City, Alabama (or anywhere else) find the mummified hand of his dead lover in the anus of a driver they stopped? No, that's not true: the story was published by the latest in a long string of websites pretending