University officials have not identified the student but say she is among three students being reviewed as part of the scandal.
Snopes→ Aegean Sea Sees ‘Very Unusual’ Spike in Dolphin Deaths
Fifteen dead dolphins have washed up on Greece's Aegean coastline, compared to "one or two" in the same period last year.
Snopes→ Is the ‘Haiku Bird’ a Real Creature?
The four-legged, banana-eating, immortal pet of a deity is a remarkable specimen indeed.
Snopes→ Nielsen Says She Still Supports Trump’s Border Goals
She wrote that she hoped "the next secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America's borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation's discourse."
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Pat Robertson Claim He Had a Vision of Jesus with an AK-47 in Camo, Signaling the Second Coming?
In April 2019, a story spread on social media about a purported vision experienced by televangelist Pat Robertson regarding Jesus’ return — complete with an AK-47 and camo clothing: Linked here was an April 6 2019 item from The Business Sta
Snopes→ Did Nike Just Re-Hire Michael Vick?
Vick and Nike worked together after the former NFL star went to prison for dogfighting, but the story was already an old one when it recirculated in April 2019.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Franklin Graham Say Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has a ‘Satanic Background’?
In February 2019, an article from Business Standard News (BS News) contained the claim that evangelist Franklin Graham accused Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of coming from a “Satanic background”: We can’t go a day without some right-wi
Truth or Fiction?→ Should Anglers Beware of Snakes Hiding Inside Fish?
A September 2015 warning shared by the official-sounding Northwestern PA Sportsmen Facebook page (archived here) seems to make the rounds on social media in perpetuity: Beneath a photograph of what appears to be a snake inside the mouth of a large
Snopes→ Did a Maternity Ward Nurse Switch 5,000 Babies at Birth for ‘Fun’?
"I am asking Zambians to forgive me for the evil things I was doing to innocent children."
Snopes→ UK Plan Steps Up Global Crackdown on Social Media
"No one in the world has done this before, and it's important that we get it right."
Snopes→ Sanders Quiets His Critics as He Becomes a 2020 Front-Runner
His advisers argue the populist economic message Sanders has espoused for years has now been embraced not only by a slew of his Democratic rivals, but also Trump.
Snopes→ Rhino Poaching Suspect Killed By Elephant, Eaten By Lions
A Kruger National Park spokesman said the man and two others were illegally hunting for rhinos in the wildlife park in southeastern South Africa when the elephant surprised them.
Snopes→ New Zealand Official Calls Facebook ‘Morally Bankrupt’
Privacy Commissioner John Edwards made his comments after Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg recently rejected calls to introduce a delay in his livestreaming service Facebook Live.
Snopes→ Jury Selection to Begin in New York Group’s Sex-Slave Case
Two other women charged in the case, former NXIVM executive Nancy Salzman and her daughter, Lauren, have already pleaded guilty.
PolitiFact→ Mailbag: ‘I am now starting to question your perspective’
It’s spring. The flowers are blooming, and so is the PolitiFact email inbox. Here’s a rundown of recent comments, complaints and compliments from readers. *** One reader took issue with a portion of our fact check of Democratic presidential
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.
Snopes→ Smoking Pot vs. Tobacco: What Science Says About Lighting Up
As more states make it legal to smoke marijuana, some government officials, researchers and others worry what that might mean for one of the country’s biggest public health successes: curbing cigarette smoking.
Snopes→ Homeland Security Sec. Nielsen Resigns Amid Border Turmoil
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has resigned amid the administration’s growing frustration and bitterness over the number of Central American families crossing the southern border.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Courts Did NOT Quietly Confirm MMR Vaccine Causes Autism
Did courts "quietly confirm" that the MMR vaccine, which protects children against measles, mumps, and rubella, causes autism? No, that's not true: Court cases cited in articles falsely making the claim concluded with damage awards for encepha
Snopes→ Chief of Staff Says Dems Will ‘Never’ See Trump Tax Returns
Mick Mulvaney accused Democrats of engaging in a “political stunt” and wanting “attention.”
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Elizabeth Warren Did NOT Say ‘If Women Need To Be Raped By Muslims To Prove Our Tolerance, So Be It’
Did U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren say "If women need to be raped by Muslims to prove our tolerance, so be it. Then, thank goodness for Planned Parenthood"? No, that's not true: It a fake quote included in a meme that has been circulating on so
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ayanna Pressley Did NOT Pose In Front Of Picture Of Osama Bin Laden And ISIS Flag
Did Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley pose for a photo in front of a photo of Osama Bin Laden and an ISIS flag? No, that's not true: A photo taken of the four freshmen members of congr
Snopes→ US Wants 2 Years to ID Migrant Kids Separated from Families
The Trump administration wants up to two years to find potentially thousands of children who were separated from their families at the border before a judge halted the practice.
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
Snopes→ Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Forget to Vote for Her Own Bill?
Some people might benefit from acquiring an understanding of how the U.S. Congress actually works.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Joe Biden NOT Appointed As Head Of TSA
Was Joe Biden appointed as the head of the TSA? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a satire website mocking Biden's current issues with alleged innapropriate touching during public events. The satirical article went quite viral and
Snopes→ Can Canadians Be Fined $1,000 for ‘Eating While Driving Starting Next Month’?
A viral story lacked context about the implementation of a new driving law in province of Ontario.
Snopes→ Filings: Bill Cosby Agrees to Settle 7 Defamation Cases
Cosby's wife, Camille, had been ordered to give a deposition in the case in 2016, after a heated court fight over her testimony.
Snopes→ Rep: Jagger Doing Well After Receiving Medical Treatment
A representative for Mick Jagger says he has successfully undergone treatment, though no details were provided.
Snopes→ Ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner Ordered to Register as Sex Offender
Weiner pleaded guilty in May 2017 to transferring obscene material to a minor.
FactCheck.org→ Gillibrand’s Inaccurate Equal Pay Claim
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was wrong when she said it took until April 2 of this year for a female worker to “earn the same as a white man doing the same job” did in 2018. That date actually marked Equal Pay Day for women, a public awareness c
Snopes→ A Look at the State of the Wall on the US-Mexico Border
The southern border is nearly 2,000 miles long and already has about 650 miles of different types of barriers.
Snopes→ Saudi Arabia Arrests More Activists, Including 2 US Citizens
It marks the first sweep of arrests to target individuals perceived as critics of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman since the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi.
Snopes→ No-Go Zone: Trump to Skip ‘Boring’ White House Press Dinner
Trump said he'll hold one of his signature political rallies as counter-programming to the glitzy April 27 press dinner, skipping the event for the third year in a row.
Snopes→ Is this a Photograph of Worthless Money in the Gutters of Venezuela?
The disastrous economic situation in Venezuela can't be summed up in a single image.
FactCheck.org→ Video: Trump Tramples Facts at NRCC Event
This week’s fact-checking video by CNN’s Jake Tapper tackles a few of the many falsehoods that President Donald Trump made at the annual National Republican Congressional Committee spring dinner in Washington, D.C. Speaking about wind tur
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Forget to Vote for Her Own Green New Deal?
On March 29 2019 a Facebook page shared the following meme (archived here), asserting that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez failed to vote for her own bill (the “Green New Deal“): Across a photograph of Ocasio-Cortez (with a pejorative ter
Truth or Fiction?→ Do High Percentages of Refugees Receive Food Stamps, ‘Medicard,’ and Cash Welfare?
In late March 2019, the following meme (archived here) appeared, making three separate and warmed-over claims about “refugees” in the United States and opining, “cut them off”: The Meme The image-based meme provided no citation
Snopes→ Trump Defends His Tweet of Biden Parody Video
President Donald Trump is defending his tweeting of a parody video making fun of Joe Biden as the vice president pledged to alter behavior that made some women uncomfortable.