Barack Obama Trying to Become UN Secretary-General-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: Former President Barack Obama is trying to become the next United Nations secretary-general. The Truth: Despite rumors about Barack Obama trying to become UN Secretary Gener
Search Results (715) for: theory
FactCheck.org→ Phony Yearbook Photo
Q: Is David Hogg pictured in a California school yearbook? A: No. That’s a yearbook photo from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, where Hogg is a student. FULL ANSWER David Hogg, 17, is an active member of his high school community
FactCheck.org→ School Shooting Spawns Conspiracy Theories
The internet has been rife with rumors about the school shooting that left 17 dead in Florida on Feb. 14. We’ve debunked several of them. Initially, the rumors focused on the alleged shooter himself, Nikolas Cruz. But, as students who survived t
FactCheck.org→ No ‘Crisis Actors’ in Parkland, Florida
Q: Are the students who survived the Florida school shooting really “crisis actors”? A: No. Conspiracy theories have been spreading online to undercut students advocating stricter gun control. FULL QUESTION I’ve seen this floating ar
Snopes→ Is Laura Phelps a Crisis Actor Who Lost a Child at Both Sandy Hook and Marjory Stoneman Douglas?
A conspiracy theory accusing Nick and Laura Phelps of being "crisis actors" received a new (and false) twist in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida school shooting.
TruthOrFiction→ Parkland Shooting Survivor David Hogg is a Crisis Actor-Fiction!
Parkland Shooting Survivor David Hogg is a Crisis Actor- Fiction! Summary of eRumor: David Hogg, a 17-year-old student who became an outspoken advocate for gun control after surviving the Marjory Stoneman High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, is a
TruthOrFiction→ Melania Trump’s Parents Used Chain Migration to Gain U.S. Citizenship-Unproven!
Melania Trump’s Parents Used Chain Migration to Gain U.S. Citizenship-Unproven! Summary of eRumor: First Lady Melania Trump’s parents used what the White House refers to as “chain migration” to gain U.S. citizenship. The Truth:
Snopes→ Has an Indictment Been Issued in the Uranium One Investigation?
There's no credible evidence linking a January 2018 indictment with a persistent Clinton conspiracy theory.
Snopes→ Does the ‘Bar’ in ‘Bar Exam’ Denote a Secret Lawyers’ Conspiracy?
A "sovereign citizen" conspiracy theory about the licensing of lawyers is riddled with bad logic and historical inaccuracies.
FactCheck.org→ No Democratic Prostitute Ring in N.J.
Q: Were three Democratic state senators arrested in New Jersey for running a prostitution ring? A: No. The senators named in the story don’t even exist. FULL ANSWER Sixty-three cases of sex trafficking were reported in the state of New Jersey in
FactCheck.org→ What Did Trump Say at Immigration Meeting?
What exactly did President Donald Trump say at a Jan. 11 White House meeting on immigration? At the meeting, Lindsey Graham, a Republican, presented a bipartisan plan to remove the threat of deportation for the 689,800 people who were illegally brough
TruthOrFiction→ FBI Arrests 22 Clinton Foundation Employees Days After Reopening Investigation-Fiction!
FBI Arrests 22 Clinton Foundation Employees Days After Reopening Investigation-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: The FBI arrested 22 Clinton Foundation employees for illegal activities just one day after reopening an investigation into the foundation’s
TruthOrFiction→ Bill and Hillary Clinton’s House Fire Destroys Hard Drives, Servers-Fiction!
Bill and Hillary Clinton’s House Fire Destroys Hard Drives, Servers-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: A fire at Bill and Hillary Clinton’s mansion in Chappaqua, New York, destroyed a room full of hard drivers and servers sought by the FBI. The
Snopes→ Did Delta Force Operators Raid an ‘Obama Stronghold’ in Thailand?
Reports of a Christmas Day raid originated with a conspiracy theory web site and are not based on factual information.
Snopes→ Dutch Journalist Debunks U.S. Ambassador’s ‘Fake News’ Claim to His Face
Reporter Wouter Zwart confronted Pete Hoekstra with footage of him promoting the "no-go zone" conspiracy theory.
FactCheck.org→ Video: Whoppers of 2017
In this video, we highlight six whoppers — out of a long list — told by politicians in 2017. The president dominated our roundup of the worst falsehoods of the year, so he dominated this video as well. Trump started his presidency with fal
FactCheck.org→ Video: Whoppers of 2017
In this video, we highlight six whoppers — out of a long list — told by politicians in 2017. The president dominated our roundup of the worst falsehoods of the year, so he dominated this video as well. Trump started his presidency with fal
FactCheck.org→ The Whoppers of 2017
Summary We first dubbed President Donald Trump, then just a candidate, as “King of Whoppers” in our annual roundup of notable false claims for 2015. He dominated our list that year – and again in 2016 – but there was still plenty of room for ot
FactCheck.org→ The Whoppers of 2017
Summary We first dubbed President Donald Trump, then just a candidate, as “King of Whoppers” in our annual roundup of notable false claims for 2015. He dominated our list that year – and again in 2016 – but there was still plenty of room for ot
TruthOrFiction→ Dr. Dean Lorich, Who Exposed Clinton Foundation Haiti Response, Found Dead-Truth! and Fiction!
Dr. Dean Lorich, Who Exposed Clinton Foundation Haiti Response, Found Dead-Truth! and Fiction! Summary of eRumor: Dr. Dean Lorich, a surgeon who exposed the Clinton Foundation’s bungled 2010 disaster response in Haiti, was found dead in December
WaPo Fact Checker→ History lesson: Do big tax cuts pay for themselves?
“It’s not just economic theory but economic history. … The bottom line is we will be able to fill any deficit hole with additional revenues. And we basically saw the same during the Reagan tax cut, frankly the Kennedy tax cut.
Snopes→ Did a CIA Agent Confess to Killing Bob Marley?
A disreputable web site capitalized on an old conspiracy theory about the death of the reggae icon to spin fake news clickbait.
Snopes→ Did a CIA Agent Confess to Killing Bob Marley?
A disreputable web site capitalizes on an old conspiracy theory about the death of the reggae icon.
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Claims Don’t Add Up
Summary In touting Republican tax bills, President Donald Trump made several claims that don’t add up. The nation’s real gross domestic product grew 4.6 percent and 5.2 percent in the third and fourth quarters of 2014, respectively. But T
Climate Feedback→ Grist article on an “Ice Apocalypse” mostly accurate, but doesn’t make the likelihood of that apocalypse clear enough to readers
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article at Grist by Eric Holthaus examines the risk of greater sea level rise caused by a more rapid loss of glacial ice. It focuses on a process recently added to one ice sheet model (ice cliff instability),
FactCheck.org→ Debunking False Vaccine Claim
Q: Has the Food and Drug Administration announced that vaccines cause autism? A: No. FDA statements are grounded in scientific evidence. There is no evidence that vaccination is linked to autism. FULL QUESTION FDA ANNOUNCED THAT VACCINES ARE CAUSIN
FactCheck.org→ GOP, Democrats Spin Tax Plan
Summary House Republicans on Nov. 2 introduced a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s tax code, and almost immediately both parties distorted the facts about the plan to advance their partisan agendas: The tax plan isn’t the “biggest tax cut in
FactCheck.org→ Blackout or Ham Radio Drill?
Q: Is the Department of Defense planning a drill that will cause a nationwide blackout? Is antifa involved? A: No and no. The Army is conducting a drill with ham radio operators, and it has nothing to do with antifa. FULL QUESTION I was wondering, d
Snopes→ Is the Department of Defense Planning a Communications Drill to Coincide with ‘Antifa’ Demonstrations?
The Army Military Auxiliary Radio System says conspiracy theory-related fears about a drill are unwarranted.
FactCheck.org→ Peddling Mueller Misinformation
Q: Has Robert Mueller resigned as the special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election? A: No. He is still in charge of that investigation and has no plans to leave. FULL ANSWER Robert S. Mueller III has not resigned a
TruthOrFiction→ Fred Reed Column on Black Reparations for Slavery-Commentary!
Fred Reed Column on Black People Receiving Reparations for Slavery-Commentary! Summary of eRumor: A commentary attributed to Fred Reed discusses Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the chairman of African-American studies at Harvard, pushing for reparations for sl
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Dubious $4,000 Claim
Would American households really see an average income increase of $4,000 a year if President Donald Trump succeeds in cutting the corporate income tax? Don’t count on it. This claim is dubious at best. Consider this simple arithmetic: There wer
Snopes→ Did ‘Mexican Drug Cartels’ Start the California Wildfires?
Disreputable web sites provide no evidence to support a half-baked theory about the cause of the October 2017 fires.
Snopes→ Did a Mandalay Bay Hotel Worker ‘Vanish’ After Giving an Interview?
A disreputable web site published an illogical and inaccurate conspiracy theory about a valet worker who reportedly had a brush with the Las Vegas gunman.
FactCheck.org→ Warming to Blame for Western Wildfires?
Q: Did climate change cause the wildfires out West? A: Scientists say a hot and dry summer — conditions more likely in a warmer world — caused widespread wildfires in Western states. But land use changes also have played a role. FULL ANS
TruthOrFiction→ Las Vegas Shooter Stephen Paddock Converted to Islam 6 Months Before Massacre-Unproven!
Las Vegas Shooter Stephen Paddock Converted to Islam 6 Months Before Massacre-Unproven! Summary of eRumor: Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock converted to Islam six months before opening fire on a crowd gathered at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Octob
Snopes→ Las Vegas Shooter Died in 2013?
A bizarre conspiracy theory holding that Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock died in 2013 was based on a different individual's obituary.
FactCheck.org→ Gun Control in Australia, Updated
In 2009, we wrote an Ask FactCheck item for readers who wanted to know, “Did gun control in Australia lead to more murders there last year?” The answer at the time was “no,” and that’s still the case. In fact, the most rec
Snopes→ Did an American Actor Take Part in a London Bomb Attack ‘Hoax’?
A bizarre false flag conspiracy theory falsely links an actor from NBC's 'The Office' to the Parsons Green terrorist attack.
Snopes→ U.S. Government Ships Radioactive Milk to Black Communities as Part of a Genocide Plot?
A conspiracy theory involving radioactive milk and diabetes fails on both historical and scientific grounds.