On January 25 2019, the Facebook page “Pass The 28th Amendment (Complete Removal Of The Church From The State)” shared a news article about a preacher who purportedly claimed that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) was “summo
Snopes→ Trump Responds to Stone Arrest, Denies Collusion
President Donald Trump is responding to the arrest in Florida of longtime associate Roger Stone, tweeting that the special counsel's Russia probe is the "Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION!"
Snopes→ Bloomberg Says Trump, At This Point, ‘Cannot Be Helped’
The former New York City mayor also described the partial government shutdown, now at a record 35th day, as "a complete failure of presidential leadership."
Snopes→ Sanders Says White House Wants Shutdown Deal
President Trump has suggested he would support a deal with a "down payment" on a wall along the border. Sanders would not detail how much Trump is looking for.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: CIA Did NOT Issue Posthumous Apology, New Evidence Did NOT Clear Osama Bin Laden Of Involvement In 9/11 Attacks
Did new evidence clear Osama Bin Laden of involvement in the 9/11 terrirust attacks and did the CIA posthumously issue him a formal apology? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a satirical website that often gets mistaken for real n
Snopes→ Trump Associate Roger Stone Arrested, Faces Obstruction Charge
Roger Stone, a confidant of President Donald Trump, was arrested in the special counsel's Russia investigation in a pre-dawn raid at his Florida home and was charged with lying to Congress and obstructing the probe.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Man Did NOT Undergo $200,000 of Plastic Surgery to Look Like Jesus Christ
Did 30-year-old Mark Emery from Lexington, Kentucky undergo $200,000 worth of plastic surgery to resemble Jesus Christ? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living by publishing fictional
Washington Post→ Sen. Warren says she doesn’t ‘take PAC money of any kind.’ What does that mean?
Warren did not get much money from corporate PACs but she says she's dropping all PAC money. Here are the details.
Snopes→ Trump Makes Rare Cave on State of the Union Speech
"I would have done it in a different location but I think that would be very disrespectful to the State of the Union," President Trump said.
Snopes→ Was an Elderly Nevada Couple Shot Dead by an Undocumented Immigrant?
Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman is suspected of shooting dead four Nevada residents, including Gerald and Sharon David, in January 2019.
Snopes→ Did 18 Million Illegal Immigrants Receive Government Checks During the Shutdown?
The 2018-19 government shutdown has resulted in fewer people being paid, not more.
Snopes→ Senate Rejects Rival Dem, GOP Plans for Reopening Government
In an embarrassment to Trump that could weaken his position, the Democratic proposal got two more votes than the GOP plan, even though Republicans control the chamber 53-47.
Snopes→ Colorado Senator Rips Cruz’s ‘Crocodile Tears’ Over Shutdown
Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado noted that Cruz single-handedly shut down the government in 2013, at a time when Colorado was flooded.
Snopes→ Did the DOJ Change Definition of Domestic Violence on Their Website Without Explanation?
The move, which did not reflect any actual legislative change, was made without any clear reason.
Snopes→ Did Lettuce Kill More People in the U.S. in 2018 Than Undocumented Immigrants Did?
Undocumented immigrants do commit crime at a lower rate than native-born U.S. citizens, but not than leafy vegetables.
Snopes→ Was Sen. Chuck Schumer a Client of ‘Hollywood Madam’ Heidi Fleiss?
8chan and #QAnon trolls worked diligently to push this smear campaign into the mainstream.
FactCheck.org→ Unsupported MLK Claim Circulates Again
Quick Take Facebook posts claim that Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican. That’s a longstanding, unsupported claim that his children have denied. Full Story On the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and days after what would have been his 9
Snopes→ Yahoo! News Republished a Satirical Article from The Onion
An unusual cross-posting briefly blended satire with actual news.
FactCheck.org→ Sanders’ Tweet on Retirement Savings
Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted that “more than half of older workers have no retirement savings.” But that figure includes retirees, not just “older workers,” and does not include workers with pension plans. In all, 73 percent of o
Snopes→ Agency: Deadly California Fire Caused By Homeowner Equipment
The fire was one of more than 170 fires that torched the state in October 2017. It destroyed more than 5,600 structures over more than 57 square miles in Sonoma County.
Snopes→ Florida Elections Chief Resigns After Blackface Photos Emerge
Secretary of State Michael Ertel resigned just hours after he testified about election lawsuits before a state legislative committee.
Snopes→ Senate Subpoena for Michael Cohen; Lawyer Says He’ll Comply
President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen intends to comply with the interview demand related to the Russia investigation.
Snopes→ GOP Plan to End Shutdown Fails in Senate
The GOP plan, supported by President Donald Trump, would have given him the money to build his border wall but did not get the votes required to advance in the Senate.
PolitiFact→ Fact-checking Donald Trump’s false and misleading claims about immigration, the border wall
This story will be updated. President Donald Trump's arguments for a border wall at the U.S.-Mexico border generally center on two themes: the dangers and costs of immigrants. Often the facts behind those claims are either inaccurate or unsubstanti
Truth or Fiction?→ Did House Democrats Vote Against Shutdown Back Pay in January 2019?
On January 22 2019, Rep. Dan Crenshaw tweeted: The depicted tweet said: Big deal that never got reported: Last week, House GOP voted to pay federal employees their 1st paycheck of 2019, despite shutdown. Only 6 Dems voted with us. It failed. Dem prior
Snopes→ Did 23-Year-Old Ava Roberts Become the ‘Youngest Female African-American Doctor’?
Stories that are scant on important details are notoriously difficult to verify.
Climate Feedback→ How credible were 2018’s most popular climate articles?
SUMMARY To investigate whether last year’s most “viral” climate change stories misled the people who read them, we asked scientists to evaluate a list of top articles (as we did last year). In November, we searched Buzzsumo for the
Snopes→ Police Describe Execution-Style Killings Inside Florida Bank
Sebring police Chief Karl Hoglund said there's no indication the gunman intended to rob the bank, and no apparent connection among him, the bank or the victims.
Snopes→ Man Says Emotional Support Alligator Helps His Depression
Joie Henney, 65, said his registered emotional support animal named Wally likes to snuggle and give hugs, despite being a 5-foot-long alligator.
Snopes→ Chris Brown Accuser Alleges Multiple Rapes, Lawyer Says
Lawyer Franck Serfati told The Associated Press on Thursday the woman alleges she was forced to take cocaine and raped by the three men at a Paris hotel.
Snopes→ Nissin Drops Osaka Ad After ‘Whitewashed’ Complaints
Nissin Foods Holdings took down an online ad campaign that depicted Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka with pale skin after it was criticized as insensitive.
Snopes→ ‘The Milkman Model’: Big Brand Names Try Reusable Containers
Loop, as the platform is called, would do away with disposable containers for things like shampoo and laundry detergent from some of the world's biggest manufacturers.
Snopes→ Votes on Senate Bills Seen as Progress Even If They Fail
With the impacts of the shutdown becoming increasingly painful, lawmakers on both sides were trumpeting their willingness to compromise in the battle over border security and immigration issues.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: New Research Did NOT Say Drinking Wine Is More Important Than Exercise For Living Past 90
Did new research say drinking wine is more important than excercise for living past 90? No, that's not true: the study is not new and it says the exact opposite. But an article making the claim recently went viral, the latest in a long line
Climate Feedback→ New York Times’ coverage of IPCC report clearly presents conclusions
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This story in The New York Times covered the October release of the IPCC’s “Global Warming of 1.5 °C” report. The report, which was requested by governments during the 2015 Paris Agreement negot
Climate Feedback→ CNN accurately covers latest IPCC report
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This CNN story covered the October release of the IPCC’s “Global Warming of 1.5 °C” report. The report, which was requested by governments during the 2015 Paris Agreement negotiations, details th
Climate Feedback→ BBC article on IPCC report is mostly accurate, but could use some clarification
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This CNN story covered the October release of the IPCC’s “Global Warming of 1.5 °C” report. The report, which was requested by governments during the 2015 Paris Agreement negotiations, details th
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Homeless Man’s Penis NOT Snapped In Half During Sex With Manhole Cover
Did a homeless man named Steven Wood (43) from San Diego snap his penis in half after having sex with a manhole cover in a drunken stupor? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living by p
Washington Post→ Ocasio-Cortez’s misfired facts on living wage and minimum wage
The freshman member of Congress is calling attention to income inequality but plays fast and loose with her claims.
Snopes→ Alec Baldwin Taking Anger Class in Parking Dispute Plea Deal
Baldwin, who was accused of striking another driver in the face during the dispute last fall outside his New York City home, pleaded guilty to harassment and will have his case record sealed once he completes the one-day class.