Did Lwellan Dowd, head of the L.A. Education Department, make it mandatory to include "Effective Masturbation Techniques" into the Sex Education curriculum? Of course not, that's fake news. The origin of the rumor was a meme put out by a liber
Snopes→ Did Saudi Arabia Crucify a Man During a Human Rights Dispute with Canada?
News accounts juxtaposed the grisly form of punishment with Saudi Arabia's umbrage over Canadian criticism of human rights violations.
Snopes→ Meet the Newest US Citizens: Melania Trump’s Parents
First lady Melania Trump's parents have been sworn in as U.S. citizens.
FactCheck.org→ Second Quarter GDP Growth Not a ‘Record’
The estimated second quarter gross domestic product growth rate of 4.1 percent is not “record” or “close-to-record GDP,” as President Donald Trump recently claimed. The actual record is four times higher and occurred back in 195
Snopes→ Does This Photograph Show a Woman About to Be Stoned to Death in Iran?
A picture from a 2003 protest in Colombia has been posted multiple times with the false claim that it shows a woman about to be stoned in Iran.
Snopes→ Grandfather: Remains at New Mexico Compound Are Missing Boy
New Mexico authorities, however, said they had yet to identify the remains.
Snopes→ Did Major News Networks Ignore a Story About Korean War Remains Returning to the U.S.?
A widely shared meme suggested that mainstream American news outlets largely ignored North Korea's return of the remains of U.S. soldiers killed during the 1950-53 war.
Snopes→ Texas Opens Investigation of Reported Immigrant Child Death
A report that a child died shortly after being released from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas has inflamed the debate over the detention of immigrant families.
Snopes→ Do Curved Fingernails Indicate Serious Health Problems?
Curved or “clubbed” fingernails have been used as an indicator of health since the time of Hippocrates, but their utility as a diagnostic is limited.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: VeggieTales Did NOT Introduce New Cannabis Character
Did animation series Veggie Tales introduce a new character named Cannabis Carl after recreational cannabis use was legalized? And will he be voiced by Kevin Smith? No, that's not true: the whole thing came out of the hazy mind of a Christian
PolitiFact→ Jon Tester – In Montana Senate race, long-standing battle between developers, farmers looms large
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | In Montana Senate race, long-standing battle between developers, farmers looms large In Montana’s contentious U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Jon Tester accused his Republican challenger of placing t
Snopes→ Court Upholds Ex-Stanford Swimmer Brock Turner’s Sex Assault Conviction
The three judge panel of the 6th District Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that Brock Turner received a fair trial.
Snopes→ Pence Outlines Plan for New Space Force by 2020
The White House said it will create the U.S. Space Force as a sixth, separate military service by 2020.
FactCheck.org→ Trump Tower, Collusion and the Law
In a recent tweet, President Donald Trump said the Trump Tower meeting between his son, other campaign officials and a Russian attorney connected to the Kremlin, which Trump acknowledged was “to get information on an opponent,” was “t
Snopes→ Marilyn Monroe Dresses, Personal Photos Going up for Auction
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, Monroe changed her name after coming to Hollywood. She used her mother's maiden name Monroe, while Lyon provided the "Marilyn."
Snopes→ Compound Suspects Built in Tiny Off-the-Grid Community
Authorities say another resident of the compound near the Colorado state line was conducting weapons training with assault rifles.
Snopes→ New Russia Sanctions over Poisoning of Former Spy, Daughter
The United States will impose sanctions on Russia for the country’s use of a nerve agent in an assassination attempt on a former Russian spy and his daughter.
PolitiFact→ Sonny Perdue – Retaliatory tariffs take heavy toll on U.S. farmers
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Retaliatory tariffs take heavy toll on U.S. farmers As President Donald Trump’s trade war wages on, we decided to check in on the most affected sectors. U.S. Agriculture Department Secretary Sonny Perdue
Snopes→ Puerto Rico Concedes Hurricane Maria Deaths More Than 1,400
Puerto Rico has conceded that Hurricane Maria killed more than 1,400 people on the island last year and not just the 64 in the official death toll.
Lead Stories→ Exclusive: Fake News Website Owner Responsible For Michael J. Fox Death Hoax Denies Phishing Allegations
On Sunday August 5, 2018 a fake news website using the URL yahoonews-us.com and a logo from Yahoo! News ran a death hoax about actor Michael J. Fox. Lead Stories was the first fact checking website to debunk the story: Fake News: Beloved Acto
Climate Feedback→ The Australian publishes “deeply ill-informed” opinion on climate by Ian Plimer
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This op-ed published by The Australian, written by Ian Plimer, makes a large number of claims that run counter to science and observations or are the expression of fallacious reasoning. The title of the op-ed—
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ghanaian Actor Salinko Did NOT Die After Publicity Stunt Went Wrong
Did actor Salinko from Ghana die in a German hospital after a translation mistake led to him being euthanised? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a satire website related to a network of fake news websites. It is not real. The sto
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Michigan "Sharia Zone" Did NOT Ban Bacon, Does NOT Require Burkas in Public, Does NOT Exist…
Did Michigan's 109th Congressional district adopt Sharia law and did this lead to banning of bacon and the requirement for women to wear burkas in public? No, that's not true: it is all part of a fictional article made up by a satire site that
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘4 Free Six Flags Tickets’ Scam Hitting Facebook
According to this Facebook post, you can get 4 free tickets to the Six Flags amusement park just by sharing and commenting. The post ‘4 Free Six Flags Tickets’ Scam Hitting Facebook appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Climate Feedback→ Guardian coverage of essay on potential of future “hothouse” climate is generally accurate, but misstates some details
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article in The Guardian covers an essay published by a group of scientists in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper describes previously existing research but discusses the possibility
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘Bigpond Email Getting an Update’ Phishing Scam
According to this email, your BigPond.com email address is getting an upgrade within the coming weeks. The email, which purports to be from "Telstra Broadband Support", claims that you can click a link and re-login to your account if you wish to upgrad
Hoax-Slayer→ Fake AppleCare Virus Warning Pop-Ups Link to Malware
At some point, many Mac users will likely encounter a browser pop-up warning claiming that their computer is infected with viruses. The post Fake AppleCare Virus Warning Pop-Ups Link to Malware appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Snopes→ Trump Administration Proposal Could Punish Legal Immigrants If Their Family Members Use Public Assistance
The proposed change to "public charge" rules would assess members of "immigrant households" in determining whether a person qualifies for permanent status.
Snopes→ ‘Superman’ Actress Margot Kidder’s Death Ruled a Suicide
A statement released by Park County coroner Richard Wood said the 69-year-old Kidder "died as a result of a self-inflicted drug and alcohol overdose" and that no further details would be released.
Snopes→ Indiana Man Charged After 8-Year-Old Son Dies from Inadvertently Eating Meth
Police say Curtis Collman pulled a gun on a friend instead of contacting help for the boy.
Snopes→ Deputies: Arrest Made in Lemonade Stand Stickup
North Carolina authorities arrested a juvenile they say robbed a 9-year-old lemonade vendor of $17 at gunpoint.
Snopes→ Advocacy Group Finds Traces of Asbestos in “Playskool” Crayons
Of the six kinds of crayons the U.S. Public Interest Research Group tested, one brand contained traces of the asbestos mineral tremolite.
Snopes→ Was the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Scrutinized After Posting a Photograph of a Deputy Praying?
A small number of people complained after the department posted a photograph of a deputy praying, but the vast majority of responses were positive.
Snopes→ Prosecutor: Man at Compound Trained Kids for School Shooting
The father of a missing Georgia boy was training children at a New Mexico compound to commit school shootings, prosecutors said.
Snopes→ Father Blames ‘Stand Your Ground’ in Son’s Parking-Lot Death
Michael McGlockton is convinced that two things killed his son in a Florida parking lot: The man who pulled the trigger and the state's polarizing "stand your ground" self-defense law.
Snopes→ Did John F. Kennedy Ask ‘Suppose God is Black?’
A speculative question about God's being black originated with one of the Kennedys, but it wasn't President John F. Kennedy.
Snopes→ Twitter CEO Defends Decision Not to Ban Alex Jones, Infowars
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey defended his company's decision not to ban right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his "Infowars" show, as many other social media platforms have done, saying he did not break any rules.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO 14 Democrats Arrested For Rigging Elections
Did 14 of the 17 Democrats who won elections in California's primaries on August 7, 2018 get arrested for election fraud and were their victories stripped? No, that's not true, the entire thing was made up by a left-wing satire site seeking t
Snopes→ Woman Tells Police She’s a ‘Clean, Thoroughbred, White Girl’
A woman seen speeding through a stop sign at 60 mph (97 kph) told officers they shouldn't arrest her because she's a "very clean, thoroughbred, white girl," police said.
FactCheck.org→ Unsupported Claim About Black Lives Matter Is Revived on Facebook
Q: Does a viral claim accusing Black Lives Matter activists of mugging a woman provide any evidence? A: No, it doesn’t. The claim takes an actual story about a 2016 mugging and adds that unsupported accusation. FULL ANSWER Several partisan F