Did Elon Musk say he would release a "bombshell" client list tied to rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and financier Jeffrey Epstein? No, that's not true: This originated from SpaceX Fanclub, a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer: "We post SAT
Full Fact→ Video of pilot ‘fired for refusing to spray chemtrails’ is German satirical skit
A joke video is being shared on social media with claims it shows a real legal case in Germany of a commercial pilot who lost his job over his refusal to spray “chemtrails”.
Full Fact→ Image of plane crashing into bridge is digital art not real disaster
The picture is circulating on social media along with false claims it shows a ‘horrific plane crash caught on camera’.
PolitiFact→ Can President-elect Donald Trump enact tariffs without Congress? And can anyone stop him?
Experts say when President-elect Donald Trump takes office, he could act unilaterally to enact tariffs, without support from a Congress that’s less excited about them than he is.
The Dispatch→ The Aristocrats
It’s past time to banish the American ruling class.
The Dispatch→ Syrian Rebels Retake Aleppo in Shock Offensive
The resumed fighting comes as Bashar al-Assad’s backers are weakened and distracted.
The Dispatch→ A Russian Dissident’s Lessons in Life and Freedom
Vladimir Kara-Murza embodies principled resistance against tyranny.
The Dispatch→ Did Israel Win the Third Lebanon War?
Hezbollah is weakened, but some Israelis are skeptical of the latest ceasefire agreement.
The Dispatch→ From John Locke to Ezra Klein
Grateful.
The Dispatch→ The Monthly Mailbag With Mike Warren
Our senior editor answers your questions.
The Dispatch→ On Rootedness and Thanksgiving
How remembering the labor of our forbears gives us hope for the future.
The Dispatch→ Flourishing Is About More Than Just Power
Today’s populists are giving up on a free society.
The Dispatch→ Our Best Stuff From the Week of Thanksgiving
Plus: Have we got some deals for you.
The Dispatch→ Why ‘Gladiator II’ Won’t Leave the Mark of its Predecessor
Ridley Scott delivers a thrilling sequel to a changing film landscape.
The Dispatch→ I Thought Happiness Was ‘Idiocracy’ in the Rear-View Mirror
Some thoughts on today’s Grand Old Party.
Full Fact→ No, Elon Musk isn’t investing $1 billion into an ‘un-woke’ film studio
The claim originates from a satirical news website and isn’t true.
Full Fact→ Margarine isn’t ‘one molecule away’ from plastic
Margarine doesn’t share 27 ingredients with paint and isn’t one molecule away from plastic.
Full Fact→ Did Kemi Badenoch say she wouldn’t reverse Labour’s National Insurance increase?
At PMQs Keir Starmer suggested the Conservative leader had indicated she would not reverse the increase, but that doesn’t seem to be quite what she said.
Full Fact→ Arma 3 clips and old footage shared as attacks from Yemen in the Arabian Sea
Posts on social media have been sharing a video game clip and unrelated footage with claims they show attacks from Yemen on the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
Full Fact→ Labour’s ‘£22 billion black hole’ figure is not directly comparable to the deficit in 2010
A number of social media posts seem to compare the forecast overspend in in-year departmental spending which Labour claims to have inherited with the deficit the party left when last in government.
Full Fact→ Viral list of ‘patents on viruses’ fact checked
An image shared on social media with claims it shows a list of patent numbers for viruses such as H1N1 flu, Zika virus and SARS is not quite what it seems.
Full Fact→ Video shows factory fire in West Bank, not Hezbollah attack on Israel
Full Fact traced a video circulating on social media back to reports of a factory fire in Hebron in the West Bank in February.
Full Fact→ Major League Soccer has not banned Pride flags from 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
A claim being shared on social media that MLS has banned Pride flags ahead of next year’s Club World Cup in the United States is untrue, and originates from satirical online articles.
Full Fact→ No evidence child found wandering in Dewsbury or Chesterfield
These Facebook posts are likely hoaxes, and very similar to others we’ve seen before.
Lead Stories→ Lead Stories is on Bluesky — Come For the Updates, Stay for the Starter Pack
What's that blue butterfly in the row of social media icons in the sidebar and footer of our website? Lead Stories is happy to announce we are now also present on the Bluesky social media network. Follow our accounts if you want to get im
Full Fact→ UK has not agreed to fund ‘Bill Gates’ geoengineering experiments’
A headline being shared on social media misleadingly claims that the UK government is to finance geoengineering experiments by the Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
The Dispatch→ The Feather-Pillow Principle
How much influence will Donald Trump’s advisers actually have?
The Dispatch→ A More Humanist Conservation
Left-wing environmentalism treats humans as a threat to the environment. But this planet is our home.
Full Fact→ Fake Guardian article on Gaza ‘rivalling Bradford’ shared online
Apsana Begum MP did not write an article for the Guardian with the headline “Gaza will rise from the ashes to become a city of the future to rival Bradford”.
Full Fact→ Voters can’t force by-elections to oust MPs ‘at any time’
A recall petition against a sitting MP can only be triggered if one of three specific conditions are met.
Health Feedback→ No evidence that John D. Rockefeller suppressed “natural healing” or had practitioners arrested and jailed
REVIEW In November 2024, a video went viral on Facebook claiming that industrialist John D. Rockefeller suppressed “natural healing modalities” in order to profit from selling petroleum-based medicine and had practitioners of “natural” medic
Full Fact→ Argos £2 iPhone promotion is not genuine
Yet another fake Argos offer is being shared on Facebook.
Full Fact→ No evidence Elon Musk has endorsed this home heating device
An advert shared on social media claims the billionaire has endorsed a home heating device.
The Dispatch→ And They Began to Be Merry
Turning water to wine wasn’t Jesus’ real miracle at Cana.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Daily Mail Did NOT Report Sen. Lindsey Graham Is Pedophile Who Breached Parole Weeks After Release From Jail
Did The Daily Mail report that Sen. Lindsey Graham is a pedophile who "plied boys with drugs and sexually assaulted them" and breached parole after his release from jail? No, that's not true: An account on X plastered a photo of Graham on
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CNN Did NOT Call ‘Chill Guy’ Meme ‘Figurehead Of Racist Right Wingers’ — It’s Fake Screenshot
Did CNN publish an article calling the "Chill Guy" meme a "figurehead of racist right wingers"? No, that's not true: A screenshot of a real article from 2019 was edited to make it look like it was about the meme. A fake headline and a new
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Release Statement Ordering Dallas Police To Prepare To Make Arrest Over JFK’s Assassination
Did President-elect Donald Trump release a statement ordering the Dallas police to prepare to make an arrest over John F. Kennedy's assassination? No, that's not true: The image that mimics a Trump/Vance Transition press release is fake.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Of Elon Musk In Profile Is NOT Authentic — Edited To Make Belly Bigger And Rear Smaller
Does an image circulating on social media accurately depict Elon Musk with a big belly, as if pregnant? No, that's not true: This image has been digitally edited. The source image, which was subjected to editing, was a still frame pulled
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show EU Parliament Standing Ovation For US Decision To Allow Ukraine To Strike Deep Into Russia
Does a video show members of the European Parliament giving a standing ovation to the U.S. decision to permit Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia with U.S.-supplied weapons? No, that's not true: The post's caption mislabels the content o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE CNN Video Shows Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau Crying Over Trump’s Proposed Tariffs
Does a CNN video show Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau crying in response to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pledge in November 2024 to slap tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S.? No, that's not true: The video is from 2017 an