On October 31 2019, a Facebook page shared a text-based status update asserting that gender reveals had caused more deaths than antifascist protesters, popularly referred to as “antifa”: That status update appeared to reference a gender
Search Results (887) for: arizona
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Purest Form of Human Trafficking’
A disturbing October 2019 story out of Arizona’s Maricopa County prompted readers to ask us whether it was legitimate: An Arizona elected official ran a human smuggling scheme that promised pregnant women thousands of dollars to lure them fro
FactCheck.org→ Dubious Posts Tie Political Families to Ukraine Work
Quick Take There’s no evidence for social media claims that the children of Nancy Pelosi, Mitt Romney and John Kerry are working for “Ukrainian gas companies” or sitting “on the board of directors for energy companies doing busi
Truth or Fiction?→ What Is a SCIF and Why Does It Matter?
On October 23 2019, the term “SCIF” trended abruptly on Twitter with chatter about the purported actions of some House Republicans as they disrupted testimony about the United States reportedly withholding financial aid to Ukraine: A prote
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook Antitrust Investigation Expands to 47 Attorneys General
An antitrust probe against Facebook has expanded into nearly the entire continental United States and beyond, New York State Attorney General Letitia James said on October 22 2019, with 46 states and one territory taking part. James said in a statemen
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Columbus Set Out to Prove the Earth Was Round’
In October 2019, a number of memes about the legacy of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus circulated on Facebook around Columbus Day, among them a meme about the claim that he “proved” that Earth is round: In the above meme, the
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Numbers October 2019 Update
Summary Since President Donald Trump took office: The economy added 6 million jobs, and the unemployment rate dropped to the lowest level in nearly 50 years. Economic growth fell far short of the annual 4% to 6% Trump promised. The most recent rate is
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Stella Brazier or Greta Thunberg Actually ‘Child Actresses’?
As part of their push to demonize young protesters demanding that their leaders recognize global warming, some far-right and climate change denier blogs have published the unsubstantiated claim that one Australian protester was actually performing, re
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Democrats Did NOT Gain A Seat In Congress For Every 770,000 Illegals Who Filled Out The 2010 U.S. Census In A Sanctuary City Or State
Did Democrats gain a congressional seat for every 770,000 illegal immigrants counted in a sanctuary city or state by the 2010 U.S. census? No, that's not true: It is a claim based on bad math, ignoring election history, demographic trends show
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the September Democratic Debate
Summary The false and exaggerated claims in the third Democratic debate included: Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro accused former Vice President Joe Biden of “forgetting what you said two minutes ago” on Biden’s hea
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ICE Get Caught Shopping for ‘Urban Warfare’ Training Facilities?
A Newsweek story published on September 11, 2019 revived fears about the possible intentions of the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after it showed that the agency failed to redact documents related to “urban warfa
FactCheck.org→ Baseless Claim of Odessa Shooter’s ‘Beto Sticker’
Quick Take Viral posts on social media make the baseless claim that the shooter in Odessa, Texas, had a sticker on his car for Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke. The Texas Department of Public Safety said there was no sticker on the
Snopes→ Shuttered Shelter for Migrant Kids Reopens in Phoenix
A national provider of shelters for immigrant children has reopened one of two Arizona facilities it was forced to shutter because of issues with employee background checks.
FactCheck.org→ Amazon Doesn’t Produce 20% of Earth’s Oxygen
Q: Does the Amazon produce 20% of the world’s oxygen? A: No. Scientists estimate the percentage is closer to 6 to 9%, and the Amazon ultimately consumes nearly all of that oxygen itself. FULL QUESTION Does the Amazon Rainforest truly produce 20%
Truth or Fiction?→ Did North Carolina Ban Sharia Law Statewide?
On July 29 2019, frequent Facebook disinformation purveyor Joseph Rudy Rullo posted a meme (archived here) claiming that North Carolina had banned sharia law. Above a map highlighting North Carolina, the meme read: NORTH CAROLINA HAS BANNED
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Report: ‘Camera Malfunction’ In Epstein’s Prison Cell Prevented Recording Of His Alleged Suicide
Is there a report that a "camera malfunction" in Jeffrey Epstein's prison cell prevented recording of his alleged suicide? No, that's not true: There were no media reports that a camera monitoring Epstein's cell area malfunctioned in the hours
FactCheck.org→ Photos Don’t Tell the Whole Story on Border Trash
Quick Take Old pictures of trash strewn in the Arizona desert are circulating on Facebook with the suggestion that they were taken recently and that the media failed to cover it. Neither of those things is true. Full Story Photos of trash near Arizon
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Bucket of Heads,’ ‘Cooler’ with ‘Genitalia’ Alleged in Body Parts Broker Raid
In July 2019, a number of macabre stories circulated on social media that were based on recent reports that an Arizona facility that was supposed to be processing bodies donated to science was the subject of a gruesome and macabre raid. In July 2019,
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Refugee NOT Smuggling 31 Pounds Of Pure Heroin
Did an elderly female refugee smuggle 31 pounds of heroin across the U.S. southern border from Mexico? No, that's not true: The woman seen in a viral meme with white bags strapped to her body was not a refugee and the drug she was attempting t
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Numbers July 2019 Update
Summary Since President Donald Trump took office: The jobless rate fell further, to the lowest in nearly 50 years. The number of job openings grew to the highest in at least 18 years. Economic growth picked up, but remained far short of what Trump pro
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Colin Kaepernick Force Nike to Cancel ‘Offensive’ Betsy Ross American Flag Sneakers?
On July 1 2019, the Wall Street Journal published an article reporting that Nike had canceled shipment of a planned Betsy Ross flag-themed sneaker, adding that former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick had forced the athletic wear company to do so as
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Trump Did NOT Say John McCain Is Probably In Hell For Refusing To Repeal Obamacare
Did President Trump say John McCain is probably in hell for refusing to repeal Obamacare? No, he did not: President Trump did make a not-so-hidden reference to McCain having gone to "perhaps far less green pastures" in a June 26, 2019 speech t
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Trump Did NOT Say John McCain Is Probably In Hell For Refusing To Repeal Obamacare
Did President Trump say John McCain is probably in hell for refusing to repeal Obamacare? No, he did not: President Trump did make a not-so-hidden reference to McCain having gone to "perhaps far less green pastures" in a June 26, 2019 speech t
Truth or Fiction?→ Does an Photograph Show Rosaries Confiscated from Border Detainees?
In June 2018, a Facebook user shared a post (archived here) featuring a screenshot of a tweet about rosary beads purportedly confiscated from migrants taken into custody by border agents. That post was shared more than 89,000 times in a year. The twe
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Photos Of Children On Cement Floor With Aluminium Blankets NOT Taken During Trump Administration
Did two photos tweeted by actress Nancy Lee Grahn show immigrant children sleeping on cement floors covered in aluminium blankets during the Trump administration? No, that's not true: the pictures were taken in 2015 during the Obama administra
Truth or Fiction?→ Should You Avoid Puffy Bags of Salad or Lettuce in Favor of Flat Ones?
On June 13 2019, the Facebook page “Crafty Morning” shared the following meme (archived here), featuring an image of salad and lettuce in bags at a supermarket along with purported tips for selecting the freshest produce: Above an imag
FactCheck.org→ Fake Mark Twain ‘Quote’ Mocks Voting
Quick Take A quotation misattributed to Mark Twain is circulating online and suggests the famous writer disparaged voting. Actually, he celebrated it. Full Story Robert Hirst has been tracking Mark Twain quotes for 30 years, and he keeps a list of th
Snopes→ Racist, Violent Posts by Police: Departments Investigating
The posts were uncovered by a team of researchers who spent two years looking at the personal Facebook accounts of police officers from Arizona to Florida.
Lead Stories→ Old News: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali dies at 74 IN 2016!
Did boxing legend Muhammad Ali recently die at the age of 74? No, that's not true: Despite tens of thousands of RIP posts for the deceased champ on June 3, 2019, Ali left the earthly ring on that date three years earlier. Many people likely sa
FactCheck.org→ Meme Inflates School Shooting Deaths
Quick Take A meme circulating online claims that 7,182 students have been “killed in U.S. schools” since 2012, but that number is inflated. It likely refers to all firearm fatalities involving children, including suicides and shootings off campus.
FactCheck.org→ Mailbag: Presidential Term Limits, Viral Deception
One reader sent us a comment about the history of the 22nd Amendment, which limits the number of terms an individual can serve as U.S. president, and another forwarded us an email he sent to friends after reading one of our stories about a viral claim
FactCheck.org→ Twisting Stephen Miller’s Words
Quick Take A meme posted on a popular progressive Facebook page leaves out several words and important context in a quote from White House adviser Stephen Miller. Full Story A meme shared on a progressive Facebook page that frequently posts content cr
Snopes→ Husband of US Soldier Deported to Mexico, Then Allowed Back
Within hours of the Arizona Republic’s story, authorities told the man he could return to the U.S.
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Numbers, April 2019 Update
Summary Since President Donald Trump took office: Attempted unauthorized crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border soared to the highest levels in over a decade. The trade deficit rose by more than $100 billion — 23.5 percent. The economy added 5.1 mi
FactCheck.org→ Concocted Claim of McCain’s ‘Treason’
Quick Take A falsehood resurrected on Facebook claims that the late Sen. John McCain received a pardon from President Richard Nixon. He did not. Full Story When Sen. John McCain died last year, he was widely praised by military officials for his ser
Truth or Fiction?→ Frida Kahlo: ‘Leaving is Not Enough’
A popular and lengthy social media quote attributed to Frida Kahlo (containing the lines “leaving is not enough” and “take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic”) was shared once again in early April 2019 on Faceboo
Truth or Fiction?→ John McCain vs. Donald Trump in 1973 Meme
In March 2019, United States President Donald Trump made several comments about Sen. John McCain, who died of brain cancer the previous August. Trump’s 2019 comments continued a feud that he had had with McCain before his death: President Donald
FactCheck.org→ How Much Will the ‘Green New Deal’ Cost?
Since the ambitious and controversial Green New Deal debuted last month, Republicans and Democrats have sparred over the cost of the measure — a nonbinding resolution that broadly outlines how the U.S. should address climate change over the next
Snopes→ Sen. McSally, Ex-Air Force Pilot, Says Officer Raped Her
The Arizona Republican, a 26-year military veteran, made the disclosure at a Senate hearing on the military's efforts to prevent sexual assaults and improve the response when they occur.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say ‘All the Technology in the World Won’t Let Us Build a Wall in the Mountains’?
On February 22 2019, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) shared the following meme (archived here), purporting to quote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the feasibility of building walls across mountains in an apparent reference to the United States border: Kin