Tariffs are costly, and so is dealing with Washington.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Study Claiming 170% Higher Autism Risk In Vaccinated Kids Is NOT Credible
Is a study that claims vaccinated children have a 170 percent higher risk of autism reliable? No, that's not true: An infectious disease expert told Lead Stories the study is "just junk," saying the journal it was published in and the stu
The Dispatch→ Yes, Federal Workers Were Ordered to Remove Pronouns From Email Signatures
Agencies issued the instructions after receiving guidance from the Office of Personnel Management.
The Dispatch→ Claims That Politico Received USAID Funds Are False
The media company has sold subscriptions to various government agencies.
PolitiFact→ Brian Mast – Does as little as 10% of USAID go to help people in need? What that claim gets wrong
From the U.S. Agency for International Development funding, “10 to 30 cents on the dollar is what actually goes to aid.”
FactCheck.org→ What to Know About Trump’s Executive Order on Wind Energy
Este artículo estará disponible en español en El Tiempo Latino. On his first day in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that attempts to slow the growth in the country’s wind generation capacity. The ord
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No, this isn’t video of a missile crashing into a Philadelphia neighborhood
Video shows a missile crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood Jan. 31, not a jet.
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – No, U.S. skater Jon Maravilla wasn’t kept from boarding plane that collided with Army helicopter
“U.S. figure skater Jon Maravilla was reportedly prevented from boarding a doomed flight to Washington, D.C.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: USAID Did NOT Spend Over $8 Million On Politico, LLC
Did USAID spend over $8 million on Politico, LLC, as social media posts imply? No, that's not true: The government spending database only shows $44,000 in two transactions. Both were subscriptions, not grants. The claim appeared in a post
Full Fact→ Fact checking the LA wildfires
We saw all kinds of misleading content circulating on social media during the recent crisis in California, including several suspected AI images.
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum didn’t say this about US President Donald Trump
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said, “I’m confused. I keep hearing everyone from America saying that my country is sending felons and (rapists) into their country. We thought that was encouraged … considering that’s what they chose to b
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No, the Trump administration isn’t giving every American $18,000
“The Trump administration is giving each and every adult in America $18,000.”
Health Feedback→ No evidence of mass deaths among vaccinated people, contrary to 2022 prediction by Dolores Cahill
REVIEW A Facebook post from January 2025 featured immunologist Dolores Cahill predicting mass casualties of people who received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. It received more than 319,000 views. The post is an excerpt from Pandamned, a 2022 film by Dutch
Health Feedback→ Aluminum-based adjuvants in vaccines are safe, contrary to claims based on mouse study
REVIEW Aluminum salt is a component, also known as an adjuvant, of some vaccines that boosts the immune response to the vaccine’s active ingredient. This helps to give longer-lasting protection against disease. It has been used for nearly a centu
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Zelenskyy's statement about Ukraine aid didn't reveal money laundering operation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “just threw the whole Ukraine money laundering operation under the bus … by stating he’s received less than half of the over $177 billion in aid sent by the United States.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Indian Nationals Handcuffed And Chained During Deportation — Guatemala Deportation Flight
Does a photo show handcuffed and chained Indians being deported from the U.S.? No, that's not true: The photo shows people from Guatemala sitting on a military aircraft at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas awaiting deportation to Guatemala. Th
The Dispatch→ Trump’s Shakeups Face Opposition
Legal challenges await the administration’s moves to reshape agencies and purge personnel.
The Dispatch→ Economists Without Borders
On bitcoin dragons, China, and crackpots.
The Dispatch→ The Markets Can’t Be Bullied
Tycoons might be lining up to appease Donald Trump, but stocks are traded on economic reality.
The Dispatch→ Donald Trump Keeps Up His Fundraising Under a Reorganized PAC
Money raised will most certainly go toward 2026 contests—and perhaps beyond.
The Dispatch→ Trump Is Poised to Repeat Biden’s Economic Errors
His proposals would expand budgets, threaten growth, and create inflation.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Did NOT Wear ‘Make America Mexicana Again’ Hat — Image Was Made Using X’s AI Tool
Did the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, wear a "Make America Mexicana Again" hat? No, that's not true: A representative from the Embassy of Mexico told Lead Stories the image was "NOT real." A reply under the social media post wit
The Dispatch→ No Fences
Moving fast and breaking things.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Tweet ‘Anyone Protesting The Trump Administration Will Be Suspended From X’
Did Elon Musk tweet "Anyone protesting the Trump Administration will be suspended from X"? No, that's not true: There is no record that Musk, the owner of the X platform, ever posted this message on his official X account @ElonMusk, accor
The Dispatch→ Assessing Claims About the Declassified JFK Files
Trump signed an executive order to release the records, but they are not yet publicly available.
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – No, Melania Trump didn’t sue ‘The View’ for $900 million
“Melania wins $900 million ‘defamation lawsuit’ against The View & Sunny Hostin.”
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – No, Karoline Leavitt didn’t invoke Jesus Christ in response to a tariffs question
Says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Jesus didn’t have electricity and he did just fine.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, this video doesn’t show the Jan. 29 plane crash in Washington D.C.
Video shows “airplane crash with helicopter in Washington D.C.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Claim says Biden, others took millions in kickbacks from Ukraine. That’s Pants on Fire!
Ukrainian officials released list of “kickbacks” given to 18 U.S. politicians.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mexican President Sheinbaum Did NOT Impose 50% Counter-Tariff On Tesla, Call Elon Musk ‘Pendejo’
Did Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo impose a 50 percent retaliatory tariff on Tesla cars sold in Mexico, calling Elon Musk "pendejo"? No, that's not true: As of February 4, 2025, Lead Stories found no credible media or governmen
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No, CNN wasn't reporting on the Potomac River plane crash hours ‘before it happened’
CNN reported on the Potomac River plane and helicopter crash “hours before it happened.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, Elon Musk didn’t ban pride content on X
“Elon Musk shocks the world by blocking Pride on X forever: ‘Children must come first.’”
PolitiFact→ Ashley Moody – Fact-check: Florida Sen. Ashley Moody claims trafficking hotline isn’t reporting tips to authorities
The National Human Trafficking Hotline “in the last four years decided that they would no longer report tips to law enforcement, that they would take a more victim-centered approach.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Of ICE Agent Restraining Crying Girl Is NOT Authentic — AI Generated
Does an authentic photo show an agent from Immigration and Customs Enforcement restraining a distressed little girl? No, that's not true: This image is AI generated. Hive, an AI-generated image detection service determined with 97.4 perce
Internet Archive→ President Trump Signs Executive Orders on U.N. & Iran : CSPAN : February 4, 2025 3:31pm-4:01pm EST
[LIVE] President Trump signs executive orders, including ones that withdraw the U.S. from the U.N. Human Rights Council, prohibit future funding for the U.N. relief agency in Gaza, and impose a "maximum economic pressure" campaign on Iran....This item
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Public Record Colin Powell Said ‘Lazy Immigrants’ Quote
Is former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell accurately credited with a "lazy immigrants" quote often shared on social media? No, that's not true: The quote was first published on social media in 2019 by a user on X who acknowledged hav
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ed Sheeran Did NOT Perform For IDF Soldiers To Show Support For Israel — Performance Was ‘A Large Scale Public Concert’
Did singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran perform for wounded soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces to show support for Israel? No, that's not true: Sheeran denied this rumor in a now-deleted Instagram story. He stated a charity organization boug
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Samuel Hydén NOT The Shooter In Örebro, Sweden, School Shooting On February 4, 2025
Was Samuel Hydén (or Sam Hyde) the perpetrator of a school shooting in Örebro, Sweden, on February 4, 2025? No, that's not true: Comedian Sam Hyde is often named as the perpetrator by internet trolls whenever a mass-casualty incident ha
The Dispatch→ Photo Purporting to Show ICE Detaining a Trump Supporter Is Altered
The actual photo is from a 2018 raid on an Ohio meatpacking plant.
The Dispatch→ Controversial Posts by State Department Appointee Are Genuine
Screenshots of tweets by Darren Beattie have not been edited.