Sen. Ted Cruz took a minute after the third Democratic debate to criticize PolitiFact on Twitter for our previous fact-checking of Cruz's 2018 attacks on Beto O’Rourke. We thought it important to address his criticism. Here’s what Cruz
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Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump Say ‘Women, You Have to Treat Them Like S—‘ in a 1992 Interview?
On September 14 2019 the popular — but not always accurate — Facebook page “Occupy Democrats” shared a Donald Trump quote meme (archived here), alleging that the President said “women, you have to treat them like shit” in
Lead Stories→ Fake News: JFK Jr. Is NOT Alive And Will Not Replace Vice President Pence as Donald Trump’s 2020 Running Mate
Is John F. Kennedy Jr. alive and will he make a public return to join President Donald Trump as his vice presidential running mate in 2020? No, that's not true: It is a cornerstone of a conspiracy myth promoted by QAnon followers who believe t
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This the ‘Newest and Clearest’ Photo of Pluto?
On September 14 2019, the Facebook page “Science Porn” shared the following image, claiming it was the “newest” and “clearest” photograph of Pluto: On Twitter, a space-and-science focused account shared the phot
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Donald Trump Did NOT Say "Women, You Have To Treat Them Like Sh*t"
Did Donald Trump say "Women, you have to treat them like shit" in a 1992 interview in New York Magazine? No, that's not true: Trump was not speaking about women in general but about a very narrow category of people, to be particular "supermode
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘2045 Time Traveler Took This Video in the Future…’
On August 30 2019 the Facebook page “Mysterious Society” shared the following video, “Time Traveler Took This Video in the Year 2045”: In a rambling six-minute clip, a seemingly distressed man repeatedly impresses upon viewe
FactCheck.org→ Conservative Rant Misattributed to Actor Tim Allen
Quick Take A conservative rant circulating on Facebook has been falsely credited to the actor Tim Allen. Full Story A post shared by thousands of Facebook users begins, “Tim Allen is credited with writing this,” and includes a photograph of the a
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Did NOT Say Images Of 9/11 Incite Violence Against Women Of Color
Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez say that images of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States "incite violence against women of color." No, that's not true: The New York congresswoman, known in the media as AOC, did tell rep
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
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ilhan Omar Did NOT Walk Out Of 9/11 Memorial Service
Did Ilhan Omar walk out of a 9/11 memorial service in Washington? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to fool Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that are clearly marked
PolitiFact→ Joe Biden – Fact-checking Biden on use of cages for immigrants during Obama administration
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Fact-checking Biden on use of cages for immigrants during Obama administration Joe Biden claimed that a key difference between the administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump is that Obama didn’t "loc
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Beto O’Rourke Did NOT Say: Yes, Democrats Are Coming For Your Hand Guns
Did Beto O'Rourke say in the Democratic debate Democrats are coming for your hand guns? No, that's not true: The former Texas congressman did say if elected president, he would push to make illegal AR-15s, AK-47 and other weapons "designed to
PolitiFact→ Julián Castro – Julian Castro’s attack on Joe Biden for forgetting his health care plan falls flat
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Julian Castro’s attack on Joe Biden for forgetting his health care plan falls flat One of the most explosive moments of the Democratic debate in Houston was the face-off between former cabinet secretary Juli
PolitiFact→ Joe Biden – Biden exaggerated the percentage of Americans who favor an assault weapons ban
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Biden exaggerated the percentage of Americans who favor an assault weapons ban Former Vice President Joe Biden exaggerated the percentage of Americans who support banning assault rifles. "Over 90% of the
Truth or Fiction?→ Starbucks 20-Ounce Venti vs. 12-Ounce Grande Video Experiment
On August 11 2019 the Facebook page Mercadotecnia Total shared the following video (translated title: “Effective Marketing: Venti vs Large @ Starbucks”): That iteration racked up more than five million views in just one month, and a co
Lead Stories→ Fake News: ADHD Is NOT A FAKE Disease Invented By Big Pharma To Drug Children For Profit
Is ADHD is a fake disease invented by Big Pharma to drug children for profit? No, that's not true: While there may be examples of misdiagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, scientific evidence shows it is real and that many pati
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Kamala Harris Did NOT Say "Our Military Are Soulless Cowards. Their Budget Must Be Cut."
Did Kamala Harris say that the U.S. military are "soulless cowards" that deserve to have their bugdet cut? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to fool Trump supporters and Republicans into sharin
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Man Does NOT Get Pistol Whipped And Raped By Homosexual Gang The ‘Sweet Bloods’
Was a man pistol whipped and raped by a homosexual gang known as the "Sweet Bloods" in Atlanta? No, that's not true: It is a false claim recycled by trash publishers over the past several years. Still, social media users continue to share the
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Kamala Harris Did NOT Say Criminals and Illegals are Better Than US Servicemen
Did Kamala Harris say criminals and illegals are better than U.S. servicemen? No, that's not true: one website drew that conclusion based just on the order she mentioned people in these groups in a Father's Day tweet. That website later remove
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – Trump wrongly claims China is having its ‘worst year in 57 years’
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Trump wrongly claims China is having its ‘worst year in 57 years’ President Donald Trump exaggerated China’s economic slowdown during a recent rally for congressional candidate Dan Bishop in Fayettev
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Trump Have a 94 Percent Approval Rating with Republicans?
On September 9 2019, President Donald Trump used his Twitter account to push a claim of record popularity that has already been debunked by several news organizations. For the fourth time in three months, Trump boasted that he had a “94 percent&
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Pastor Die After 30 Days of Fasting to Beat Jesus Christ’s Record?
In September 2019, an article with the headline “Pastor Dies After 30 Days of Fasting To Beat Jesus Record” appeared in several Facebook groups and users’ feeds: A South African pastor, Alfred Ndlovu has died of malnutrition after go
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the United States the 118th Safest Country in the World — Down From 65th in 2018?
A September 3 2019 tweet (shared to Facebook the following day) contained the alarming claim that the United States was ranked the 118th safest country in the world in 2019, dropping from the 65th spot in 2018: The United States is the 118th safest
Snopes→ How Disinformation Could Sway the 2020 Election
While foreign election interference has dominated discussion of disinformation, most intentionally false content targeting U.S. social media is generated by domestic sources.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Study Does NOT Warn Humans Will Go Extinct within 30 Years
Did a scientific study warn that humans will go extinct within 30 years? No, that's not true: A "policy paper" written by an Austrailian think-tank sounds a dire warning about a global threat to human survival on earth if climate change is not
Truth or Fiction?→ 911 Dispatcher Donna Reneau/Debra Stevens Drowning Incident
On September 1 2019, the following meme appeared in the Facebook group “LIVE PD FANS NO BOUNDARIES” (archived here), purportedly detailing an exchange between the woman shown in the photograph (911 dispatcher Donna Reneau) and a victim of
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Students Did NOT Invent Bacteria That Eat Plastic From The Oceans And Turn It Into Water
Did two high school students invent a bacteria that eats plastic from the ocean and turns it into water? No, that's not true: When Miranda Wang and Jeanny Yao were teen-aged high school students in 2012 they did identify a bacteria that breaks
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ilhan Omar Did NOT Say "My People Did Something" In Reference to 9/11 Terror Attacks
Did Representative Ilhan Omar say "My People did something" in relation to the 9/11 terror attacks of 2001? No, that's not true: a meme making that claim distorts the actual controversial remark she made where she said "some people did somethi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: U.S. State Department NOT Tied To Child Trafficking Operation With Epstein
Was the U.S. State Department connected to a child trafficking operation with Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy accused sex trafficker who died in federal jail in August 2019, by a shared aircraft registration number? No, that's not true: The false
Truth or Fiction?→ Weather Agency Contradicts Itself Over Trump’s Hurricane ‘Forecast’
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) disavowed its own agency’s findings in a brief statement on September 6 2019, siding with United States President Donald Trump amid allegations that the president may have illegally alte
Truth or Fiction?→ Are School Bus Stops Now More Dangerous Because of an All-Time High in Human Trafficking?
A back-to-school themed Facebook warning shared on September 5 2019 (archived here) declared that all school-age children must avoid all school bus stops because of an increased threat of human trafficking: Against a pastel background, black text d
FactCheck.org→ Woman in Viral Photo Misidentified as Rep. Omar
Quick Take A 1978 photo of a Somalian army recruit has been misidentified on social media as Rep. Ilhan Omar, who wasn’t born until 1982. Full Story A 41-year-old photo of a woman with a gun in Somalia is being used to spread misinformation abo
PolitiFact→ Andrew Yang – Andrew Yang revives debunked claim about Green New Deal killing air travel
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Andrew Yang revives debunked claim about Green New Deal killing air travel When asked about the Green New Deal during CNN’s climate change town hall, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said he embrac
Truth or Fiction?→ Dear ‘Ban Gun’ Teenagers, 11 Teens Die a Day from Texting and Driving
Facebook status memes about guns in general consistently appear in the now nearly constant wake of mass shootings, but a February 2018 iteration (archived here) aimed at “‘ban gun’ teenagers” puts forth an insincere argument
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
PolitiFact→ John Delaney – Is Trump’s trade war to blame for the Amazon wildfires? That’s a reach
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Is Trump’s trade war to blame for the Amazon wildfires? That’s a reach At first glance, U.S.-Chinese trade tensions may seem unrelated to the surge of wildfires in the Amazon rainforest. But one Democratic presid
Lead Stories→ Fake News: AOC’s Home NOT Raided By ICE; NOT Caught Hiding Illegals
Was the house of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raided by ICE and did they find 96 illegal immigrants hiding there? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to fool Trump supporters and Republicans into sha
FactCheck.org→ Trump Doubles Down on Inaccurate Hurricane Forecast
President Donald Trump inaccurately stated in his Sept. 1 tweet that Alabama “will most likely be hit” by Hurricane Dorian — a statement that was fact-checked in real time by the National Weather Service. Despite that, Trump has now t
FactCheck.org→ A Misleading Take on the Trump Family’s Citizenship
Quick Take Viral social media posts wrongly suggest that President Donald Trump’s three eldest children are citizens only because of birthright citizenship. Full Story President Donald Trump’s first wife, Ivana, became a U.S. citizen in 1
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘10,874 People Killed by Drunk Drivers in 2017, 403 by Rifles but Walmart Stops Selling Rifles’ Meme
On September 3 2019, the Facebook page “Life’s Short Live Free” shared the following meme commentary (archived here), discussing Walmart discontinuing the sale of some firearms: Black text against a purple background contr