Do recommended childhood vaccinations increase the risk of ear infections in those they're intended to protect? No, that's not true: Infectious disease experts told Lead Stories that vaccinations, such as those for diseases like influenza
The Dispatch→ American Idols
On the Taylor Swift “psy op.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Texas National Guard Did NOT Send Tanks To Border in January 2024
Did the Texas National Guard send tanks to its southern border in January 2024? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the Texas National Guard told Lead Stories they are not sending tanks to the border. Multiple posts made versions of t
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – States made voting by mail easier amid COVID-19 in 2020. Trump is wrong to call that cheating.
Democrats “used COVID to cheat” in the 2020 election
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Los científicos chinos no crearon una cepa del COVID-19 que muestre 100% mortalidad a los humanos
China “experimenta con una nueva cepa de” COVID “que muestra ser 100% mortal”.
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – This video doesn’t show people headed to Texas. It shows a 2019 protest in Oregon.
Video shows people “heading to Texas to stop the Biden Border Invasion.”
PolitiFact→ Kamala Harris – How many women live in states with abortion bans? Fact-checking Vice President Kamala Harris
“Today in America, 1 in 3 women of reproductive age live in a state with an abortion ban.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Illegal Immigrant’ In Video Is NOT Azerbaijani Politician Movsum Samadov — Samadov Says It’s Not Him, He Can’t Leave Azerbaijan
Does a video seen on X show Azerbaijani politician Movsum Samadov on the border of the United States? No, that's not true: There is no evidence this man is Samadov or that this took place on the border of the U.S. Samadov denied that he w
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Judge in Donald Trump-E. Jean Carroll case is not involved in sex trafficking. That’s Pants on Fire!
Judge in E. Jean Carroll-Donald Trump trial “involved in sex trafficking.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Video doesn’t show the head of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan, Movsum Samadov, at the U.S. border
Video shows a convicted terrorist, Movsum Samadov, coming to the U.S. through the southern border.
The Dispatch→ Dispatch Live: GOP Plays Hardball on Border Deal, Biden Weighs Options on Iran
Join us for our weekly livestreamed conversation.
The Dispatch→ New Book Club Episode: Killers of the Flower Moon
Sarah and Jonah discuss the movie adaptation of David Grann's best-selling book.
ABC News / AP Fact Check→ Video from 2022 misrepresented to make southern border convoy look larger than it is
Following the Supreme Court’s decision last week to allow Border Patrol agents to resume cutting razor wire that Texas installed along a stretch of the U.S.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Of President Biden In Military Fatigues Is NOT Real — AI Detection Tool Says It’s 100 Percent Fake
Does a picture accurately show President Joe Biden sitting in a meeting with military leaders while wearing military fatigues? No, that's not true: The image is fake and is an AI-generated image, according to an online detection tool. No
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Social media post misleads about children’s deaths in RSV drug clinical trials
Twelve babies died from taking RSV drug in clinical trials.
PolitiFact→ TikTok posts – Los Estados Unidos no firmó acuerdo con Ecuador para enviar tropas al país debido a la delincuencia
"Ecuador firma acuerdo con los Estados Unidos para obtener presencia militar debido a los recientes acontecimientos por parte de delicuentes”.
PolitiFact→ Chris Larson – What happened to paid family leave proposals in Wisconsin? And did our neighbors beat us to it?
In the past year, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois passed "highly popular” policies such as paid family leave, one of several issues that have been stymied in Wisconsin by Republicans.
PolitiFact→ Social Media – No, X is not blocking users from searching for Taylor Swift because of past “pro-Biden” images
Elon Musk is not allowing X users to search for Taylor Swift on the platform “out of fear they will find this pro-Biden image of her.”
Full Fact→ Viral video of speaker swearing at leaders at World Economic Forum meeting is satire
The video has been shared across social media platforms as if it shows a genuine scene.
Full Fact→ A German court did not rule that the measles virus doesn’t exist
A famous case in the 2010s concerned whether proof had been provided in ‘a single publication’, not whether measles itself existed.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, the government is not sending $2,400 checks if you earn less than $30 an hour
The government will send a $2,400 check monthly to people earning less than $30 an hour.
Full Fact→ Bradley Walsh has not died
False claims that the actor and TV presenter has passed away are circulating online.
Full Fact→ ‘Illegal immigrants’ don’t receive more benefits than pensioners
Incorrect claims about the amount of benefits received by pensioners and refugees have been circulating for years.
Logically→ Al-Qaida was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, not Israel
Logically→ No, blood does not activate microrobots in septocaine
Logically→ ಹೊಸ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆಯನ್ನು ಕೆಡವುವುದಾಗಿ ಆಂಧ್ರದ ರಾಜಕಾರಣಿ ಪ್ರತಿಜ್ಞೆ ಮಾಡಿರುವ ಸುದ್ದಿ ತುಣುಕು ಫೇಕ್
Logically→ జగన్ తన మీద దాడి చేశాడని షర్మిల చెప్పిందన్న వార్తా కథనం ఫేక్
Logically→ Old video of trucker convoy misrepresented as recent Texas border dispute
Logically→ पुराने, असंबंधित वीडियो को मुंबई के मीरा रोड की सांप्रदायिक झड़पों से जोड़कर शेयर किया गया
The Dispatch→ Iran-Backed Forces Kill Three U.S. Soldiers
After the tragedy in Jordan, Biden considers his options.
Logically→ ৰাম মন্দিৰৰ অভিষেকৰ বাবে গমনৰত ‘বান্দৰ সেনা’ বুলি থাইলেণ্ডৰ পুৰণি ভিডিঅ’ প্ৰচাৰ
Logically→ Digitally altered image circulated as 1977 Time magazine cover predicting impending ice age
Health Feedback→ False-positive HIV tests don’t imply that a person is immunodeficient, contrary to claim by Peter McCullough
REVIEW The goal of vaccines is to strengthen one’s immunity against a specific disease. It’s because of the immunity-boosting effect of vaccines that several deadly infectious diseases have disappeared or are on the verge of eradication. Yet, du
Washington Post→ Biden vs. Trump on electric vehicles and China’s threat
In a split-screen moment, President Biden and former president Donald Trump argued over whether the United States can counter growing Chinese dominance in electric vehicles. We assess their claims.
The Dispatch→ Why Our Border Is Broken
The credible fears at the border.
The Dispatch→ A Child Tax Credit Compromise for the Real World
The Wyden-Smith deal would take a modest step toward improving the CTC’s ability to support families.
The Dispatch→ The Long Pipeline of Natural Gas Politics
And why Joe Biden’s ‘pause’ on the development of new export facilities might be a bait-and-switch.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Jennifer Lopez Did NOT Promote A ‘Rice Hack’ On An Episode Of Dr. Oz — She Said ‘Lots Of Water’
Did Jennifer Lopez appear on TV with Dr. Oz to promote a weight-loss "Rice Hack"? No, that's not true: A promotion on Facebook contains old video footage of Lopez which has an altered audio track, putting words in the singer's mouth and t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Say ‘9/11 Attack Was The Work Of The United States’
Did Donald Trump say the terrorist attacks of 9/11 were the "work of the United States" during a New Hampshire campaign stop in January 2024? No, that's not true: There is no credible evidence or statement from the former president making
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Of Three Male Soldiers On Social Media Does NOT Correctly Identify U.S. Service Members Killed In Jordan In January 2024
Does a composite photo on social media accurately identify three U.S. service members who died in the January 2024 drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan? No, that's not true: Those posts reused an old image of other American soldiers who