Western canon culture-palooza.
The Dispatch→ Origins: From Kings to Executives
Salus Populi, Supremo Lex.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Claim DOGE Halted $2.6 Million Annual Payment To Obama For ‘Obamacare Royalties’ Originated On Satire Site
Did DOGE halt a $2.6 million annual payment to former President Obama for "Obamacare" royalties? No, that's not true: The story originated in a meme from a satirical Facebook page. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservative
The Dispatch→ Not Quite Yet Gone With the Wind
From Trump to ‘Landman,’ strange days for the oil business.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Donald Trump Jr. Did NOT Say On His Podcast That US ‘Should Have Been Sending Weapons To Russia’ — Audio Is Likely AI Generated
Did President Donald Trump's eldest son Don Jr. say on his podcast that "the U.S. should have been sending weapons to Russia" instead of Ukraine, as an X post claims? No, that's not true: The episode in question did not contain such a sta
Lead Stories→ House GOP Resolution Did Not Cut $880 Billion From Medicaid — It Directs A Committee To Cut That From Many Programs It Oversees
Does the February 2025 House budget resolution specify an $880 billion unilateral cut in Medicaid funding? No, that's not true: On February 25, 2025, the House passed its proposed budget, a resolution that directs the House Energy a
PolitiFact→ Social Media – Why did Kamala Harris get zero votes in this NY precinct? It’s not because of Elon Musk
Zero votes for 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in Rockland County, New York, precinct proves Elon Musk hacked 2024 presidential election.
The Dispatch→ Where Are the Protests?
The strange decline of pro-Palestinian activism.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Joe Biden ending the Keystone XL pipeline didn't ‘fire’ 14,000 people on Day 1
Former President Joe Biden “fired” 14,000 Keystone XL pipeline workers “on day one” of his administration.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump’s ‘Gulf of America’ Order Does NOT Enforce ‘New Borders’ Under Decision by the ‘World Court’
Does President Donald Trump's executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America help enforce newly drawn borders decided in December 2023 by a "World Court" that gives water over land shelves to the respective
The Dispatch→ Judge Trump’s Motives, Not Just His Methods
Defenses of the president’s policies fall short if defenders don’t consider why he enacts them.
The Dispatch→ Assessing Claims That the Biden Administration ‘Stole FEMA Money’ to House Migrants
The money was appropriated by Congress separately from disaster relief funds.
PolitiFact→ Kevin O'Leary – No US government audits for the last 100 years? Here’s why ‘Shark Tank’ star Kevin O’Leary is wrong
“We've never audited government for 100 years.”
PolitiFact→ Viral image – No, this isn’t an authentic X post from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote on X, “In my first 6 months as HHS secretary … I’ll ban chemtrails.”
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No, Ilhan Omar wasn’t just removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee
“Breaking News: Rep. Ilhan Omar has been removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Damon Imani Has NEVER Been On ‘The View’ — Posts Satirical Edited Videos
Did Damon Imani appear on "The View" and was he verbally sparring with the hosts? No, that's not true: Imani is a producer, artist and commentator who often publishes digitally edited videos placing himself in various existing videos. The
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, Elon Musk didn’t get in a physical fight during a science conference
Photos show Elon Musk in a fight during a science conference.
PolitiFact→ Fact-check: Trump relies on falsehoods when pushing voting changes in speech to governors
President Donald Trump told governors they should require citizenship proof to vote, voter ID, paper ballots and one-day voting. Only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections; a majority of states require voter ID; and the vast majority of U.S. vote
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: February 2025 GOP Budget Resolution Does NOT Include An End To Taxes On Tips — It Just Contains Revenue and Spending Targets
Does the February 2025 GOP budget resolution include an end to taxes on tips? No, that's not true: The resolution passed on February 25, 2025, does not specify which tax proposals will be included, and the "no tax on tips" policy remains
The Dispatch→ Did Canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline Kill 10,000 or More Jobs?
Users say President Biden’s decision to scrap the pipeline’s extension resulted in layoffs and firings.
The Dispatch→ The ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Doesn’t Need a Government Fix
The market has changed but consumers’ needs are still being met.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Without evidence, social media posts claim fraud in EPA grant to Stacey Abrams-linked group
“Stacey Abrams stole $2 BILLION from taxpayers.”
Internet Archive→ President Trump & Elon Musk Meet With Cabinet : CSPAN : February 26, 2025 1:25pm-2:33pm EST
President Trump held his first Cabinet meeting. Elon Musk was in attendance and spoke about the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Sponsor: White House.This item belongs to: movies/TV-CSPAN.This item has files of the following
PolitiFact→ Pete Buttigieg – Did Republicans propose increasing bank fees, as Buttigieg said? There’s more to the story
“I am not making this up: Republicans have introduced legislation… to increase your bank fees."
Full Fact→ No evidence Scottish Labour leader called Billy Connolly ‘vulgar and offensive’
A screenshot of a fake news article has been widely shared on social media appearing to show Anas Sarwar criticising the comedian.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO EVIDENCE USAID Paid Pizza Hut $150 Million ‘To Renovate And Modernize’ In 1997
Did USAID pay Pizza Hut $150 million "to renovate and modernize" in 1997? No, that's not true: The post making the viral claim on social media offered no evidence to support it. Lead Stories found no credible reports proving it, either. T
Full Fact→ No, photos don’t show baby boy abandoned in UK towns
Facebook posts claiming this are a hoax and use photos from an incident in California in 2023.
Full Fact→ Facebook hoax posts share old photos with claims women found ‘stabbed’ by canals in UK towns
The posts were shared in local community groups and used photos of hospitalised women alongside claims they were recently found in a ‘critical condition’.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Is it ‘official’ that Trump approved a $5,000 ‘DOGE dividend’ stimulus? No.
It’s “official” that President Donald Trump is signing an “order from Elon Musk giving taxpayers who have filed their 2024 tax returns a stimulus check for $5,000.”
Full Fact→ Facebook warnings about attacks by a man ‘on the run’ are fake
Posts shared to local buy and sell groups falsely claim a man has been attacking people in various locations in England. The man pictured was arrested in the US state of Alabama earlier this month.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Announcement Of $1 NYC Walking Tax Or Fee From Gov. Kathy Hochul — Just Error-Filled Videos
Did New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announce plans for a $1 walking fee or walking tax on people moving around on foot in New York City? No, that's not true: Viral videos that claimed existing congestion tax cameras would be used for facial re
Full Fact→ Ireland isn’t set to make 2 February ‘National Hijab Day’
Senator Eileen Flynn made comments supporting women wearing hijabs in the Seanad in 2022, but they do not reflect any official celebration in Ireland.
The Dispatch→ Trump’s Russia Realignment Takes Shape
Washington sends mixed messages as the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year.
Full Fact→ No, Amazon is not gifting laptops to people aged 40 or over
Posts promoting supposed offers that seem too good to be true are very common on sites like Facebook.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: AI ‘Trump Gaza’ Video Published On Donald Trump’s Official Social Media Features Golden Trump Statue, Bearded Belly Dancers
Was an AI video featuring a "Gaza 2025" caption published on Donald Trump's official social media accounts? Yes, that's true: The video showed buildings, shops and other items bearing "Trump Gaza" signs, bearded belly dancers, and figures
The Dispatch→ The Golem of Silicon Valley
ChatG(olem)PT
The Dispatch→ When the Truth Is Simple but Being Truthful Is Complicated
Courage is in short supply across the spectrum.
The Dispatch→ Can Congress Finally Avoid Stop-Gap Spending Plans?
With a funding deadline approaching, Republicans seek to fund the government for a full year.
The Dispatch→ Young Man, There’s No Need to Feel Down
Democrats struggle to compete with the messaging that drove men under 30 to Trump in 2024.
The Dispatch→ The High Costs of Cutting Intelligence Spending
The Trump administration’s proposal to cut billions from the intel community budget is shortsighted.