Linking trans identity to “fraud” isn’t new, but its emergence in President Donald Trump’s executive order on trans athletes could represent a new chapter in the legal battle for transgender rights.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Donald Trump DID Say Ukraine Started War
Did U.S. President Donald Trump say that Ukraine started the war with Russia? Yes, that's true: On February 18, 2025, speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence, he said that Ukraine should have never started the war. That followed talks betw
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: USAID Did NOT Pay Nintendo $9 Million To Study Infantilism — Fake 4Chan Post
Did USAID pay Nintendo of America over $9 million "to promote the inclusion of adults in children's media, to study infantilism and the Peter Pan Syndrome"? No, that's not true: The image circulating on social media is fake. A search of t
Full Fact→ Image of Mark Carney on beach with Ghislaine Maxwell is fake
The photo has been shared online with posts claiming it shows the former governor of the Bank of England on Jeffery Epstein’s Island, but there are signs it was created using artificial intelligence.
Full Fact→ How common is it for democracies to postpone elections during wartime?
Full Fact→ No, Boots is not giving away a free ‘baby box’ giftset
Facebook posts say users can claim a free giftset by completing a survey, but this is not an official Boots offer.
Health Feedback→ No evidence that measles prevents cancer or heart disease, can lead to long-term health problems instead
REVIEW In February 2025, an Instagram post claimed that getting measles provides “long term health benefits”. It was published by the account @the.holistic.mother, which has roughly 400,000 followers. The user behind the account, Kendra Needham,
Full Fact→ President Trump has not changed US divorce law to ban 50% property share
This claim is being shared in posts on social media, but no such change has been implemented by the President.
The Dispatch→ List of Project 2025 Policies Concerning Women Is False
There are no recommendations to limit access to credit or transfer assets to ‘male guardians.’
Health Feedback→ Sodium azide in some at-home rapid COVID-19 test kits only linked to toxicity due to accidental ingestion and other non-intended uses
REVIEW A Facebook reel posted in early 2025 claimed that at-home COVID-19 testing kits contain harmful substances. Specifically, the reel’s caption claimed that U.S. Poison Control Centers had alerted people about a “poisonous substance&
Full Fact→ The higher rate income tax threshold isn’t being reduced to £37,701
Posts shared on social media have wrongly claimed that new tax thresholds will mean you have to pay income tax at a rate of 40% on earnings above £37,000.
Full Fact→ The government has not spent £8 billion on ‘woke projects’
The figure of £8 billion represents the total annual budget for UK Research and Innovation. Funding for projects that the TaxPayers’ Alliance has described as “woke” totals £10.4 million.
Full Fact→ Criminalisation isn’t the way to tackle honesty in politics says Welsh Standards Committee
Building trust in politics starts with honesty, that is why Full Fact has been speaking to the Welsh Senedd about how to hold politicians to account.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Cars Frozen In Ice On A Residential Street Shows Aftermath of Detroit Water Pipe Burst — Footage Geolocated
Does a video authentically show cars frozen in one or two feet of ice on a residential street? Yes, the video is real: It was related to a water pipeline burst that happened on February 17, 2025, in a Detroit neighborhood. Lead Stories ge
The Dispatch→ Space Exploration Reaches an Inflection Point
‘You have a moon race 2.0, effectively.’
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Bill Gates ‘Caught Pumping Bird Flu Jabs Into Food Supply’ In Story With That Headline — Not Even A Mention
Does a story claiming Bill Gates was "Caught Pumping Deadly Bird Flu Jabs Into America's Food Supply" in its headline actually describe Bill Gates doing that? No, that's not true: There is no mention of any food supply in the U.S. being i
The Dispatch→ Ms. Crash Test Dummy
I’m sorry, women.
The Dispatch→ Friends With DOJ Benefits
#TeamSassoon.
The Dispatch→ Who’s the Dictator? Trump and GOP Senators Have Different Ideas
In criticizing Zelensky, the president finds another way to make Ukraine hawks uncomfortable.
The Dispatch→ The Downside of DOGE
Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s new agency is a deficit reduction bait and switch.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: AI Image Of President Trump Wearing Crown On Magazine Cover Was Posted By Official White House Account
Was an image of a magazine cover featuring a painting of President Trump wearing a crown and the slogan "Long live the king" authentically posted by the White House? Yes, that's true: The image featured a backdrop of iconic New York build
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: British Singer Sam Smith Is NOT ‘Self-Partnered’ — Originated On Satirical Facebook Page
Is British singer Sam Smith "self-partnered," meaning that they are not single but in a relationship with themselves? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a satirical Facebook page with a clear disclaimer. There is no evidence tha
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – Did Ukraine start its war with Russia, as President Donald Trump said? No, Russia invaded
Volodymyr Zelenskyy “started” the war in Ukraine with Russia.
The Dispatch→ Realism for a Condo Salesman
Trump 2.0 goes abroad, and it’s what you’d expect.
The Dispatch→ The Bad Guys
Donald Trump is making the world safe for autocracy.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s Approval Rating Was 4% As Of February 18, 2025
Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's approval rating plummet to 4 percent, as of February 2025? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no publicly available poll confirming the figure voiced by President Donald Trump on February
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Michelle Obama skipping Washington events not evidence of power couple’s divorce
“Barack and Michelle Obama locked in bombshell divorce of the century.”
The Dispatch→ ‘Reciprocal Tariffs’ Are Trump’s Worst Trade Idea Yet
Law and economics aside, they’d be be bureaucratic, nonsensical mess.
Internet Archive→ President Trump Remarks at Foreign Investment Summit in Miami : CSPAN : February 19, 2025 5:32pm-6:56pm EST
[LIVE] President Trump delivers remarks at an conference for investors in Miami. Sponsor: White House.This item belongs to: movies/TV-CSPAN.This item has files of the following types: Captions Align JSON, Closed Caption Text, Item Tile, JSON, MPEG1, Me
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: MSNBC Program Is NOT Named ‘Inside Jen Psaki’ — Social Media Posts Feature Edited Image
Is the MSNBC television program hosted by the former White House press secretary named "Inside Jen Psaki"? No, that's not true: The program is called "Inside With Jen Psaki." An image circulating on social media had been digitally edited
PolitiFact→ Social Media – An ICE van in Philadelphia wasn’t intentionally set on fire
“An ICE minivan was reportedly set on fire in Philadelphia.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum didn’t say the U.S. should ‘stop electing’ criminals
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said, “I told President (Donald) Trump the best way to make rapists and criminals feel unwelcome in the U.S. is for their citizens to stop electing them.”
New York Times→ Fact-Checking Trump on ‘Meet the Press’: Tariffs, Immigration and More
The president-elect repeated several false and inaccurate claims on a range of topics that were staples of his 2024 campaign.
New York Times→ Fact-Checking Trump’s First Post-Election News Conference
The president-elect made inaccurate claims about a small-business survey, the federal budget, autism rates and pesticide use, among other claims.
New York Times→ Fact-Checking Trump’s 2025 Inaugural Address
In his Inaugural Address, President Trump delivered a more tempered version of election talking points. But in remarks afterward, he reprised his grievances about the 2020 election.
PolitiFact→ Ask PolitiFact: Did JD Vance benefit from DEI initiatives at Yale Law?
Did Vice President JD Vance benefit from DEI initiatives? As a Yale Law student, Vance received military veteran financial aid. Yale Law describes veteran recruitment as part of its DEI efforts but it’s unclear to what extent that was the case when V
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Claim DOGE Forwarded Names Of 163 Members Of Congress To IRS Originated On Satire Page
Did the claim that DOGE forwarded the names of 163 members of Congress to the IRS for "Immediate Audit" and that 156 of them were Democrats originate on an actual news website? No, that's not true: The meme featured a fake, cartoonish DOG
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, Michael Jordan didn’t say kneeling athletes should have their medals revoked
Michael Jordan said that “any athlete who kneels for our national anthem should lose their medal.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Free Headphones Hack’ Video Does NOT Authentically Show Man Stealing Headphones From Train Passenger
Does a video captioned "Free headphones hack" shared on social media authentically show a Black man stealing a train passenger's headphones? No, that's not true: The video was first posted by a social media creator who shares similar ones
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Of Upside-Down Pilots Is Inverted News Photo From 16 Years Ago
Does an authentic photo show two Black women who were the pilots of the Delta Flight 4819 that crash-landed and flipped over in Toronto on February 17, 2025? No, that's not true: The inverted image in a social media post is 16 years old.