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The Dispatch→ The Primary That Wasn’t
Did DeSantis miscalculate?
ABC News / AP Fact Check→ FACT FOCUS: Zoom says it isn’t training AI on calls without consent. But other data is fair game
An update to Zoom’s terms of service is worrying some online that the company now has permission to use their videos and chat logs for artificial intelligence training with no ability to opt out.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pfizer Employees In Australia Did NOT Receive Different COVID-19 Vaccines Than Public
Did Pfizer employees in Australia receive a special batch of imported COVID-19 vaccines that were different from what the public was given? No, that's not true: Pfizer global media relations told Lead Stories that the pharmaceutical and b
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – Donald Trump vastly underestimates job gains under Joe Biden
“During Biden’s first 30 months in office, just 2.1 million new jobs were created, and by contrast, during my first 30 months in office we created 4.9 million new jobs.”
PolitiFact→ Kamala Harris – No recent public poll shows Kamala Harris with ‘great approval ratings’
“There are polls that also say I have great approval ratings.”
PolitiFact→ Viral image – Altered video appears to show Republican candidate Will Hurd getting interrupted on ‘The View’
Video shows a man interrupting Republican presidential candidate Will Hurd on “The View.”
PolitiFact→ Viral image – Video doesn’t show President Joe Biden sleeping during TV interview
Video shows President Joe Biden falling asleep “on live TV.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Illinois Governor Did NOT Sign Law Allowing ‘Illegal Immigrants To Become Police Officers’
Did Illinois Gov. Jay Robert "J.B." Pritzker sign a law that will allow "illegal immigrants" to become police officers and sheriffs' deputies? No, that's not true: Neither DACA recipients nor lawful permanent residents -- the two categori
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – ‘Unhealthy’ air quality affected 127 million in June, not August
“Code red emergency - poison released in the air” affecting 127 million people.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Michigan Police Did NOT Find ‘Tens Of Thousands’ Of Fake Voter Registration Applications
Did Michigan State Police find "tens of thousands of fake registrations" in an October 2020 voter fraud investigation? No, that's not true: The assertion made in the headline of the article making the claim is not supported in the body of
PolitiFact→ You and your neighbors, a virtual power plant? Growing effort is money-saving and climate friendly
Virtual power plants, a growing effort, let households band together to store and sell electricity. The plants are saving money for consumers and utility companies, providing additional electricity and helping reduce emissions.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Seedless Watermelons Are NOT ‘GMO’ Or Unsafe To Eat
Are seedless watermelons genetically modified organism (GMO) products, and are they poisonous? No, that's not true: A representative of Walmart, one of many stores that sell seedless watermelons, told Lead Stories that these claims are fa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Putin Did NOT Ban ‘5G Across Russia’ Or Destroy ‘All Towers’ — Signal Is Still Present
Did Russian President Vladimir Putin prohibit 5G in Russia, tearing down all the towers delivering it? Not, that's not true: As of this writing, 5G is working in major Russian cities, and the government continues to invest in the expansio
Truth or Fiction?→ Author Jane Friedman’s Amazon AI Post
On August 7 2023, author Jane Friedman caused an cross-platform stir when she asserted that artificial intelligence was coming for her work. According to posts she made on various platforms, Amazon was selling AI-generated books published under her
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Africans Were NOT Known To Inhabit North America Before European Contact
Did today's Black Americans descend from Africans who inhabited North America before European colonizers arrived in the 15th century? No, that's not true: Paleontological, archaeological and genetic evidence all suggest that the original
The Dispatch→ Dispatch Live: The Coup in Niger and the U.S. Credit Downgrade
Join us for our weekly livestreamed conversation.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Megan Rapinoe Was NOT Dropped By ESPN, Nike After Missing Penalty Kick
Did U.S. professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe lose a "post-retirement broadcasting" position with ESPN and was she also dropped as a Nike partner following backlash after a missed penalty kick during the 2023 World Cup? No, that's not
ABC News / AP Fact Check→ No, a Dominion Voting Systems-owned bank didn’t give Ron DeSantis $2 million
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False.
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – Trump keeps saying Ron DeSantis opposed China tariffs, farmer bailout. The evidence isn't there
Says Gov. Ron DeSantis “opposed my China tariffs and he heartlessly opposed” $28 billion for farm relief, which was paid for by China.
Logically→ No, this video doesn’t show an Algerian convoy entering Niger
Full Fact→ Fake Eddie Izzard ‘Guardian’ article shared on Facebook
The fake opinion piece has a ‘Grauniad’ logo in the corner, but some still believe the article is real.
Logically→ 2022 video shared as people welcoming Burkina Faso’s leader after 2023 Russia-Africa summit
Full Fact→ Visits to places of worship are not exempt from London’s ULEZ charges
Such trips would be subject to the full charge unless the vehicle used meets the emissions standards, although a temporary exemption is in place for minibuses providing community transport services.
Full Fact→ Hundreds share hoax Facebook appeal for missing man called George
Full Fact has seen examples of the fake alert in Somerset, Derbyshire and Inverclyde.
Health Feedback→ Swiss study doesn’t show that Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is dangerous for the heart, John Campbell and The Gateway Pundit exaggerated the study’s conclusions
REVIEW A research team led by cardiologist Christian Mueller published a study in July 2023 investigating the effects of the Moderna mRNA COVID-19 booster vaccination on the heart[1]. Soon after the study’s publication, posts on social media circu
The Dispatch→ Rep. Jeff Jackson Sizes Up China and AI
The freshman Democrat reflects on his first few months in Congress.
Logically→ Fasting-induced autophagy does not guarantee illness reversal
ABC News / AP Fact Check→ Video altered to appear GOP presidential candidate Will Hurd was shut down by a guest on ‘The View’
CLAIM: A video shows a guest on ABC’s “The View” telling former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd to “shut the hell up” about former President Donald Trump, leaving Hurd and the co-hosts of the show speechless.
Full Fact→ Minister’s claim on Aberdeenshire council tax increase missing context
Under Scottish government plans currently under consultation, only properties in Band H in Aberdeenshire would see an increase of £768.12 in council tax.
Full Fact→ Will the government meet its inflation pledge?
We’ve looked at the numbers behind the Prime Minister’s pledge to halve inflation by the end of the year.
The Dispatch→ Chinese and Russian Naval Patrol Nears Alaskan Coast
‘It seems obvious to me that Xi Jinping is preparing his country for war.’
Full Fact→ Influencer Ellie Grey makes unsupported claims about cancer cures
The influencer claimed there are hundreds of alternative cures for cancer, listing several. None of these have been shown to work.
Logically→ Claims that human activities have little effect on climate change are false
The Dispatch→ A Digital Fourth Amendment
The iPhone is your enemy.
The Dispatch→ An Unthinkable Choice
Donald Trump’s advisers would have put the U.S. military in the position of defying orders or turning their weapons on civilians.
The Dispatch→ DeSantis, Scott, and the Allure of ‘Someone Else’
As a new poll shows Glenn Youngkin’s strength, conservatives are in a quandary.
The Dispatch→ Niger’s Coup Threatens to Spark Wider Violence
The junta consolidates power while its neighbors weigh their next steps.
Logically→ No, Lyme disease did not originate as a bioweapon
Logically→ Video of train collision in India peddled as footage of Hazara Express crash in Pakistan