SCOTUS backlog raises eyebrows.Continue reading Waiting for the SCOTUS Hit Parade »
The Dispatch→ Reforming Higher Ed Goes Beyond Free Speech and Loan Forgiveness
Ben Sasse. (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)Innovation is in order, and leaders like Ben Sasse are well-poised to carry that out.Continue reading Reforming Higher Ed Goes Beyond Free Speech and Loan Forgiveness »
The Dispatch→ The Arab League’s Misguided Faith in Bashar al-Assad
Syria's President Bashar al-Assado n May 3, 2023 In Damascus, Syria. (Photo by Borna News/Matin Ghasemi/Aksonline ATPImages/Getty Images)The organization has lifted his suspension based on promises he’s unlikely to keep.Continue reading The Arab
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NATO Did NOT Sign Agreement Not To Expand Eastwards After Soviet Union’s Fall
Did NATO sign a written agreement not to expand eastwards after the fall of the Soviet Union? No, that's not true: On its website, NATO refutes the claim, and even Russia -- which historically argued that it was offered verbal guarantees
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Healthy Liver Does NOT Prevent ‘The Spread Of Any Cancer’
Does solely maintaining a healthy liver prevent the spread of any cancer in the human body? No, that's not true: A Harvard Cancer Center professor of medical oncology told Lead Stories that this claim is "entirely false." Also, the woman
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Typical Tesla Supercharger Station Line — Queue Reportedly Happened Over Thanksgiving 2019
Does a video that shows a long queue for charging Tesla vehicles indicate some sort of government failure? No, that's misleading: The earliest version of this video was reportedly shot over Thanksgiving in 2019. Charging station locations
PolitiFact→ Durham report criticized elements of FBI's investigation into Donald Trump's 2016 campaign
The Durham report suggested the FBI acted on unconfirmed intelligence to too quickly open a full investigation into allegations the 2016 Trump campaign colluded with Russia. The report didn’t conclude that the FBI shouldn’t have investigated at all.
PolitiFact→ Tricia Cotham – After switching parties, Tricia Cotham flip-flops on abortion
“(I will oppose) any attempt to restrict or deny women’s basic health care needs.”
The Dispatch→ ‘Woke’ Is Just Another Word for ‘Things That Make Us Mad’
Another beer ad is triggering the right.Continue reading ‘Woke’ Is Just Another Word for ‘Things That Make Us Mad’ »
The Dispatch→ A Rat, Cornered
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow on May 9, 2023. (Photo by GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)Russia’s war machine might be breaking down. Continue readi
PolitiFact→ Verificamos lo que dijo Kamala Harris sobre los negocios latinos y su financiamiento
En Español: Las empresas de propiedad latina recibieron alrededor del 1% del capital de las 25 principales firmas de capital riesgo y capital privado entre 2007 y 2017, según el informe 2021 de una consultora.
Truth or Fiction?→ Republican Senator Weighs in on Democracy: ‘Let’s Don’t Have Elections Anymore’
On May 16 2023 a Reddit account on r/WhitePeopleTwitter shared a Twitter screenshot which indicated that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) stated that Americans shouldn’t “have elections any more” during an appearance on Newsmax:
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image of White Woman With ‘Tail’ Is NOT Proof for Theory
Is a photograph of what appears to be a woman with a tail an authentic record of a real appendage, providing support for claims about the origins of white people? No, that's not true: The image was digitally edited and is a work of art. I
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – FedNow Service charges banks, not consumers, for instant payment access
FedNow is a new “monetary system” that’s “going to cost you.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Gospel Singer Shirley Caesar Had NOT Died As Of May 9, 2023
Was Shirley Caesar, a Grammy award-winning gospel singer and celebrated pastor, deceased as of May 9, 2023? No, that's not true: Caesar made at least one public appearance after May 9, 2023. There is also no indication that her health was
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an Immunologist Group Post Video of Their Members Dancing Without Masks?
A video posted by the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) has drawn attention online for showing members partying without wearing masks, despite the potential risk for patients they might encounter after leaving the event. The AAI posted a 20-s
The Dispatch→ The American Wealth Machine and Its Misguided Discontents
People walk through an upscale shopping district of Manhattan. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Despite what you might hear (or believe), the U.S. economy continues to dominate the world.Continue reading The American Wealth Machine and Its Misguide
PolitiFact→ A family budget is often invoked in U.S. debt fights. Just how similar is it to a federal budget?
There are some similarities between how the federal government budgets and how families do it, as Republicans often argue to support major spending cuts. But economists say there are crucial differences that undercut the usefulness of this analogy.
Full Fact→ Would a 35% pay uplift for junior doctors cost £1 billion or £2 billion?
A Labour MP quoted BMA figures claiming junior doctor “pay restoration” would cost £1 billion, but the health secretary said it would cost £2 billion.
Full Fact→ McDonald’s french fries are not made from potatoes treated with the pesticide Monitor
The claim comes from a speech given in 2013 by an author, who has since admitted Monitor is no longer in use in the US.
FactCheck.org→ Post Mischaracterizes GOP Opposition to Oregon Bill on Reproductive Health Care for Minors
Quick Take An Oregon bill that would eliminate parental consent for minors to access reproductive health care, including abortion, has been criticized by conservatives. But a liberal social media post mischaracterizes their opposition by claiming R
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – A claim full of hot air: Earth’s temperature historically high, not colder than 10,000 year ago
“We are about 1 degree Celsius above the coldest it’s been in the last 10,000 years” and “that’s why we shouldn’t be panicking.”
The Dispatch→ With Abortion Comments, Trump Hands DeSantis Iowa Opportunity
Pro-life demonstrators listen to former President Donald Trump as he speaks at the 47th annual "March for Life" in Washington, DC, in January 2020. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)Plus: A pro-choice gala spotlights Kamala Harr
Full Fact→ How many refugees does the UK resettle compared to other European countries?
Robert Jenrick said that the UK is second only to Sweden in the number of refugees accepted through resettlement schemes. This is true of European countries but doesn’t tell the whole story.
PolitiFact→ The Gateway Pundit – Washington law doesn’t take minors from parents who refuse them gender-transition surgery
New Washington state law allows “government to take away minors from parents if they refuse to agree to gender-transition surgery.”
Logically→ Posts falsely claim billionaire financier George Soros died of a heart attack
Logically→ Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan is alive and was not injected with toxins to trigger a cardiac arrest
Logically→ 2021 video from Guatemala falsely shared as pro-Imran Khan protests in Pakistan occupied Kashmir
The Dispatch→ Artificial Intelligence’s Congressional Debut
Samuel Altman, CEO of OpenAI, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law on May 16. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)Plus: Checking in on the jury system.Continue reading Artificial Intelligence’s Congres
Logically→ Video from 2017 falsely shared as ‘Rohingyas capturing Hindu women’ in West Bengal
Washington Post→ The truth about Russia, Trump and the 2016 election
Confused by yet another report on the Trump-Russia connection? Here's a guide to the key findings of four major reports.
The Dispatch→ The Great Unlearning
Intra-conservative debates and populism. Continue reading The Great Unlearning »
The Dispatch→ How Afghanistan Has Become Another Notch in China’s Belt
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang meets with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 6, 2023. (Photo by Jiang Chao/Xinhua/Getty Images)Our disastrous withdrawal paved the way for a partnership between the Taliban a
The Dispatch→ In Iowa, Ron DeSantis Shops Retail (for Votes)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks with attendees during an Iowa GOP reception on May 13, 2023 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)The typically standoffish GOP contender warms to personal politicking. Continue reading In Iowa,
The Dispatch→ Controlled Chaos
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks at a press conference about immigration and Title 42 on May 5, 2023 in Brownsville, Texas. (Photo by Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images)Biden’s response to the border crisis is more
The Dispatch→ Elon, You Have Much To Learn About Free Speech
Twitter owner Elon Musk and his Twitter profile. (Photo by Muhammed Selim Korkutata / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.)An open letter to the owner of Twitter.Continue reading Elon, You Have Much To Learn About Free Speech »
The Dispatch→ Video: DeSantis, Pence, and Everything 2024
Watch the video of our weekly livestreamed conversation.Continue reading Video: DeSantis, Pence, and Everything 2024 »
The Dispatch→ A Small Book Club Update!
Clarifying what books we're reading.Continue reading A Small Book Club Update! »
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Anheuser-Busch Did NOT Blame Elon Musk For ‘Declining Sales’ — It’s Satire
Did Anheuser-Busch blame Elon Musk for a decline in sales in April and May 2023? No, that's not true: The article attached to this post was originally published on a website that says its satirical articles are "not meant to be taken seri
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Claim about actor Jamie Foxx’s health debunked by daughter
“Jamie Foxx is on Life Support in ICU at this hour… Family is preparing for the worst.”