Do two photos of Pope Francis posted side-by-side in an X post the day he was admitted to the hospital for bronchitis show two different people, implying he has a body-double? No, that's not true: The photos of the Pope in the post were t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fake Trump Post Calling New Zealand A Third World Country And Mentioning Democrats Launching Meme Coin Is NOT Real
Did President Donald Trump post to Truth Social that New Zealand and Congo were both "Third World Countries" and that the Democrats were launching a "meme" coin? No, that's not true: Images of such a post circulating on social media appea
The Dispatch→ What’s in an Autocrat?
Unitary executive on steroids.
The Dispatch→ A Half-Century of ‘Saturday Night’
Can the show created to spoof live TV survive in an age of streaming and short video?
The Dispatch→ Why Romantic Movies Are Especially Bloody This Year
Treating love like a horror-fantasy isn’t very helpful for human flourishing.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: DOGE Did NOT ‘Just Discover’ $2.7 Trillion In Improper Medicare And Medicaid Payments — GAO Did In 2024 And Not All Are Fraudulent, Nor Medicare/Medicaid
Did the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives just discover $2.7 trillion in improper payments in Medicare and Medicaid overseas? No, that's not true: The report of trillions of dolla
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Reuters, Politico Did NOT Receive US Government Payments Only Under Biden Administration
Did Reuters and Politico receive government funding during the Biden administration but not the Trump administration? No, that's not true: Thomson Reuters, a separate company from Reuters News, and Politico both received federal payments
The Dispatch→ Is the Ukrainian Military Selling ‘Up To Half’ of Its U.S.-Provided Weapons?
There is no evidence to support those claims.
The Dispatch→ Everybody Out
Following the example of a principled conservative prosecutor.
PolitiFact→ Elon Musk – FEMA did not give disaster relief money to New York for luxury hotels for immigrants
“FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants… That money is meant for American disaster relief.”
The Dispatch→ Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Salami
Donald Trump is a family man. Just not the usual kind.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – ‘The Simpsons’ didn’t predict that Donald Trump would die on Feb. 14
An episode of “The Simpsons” showed a President Donald Trump-like character in a coffin and predicted Feb. 14 would be the “day everything changes.”
PolitiFact→ Mario Nawfal – Former USAID head Samantha Power’s wealth didn’t ‘skyrocket’; her wealth largely stayed the same
Former USAID Administrator Samantha Power’s net worth “skyrocketed” from $6.7 million to $30 million in three years.
PolitiFact→ Social Media – No, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wasn’t charged in Trump assassination attempt
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is “being charged with the attempted assassination of Trump.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Rep. Jasmine Crockett Does NOT Have Net Worth Of $9 Million
Does Jasmine Crockett, a U.S. congresswoman from Texas, have a net worth of $9 million and own properties worth $5 million? No, that's not true: Her latest financial disclosure report shows that her net worth is somewhere between -$46,997
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – Claim that Trump said he ‘didn’t have time’ to meet plane collision victims families false
President Donald Trump said he “‘didn’t have time’ to meet the families of the men, women and children who tragically died in the plane crash.”
PolitiFact→ Viral image – Old photo mischaracterized as showing Tulsi Gabbard’s swearing-in as national intelligence director
Photo shows National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and President Donald Trump at her swearing-in.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Public Record That Trump Banned Use Of Word ‘Felon’ In White House As Of February 14, 2025
Is there a public record of a memo showing President Donald Trump prohibited the use of the word "felon" "inside the White House or on White House grounds" as of February 14, 2025? No, that's not true: The White House couldn't confirm the
The Dispatch→ Social Media Posts Falsely Attribute Comments to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum
There is no evidence Sheinbaum called for a boycott of U.S. goods.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Military Document Does NOT Show USAID ‘Actively Helping To Destabilize Nations’
Does a military document prove the U.S. Agency for International Development is "actively helping to destabilize nations"? No, that's not true: The 2021 document presented by Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna at a hearing on February 13, 20
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 9th Circuit Court "Ruling" About 84 Unconstitutional Pardons By Joe Biden Originated On Satirical Facebook Page
Did the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rule that 84 of President Joe Biden's last-minute pardons were unconstitutional and did the opinion of "Judge Joe Barron" appear on a court website? No, that's not true: The ruling originated on a
Full Fact→ County council elections have not been ‘cancelled’ for the first time since World War Two
Contrary to claims made on social media, some county council elections were also delayed in May 2021 so the local authorities could be reorganised.
Full Fact→ UK donated 15 VWs, not Porsches, to Albania as part of prisoner transfer deal
Thousands have shared social media posts claiming the UK donated 15 electric Porsches to Albanian prisons “as part of a drive to net zero”.
Health Feedback→ Flu vaccine reduces risk of flu-related illness and hospitalization, even though it hasn’t eradicated flu
REVIEW A Threads post from early February 2025 stated that “We’ve had the flu vaccine for 78 years. We still have the flu”, implying that the flu vaccine doesn’t work. Earlier iterations of this statement were documented by AFP and USA Today
Full Fact→ Viral video of celebrities wearing t-shirts protesting against Kanye West is AI deepfake
The clip uses the likenesses of Jewish celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, David Schwimmer, and the rapper Drake, but isn’t genuine.
Full Fact→ Covid-19 does exist and germs can cause disease
A post circulating on Instagram features a woman making incorrect claims about Covid-19 and germs
Full Fact→ Warning about ‘Strawberry Quick’ drug is a ‘hoax’
West Midlands Police have said a warning circulating online about a drug supposedly being given to children is not based on a genuine message from them.
The Dispatch→ India Hops on the Trump Train
Concerns over China—and similar personal styles—are bringing Trump and Modi together.
The Dispatch→ Bring Back Shaming
Should the DOGE kids be held accountable?
The Dispatch→ Lawless or Unwise?
Taking pride in the Saturday Night Massacre.
The Dispatch→ Vance Makes the Case for U.S. AI Acceleration
The vice president’s Paris speech signals opportunity for American innovators.
The Dispatch→ Read My Lips: Tariffs Are Taxes
Trump’s recent moves will put upward pressure on housing prices.
The Dispatch→ DOGE Could Doom Republicans in Virginia’s Upcoming Gubernatorial Race
‘There’s no bigger bread-and-butter issue than a job.’
The Dispatch→ The Republicans’ Underwhelming Budget
A plan to cut $1.1 trillion over 10 years would likely add $3.3 trillion in deficits.
Lead Stories→ Be Our Valentine! Donate If You ❤️ Facts!
Show how much you truly love facts by supporting our fact checking work. Lead Stories was heavily affected by Meta's decision to end Third Party Fact Checking in the U.S. Unfortunately that meant letting go of a number of our writers and
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There ARE Enough Cows Worldwide To Supply McDonald’s Beef Burgers
Are there too few cows in the world to supply McDonald's beef burgers? No, that's not true: There are far more than enough head of cattle worldwide to supply McDonald's estimated 2.5 billion burgers served per year. If all the patties wer
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Barron Trump Singing On America’s Got Talent Is AI Generated
Is a video of President Trump's son Barron Trump singing a song on the show "America's Got Talent" authentic? No, that's not true: The YouTube channel that originally published it said the song and video were created with the help of AI t
Internet Archive→ The Ingraham Angle : FOXNEWSW : February 13, 2025 4:00pm-5:00pm PST
Laura Ingraham aims to cut through the Washington chatter to speak directly with unexpected voices and the actual people who are impacted by the news of the day..This item belongs to: movies/TV-FOXNEWSW.This item has files of the following types: Capti
The Dispatch→ What a Generational Political Shift Looks Like
Donald Trump’s second term has ushered in a new kind of uncertainty, but also technological opportunity.
The Dispatch→ A Culture of Fear
Why Trump’s second presidency feels different.