A photo illustration shows the Discord logo reflected in an image of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Photo by Stefani Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)A little history with your news and politics roundup. Continue reading Our Best Stuff on the Classified Doc
The Dispatch→ Depeche Mode Confronts Mortality
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 05: Martin Gore and Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode perform during The "Memento Mori" World Tour at United Center on April 05, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)‘Memento Mori,’ the ban
The Dispatch→ A Breath of Fresh Air (Jordans)
(Matthew Maher, Matt Damon, and Jason Bateman in 'Air.' Photo by ANACARBALLOSA/Ana Carballosa/Amazon Studios - © ANA CARBALLOSA)‘Air’ entertains with the story of how Nike signed the GOAT.Continue reading A Breath of Fresh Air (Jordans) »
The Dispatch→ Banana Republicans
The insult of the Pentagon leak.Continue reading Banana Republicans »
The Dispatch→ Smears and Myths—The October Surprise Revisited
Ronald Reagan takes the oath of office on January 20. 1981 during inauguration ceremonies in Washington, DC. (Photograph from the Bettman Collection/Getty Images.)The New York Times revives the claim that Reagan won in 1980 by conspiring to prolong th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: JFK Jr. Did NOT Write A Letter To Donald Trump After His Death In 1999
Did John F. Kennedy Jr. write a letter to Donald Trump following the 38-year-old magazine publisher's death on July 16, 1999? No, that's not true: former President Trump wrote in his book "The America We Deserve," published in 2000, that
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Root Canal-Treated Tooth’ NOT No. 1 Cause Of Heart Attack
Is a root-canal-treated tooth the No. 1 cause of a heart attack? No, that's not true: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronary artery disease is the main cause of heart attacks. The three key risk factor
FactCheck.org→ The Facts on Manhattan Crime
The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee plans to hold a “field hearing” in Manhattan on April 17 to draw attention to “how Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s pro-crime, anti-victim policies have led to an increase in vi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Wrist Rubs Help Alleviate Sore Throat Symptoms
Does pressure application on a particular point in the wrist area help relieve a sore throat? No, that's not true: No credible sources suggest there is any connection between this type of self-massage and expedited recovery from a sore th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Images Of ‘Mysterious Animals’ Are NOT From Reign Of Thai King Rama V — They Are AI-Generated
Do photos shared on Facebook show giant, fantastical creatures that nobles hunted in the forests of Thailand over a century ago, during the reign of King Rama V? No, that's not true: These images are not real photos. They were generated b
The Dispatch→ Poison Pill
Gov. Ron DeSantis signs Florida’s 15-week abortion ban into law on April 13, 2022. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Will abortion politics swallow the Republican primary? Continue reading Poison Pill »
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Kenya’s president didn’t say his country was getting rid of the U.S. dollar
Video shows Kenya’s president saying he will “get rid of U.S. dollar.”
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – U.S. government institutions haven’t shuttered, despite Facebook claims
“Congress, White House, IRS, Feds, Federal Reserve are shut down.”
PolitiFact→ Joe Biden – Fact-checking Joe Biden on whether rugby is safer than football
“Fewer people get hurt playing rugby” than American football.
The Dispatch→ Putin’s Useful Idiots
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on April 4, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)The MAGA crowd is calling fellow Americans enemies while treating our real enemies as misunderstood friends.Continue reading Putin’s Useful Idiots »
FactCheck.org→ Bogus Claim Targets Bud Light Partnership with Transgender Influencer
Quick Take Bud Light partnered with a transgender social media influencer for a promotion during the NCAA March Madness tournament. Social media users responded with the false claim that the CEO of the company had resigned following a conservative
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Online users are misinformed; Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg wasn’t arrested
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “has been arrested.”
PolitiFact→ Viral image – Don’t be fooled; Elon Musk isn’t linked to this get-rich-quick scheme
Elon Musk is offering people the opportunity to make $1 million “in 90 days while sleeping in.”
PolitiFact→ TikTok posts – Don’t confuse FedNow payment system and central bank digital currency; they’re not the same
“In America our own (central bank digital currency) system is going to be launching July 1. It’s called the FedNow payment system.”
PolitiFact→ Viral image – JFK Jr., who died more than two decades ago, isn’t in this video with then-President Donald Trump
Video proves John F. Kennedy Jr. is alive.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – This isn’t a video of Donald Trump and JFK Jr. in a presidential convoy
Video shows John F. Kennedy Jr. in a “real presidential convoy.”
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – There’s no evidence Cash App founder Bob Lee was murdered by the federal government
Cash App founder Bob Lee’s death is connected to FedNow.
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Does a Passport Indicate Barack Obama Was Born in Kenya?
Former President Barack Obama. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images) Social media users are circulating Images of a British colonial passport belonging to a “Barack Hussein Obama” and naming Nairobi, Kenya, as the bearer’s birthplace to suggest tha
The Dispatch→ Democrats Can’t Shake Chicago Blues
Mayor Lori Lightfoot (left) accompanied by Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson (center) and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker during an event to announce Chicago as the host city for the 2024 Democratic National Convention on April 12, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Ph
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Florida no está bajo emergencia por el huracán Ian, ese video es del 2022
“¡Florida emergencia! Huracán Ian golpe directo”.
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on the Medication Abortion Court Rulings
More than half of abortions in the U.S. are medication abortions, done early in pregnancies. But less than a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, federal court rulings have raised questions about the future availability of mifepristone
Logically→ A viral image claiming to show Julian Assange in a U.K. prison is AI-generated
FactCheck.org→ Fewer Cases of Flu Due to Pandemic Precautions, Contrary to Viral Claim
SciCheck Digest Public health organizations have explained that the reason there were far fewer cases of the flu in 2020 and 2021 was likely due to measures adopted to slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, such as handwashing and socia
Logically→ A recruitment poster urging American welfare recipients to join war in Ukraine is fake
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Destruction of beer was in Mexico, not related to Bud Light’s Dylan Mulvaney partnership
A video shows a steamroller destroying Bud Light cases in relation to Anheuser-Busch’s partnership with a trans person.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – El sol tiene miles de millones de años más para brillar, dice NASA; no esperen catástrofes solares
“La NASA advierte que el sol podría dejar de brillar y causar una catástrofe”.
Full Fact→ No evidence motorhome ‘giveaway’ is real
Hundreds of thousands of people have shared what appears to be a fake campervan giveaway on Facebook.
Logically→ AI-generated image falsely shared as real face of the model for the Statue of Liberty
Full Fact→ Saunas not proven to reduce risk of death
A social media video contains claims about the health effects of saunas, saying that regular use reduces risk of death. This is not backed up by science.
The Dispatch→ Can Reimbursing Lawmakers’ Expenses Build a Better Congress?
Tulips bloom outside the U.S. Capitol. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)New rules to ease the financial burden of public service risk political backlash. Continue reading Can Reimbursing Lawmakers’ Expenses Build a Better Congress? »
Logically→ Georgia General Assembly resolution against Hinduphobia has been misrepresented
PolitiFact→ Viral image – Tiffany Dover is alive, despite persistent claims to the contrary
The person purporting to be Tiffany Dover is an impostor.
Poynter→ $12 million Global Fact Check Fund opens applications for first grants
St. Petersburg, Fla. (April 14, 2023) – The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the nonprofit Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalistic excellence, in partnership with Google and YouTube, […] The post $12 million Globa
Logically→ Recent claims that Switzerland has banned COVID-19 vaccinations are misleading.
The Dispatch→ Biden’s Afghanistan Blame Game
American soldiers watch over Afghan refugees waiting in line to be processed for an exit flight out of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)‘For all this talk of chaos, I just didn’t see it, not from my perc