2025 year in review.
The Dispatch→ Why Trump’s Redistricting Push Failed in Indiana
The president misunderstands the state’s Republican Party.
The Dispatch→ It Could Have Been a Wonderful Life
The 1946 classic has a modern twin.
The Dispatch→ Death Comes For New York State
Gov. Kathy Hochul signs an assisted suicide bill after a monthslong delay.
The Dispatch→ A Grim Measles Milestone
U.S. nears potential loss of measles of elimination status after a record year of infections.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Wake up, Jeff’ Messages NOT Sent To Bezos By Cher, Mahomes, Bono To Break Amazon Deals — No Such Backlash Against Bezos’ ‘Quiet alignment with Trump’
Did Cher, Patrick Mahomes, Bono and other celebrities pull business deals with Amazon over founder Jeff Bezos' "quiet alignment with Trump," sending messages to Bezos that all began "Wake up, Jeff"? No, that's not true: The posts tell nea
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fulton County’s 315,000 Unsigned Early Votes Are NOT Proof Of Electoral Fraud
Are 315,000 unsigned early votes in Fulton County, Georgia proof of electoral fraud? No, that's not true: The Georgia secretary of state told Lead Stories that the missing signatures on tabulator results were the consequence of a clerical
The Dispatch→ The Open Window
A tent big enough for bigots.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Viral Video Does NOT Show Jon-Bernard Kairouz Actually Confronted On Live TV By Fox News Host About His Appearance In Epstein Files — It’s A Comedy Sketch
Was Jon-Bernard Kairouz confronted about his appearance in pictures from newly released Epstein files while being interviewed on Fox News? No, that's not true: The viral video did not show a real Fox News segment. In what appears to be a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FBI Did NOT Discover A Secret Tunnel Under Rob Reiner’s Mansion — This Is Another In A String Of Copycat Clickbait Videos Using Famous Names
Did the FBI discover a secret tunnel under Rob Reiner's Brentwood mansion? No, that's not true: There is no credible information to support this claim. The day after Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were murdered, clickbait videos began to
Full Fact→ No, you won’t be fined by the government for hanging washing outside
Despite claims being shared in videos on Facebook, the UK government didn’t introduce a ban on outside clothes drying on 12 October.
Full Fact→ Picture of ‘pink ladies of Epping’ isn’t real
The image being shared on social media was generated with AI, as shown by various glitches and the watermark on the original version.
Full Fact→ New wave of fake stories about curbs on personal freedoms and bogus taxes rack up millions of views on social media
In the three months since we first covered the problem, we’ve fact checked a further 45 false and misleading claims, about everything from nighttime curfews to a “Christmas decorations tax”.
The Dispatch→ Yes, Impeach Him Again
We are not here to be bystanders; political power ultimately rests with us.
The Dispatch→ Are American Students Getting Dumber?
Students’ educational skills are nosediving.
The Dispatch→ Rights, Obligations, and Nostalgia | Interview: Megan McArdle
It’s the economy, stupid.
The Dispatch→ Is the Diversity Visa a Security Risk?
The Trump administration pauses an immigration program after deadly attacks by a visa lottery winner.
The Dispatch→ The End of American Poetry
How one anthology’s demise spells trouble for the art form.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Showing Melania Trump Kissing Jeffrey Epstein On The Lips Is NOT Real — It’s AI-Generated
Is a photo showing Melania Trump kissing Jeffrey Epstein on the lips real? No, that's not true: The Hive Moderation AI detection tool was conclusive that the image was created by an artificial intelligence tool, rating it at 98.8 percent
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Showing Melania Trump Kissing Jeffrey Epstein On The Lips Is NOT Real — It’s AI-Generated
Is a photo showing Melania Trump kissing Jeffrey Epstein on the lips real? No, that's not true: The Hive Moderation AI detection tool was conclusive that the image was created by an artificial intelligence tool, rating it at 98.8 percent
The Dispatch→ A Dark Season at Advent
How Earth’s longest night teaches us to hope.
The Dispatch→ A Defense of Dispensationalism
A response to Brian G. Mattson.
The Dispatch→ The Catholic Church Has Faced Antisemitism Before
But it is on the rise again among young Catholics.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Cher Did NOT Read Karoline Leavitt’s Bio Live On MSNBC — Neither Did Other Celebrities
Did Cher tell Karoline Leavitt to "sit down, baby girl" after reading out her bio on MSNBC? No, that's not true: The viral story about the singer reacting to a supposed rant from Leavitt about "out-of-touch celebrities who think they can
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Epstein File EFTA00000468.pdf Showing Photos Of Donald Trump DID Disappear From Department Of Justice Release Website — But It’s Back
Was a pdf that included images of Donald Trump with women deleted from the Epstein Library hours after the Department of Justice released the files as required by a new federal law? Yes, that's true: EFTA00000468.pdf was included in the f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fake ‘You Need To Shut Up’ Tweet Story About Karoline Leavitt, Other Celebrities — Spam From Vietnam
Did Karoline Leavitt or someone else tweet "You Need To Shut Up" at various celebrities and did they all react during a "live show" with millions of viewers? No, that's not true: Dozens of variations of the same story but mentioning diffe
The Dispatch→ Our Best Stuff From a Week It Felt Like the 1970s
The president addressed the affordability crisis and sounded a bit like Jimmy Carter in doing so.
The Dispatch→ Directional Burkeanism | Ruminant
Jonah goes a little squishy
The Dispatch→ Against Millennial Halloween Obsession
Seriously. Please stop.
The Dispatch→ The Stories He Told
Rob Reiner’s work will be remembered long beyond his—and others’—politics.
The Dispatch→ The World Needs Magnanimous Men
How one lost virtue might improve the fortunes of men.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: New Trump-Kennedy Sign At Kennedy Center Does NOT Have Gold Appliques And Onlays Like Trump Added To The Oval Office
Does the new Trump-Kennedy sign at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have gold appliques like President Donald Trump added to the walls of the Oval Office? No, that's not true: Though Trump's name was added, there were no news re
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: White House Did NOT Confirm That ‘Trump’s Impromptu Visit To Walter Reed Hospital’ Was To Receive ‘Dementia Test Of The Year’ Award
Did the White House confirm "Trump's impromptu visit to Walter Reed hospital" to receive "Dementia test of the year" award? No, that's not true: The story originated from a website that says it publishes satire content. The White House we
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Clickbait Fake Stories Say SAT Score Reveal Silenced Trump, Obama, Kimmel After Each Called Harvard Grads ‘Overrated’
Were President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama or TV host Jimmy Kimmel silenced after calling Harvard grads "overrated and dumb" when opponents revealed their SAT scores? No, that's not true: There is no public record of Trump
The Dispatch→ Fat Elvis
Two cheers for renaming things after Trump.
PolitiFact→ Social Media – Brown University shooting: Social media users falsely blamed student days before killer was found
Brown University student Mustapha Karbouch was a suspect in school shooting.
The Dispatch→ Heritage Americanism: DEI for Nationalists
The folly of a hierarchy for Americanness.
PolitiFact→ X posts – These images of shirtless President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein with young women aren’t real
Images from Jeffrey Epstein “archives” show President Donald Trump and Epstein with young women.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Austria’s Eurovision 2026 Stage Design Is NOT A Swastika, It’s A Curved Leaf — Fake Image Circulating Is From Satire Account
Did Austria reveal the stage design for Eurovision 2026 is a swastika? No, that's not true: The image is fake and was posted by a satire account which says they have been "Spreading misinformation on the internet since 1827". On Dec. 16,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show A Real ‘Transgender Police Spokesperson Lyle Culpepper’ Talking About Brown University Attack
Does a viral clip show real "transgender Providence Police Department spokesperson Lyle Culpepper" demanding that the public stop saying "the Brown shooter"? No, that's not true: The person in the video is comedian L.E. Staiman. In interv