Strange videos of a professor offering cures for “thermometer leg” led Full Fact to uncover an army of social media accounts promoting wellness products with fake AI ‘endorsements’.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Anti-ICE Protester Sentenced To Six Months In Jail And $10,000 Fine For Throwing Trash Can At Officer Is NOT Real
Is a viral video of a purple-haired woman being sentenced to six months in jail and a $10,000 fine for attacking a law enforcement officer with a metal trash can during an anti-ICE protest real? No, that's not true: The original version o
Full Fact→ Video compilation includes faked clips of Israeli missile strikes on Iranian bases
A viral video featuring clips supposedly showing Israeli missiles hitting Iranian bases includes three clips that were probably made using artificial intelligence.
Lead Stories→ From Macedonia With Facts: A Fact Checker Goes To Skopje — The Kumanovo Connection Revisited
When I received an invitation last month to come to Macedonia to talk with the fact checkers and journalists at the Metamorphosis Foundation about Lead Stories' experience with our automatically generated short-form fact checking videos,
Full Fact→ Are one in six Scots waiting for NHS care?
Scottish Labour claims one in six Scots are waiting for NHS care, but official figures estimate it’s actually around one in nine, or over 11%.
Full Fact→ Fast fashion purchases will not be limited from January
Videos being shared on Facebook falsely claim a “sustainable wardrobe order” is being introduced next year.
The Dispatch→ The AI Industry’s Tangled Finances
Tech giants are financing each other’s AI bets, raising concerns about hidden risk and dot-com-era echoes.
The Dispatch→ Corrupting Influences | Roundtable
Who cares about the law?
The Dispatch→ Winning the Vote Out West
Wyoming and the long, unlikely path to women’s suffrage.
The Dispatch→ Into the Field We Go, LARPing All the Way
Top law-enforcement appointees are alienating employees by prioritizing presentation—and social media posting—over professionalism.
The Dispatch→ ‘The Worst of the Worst’
Criminals are, no surprise, harder to catch than law-abiding people.
The Dispatch→ Will Vice President J.D. Vance Have a 2028 Primary Challenger?
There’s a lot more riding on the 2026 midterm elections than the GOP’s congressional majorities.
The Dispatch→ The Pardon Racket
Why is Trump letting random white-collar criminals out of prison?
FactCheck.org→ Examining Trump’s Pardon of Former Honduran President Convicted of Trafficking Drugs to U.S.
President Donald Trump pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, on Dec. 1, claiming without evidence that his prosecution had been a “setup” by the Biden administration and that Hernández was targeted because he
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Irish Christian Teacher Enoch Burke Was NOT ‘Sentenced To Life In Prison For Transphobia’
Was "Irish Christian teacher Enoch Burke" sentenced to life in prison for transphobia and "refusing to use a transgender student's pronouns"? No, that's not true: The sentencing judge explicitly stated that the decision is about the repea
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Alleged D.C. Pipe Bomber Brian Cole Jr. Did NOT Sue Trump’s DHS Over Illegal Immigration
Did the man charged with planting pipe bombs found near the Republican and Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, sue the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security over illegal immigration? No, that'
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – No, Donald Trump can’t unilaterally revoke Biden ‘autopen’ pardons
Any pardon signed with an autopen is now "fully and completely terminated, and is of no legal effect."
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, North Carolina didn’t just ban cellphone use in cars, despite AI aggregators saying it did
A new North Carolina law “prohibits the use of wireless communication devices while driving.”
FactCheck.org→ Unpacking the FDA’s Black Friday Vaccine Memo
The head of the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine division claimed in a leaked email that “at least 10 children” died from COVID-19 vaccination, using that to justify major vaccine regulatory changes. Experts, however, say too littl
The Dispatch→ The Global Climate Movement’s Real Elephant in the Room
China, not the U.S., is to blame for the weakness of international climate initiatives.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: BlueHarvester Is NOT A Real Norwegian Vessel Which Autonomously Collects Plastic From The Ocean And Converts It To Fuel — AI-Generated Images
Did Norway launch an autonomous ship, the BlueHarvester, which can clean plastic from the ocean and then turn that plastic into fuel it uses to power itself? No, that's not true: Images of the BlueHarvester are AI-generated. A search of t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The SEC Is Not Investigating 10 Democrats, Including Joe Biden, For Securities Fraud, Insider Trading — It’s Satire
Is the Securities and Exchange Commission investigating 10 Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, for fraud and insider trading? No, that's not true: There is no evidence the SEC is investigating any of the 10 people whose image
The Dispatch→ Dispatch Politics Roundup: Christmas Time Is Near
Your weekly roundup from Washington, D.C.
Full Fact→ Did Rachel Reeves mislead the public ahead of the Budget?
The chancellor has been accused of misleading the public in a 4 November press conference following the publication of new OBR figures.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: January 6 Pipebomb Suspect Is BRIAN Cole, NOT BRYAN Cole
Did the FBI name Bryan Cole of Fairfax, Virginia, as the suspect in the January 6 pipebomb case in Washington, D.C.? No, that's not true: The suspect named by the FBI on December 4, 2025, is Brian J. Cole, age 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia,
Full Fact→ Heathrow and Gatwick aren’t introducing £50 airport entry fees
Videos shared online claim Heathrow and Gatwick airports are introducing a new £50 entry fee for all visitors from “next week”.
The Dispatch→ Japan and China Clash Over Taiwan
A diplomatic conflict escalates as China warns Japan’s prime minister to stop ‘playing with fire’ on Taiwan.
The Dispatch→ All About Slaughter
We’ve all been waiting for this.
The Dispatch→ How the House Has Taken Itself Out of the Tariff Fight
GOP members have voted several times to bar any resolutions rescinding Trump’s import taxes.
The Dispatch→ A New Feminism at Cambridge
A recently formed student group claims that ‘femaleness’ is based in biology.
The Dispatch→ Is the Deportation Campaign Prioritizing the ‘Worst of the Worst’?
ICE data shows a decrease in arrests and detention of people with criminal records.
The Dispatch→ Look Before We Leap on Artificial Intelligence
The U.S. imposes restrictions on a range of industries. AI should be no exception.
The Dispatch→ Banning AI Superintelligence Would Be a Historic Mistake
Proposals to curtail the technology’s development are rooted in fear, not facts.
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on Vetting of Accused National Guard Shooter
In the aftermath of the deadly ambush shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump and others in his administration immediately blamed Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, for failing to vet the Afghan national a
The Dispatch→ Trading Places
Should Democrats want the House to flip before the midterms?
PolitiFact→ 3 things to know about COVID-19 and children after FDA officials said COVID-19 vaccines are deadly
3 things to know about COVID-19, vaccines and kids
The Dispatch→ Killed by Democracy
Reflecting on the 1880 Republican Convention.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Iraqi Woman Who Bragged About Using Sweden’s Benefits ‘To The Max’ Says She Was Being Sarcastic In Video
Is a video of an Iraqi woman saying in Swedish that she used the Swedish welfare system "to the max" real? Yes, it is: Tara Sabah Mohammed Saleh said she was being sarcastic during a TikTok Live stream in reaction to racist social media c
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – No, video Trump shared on Truth Social doesn’t show Venezuela’s Maduro ‘publicly surrendered’
Video shows “breaking” news that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro "publicly surrendered" to President Donald Trump.
The Dispatch→ Bring The Dispatch to Your City
We want to do more regional events in 2026—and we need your help.