Were 194 people killed in mass shootings in the United States in 2018, while the number of those killed by illegal immigrants was 83,211? No, that's not true: Both numbers are wrong, but the number of purported murders by undocumented people i
Search Results (2822) for: americans
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Obama And HR4310 Did NOT Make It Legal For The Media To Lie To The American People (It Always Was…)
Did Barack Obama quietly sign into law HR 4310 in 2012 that made it legal for the media to purposely lie to the American people? No, that's not true: HR 4310 was the authorization act for Pentagon funding in 2013 and included many provisions t
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO New Jersey Brother And Sister Allowed To Marry After 10-year-long Court Battle
Did a court allow New Jersey siblings James and Victoria Banes to marry after a ten year court battle?No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living by publishing fictional stories often invo
FactCheck.org→ Biden Misleads on Top 1% Tax Rate
The top 1% of taxpayers, on average, pay a higher effective tax rate than middle-income people, contrary to a claim Joe Biden made on the campaign trail. As a result of a low tax rate for capital gains earned by many wealthy Americans, Democratic presi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Public Assistance Programs Exist in the United States Before Social Security?
In August 2019, disinformation and misinformation about the history of immigration to the United States flourished online following the announcement that United States President Donald Trump’s administration would pursue the so-called “pub
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Trump Administration Rewriting the Statue of Liberty’s Poem?
On August 13 2019, a number of news outlets ran headlines such as “Trump official revises Statue of Liberty poem to defend migrant rule change” and “Cuccinelli edits Statue of Liberty poem to defend new rule,” leading some read
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Manhattanites Start a Petition to Change Part of 5th Avenue to ‘Barack Obama Avenue’?
An August 10 2019 tweet by @donaldmackenz30 asserted that New Yorkers (or, more specifically, Manhattanites) dislike United States President Donald Trump so much that they created a petition proposing that the stretch of 5th Avenue between 56th and 5
FactCheck.org→ Harris, Warren Wrong About Brown Shooting
On Aug. 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in what the Obama administration’s Department of Justice determined was an act of “self-defense.” B
Snopes→ Is Political Polarization About Feelings, Not Facts?
If Americans are to figure out how to combat it, they need to begin from a clear understanding of what polarization is.
PolitiFact→ Joe Biden – Joe Biden takes Donald Trump’s words about gang members out of context
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Joe Biden takes Donald Trump’s words about gang members out of context At a campaign stop in Iowa, former Vice President Joe Biden laid into President Donald Trump for stirring up the worst in Americans. Presidents
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Mixed Record on Gun Control
When asked what he was going to do about the “gun problem,” President Donald Trump responded that “we have done much more than most administrations.” Trump has taken some action to strengthen federal gun control, but his administration
FactCheck.org→ President Trump’s Rhetoric
Prior to departing for visits to El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 7, President Donald Trump rejected the premise that his rhetoric has divided the country, as his critics have claimed. He said “my rhetoric … brings people together.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: JFK NOT On Gun Control: ‘We Need A Nation Of Minute Men’
Did President John F. Kennedy say about gun control that "we need a nation of minute men"? No, that's not true: The quote cited by those opposed to gun control is from a written message (not a speech) by Kennedy in which he called for American
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Last Year Guns Killed’ Protest Sign
A November 2018 Facebook post about purported gun deaths “last year” (in this case, 2017) circulated in the aftermath of two back-to-back deadly mass shootings in early August 2019 (post archived here): A sign held up at an unnamed eve
FactCheck.org→ Politics of Gun Violence
In the aftermath of two deadly mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, U.S. political leaders made a series of statements on gun violence that were unsubstantiated, lacked context or were seemingly contradictory. Here we look at some of those statements and
Snopes→ Trump Tweets, Stays Out of Sight for Hours After Shootings
Americans did not glimpse the Republican president in the immediate aftermath of a shooting in El Paso, Texas, that killed at least 20 people and, hours later, one in Dayton, Ohio, that claimed at least nine lives.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Muslamian Council Named ICE Did NOT Say ‘If Pork Isn’t Banned, We’ll Have To Leave America’
Did an organization named "Islamia Coexistence Embassy" (ICE) claim they would leave America if pork wasn't banned? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to fool Trump supporters and Republicans in
FactCheck.org→ Video: FactChecking Round Two of July Debate
This video covers some of the claims the candidates made on July 31 during round two of the second Democratic debate in Detroit. Former Vice President Joe Biden claimed that Sen. Kamala Harris’ health insurance plan would raise “middle-class taxe
Lead Stories→ Fake News: 1 Minute Message Is NOT From Congresswoman, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib
Was a video labeled as a "1 minute message" discussing the "process of making America Muslim" from Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the freshman congresswoman from Michigan? No, that's not true: The clip is from a 19-minute-long speech delivered 30 years a
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking July’s Round Two Debate
Summary Another debate, and another crop of false and misleading claims. Sen. Kamala Harris of California and former Vice President Joe Biden disagreed on whether his health care plan would “cover everyone.” Biden’s website says it w
PolitiFact→ Biden-Harris debate rematch highlights health plan differences
Which of these Democrats can insure more Americans? As Wednesday’s debate made vividly clear, there are almost as many versions of Medicare for All as there are Democratic candidates — and each one thinks their plan is the path to insuring
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Asylum Seekers Get $2,100 Per Month Starting Their First Day in the United States?
On July 16 2019, the following text-based status update (archived here) appeared on Facebook with the uncited claim that asylum seekers admitted to the United States receive a $2,100 monthly payment — whereas by comparison, Americans who had paid i
FactCheck.org→ Video: FactChecking the Democratic Debate
In this video, we examine some of the false and misleading claims from the July 30 Democratic debate. Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas falsely said that “no other country comes even close to” the 40,000 gun-violence deaths in the United State
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Antifa Does NOT Plan Border Siege in El Paso
UPDATE Saturday, August 3, 2019: When Lead Stories first published this story on August 1, 2019, our concern was that false reports of a planned violent siege of El Paso could incite a violent reaction. We do not know if the tragic attack at t
Snopes→ US to Set Up Plan Allowing Prescription Meds from Canada
The Trump administration said it will set up a system allowing Americans to legally and safely import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada for the first time, reversing years of opposition from federal health authorities amid a public outcry over
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the Second Democratic Debate
Summary We flagged false and misleading claims from several candidates: Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke got it wrong in claiming “no other country comes even close to” the number of gun-violence deaths in the United States. Brazil ha
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Rep. Jim Jordan Did NOT Say ‘Obama And Biden Were Cowering In Fear On Air Force 1’ After 9/11 Attacks
Did Republican Congressman Jim Jordan say that Barack Obama and Joe Biden "were cowering in fear" while Donald Trump was "on the ground with first responders searching for survivors and pulling people to safety" after the September 11, 2001 te
Snopes→ Liberals and Conservatives Have Wildly Different TV-Viewing Habits – But These 5 Shows Bring Everyone Together
Since 2007, the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California has been tracking how Americans’ favorite TV shows are connected to their attitudes on a host of hot-button political issues.
PolitiFact→ In Context: Ilhan Omar’s “our country should be more fearful of white men” comment
A clip of Ilhan Omar saying Americans "should be more fearful of white men" took off on Twitter, but it includes some selective editing that doesn’t fully reflect her statements. On July 25, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., shared a 41-se
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Mr. Rogers Challenge Pool Segregation with a Black Police Officer in 1969?
Press ahead of the 2019 release of a biopic about Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood star Fred Rogers led to increased interest in his remarkable life. One story this renewed attention unearthed detailed how the children’s show purportedly tack
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s and Miller’s Attacks on ‘The Squad’
President Donald Trump and his top immigration adviser continue to criticize four progressive Democratic congresswomen known as “the squad,” but some of their claims twist the women’s words. We’ve dealt with a couple of these
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Judge Did NOT Award Sasha and Malia Obama’s Biological Father $14 Million
Did a judge award a man named Samuel Kepelplorp $14 million for being the biological father of the Obama children? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to fool Trump supporters and Republicans int
Snopes→ Trump, Harris Both Wrong About Auto Sector
Americans are being presented with two starkly different accounts of the state of the auto industry. Neither is accurate.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Minnesota Schools Did NOT Make Arabic Classes Mandatory
Did Minnesota schools make Arabic classes mandatory? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to fool Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that are clearly marked as satire wh
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Trump 2020 Campaign Will NOT Simply Air Unedited Footage Of Democrats Talking
Will the Trump 2020 presidential campaign simply air unedited footage of Democrats talking as a strategy to win votes? No, that's not true: It is a satirical article intended to make a joke of the controversy between progressive Democrats and
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Trump 2020 Campaign Will NOT Simply Air Unedited Footage Of Democrats Talking
Will the Trump 2020 presidential campaign simply air unedited footage of Democrats talking as a strategy to win votes? No, that's not true: It is a satirical article intended to make a joke of the controversy between progressive Democrats and
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Riots and War End Japanese Internment, Slavery, and World War II?
On July 16 2019, the Facebook page “Close the Camps” shared the following screenshot (archived here) of a Facebook post asserting that riots, rebellion, and war were necessary to put a stop to concentration camps, World War II, and slaver
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s False Claims About Rep. Ilhan Omar
President Donald Trump accused Rep. Ilhan Omar of professing a “love” for al Qaeda and talking about “how great” and “how wonderful” al Qaeda is. That is false. Trump also misleadingly claimed polls showed Omar only
Truth or Fiction?→ Did United States President Barack Obama Remove a ‘Citizenship Question’ from the Census?
In July 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based status update about the census-related “citizenship question,” which claimed that such a question had existed on the United States Census for 160 years — until President Obama outlawed
FactCheck.org→ Does Wind ‘Work’ Without Subsidies?
President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the economics of wind energy, saying that wind “doesn’t work” without subsidies. Experts have differing assessments of that. In the U.S., subsidies have played an important role in bu