Taking down the happiest place on earth.Continue reading Disney Sues DeSantis »
The Dispatch→ Covering Afghanistan in Exile
Amu TV anchor Nazia Hashimyar. (Contributed Photo)Afghan journalists launch a news organization to cover their home country from afar.Continue reading Covering Afghanistan in Exile »
The Dispatch→ Donald Trump’s Plan to Pare Back the ‘Deep State,’ Explained
Former OMB Director Russell Vought, Steven Mnuchin, and Scott Atlas listen to former President Donald Trump at an August 2020 press briefing. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images)The former president’s once and future plan to cle
The Dispatch→ How Sanctions Can Help Bring Home American Hostages
President Joe Biden gestures as an image of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich appears onscreen during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., April 29, 2023. (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) The Levinson Act all
Logically→ The photo shows an unrelated underwater plane in Jordan, not missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Claim About Life Expectancy of Beekeepers Is NOT Backed Up By Research
Do beekeepers have the longest life expectancy among all other professions and is this the result of disease-reversing healing frequencies emitted by the bees? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no evidence to support this claim -- n
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Posts With Pictures Of Lost ‘Sweet Girl’ Are Bait-And-Switch Scam
Do social media posts about people "desperately trying to find the parents" of a lost "sweet girl" show a real-life call for help? No, that's not true: Entries with identical wording appeared in many places in the United States; as they g
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Garlic NOT Used To Kill People — Knives Or Bullets Coated With Garlic Juice NOT Deadlier
Are knives or bullets coated with garlic juice deadlier than they would be without it? No, that's not true: While garlic does have anti-clotting properties, they're not strong enough to cause people to bleed out from a wound that wouldn't
The Dispatch→ How About Zero Tolerance for Crime?
(Photo via Getty Images)It’s not hopeless or naïve. It’s the government’s job.Continue reading How About Zero Tolerance for Crime? »
FactCheck.org→ Republicans Push Back on Democratic Claims of Veterans’ Health Care Cuts in GOP Debt Limit Bill
House Republicans narrowly passed a bill late last month that would temporarily suspend or raise the federal debt limit while significantly reducing caps on discretionary spending for the next 10 years. The legislation does not identify which discreti
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Study Did NOT Prove Wearing Masks Causes Stillbirths, Testicular Dysfunction And Cognitive Decline ‘Due To Build-Up Of Carbon Dioxide’
Did a study prove that wearing face masks raises the risk of stillbirths, testicular dysfunction and cognitive decline "due to build-up of carbon dioxide" (CO2)? No, that's not true: A "study" shared widely to social media was actually a
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Crack in a rock wall is old news, not evidence that Yellowstone volcano is erupting
"NASA just announced a 100-foot-wide fissure-crack just opened up Yellowstone volcano in 24 hours.”
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No, no puedes ver conversaciones de WhatsApp de otra persona al marcar un código y su número
En WhatsApp puedes leer todas las conversaciones de tu pareja, “solo tienes que marcar *785# el número de su celular* # y listo”.
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: BlackRock Does Not Own Shares In Dominion Voting Systems
BlackRock offices in New York City. (Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images) False claims are circulating online that BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest asset manager, owns significant shares in Fox News parent company Fox Corporation a
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Putin didn’t ‘shut down’ all Russian oil to the U.S. It’s already banned
“Putin JUST SHUTDOWN All Oil To The US, Collapsing The US Economy!”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Online offers for up to $5,000 in stimulus loans aren’t authentic
Emergency stimulus loans “are finally available to U.S. citizens up to $5,000 even with poor credit.”
PolitiFact→ Viral image – Altered image fuels unfounded claims that President Joe Biden has a ‘body double’
Photo shows President Joe Biden’s “body double” signing documents with his left hand.
The Dispatch→ Whodunnit?
People gather on the dome of the Kremlin compound in central Moscow on May 3, 2023. (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)A mysterious drone attack on the Kremlin.Continue reading Whodunnit? »
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Destruction Of Eggs In U.S. — It’s From Argentina
Does a video show thousands of eggs being destroyed in the United States during the egg shortage in 2023? No, that's not true: The video is from a company in Argentina that was forced by its government to destroy the eggs due to avian flu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Eastern Diamond Rattlesnake’ Is NOT Being Found In Several US Locations — They’re Scam Posts
Is a "deadly Eastern diamond rattlesnake" actually being found in several locations across the United States that are not known as native habitats for these snakes? No, that's not true: Social media posts that make the claim are repurposi
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – District of Columbia flag is based on Washington family coat of arms, not ‘three-city empire’
“The flag of Washington’s District of Columbia has three red stars. One for each city state in the three-city empire.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Old video about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton recast as ‘breaking news’
“Breaking Trump quietly announces Hillary’s prosecution is moving forward.”
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – These on-air medical emergencies were not caused by COVID-19 vaccines, as video suggests
Video shows people collapsing because of COVID-19 vaccines.
PolitiFact→ Tweets – Minnesota bill does not create a protected class for child sex offenders
A Minnesota lawmaker introduced a bill that would make it “illegal to discriminate against child rapists.”
PolitiFact→ Nikki Haley – New mortgage rules don’t punish those with good credit to reward people with bad credit
“Buyers with good credit scores will pay even more to cover for those with bad credit."
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Members Of Queen’s Guard Do NOT Attack Tourists In Video — They’re All Actors
Did members of the Queen's Guard in the United Kingdom retaliate against tourists who taunted and harassed them until they finally lashed out? No, that's not true: The video compilation was put together for social media channels by actors
FactCheck.org→ Online Claims Misrepresent Washington Bill Aimed at Runaway Transgender Youth
Q: Does a proposed law in Washington state say that the government can take children away from parents who don’t agree to gender transition surgery? A: No. Under the bill, licensed youth shelters no longer have to report the location of a run
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Anheuser-Busch Did NOT Close Half Of Its US Breweries Because Of Marketing ‘Goof’
Did Anheuser-Busch close half of its U.S. breweries after "the worst goof in marketing history"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories could not find any news reports of Anheuser-Busch closing half of its U.S. breweries. Anheuser-Busch's web
Full Fact→ Keir Starmer’s claim about first-time buyers’ deposits based on estimate of future increases
The £9,000 figure he quoted is actually a consultancy estimate apparently showing the extra savings required for a first-time buyer’s “typical” deposit by 2030.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, Obama was not arrested for campaign finance violations
Former President Barack Obama was arrested after his campaign “took $30 million illegally from Commie China fugitive.”
PolitiFact→ TikTok posts – Despite video’s claims, neither World Economic Forum nor UN ordered governments to ration water
The World Economic Forum and the United Nations have “ordered world governments to ration people’s water supply.”
Logically→ No, Biden does not have a body double who is left-handed
PolitiFact→ How much economic impact do film and TV production tax credits yield for states?
New York is expanding a tax credit program for film and television production and calls it economically justified. But academic research of past programs counters that assertion.
Full Fact→ Comparison of junior doctors’ pay with baked beans prices lacks context
Most junior doctors are paid more than the equivalent of ten tins per hour, even if you only consider basic pay.
The Dispatch→ When Will Dianne Feinstein Return?
Sen. Dianne Feinstein on February 16, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)Plus: Why Trump’s early polling numbers may be even stronger than they look.Continue reading When Will Dianne Feinstein Return? »
Full Fact→ Conservative claim that ‘overall crime’ has fallen 50% since 2010 excludes fraud
The PM and the policing minister have both made the claim in recent weeks, based on crime survey figures which don’t count fraud or computer misuse.
AllSides→ Biden’s Numbers, April Update
https://www.factcheck.org/2023/04/bidens-numbers-april-update/ Here’s how things have changed in the
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – Donald Trump distorts Florida elections bill in attacking Ron DeSantis
A Florida elections bill “guts everything” “instead of getting tough, and doing what the people want (same day voting, Voter ID, proof of Citizenship, paper ballots, hand count, etc.).”
PolitiFact→ Why are banks like First Republic and Silicon Valley failing? And how unusual is this?
With the failure of First Republic Bank, the U.S. banking sector has experienced three massive failures within just a few weeks. What does this mean? And is there more to come?
Logically→ No, Pfizer document does not confirm their mRNA-based COVID vaccine contains graphene oxide