President-elect Donald Trump blamed California’s devastating wildfires on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s water policy, and social media users revived Trump’s past criticism of the state’s forest management. We took a closer look at the claims.
The Dispatch→ No, Dam Removal Is Not Responsible for Los Angeles Water Shortages
Southern California does not receive any water from the Klamath River, where dams were removed.
PolitiFact→ Viral image – No, this isn’t an authentic video of Snoop Dogg, Dr. Mehmet Oz, promoting lung disease treatment
Video shows Dr. Mehmet Oz and rapper Snoop Dogg promoting treatment for chronic lung diseases.”
PolitiFact→ X posts – No, this video doesn’t show directed energy weapons being used amid the Los Angeles wildfires
Video shows directed energy weapons starting fires in California.
The Dispatch→ What’s Next for TikTok?
Does the TikTok ban violate the First Amendment?
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows Melania Trump Holding President Jimmy Carter Funeral Program Upside Down
Is a photo that shows Melania Trump holding the President Jimmy Carter funeral program upside down authentic? No, that's not true: The image of President-elect Donald Trump's wife at the January 2025 funeral for Carter holding a program u
PolitiFact→ Can Donald Trump vote, travel internationally or own a gun after New York felony sentence?
President-elect Donald Trump received his felony sentence Jan. 10. He retains his right to vote in Florida, but loses the right to own a gun. Some countries’ rules bar entry for felons, but their leaders can make exceptions.
PolitiFact→ Viral image – No, this Nevada high school didn’t issue a ‘masturbation notice’ to students
McQueen High School in Nevada issued a “masturbation notice” to students.
PolitiFact→ Viral image – No, actor Tom Hanks didn’t die in a ‘fatal’ New Year car accident
Actor Tom Hanks died in a “fatal car accident.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Wildfires DON’T Always Burn Trees Along With Cars
If a wildfire destroys cars, must it always destroy nearby trees as well? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found other examples of wildfires sparing trees while nearby cars and houses were incinerated. Experts explain that trees generall
Full Fact→ Video of fire surrounding the Hollywood sign isn’t real
Full Fact traced the video back to an account which creates “original music, graphics, and video scenes”.
Full Fact→ Video showing drones spraying liquid is not recent
The clip has been online since at least 2022 and was likely filmed in China.
Full Fact→ Burning Hollywood sign photo isn’t genuine
A picture which appears to show the iconic sign in Los Angeles engulfed in flames is almost certainly AI-generated.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows California Fire Hydrant In Rainbow Colors With January 2025 Wildfire In Background
Does an authentic photo show a California fire hydrant painted rainbow-colored with a January 2025 wildfire burning in the background? No, that's not true: The image was posted by a self-described satire account. It was generated using AI
PolitiFact→ X posts – FEMA didn’t spend all its money on immigrants. It has billions to respond to California fires.
“FEMA spent billions on illegal immigrants and now has no money for California!”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Looters Carrying Items From Homes Amid LA Fires
Does a video show looters caught in the act of carrying a big-screen TV and other items from a home in the path of the fire burning Los Angeles County? No, that's not true: The men are not looters but the resident's family, helping save s
Health Feedback→ Pfizer didn’t release a list of COVID-19 vaccine side effects in 2025, contrary to allegations on social media
REVIEW Facebook posts circulating in early 2025 claimed that Pfizer had “just released” a list of side effects associated with its COVID-19 vaccine. These posts shared a list of approximately 40 to 50 medical conditions purportedly linke
Full Fact→ Was David Lammy right to claim 45,000 Russian troops died in November?
The figure given by the foreign secretary actually appears to refer to an estimate shared by the Ministry of Defence for the number who were either killed or wounded.
The Dispatch→ Assessing Trump’s Expansionist Designs
The president-elect’s comments on Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal have the world debating how seriously to take him.
Full Fact→ Recirculating figures don’t show current average energy prices across Europe
The figures being shared reflect the wholesale cost of electricity for suppliers in a single hour in December 2022.
The Dispatch→ Groundhog Year
Ahh, it's like we're eight years younger again.
The Dispatch→ Big Tech Gets Personal—With Donald Trump
Traditional lobbying may be out, while cozying up to the big man is in.
The Dispatch→ Tax Revolt, Again
As California has shown, starving the government of revenue doesn't work.
The Dispatch→ Senate Democrats Change Course on an Immigration Bill
Chuck Schumer wouldn’t allow a vote on the Laken Riley Act last year. His party just helped advance it.
The Dispatch→ But for Some Flubbed Paperwork …
Part 5 in a series.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Keanu Reeves Did NOT Refuse To Present Award To Whoopi Goldberg — Did NOT Say ‘She’s Not A Good Person’
Did actor Keanu Reeves refuse to present actress Whoopi Goldberg with the Lifetime Achievement award, saying, "She's not a good person"? No, that's not true: This information came from a self-described satirical website that includes the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Of ‘Leadership Team At The Los Angeles Fire Department’ Only Shows 3 Of 14 People In Leadership
Does a photo accurately represent the full leadership team at the Los Angeles Fire Department amid the Los Angeles County January 2025 fires? No, that's missing context: The photo posted on social media shows the current fire chief, a dep
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Biden Administration Did NOT Order LA Airspace ‘Closed To Firefighting Aircraft For Over A Day’ — Temporary Flight Restrictions Are Normal With Air Force One
Did the Biden administration order Los Angeles airspace to be closed "to firefighting aircraft for over a day during his visit" in January 2025? No, that's not true: There was a temporary flight restriction during Biden's visit to the cit
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Alzheimer’s Disease Did NOT First Appear In 1979 — And Margarine Not To Blame
Is it true that there was no Alzheimer's disease until 1979 -- after the vegetable oils used in margarine were incorporated widely in modern diets? No, that's not true: In 1906 the "unusual disease of the cerebral cortex" was discovered b
The Dispatch→ CHIPS Politics and AI Breakthroughs
How the domestic semiconductor push and emergence of effective AI tools set the stage for a new frontier.
PolitiFact→ What do we know about a smuggling network affiliated with the Islamic State group?
Politicians have tied a New Orleans terror attack to immigration, although the suspect was U.S.-born. Sen. Jim Banks discussed it in connection with a human smuggling network affiliated with the Islamic State group.
The Dispatch→ Paying the Danegeld
Greenland and “the Donroe doctrine.”
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – No, California wildfires weren’t deliberately set to build ‘smart cities’ for UN’s 2030 Agenda
Post suggests California wildfires “are a deliberate criminal land grab in preparation for Agenda 2030 and smart cities.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Canada NOT Owned By The ‘United States Corporation’
Do filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission prove the United States "owns" Canada? No, that's not true: The filings are standard procedure when a foreign country wants to sell securities in the United States. The Form 18-K is s
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Did Beyoncé claim Michael Jackson is alive and living in Diddy’s mansion? No, that claim is baseless
“Beyoncé alleges Diddy has been secretly hiding Michael Jackson, who faked his death.”
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – Los Angeles wildfires: Threads post falsely claims police are searching for suspect tied to MAGA
The Los Angeles Police Department is “looking for three ‘persons of interest’ all tied to a MAGA website who were spotted at the source of all three major LA fires.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Historic ‘Hollywood’ Sign Was NOT On Fire During LA County Fires As Of January 9, 2025
Was the "Hollywood" sign a casualty of the fires burning in Los Angeles County as of January 9, 2025? No, that's not true: When this fact check was written, the sign was "safe and secure," according to the organization that preserves the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Claiming UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Dismissed Jimmy Savile Complaints As ‘Frivolous’ IS AI-Generated
Does an authentic video show U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer describing complaints of predatory sexual behavior against Jimmy Savile as "frivolous"? No, that's not true: According to multiple AI video and audio detection tools, the video
PolitiFact→ Bernie Sanders – Are H-1B visa holders hired as dog trainers, massage therapists? Here’s what Bernie Sanders misses
H-1B guest workers are “being employed as dog trainers, massage therapists, cooks, and English teachers.”
PolitiFact→ Meta breaks up with fact-checkers. Here’s how it affects PolitiFact.
PolitiFact and other fact-checkers work independently on the project Meta designed to investigate false claims and hoaxes on its platforms, while continuing to fact-check claims by politicians and pundits and on other platforms.