FactChecking Trump's Rapid-Fire Prime-Time Address jbhicks Fri, 12/19/2025 - 05:46 Read more about FactChecking Trump's Rapid-Fire Prime-Time Address President Donald Trump blitzed through a prime-time address to the nation on De
PolitiFact→ How to talk to your children about AI chatbots and their safety
How to talk to your kids about AI chatbots and their safety
PolitiFact→ Adam Raine called ChatGPT his ‘only friend.’ Now his family blames the technology for his death
Chatbots’ ‘friend’-like qualities draw scrutiny
The Dispatch→ Did the Islamic State Ever Go Away?
Seven years after Trump declared victory over ISIS, the terrorist group continues to inspire attacks worldwide.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Digitally Edited ‘David Cohen’ Facebook Profile Screenshot Does NOT Belong To Bondi Beach Shooter
Does a viral image really show the "leaked Facebook profile" of the "Bondi Beach shooter" and does it reveal he is an Israeli named "David Cohen"? No, that's not true: The image circulating on social media shows several signs of digital t
The Dispatch→ Why Democrats Failed on Immigration | Roundtable
Plus: Best roadtrip practices.
The Dispatch→ Calming the New Radicalism
The American experiment has been challenged before. Public discussion showed a way forward.
The Dispatch→ Not What He Seems
The incantation of a stunted man.
The Dispatch→ ‘Not Antisemitism, Just Anti-Zionism’ Brings No Moral Absolution
Why disclaimers about intent do nothing to blunt the real-world consequences of antisemitic rhetoric.
The Dispatch→ Listen to the Words Trump Didn’t Say
What the president’s address on Wednesday reveals about the first year of his second term.
The Dispatch→ Hawley Breaks With Pro-Lifers on Obamacare and Abortion
The Missouri senator says an executive order could fix an abortion-funding issue, but the leading U.S. pro-life group calls the idea an ‘accounting gimmick.’
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Long Road Ahead, But I Believe In Recovery …’ Is NOT A Real Post By Maddow, Gauff, Sunak And Other Celebrities — Plucky Sick-Bed Notes Are Another Fake News Scam
Did Rachel Maddow, tennis champion Coco Gauff and former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, plus dozens of other prominent Americans, post identical brave notes from a hospital bed, saying "I still have a long road ahead. But I believe i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Kid Rock Is NOT Donating The Proceeds Of Next Five Shows To Turning Point USA In Charlie Kirk’s Name — It’s Satire
Is Kid Rock donating the proceeds of his next five shows to Turning Point USA in Charlie Kirk's honor? No, that's not true: The story originated on a satirical Facebook page that clearly labels its content as fake. The page's owner is kno
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act of 1986 Supported By Chuck Schumer Does NOT Make It Legal To ‘Blow Drug Boats Out Of The Water’
Does the 1986 Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, "authored" by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, make it legal to "blow drug boats out of the water"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories reviewed the text of the law, and it says nothing about an u
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 90-Year-Old Man Is NOT Being Sued By The Families Of Two Home Invaders He Killed — Ragebait Fake Story
Did an elderly man kill two thieves inside his home and is he now being sued by their families for $1 million in damages? No, that's not true: This story is made up, designed to get social media engagement by causing outrage. There is no
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s Rapid-Fire Prime-Time Address
President Donald Trump blitzed through a prime-time address to the nation on Dec. 17, but while short, Trump’s speech contained a number of inaccurate or misleading claims, many of which he has repeated in public speeches for months. Trump m
The Dispatch→ The Malaise Speech
The president’s crisis of confidence.
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump’s plaques for past presidents include falsehoods
Trump’s presidential plaques include falsehoods
The Dispatch→ Environmentalists and Affordability Duke It Out in New York
Gov. Kathy Hochul takes a different tack on energy.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Academy Award For Compassion Was NOT Awarded to Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Coco Gauff, Danica Patrick, Or Any Other Celebrities — It’s Viet Spam
Was a special Academy Award given to an entertainer or celebrity "for the extraordinary impact of her compassion and sustained service to American communities"? No, that's not true: Nearly identical stories claim that Ann Wilson, Nancy Wi
Full Fact→ The Times corrects inaccurate headline about cost of ‘migrants’ partners’
A new figure from the Migration Advisory Committee estimates the total net lifetime fiscal cost of people who arrived in the UK in 2022/23 through the Partner route of the Family visa—which includes the partners of some UK-born British citizens.
Full Fact→ Edited Trump quote shared with misleading claims about teen beauty pageants
An edited quote that falsely suggests Donald Trump spoke about seeing teenage girls backstage at Miss Teen USA beauty pageant is being shared online again.
Full Fact→ Over-60s won’t be charged £5 for a GP appointment
A series of fake videos falsely claiming the NHS is “no longer free for over-60s” almost certainly uses AI audio of the PM.
Full Fact→ Video of soldier shouting at police officer is AI-generated
A video shared thousands of times on social media appears to show a British soldier confronting a police officer, but is AI-generated and not genuine.
AllSides→ Fact check: Trump repeats numerous false claims in prime-time address
Fact check: Trump repeats numerous false claims in prime-time address jbhicks Thu, 12/18/2025 - 06:21 Read more about Fact check: Trump repeats numerous false claims in prime-time address President Donald Trump made a series of f
AllSides→ The Whoppers of 2025
The Whoppers of 2025 jbhicks Thu, 12/18/2025 - 06:10 Read more about The Whoppers of 2025 Since he entered politics, President Donald Trump has been a regular on our end-of-year list of the most egregious and noteworthy falsehood
FactCheck.org→ The Whoppers of 2025
Summary Since he entered politics, President Donald Trump has been a regular on our end-of-year list of the most egregious and noteworthy falsehoods and distortions. With Trump back in the White House in 2025, it’s no surprise that he dominat
Full Fact→ Resident doctors’ 29% pay rise was over a three-year period
Labour MP Oliver Ryan and some on social media have said resident doctors got a 29% rise “last year”, but the increase was actually over multiple years.
Full Fact→ Fake video of mass funeral recirculates on social media
Posts being shared on social media suggest a video shows a mass funeral taking place in Sudan, but the clip is almost certainly AI-generated.
Full Fact→ Have resident doctors really had a 21% real-terms pay cut?
The figure cited by the BMA is based on an unreliable measure of inflation. Other measures suggest the drop has been less. Our analysis using a measure backed by the Royal Statistical Society puts the fall since 2008/9 at more like 6-7%.
PolitiFact→ Year of the Lies: ‘Worst of the worst’? ICE deports brothers after years of check-ins, good conduct
‘Worst of the worst’? Data, personal accounts say otherwise
The Dispatch→ Are Electric Vehicles Finished?
American automakers are canceling EV plans while Chinese competitors continue to surge ahead globally.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: AI Video Of Giant ‘Eclipse Octopus’ In Gulf Of America Is NOT Real — Not From Gulf Of Mexico Either
Does actual drone footage show a giant "eclipse Octopus" in the Gulf of America (sometimes also called the Gulf of Mexico)? No, that's not true: The video originated on a TikTok channel with a disclaimer that says it publishes videos made
The Dispatch→ Political Distortions
Radicalize for severability!
The Dispatch→ The Logical End of ‘Reproductive Freedom’
Barring legislative change, surrogacy’s dystopian edge cases will keep happening.
PolitiFact→ Fact-check: President Trump’s speech on inflation, wages, military dividend
Fact-check: Trump speech on economy, military dividends
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Does NOT Prove Zelenskyy Received Israeli Passport In 2016
Does a viral picture of what looks like an Israeli passport confirm that Volodymyr Zelenskyy became an Israeli citizen before he became president of Ukraine? No, that's not true: The image got the spelling of his last name wrong. The mach
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Of Venezuela Ship Commanded By Captain Yonaiker Bermúdez And US Destroyer USS Jason Durham
Is a video of a conversation between the Venezuelan ship Guaiquerí, commanded by Capt. Yonaiker Bermúdez, and the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Jason Durham legitimate? No, that's not true: The creator of the video said on social media that i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of ‘Operation Metro Freeze’ Deportation Flight From Minnesota Is NOT Real
Does a video titled "Operation Metro Freeze" show real footage of a deportation flight in Minnesota? No, that's not true: AI made that clip. Early versions of it showed a watermark pointing to a specific generative AI tool and it's unlike
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Arnold Schwarzenegger Did NOT Offer To Cover All Funeral Expenses For Rob Reiner And His Wife — Video Is AI Fakery
Did Arnold Schwarzenegger offer to "cover all funeral expenses for Rob Reiner and his wife"? No, that's not true: The original TikTok video was labeled AI-generated by the content creator. There has not been any reporting that Schwarzeneg