Editor's note: This story is part of PolitiFact’s ongoing coverage of the 2020 campaign; these reports will be updated as the campaign continues. For more candidate profiles and fact-checking, go to www.politifact.com/2020/ Former Massachuset
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Lead Stories→ Fake News: Photo Does NOT Show 1904 Black Friday Slave Auction
Does a photo depicting several men in chains show black slaves being sold at an auction in 1904 and is this the origin of the term "Black Friday"? No, that's not true: the image shows chained-up natives in Australia and has nothing to do with
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Rep. Ilhan Omar ‘Recruited by a Foreign Government’?
On November 25 2019, the co-founder of a far-right group supporting United States President Donald Trump took to Twitter to misrepresent allegations against Democratic Party Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Ryan Fournier, a leader of the group Students F
FactCheck.org→ Did Obama Fire All Bush-Appointed Ambassadors?
Q: Did President Barack Obama immediately fire all Bush-appointed ambassadors “the day he was elected office”? A: No. As is the custom, Obama immediately replaced most — not all — of Bush’s politically appointed ambassadors. Obama did
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Jeff Bezos’ $98 Million ‘Gift’ to Homeless the Equivalent of $45 to a Person Earning $50,000 Annually?
On November 23 2019 @EatTheRichPod shared the following tweet, referencing volumes of laudatory headlines about Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos donating $98 million to homeless people — asserting that Bezos’ generosity was equivalen
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Israel Did Not Invent 5G Technology, And It Did Not Ban It
Did Israel invent 5G technology, then ban it because of health concerns? No. That's not true: Israel is aggressively pushing the 5G networking service through a tender to incentivize that country's carriers to start rolling it out, according t
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Ukrainian Indictment Claims $7.4 Billion Obama-Linked Laundering, Does NOT Put Biden Group Take At $16.5 Million
Does a Ukrainian indictment claim there is a $7.4 billion Obama-linked money laundering scheme, and does the indictment put a Biden group's take at $16.5 million? No, that's not true: There was no such indictment as of November 21, 2019. The f
Truth or Fiction?→ South Dakota’s $449,000 Anti-Meth Initiative Goes Viral — for the Wrong Reasons
South Dakota’s push to fight methamphetamine addiction won instant attention when it launched on November 18 2019 — but perhaps not for the reason Gov. Kristi Noem and state officials intended. According to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader newspap
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Students Today Depend on Paper Too Much, Don’t Know How to Write on a Slate’ 1815 Quote
In November 2015, Facebook page “The Credible Hulk” shared the following screenshot purportedly showing a lament from an 1815 school principal’s publication suggesting the students of the day had grown too dependent on paper, and la
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Little White Envelope for the Man Who Hated Christmas’ Posts
In November 2019, a nearly year-old “Maui 24/7” post titled “THE LITTLE WHITE ENVELOPE” (alternately: “the Man Who Hated Christmas”) circulated virally on social media: Text attached to an image told a heartstri
Truth or Fiction?→ Conspiracy Theorist Roger Stone Is Latest Trump Associate to be Convicted
Roger Stone — a longtime ally to both President Donald Trump and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones — was convicted on November 15, 2019 on seven counts of obstruction, witness tampering, and lying to Congress. The 67-year-old self-proclaimed “d
Truth or Fiction?→ Does an Ohio Law Allow Students to Give Wrong Answers Because of Religious Belief?
On November 14 2019, several news outlets reported that a new law in Ohio allowed students to “give wrong answers” due to their “religious belief.” A widely-shared Patheos blog post on that day began as follows: Anti-intellectu
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Adam Schiff Is NOT A Known Pedophile Who Settled Out Of Court Numerous Times For Sex Crimes
Is Rep. Adam Schiff a known pedophile who has secretly settled numerous sex crime cases involving underage males? No, that's not true: allegations that the California congressman had been accused of "indecent liberties" with boys and was accus
FactCheck.org→ The Data on DACA and Crime
Hours before the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over whether the Trump administration could end a deferred deportation program for so-called “Dreamers,” the president tweeted that “some” of those receiving that protection
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Lucy Liu an Acclaimed Artist Known for Her Lesbian Paintings Under the Pseudonym Yu Ling?
On November 5 2019, a Facebook user shared the following post about actor Lucy Liu, indicating they were “today years old” when they discovered Liu was an accomplished artist under a pseudonym (“Yu Ling”) in addition to her act
Truth or Fiction?→ All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in Poland
On November 1 2019, the Facebook page “Witches Night” shared an image set and with it a post claiming that people in Poland — a Catholic majority country — do not celebrate Halloween, instead broadly directing that seasonal attenti
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Mitt Romney Did NOT Form Alliance With Top Dem To Go After Trump
Did Mitt Romney just form an "alliance" with a "top dem" to go after President Trump? No, that's not true: a Daily Beast interview with former Senate majority leader Harry Reid published early in August 2019 in which he praised Romney for stan
FactCheck.org→ What Does Science Say About the Need for Nuclear?
While Sen. Bernie Sanders has said “scientists tell us” that it’s possible to go carbon neutral without relying on nuclear power, fellow Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker, who backs the use of some nuclear energy, has said the da
Truth or Fiction?→ Have Gender Reveal Parties Killed More People Than Anti-Fascists?
On October 31 2019, a Facebook page shared a text-based status update asserting that gender reveals had caused more deaths than antifascist protesters, popularly referred to as “antifa”: That status update appeared to reference a gender
FactCheck.org→ Misleading Posts Target GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz
Quick Take Social media posts distort the facts around an 11-year-old, dismissed DUI charge against Rep. Matt Gaetz. They also leave the false impression that he “stole from dying people.” Full Story Posts about Rep. Matt Gaetz circula
Truth or Fiction?→ The Kidnapping Story Being Used to Sell a Flashlight
The TC1200 flashlight might be a quality item — but the advertising around it leaves several questions unanswered. A Facebook video promoting the product in October 2019 bases its ad on the story of a law enforcement officer named John McKnight. How
FactCheck.org→ Dubious Posts Tie Political Families to Ukraine Work
Quick Take There’s no evidence for social media claims that the children of Nancy Pelosi, Mitt Romney and John Kerry are working for “Ukrainian gas companies” or sitting “on the board of directors for energy companies doing busi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Game of Thrones’ Showrunners’ Panel Gets Internet Attention for the Wrong Reasons
An appearance by the showrunners behind the recently-concluded series Game of Thrones drew heavy attention online on October 26 2019 through an unofficial source covering the event on Twitter: David is describing the pre-meeting with GRRM who was que
Truth or Fiction?→ Hospital’s ‘$39.95 Fee to Hold a Baby’ Controversy
On October 19 2019, a Facebook page shared the following screenshot of a tweet, including what looked to be a hospital bill with a $39.95 charge for “skin to skin contact” after a mother’s cesarean section: In the original tweet w
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Spin on AIDS Epidemic
In his campaign rally speeches, President Donald Trump often boasts of his administration’s plan to end the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. in 10 years. It’s true he has proposed funding for that initiative, but he’s wrong to say “the previou
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘University of Oxford Clapping Ban’ Rumor
In October 2019, a number of tabloids claimed that the University of Oxford had “banned clapping,” a move made at the behest of “snowflakes” made “anxious” by applause. The Daily Mail was one of those outlets, repo
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Nancy Pelosi Was NOT In The Manson ‘Family’ Along With Angela Landsbury’s Daughter
Was a young Nancy Pelosi a member of the Charles Manson family, along with Angela Landsbury's daughter? No, that's not true: Pelosi was a 29-year-old married mother of five living in Washington, D.C., when she purportedly posed in a photo with
Truth or Fiction?→ Jewish Prisoners Liberated from a Train in Madgeburg in April 1945
On October 22 2019 a Reddit user shared the following image to r/pics, purportedly depicting a moment during World War II when Jewish prisoners learned they had been liberated from a train traveling to a death camp: This is such a powerful
Truth or Fiction?→ California Law Limiting Freelance Publication Options Could Face Legal Threat
A California law addressing the discrepancies between independent contractors and contracted workers could spur a legal challenge from journalists before it takes effect in January 2020. Under the new law, known as AB5, news outlets would face a cap i
Truth or Fiction?→ Can Consuming Too Much Coffee Under Stress Cause Schizophrenia Symptoms?
On October 15 2019, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following “fact meme,” which claimed that the combination of a lot of coffee and a lot of stress could cause symptoms of schizophrenia — presumably in people no
FactCheck.org→ The Facts on Mental Illness and Mass Shootings
Q: Do people with serious mental health disorders pose a greater risk of becoming mass shooters? A: People with mental illnesses are somewhat more likely to be violent than those without a diagnosis. But a majority are never violent, and very little is
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Former Atheist Brad Pitt Does NOT Become A Christian As He Recovers From Alcoholism
Did "former atheist" Brad Pitt "become a Christian" while recovering from alcoholism? No, that's not true: Pitt, who grew up as a Christian, told a GQ magazine interviewer in 2019 that he "called myself an atheist for a while" during a "rebell
Snopes→ Chicago Teachers Strike, Say Issue Simple: ‘It’s the Kids’
Chicago teachers went on strike, marching on picket lines after failing to reach a contract deal with the nation's third-largest school district in a dispute that canceled classes for more than 300,000 students.
Snopes→ Trump Rule May Mean 1 Million Kids Lose Automatic Free Lunch
Nearly a million children could lose their automatic eligibility for free school lunches under a Trump administration proposal that would reduce the number of people who get food stamps.
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the October Democratic Debate
Summary We found several false and misleading claims in the October Democratic presidential debate: Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro claimed that the most recent jobs data show that “Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania &
Truth or Fiction?→ Frida Kahlo: ‘You Deserve a Lover’
In October 2015, the Facebook page “Sacred Dreams” shared an image and purported quotation attributed to Frida Kahlo, sometimes referenced in shorthand as “you deserve a lover”: Alongside a suspiciously modern-appear
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Columbus Set Out to Prove the Earth Was Round’
In October 2019, a number of memes about the legacy of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus circulated on Facebook around Columbus Day, among them a meme about the claim that he “proved” that Earth is round: In the above meme, the
Truth or Fiction?→ The ‘Inspirational’ History of KFC’s Colonel Sanders
The man behind the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food chain led a truly colorful life, but a recurring meme dating back at least as far as 2016 obscures the facts in favor of presenting a more “inspirational” version. One version of the purp
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Misguided Tweet on California Gasoline Prices
California’s proposed fuel efficiency standards for cars don’t have anything to do with the state having the highest gas prices in the country, but that’s what President Donald Trump suggested in a tweet. The state is pushing for high
Truth or Fiction?→ Disinformation Peddlers Push ‘October 16th’ Conspiracy Theory
A gaggle of specious blogs and social media accounts set about inflaming tensions for their followers in a set of posts reminiscent of other fake controversies. The posts center on vaguely-worded “threats” and wide-ranging military deploym