Summary In his 2020 address to Congress, President Donald Trump stretched and distorted the facts: Trump claimed the economy is “the best it has ever been.” But GDP growth fell to 2.3% last year and economists predict further slowing this year. He
Search Results (4014) for: facts
Snopes→ WHO Working with Google to Combat Vrus Misinformation
The World Health Organization is working with Google to ensure that people get facts from WHO first when they search for information about the new virus that recently emerged in China.
FactCheck.org→ Coronavirus Misinformation Spreads Like a Virus
China first reported an unusual cluster of pneumonia cases in the city of Wuhan on Dec. 31, and, within a month, the internet was infected with misinformation about the responsible virus, now called the 2019 novel coronavirus. Fact-checking organizatio
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Proof That One Minute Of Laughter Boosts Immune System For 24 Hours
Does one minute of anger weaken the immune system for four to five hours, while a minute of laughter can boost the immune system for 24 hours? The claim is not fully proven: While certainly an uplifting thought, more research is needed on the
Lead Stories→ Fake News: World Health Organization Did NOT Officially Declare Coronavirus A Plague; 950,680 Are NOT Dead
Did the World Health Organization officially declare the coronavirus a plague, as an estimated 2.9 million people are infected in China, and 950,680 are dead? No, that's not true: The WHO has declared the novel coronavirus a public health emer
PolitiFact→ PolitiFact answers the Senate's impeachment questions
Senators took control of their chamber’s impeachment trial this week, submitting questions to the Democratic House managers and President Donald Trump’s legal team. The questions, provided to Chief Justice John Roberts in writing, gave a wi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Irish Midget NOT Accused Of Posing As A Leprechaun To Extort Sex From 26 Women In Exchange For Pot Of Gold
Was an Irish midget accused of soliciting sex from women by posing as a leprechaun and promising a pot of gold? No, that's not true: This is, while possibly funny to some, a piece of satire that has been presented as real news and is being wid
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Malcolm Gladwell Say Penn State Should Restore a Statue of Joe Paterno?
Author Malcolm Gladwell’s latest defense of deceased Penn State University football coach Joe Paterno drew attention on January 29 2020. During a speech at the campus in State College, Pennsylvania, Gladwell once again said that a statue of Pate
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Actor Sean Penn Did NOT Suggest He Wants To Assassinate President Trump
Did Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn suggest that he wanted to assassinate President Trump? No, that's not true: Penn wrote and narrated a fictional book, published in March of 2018, about a troubled Southern Californian who wants to kill a chara
Lead Stories→ Fake News: 13-Year-Old Girl NOT Kidnapped At Woodland Hills Mall In Oklahoma As Part Of Child Sex Trafficking Ring
Did a mother save her 13-year-old daughter from being kidnapped by sex traffickers after she was drugged in a Woodland Hills Mall bathroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma? No, that's not true: the Tulsa Police Department confirmed there was no such inciden
FactCheck.org→ New Coronavirus Wasn’t ‘Predicted’ In Simulation
Quick Take A conspiracy theory website distorted the facts about an emergency preparedness exercise to suggest that the “GATES FOUNDATION & OTHERS PREDICTED UP TO 65 MILLION DEATHS” from the coronavirus now spreading. The event dealt wi
FactCheck.org→ Security Assistance and the July 25 Phone Call
Democrats and the White House legal team have made competing arguments about whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned U.S. security aid to his country in his July 25 phone call with President Donald Trump. The fact is, it’s unclea
Truth or Fiction?→ Origin of the Word ‘Spinster’
The word “spinster” generally conjures up a mental picture of mean little old ladies who have never been married, glaring at young people from behind their living room curtains (which are lacy and yellowed with age, naturally) with their m
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Nancy Pelosi Did NOT Use $15,000 Worth Of Bullet Pens To Sign Articles Of Impeachment
Did Nancy Pelosi use $15,000 worth of bullet pens to ink the articles of impeachment against President Trump? No, that's not true: This was a made-up claim that took on a life of its own after many conservatives were outraged that the House Sp
PolitiFact→ Fact-checking Bernie Sanders in Ames, Iowa
AMES, Iowa — Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called for a systematic change in the economy, health care, criminal justice, and the environment during 45 minutes of remarks to an overflow crowd near the campus of Iowa State University. "We not ju
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 2015 Article About Lab-Made Coronavirus Triggers Debate
Does an article from a scientific journal in 2015 about a lab-made coronavirus refer to the current outbreak? No, that's not true, and here is some context: While the facts in The Scientist article appear to be accurate, the opinion piece is a
FactCheck.org→ Misleading Posts Target Nine Republicans on Impeachment
Quick Take Posts circulating amid the Senate impeachment trial misleadingly accuse nine Republican senators of having “joined Democrats on impeachment.” The claim originated in October as a list of senators who had not yet co-sponsored an impeachme
FactCheck.org→ Biden vs. Sanders on Social Security and Medicare
Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden have been trading barbs over Biden’s record on Social Security and Medicare. Sanders accuses Biden of saying “on many occasions we should cut Social Security,” and Biden accuses
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Nancy Pelosi Did NOT Assure Iran That Trump Will ‘Pay For His Crimes’
Did Nancy Pelosi assure Iran that U.S. President Trump will "pay for his crimes" following the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani? No, that's not true: The U.S. House Speaker did say Trump was not "straight with
FactCheck.org→ False and Misleading Claims at Impeachment Trial
White House lawyers distorted the facts on the impeachment process and other issues during the Jan. 21 Senate trial: White House counsel Pat Cipollone falsely suggested Republicans were barred from the closed-door depositions conducted by the House in
FactCheck.org→ Posts Distort Democrats’ Positions on Venezuela, China, Iran
Quick Take Social media posts make a broad and misleading claim that “Democrats stood with” the leaders of Venezuela, China and Iran rather than supporting oppressed people in those countries. The facts don’t support that generalizati
FactCheck.org→ Nadler’s Russia Claim
Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler went too far when he claimed that President Donald Trump “worked with the Russians to try to rig the 2016 election.” The special counsel investigation found there were “multiple contacts … between Tr
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Mall Santa Was NOT Arrested For Making Kids Touch His Genitals
Was a mall Santa Claus arrested for making his touch his genitals, which were allegedly coated in sugar and painted like a candy cane? No, that's not true: The story was fabricated by a Canadian entertainment website that publishes fictional s
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Lev Parnas Did NOT Attend Eric Trump’s Birthday Party In 1990
Did Lev Parnas attend Eric Trump's birthday party in 1990? No, that's not true: The man featured in the photo, which is almost 30 years old, could not be Lev Parnas, the business associate of President Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani. The tweet
Truth or Fiction?→ Martin Luther King Jr., Anne Frank, and Barbara Walters Are the Same Age?
In December 2019 (and periodically since), a Facebook post claimed that that Anne Frank, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barbara Walters would all be the same age if everyone was alive today: An additional status update stated the claim was the poster&
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 2,142 Women Were NOT Murdered Last Year By A Current Or Former Partner
Were 2,142 women murdered last year by a current or former partner? That is not true: While the meme making the claim is well-intended, it overstates the number of American woman murdered in domestic violence incidents each year. The real real
FactCheck.org→ Setting the Record Straight on Climate Change and Arson in Australia’s Bushfires
Quick Take Various claims online suggest that climate change hasn’t contributed to the bushfires ravaging the East Coast of Australia, pinning the blame instead on arson. Those claims distort the facts. Full Story Several recent reports have fou
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Casting Call For Crisis Actors Is NOT Coinciding With Pro-Gun Rally In Virginia
Did a casting call go out for crisis actors to coincide with a pro-gun rally set for next week in Virginia? No, that's not true: The casting notice is for a project planned weeks after the rally, and role players will help non-governmental org
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Prince Philip is Dead’; Rumor Spreads Like Wildfire
On January 17 2020, rumors Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip had died began sweeping Twitter. Commonly, users reported hearing the rumor of Philip’s purported death at work or “on the street”: Work rumour is that P
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on the FDA’s Flavored E-Cig Policy
After months of considering a complete ban on flavored electronic cigarettes, the Trump administration announced a new policy on Jan. 2 that soon will forbid the sale of some, but not all, flavored vapes. According to the Food and Drug Administration,
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Florida Swimmer Was NOT Partially Emasculated After Taunting Baby Shark With His Penis
Did a Florida swimmer become partially emasculated after taunting a baby shark with his penis? No, that's not true: The story was fabricated by a Canadian entertainment website that publishes fictional stories about bizarre crimes, weird sexua
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Research Has NOT Confirmed That The Youngest Sibling Is The Funniest
Did new research confirm that the youngest sibling in a family is the funniest? No, that's not true: The viral claim is based on an unscientific Internet poll, not any sort of quantitative or qualitative research method. There are a variety of
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Photograph Show Syrians Leaving Idlib?
In January 2020, the Syrian region of Idlib — the last rebel bastion in the country — teetered on the verge of further humanitarian disaster as its own government continued airstrikes against the population there. Meanwhile, the Russian government
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ship Has NOT Reappeared 90 Years After Going Missing In Bermuda Triangle
Did a ship reappear 90 years after going missing in the Bermuda Triangle? No, that's not true: The story was fabricated by a Canadian entertainment website that publishes fictional stories about bizarre crimes, weird sexual acts, and other mad
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Barack Obama Did NOT Announce Intention To Run For President Of Kenya In 2021
Did former U.S. President Barack Obama announce that he will enter the race to become Kenya's new president in 2021? No, that's not true: This is a work of satire, everything is made up, and Obama is currently working to lift the Democratic pa
Truth or Fiction?→ 500,000 Americans Will Go Bankrupt This Year from Medical Bills?
On January 12 2020, the Facebook page “Lower Drug Prices Now” shared what appeared to be a screenshot of a tweet, which claimed that “500,000 Americans will go bankrupt this year” due to medical bills: Claims referencing
FactCheck.org→ Bloomberg, Trump Spar on Preexisting Conditions
Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg charged in a TV ad that President Donald Trump had “broken” a “promise” to protect those with preexisting health conditions. Trump fired back on Twitter, “I was the person w
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Minnesota Man Did NOT Suffer Extreme Frostbite To Genitals After Drunken Sex With Snowman He Mistook For Ex-wife
Did a Minnesota man suffer extreme frostbite to his genitals after having drunken sex with a snowman he mistook for his ex-wife? No, that's not true: The story was fabricated by a Canadian entertainment website that publishes fictional stories
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Long Lost ‘City of Giants’ NOT Unearthed In Ethiopia
Was a long lost "City of Giants" unearthed in Ethiopia? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to suggest an Ethiopian city was once inhabited by giants, and stories making the rounds online have twisted the original article's reporting. Th
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Trump Did NOT Say "I Have Done More For Christianity Than Jesus"
Did President Trump say that he has done more for Christianity than Jesus in response to a biting editorial from Christianity Today that said Trump should be removed from office? No, that's not true: The original article claiming Trump said th