Ambiguous guidance from the Trump administration yielded tactical missteps.
The Dispatch→ Don’t Be a Cynic About Today’s Religious Revival
That some who seek religion may really desire ideological comfort shouldn’t blind us to those looking for true belief.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Prank About Mountain Collapse Near Casper, Wyoming Was Joke Post From Satirical Facebook Page
Did "an entire unnamed mountain" collapse into itself near Casper, Wyoming at the end of 2025 and were emergency crews from several states mobilizing? No, that's not true: A viral post and image making that claim originated on a satirical
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Videos Of NYPD Officers Arresting ICE Agents Are NOT Real — Made By Sora AI Tool
Are videos of New York Police officers arresting or threatening to arrest ICE agents on the streets and in the subways of New York real? No, that's not true: A series of videos portraying confrontations between NYPD and ICE officers were
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence CNBC’s Megan Cassella Told President Trump He Is ‘Not God’ During Press Briefing — She Is On Maternity Leave
Did CNBC correspondent Megan Cassella tell President Trump "Sir, you are the president, not God" during a press briefing? There is no evidence for that: No news articles make any mention of the quote and neither does CNBC's own website. A
The Dispatch→ Our Best Stuff From a Week We Talked About War Crimes
The military fired on survivors of a September boat strike in the Caribbean Sea.
The Dispatch→ ‘The Perception of Unfettered Power’ | Ruminant
Warmwater seafood is overrated.
The Dispatch→ Anne Frank Finally Acknowledges Her White Privilege
A satirical musical shows what theater can be.
The Dispatch→ The World Is Actually Not That Bad
A new book on progress is a huge bummer.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Retired Soldier Crying In Court After Judge Drops Charges For Sleeping In A Park Is NOT Real — It’s AI Slop
Is a video that shows a retired soldier crying in court after a judge drops charges of sleeping in a park real? No, that's not true: The video was created by a social media account that "features realistic courtroom dramas and storytellin
FactCheck.org→ Vaccine Panel, Voting to Change Hepatitis B Shot for Newborns, Shares Misleading Information
Upending decades-old guidance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee voted to no longer issue a blanket recommendation that all newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Throughout the meeting, many panel
The Dispatch→ The Invaders
The GOP is stuck with its ‘new entrants.’
The Dispatch→ Fake Wars
Sow the wind, reap the power grabs.
FactCheck.org→ Pentagon Inspector General Report Not ‘Total Exoneration’ for Hegseth
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that he received “total exoneration” in an investigative report by the Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General regarding a Signal group chat about a military attack in Yemen. But the re
PolitiFact→ 4 fact-checks after CDC vaccine panel ends universal newborn hep B vaccine recommendations
Fact-checking CDC vaccine panel on baby hepatitis B shots
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: TikTok Creator’s Claim That ‘All Of Our Food Is 3D-Printed’ Or Bioengineered Is NOT Serious — Content Is Entertainment
Is a video claiming that "all of our food is 3D-printed" or contains bioengineered ingredients to be taken seriously? No, that's not true: A TikTok video sent out a confusing message conflating bioengineered food and 3D-printed foods. Bot
PolitiFact→ Tim Walz – Tim Walz says he takes responsibility for jailing MN fraudsters. He's wrong; the feds jailed them
“I take responsibility for putting people in jail” in Minnesota fraud scandal.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of White Cherry Blossom Epoxy Floor Is NOT Real — Designer Says It’s AI-Made
Is a video of workers installing "incredible white cherry blossom epoxy flooring" in a home real? No, that's not true: The 12-second time-lapse clip showing five workers pouring liquid epoxy over a real tree branch to create a transparent
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show UFOs Or Bunkers Being Hauled By Trucks — They’re Industrial Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers
Does a video show two big trucks hauling UFOs or bunkers over a bridge? No, that's not true: The convoy is carrying large industrial air-cooled heat exchangers, also called cooling fans. These induced draft heat exchangers are marked with
Full Fact→ Revealed: how academics are being deepfaked on TikTok and Instagram to promote supplements
Strange videos of a professor offering cures for “thermometer leg” led Full Fact to uncover an army of social media accounts promoting wellness products with fake AI ‘endorsements’.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Anti-ICE Protester Sentenced To Six Months In Jail And $10,000 Fine For Throwing Trash Can At Officer Is NOT Real
Is a viral video of a purple-haired woman being sentenced to six months in jail and a $10,000 fine for attacking a law enforcement officer with a metal trash can during an anti-ICE protest real? No, that's not true: The original version o
Full Fact→ Video compilation includes faked clips of Israeli missile strikes on Iranian bases
A viral video featuring clips supposedly showing Israeli missiles hitting Iranian bases includes three clips that were probably made using artificial intelligence.
Lead Stories→ From Macedonia With Facts: A Fact Checker Goes To Skopje — The Kumanovo Connection Revisited
When I received an invitation last month to come to Macedonia to talk with the fact checkers and journalists at the Metamorphosis Foundation about Lead Stories' experience with our automatically generated short-form fact checking videos,
Full Fact→ Are one in six Scots waiting for NHS care?
Scottish Labour claims one in six Scots are waiting for NHS care, but official figures estimate it’s actually around one in nine, or over 11%.
Full Fact→ Fast fashion purchases will not be limited from January
Videos being shared on Facebook falsely claim a “sustainable wardrobe order” is being introduced next year.
The Dispatch→ The AI Industry’s Tangled Finances
Tech giants are financing each other’s AI bets, raising concerns about hidden risk and dot-com-era echoes.
The Dispatch→ Corrupting Influences | Roundtable
Who cares about the law?
The Dispatch→ Winning the Vote Out West
Wyoming and the long, unlikely path to women’s suffrage.
The Dispatch→ Into the Field We Go, LARPing All the Way
Top law-enforcement appointees are alienating employees by prioritizing presentation—and social media posting—over professionalism.
The Dispatch→ ‘The Worst of the Worst’
Criminals are, no surprise, harder to catch than law-abiding people.
The Dispatch→ Will Vice President J.D. Vance Have a 2028 Primary Challenger?
There’s a lot more riding on the 2026 midterm elections than the GOP’s congressional majorities.
The Dispatch→ The Pardon Racket
Why is Trump letting random white-collar criminals out of prison?
FactCheck.org→ Examining Trump’s Pardon of Former Honduran President Convicted of Trafficking Drugs to U.S.
President Donald Trump pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, on Dec. 1, claiming without evidence that his prosecution had been a “setup” by the Biden administration and that Hernández was targeted because he
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Irish Christian Teacher Enoch Burke Was NOT ‘Sentenced To Life In Prison For Transphobia’
Was "Irish Christian teacher Enoch Burke" sentenced to life in prison for transphobia and "refusing to use a transgender student's pronouns"? No, that's not true: The sentencing judge explicitly stated that the decision is about the repea
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Alleged D.C. Pipe Bomber Brian Cole Jr. Did NOT Sue Trump’s DHS Over Illegal Immigration
Did the man charged with planting pipe bombs found near the Republican and Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, sue the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security over illegal immigration? No, that'
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – No, Donald Trump can’t unilaterally revoke Biden ‘autopen’ pardons
Any pardon signed with an autopen is now "fully and completely terminated, and is of no legal effect."
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, North Carolina didn’t just ban cellphone use in cars, despite AI aggregators saying it did
A new North Carolina law “prohibits the use of wireless communication devices while driving.”
FactCheck.org→ Unpacking the FDA’s Black Friday Vaccine Memo
The head of the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine division claimed in a leaked email that “at least 10 children” died from COVID-19 vaccination, using that to justify major vaccine regulatory changes. Experts, however, say too littl
The Dispatch→ The Global Climate Movement’s Real Elephant in the Room
China, not the U.S., is to blame for the weakness of international climate initiatives.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: BlueHarvester Is NOT A Real Norwegian Vessel Which Autonomously Collects Plastic From The Ocean And Converts It To Fuel — AI-Generated Images
Did Norway launch an autonomous ship, the BlueHarvester, which can clean plastic from the ocean and then turn that plastic into fuel it uses to power itself? No, that's not true: Images of the BlueHarvester are AI-generated. A search of t