A privately-employed court stenographer became a target online in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Protesters Did NOT Chant ‘Lock Her Up’ At Speaker Nancy Pelosi At 2017 Press Conference
Did protesters shout "Lock her up!" when confronting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the Congress floor? No, that's not true: This interaction took place between pro-immigration protesters and Pelosi at a press conference in San Francisco o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 9 mm Bullet Does NOT Blow ‘The Lung Out Of The Body’
Is it true that "a 9 mm bullet blows the lung out of the body"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories reached out to firearms experts and a trauma surgeon who said the claim is false. The claim was made by President Joe Biden on May 30, 2022.
Snopes→ Janitor Corrals Curious Cougar in Empty California Classroom
A quick-thinking custodian safely confined a curious cougar in an empty classroom after it entered a Northern California high school.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Biden Impeachment NOT ‘In Progress’; Ted Cruz, GOP Lawmakers Did NOT File New Lawsuit
Is the impeachment of President Joe Biden "in progress" as Sen. Ted Cruz and GOP lawmakers file a lawsuit? No, that's not true: The video in the Facebook post does not show Cruz and other GOP lawmakers announcing the impeachment of Biden
Truth or Fiction?→ [Not] ‘Written by a Uvalde Mom’ Facebook Post
On June 3 2022, a post that was described as written by an “Uvalde mom” was “popular now” in Facebook search — relating to a circulating status update attributed to the mother of a child killed in the Uvalde, Texas school
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Claim suggests billions should go to SWAT in schools. But there’s more to consider
With the $53 billion spent in Ukraine aid, the U.S. “could pay five SWAT members $80,000 each and have them at EVERY school front door.”
Snopes→ Former Trump Aide Navarro Indicted for Defying Jan. 6 Panel
Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro was indicted on contempt charges after defying a subpoena from the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Snopes→ The Revenant: Harini Logan Rallies for Spelling Bee Title
Recognized for years as one of the best spellers in the English language, she had never taken home a national title.
Snopes→ Police Fatally Shoot Texas Escapee Who Killed 5 While on Run
Gonzalo Lopez, 46, died in a shootout with police in Jourdanton, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of San Antonio.
AllSides→ Tactical Unit, Not Off-Duty Officer, Killed Uvalde Gunman
https://www.factcheck.org/2022/06/tactical-unit-not-off-duty-officer-killed-uvalde-gunman/ Jacob Albara
PolitiFact→ Tammy Baldwin – Baldwin wrong that Supreme Court has never taken away a constitutional right
"Our Supreme Court has never taken away a constitutional right."
Snopes→ Brittney Griner Receiving, Answering WNBA Players’ Emails
Brittney Griner can’t play with her WNBA colleagues. She can’t call them, either. But she can write.
AllSides→ FACT CHECK: Biden Cites Mass Shootings, Claims Expanding Background Checks Would Give More Safety
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/06/02/fact-check-biden-cites-mass-shootings-claims-expanding-background-checks-would-give-more-safety/
AllSides→ Fact Check: Has Inflation Gone Up Every Month of Joe Biden’s Presidency?
https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-has-inflation-gone-every-month-joe-bidens-presidency-1712159 With i
AllSides→ Fact check: No, Texas doesn’t have a hotline for reporting suspected abortions
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/06/02/fact-check-no-texas-hotline-reporting-women-planned-parenthood/7467013001/
Snopes→ Hinckley, Who Shot Reagan, Says Thanks After Winning Freedom
John Hinckley Jr., who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981, is saying thank you to the people who helped him win freedom from court oversight.
Snopes→ Queen Elizabeth II Skips Platinum Jubilee Church Service
The queen skipped the event at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London due to difficulties getting around that have limited the 96-year-old monarch’s public engagements in recent months.
PolitiFact→ Greg Abbott – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Claims Chicago’s “Tougher” Gun Laws Fail To Prevent Gun Violence
We need to realize that people who think that ‘well, maybe if we could just implement tougher gun laws, it’s going to solve it,’ Chicago and LA and New York disprove that thesis. And so, if you’re looking for a real solution, Chicago teaches th
Poynter→ There’s no record of a Florida man turning himself in for murdering his ‘imaginary friend’
We may have all seen the “Florida man” make his way onto our social media platforms. And each account of his exploits are often more bizarre than the last. But […] The post There’s no record of a Florida man turning himself in f
Health Feedback→ Published research from the Wuhan Institute of Virology didn’t describe artificially created monkeypox strains; the research is unrelated to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak
REVIEW Reports of unusual monkeypox cases hit the headlines in May 2022, with at least 257 cases and zero deaths in 23 countries as of 30 May 2022. Monkeypox is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus, whic
Snopes→ Biden Appeals for Tougher Gun Laws: ‘How Much More Carnage?’
If legislators fail to act, he warned, voters should use their “outrage” to turn gun violence into a central issue in November’s midterm elections.
AllSides→ A National Database for Sudafed, but No Background Check for Ammo?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/national-database-sudafed-background-check-ammunition/ Claim: Those b
AllSides→ North Korea: The mystery of its Covid outbreak
https://www.bbc.com/news/61651016 It's been three weeks since North Korea announced its first ever Covi
Snopes→ Will Depp Case Lead to More Lawsuits Against Alleged Abuse Victims?
Some have expressed concern that the fallout from the high-profile lawsuit could chill victims of domestic violence from speaking out.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pfizer Vaccine Data Given To FDA Does NOT Show Up To 97% Of Vaccinated Pregnant Women Lost Their Babies
Does data given to the Food and Drug Administration before Pfizer COVID-19 shots were officially approved show up to 97 percent of vaccinated pregnant women lost their babies? No, that's not true: The Pfizer document that was released as
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Purple Paint DOES Mean ‘No Trespassing’ — In Texas And At Least 11 Other States
Does purple paint on a post, tree or fence in Texas and "10 other states" mean no hunting, no trespassing, no solicitation or, simply, go away? Yes, that's true: According to a U.S. government database, Texas and at least 11 other states
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Saturn as Captured from a Backyard Telescope’
On May 28 2022, a Facebook user shared an image captioned, “Saturn as seen from a backyard telescope” to the large public group “Physics and Astronomy.” Commenters on the post seemed to believe the sharer captured the image pers
Snopes→ Melatonin Poisoning Reports Are Up in Kids, Study Says
In 2021, U.S. poison control centers received more than 52,000 calls about children consuming worrisome amounts of the dietary supplement — a six-fold increase from about a decade earlier.
Snopes→ What’s the Price of Fuel Near You? Share a Gas Station Pic
With U.S. gasoline prices rapidly rising, we're collecting photos of signs depicting fuel prices at gas stations across the country. Send us one.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, Speedway isn’t offering customers $500 ‘fuel cards’
Speedway is offering $500 fuel cards for $1.95 to help customers with rising fuel costs.
Snopes→ WH: 1st COVID Shots for Kids Under 5 Possible by June 21
White House COVID-19 coordinator Ashish Jha outlined the administration's planning for the last remaining ineligible age group to get shots.
PolitiFact→ Kevin Rinke – Debunking the zombie claim that ‘dead people always vote Democrat’
"Dead people always vote Democrat."
Snopes→ Texas Senator: School Police Chief Didn’t Know of 911 Calls
Sen. Roland Gutierrez said it was a “system failure” that word of the pleas for help from people inside Robb Elementary School did not make their way to school district police Chief Pete Arredondo.
PolitiFact→ Charlie Kirk – World Economic Forum does not have its own police force
The World Economic Forum has its own police force.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Just Destroy A Chinese Spy Satellite With a SpaceX Rocket
Did Elon Musk "just save us" by destroying a Chinese spy satellite with a SpaceX rocket? No, that's not true: This is a baseless clickbait video manufactured for views. There are news stories from late 2021 about close calls between two S
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Salter’s Buffalo slaying was unrelated to his work on water-powered engines
Aaron Salter Jr. was killed by a mass shooter because he was working on creating a water-powered car engine.
PolitiFact→ Mark Brnovich – Despite uptick in border encounters, policies for adults traveling alone haven't changed under Biden
Increased encounters at the southwest border in April 2022 compared to April 2020 are attributable to changes in border policy.
Truth or Fiction?→ Leonna Hale Photoshop Controversy
On May 30 2022, social media users discussed the shooting of Leonna Hale, a purportedly unarmed pregnant woman in Kansas City — frequently in the context of police actions during and after the May 24 2022 Uvalde, Texas school shooting: Kansas C
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Paul Pelosi Was NOT Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography
Was Paul Pelosi charged with possession of child pornography? No, that's not true: Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on May 28, 2022, and was not charged with posse