Twice in the last five weeks, Joe Biden has claimed that despite voting to authorize military force against Iraq in 2002, he opposed the Iraq war from “the moment” it began. That’s not accurate, and Biden now says he misspoke. The public position taken in the lead-up to and early […]
Facts Check
Buttigieg Wrong About Climate Change’s Effect on Oceans
In making his case for taking swift action on climate change, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg inaccurately said that “we could lose half the world’s oxygen because of what’s going on in the oceans.” Scientists say that’s a misreading of the evidence. Climate change does pose a threat to oceans, […]
Woman in Viral Photo Misidentified as Rep. Omar
Quick Take A 1978 photo of a Somalian army recruit has been misidentified on social media as Rep. Ilhan Omar, who wasn’t born until 1982. Full Story A 41-year-old photo of a woman with a gun in Somalia is being used to spread misinformation about Rep. Ilhan Omar, a 36-year-old […]
Deceptive Second Amendment Ads
Ads posted on Facebook from a committee working to reelect President Donald Trump claim that Democrats are calling for the Second Amendment to be repealed. To support the claim, the Trump campaign pointed to statements by a few state lawmakers and one candidate for U.S. Senate. The ads, however, could […]
Baseless Claim of Odessa Shooter’s ‘Beto Sticker’
Quick Take Viral posts on social media make the baseless claim that the shooter in Odessa, Texas, had a sticker on his car for Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke. The Texas Department of Public Safety said there was no sticker on the car he was driving during the attack. Full […]
Trump’s False ‘Facts’ on the Environment
Just as CNN was beginning its climate town hall event, President Donald Trump tweeted a list of “8 facts” boasting of the nation’s air quality and carbon emissions reductions. Several of his “facts,” however, are inaccurate or misleading. Contrary to the president’s claims, the United States — not China — […]
Trump Doubles Down on Inaccurate Hurricane Forecast
President Donald Trump inaccurately stated in his Sept. 1 tweet that Alabama “will most likely be hit” by Hurricane Dorian — a statement that was fact-checked in real time by the National Weather Service. Despite that, Trump has now twisted the facts by using an altered forecast map to support […]
A Misleading Take on the Trump Family’s Citizenship
Quick Take Viral social media posts wrongly suggest that President Donald Trump’s three eldest children are citizens only because of birthright citizenship. Full Story President Donald Trump’s first wife, Ivana, became a U.S. citizen in 1988 — years after the last of the couple’s three children, Eric, was born in […]
Pence’s ‘Politically Correct’ Obama VA Claim
In an address to veterans, Vice President Mike Pence said “VA hospitals were removing Bibles” and “banning Christmas carols” under the last administration, and “will not be religion-free zones” under this administration. But VA hospitals have never been “religion-free zones.” And there’s less to the isolated incidents than Pence’s claim […]
Phony Tweet Targets AOC
Quick Take A fake tweet circulating online attributes a made-up statement about hurricane preparation to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Full Story Two popular targets for misinformation — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and major weather events — have been combined in one recent falsehood. A fake tweet created as some […]