President Donald Trump and some members of Congress met Feb. 28 at the White House for a freewheeling discussion on how to reduce gun violence at schools. The meeting came two weeks after the mass shooting in Florida in which 17 people were killed, including 14 high school students. Here we […]
Facts Check
Georgia Didn’t Ban Muslim Culture
Q: Did Georgia “ban Muslim culture”? A: No. A headline making that claim is based on a proposed state bill that never became law. FULL ANSWER The Georgia legislature passed an anti-masking law in 1951 in order to subdue widespread intimidation by Ku Klux Klan members who wore hoods to […]
Explaining Conspiracy Theories
FactCheck.org staff writer Saranac Hale Spencer appeared on The Colin McEnroe Show on WNPR, a Connecticut public radio station, to talk about the conspiracy theories and misinformation that spread online after the deadly shooting on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. A week after the massacre, […]
Trump’s Misleading Gun Rhetoric
In a bipartisan meeting with members of Congress, President Donald Trump made false and misleading claims about his predecessors’ actions on gun control legislation and shootings in “gun-free zones.” Trump criticized past presidents for not “stepping up” to address gun violence. They did — with varying success. President Bill Clinton […]
NRCC’s Weak Case
In the March 13 special House election in Pennsylvania, a pair of Republican Party TV ads attack Democratic candidate Conor Lamb as a weak prosecutor who can’t be trusted. But the GOP’s evidence is flimsy and misleading. Both ads fault Lamb, a former federal prosecutor, for negotiating guilty pleas in […]
Sandy Hook Hoax Revisited
Q: Are the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting actually alive? A: No. That is a claim made by conspiracy theorists who believe the shooting never happened. FULL ANSWER The tragedy that left 17 dead in a Florida high school on Feb. 14 was almost immediately swallowed up […]
Trump’s Spin on Democratic Memo
The Republicans and Democrats on the House intelligence committee have now released competing memos on how the FBI and Department of Justice obtained court approval for surveillance of Carter Page, a former adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. The GOP memo, released Feb. 2, contends the FBI and Department of Justice […]
Malia Obama Didn’t Attack Elderly Woman
Q: Was Malia Obama arrested for attacking an elderly white woman? Did the arresting police officer mysteriously die? A: No. Those false stories originated on websites that claim to publish satire. FULL ANSWER Former first daughter Malia Obama was not among a group of people arrested for a “racist antifa […]
Trump on Health Insurance Costs
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, President Donald Trump boasted that “we’re having tremendous plans coming out now — health care plans — at a fraction of the cost that are much better than Obamacare.” No such cheap plans have come out yet, though the administration has proposed rules […]
Shaking the Bushes for Quote About Trump
Q: Did George W. Bush say he doesn’t approve of the media’s treatment of Donald Trump? A: No. That statement is based on a misrepresentation of what the former president said a year ago. FULL ANSWER Former President George W. Bush hasn’t said much publicly about President Donald Trump. But […]