&Quot;Halfway Post&Quot;

Did Chinese officials say that President Donald Trump had been calling them regularly in order to "beg for a trade deal", but they had been putting him on hold and playing speeches by former President Barack Obama? No, that's not true: That rumor originated with an account that posts "comedy and satire." The Halfway Post regularly publishes content that others…

Did a January 6 "insurrectionist" who had been pardoned by President Donald Trump accidentally burn down his own house during the Super Bowl after he lit a pile of his teen daughter's Taylor Swift shirts on fire? No, that's not true: This is a made-up story published by an account that describes itself as "Dada news. Halfway true comedy and…

Did ICE announce it was pausing a hotline to report undocumented immigrants because 90 percent of the calls were people reporting Elon Musk? No, that's not true: That claim originated on a satirical X account named "The Halfway Post." The ICE website still lists the number 1-866-DHS-2-ICE to "report suspicious activity," and it currently shows no statements or news releases…

Did Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly say that if members of Congress resigned over the same allegations leveled against former Rep. Matt Gaetz, "Democrats would have a supermajority"? No, that's not true: A satirical social media account made up that supposed quote. No credible news outlets have reported that Greene made that statement. The claim originated in a post (archived…

Did a "MAGA fan" from Iowa accidentally burn down their house while trying to burn a gay pride flag? No, that's not true: This is a fictional story that originated on "The Halfway Post," a satire website with a clear disclaimer included in the masthead. The claim is spreading as a screenshot of a social media post that does not…

Did the LGBTQ+-focused dating app Grindr threaten to "reveal every Republican legislator and party official who secretly uses" it, if "Florida doesn't stop passing homophobic and transphobic laws"? No, that's not true: The original wording for the allegation comes from the Twitter account of a satirical website. Grindr also told Lead Stories that it values the privacy of its users.…

Did Donald Trump issue a statement on his "Save America" letterhead that encouraged "all the Great MAGA Patriots" to boycott the midterm elections in November? No, that's not true: According to Trump's chief spokeswoman, that April 27, 2022, statement is fake. The fabricated statement appears to have originated from The Halfway Post, a Twitter account that describes itself as liberal…