Doge

Did Fox News refer to President Donald Trump as "Former president" on their website? Yes, that's true: The phrase appeared in the subheading of a breaking news story about the allegations Elon Musk had been making against Trump. The subheader read "Former president reveals he asked billionaire to leave position after months of tension". It appeared in an article (archived…

Did a federal judge order Michelle Obama to hand over "her financials from her time as First Lady" to DOGE? No, that's not true: That story originated on a satirical Facebook page. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The image appeared in a post (archived here) with a meme published…

Did Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson accept a $2.1 million bribe from George Soros, in the form of a vacation home in Italy? No, that's not true: That rumor originated on the Dunning-Kruger Times, a website that describes its own content as satirical. The article included fabricated quotes from "Joe Barron", a fake persona that features regularly as an…

Were people in Kentucky not warned ahead of the May 16, 2025 tornado that killed more than 20 people in the southeastern part of the state? No, that's not true: The National Weather Service issued warnings two days ahead. Multiple state officials, including Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, have said there's no evidence the National Weather Service tornado warnings were delayed…

Did a relative of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar named "Yosef Barron Omar" receive $18 million in government grants between 2021 and 2024? No, that's not true: That rumor started on a website that describes its output as satirical in nature. The name "Yosef Barron Omar" is a play on "Joe Barron", an in-joke from the self-described satire of the story's…

Did "DOGE Auditor Joe Barron" uncover that billionaires Mark Cuban, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett each received $250 million in quarterly payments each, for a total of $4 billion? No, that's not true: The story, which also had them donating $1 billion of the money to Joe Biden's campaign, originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner…

Was the service history of Colonel Ruby Bradley, an American nurse captured in the Philippines during World War II, removed from official military websites on orders of U.S. President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or DOGE? As of this writing, some pages describing her life were still available on government online resources. Yet, in at least two instances, those…

Did White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt make a request on X for opinions about whether the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) should investigate "a mysterious shell company" tied to "three Democratic senators" that received $622 million, or $500 million, in Ukraine war contracts? No, that's not true: The poll was posted by a self-described satire account. Lead Stories…

Did the federal government pay Barack and Michelle Obama $30 million over the course of the Biden administration, from 2021 to 2025? No, that's not true: That claim originated in an April 2025 post by a Facebook account that labels its content as satirical in nature. We found no corroboration whatsoever for the claim. The story appeared in the form…

Did Congressional Democrats hold an inaugural meeting of something they described as a "shadow government" in the United States in April 2025? No, that's not true: On April 7, Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Jamie Raskin led Democratic members of the Senate and House Judiciary committees in a meeting held without the involvement of members of the other party --…