U.S. Currency

Was a Craigslist ad offering "$1,000, paid in cryptocurrency" for "seat fillers" to attend a military parade in Washington, D.C. authentic? The listing attracted attention on social media when it appeared in the week leading up to a June 14, 2025, military parade. Here is what we know about it so far. The ad (archived here) was published on June…

Did law enforcement find "rolls of cash" and drugs on Kilmar Abrego-Garcia upon his arrest, as was asserted by a representative of the Department of Homeland Security? That's not found in a court document detailing a 2019 police stop involving the Salvadoran man and three others. Police records, newly released by the U.S. Department of Justice, among other files from…

Did President Donald Trump order the Federal Reserve to mint quarters without ridges, as was claimed in a social media post? No, that's not true: The proof the post offered was a counterfeit CNN.com screenshot. CNN, as of the date this was published, had reported no such order by Trump. Searches of the White House and Treasury websites showed no…

Does Canada bar American banks from operating in the country? No, that's not true: As of this writing, 16 U.S.-based bank subsidiaries and branches were operating in Canada, according to the Canadian Bank Association. These banks hold around 113 billion Canadian dollars in assets and "make up half of all foreign bank assets in Canada," the association added. Canada's Department…

Did the U.S. Supreme Court rule in a case titled "Moore vs Alliant Credit Union" that mortgages and fiat currency are illegal? No, that's not true: There was no such case in front of the Supreme Court and therefore, no such ruling. A person named Zachary Moore was involved in a lawsuit against his mortgage company and lost the case,…

Did newly confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent post on X that he was "committed to eliminating income taxes, replacing them with a fair consumption tax, and adopting a gold-backed currency"? No, that's not true: X has since suspended the account where the post appeared for violation of its rules, which often includes taking down fake accounts. There is no evidence…

Is a quote describing birth certificates as enslaving tools really found in Woodrow Wilson's private papers or those of his adviser Edward Mandell House? No, that's not true: Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library staff said they found no such quote in their archive. A spokesperson for the library that holds House's papers told Lead Stories they found no reference to…

Does a photo of a ballot prove that a Canadian citizen was able to cast a vote for Donald Trump because there is no voter ID law in the United States? No, that's not true: The absentee ballot in the photo showing a vote for Trump was copied from a Florida voter's social media post. The post from a person…

Did Taylor Swift lose "brand deals worth $125 million" after endorsing Kamala Harris? No, that's not true: The online rumor came from a website that labels itself as satire. The article didn't even mention the name of the Democratic presidential nominee. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on September 12, 2024. It said: Taylor Swift Loses…

Did the U.S. government invest in $71 million worth of bitcoin, which has now grown in value to almost $5 billion? No, that's not true: A video clip has been presented deceptively to make a seizure of stolen funds sound like an investment. The U.S. government recovered and seized 94,000 bitcoin, part of the 120,000 bitcoin stolen in the 2016…