Coins

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…

Was American racism engraved in its coins, with Abraham Lincoln's penny being copper because he freed the slaves and the other coins showing presidents facing the opposite direction as Lincoln, as a protest against him? No, that's not true: Lincoln was the first American president to be put on a coin in the country's history. The penny had previously been…

Does a video show helicopters from "Arab countries" flying toward Gaza in formation with their flags? No, that's not true: This video was filmed on October 4, 2023, in Veracruz, Mexico, and features an air show that was staged as part of the 202-year anniversary of the founding of the Mexican Navy. It has nothing to do with the Hamas-Israel…

If a bank "switches currency," will that void a mortgage contract? No, that's not true: A mortgage document is a legally binding contract and within it there is a promissory note that requires the borrowed amount be paid and the loan agency to accept that amount, a mortgage expert told Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a video published on…

Is the Federal Reserve's FedNow service now the primary form of currency in the United States? No, that's not true: FedNow is just an instant payment system and will not change the currency infrastructure in the United States. Rather, the service will make it easier to transfer money between entities and financial institutions. The claim appeared in a video (archived…

Can all senior citizens get a free $3,500 grocery card from Medicare in 2023? No, that's not true: Neither the government nor Medicare are offering a free grocery card valued at $3,500 to all senior citizens in the United States. The closest is a program that provides "special supplemental benefits for certain people who are chronically ill," a Centers for…

Did President Joe Biden choose a "Satan worshipper" to oversee the health of Americans? No, that's not true: Biden picked Dr. Demetre Daskalakis to serve as the deputy coordinator of a national health response team for a single disease, monkeypox. Daskalakis does have a tattoo of a pentagram -- a symbol that some associate with Satan and the occult --…

Does a trident superimposed on the gold and blue Ukrainian flag represent membership in, or support for, the Nazi political movement? No, that's not true: The trident is the national symbol of Ukraine that is often added to the country's flag. The claim appeared in an Instagram post from November 25, 2022, under the title "Here I am driving to…

Was a debt jubilee, the cancellation of a broad range of debts from the public record, "officially declared" after Queen Elizabeth II's death? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, no such announcement has been made. The man who posted the rumor online was promoting his online store selling precious metals. The claim appeared in a Facebook post…

Are Federal Reserve notes -- commonly known as paper money -- just "obligations" and therefore exempt from taxes? And does the U.S. Constitution say gold and silver are the only form of "lawful money" to be used in paying debts? No, neither of those claims are true. The Constitution does not specify any particular form of currency, and under federal…