Foreign Aid

Did Patti Labelle, Novak Djokovic, Cardi B, James Hetfield, Morgan Wallen or a long list of other celebrities just open "America's first 100% free homeless hospital" because they wanted to leave a legacy behind? No, that's not true: Viral posts on Facebook were the latest variations of the same made-up story being spread by foreign clickbait accounts mostly run from…

Did Barack Obama say that he wants to return to the White House in 2028 as president through "legal avenues" or as a "proxy candidate"? No, that's not true: Contrary to the posts citing his "exclusive interview on a major news network" on December 7, 2025, the former president did not talk to any TV stations on that day. He…

Did the U.S. Coast Guard report that drugs were found on just 21% of the suspected drug-trafficking vessels stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard in the 13 months before airstrikes, while the rest -- 79% -- did nothing wrong? No, that's not true: Social media posts making the 21% claim reversed the numbers shared by Sen. Rand Paul, who was…

Do viral posts about a confrontation between AOC and Donald Trump's son Barron, with the involvement of Louisiana Senator John Neely Kennedy, describe a real-life event? No, that's not true: Contrary to the claim, there is no video recording of an exchange that allegedly happened on the Senate floor. The posts appear to be part of foreign-operated networks that share…

Did two U.S. senators and four representatives urge American soldiers and intelligence officers to disobey legal orders from their commanders and is their advice seditious and traitorous behavior? No, that's not true: Democratic Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, and Representatives Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan recorded a video with the message that American military members "must…

Did President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy invest $500 million or $1.5 billion "of his own money" in "a ski resort in Western Ukraine"? No, that's not true: Social media posts misattribute publicly known investment amounts about such a project. Talking to Lead Stories, the project's developer denied not only Zelenskyy's participation but also the presence of any direct government funding.…

Did the Justice Department launch a grand jury investigation into California Governor Gavin Newsom, accused by critics of violating the Logan Act by going to a climate conference in Brazil? No, that's not true: The story's source was a fictional character, "US Attorney for North-Central California Joe Barron". The claim originated from a page warning its readers that nothing it…

Did Donald Trump mistakenly read "state your name" instead of using his own name while swearing in newly enlisted U.S. troops during the half-time of a Washington Commanders - Detroit Lions game? No, that's not true: Prompting "state your name" is how the officiating officer does it, reminding oath takers to say their name aloud as they repeat the oath…

Did Burkina Faso reverse its September 2025 ban on LGBTQ+ conduct, as of October 21, 2025? No, that's not true: There were no national or international news reports about that. The purported "unbanning" was not mentioned on relevant government websites in Burkina Faso, either. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on October 20, 2025. It…

Is there a viral video clip in which Ivanka Trump calls Jasmine Crockett "ghetto trash" and did CeeDee Lamb or another athlete then calm things down with a quote about "tearing other people down"? No, that's not true: The story contained several verifiably false details and was promoted by a Facebook page managed from Poland, Vietnam and Brazil. Searches of…