&Quot;Federal Reserve&Quot; -&Quot;Oceangate&Quot;

Did the Federal Reserve put up "walls" outside its building, possibly in anticipation of unrest? No, that's not true: The Federal Reserve is planning to renovate and expand two of its buildings in Washington, D.C. The claim appeared in a tweet (archived here) on November 6, 2022. The tweet reads: The Federal Reserve Just Put Up Walls ... Everything is…

Did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi call on the Federal Reserve to "ban the new Trump $2 bill"? No, that's not true: This bill does not exist, and Nancy Pelosi did not tweet anything about it. The claim appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) on October 6, 2022. It was published by the account of donaldtrump_2024, which describes itself as…

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…

Is President Joe Biden going to launch a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC) in December 2022? No, that's not true: Although Biden signed an executive order in March 2022 that required research into the future of money and payment systems in the country, the order did not mandate that the federal government establish a national CBDC. The claim appeared…

Did a former IRS agent discover that there is no law stating that taxes need to be paid? No, that's not true: The IRS says that paying federal income tax is not voluntary. Section 1 of the Internal Revenue Code says there is a tax on taxable income. The obligation to pay those taxes is in section 6151, which requires…

Does the Permian Basin hold enough oil to fuel the United States for the next 200 years? No, that's not true: The basin is the highest oil-producing region in the country, but estimates of its available resources vary and, based on the current annual rate of U.S. oil consumption, would not last 200 years. The claim appears in a graphic…

Was the Titanic sunk intentionally in order to kill specific people who opposed a central banking system, thus clearing the way to establish the Federal Reserve? No, that's not true: This antisemitic conspiracy theory was already floating around the internet before it was promoted to followers of QAnon. There is no evidence to support this. In November 2017, a series…

Was 80% of all U.S. dollars in existence created within the "last two months" as of April 16, 2022? No, that's not true: The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), the agency within the Department of Treasury responsible for producing U.S. currency notes, told Lead Stories that the claim is false. Additionally, other "evidence" discussed in the claim is based…

Did Russian leader Vladimir Putin end the Rothschild family's control over Russia by nationalizing Russia's central bank? No, that's not true: Russia has had a central bank for more than 160 years. Alexander II, the emperor of Russia, signed a decree to establish the State Bank in 1860. There's no evidence the Rothschild family, which has built a banking and…

Is it against the law to sell alcohol in Bourbon County, Kentucky, which would make it "dry"? And is Christian County, Kentucky "wet"? No, that's only partly true: A map by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development titled, "Alcoholic Beverage Sales in Kentucky" shows that both Bourbon County and Christian County are "wet." This claim appeared in a Facebook post…