When Texas enacted a ban on abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy, an international women’s health advocacy nonprofit organization saw a 1,100% increase in orders for so-called abortion pills. The two-drug combination enables women to terminate their pregnancies within the first 10 weeks. Though the spike in demand has since leveled off at […]
In a Republican-on-Republican attack in Georgia’s U.S. Senate race, which could decide which party controls the Senate, an unusually long campaign ad has this opening: “Warning: Viewer discretion is advised.” The ad spotlights domestic violence allegations made between 2001 and 2008 against former football star Herschel Walker. At one point in the ad, text on […]
Russia’s invasion in Ukraine has unfurled yet another round of Ukraine-related allegations targeting Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son. The latest claim from Russian officials, Russian media and some conservative U.S. outlets echoes a more recent conspiracy theory about alleged bioweapons laboratories funded by the U.S. in Ukraine. There are no U.S.-run bioweapons facilities in […]
UPDATE: On April 9, former President Donald Trump endorsed Mehmet Oz in the Republican primary in Pennsylvania’s Senate race. Quick take In Pennsylvania, one of the most important swing states on today’s political map, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey is retiring, leaving open a seat that both parties are fiercely contesting in the effort to tilt […]
PolitiFact has developed many strategies for fact-checking over the years. But one simple tool remains tried and true: the checklist. We find that using a checklist — a simple yet consistent list of search strategies — reduces errors and increases the comprehensiveness of our fact-checks. Here’s our latest version of a fact-checking checklist and how […]
As voters walked up to a ballot drop box outside the Arapahoe County administration building in Colorado on Nov. 2, 2020, the day before Election Day, they saw two men – one wearing a holstered handgun – filming voters as they dropped off their ballots. Some voters told county officials they felt threatened. Law enforcement […]
Virginia Thomas, a conservative activist and the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, made a series of false and conspiratorial claims shortly after the 2020 election in text messages to Mark Meadows, former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, imploring him to press forward in an effort to overturn the election. The Washington Post […]
Florida classrooms have become a site of regular battles in the culture wars. The most recent fight is over sexual orientation and gender identity. State lawmakers approved a bill that would prohibit classroom instruction on these issues in kindergarten through third grade. HB 1557 awaits the signature of Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who has […]
Question: Did Vladimir Putin say that Russia would not target or harm Ukrainian civilians? Answer: French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone a few days after Russia invaded Ukraine. In his account of the Feb. 28 call, Macron said Putin had committed to stopping strikes on civilians. We were not […]
Readers care deeply about Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the humanitarian disaster that has unfolded. Their feedback reflected outrage over the killing and debates over the impact on energy prices and how America should respond. We got reactions to the false claims about Ukrainian bioweapon labs, and whether Russian President Vladimir Putin could be charged […]
It’s hard for fact-checkers to admit it, but sometimes all the evidence, sources and citations in the world won’t change people’s minds. Our work is beloved by those who are truly open-minded. But to people who already have a firm set of beliefs glued in place? Not so much. Still, we stay hopeful that misinformation […]
Russia has brought a new intensity to its crackdown on independent news. It is now a crime — punishable by up to 15 years in prison — to publish “fake” information about the all-out attack on Ukraine. The government has blocked Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and news websites aimed at Russians, such as Latvia-based Meduza. It […]