The Power of Fact Checking!!!

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Walz Didn't Order Police to Shoot Paintball Guns at Residents Who Violated COVID-19 Lockdown

Claim:

As governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz ordered police to shoot residents with paintball guns for not obeying curfew orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rating:

False

About this rating

Context

While Walz did enact a curfew in Minneapolis, it was in response to protests over the killing of George Floyd, not because of the COVID-19 pandemic; nor did he order police to shoot paintball guns at residents to enforce the curfew.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tim-walz-paintball-guns-curfew/?

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Did Trump Once Say 'I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had'?

A report making the claim in The Atlantic relied on the alleged testimony of two people who had a private talk with Trump at the White House in 2020.

Claim:

In 2020, Trump said to two people in a private conversation at the White House: "I need the kind of generals that Hitler had."

Rating:

Unproven

 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-hitler-generals/?

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Despite Trump's Claims, Large Numbers of Noncitizens Don't Vote in US Elections

The idea that large numbers of noncitizens vote in U.S. elections has been disproven.

The Truth

The fact of the matter is simply that noncitizens rarely vote in U.S. elections, something the Cato Institute, a conservative think tank, reported on in 2020.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/10/16/undocumented-immigrants-voting/?

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ICE data on noncitizen 'murderers' is misrepresented | Fact check

The claim: ICE data shows 425,431 convicted criminals – including 13,099 murderers – entered US under Biden and Harris

"BREAKING: According to a new report from the Deputy Director of ICE, Joe Biden and Border Czar Kamala Harris allowed a SHOCKING number of criminals into America, including: 13,099 Murderers, 15,811 Rapists, 425,431 Convicted Criminals," reads the post, which is a screenshot of a post on X, formerly Twitter. "Treason. Disqualifying. Evil."A Nov. 2 Facebook post echoed the claim, saying the Biden-Harris administration also "welcomed in" an additional 222,141 people facing criminal charges.

Our rating: False

This claim misinterprets what the report says, according to immigration experts and the Department of Homeland Security. The ICE data referenced in the posts represents people who entered the U.S. over the last 40 years or longer, not just during the Biden-Harris administration. Most of them were convicted before Biden's presidency, an expert said.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2024/11/22/ice-data-convicted-criminals-biden-fact-check/75810228007/?

ps:Oh it has to be true because the cult leader said so!! I guess if he says it enough times people will believe!!!!!

No, US student ranks didn't plummet after Department of Education creation | Fact check

The claim: US fell from 1st to 24th in education since Department of Education was created in 1979

“In 1979 I created the Department of Education,” reads on-screen text in the image. “Since then America went from 1st to 24th in education.”

X owner Elon Musk made the same claim in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that was reposted 98,000 times. The claim also circulated widely on Instagram.

Our rating: False

There is no evidence to support the claim. While multiple studies have compared U.S. students to their peers in other countries, none show they ranked first in 1979, nor do any say they ranked 24th in 2024.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2024/11/22/us-education-rank-1979-fact-check/76451360007/?

ps:Well, well, well, is Elon becoming as good a liar as his precious leader??

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No, LA Fire Department isn't using women's handbags to put out fires | Fact check

The claim: Los Angeles Fire Department is using women's handbags to put out California fires

"They don't, the firemen don't have hoses so they're, like, literally using purses?" a woman says in the video. "Women's handbags?"

The Instagram post garnered more than 10,000 likes in a week. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook and Instagram. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones shared a version of the claim on X, saying the Los Angeles Fire Department was using handbags because its supplies "were sent to Ukraine over the past two years."

Our rating: False

The LAFD said the footage shows its team putting out a fire using small canvas bags, which are part of the department's standard equipment, not handbags. The canvas bags are more efficient than hoses at putting out small fires, the department said.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2025/01/16/lafd-womens-handbags-fires-fact-check/77726410007/?

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FACT FOCUS: Posts misrepresent report to falsely claim nearly 400,000 Palestinians are missing

As the number of Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas war continues to rise, social media users are falsely claiming that a Harvard University study has determined that hundreds of thousands in the Gaza Strip are also missing.

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-harvard-study-gaza-missing-palestinians-86b40dc1de388e860927495c00880d59?

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Inspecting claim Obama pressured Comey, Lynch to 'cover up' Clinton email probe

The claim stemmed from a newly declassified Department of Justice watchdog review of the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's email practices.

Claim:

The U.S. Department of Justice released a declassified document in July 2025 that confirmed former U.S. President Barack Obama pressured then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and then-FBI Director James Comey to cover up the 2016 Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Rating: False

While the DOJ did release a newly declassified internal review of the FBIs investigation of then-presidential candidate Clinton's handling of emails while serving as secretary of state, the claim shared online about Obama allegedly pressuring Lynch and Comey appeared out of context. The report did include this claim — but in a section specifically explaining how the FBI concluded that it lacked credibility and did not warrant further investigation.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/obama-comey-clinton-emails/?

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FACT FOCUS: No, Oprah Winfrey didn’t block access to a private road amid tsunami warning evacuations

Even as the threat of a tsunami swamping Hawaii had passed on Wednesday, social media posts were still circulating claims that Oprah Winfrey had refused immediate access to a private road that would allow residents a shorter evacuation route.

https://apnews.com/article/oprah-winfrey-private-road-tsunami-warning-3cc15e4268777eec6066d7ee4f2a5fb8?

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FACT FOCUS: RFK Jr.'s reasons for cutting mRNA vaccine not supported by evidence

Although mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. incorrectly argued they are ineffective to justify the Department of Health and Human Service’s recent decision to cancel $500 million in government-funded research projects to develop new vaccines using the technology.

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-rfk-mrna-vaccines-effective-76633aadedfad3bec9a77e524c7ce6f7

ps:But yet he's the head of HHS because he's the best trump could find for the job!!!!!

FACT FOCUS: Trump says he’s cut drug prices by up to 1,500%. That’s not possible

Days after he sent letters instructing top pharmaceutical manufacturers to use a “most favored nation” pricing model for prescription drugs, President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he had cut costs by up to 1,500%.

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-trump-prescription-drug-prices-drop-b3e5bf8a98310de45e39d3911d112979

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FACT FOCUS: No, taxpayers will not receive new stimulus checks this summer

Don’t splurge just yet.

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-stimulus-checks-irs-treasury-hawley-4225dbe6c3e67499166a01ad4c3a7235?

ps:We'll see them when we see them!! I've said it before I'll be surprised if it ever happens!!

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What we know about Michigan church shooting suspect's political affiliation

Claims that the individual was a Trump supporter circulated as online sleuths dug through associated social media profiles.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/09/29/michigan-church-shooting-political-affiliation/?

Examining claim Trump accepted $2B bribe to sell highly sensitive AI chips to UAE, China

The claim was based on a New York Times article about two deals made within two weeks.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/09/30/trump-bribe-2-billion-uae-china/?

Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels banned comedians for joking about Nazi Party

Online users reposted the newspaper article from Feb. 4, 1939, following ABC's initial September 2025 announcement of suspending "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/goebbels-banned-comedians-nazi-article/?

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Investigating claims HUD website's 'radical left' pop-ups violated Hatch Act

A message on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website blamed the October 2025 federal government shutdown on "The Radical Left."

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/10/01/hud-hatch-act-website-message/?

Digging into rumor Whoopi Goldberg lashed out at Erika Kirk

Claim:

On an episode of the ABC daytime talk show "The View," co-host Whoopi Goldberg lashed out at Erika Kirk, the wife of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, saying, "Sit down, Barbie" or "Sit down, monkey," as well as calling her a "T.R.U.M.P. puppet."

Rating: False

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/erika-kirk-the-view-whoopi-goldberg/?

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Democrats didn't shut down government to fund health care for 'illegal aliens.' Here's context

Immigrants in the country illegally are not eligible for federal health care insurance plans. The Democrats' proposal does not change that.

Claim:

Democrats forced a U.S. government shutdown because they want to fund free health care for people without legal immigration status in the United States.

Rating:

False

Context

Democrats are trying to extend tax credits that make some health insurance premiums more affordable, but immigrants in the country illegally are not eligible for these programs. Republicans have cited a provision in a Democratic proposal as funding health care for people in the country illegally, but it simply repeals restrictions Republicans placed on federally subsidized health care eligibility for immigrants with a legal right to be in the country.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/government-shutdown-health-care/?

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18 of Charlie Kirk's alleged quotes, investigated

From his last words to calling MLK Jr. “awful,” we look at all claims surrounding the late Turning Point USA co-founder’s words.

https://www.snopes.com/collections/charlie-kirks-quotes-investigated/?

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13 rumors about Zohran Mamdani, investigated

Here are our latest fact-checks on the youngest New York mayor in more than a century.

https://www.snopes.com/collections/zohran-mamdani-rumors/?

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Mamdani isn't requiring NYC students to 'learn Arabic numerals.' They already do

You can't introduce something that has already been in use for centuries.

Claim:

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is introducing Arabic numerals to schools in the city.

Rating:

False

About this rating

In mid-November 2025, a rumor spread on X that New York City's Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani would be introducing "Arabic numerals" to schools in the city.

One post from the account of the prediction market Polymarket stated: "BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani to require all New York elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals."

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mamdani-arabic-numerals-nyc-schools/?

Digging into Mount Rushmore's troubled, bloody history

The famed monument has a connection to the KKK as well as suppression of Native American people.

For several years, online memes have claimed a racist and dark history attached to one of the most iconic U.S. monuments, Mount Rushmore. Its past came under scrutiny amid nationwide protests against the May 2020 killing of a Black man, George Floyd, while in the custody of a white police officer in Minneapolis. Protesters subsequently took down several Confederate monuments, with many looking closely at the mountain that was considered a symbol of American patriotism. 

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/11/18/mount-rushmores-history/?

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Inspecting claim Education Department stopped counting nursing, other programs as 'professional degrees'

The department's proposal may impact how much money student loan borrowers can receive depending on the graduate degree they choose.

Claim:

In late 2025, the Department of Education said it would no longer classify these credentials as professional degrees: education (including teaching master’s degrees), nursing (MSN, DNP), social work (MSW, DSW), public health (MPH, DrPH), physician assistant, occupational therapy, physical therapy, audiology, speech-language pathology and counseling and therapy degrees.

Rating:

Mixture

About this rating

What's True

The Department of Education has proposed excluding a wide range of college programs from the definition of "professional degrees" specifically in relation to eligibility for student loans.

What's False

As of this writing, the proposal has not yet passed. Some counseling degrees would also be classified as "professional degrees" under the Department of Education's plan.

What's Undetermined

It was unclear if this decision that specifically would affect student loan borrowing limits indicated a more widespread change in Department of Education policy and practice.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-professional-degrees-nursing/?

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FACT FOCUS: Trump says he has ended seven wars. The reality isn’t so clear cut

President Donald Trump has projected himself as a peacemaker since returning to the White House in January, touting his efforts to end global conflicts.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-peace-wars-claim-fact-check-10128b26232e1d1eb9e68c5617320cf3?

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Did Obama and Buttigieg really drop 'Project Unity'? Here's the truth

Claim:

In November 2025, former U.S. President Barack Obama and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg unveiled a plan called "Project Unity" that boosted support for Democratic candidates.

Rating:

False  About this rating

In November 2025, a rumor circulated on social media (archived) that former U.S. President Barack Obama and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, both Democrats, unveiled a plan called "Project Unity" that boosted support for political candidates from their party. 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/obama-buttigieg-project-unity/?

 

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Did Ilhan Omar marry her brother? Rumor lacks evidence

The claim resurfaced in November 2025, when Trump posted about it.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/12/02/ilhan-omar-brother-marriage/?

ps:Same ole same ole bull manure that he lied about Obama not having been born in the USA!!

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Are 50% of Minnesota visas and programs fraudulent? Investigating Kristi Noem's claim

The homeland security secretary made the claim as her department ramped up immigration enforcement action in Minneapolis.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/12/05/minnesota-visa-fraud-noem/?

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Is TSA checking passengers' cellphones for 5 apps? Here's what we know

Claim:

As of late 2025, the TSA was checking cellphones — including senior citizens' devices — at airports for five specific apps.

Rating: False  About this rating

A rumor that circulated online in December 2025 claimed the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was checking cellphones — including senior citizens' devices — at airports for five specific apps. TSA officers screen around 2 million passengers per day at airports nationwide, including looking for prohibited devices of people preparing to board flights.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tsa-checking-cellphones-airport/?

 

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Fake photo allegedly showing unmasked ICE agent who shot Renee Nicole Good spreads online

Claim:

A photograph circulating on social media authentically depicted an unmasked ICE agent who fatally shot a Minneapolis woman on Jan. 7, 2026.

Rating:

Fake

Images circulating online in early January 2026 claimed to reveal the identity of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/photo-renee-nicole-good-ice-agent/?

Video doesn't show DeSantis defending ICE shooting victim Renee Nicole Good

Claim:

A video authentically shows Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defending Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent on Jan. 7, 2026.

Rating:

Miscaptioned

After a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026, social media users shared a clip of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, talking about the "right to flee for your safety" from a "mob" and claimed he was defending Good. 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/renee-good-desantis-video/?

Photo doesn't show Renee Nicole Good, Minneapolis resident killed by ICE agent

Claim:

A photograph authentically shows Renee Nicole Good, the woman who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 7, 2026.

Rating:

Miscaptioned

Context

The image in question actually shows Gabriela Szczepankiewicz, who was featured in the same Facebook post as Good in 2020 when they both received recognition from their university’s poetry competition.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/photo-renee-nicole-good-minneapolis-ice/?

 

 

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Does 'Nazis.us' redirect to DHS website? Yes, here's who bought the domain

Snopes linked the domain to an email address owned by Mark Davis, a candidate for Congress in Florida's 16th District.

Claim:

In mid-January 2026, typing the domain "nazis.us" into a web browser redirected to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's official website.

Rating:

True

Context

Snopes found that the nazis.us domain was registered by Mark Davis, a candidate for Congress in Florida's 16th District.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/nazis-us-redirect-dhs-website/?

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Image claiming to show Renee Nicole Good's car aimed at ICE officer isn't what it seems

Credible videos of the shooting showed the wheels of Good's car were turned away from the agent when she moved forward and he shot her.

Claim:

An image authentically shows Renee Nicole Good's car aimed toward the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot her on Jan. 7, 2026.

Rating:

Fake

After a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, 37, in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026, social media users shared an image appearing to show Good's car aimed toward and about to hit the officer.

 

The image spread on social media platforms such as Reddit and X. "Any questions?" one Facebook user posted, apparently assuming the image was authentic.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/renee-good-car-ice-image/?

Unpacking claim that 'one of ours, all of yours' phrase on Noem's podium is Nazi slogan

We found no evidence confirming the phrase appearing on a lectern originated verbatim in Nazi Germany, as social media posts suggested.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/01/14/one-of-ours-all-of-yours-noem-podium/?