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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Partisan Website Recycles Old Charges

Partisan Website Recycles Old Charges

Q: Has the “head” of the Democratic Party been “hauled out in handcuffs”?

A: No. A partisan website has used decade-old charges against an Alabama Democrat as clickbait.

Bogus Claim About Made-up Muslim Waitress

Bogus Claim About Made-up Muslim Waitress

Q: Did a Muslim waitress refuse to seat 27 Christians?

A: No. That claim is completely made up. The restaurant where it supposedly happened doesn’t even exist.

Claim That Sessions Resigned Is Baloney

Claim That Sessions Resigned Is Baloney

Q: Has Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned?

A: No. That claim came from a made-up story originally posted on a self-described satirical site.

Weak Link in NFL Protest Story

Weak Link in NFL Protest Story

Q: Has George Soros been paying NFL players to protest?

A: No. A story making that claim offers no evidence to support it.

No ‘Treason’ or ‘Bust’ for Obama

No ‘Treason’ or ‘Bust’ for Obama

Q: Have the “feds bust[ed] Barack Obama” on felony charges?

A: No. That claim is based on the false assertion that the former president committed treason in his last few months in office.

Gun-toting Grandma Story Is Made Up

Gun-toting Grandma Story Is Made Up

Q: Did a 79-year-old woman with an AK-47 save two police officers?

A: No. That made-up story was written as satire and dates back to 2015.

No New Charges for Maxine Waters

No New Charges for Maxine Waters

Q: Has Rep. Maxine Waters recently been “charged on 3 counts”?

A: No. The California Democrat was investigated for ethics violations following a 2008 meeting, but she was found to have broken no rules.

Deadly ‘Pot’ Not Approved by The FDA

Deadly ‘Pot’ Not Approved by The FDA

Q: Did an FDA-approved form of “synthetic marijuana” lead to recent deaths in Illinois?

A: No. The drugs that have killed four people in the last two months are unregulated and illegal.

No Evidence Ryan Violated Campaign Finance Laws

No Evidence Ryan Violated Campaign Finance Laws

Q: Did House Speaker Paul Ryan break campaign finance laws in a meeting with donor Sheldon Adelson?

A: He met with Adelson (which is legal), but there’s no evidence he solicited a $30 million donation for a Republican super PAC (which would be illegal).