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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

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).  

John Kerry Not ‘Facing Prison’

John Kerry Not ‘Facing Prison’

Q: Is John Kerry “facing prison after interfering with Iran”?

A: No. Kerry reportedly met with an Iranian official to discuss saving the Iran nuclear agreement, but no charges have been brought and he is not “facing prison.”  

No Release of ‘Private’ Trump Tapes

No Release of ‘Private’ Trump Tapes

Q: Have former White House staffers released a “private tape recording” of President Donald Trump?

A: No. That claim comes from a false headline on an old story.

Michelle Wolf Not Booted From Hulu

Michelle Wolf Not Booted From Hulu

Q: Did Hulu cancel a Michelle Wolf comedy special because of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner?

A: No. That claim originated on a self-described satire website. There’s no evidence Wolf was scheduled to do a special for Hulu.

Michelle Wolf Not Fired From Comedy Central

Michelle Wolf Not Fired From Comedy Central

Q: Did Comedy Central fire Michelle Wolf because of jokes she made at the White House Correspondents’ dinner?

A: No. That claim was made up by a self-described satirical website. She left “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central in December.

Headline Misrepresents Executive Order

Headline Misrepresents Executive Order

Q: Did President Donald Trump sign an executive order to “eliminate mass amounts of Democrat voters”?

A: No. Trump signed an executive order to change work requirements for welfare recipients.