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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Politics & government fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about politics & government. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

12,754 published reviews in this topic

USA TODAYPolitics & government

The 10th Amendment prevents the president from sending federal agents into states without approval from the governor

Publisher’s rating: Partly false

The claim concerned a Facebook meme asserting that the Tenth Amendment required a governor’s written request before the president could send troops or law enforcement into a state. The review found that the amendment protects state powers in areas not delegated to the federal government, but rejected the claim that it prohibits federal intervention altogether. It cited legal scholar Jonathan Entin, who said the federal government has broad authority to act in ways that override state law, and noted that the amendment’s text is not itself a general bar on federal involvement.

FACTLYPolitics & government

Photo of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray watching ‘Republic TV’ news channel

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a photo presented as showing Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray watching Republic TV, amid allegations that the channel had manipulated television ratings. The investigation found that the circulated image was altered: it used a genuine photo of Thackeray in a video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but added an image of Republic TV to the screen. The review describes the post as making a sarcastic claim that Thackeray was among people recruited to increase the channel’s ratings. [S1: “A photo of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray watching ‘Republic TV’ news channel is being circulated on social media claiming that CM Uddhav Thackeray is also one of the recruited members to increase the TRP of ‘Republic TV’ news channel.”; “Photo shared in the post is the morphed version of the original photo”] To check the image’s provenance, the review says it used reverse image search and found the original photo in a gallery published by Outlook India. That photo’s description identified it as showing Thackeray interacting with Modi about COVID-19 preparedness during the nationwide lockdown. The review also points to a post from Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Office, dated 27 April 2020, describing the image as taken during a video conference involving Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah with chief ministers. [S1: “On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the original photo was found in the news gallery article published on ‘Outlook India’ website.”; “This tweet also mentions that the photo was captured during an ongoing video conference of PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah with other states Chief Ministers.”] The added screen image provided a further clue to the alteration. The review says the hashtag visible on the screen, “Can’tBlockRepublic,” matched a Republic TV bulletin clip posted to the channel’s YouTube account on 11 September 2020. It concludes that this screen image was inserted into the older video-conference photo; the circulated picture therefore does not show Thackeray watching the channel. [S1: “On searching for this bulletin using these keywords, a clip of the show telecast with this hashtag ‘Can’tBlockRepublic’ on ‘Republic TV’ was found in the official ‘Republic TV’ YouTube channel.”; “‘Republic TV’ news channel shared this video on their official twitter handle. This screenshot of ‘Republic TV’ is inserted into the photo captured during the video conference of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray with PM Narendra Modi”]

Vishvas NewsPolitics & government

వైరల్ ఫోటోలో, ప్రియాంక గాంధీ మరియు రాహుల్ గాంధీ ఒకరి మీద ఒకరు చేతులు వేసుకొని నవ్వుతున్నారు. ప్రతిపక్ష నాయకుడు హత్రాస్‌కు వెళుతున్న సమయంలో దిగిన ఫోటో అంటూ ఈ పోస్ట్ క్లెయిమ్ చేస్తున్నారు. దుఃఖంలో మునిగిన కుటుంబాన్ని పరామర్శించాల్సిన సమయంలో ఇలా నవ్వుతూ ఫోటో దిగారు. Neutral face #ड्रामेबाज_भाईबहन.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The post claimed that a smiling photo of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi was taken while the siblings were travelling to Hathras to meet the victim’s grieving family. Vishvas News reports that its investigation found the image was not recent: it was taken in 2019 at Kanpur airport, rather than during the Hathras visit. The review’s conclusion is supported by its account of finding the same image in earlier material and by statements from Congress representatives identifying the photo as old. (“వైరల్ ఫోటోలో, ప్రియాంక గాంధీ మరియు రాహుల్ గాంధీ ఒకరి మీద ఒకరు చేతులు వేసుకొని నవ్వుతున్నారు. ప్రతిపక్ష నాయకుడు హత్రాస్‌కు వెళుతున్న సమయంలో దిగిన ఫోటో అంటూ ఈ పోస్ట్ క్లెయిమ్ చేస్తున్నారు.”; “ఈ ఫోటోను 2019లో కాన్పూర్ విమానాశ్రయంలో తీశారు.”) The review says it searched Google reverse image search and found the viral image in an NDTV news item published on April 27, 2019. It describes that report as placing the photograph at Kanpur airport when Rahul Gandhi arrived there with Priyanka. It also says the image appeared in a Times of India YouTube video. These earlier appearances support the review’s account that the image predates the 2020 Hathras claim. (“ఈ ఫోటోను పరిశోధించడానికి, మేము గూగుల్ రివర్స్ ఇమేజ్‌లో శోధించాము. శోధన సమయంలో, ఏప్రిల్ 27, 2019 న ఎన్డీటివిలో ప్రచురించిన వార్తలలో ఈ వైరల్ చిత్రాన్ని కనుగొన్నాము.”; “ఏప్రిల్ 27, 2020 న టైమ్స్ ఆఫ్‌ ఇండియా యూట్యూబ్‌ ఛానెల్‌లో అప్‌లోడ్ చేసిన వీడియోలో కూడా ఓచోట ఈ వైరల్ ఫోటో కనిపించింది.”) Vishvas News further reports that Congress media-in-charge Pranav Jha said the photo was taken during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign, as the siblings were about to travel in the same helicopter. Jha attributed their laughter to Rahul joking that a bigger helicopter should be brought for Priyanka. The review also says Congress spokesperson Sanjeev Singh confirmed that the photo was old. Together, the earlier image appearances and these identifications contradict the post’s claim about when and where the photo was taken. (“ఈ ఫోటో 2019 లోక్‌సభ ఎన్నికల సమయంలో తీసినది. వాళ్లు ఇద్దరూ ఒకే హెలికాఫ్టర్‌లో ప్రయాణించబోయే సమయంలో… ప్రియాంక గాంధీ కోసం ఒక పెద్ద హెలికాప్టర్‌ తీసుకు రావాలంటూ రాహుల్‌గాంధీ చమత్కరించడంతో నవ్వులు పూసాయి.”; “కాంగ్రెస్ ప్రతినిధి సంజీవ్ సింగ్ కూడా ఈ ఫోటోపాతదని ధృవీకరించారు.”)

USA TODAYPolitics & government

Joe Biden was caught using a teleprompter in an interview

Publisher’s rating: False

The claim concerned a roughly 20-second viral excerpt from Joe Biden’s Sept. 15, 2020, interview with Telemundo anchor José Díaz-Balart. Social-media posts, including posts by Eric Trump, Jason Miller and the Florida GOP, presented Biden’s apparent pause and words as evidence that he was using a teleprompter. The review identifies the relevant exchange: Biden was discussing his plan to temporarily halt most deportations, and the clip’s captions attributed to him the words “OK, I lost that line.” The review compared that interpretation with the interview in full, which it says was available on YouTube. It explains that potential voters asked questions through videos shown on a nearby screen. At about the nine-minute mark, a voter starts asking a question; at about the 10-minute mark, as Biden responds and the feed cuts out, he says, “OK, I lost that lady.” The review therefore identifies the screen in question as a voter’s video feed, rather than evidence of a teleprompter. The review also reports a separate check with Díaz-Balart: Politico reporter Marc Caputo said he asked the anchor whether the teleprompter claims were true, and Díaz-Balart replied, “Of course not.” Caputo quoted the anchor explaining that the monitor went black during the voter’s question and that Biden then continued by looking at the anchor. Together, the full-interview account and the anchor’s explanation address the viral clip’s specific moment and the alternative interpretation offered by the posts.

USA TODAYPolitics & government

Officials in California took down a 'Trump' sign because it 'might distract drivers'

Publisher’s rating: Missing context

The claim concerns the large “TRUMP” letters placed on a hillside near the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles. The review says the sign went up on private property and was visible from the highway. It also clarifies that officials did not completely remove it: Caltrans workers laid it down so it was no longer visible to drivers. The sign was first reported to the California Highway Patrol at 6:41 a.m. on Oct. 6, and the incident log described it as a “traffic hazard.” Caltrans said the sign did not qualify under state rules for temporary political signs visible from a state highway. The review quotes the relevant restrictions: such signs could not be placed within the state right-of-way, and could not be visible within 660 feet of the right-of-way of a classified landscaped freeway. Caltrans said state law directed it to remove unauthorized signs. Thus, the explanation that the sign might distract drivers was part of the safety rationale, but the posts omitted the sign’s regulatory status. The review also describes other safety concerns. The California Highway Patrol incident log recorded a concern that the sign, placed amid dry brush, could spark a fire; the review notes that the area had experienced destructive brush fires in prior years. A Caltrans representative told local television that motorists were slowing down to take photos, creating a traffic hazard. The review therefore supports that the sign was taken out of drivers’ view amid distraction concerns, while showing that the viral account left out the cited regulations and fire-related concern.