2,548 published verifications avg. score 5.6/10 1,246 rated true or mostly true 1,065 rated false or mostly false
“A hook echo on weather radar indicates that a storm cell is going to form.”
The evidence shows the claim reverses what a hook echo means. A hook echo is a radar signature within an already formed, rotating thunderstorm—typically a supercell—not a sign that a storm cell is about to form. It is mainly associated with mesocyclone structure and possible tornado development in an existing storm.
“Stephen Ogilvie was attacked in Scotland in 2001.”
Available evidence consistently shows that Stephen Ogilvie was attacked in Livingston, Scotland, in 2001. Multiple reputable Scottish and Northern Irish news outlets, along with a Law Society of Scotland profile, describe the same earlier assault. The claim is broad and is directly supported by those accounts.
“The Trump–Russia investigation (often called "Russiagate") was a hoax perpetrated by the Democratic Party.”
The claim is not supported by the record. Senate, Inspector General, Mueller, and Durham findings all show that Russia did interfere in 2016 and that the FBI had sufficient basis to open the investigation, despite major errors in later FISA applications. None of those inquiries concluded that the Democratic Party perpetrated a hoax, and the absence of a proven criminal conspiracy does not make the investigation one.
“The Mueller Report found that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 United States presidential election.”
The evidence directly supports this claim. Volume I of the Mueller Report explicitly says the Russian government interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election in “sweeping and systematic fashion,” and that conclusion is reinforced by Mueller’s public statement and the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report. The claim accurately reflects the report’s finding.
“The Special Counsel investigation report by Robert S. Mueller III stated that it did not establish that members of Donald J. Trump's 2016 presidential campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”
The report uses that formulation explicitly. DOJ copies of the Mueller Report state that the investigation did not establish that Trump campaign members conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election-interference activities. Debate exists over what that language implies, but not over whether the report said it.
“Donald Trump is sexist.”
The public record strongly supports this characterization. Multiple independent outlets document a long pattern of Trump making gendered insults, sexualized remarks, and demeaning comments about women, and several of the most probative examples are his own recorded statements. Allegations and lawsuits add context, but the conclusion is supported even without treating unproven accusations as established fact.
“Students who struggle with topics on Sparx Maths may become stuck and discouraged, lowering their confidence.”
The evidence supports the possibility described. Sparx-linked materials and user reports indicate that some students who struggle can get stuck, feel discouraged, and lose confidence, while broader outcome research does not refute that experience. The main limitation is that the evidence does not show how common this effect is among Sparx users.
“Andy Burnham has said he will scrap the triple lock on UK state pensions.”
The claim is not supported by the evidence. Reporting about scrapping the triple lock refers to Burnham’s advisers or speculation about possible policy options, not to Burnham himself. More direct and higher-quality sources say Burnham committed to keeping the triple lock, which contradicts the claim as stated.
“SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) escaped from a laboratory in China.”
The evidence does not support treating a Chinese lab escape as established fact. The most authoritative scientific reviews and institutional assessments say the origin remains unresolved, with the overall evidentiary weight leaning toward zoonotic spillover linked to the wildlife trade and Huanan market. Some intelligence bodies consider a lab-associated incident plausible, but only with low or moderate confidence and without direct proof.
“On the Oregon Trail, accidental firearm discharges were the second leading cause of accidental or violent deaths, after drownings.”
Accidental shootings were clearly a notable danger on the Oregon Trail, but the evidence reviewed does not reliably show they were the second leading accidental or violent killer after drownings. The best institutional sources list several major accidental causes together—drownings, gun accidents, wagon injuries, and animal-related accidents—without ranking them. The claim overstates what the strongest sources actually establish.
“In salary negotiations, job candidates often adjust their salary expectations toward an employer-provided initial salary anchor before the employer makes further negotiation moves.”
The core claim is well supported: an initial salary figure can anchor candidates and pull their subsequent bargaining position toward it. Strong negotiation research backs this anchoring effect, including in salary contexts. The main caveat is that the best evidence more directly measures counteroffers than private expectations, and the exact timing implied by the wording is less explicitly tested.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults make up 37% of Australia's adult prison population while comprising 3.2% of Australia's general population.”
The quoted figures are supported by official Australian statistics, but they are not the only valid way to measure the comparison. The 37% figure matches ABS prison data for 2025. The 3.2% figure is the 2021 Census share of the total population, while ABS also publishes a higher estimated resident population share of about 3.8%, so the claim is accurate as stated but somewhat selective.
“The Earth is not a perfect sphere.”
Earth is measurably wider at the equator than from pole to pole, so it is not a perfect sphere. Authoritative geodesy sources describe it as an oblate spheroid or ellipsoid, and the real physical surface is even more irregular when modeled as the geoid. The small size of the deviation does not change the conclusion.
“Use of Sparx Maths in schools can place excessive pressure on students.”
The available evidence indicates that Sparx Maths can place excessive pressure on some students. This conclusion is supported by consistent user reports and by general research showing that demanding maths tasks can trigger anxiety. However, no strong independent study in the provided record measures how often Sparx causes this problem or isolates it from broader homework and maths-related stress.
“Spending long periods on repetitive mathematics questions on Sparx Maths can lead to frustration and anxiety.”
The evidence supports the claim in broad terms: long, repetitive maths practice can contribute to frustration and math anxiety, and user reports indicate this can happen on Sparx Maths. However, there is no strong peer-reviewed study directly measuring anxiety caused by Sparx specifically. So the practical risk described is credible, but the platform-specific link is not yet firmly established by high-quality direct research.
“Funds released under U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions relief for Iran are deposited into a U.S.-controlled escrow account.”
The evidence does not support the existence of a current U.S.-controlled escrow account for Iran sanctions-relief funds. Treasury/OFAC materials and recent legal analysis indicate that the cited 2026 relief does not require escrow, and historically restricted funds were typically held at foreign banks, not in U.S.-controlled accounts. The claim appears to rely on political statements, not binding Treasury rules.
“Delyan Peevski owns the Marinela Hotel in Sofia, Bulgaria.”
Available official records do not support any ownership link between Delyan Peevski and Hotel Marinela. Bulgarian registry documents and U.S./EU sanctions materials do not list him as owner, shareholder, or controller, while reporting attributes the hotel to the Arabadzhiev family. Using the hotel for meetings is not evidence of ownership.
“The Australian Age Pension assets test changes were implemented on 1 January 2017.”
The evidence clearly shows the Age Pension assets test changes took effect on 1 January 2017. This date is stated in the relevant legislation and repeated in official guidance from the Department of Social Services and the ATO. References to multiple Acts concern the legislative pathway, not a different implementation date.
“Factories in China are destroying the Earth's ozone layer.”
The evidence does not support the idea that Chinese factories are currently destroying the Earth’s ozone layer. China was a major source of illegal CFC-11 emissions in the mid-2010s, and some industrial ozone-depleting emissions still occur, but enforcement sharply reduced the known surge. The best available evidence says the ozone layer is recovering and that this episode did not significantly derail that recovery.
“There is a zombie outbreak in the United States.”
The claim is not supported by any credible evidence. Official U.S. and international health agencies do not report a zombie outbreak, and the CDC’s zombie materials were created as fictional preparedness tools, not outbreak announcements. References to zombie plans or “zombie viruses” are hypothetical, metaphorical, or about unrelated scientific topics, not evidence of undead people in the United States.