Your weekly fact-checks
#TrumpCheck
Snopes
True: The U.S. government announced new passports that will include a portrait of President Donald Trump.
The U.S. Department of State and the White House said it was a "limited edition" design to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the nation's independence. They did not say whether the design was optional, nor did they clarify how many copies of the newly designed passport would be made. We reached out both to the White House and the State Department to ask for more details and we will update this story should they respond.
Politifact
False: Gasoline prices have “come down very substantially today.”
Between May 4 and May 7, gasoline prices rose every day. Crude oil prices decreased, but daily variations aren’t reflected immediately in prices at the pump, experts say. By historical standards, U.S. gasoline prices are unusually high right now.
Snopes
False: President Barack Obama worked with the CIA in 2016 to engineer the "Russian Hoax" and overthrow Trump.
Trump reposted a false claim on Truth Social promoting this conspiracy theory. There has been no evidence to suggest this conspiracy has validity.
#Politics
PolitiFact
Half-True: Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner blames Maine’s women for getting raped because he says they get f--— up drunk.
In a 2013 Reddit post, Graham Platner wrote "how about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f—ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don't mean to?" He added that "rape is a real thing" and people should not "get blacked out f—ed up around people you aren't comfortable with."During his campaign for the U.S. Senate in Maine, Platner apologized for his remarks. Platner’s past statements have been the subject of ads by his Democratic rival, Gov. Janet Mills, and a PAC supporting U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican.
Snopes
Mostly True: A bipartisan group of legislators introduced a resolution to the U.S. Congress condemning Twitch streamer Hasan Piker for alleged antisemitism.
The resolution was introduced as a simple resolution in only one of Congress's two chambers, the House of Representatives, meaning it would only affect the House and not be treated as U.S. law if it passed. As of this writing, the House has not voted on the resolution condemning Hasan.
#Healthcare
FactCheck.org
False: A new Danish study didn’t find a link between Tylenol and autism, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling it “garbage” and saying it was industry-generated and “fraudulent.”
There is no evidence of fraud or industry involvement by the scientists who worked on this paper, and the criticism Kennedy made was a limitation the authors acknowledged — not legitimate grounds for retraction.
Lead Stories
False: A document shows hantavirus as a side effect of COVID-19 vaccines.
The document shows a government-required adverse event (AE) report prepared by pharmaceutical companies. It is not a list of side effects proven to be caused by or associated with the vaccine, but rather a broad list of health conditions that researchers want to watch for or monitor closely for safety during vaccine trials or the wider rollout.
#Economy
PolitiFact
False: “California only has ‘enough’ oil and gas supply to meet demand for the next six weeks.”
A California energy official stated on May 5 that gasoline supplies are sufficient for the next six weeks, the standard forecast window, not a predicted cutoff. While supplies aren't expected to run out, prices could still rise further.
Full Fact
Mostly False: The Conservative Party claims they’ve delivered the lowest average council tax increase, Reform UK.
Both Reform UK and the Conservatives claim to have delivered the lowest council tax increases, but they reach different conclusions because they measure averages differently. Reform excludes district councils, while the Conservatives include them. Experts deemed Reform's approach more reasonable, noting the Conservative method unfairly mixes council types with different spending responsibilities and tax-rise limits.
#Crime
PolitiFact
Mostly-True: From January 2025 to January 2026, “hate crimes in New York City increased by 152%”
NYPD data shows hate crimes in New York City rose 152% between January 2025 and January 2026. However, experts caution that hate crimes often spike around specific events, making single-month comparisons volatile and potentially misleading. In fact, year-over-year figures fell in both February and March, suggesting the January jump may not reflect a longer-term trend.
#WTF?! What The Fact of the week
Snopes
True: A U.S. airport sniffer dog found at least 100 pork and chicken sandwiches from 7-Eleven in Thailand in a traveller's luggage.
A CBP sniffer dog named Merla uncovered 100 pork and chicken sandwiches from a Thai 7-Eleven in a traveller's luggage at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport in February 2026. The sandwiches were destroyed, as travellers must declare meat products entering the U.S. due to risks like African swine fever and bird flu.
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