Your weekly fact-checks
#TrumpCheck
Snopes
True: In May 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody."
Though correctly attributed, it is missing the context that he was responding to a question about whether Americans' finances were influencing his negotiations over the war in Iran. His full answer made clear his singular focus was preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which he described as overriding all other considerations.
#Politics
PolitiFact
Mostly-True: Republicans “want you to pay $1 Billion for a ballroom.”
A Senate bill seeks $1 billion for security features for the White House’s East Wing Modernization project, which includes the ballroom.The bill said the money can’t be used for non-security elements. Separating security and non-security construction is tricky, experts said.
News Mobile
False: Newspaper clipping suggesting former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi appealed to citizens not to buy gold in 1967.
The viral newspaper clipping claiming that former PM Indira Gandhi appealed to citizens not to buy gold in 1967 is digitally altered and fake. The publication in question officially denied its authenticity, and the actual June 6, 1967, front page carried reports about the Arab-Israeli War, not a gold-related appeal.
Newschecker
False: Pakistan flags were waved during the Congress-led UDF victory celebrations in Kerala.
They are flags of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a major member of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala. The video was filmed during the victory celebrations of IUML leader PK Kunhalikutty in Malappuram following the 2026 Kerala Assembly election results.
#Healthcare
Lead Stories
False: Document shows Hantavirus as a side effect of Covid 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 a broad list of health conditions that researchers want to look out for or monitor closely for safety during vaccine trials or wider rollout.
#Economy
PolitiFact
Barely-True: Proposed data centers in New York state would use “approximately double the energy usage of all households in the state combined.”
The proposed data centers would require 9.5 gigawatts of power during peak times. Experts said this amount would represent a significant addition to New York state’s electricity use but doesn’t amount to twice the state’s households' current usage.
Lead Stories
False: CBC News published a story about a poll saying 89% of Canadians blame Donald Trump for Canada's economy.
The picture was first published by a satire account. Two online AI detectors suggested that the viral image was generated by AI.
PolitiFact
True: “The average IRS tax refund is up 11% compared to last year.”
Official IRS statistics show that by late March, average refunds were about 11.1% higher than they were in 2025, a number that has remained steady in the weeks since. Tax experts agree that the 2025 tax bill is the main reason, as taxpayers reap the rewards of tax reductions they had not planned for in their withholding.
#Conflict
Agence France-Presse - AFP
False: Report on explosion at Eritrea-based military camp.
Amid rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, a post shared on Facebook claims that Africa Intelligence, a digital publication specialising in African affairs, reported an explosion at a secret Ethiopian rebel training camp in Eritrea. However, this is false: Africa Intelligence denied publishing such a report, and fact-checkers confirmed that the news article and accompanying image were fabricated using artificial intelligence.
StopFake
False: Kyiv is using Chornobyl wildfire smoke as a nuclear weapon against Europe.
No evidence supports the claim that a fire in the Chornobyl exclusion zone constitutes a “nuclear attack” on Europe, nor that Ukraine is exploiting the emergency in any way. Ukrainian official services reported that radiation levels in Ukraine and in the vicinity of the fire remain within normal limits. Independent European monitoring sources recorded no radioactive contamination posing a danger to populations outside the exclusion zone.
#WTF?! What The Fact of the week
Snopes
True: The New York Police Department has been using Digidog, a robotic police dog, designed to help police officers in emergencies.
The Digidog is a remote-controlled, 70-pound Boston Dynamics "Spot" robot dog fitted with cameras and lights for real-time situational awareness. First deployed under Mayor de Blasio in 2020, it was retired in 2021 after public backlash, revived by Mayor Adams in 2023 for high-risk scenarios like hostage negotiations, and remains active in 2026 amid a new City Council push to permanently ban the NYPD from ever arming it.
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