Does the stimulus bill include a $5.2 billion payoff for ACORN? February 6, 2009 The bill does include funds for which ACORN would be eligible to compete - against hundreds of other groups. But most is for a housing rehabilitation program ACORN says it never applied for in the past and won't in the...

Is President Obama planning to have the military swear an oath to him rather than to the Constitution? February 4, 2009 No, the "news report" that makes this claim is intended as satire.

Is the government outlawing the resale of children's clothing? February 2, 2009 Not explicitly. A recently passed law won't ban resale, but it will hold resellers responsible for selling items with lead content that exceeds new limits. Some resellers are fearful this will force them out of business.

Was Harry Reid's ancestor a horse thief? January 29, 2009 That's a hoax. Sen. Reid is only the most recent political figure to be accused of fabricated outlaw ancestry.

Did Obama snub Medal of Honor recipients at the Inaugural Balls? January 27, 2009 Obama is the first president since Eisenhower to miss the American Legion's Salute to Heroes ball. A Legion spokesman says it "does not feel offended or 'snubbed,'" and Medal of Honor recipients were invited to the Commander in Chief's ball,...

Did Barack Obama's inauguration really cost 4 times as much as George Bush's 2005 inauguration? January 21, 2009 Claims of a huge disparity are untrue. Actually, an apples-to-apples comparison shows that the two inaugurations likely cost about the same.

Are states going to require serial numbers on bullets and require disposal of existing ammunition? January 16, 2009 Such a proposal is being pushed by a company that holds a patent on bullet-coding technology. But none of the 31 bills introduced last year ever made it out of committee.

Why did the Obamas stay at a hotel instead of Blair House? January 14, 2009 The family wanted the daughters to start school in early January, much earlier in the month than recent presidents have taken up residence there. The Bush administration said the guest house was unavailable, and a former Australian prime minister stayed...

Is it true that 36 percent to 37 percent of eligible voters failed to vote in the recent presidential election? January 8, 2009 Actually, the number is slightly higher than that: 38.4 percent of eligible voters didn't cast a ballot for president in 2008. Even more -- 39.9 percent -- didn't vote in 2006.

What's the deal with Prof. Joseph Olson's "unreported stats" from the 2008 election? January 5, 2009 This chain e-mail is a hoax. The "statistics" are grossly incorrect, and Prof. Olson says he didn't write it.