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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Was Record of Heroic Nurse Wiped from Defense Department Archives?

Was Record of Heroic Nurse Wiped from Defense Department Archives?

Q: Did President Donald Trump call military nurse Ruby Bradley a “loser,” and were there orders for her service history to be removed from Department of Defense archives?

A: There’s no evidence for these claims. We could find no record of Trump referring to nurse Ruby Bradley, who received 34 medals for her service during World War II and the Korean War. A Pentagon spokesperson told us that there was “nothing deleted and/or taken offline related to Ruby Bradley”

Legal Scholars Dispute Constitutional ‘Loophole’ for a Third Trump Term

Legal Scholars Dispute Constitutional ‘Loophole’ for a Third Trump Term

President Donald Trump said in a March 30 interview that “there are methods” for him to serve a third term in the White House, and a Daily Mail article referred to a “loophole” in the 22nd Amendment that would make it possible. But legal experts told us the “loophole” legal argument is “implausible” and “defeats the clear intent” of the amendment.

Viral Posts Share Phony ‘Leaked’ Audio of Vance Criticizing Musk

Viral Posts Share Phony ‘Leaked’ Audio of Vance Criticizing Musk

Vice President JD Vance has said White House adviser Elon Musk has made “mistakes” in his work with the Department of Government Efficiency. But social media posts are sharing what experts said is a manipulated audio clip that purports to be Vance making much harsher remarks about Musk. The vice president’s spokesperson called the clip “100% fake.”

Posts Fabricate Claims About Trump’s Response to Duterte’s Arrest

Posts Fabricate Claims About Trump’s Response to Duterte’s Arrest

In 2017, President Donald Trump expressed admiration for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drug suspects. But social media posts have falsely claimed that Trump has ordered Duterte’s release from the International Criminal Court, where he faces charges of crimes against humanity. We could find no response from Trump regarding Duterte’s arrest.

Study Focused on Feminine Hygiene Products, Not Transgender Men

Study Focused on Feminine Hygiene Products, Not Transgender Men

The Department of Agriculture announced the cancellation of a $600,000 grant to study the development of feminine hygiene products made of natural fibers. The USDA, Department of Government Efficiency and social media posts misleadingly claimed the study was of “menstrual cycles in transgender men.” The university behind the study said it was focused on making safer products to “benefit all biological women.”

White Nationalist Group Is Still Active, Contrary to Social Media Claims

White Nationalist Group Is Still Active, Contrary to Social Media Claims

Social media posts, some pointing to comments by podcaster Joe Rogan, are spreading unsupported claims that members of the Patriot Front are federal agents and that the group disbanded after the recent leadership change at the FBI. But days after Kash Patel was confirmed as FBI director, the Patriot Front had two public rallies, and its website refutes the claims.

Posts Spread False Claim About DOGE Halting Supposed Obamacare ‘Royalties’

Posts Spread False Claim About DOGE Halting Supposed Obamacare ‘Royalties’

Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency have been tasked by President Donald Trump with slashing federal spending. But social media posts falsely claim that as part of that effort, DOGE stopped “royalties” to former President Barack Obama related to the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. The claim came from a satirical website.

Online Posts Misconstrue Data on Social Security Numbers

Online Posts Misconstrue Data on Social Security Numbers

Elon Musk shared a chart on X purportedly showing more than 398 million eligible numbers in the Social Security database. Online posts misconstrued the figures to wrongly claim they showed how many people are receiving benefits, which would exceed the U.S. population. The Social Security Administration reported more than 68.4 million recipients in 2024.

Trump, Online Posts Misrepresent Government Subscriptions to News Services

Trump, Online Posts Misrepresent Government Subscriptions to News Services

Both the Biden and Trump administrations subscribed to Politico and other news services. But President Donald Trump and online posts have misleadingly claimed the media outlets were being funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The payments from USAID and other federal departments or agencies were for subscriptions.