Fact Check
Verifying accuracy of claims and statements
Latest stories
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One year later: Fact-checking conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk's death
Misinformation swelled almost immediately after Charlie Kirk's assassination on Sept. 10, 2025, evolving from chaotic breaking news rumors into complex, unfounded narratives — many pushed by people who share Kirk’s political beliefs.
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President Trump's claims on election security and the Save America Act
In a recent address, President Trump raised concerns regarding the vulnerabilities in the U.S. election system and promoted the Save America Act, which would mandate proof of citizenship to vote. Fact-checking by PolitiFact highlighted discrepancies in Trump's claims, particularly regarding alleged Chinese interference in the elections.
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Experts question Noem calling Minneapolis driver a 'domestic terrorist'. Here's what it means
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the actions of Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, as "domestic terrorism."
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Does North Carolina offer the lowest teacher pay in the South?
North Carolina Democrats are calling on state lawmakers to boost teacher pay by passing a full state budget. The party says teacher salaries are lower in North Carolina than anywhere else in the South. Paul Specht checks that claim for PolitiFact.
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Fact check: Did JD Vance provide 'furnished apartments' for Helene victims?
The social media users who made videos claiming that Vance found North Carolina hurricane victims furnished apartments to move into cited no sources.
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Fact check: Trump says Biden kicked 2,000 Helene victims out of temporary housing
President Donald Trump told North Carolina hurricane victims that under former President Joe Biden, the Federal Emergency Management Agency failed them in a time of crisis.
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Fact check: Cooper says Helene bill 'took money' from western NC
Speaking on MSNBC, then-Gov. Roy Cooper said Republican legislators passed a bill that "actually took money away from western North Carolina."
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Fact-check: Is the federal government treating California and North Carolina disasters differently?
As wildfires raged across Los Angeles, killing at least 24 people and destroying thousands of structures, some people sought to contrast emergency response to the fires to disaster response that followed deadly hurricanes that battered the southeastern U.S. late last year.
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Fact check: Are Helene victims required to pay taxes on damaged property?
Buncombe County "is still demanding property taxes on homes destroyed by Hurricane Helene based on pre-Helene assessments that no longer apply," Dana Loesch, a conservative radio show host, told her 1 million X followers.
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Fact check: TikTok video accuses NC deputies of stealing generators donated for Helene victims
In the two-minute video that says "Bakersville, North Carolina," on screen when it begins, a man approaches Mitchell County sheriff's deputies and accuses them of putting a donated generator in their truck.
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FEMA expands footprint in NC
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is increasing its footprint in the Triangle in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, leasing a 117,000-square-foot office building in Research Triangle Park.
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FEMA leases Durham building for Helene recovery operations
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is increasing its footprint in the Triangle in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, leasing a 117,000-square-foot office building in Durham.
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Cooper, Helene responders and immigrants: PolitiFact's top NC fact-checks of 2024
Atop this year's most-read fact-checks: Are immigrants straining the state's social safety net? And how did the government respond to Hurricane Helene's damage to western North Carolina?
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Trump debate claim is 2024 'Lie of the Year'
In choosing the 2024 Lie of the Year, the claims by JD Vance and Donald Trump about Haitians eating pets stood out. It was an absurd statement that Trump raised unprompted on the debate stage.
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Fact check: No, responders didn't fill 600 body bags after Helene hit North Carolina
As of Dec. 11, there were 103 verified Hurricane Helene-related fatalities in North Carolina, according to the state.
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FEMA lags behind its prior projection as hundreds of Helene victims await temporary housing
FEMA approved 536 households impacted by Hurricane Helene for temporary housing units, which are move-in ready trailers. WRAL has learned only 57 households have received them, more than two months since the storm hit.
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Fact check: How many temporary homes has FEMA provided to Helene victims in NC?
A post on X seen by nearly 1 million people claimed that FEMA had provided "only four" temporary housing units to North Carolina's Helene victims as of Nov. 20.
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Fact check: Do North Carolina officials 'keep' children of Helene victims who can't find shelter?
In a social media post, a man says: "Red Cross is set to close shelters across North Carolina on November 15th. Families staying in these shelters are being told: 'If you don't have a safe place to take your children, you won't be leaving with them. The authorities will keep them.'"
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Fact check: Moore says the White House didn't call him after Helene hit North Carolina
In Asheville on Oct. 21, North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) said he had "not gotten a single call from the White House" since Helene hit the state.
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Fact check: No, a former military leader wasn't arrested in North Carolina amid Helene relief efforts
A recent fabricated news story takes aim at a onetime aide of former President Donald Trump and a frequent bogeyman of conspiracy theorists: the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
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Fact check: Did Washington Republicans vote against FEMA funding?
A stopgap funding bill passed by Congress Sept. 25 included $20 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund. But it was a much broader funding bill that also included money for many other federal programs.
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Donald Trump to hold rally in Greensboro Tuesday as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff visits Cary, Carrboro
Tuesday's rally comes at a crucial time as the latest national NBC News poll shows a tight race between Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
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Fact check: Did Harris stage NC photo op with supplies that weren't sent to Helene victims?
This claim is false. A mechanical issue was discovered on the plane after Vice President Kamala Harris was photographed near the aircraft, and the hurricane relief supplies were moved to another plane.
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Fact check: No, North Carolina's post-Helene election changes are not signs of 'cheating'
After Hurricane Helene left many people in western North Carolina stranded, the state eased some rules for in-person and mail-in voting.
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In Depth with Dan: Helene response and misinformation
WRAL anchor/reporter Dan Haggerty examines the response to Hurricane Helene and the misinformation spread since it caused devastation in North Carolina.
