Government

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has officially debunked viral social media claims alleging that it is conducting a secret recruitment exercise. The agency clarified that it does not conduct recruitment through clandestine processes or third parties and urged the public to rely only on its official communication channels for verified information.

During a campaign rally in Nebraska on October 5, 2026, President Donald Trump discussed the ongoing war with Iran and the associated economic costs, specifically rising gas prices. In his remarks, he stated, 'They can take out a city. Let 'em take out Los Angeles, let 'em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay and it's going to be over with very soon.' While the White House and supporters argued the comments were taken out of context—asserting he meant that the economic costs were a small price to pay compared to the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran—the attribution of the quote itself is accurate.

In May 2019, staff for Representative Ilhan Omar requested that the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library update her official biographical record to reflect her birth year as 1982 rather than 1981. The library complied with this request, and her birth date is now widely cited as October 4, 1982, in official and biographical sources.

The claim that BJP leader Nitin Nabin hoisted the national flag upside down is false. The image circulating on social media was digitally manipulated; original video and photographic evidence from the event show him holding the flag correctly.

The claim that actor Deepika Padukone shared an Instagram Story supporting Sonam Wangchuk and criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi is false. Multiple media outlets and fact-checking investigations have confirmed that the viral screenshot circulating on social media is digitally fabricated and never appeared on the actor's verified account.

The video does not show an incident in India; it depicts an event that occurred in Sonargaon, Narayanganj, Bangladesh. The claim that it represents the 'new normal' in BJP-ruled India is false.

The claim that social activist Anna Hazare attended a press conference for the 'Cockroach Janata Party' (CJP) is false. The viral image used to support this claim has been identified by multiple fact-checking organizations as AI-generated.

The claim that French President Emmanuel Macron has resigned is false. Macron remains the President of France and has stated his intention to leave politics only after his second term concludes in 2027.

The claim that India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed there is no foreign funding in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is false. The MEA explicitly debunked this viral social media claim, stating that it misrepresents the spokesperson's actual comments.

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check unit and government officials have confirmed that viral videos depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Piyush Goyal making threatening remarks toward students are AI-generated deepfakes. Authorities have identified these as part of a misinformation campaign and have taken legal action, including filing police complaints and removing the content from social media platforms.

The viral video claiming to show municipal vehicles dumping garbage to block CJP protesters in Delhi is false. Fact-check investigations have confirmed the footage was recorded in Panipat, Haryana, on August 17, 2026, and depicts a protest by local sanitation workers, not an attempt by Delhi authorities to obstruct demonstrators.

The claim that the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed intelligence investigations showed no foreign funding in recent Delhi protests is false. The MEA explicitly debunked this viral claim, stating that it misrepresents the spokesperson's actual remarks, which were that he had 'no information' to share on the matter.

There is no evidence that Donald Trump has issued written instructions requesting a 'simple' funeral without gold or expensive caskets in the event of his death while in office. The claim originated as an online rumor and has been debunked by fact-checking organizations.

There is no evidence that Donald Trump drafted written instructions requesting a 'simple' funeral with no gold or extravagance in the event of his death while in office. The claim originated as an online rumor and has been debunked by fact-checking organizations.

Speaker Mike Johnson's claim that the 119th Congress is the 'most productive in 80 years' is misleading. While House leadership cites specific metrics like tax cuts and deregulation, objective legislative data shows that the 119th Congress has enacted significantly fewer bills than historical averages, with some analyses ranking it among the least productive in modern history.

The claim that Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated there was no foreign funding behind CJP-led protests is false. The MEA explicitly debunked this viral claim, clarifying that the spokesperson actually stated he had 'no information to share' regarding the matter.

While Donald Trump did use the phrase 'Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego' during a rally, the context of his remarks indicates he was describing a hypothetical threat posed by Iran, not advocating for or expressing a willingness to allow such an attack to occur.

The claim that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was photographed with Jeffrey Epstein is false. The images circulating online are AI-generated fabrications created by a parody account.

The claim that Governor Gavin Newsom is 'forcing' the closure of California refineries is not supported by evidence. While refinery closures have occurred in California, companies like Phillips 66 and Valero have cited market conditions, regulatory environments, and business sustainability as reasons for their decisions, rather than direct government mandates to shut down.

During a meeting at the White House on August 17, 2026, President Donald Trump told 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai, who had been rescued from drowning by a lifeguard, that he 'probably' would not have been able to save him.

The claim that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pushed for a 20% salary increase for himself and other city officials is false. While an independent commission recommended an 18.2% salary adjustment for elected officials to account for inflation, Mayor Mamdani did not initiate or push for this raise and publicly committed to declining the increase for himself.

President Donald Trump stated he feels "badly" for the seven male students accused of sexual assault at Cornell University, asserting they would not receive a "fair shake" because New York Attorney General Letitia James was appointed to investigate the case.

The claim that Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he had 'spoken to God' and that 'tonight is Armageddon' is false. The image circulating on social media is a fabricated screenshot.

The claim that the United States has the best poverty numbers in history is mostly true, as the official poverty rate in 2025 was the lowest recorded since 1959. However, this claim omits context about the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which is considered more comprehensive by experts and did not show an all-time low in 2025.

There is no evidence that President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename 'artificial intelligence' to 'super intelligence' for the purpose of profiting from Slovenian (.si) domain names. While President Trump did sign an executive order in September 2026 directing federal agencies to use the term 'super intelligence' in official communications, the claim regarding the .si domain names is a baseless conspiracy theory.

There is no evidence that Marsha Blackburn has stated she would bring back school segregation in Tennessee. This claim originated from a satirical or fabricated social media post and has been debunked by fact-checking organizations.

President Donald Trump did not sign an executive order to rename New Mexico to 'New America.' The claim originated from a satirical social media post that was debunked by fact-checkers. While President Trump later shared a map on Truth Social that visually proposed the name change, he has taken no formal legal or executive action to change the state's name.

While President Donald Trump posted an image on Truth Social on September 6, 2026, with the text 'The Moon is Ours,' this does not constitute a legal claim of sovereignty. Under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, to which the United States is a signatory, no nation can claim the moon or other celestial bodies as its territory.

The United States is a signatory to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which explicitly prohibits nations from claiming sovereignty over the moon or other celestial bodies.

There is no evidence that Donald Trump proposed shutting down the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. While reports indicate that Trump decided to skip the 2026 9/11 anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero after being informed he would not be permitted to deliver a speech, he did not threaten to close the memorial itself.

While Donald Trump posted an image on Truth Social with the text "THE MOON IS OURS" accompanied by an American flag, this did not constitute a formal legal declaration or executive action claiming the Moon as U.S. territory. Such a claim would violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, to which the United States is a signatory.

The claim that BJP President Nitin Nabin disrespected the national flag by hoisting it upside down is false. The viral image circulating on social media has been digitally manipulated; original footage confirms he was holding the flag correctly.

The Trump administration has implemented new accountability standards that restrict federal student loan eligibility for academic programs where graduates' earnings consistently fall below a specific threshold, such as the earnings of individuals with only a high school diploma. This policy affects various fields, including social work, which may face reduced access to federal student loan funding if they fail to meet these earnings benchmarks.

The claim that BJP National President Nitin Nabin hoisted the Indian national flag upside down is false. The viral image circulating on social media has been digitally manipulated; the original photograph shows him holding the flag correctly.

Multiple reputable news organizations confirmed that protests took place at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on October 2, 2026, where demonstrators demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

The claim that President Donald Trump promoted a proposal called 'The TRUMP Rules' to restrict legislative lawmakers is false. This is a recurring internet hoax that has circulated in various forms since at least 2009, falsely attributed to various political figures over time.

The claim that Nyesom Wike stated the G5 governors rigged the 2023 election is false. While Wike publicly discussed the political strategy used by the G5 governors to influence the election outcome in the South-South region, he did not admit to rigging the election.

The claim that the U.S. government paid for Mitch McConnell's childhood polio treatment is false. While McConnell did receive treatment at the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, the facility was a private, non-profit organization funded by charitable donations, primarily through the March of Dimes, not by the federal government.

There is no evidence that Donald Trump threatened to turn off the water to Niagara Falls. The claim originated from a fabricated screenshot of a social media post that does not exist on his official Truth Social account.

The claim that the Central Government has issued a notification declaring every Saturday as a public holiday for public sector banks is false. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check unit has officially debunked this viral document as fake.

While there have been multiple, well-documented protests at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar throughout late September 2026, some viral videos circulating on social media have been identified as mislabeled or taken out of context regarding specific dates or events.

The claim that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pushed for a 20% salary raise for himself and other city officials is false. While a commission recommended an 18.2% salary increase for various city officials in June 2026, Mayor Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin publicly stated they would not accept the raise.

While there were genuine protests at Jantar Mantar in September 2026 regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demands for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, the specific video being circulated as 'recent' has been identified by authorities and fact-checkers as old, unrelated footage.

Multiple viral images and videos circulating on social media that purport to show former Prime Minister Imran Khan inside jail—including images of him praying—have been identified as AI-generated content by multiple independent fact-checking organizations.

The claim that not a single Republican condemned the targeted shooting of Democratic politicians in Minnesota in June 2025 is false. Numerous high-ranking Republican officials, including the House Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader, as well as Minnesota's entire congressional delegation, issued statements condemning the violence.

The claim that BJP National President Nitin Nabin hoisted the national flag upside down is false. Multiple independent fact-checking organizations and news reports have confirmed that the viral images and videos circulating on social media were digitally manipulated or edited to misrepresent the original event.

The claim that Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima was recorded using his phone to film during a speech by Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly is false. Fact-checking investigations have confirmed that the individual in the viral video was misidentified.

The viral video compilation claiming to show a growing, unified protest movement against President Bola Tinubu's government is false. Investigations by independent fact-checkers have confirmed that the footage used in these viral posts consists of old, unrelated clips from different years and contexts, such as the 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests and 2023 demonstrations following the death of singer Mohbad.

There is no evidence that Donald Trump intends to add his name to Ford's Theatre. The claim originated from media reports citing unnamed sources, which were subsequently and explicitly denied by Donald Trump himself, who labeled the reports as "fake news."

There is no evidence that Governor Gavin Newsom has 'forced' the closure of California oil refineries. While some refineries have announced closures citing long-term regulatory uncertainty and market conditions, these are private business decisions. Furthermore, the claim that these closures are the primary cause of U.S. gas price spikes is unsupported, as California's fuel market is distinct from the national market due to its unique gasoline blend requirements.