rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 24/04/2026haven't had a minute to talk about this story yet, but please read dr. burgart's thread/my story here: www.snopes.com/news/2026/04...snopes.comTrump admin plans to detransition incarcerated trans people. Is that 'medical experimentation'?Factually, the proposal rejects medically accepted standards of care. 000
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 24/04/2026this one really flew under the radar in american media (too much to cover), but yes, trump reposted racist comments made by a radio host about indians and chinese people, including that there's 'no loyalty' among non-european immigrants + china/india are a 'hellhole' www.snopes.com/fact-check/t...snopes.comTrump posted conservative radio host's derogatory statement about people of India, ChinaThe quote came from conservative radio host Michael Savage, who railed against Indian and Chinese immigrants. 000
Reposted by rae dengDanny Cherry Jr (twitter/Insta/tiktok: @Deecherrywriter) @deecherrywriter.bsky.social · 08/04/2026If I was management of one of the top investigative outlets in the country I’d just simply give them what they want. 015547
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 08/04/2026Sorry, I meant multiple cards was discontinued on Kobo (I was already a big Libby user on my old Kindle) but I guess a better phrase would’ve been “no longer compatible with Kobo.” Appreciate your work on this! 000
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 08/04/2026piling on to say I just bought a kobo to get out of the kindle ecosystem + I was sold by the integration w Libby and expected to be able to access multiple library cards, was super disappointed when I found out that was discontinued. also, didn’t realize magazines aren’t integrated!! 110
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 03/04/2026as a trans person, while i appreciate the individual empathy shown to byron noem in this article, it fails to contend w/ the material harm that trans ppl have time and time again said is caused directly by the complacency of people adjacent to power like him. www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...washingtonpost.comColumn | The lonely photographs of Bryon NoemWe’re all noticing the wrong thing in the photographs published by the Daily Mail. 020
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 31/03/2026for @snopes.com: trump administration quietly delays title x funding for reproductive care clinics that serve low-income and uninsured patients, potentially affecting birth control access for millions of americans. www.snopes.com/fact-check/b...snopes.comWhy millions of Americans could lose birth control access under TrumpThe Trump administration delayed Title X funding for reproductive care clinics that serve uninsured and low-income Americans. 000
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 19/03/2026sources on cis kids getting more gender-affirming surgeries than trans kids: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38896845/#:~.... hsph.harvard.edu/news/gender-...pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govBreast Surgery in Adolescents: Cisgender Breast Reduction Versus Transgender and Nonbinary Chest Masculinization - PubMedCisgender female adolescents undergo breast surgery at a 7-fold rate compared with TGNB adolescents and do so at significantly younger ages. Given the favorable effects of BRS and CMS on psychosocial well-being and their comparable surgical risk of complications, our data help recontextualize the co … 081
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 19/03/2026the amdt banning "bodily and genital mutilation" for minors bans surgeries that "no longer correspond with an individual's sex." it doesn't ban chest reductions or breast enhancements for cis kids (which happen more than gender-affirming surgeries for trans kids) www.snopes.com/news/2026/03...snopes.comRepublicans propose adding anti-trans provisions to SAVE America Act that Trump claimed it already hadThe president referred to the proposed ban on trans women in women's sports and gender-affirming surgeries for minors as the "best of Trump." 1145
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 19/03/2026oops I forgot the link (research papers linked in substack): cdce.substack.com/p/who-couldn...cdce.substack.comWho couldn't verify their citizenship and identity if the SAVE America Act passed?The Senate is debating a package of voting proposals. Three surveys we conducted with VoteRiders shed light on which U.S. citizens over 18-years-old might face barriers to voting if it passed. 000
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 18/03/2026in the inbox: men, especially young men, are actually more likely to not have access to the documentary proof of citizenship required by the SAVE america act. the act would also impact americans across political spectrum. from UMD's center for democracy and civic engagement 152
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 11/03/2026i started working on this story for @snopes.com in mid/late january. it was scheduled to run next week but we pushed it up in the schedule... because people kept dying in ICE facilities and i kept having to update the story with more deaths. www.snopes.com/news/2026/03...snopes.comPosts claim ICE killed 9 people in 2026. We broke down the casesICE detention centers have a reported history of poor conditions, abuse and medical neglect, which may have contributed to detainee deaths. 031
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 13/02/2026claims like these rely on legit anxieties, but without actual evidence spreading them results in panic and takes away attention from the actual evidence of wrongdoing by those connected to epstein. full story here. 3/3 www.snopes.com/news/2026/02...snopes.comContextualizing claims school photo company Lifetouch is in Epstein filesNothing in the Epstein files directly links Lifetouch to the late sex offender's criminal activity. 020
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 13/02/2026leon black, ex-ceo of the org that acquired lifetouch's parent company, has faced allegations of rape tied to epstein for years now — but suggesting he handed over school pics to epstein is a huge leap, esp when there's no evidence any lifetouch execs ever spoke with epstein. 2/3 110
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 13/02/2026for @snopes.com, i looked into rumors that lifetouch, the school photo company, is in the epstein files. what i found: a single debit card transaction from a redacted account and no mention of any lifetouch execs. here's what their 'ties' to epstein look like. 1/3 130
Reposted by rae dengFrankie de la Cretaz @thefrankiedlc.news · 11/02/2026This is the correct take. ALSO: The ex-gf has spoken & she does not seem to want to take him back: "I did not choose to be put in this position, and it hurts to have to be in it." people.com/sturla-holm-... 27820
Reposted by rae dengMatt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 06/02/2026I just tested this out with a selfie, asking Gemini to add a digital watermark and then starting a new chat to ask. Gemini said it had the SynthID watermark so it's AI. Gemini also falsely claimed the "Hiroshima USA" magazine behind me was AI generated because of tiny distortions it added. 06613
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 29/01/2026absolutely horrendous that in our current online environment false claims like this one about alex pretti — the result of ai-generated slop on a half-formed wordpress blog — can spread so quickly. for @snopes.com: www.snopes.com/fact-check/a...snopes.comWas Alex Pretti fired from nursing job for misconduct? Here's the truthAfter Pretti was fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol agents, his family and friends said he became the target of a smear campaign. 182
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 09/01/2026raises questions about how we define violence and crime. www.snopes.com/fact-check/r...snopes.comICE shooting of Renee Good was 1st recorded Minneapolis homicide of 2026The city had recorded no other homicides or shootings from Jan. 1, 2026, to Jan. 7, 2026. 010
Reposted by rae dengWIRED @wired.com · 08/01/2026We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe. 1021460310123
Reposted by rae dengPhil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 09/01/2026Becca Good, the wife of Renee Good, has released her first public statement since the shooting “We were raising our son to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness. Renee lived this belief every day.”mprnews.orgRenee Macklin Good’s wife says she nurtured kindnessOn Wednesday, Renee Macklin Good was fatally shot by a federal ICE agent. Becca Good, her wife, shared the following statement with MPR News. 312368691
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 22/12/2025merry christmas from me and @snopes.com www.snopes.com/fact-check/s...snopes.comHave Santa's bones been leaking liquid for 1,700 years?God rest ye leaky gentleman. 141
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 08/12/2025a writer's dream is to one day publish a story that allows them to use as many different descriptors of "drunken raccoon rampage" as possible www.snopes.com/fact-check/d...snopes.comFake raccoon liquor store break-in video spreads online. Watch the real footageReal pictures and videos exist of this trash panda getting sloppy — don't fall for the AI-slop version. 020
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 10/10/2025used my very expensive journalism degree to prove that democrats aren't shutting the government down to stand in solidarity with "haitian male prostitutes." literally made a data visualization of state dept data on an hiv/aids treatment program for this www.snopes.com/fact-check/g...snopes.comDemocrats don't want $3.6M for 'Haitian male prostitutes' to reopen governmentThe rumor, popularized by Sen. John Kennedy, appeared to be connected to an HIV/AIDS prevention program started under U.S. President George W. Bush. 131
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 01/10/2025some in the american left like to lionize pope leo — and in this case, spread a claim that he's replacing NY's pro-charlie kirk archbishop with a 'pro-immigration, anti-gun bishop.' the thing is, most bishops are pro-immigration and anti-gun...bc they're catholic. www.snopes.com/fact-check/p...snopes.comContextualizing claim Pope Leo XIV is replacing Cardinal Dolan, who compared Charlie Kirk to saintHere's what's true — and what's false — about rumors that Leo is replacing New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who called Kirk a "modern-day St. Paul." 010
Reposted by rae dengJohn Ryan @heyjohnryan.bsky.social · 22/09/2025A dark day for Northwest journalism: @cascadepbs.bsky.social is axing the @cascadepbsnewsroom.bsky.social, laying off 17 people, per internal memo obtained by @kuow.org. Cascade PBS got ~10% of its budget from Corp. for Public Broadcasting. Unclear why its whole newsroom had to be axed. 44923
Reposted by rae dengKatie Campbell, KUOW @katiecampbell.bsky.social · 22/09/2025Devastating news for local journalism.kuow.orgSeattle's Cascade PBS announces layoffs, end of online long-form journalismThe move, attributed to the loss of federal funding for public media, marks the layoffs of 17 staffers and the creation of three new positions, station President and CEO Rob Dunlop told KUOW. 816177
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 12/08/2025got to do a lil dive into americana with this one. fun fact: you don't need to ai generate images of black cowgirls in the old west because they already exist!! www.snopes.com/fact-check/b...snopes.comBlack cowgirls are a real part of American history. This image isn'tAuthentic photos of real Black cowgirls are rare, but they exist. 011
Reposted by rae dengJireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · 29/07/2025I'll be on a panel "identifying anti-trans and anti-queer bias" at @aajaofficial.bsky.social this year with these amazing journalists @gracesdeng.bsky.social, @shaanthx.bsky.social, and Hannah Chinn. Don't miss it! Saturday, 9 am at the Redwood. See you there. 😤 072
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 08/07/2025Also, as of today my email is now rae@snopes.com -- if your son is interested please have him email me there! Thanks 000
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 08/07/2025Thanks Tom! (I'm guessing the middle part of your reply here about places is an accidental voice-to-text? Am I missing anything there?) 100
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 08/07/2025Hi Tom, I'm a fact-checker with Snopes.com. Would you mind confirming that your son, Michael Rocchio, spoke with the Houston Chronicle and that the photo was taken at about 6 p.m. Athens time? I'm also at grace@snopes.com if your son is willing to chat. Thank you! 100
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 01/07/2025my attempt for @snopes.com to break down the extremely wonky trump admin provision(s) that, in short, will likely make care more expensive and less accessible for trans people on private insurance. www.snopes.com/news/2025/07...snopes.comHow Trump admin's policies may affect gender-affirming care for patients on private insuranceA federal health agency already passed a rule that could make care more expensive for trans people, but the Big, Beautiful Bill seeks to enshrine it. 021
Reposted by rae dengSnopes Guild @snopesguild.bsky.social · 30/06/2025Fact-checkers always want the facts. That’s why Snopes is unionizing for transparency from management. @snopes.com 613745
Reposted by rae dengDelaney Nolan @delaneynolan.bsky.social · 09/06/2025LAPD helicopter telling protesters "I'm going to come to your house" www.latimes.com/california/l... 37326137
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 13/05/2025amid all the discourse on whether or not the pope is woke: i found out in the course of writing this story that the vatican literally helped invent the term "gender ideology" in the 1980s-90s as essentially a catch-all for "politics the catholic church is against" www.snopes.com/news/2025/05...snopes.comBreaking down rumor Pope Leo XIV once said 'gender ideology' creates 'genders that don't exist'The American-born pontiff allegedly said this in 2016 in response to a proposed education curriculum promoting gender equality in Peru. 100
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 07/05/2025og stat news story here: www.statnews.com/2025/04/30/n...statnews.comNIH cancels participation in Safe to Sleep campaign that decreased infant deathsNIH has cancelled its participation in Safe to Sleep, a 30-year campaign to prevent babies from dying in their sleep 001
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 07/05/2025for @snopes.com: amid a @statnews.com report that trump admin is pulling out of the 30-yr long 'safe to sleep' campaign which reduced SIDS, the american academy of pediatrics says they'll keep the program going alongside partners — but it won't have the same capacity. www.snopes.com/news/2025/05...snopes.comFormer NIH official says Trump admin cut government's 'Safe to Sleep' team that helped reduce infant deathsThe National Institutes of Health said no final decisions had been made about the program's future. 100
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 06/05/2025when i said 'schools should teach students how to engage with and study misinformation' this is not what i meant, oklahoma!! www.snopes.com/fact-check/o...snopes.comOklahoma will teach high school students debunked 2020 election-fraud theories as factThe new academic standards promote U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies' groundless 2020 election conspiracy theories. 030
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 26/04/2025great reporting from @hashtagjames.bsky.social for @objectivejournos.bsky.social objectivejournalism.org/2025/04/whit...objectivejournalism.orgWhite House says no comment to reporters with pronouns in bio, in email to one such reporterLimiting press access through this policy is at the intersection of the administration's anti-press attitudes and transphobia. 041
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 25/04/2025that's a good idea! the signature on the back wasn't super readable otherwise i prob would've tried to find the guy myself 020
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 25/04/2025thanks again, i saw your message on x and appreciate you spreading the word! ik you're probably just the comms/socials person but i just want to reiterate that your employees should know this + hope dshs puts a policy tg ensuring that employees do. also, put smth on ur website abt it - prominently. 010
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 24/04/2025is it too much to ask for the government to.... serve the public..... like, ok benefits aren't your deal, but the chances of you, a dshs employee, knowing exactly who to hand that card to are way higher than my own. 080
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 24/04/2025found a lost ebt card, took it to a @wadshs.bsky.social office nearby and they said “we don’t do benefits, that’s the other field office, I’m not going to touch that.” like…ok? anyway, i found it at wright park, 4/24. long shot but if it's yours it's at tacoma library main branch. 3248
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 04/04/2025it's a common misunderstanding among laypeople, but vance has a background in law/worked as a corporate lawyer. it is likely he knows that kilmar abrego garcia was not convicted of a crime but sought to characterize him as a criminal regardless. 020
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 04/04/2025jd vance's claim that the maryland father deported to el salvador (and now ordered to be brought back by judge) is a "convicted ms-13 gang member" is either a serious misunderstanding of the justice system or a purposeful lie. for @snopes.com www.snopes.com/fact-check/d...snopes.comVance was wrong: Maryland father accidentally deported to El Salvador isn't 'convicted MS-13 gang member'A confidential police source claimed he was an MS-13 gang member — but other cited "evidence" consisted of wearing a hoodie and Chicago Bulls hat. 120
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 27/03/2025and sometimes it means you write about a rumor mike johnson is on grindr www.snopes.com/news/2025/03...snopes.comNo evidence House Speaker Mike Johnson is on GrindrA TikTok user alleged he had screenshots of Johnson corresponding with another person on the gay dating app. 111
rae deng @raesdeng.bsky.social · 27/03/2025working at snopes means sometimes you're writing about the department of education being eliminated, sometimes you're writing about orange owls www.snopes.com/fact-check/r...snopes.comIs this a real orange owl — or AI?Scientists aren't really sure why this bird, nicknamed "Rusty" or "Creamsicle," is orange. 010