MBFC's Daily Vetted Fact Checks for 09/30/2026

Media Bias Fact Check selects and publishes fact checks from around the world. We only use fact-checkers who are either signatories to the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) or have been verified as credible by MBFC. Further, we review each fact check for accuracy before publishing. We fact-check the fact-checkers and let you know their bias. When appropriate, we explain the rating and/or offer our own rating if we disagree with the fact-checker. (D. Van Zandt)

Claim Codes: Red = Fact Check on a Right Claim, Blue = Fact Check on a Left Claim, Black = Not Political/Conspiracy/Pseudoscience/Other

Fact Checker bias rating Codes: Red = Right-Leaning, Green = Least Biased, Blue = Left-Leaning, Black = Unrated by MBFC

MOSTLY TRUE	Claim via Social Media: The official poverty rate in the U.S. hit an all-time historical low in 2025. Snopes.com rating: Mostly True (According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2025 official poverty rate was the lowest since records began in 1959. The bureau also publishes a supplemental poverty measure rate. The 2025 supplemental poverty rate was not the lowest since records began in 2009.) Is official US poverty rate at all-time historical low, as Trump claimed?
FALSE	Claim by WinSenate: Sen. Susan Collins “voted to cover up the Epstein files” and Jeffrey Epstein’s “business partner funneled $3 million” to a Collins super PAC. PolitiFact rating: False (Collins voted to table one Epstein-files amendment in September 2025 because she said it did not belong in a defense bill, but she had previously supported preserving and reporting on the files and later backed the standalone Epstein Files Transparency Act. The $3 million donor, Stephen Schwarzman, was a member of the same private club as Epstein, but PolitiFact found no evidence they were business partners.) PolitiFact Sen. Susan Collins didn’t ‘cover up’ Epstein files or get $3 million from Epstein ‘business partner’
MOSTLY TRUE	Claim by President Donald Trump (R): “More Americans are working today by far than ever before.” AP News rating: Mostly True (Employment is at a record high, but this largely reflects long-term population and economic growth; U.S. employment has increased in 65 of the past 80 years.) FACT FOCUS: Trump made multiple false and misleading claims in front of the UN General Assembly Donald Trump Rating
BLATANT LIE	Claim by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Measles outbreaks are happening because of “COVID lockdowns.” FactCheck.org rating: False (Pandemic disruptions likely contributed to missed vaccinations, but experts said current outbreaks are mainly driven by communities with MMR vaccination rates below 95%, with vaccine misinformation also playing a role.) RFK Jr.’s Faulty Claim that U.S. Measles Response Is ‘Better’ Than ‘Any Other Country’
FALSE	(International: New Zealand): An Auckland orthopaedic surgeon has developed a device to treat joint pain. Australian Associated Press rating: False (The surgeon does not exist and the details have been fabricated.) Fake surgeons target those in pain with Facebook ads \| AAP

Disclaimer: We are providing links to fact-checks by third-party fact-checkers. If you do not agree with a fact check, please directly contact the source of that fact check.

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