MBFC's Daily Vetted Fact Checks for 10/01/2026

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

TRUE	Claim by Ashley Hinson (D): Iowa Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek “skipped 58% of the votes at the Statehouse this year.” PolitiFact rating: True (Of 445 Iowa House floor votes held during the 2026 legislative session, Turek missed 261, or about 58%. His absence rate was the second highest in the chamber that year.) In Iowa’s U.S. Senate race, fact-checking Ashley Hinson’s claim about Josh Turek’s voting record
MOSTLY FALSE	Claim by Mike Rogers (R): Abdul El-Sayed “supports defunding the police and emptying prisons.” PolitiFact rating: Mostly False (El-Sayed supported defunding police and reducing incarceration in 2020, but during his 2026 Senate campaign he has called for funding police recruitment and retention, and he has never advocated for emptying prisons.) Mostly False: Mike Rogers says Abdul El-Sayed supports defunding police and emptying prisons
TRUE	Claim via Social Media: U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany voted five times against House resolutions directing President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran. Gigafact rating: True (Tiffany voted “nay” on five separate House concurrent resolutions on March 5, April 16, May 14, June 3, and July 23, 2026, each directing the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran.) Has Tom Tiffany voted five times against ending the Iran war?
BLATANT LIE	Claim by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: U.S. obesity rates have fallen about 7.3% since 2022, with most of the decline occurring during the Trump administration. FactCheck.org rating: False (Gallup data show a similar overall decline, but about three-quarters of it occurred between 2022 and 2024, before Trump took office.) FactChecking RFK Jr.’s Children’s Health Defense Keynote
FALSE	(International: Japan): Japan has officially banned Israeli tourists from entering the country. Lead Stories rating: False Fact Check: Japan Did NOT Ban Israeli Tourists

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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