Ask FactCheck: Week ending May 8

May 8, 2009

Q: Has a "smoking gun" been found to prove Obama was not born a U.S. citizen? Did he attend Occidental college on a scholarship for foreign students?

A: This chain email is a transparent April Fool's Day hoax. It fabricates an AP news story about an non-existent group, and makes false claims about Obama and the Fulbright program.

Q: Was H.R. 1388 passed "behind our backs"?

A: This latest e-rumor is a double-header. It recycles one false claim and alludes to another. We've debunked both before.

To learn more about FactCheck, visit www.factcheck.org.