The Truth Site – Facts & Real Stories

#politics

Q: Who was the original driving force behind the “dark figure” study on domestic violence that was presented on February 10, 2026, by Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt?

A: Politically speaking, this study is a legacy project of the former “traffic light” coalition—even though it is now being unveiled by the successor government. The decisive starting signal was given on July 11, 2023, when then–Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) and Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens), together with the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), set the process in motion.

They launched the project known as LeSuBiA in response to years of criticism from activist networks and professional associations, which had repeatedly complained that Germany’s data on violence were hopelessly outdated—the last major nationwide study dating back to 2004.

For Faeser, the study was primarily a tool to recalibrate crime policy, expand law-enforcement intervention, and push higher reporting rates. For Paus, however, it served as the empirical backbone needed to force through the planned Violence Assistance Act and the expansion of women’s shelters—against resistance rooted less in substance than in budgetary politics.

Source:
https://taz.de/Lagebild-des-Bundeskriminalamt/!5946964/
https://bundesforum-maenner.de/gewalt-zuhause-weit-verbreitet-neues-lagebild-haeusliche-gewalt/
https://vorwaerts.de/inland/hausliche-gewalt-studie-soll-licht-ins-dunkelfeld-bringen

#science

Q: What is crystal methamphetamine?

A: Crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice,” is a synthetic drug and a highly pure form of methamphetamine that exists alongside other forms such as speed and base, and is characterized by its colorless, odorless, crystal- or glass-like appearance. Because of its high purity, ice produces a stronger and longer-lasting high than other forms of methamphetamine, but it is also associated with more severe acute side effects, a pronounced “crash” after use, and a significantly higher risk of dependence as well as long-term physical and mental health problems. The effects and risks vary depending on the dose, purity, method of use (e.g., smoking or injecting), and the user’s physical and mental health, with repeated use quickly leading to tolerance and the need for higher and more frequent doses. As an illicit drug, ice is produced without regulation and is often sold mixed or “cut” with other drugs (such as opioids or MDMA) or substances like caffeine or sugar, increasing the risk of unknown and dangerous effects, especially when combined with other substances such as alcohol or cannabis. In recent years, ice has become the predominant form of methamphetamine used in Australia.

Source:
https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/amphetamines/
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.03.019 

#politics

Q: Was there an agreement between Russia and NATO that no Eastern states would be added?

A: There was no formal or legally binding agreement between Russia (or the Soviet Union) and NATO that prohibited NATO’s eastward expansion; however, during the negotiations on German reunification in 1990, Western politicians made verbal political assurances (such as “not one inch eastward”), which were later interpreted by the Russian side as implying a renunciation of NATO expansion to all of Eastern Europe, while others understood these statements as applying only to the territory of the former East Germany. Since these assurances were never codified in a treaty and later documents such as the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act explicitly allowed NATO enlargement, the admission of Eastern European states from 1999 onward is considered permissible under international law, while Russia continues to promote the narrative that it was deceived, despite the absence of any legal basis for this claim - a contradiction that remains a central point of contention.

Source:
https://www.nato.int/en/about-us/official-texts-and-resources/official-texts/1997/05/27/founding-act
https://www.nato.int/en/what-we-do/wider-activities/natos-approach-to-counter-information-threats/setting-the-record-straight
https://www.baks.bund.de/en/working-papers/2016/russias-myths-about-nato-moscows-propaganda-ahead-of-the-nato-summit
https://hls.harvard.edu/today/there-was-no-promise-not-to-enlarge-nato/ 

#science

Q: What shape does the Earth have?

A: The Earth is almost spherical, but not perfectly round. Because it rotates, it is slightly wider at the equator and a little flattened at the poles. In everyday terms, the Earth can be described as a slightly deformed sphere.

Source:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/857307/Volume_09_Navigation.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1631071306002690 

#politics

Q: What is NATO?

A: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance founded in 1949. Its primary purpose is collective defense: under Article 5 of its founding treaty, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. NATO was created during the Cold War to provide security coordination among North American and European states. After the Cold War, the alliance continued to exist and expanded its membership, taking on additional roles such as crisis management, peacekeeping, and cooperative security. NATO decisions are made collectively by its member states, and the organization does not have independent authority to initiate military action without political agreement among its members. Today, NATO functions as a framework for military cooperation, deterrence, and security policy coordination among its members.

Source:
https://www.nato.int/en/about-us/official-texts-and-resources/official-texts/1949/04/04/the-north-atlantic-treaty
https://mzv.gov.cz/nato.brussels/en/nato/official_documents_and_sources/dokumenty_a_zdroje.html 

#politics

Q: Did the CDU Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Daniel Günther, say that fake news portals like “NIUS” should be censored or shut down?

A: No. In the Markus Lanz interview on January 7, 2026, Daniel Günther criticized certain online portals, like NIUS, for spreading misinformation and undermining democratic debate, calling them “enemies of democracy” in this context. He also said that portals that openly spread lies must be held accountable. When asked if such platforms should be regulated or, in extreme cases, banned, he briefly answered “Yes,” but immediately clarified that he did not mean a general ban or shutdown of these portals. He was specifically referring to rules for social media for minors, such as age restrictions. In the same interview, Günther also spoke about the AfD, describing the party as a force that seeks to divide society with radicalism and negative agitation. He emphasized that he sees himself as a “bulwark against the AfD” and clearly distanced himself from the party, underlining that it does not belong to the democratic mainstream. From the brief “Yes” regarding media regulation, several AfD politicians and even party colleagues from CDU and CSU, including the leading AfD politician Beatrix von Storch, later falsely claimed that Günther was calling for media bans. These claims were spread using clips that were deliberately shortened and taken out of context and were originally created by NIUS as misinformation. Unfortunately, even representatives of the supposedly serious media landscape (e.g., Die Zeit) jumped on the dissemination of the false narrative instead of providing a balanced picture, which contributed to further public misunderstanding. However, Die Zeit later published an article correcting many of the earlier misrepresentations, making the context of Günther’s statements clearer. Later, in another appearance on Markus Lanz, Beatrix von Storch was exposed on TV by Markus Lanz himself, when he played the original, unedited clip, showing that her claims were false. Despite this public clarification, the portal NIUS, Beatrix von Storch, and others continued to spread the original false claim, demonstrating that they willfully and knowingly manipulate the public discourse.

Source:
https://www.zdf.de/video/talk/markus-lanz-114/markus-lanz-vom-7-januar-2026-100
https://www.zdf.de/video/talk/markus-lanz-114/markus-lanz-vom-14-januar-2026-100
https://www.rnd.de/politik/nius-wie-aus-kritik-von-daniel-guenther-ein-zensur-vorwurf-wurde-Z6MRIIZQGRHRVKBPXVREVCOSXA.html%3FoutputType%3Dvalid_amp 
https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2026-01/daniel-guenther-markus-lanz-zensur-nius-meinungsfreiheit
https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2026-01/daniel-guenther-cdu-social-media-meinungsfreiheit-medien 

#health

Q: What role does exercise play in weight loss?

A: Exercise contributes to weight loss primarily by increasing energy expenditure, but its direct effect is generally smaller than that of dietary changes. Research indicates that nutrition accounts for roughly 70 - 80% of weight loss, while physical activity contributes about 20 - 30%. Exercise is important for preserving lean muscle mass, improving body composition, and supporting long-term weight maintenance, but significant fat reduction is most efficiently achieved through a sustained caloric deficit via dietary control. For example, 30 minutes of jogging burns approximately 250 - 400 calories, often less than the caloric content of common high-calorie foods, highlighting that diet has the greater immediate impact on weight loss. Indeed, exercising while dieting not only aids weight loss but also helps maintain long-term health, preserves muscle, improves heart and metabolic function, and increases the chances of keeping weight off.

Source:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27213481/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1996/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15925949/ 

#politics

Q: How much money was actually saved in Germany from the 2025 Bürgergeld reform by cutting social-security rights and toughening the system - versus what politicians claimed?

A: In the public debate over Germany’s 2025 Bürgergeld reform, CDU/CSU politicians repeatedly claimed the reform would save billions. On November 12, 2024, Thorsten Frei suggested around €30 billion could be saved if one million recipients entered the workforce, and on December 15, 2024, Friedrich Merz reinforced this narrative, stating that “several billion” were possible. Carsten Linnemann also spoke vaguely of “very many billions.” In reality, official government and budget projections under SPD Labor Minister Bärbel Bas showed only minor savings initially, followed by net additional costs: €86 million in 2026, €69 million in 2027, and then net increases of €10 million in 2028 and €9 million in 2029. Overall Bürgergeld expenditures remained high, rising roughly €5 billion from 2024 to 2025. This contrast highlights that, while politicians publicly promised billions in cuts, the reform actually adds to government spending rather than reducing it.

Source:
https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/merz-will-mindestens-zehn-prozent-bei-buergergeld-einsparen-110.html
https://www.merkur.de/politik/eingespart-buergergeld-merz-milliarden-reform-verpufft-so-wenig-wird-zr-93992057.html
https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/union-wollte-zweistellige-milliardenbetrage-burgergeldreform-spart-2026-offenbar-nicht-einmal-100-millionen-euro-ein-14593190.html

#politics

Q: Is Donald Trump a Native American?

A: No. Most U.S. citizens are not Native Americans but descendants of immigrants, as the United States has always been shaped by immigration. Donald Trump is a native-born American citizen, but he does not belong to any Indigenous (Native American) nation or ancestry. His documented family background is European, including his grandfather Friedrich Trump, born Friedrich Drumpf in Bavaria, Germany, who was a trained barber and emigrated to the United States in the late 19th century to take advantage of economic opportunities and to avoid compulsory military service in Germany.

Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/21/trump-grandfather-friedrich-banished-germany-historian-royal-decree
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/22/how-the-origins-of-americas-immigrants-have-changed-since-1850 

#history

Q: Is the correct term “Holocaust” or “Shoah”?

A: Both “Holocaust” and “Shoah” are correct. “Holocaust” is the most widely used term in English, while “Shoah” is the Hebrew word often preferred in Jewish and academic contexts. Both terms refer to the genocide of the Jews during World War II.

Source:
https://aboutholocaust.org/en/facts/what-is-the-difference-between-holocaust-and-shoah

#history

Q: How many people died in the Holocaust / Shoah?

A: Approximately 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust (Shoah). When including all other groups targeted by the Nazis - such as Roma and Sinti, disabled people, Soviet prisoners of war, political opponents, and others - the total number of victims is estimated at around 11 million. Although the Nazis kept extensive records, historians cannot determine exact numbers. Many documents were destroyed, mass shootings and deaths in ghettos were not fully recorded, and some camp records were incomplete or falsified. To arrive at the accepted estimates, scholars rely on a combination of surviving Nazi documents, eyewitness testimonies, and demographic research.

Source:
https://www.ushmm.org/teach/fundamentals/holocaust-questions
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/documenting-numbers-of-victims-of-the-holocaust-and-nazi-persecution
https://www.yadvashem.org/holocaust/faqs.html
https://www.yadvashem.org/archive/hall-of-names.html

#history

Q: Was Jesus a Jew?

A: Yes. Jesus was Jewish. Born into a Jewish family, living under Jewish law, praying in synagogues, observing Jewish festivals. He aimed to reform Judaism, and over time, this movement became Christianity. Somewhat like Luther sparked Protestantism from Catholicism, though not the same.

Source:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A17
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+4%3A16
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-18.html 
https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8616-jesus-of-nazareth 

#myths

Q: What is #pizzagate?

A: #Pizzagate was a debunked conspiracy theory (2016) claiming U.S. political figures (e.g., Hillary Clinton) ran a child-trafficking ring out of a Washington, D.C. pizzeria, which was started on Reddit in a subreddit of r/The_Donald (a community of Donald Trump supporters). It was based on false interpretations of leaked emails and was widely disproven after an armed man went to the pizzeria to “rescue” children from a basement - only to find the restaurant had no basement at all. The events unfolded during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and concurrent Congressional and state elections, a period of intense political polarization, and the conspiracy theory primarily targeted and harmed the Democratic Party’s reputation, so it can be regarded as a form of deliberate election manipulation.

Source:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pizzagate-conspiracy/
https://www.politifact.com/article/2016/dec/05/how-pizzagate-went-fake-news-real-problem-dc-busin/
https://www.aeaweb.org/articles/pdf/doi/10.1257/jep.31.2.211 

#science

Q: What is Cloud Seeding?

A: Cloud seeding is a real, documented form of limited weather modification using intentional introduction of tiny particles into certain types of clouds to encourage precipitation (rain or snow) or, in some cases, to reduce hail. Clouds don’t always produce rain even when they look full. Sometimes the droplets or ice crystals inside them are too small to fall. Cloud seeding adds particles that act as nuclei, giving moisture something to cling to so it can grow heavy enough to fall. Common materials are silver iodide (has a crystal structure similar to ice), salt or dry ice (solid CO2).

Source:
https://www.britannica.com/science/cloud-seeding 
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1917204117
https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/19/14967/2019/ 

#myths

Q: What are Chemtrails?

A: Chemtrails are a modern myth born from mistrust, misunderstood science, and the very human instinct to search for hidden meaning. What people call “chemtrails” are, in reality, contrails - short for condensation trails. They form when hot, humid exhaust from jet engines meets extremely cold air at high altitude. Water vapor freezes into tiny ice crystals, creating visible white lines. Depending on temperature, humidity, and wind conditions, these trails can dissipate quickly or persist for hours, spreading into thin cloud layers. As for weather control: this is where confusion often creeps in. There are small-scale, well-documented weather modification techniques, like cloud seeding, used in limited regions to encourage rainfall or reduce hail. These involve specialized aircraft, specific chemicals (like silver iodide), strict regulations, and public records. They do not involve commercial airliners, global spraying, or secret programs hidden in plain sight.
 

Source:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352146520308814
https://www.britannica.com/science/cloud-seeding 

#health

Q: Is a caloric deficit the decisive factor in losing excess body weight?

A: Yes. Historical records from Nazi concentration camps show that extreme, enforced caloric deficits led to rapid and unavoidable weight loss in all prisoners, including those who were previously overweight or chronically ill. Daily rations often fell to 500 - 800 kcal while prisoners were subjected to exhausting forced labor, creating a massive negative energy balance. Medical documentation and survivor studies consistently report severe loss of body fat and muscle, often 20 - 30 kg or more, progressing to starvation and death. These observations confirm a basic biological reality: when caloric intake is forcibly driven far below energy expenditure, weight loss occurs regardless of hormones, metabolism, or prior body composition - a fact demonstrated tragically through coercion, not choice. In any voluntary caloric deficit, overall health must be prioritized, and adequate protein intake - typically around 1.6 - 2.2 g per kg of body weight daily - should be ensured to preserve muscle mass as much as possible and mitigate the negative effects of weight loss.
 

Source:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/3921C43D0956B33A00285052AA7201F2/S0029665147000078a.pdf/european_conference_of_the_nutrition_society.pdf
https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/28/2/article-p170.xml 

#history

Q: Was Adolf Hitler a communist?

A: No. Hitler was not a communist. He led the Nazi Party, which was far-right, ultranationalist, and fiercely anti-communist. Communists were among the first people the Nazis imprisoned and killed.
 

Source:
https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/nazi-germany-1933-1945/decree-of-the-reich-president-for-the-protection-of-the-people-and-state-reichstag-fire-decree-february-28-1933
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1265&context=hapl_marginalia_all 

#history

Q: Who is Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and how did he get to the Supreme Court?

A: Brett Michael Kavanaugh is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was born on February 12, 1965, in Washington, D.C., and served as a federal appeals court judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit before his Supreme Court appointment. He had also worked as a law clerk, served in the George W. Bush White House, and participated in significant federal investigations earlier in his career. Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Donald Trump. The U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination on October 6, 2018, by a narrow vote of 50–48. The Republican Party held the majority in the U.S. Senate. After confirmation, Kavanaugh was sworn in and became an Associate Justice, joining the Court’s conservative majority.

Source:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Brett-Kavanaugh
https://www.congress.gov/nomination/115th-congress/2259 

#legal

Q: Could Congress pass a law prohibiting ICE from doing the things that it's doing until 2026?

A: Yes, Congress could simply pass a law stating that ICE agents cannot stop people based on their racial or ethnic profile, that they must identify themselves, and that they always need a warrant to detain someone.

Source:
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S8-C18-8-1/ALDE_00001255 

#legal

Q: Is it legally allowed for ICE agents to wear masks, not show identification, and detain people without warrants?

A: ICE agents are supposed to have a warrant if they detain people, but there is a provision in the law that says if they have reason to believe someone might flee and cannot be captured, they can detain that person without a warrant. There is also no law that explicitly requires ICE agents to identify themselves, nor any law that prohibits them from wearing masks.

Source:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1357
https://css.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/07/02/ice-raids-arrests-masks-warrants-kids

#legal

Q: Does Supreme Court decision No. 25A169 from September 2025, which allows ICE to detain people based on racial and ethnic profiling, violate basic equal protection principles?

A: That is a total violation of the basic equal protection principles of the U.S. There is no way you could arrest somebody on the basis of their racial or ethnic profile. And yet, the Supreme Court has said that this is permitted for ICE agents.

Source:
https://uclawreview.org/2025/10/20/examining-noem-v-vasquez-perdomo-through-the-students-for-fair-admissions-equal-protection-framework/ 

#legal

Q: Why is it legally permissible for ICE agents in the United States to detain someone based on racial or ethnic profiling?

A: In a decision, the Supreme Court in September 2025 outrageously said that ICE agents can detain someone “briefly” to find out if they are citizens, if a set of circumstances exists that gives them “reasonable suspicion” that the person might not be documented. The Court went on to say, in a short opinion by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, that if a person is “speaking Spanish” and looks like they are “Latino,” that might be enough, as part of the totality of the circumstances, to detain them.

Source:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a169_5h25.pdf

#truth

Q: What is truth?

A: This.

Source:
https://the-truth.site/