A former ice cream shop owner accused of calling police on peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters was ordered to pay them $500 each by a judge hearing a state lawsuit citing a new law targeting false, race-based police reports.
Snopes→ Did Trump Admin Get Taliban Leader Out of Pakistani Prison?
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is a key public figure for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Snopes→ Misleading Ad Does Not Show Nelly’s Abandoned Mansion
The picture isn't even from the United States.
Truth or Fiction?→ Teddy Roosevelt: ‘I Again Recommend a Law Prohibiting All Corporations from Contributing to Campaign Expenses’
On August 18 2021, an Imgur user shared the following meme, which purports to contain a legitimate quote from U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt saying he recommended a “law prohibiting all corporations” from contributing to political campai
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Prayer Request For 229 Christian Missionaries Is NOT Based On A Verified Current Event
Have 229 Christian missionaries been sentenced to death "tomorrow afternoon" by "Afghan Islamists"? No, that's not true: Variations of this specific prayer request have been circulating since at least 2009 with some changes and various de
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Polio and Smallpox Never Reached Herd Immunity; They Were Eradicated by Vaccines’
On July 20 2021, a Facebook account shared the following image text, which contained the claim that polio and smallpox “never reached herd immunity”: Text across a nature-like background read: I don’t know who needs to hear this but
Logically→ Queensland did not permit NSW fans to attend the State of Origin game final in Goal Coast.
Queensland closed the border to New South Wales, preventing ticket holders and fans from reaching Goal Coast for the State of Origin game finale.
Snopes→ Woman Comes Face-To-Face with Snake in Australia Supermarket
The head of the 3-meter-long (10-foot-long) non-venomous diamond python emerged through a space in a shelf above the spice jars in the Sydney store.
Snopes→ Years in the Making, R. Kelly Sex Abuse Trial Gets Underway
Kelly, 54, is perhaps best known for his smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly,” a 1996 song that became an inspirational anthem played at school graduations, weddings, advertisements and elsewhere.
Snopes→ Vid Shows Lincoln Animatronic Partially Collapsed at Disney World’s Hall of Presidents
We also found a second video of Lincoln falling at the Hall of Presidents attraction in 1992.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: A Digital Billboard In Wilmington, NC, Was NOT Hacked To Show Unflattering Memes Of Biden — The Memes Came From A ‘Private Citizen’
Was a digital billboard in Wilmington, North Carolina, hacked to feature memes that were critical of President Joe Biden? No, that's not true: According to Donald Tedder, owner of the digital billboard, the billboard was not hacked -- the
Full Fact→ Conservative Woman article falsely claims vaccines don’t work
An article from TCW Defending Freedom (formerly, The Conservative Woman) reports what it claims are “five key Covid truths that could have saved us from self-destruction.” It sources these to Dr Peter McCullough, a Texas-based cardiologist,
Logically→ The U.S. trained and equipped an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong.
There is no consensus on the size of the Afghan military force.
Snopes→ Did This Man Ride on a Plane Engine To Escape the Taliban?
A humorous video was repurposed and shared as if it was connected to a real (and deadly) incident in Afghanistan.
AllSides→ Facebook Oversight Board Member Says Fact-Checking Outside Jurisdiction
https://www.newsmax.com/us/facebook-oversight-board-fact-check/2021/08/17/id/1032704/ A member of Faceb
Full Fact→ Magna Carta can’t be used to seize Edinburgh Castle
On Tuesday 17 August a group of protesters attempted to “seize” Edinburgh Castle, citing “Article 61” of Magna Carta as their justification for doing so. As we have written before, some people claim that clause 61 of the medieva
AllSides→ Biden’s bogus claim that Afghanistan’s military was larger than ‘many of our NATO allies’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/08/18/bidens-bogus-claim-that-afghanistans-military-was-larger-than-nato-allies/
Snopes→ US Health Officials Call for Booster Shots Against COVID-19
The doses could begin the week of Sept. 20.
FactCheck.org→ Hospitals Overwhelmed by Another Surge of COVID-19 Patients, Financial Strain
SciCheck Digest The seven-day average of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. has increased by 322% in two months, straining the ability of medical staff in some states to care for patients. Despite the rising numbers, an Instagram post questioned whe
Logically→ When President Biden took office, U.S. forces had already drawn down from roughly 15,500 American forces to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan.
Under the agreement signed between the Trump administration and the Taliban a large portion of the troops had left the country by early 2021.
AllSides→ Timeline of U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan
https://www.factcheck.org/2021/08/timeline-of-u-s-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/ The blame game has begun
Logically→ The Taliban does not have an air force.
The Taliban have reportedly ceased aircrafts from the Afghan military, but they do not yet have an air force.
Logically→ Amazon Alexa can guide you through emergency CPR in the event of a cardiac arrest in the household.
Alexa's CPR-related help is informational and educational. It does not substitute professional training in first aid, medical advice, or treatment.
Logically→ The U.S. trained and equipped an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong.
There is no consensus on the size of the Afghan military force.On 16 August, President Joe Biden made a speech in the light of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the chaos that Afghanistan has plunged into since. He said, "We spent ov
Logically→ COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe as they are unlicensed experimental injections.
Unlicensed but approved vaccines have been tested to demonstrate safety, quality, and efficacy.
Logically→ President Biden: “Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to be nation building. It was never supposed to be creating a unified democracy.”
The U.S. initially sought to fight terrorism in its invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, but later switched focused to "restoring democracy."
Logically→ Under Operation Allies Refuge, 2,000 Afghans eligible for special immigration visas and their families have moved to the U.S.
Since July, the U.S. has only evacuated about 2,000 Afghan allies and their families, a small fraction of the 88,000 who have applied for a visa.
Logically→ The U.S. did not start evacuating Afghan civilians sooner, as Afghan civilians did not want to leave the country.
Thousands of people have been waiting for months for their visa applications to be approved.
Poynter→ Fake news accounts are spreading false information about journalists executed in Afghanistan
Several Twitter accounts that look like they belong to some well-known news networks recently shared that a journalist had been captured and killed by the Taliban in Kabul. But these accounts weren’t authentic and they’ve since been suspended. R
Logically→ The Afghan Embassy in India tweeted that the former president of Afghanistan’s chief of staff was sexually exploiting women.
An embassy official said the Twitter account had been hacked. The findings of the investigation into the 2019 sex scandal cannot be found.
Washington Post→ Biden’s bogus claim that Afghanistan’s military was larger than NATO allies
Biden keeps saying Afghanistan had 300,000 people in its military, but but a large percentage of that figure were police.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CNN Chief Correspondent’s Headscarf Was NOT New, But She Says Taliban Take-Over Forces Precautions
Did CNN's chief international correspondent start wearing a headscarf in Afghanistan due to Taliban control? No, that's not true: veteran war reporter Clarissa Ward clarified she has always worn a headscarf while reporting "on the street
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: French Protests Against Vaccine Mandates Are NOT Accurately Represented With Captions And Photos In Online Posts
Does this collection of photos together with this caption accurately portray protests against COVID-19 vaccine passports and mandates that took place for several weeks in July and August of 2021 in France? No, many of the photos currently
Snopes→ Viral Trump vs. Biden Gas Prices Meme is Highly Misleading
We don't recommend basing broad and declarative conclusions on two seemingly cherry-picked pictures showing gas prices.
Snopes→ DeSantis Top Donor Invests in COVID Drug Governor Promotes
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who has been criticized for opposing mask mandates and vaccine passports — is now touting a COVID-19 antibody treatment in which a top donor’s company has invested millions of dollars.
Snopes→ Taliban Promise Women’s Rights, Security Under Islamic Rule
The Taliban vowed to respect women's rights, forgive those who fought them, and ensure Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists as part of a publicity blitz aimed at reassuring world powers and a fearful population.
Snopes→ Taliban Allowing ‘Safe Passage’ from Kabul in US Airlift
The Taliban have agreed to allow “safe passage” from Afghanistan for civilians struggling to join a U.S.-directed airlift from the capital, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Miami-Dade Police Department Did NOT Issue Warning About A Sexual Assault Scheme That Uses Children To Target Women
Did the Miami-Dade Police Department issue a warning about a sexual assault scheme that uses children to target women? No, that's not true: A public information officer from the MDPD confirmed with Lead Stories that the letter, which has
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘867-5309’ Is NOT A Number To Call To Report Maskless People — It’s From An Old Pop Song, And The Post Is A Joke
Can people wanting to report someone for not wearing a mask do so by phoning "867-5309"? No, that's not true: The number that appears in the claim is the title of a popular 1980s song, "867-5309/ Jenny" by Tommy Tutone. This number has be
FactCheck.org→ Timeline of U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan
The blame game has begun over who lost Afghanistan. The fact is, President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, were both eager to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan and end what Biden referred to in his Aug. 16 speech as “America̵