“On tariffs, [we’re] reducing the European Union’s 40% tariffs on food from Africa”. George Freeman MP, 13 July 2021. Following the government’s decision to reduce its commitment to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income on
Poynter→ Trump’s claim about Arizona mail-in ballots is based on a misunderstanding of early voting
Persisting in the quest to dispute his loss in the 2020 presidential election, former President Donald Trump claimed that tens of thousands of mail-in ballots in Maricopa County, Arizona, were improperly counted without a record of them having been sen
Washington Post→ The zombie claim that the 2017 tax cut gave ‘83 percent’ to the top 1 percent
Over and over, Democrats keep making this misleading claim. We’re tired of it.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: In Dismissed Florida Lawsuit, NO Evidence Backed Deponent’s Claims That Ilhan Omar Was Recruited, Paid By Qatar, Passed Intel To Iran
Was a Florida court told that Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota was recruited by Qatar, received money from that country, and passed "sensitive intel" to Iran through intermediates? Yes, but the statements were made in a deposition during a la
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Donald Rumsfeld Did NOT Commit Suicide At A Military Tribunal
Did former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld commit suicide at a military tribunal? No, that's not true: The suicide claim originated from a website whose made-up stories regarding well-known people previously have been debunked. The s
Snopes→ Mississippi Seeing ‘4th Wave’ of Infections, Official Warns
"The 4th wave is here."
Snopes→ Biden Wants Spending to Boost Economy, GOP to Block Vote
President Joe Biden said that his infrastructure and families agenda must be passed to sustain the economic momentum of his first six months in office, aiming to set the tone for a crucial week of congressional negotiations on the two bills.
Snopes→ Is This Glass Octopus Real?
The deep-sea cephalopod is completely transparent except for is optic nerve eyeballs and digestive tract.
Snopes→ New COVID-19 Vaccine Warnings Don’t Mean It’s Unsafe
Adverse event reports are a sign that the COVID-19 vaccine safety reporting system is working.
Snopes→ The ‘I Am Your Father’ 1980 Audience Reaction Video Is Fake, But We Found a Real One
The viral "Star Wars" video featured a fake cinema reaction to Darth Vader's infamous line from "The Empire Strikes Back." Here's how we know it's fake.
Snopes→ Your Bed Probably Isn’t as Clean as You Think
Our beds can play a host to a vast variety of bacterial species.
FactCheck.org→ CDC Data Contradict Julián Castro’s Texas COVID-19 Claims
Cases of COVID-19 are increasing in Texas, but it doesn’t have the “highest COVID positivity rate and case count in the nation” — contrary to what Democrat Julián Castro recently tweeted. Castro, a former mayor of San Antonio and
Poynter→ Instagram stat about pregnancies and vaccines needs context
As more Americans get COVID-19 vaccinations, misinformation about their side effects has popped up all over the place. In this video, we take a look at a specific area of misinformation: how vaccines are affecting pregnancies. An Instagram post wit
Snopes→ Yes, a Video Accurately Depicts ‘Embroidery Tattoos’
Capture the right amount of light and shadows and 2-dimensional images can look quite textured.
FactCheck.org→ Photo Shows 2018 France World Cup Celebration, Not Vaccine Protest
SciCheck Digest Social media posts are misrepresenting an old photo from France by suggesting the sea of people in the streets shows “[p]eople are waking up against vaccine tyranny.” The photo actually shows a celebration in Paris after Fra
Snopes→ Biden: ‘Killing People’ Remark Was Call for Big Tech to Act
The White House says platforms such as Facebook haven't done enough to stop misinformation that has helped slow the pace of new vaccinations in the U.S. to a trickle.
Snopes→ Capitol Rioter Who Breached Senate Gets 8 Months for Felony
Judge Randolph Moss said the 38-year-old had played a role, if not as significant as others, in one of the worst episodes in American history.
Snopes→ No, 5 JetBlue Pilots Didn’t Die From the COVID-19 Vaccine
The claim echoed a similar, baseless claim about British Airways pilots.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Blue Java Bananas ARE Real — But They Do NOT Stay Blue Or Have Blue Flesh Like The Banana In This Photo
Do "Blue Java" bananas, a variety of bananas that have bluish peels, exist? Yes, that's true: the bananas' peels take on a bluish-green appearance when unripe and have a distinctive texture and flavor, often compared to ice cream. However
Snopes→ Does Joel Osteen Own a $325,000 Ferrari?
Questions about the pastor's net worth recirculated on social media in July 2021.
Truth or Fiction?→ Rep. Matt Gaetz Says if Democrats Pass Voting Bill, Republicans Will ‘Never Win Another Election’
On July 18 2021, the Facebook page “Call to Activism” shared the following quote meme, claiming that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) said that if Democrats pass “their voting rights bill,” then Republicans will “never win anot
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The UN is NOT Guarding a Pharmaceutical Company in Toronto
Did the U.N. station armored vehicles outside a pharmaceutical company in Canada? No, that's not true: the tenant of the building has changed and the armored vehicles are parked at a company that builds and maintains armored vehicles, whi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Hundreds of Cars Are Lined Up Along Hwy 18 Into Mission, South Dakota as the Remains of Native Children Were Returned to Their Homelands’
On July 17 2021, a photograph described as showing “Hundreds of cars … lined up along Hwy 18 into Mission, South Dakota as the remains of Native children were returned to their homelands” was posted to Facebook, echoing a tweet from t
Snopes→ Is It No Longer Illegal For Barbershops to Cut Hair on Sundays in New York?
An archaic law may have been long overdue for a cut.
Snopes→ Ben & Jerry’s to Stop Selling in Palestinian Territories
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream said sales in the occupied land are “inconsistent with our values.”
Snopes→ Bill Burr Trashes Fox News for Leaving Out Key Detail in Coverage of His CNN Rant
A headline from Fox News, which originally came from the New York Post, made quite the omission from Burr's rant about CNN and cable news.
Snopes→ Why Are Blue Laws Called ‘Blue Laws’?
The term 'blue laws' historically defined regulations intended to preserve the Sabbath by proscribing what activities were allowed on that day.
Logically→ Thousands of people are protesting against the COVID-19 vaccination pass in Paris.
Protests in France erupted over the vaccine pass scheme, as well as the mandatory vaccination requirement for health workers.
Snopes→ Garland Bars Prosecutors from Seizing Reporters’ Records
Attorney General Merrick Garland has formally prohibited federal prosecutors from seizing the records of journalists in leak investigations.
Snopes→ Yes, This Phallic Lamp is Real
"It is about love, light and life," says its creator. It is also priced at nearly $5,000.
Logically→ During the Arizona audit of the 2020 Presidential election, 74,243 mail-in ballots were found with no record of them being sent.
This claim misrepresents a normal feature of elections - some early ballots are not returned by post because people choose to vote in person instead.
Snopes→ Did Obama Officials Pressure NBC to Replace Jay Leno?
A baseless conspiracy theory is circulating online alleging that Leno lost the gig because of his comments about Obama.
Full Fact→ Photo doesn’t show Covid protest in Paris
A post on Facebook shared almost 1,000 times shows people lining the streets of Paris. The caption of the post claims this photograph was taken on 17 July 2021, when there were protests in the French capital over Covid-19 rules. However, this photograp
Snopes→ Japan Girds for a Surreal Olympics, and Questions Are Plenty
All signs point to an utterly surreal and atomized Games, one that will divide Japan into two worlds during the month of Olympics and Paralympics competition.
Snopes→ Microsoft Exchange Email Hack Was Caused by China, US Says
The Microsoft Exchange hack was first identified in January and was rapidly attributed to Chinese cyber spies by private sector groups.
Poynter→ Are state legislators really seeking power to overrule voters?
In a speech on voting rights in Philadelphia, President Joe Biden vowed that his administration would fight back against new voting restrictions pushed by allies of former President Donald Trump. State legislators are now engaged in a “broad as
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ballots Cast By People Not On The Voter Rolls In Maricopa County, Arizona, Are NOT Evidence of Fraud
Do ballots cast by people not on the voter rolls in Maricopa County, Arizona, constitute evidence of fraud in the 2020 election? No, that's not true: People can cast provisional ballots, which are only counted if it's determined that the
Snopes→ ‘Cake ATM’ in Las Vegas Captured in TikTok Video
Cake ATMs: For when you just can't wait for regular banking hours to make a cake withdrawal.
Snopes→ Yankee Stadium Fan Banned from MLB Parks for Hitting Verdugo with Ball
The fan who hit Boston Red Sox left fielder Alex Verdugo with a baseball thrown from the Yankee Stadium stands has been banned for life from attending big league games.
Snopes→ Padres, Nats Recall Harrowing Scene After Shots Outside Park
As the shots rang out, Nationals manager Dave Martinez was making sure his players were safe.