A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook which claim it shows that the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine contains MRC-5 cells originally taken from an aborted human foetus. The claim is misleading: the Ast
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: These Are NOT The Eight Deadliest Days In American History
Is this an accurate list of deadliest days in American history? No, that's not true: While the design of the infographic is clearly well-intentioned, this chart lacks some critical parameters for comparisons. This chart of lethal events s
Snopes→ Has No Presidential Candidate ‘Won Iowa, Florida and Ohio’ and Still Lost?
U.S. President Donald Trump demonstrated in December 2020 that one can move the goal posts and still lose the argument.
Snopes→ Did Russian Official Recommend No Booze for 42 Days After COVID Vaccination?
The "Sputnik V" vaccine at issue here differs from the vaccines nearing approval in the United States.
Snopes→ Did First COVID-19 Vaccine Recipient Suspiciously Appear in News Report Months Earlier?
A right-wing social media activist saw evidence of conspiracy where there was none in photographs of Margaret Keenan from December 2020.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tens Of Thousands Of Moms Did NOT Watch Their Child Regress Or Die Within 24-To-72 Hours Of Being Vaccinated
Did "tens of thousands of moms ... watch their child regress or die within 24-72 hours" of being vaccinated? No, that's not true: There is no confirmation that tens of thousands of moms watched their children regress or die within 24 to 7
Snopes→ No, mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Do Not ‘Alter Your DNA’
A viral bit of copypasta purporting to have been authored by Robert F. Kennedy Jr makes a series of erroneous claims about the science underlying two promising vaccines.
Snopes→ Scientists Suggest US Embassies Were Hit with High-Power Microwaves
The mystery ailment that has afflicted U.S. embassy staff and CIA officers off and on over the last four years in Cuba, China, Russia and other countries appears to have been caused by high-power microwaves.
Snopes→ Ex-Cop Charged with Making False 911 Call About Black Youths
A white former police officer has been charged with falsely reporting a gunfight with a group of Black youths at his lakeside camp in the Adirondacks while he was off duty, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office said.
Snopes→ Visa, Mastercard Won’t Allow Charges for Services on Pornhub
Mastercard and Visa said they would block their customers from using the credit cards to make purchases on Pornhub following accusations the pornographic website showed videos of rape and underage sex.
Snopes→ Watchdog Raises Possible Kushner Link to $700M Rescue Loan
A congressional monitor of federal pandemic aid is raising the possibility of a link between President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and a $700 million relief loan to a struggling trucking company.
Snopes→ Here’s When You Might See the Northern Lights in December 2020
The aurora borealis was visible in parts of the northern hemisphere in 2020, including areas in the northern U.S., between Dec. 9 and Dec. 11.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The First Person To Get The Pfizer Vaccine In Britain Was NOT Pictured Getting It In October
Was the first person to get the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in Britain also pictured getting a COVID vaccine back in October? No, that's not true: The prior date appears near an image of the historic vaccination because of the way CNN's websi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Spikes On Schumann Resonance Readout Do NOT Show Dangerous Disturbance In Ionosphere
Were the large red spikes recorded on a spectrogram on December 1, 2020 a dangerous "Schumann Resonance Explosion"? No, that's not true: The spikes on the spectrogram readout were caused by snow falling on the antenna of a monitoring stat
Snopes→ US Panel Endorses Widespread Use of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine
In a 17-4 vote with one abstention, the government advisers concluded that the vaccine appears safe and effective for emergency use in adults and teenagers 16 and older.
The Dispatch→ Did Detroit Poll Workers Scan the Same Ballots Over and Over?
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FactCheck.org→ Vaccine Recipient Targeted With Baseless ‘Crisis Actor’ Claim
Quick Take Social media posts are peddling the baseless claim that the first recipient of a COVID-19 vaccine in the United Kingdom was actually a “crisis actor.” There is no evidence for that conspiracy theory. Full Story On Dec. 8, a 90-y
Snopes→ Was Anonymous Letter Decrying ‘Harmful Impact’ of Christmas Lights Sent to Minnesota Resident?
An identical letter was reportedly sent to several neighbors in the same area.
Snopes→ Did a TikTok Reveal the Secret to Unlock Any iPhone?
A TikTok video that promised "How to Unlock Anybody's iPhone" was viewed millions of times.
Snopes→ Probe: CDC Official Says She Was Ordered to Delete Emails
A senior manager with the CDC told congressional investigators she was ordered to delete an email suggesting attempted political interference by the Trump administration in coronavirus reports to the public.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Governor Jay Inslee Did NOT State That People Cannot Talk In Elevators
Did Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee order that no one speak in elevators to help slow the spread of coronavirus? No, not quite: His office released guidance that strongly advises no talking in elevators. The claim appeared in a Facebook
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Schumer and Pelosi ‘Shoot Down’ a COVID Relief Bill and $600 Checks for Americans?
As the global COVID-19 pandemic closed in on its first year, calls in the United States for second stimulus checks mounted in December 2020, the dubious right-wing blog DailyWire.com published an item (“Schumer, Pelosi Shoot Down Trump Covid Rel
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 vaccine candidates show high efficacy and a safe profile in clinical trials, contrary to claims in viral video
REVIEW This 7 December 2020 video shows a series of 34 clips from individuals from different countries, claiming that COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous and unnecessary because the COVID-19 pandemic is not real. First published on YouTube, the platform
Snopes→ Does Teaser Video Show Location For GTA 6?
Geographic coordinates in a 10-second video online have fans speculating about a possible GTA 6.
Snopes→ Does Teaser Video Show Location For Grand Theft Auto 6?
Geographic coordinates in a 10-second video online have fans speculating about the franchise.
Snopes→ One-Day US Deaths Top 3,000, More Than D-Day or 9/11
Just when the U.S. appears on the verge of rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine, the numbers have become gloomier than ever.
Snopes→ Does Texas HB 196 ‘Repeal’ The Castle Doctrine?
The bill does seem to add a "duty to retreat" clause to the defense of self, or of another person. But what about self-defense on one's own property?
Snopes→ Did 4 COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Patients Develop Bell’s Palsy?
The FDA wrote: "The observed frequency of reported Bell’s palsy in the vaccine group is consistent with the expected background rate in the general population."
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Raphael Warnock Did NOT ‘Invite Fidel Castro To His Church’
Did Raphael Warnock "invite Fidel Castro to his church"? No, there's no evidence that's true: Warnock, who is running for the U.S. Senate to represent Georgia, was a youth pastor at New York City's Abyssinian Baptist Church, where the for
Truth or Fiction?→ Does London Christmas Tree Rental Enable People to Borrow a Sustainable Christmas Tree?
On December 10 2020, the Facebook page “Wholesome Meets The Internet” shared an undated Twitter screenshot with information about a London Christmas tree rental company, and its purportedly sustainable model of lending out live Christmas
Snopes→ Precious Painting Lost at German Airport Found in Dumpster
A surrealist painting worth more than a quarter million dollars that was forgotten by a businessman at Duesseldorf's airport has been recovered from a nearby recycling dumpster.
Snopes→ Gone-Olith: Mystery 10-Foot Pillar in Germany Destroyed
A mysterious 3-meter (10-foot) tall metal pillar that appeared on a field near the central German town of Sulzbach has been reduced to scrap.
Snopes→ Justices Rule Muslim Men Can Sue FBI Agents over No-Fly List
A unanimous Supreme Court ruled that Muslim men who were placed on the government’s no-fly list because they refused to serve as FBI informants can seek to hold federal agents financially liable.
Snopes→ Was the ‘Hidden Truth’ of Titanic ‘Covered Up for Decades’?
Titanic sank on the morning of April 15, 1912, ushering in a series of theories and hoaxes for more than a century.
Snopes→ Did ‘Banned’ Photo Expose Fake Moon Landing?
A TikTok user put a new spin on an age-old conspiracy theory.
Snopes→ EXPLAINER: Why Did Mount Everest’s Height Change?
China and Nepal agreed on a new standard height for Mount Everest, the rugged Himalayan peak that straddles their border.
Snopes→ No, Richard Gere’s Net Worth Didn’t Leave Family ‘in Tears’
Actor Richard Gere was the subject of yet another internet death hoax. This time, it was about his net worth.
Logically→ Texas state representative Terry Meza wants to repeal the ‘Castle Doctrine’.
The bill proposed by Terry Meza does not repeal the castle doctrine in Texas, but it modifies the terms of the castle doctrine.
Logically→ West Bengal has the highest number of rape cases.
The National Crime Records Bureau’s 2019 annual report shows that Rajasthan reported the highest number of rapes cases with 5,997 cases.
Logically→ President Trump is above the law.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a fundamental principle of democracy that no one is above the law and rejected President Trump's law privilege claim.