Is there still a mystery surrounding the bright red glow under the clouds seen by a pilot flying over the north Pacific Ocean? No, that's not true: Pilot Dustin Maggard spotted the red glow on July 16, 2022. Although there was initially s
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – There’s no documentation of bull sharks in the Great Lakes
There is documentation of bull sharks in the Great Lakes.
Snopes→ Flash Floods Strand 1K People in Death Valley National Park
About 60 vehicles were buried in debris and about 500 visitors and 500 park workers were stranded.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Study DID Find Bacteria, Fungi On Face Masks — But They’re NOT ‘Petri Dishes For Dangerous Pathogens To Fester’
Did a study find potentially disease-causing bacteria and fungi on face masks? Yes, that's true, but the study's authors only made one recommendation based on their findings and that was for immunocompromised people to avoid repeated use
FactCheck.org→ Four False Claims About Monkeypox
SciCheck Digest Monkeypox is a viral disease that spreads through close physical contact with an infected person and large respiratory droplets that don’t travel more than a few feet. A recent meme on social media gets the facts wrong about how the v
Snopes→ Did the Hollywood Sign Once Say ‘Hollywoodland’?
"Hooray for Hollywoodland" just doesn't have the same ring.
Truth or Fiction?→ House Report Accuses Corporate Landlords of ‘Abusive Eviction Practices’ Despite CDC Moratorium
Four property management companies accounted for nearly 15,000 eviction filings in the United States as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, according to a House investigation — nearly triple the amount that had previously been reported. Their practic
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAA Weather Cams Are NOT Offline Along Entire Coastline Of Lower 48 States — They Only Operate In Select Locations
Are Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) weather cameras offline along the entire coastline of the lower 48 states? No, that's not true: In an email to Lead Stories, the FAA said it has no weather camera systems in those areas. Hundreds
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Pretty Boy Floyd ‘Known for Destroying Mortgage Papers on Heists, Freeing Hundreds … from Debt’?
On August 5 2022, an Imgur user shared a meme about the historical figure “Pretty Boy Floyd,” an outlaw who purportedly destroyed records of mortgage debt in the course of heists: The image combined two memes, one featuring the claim about
Snopes→ No, Mike Tomlin Didn’t Say ‘No More Kneeling’ on His Field
The Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach has expressed support for his players who take a stand against social injustice.
PolitiFact→ What we know about how monkeypox is spreading — and what we still don’t know
Monkeypox seems to be most efficiently transmitted through close physical contact during sex, experts say. Because the virus is spreading within sexual networks of men who have sex with other men, those men are the most affected.
PolitiFact→ American Prosperity Alliance – No, Senate bill won’t strip $300 billion from Medicare
The Senate Democrats’ reconciliation bill “will strip $300 billion from Medicare.”
Snopes→ Alex Jones Ordered to Pay $49.3M Total Over Sandy Hook Lies
The trial is the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut.
PolitiFact→ Tomi Lahren – ICE proposes ID cards for immigrants at border, but not for access to benefits
“Biden wants to give illegals ID cards so they can start collecting American benefits.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, these grocery list staples do not cause young people to get sick
Consuming “rice and beans, milk, cheese, butter and eggs” causes disease by age 30.
FactCheck.org→ Posts Make Unfounded Claims About Death of Al-Qaeda Leader
Quick Take The U.S. announced it had conducted a drone strike on July 31 killing al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul. But social media posts make unfounded claims that al-Zawahiri had died in 2020 from asthma. The posts cite an unconfirmed story
Snopes→ In France, a Battle to Save Weakened Whale Lost in the Seine
French environmentalists were hoping to feed a catch of herring to a worryingly thin Beluga whale that has strayed far from its Arctic habitat into France's Seine River.
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No medical evidence that root canals cause cancer
Suggests root canals are linked to breast cancer.
Snopes→ Forecasters Trim Hurricane Season Outlook a Bit, Still Busy
This hurricane season may be a tad quieter than initially projected, but it is still likely to be busier than normal.
FactCheck.org→ Online ‘Stimulus Loan’ Offers Are Not Related to Government Programs
Quick Take Three stimulus payments have been sent to Americans to ease the economic impact of the pandemic. Social media posts are now sharing a false claim about a new, $40,000 federal stimulus loan. But it’s a marketing ploy. The bottom of the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Video Does NOT Show Russian Defense Ministry Guesthouse Being Attacked
Does a video shared on Facebook and YouTube show a guesthouse of the Russian ministry of defense under attack? No, that's not true: The clip reuses shots of a fire in a Moscow residential building that took place more than a week earlier,
Truth or Fiction?→ CPAC ‘Prison’ Exhibit
On August 5 2022 (a day after the Conservative Political Action Conference. or CPAC, began in Dallas, Texas) video of a prison cell booth at the event spread virally on Twitter: Hello I would like to share with you the most astonishing thing I have
Snopes→ Banksy Painting Sprayed in West Bank Resurfaces in Tel Aviv
The painting initially appeared near Israel’s separation barrier in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, the IRS won’t take out $846.3 million in taxes from the $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot
"Congratulations to the IRS on winning the $846.3 million Mega Millions Jackpot.”
Snopes→ Amazon to Buy Vacuum Maker IRobot for Roughly $1.7B
iRobot sells its products worldwide and is most famous for the circular-shaped Roomba vacuum.
FactCheck.org→ United Democracy Project
Political leanings: Nonpartisan 2020 total spending: N/A United Democracy Project is a nonpartisan super PAC created to advocate for political organizations and candidates that support the United States’ partnership with Israel. The super PAC “work
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Program Approved By ‘The Authorities’ Offers Up To $150,000 In Benefits
Is there a program approved by "the authorities" offering up to $150,000 in benefits to U.S. citizens? No, that's not true: The claim is one of the many posts on social media that falsely insinuate that people can receive government-appro
Snopes→ Chaos Erupts As SUV Drives into Native American Parade
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and his family were among those almost hit as a large SUV drove through a Native American parade in western New Mexico, causing multiple injuries.
Snopes→ No, Conor McGregor Did Not Die in August 2022
Sooner or later, a completely unfounded death hoax is visited upon most celebrities.
PolitiFact→ Rebecca Kleefisch – No evidence Michels personally pushed for gas tax increase, despite ties to groups that did
“Tim Michels pushed for years to raise (Wisconsin’s) gas tax.”
Full Fact→ A Cabinet minister was not entitled to £470,000 severance pay after two days on the job
Former education secretary Michelle Donelan was due much less—and has said she won’t be taking it anyway.
Snopes→ Lightning Strike Near White House Leaves 2 Dead, 2 Injured
Two people who were critically injured in a lightning strike outside the White House have died.
Snopes→ Monkeypox Vaccines: A Virologist Answers 6 Questions
Maureen Ferran, a virologist at Rochester Institute of Technology, has been keeping tabs on the two vaccines that can protect against monkeypox.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Image makes false claims about monkeypox and wasn’t shared by BBC News or the WHO
The CDC has classified monkeypox as an airborne form of herpes that can lead to paralysis.
PolitiFact→ Three things about the abortion debate that many people get wrong
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the federal right to abortion, things are more than a litt
Snopes→ Kremlin Says Griner Swap Must Be Discussed Without Publicity
The Kremlin said that it's open to talking about a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner but strongly warned Washington against publicizing the issue.
Logically→ This video of tractors parked together shows Italian farmers protesting in July 2022.
The video depicts Tractor Beer Fest, held in Villafranca Piemonte on July 23, 2022. This event was unrelated to any farmers' demonstrations.
Snopes→ Warner Bros. Axes ‘Batgirl,’ Won’t Release $90M HBO Max Film
The studio ultimately decided the nearly completed “Batgirl" didn't merit either a streaming debut or a theatrical release.
Snopes→ China Halts Climate, Military Ties over Pelosi Taiwan Visit
The measures are the latest in a promised series of steps intended to punish the U.S. for allowing the visit to the island it claims as its own territory.
Logically→ A burkha-clad woman destroyed idols of Hindu gods in Kerala.
A video from 2020 wherein a burkha-clad woman destroys Hindu idols in a shop in Bahrain has been falsely shared as an incident from Kerala.