Did Gavin Newsom, governor of California, receive the death penalty for committing sex crimes against children and treason? No, that's not true: An on-duty press officer at the Pentagon told Lead Stories that this story is false. Tweets f
Snopes→ Prosecutor Drops Groping Charge Against Former NY Gov. Cuomo
ormer New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo won't face criminal prosecution over an allegation that he fondled an aide after a prosecutor said he couldn't prove the case.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Study Backing MATH+ Treatment Protocol For COVID-19 WAS Retracted After Hospital Questioned Data
Was a study supporting the MATH+ treatment protocol for COVID-19 retracted after a hospital questioned the data used in it? Yes, that's true: The study backing the experimental and controversial regimen was pulled December 15, 2020, after
Snopes→ ’15 Mega Mansions’ Ad Fails to Reveal Info About Its Photo
The answer: It shows the abandoned "Manor AG Eliseev" in Belogorka, Russia.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This ‘Our Planet From the Side of the Pacific Ocean’?
On January 4 2022, an Imgur user shared a purported image of Earth “from the side of the Pacific Ocean”: Underneath an image without a labeled source, text read: The Earth is almost never shown like this, and in the meantime, this is our p
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Report From German Government Agency Does NOT Show Majority Of Omicron Cases Are In Vaccinated People
Does a report from the German public health agency Robert Koch Institute (RKI) show that 95% of those infected with the omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are vaccinated? No, that's not true: This calculation is based on incomplete d
Snopes→ David Bowie’s Extensive Music Catalog is Sold to Warner
The extensive music catalog of David Bowie, stretching from the late 1960s to just before his death in 2016, has been sold to Warner Chappell Music.
Snopes→ Did Mark Wahlberg Tweet ‘Sometimes God Slows You Down’?
The quote was virally shared beginning in late 2021.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Other presidents have had lower approval ratings than Biden
President Joe Biden “has the lowest approval rating of any president ever.”
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Danish study shows decline in vaccine protection against omicron is restored with Pfizer booster
"Yale study: Vaccinated people more likely to be infected than those without the jab.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There ARE Movie Theater Listings After January 6, 2022
Are there no movie theater listings after January 6, 2022? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, movie theaters in larger markets like New York and Los Angeles had posted showtimes for after Thursday, January 6, 2022. Some theaters
Snopes→ No, Fox News Did Not Say Trump Vowed To Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell in 2024
Left-wing critics of the former president enthusiastically shared weakly-sourced claims in light of Maxwell's conviction, in December 2021.
Snopes→ Sheep, Goats Join in German Efforts to Encourage Vaccination
Tasty bits of bread did the trick for about 700 sheep and goats to join Germany's drive to encourage more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Illinois Introduces A Bill To Force Unvaccinated Residents To Pay Out Of Pocket …’
On January 3 2022, an Imgur account shared the following meme about a bill in the state of Illinois that would force unvaccinated individuals pay out of pocket for COVID-related hospital stays: Text at the top and bottom of the meme read: Illinois int
Snopes→ Djokovic Given Medical Exemption to Play at Australian Open
Novak Djokovic will get a chance to defend his Australian Open title after receiving a medical exemption to travel to Melbourne.
Full Fact→ Anna Soubry was wrong to say that the ‘overwhelming majority’ of Covid-19 patients are unvaccinated
We know that the overwhelming majority of people in hospital on the Covid wards, with Covid, Omicron or Delta, are people who have not been vaccinated. Anna Soubry, 3 January 2022. Speaking on Sky News [starting at 5min 00 secs], the barrister and for
Full Fact→ Guardian didn’t deactivate ‘Person of the Year’ poll because J.K. Rowling took the lead
“Guardian ‘Person of the Year’ Poll Deactivated After J.K. Rowling Takes Lead” Breitbart, 29 December 2021. Breitbart has reported that the Guardian deactivated a “Person of the Year” poll shortly after Harry Potter
Snopes→ Does Video Show Vaxxed Heads Exploding Due to 5G in Israel?
A gruesome video of protesters being killed with "non-lethal" weapons was repurposed to spread 5G conspiracy theories.
PolitiFact→ Derrick Van Orden – Wisconsin Republican candidate mostly wrong on numbers of Americans left behind in Afghanistan
Actions by Joe Biden left "10,000 - 15,000 American citizens abandoned to terrorists in Afghanistan."
Full Fact→ Tap water can’t test positive for Covid-19
A number of posts on Facebook show people putting tap water on lateral flow tests, either to claim that Covid-19 could be present in the water supply or to suggest the tests don’t work. Some of the posts are screenshots of a tweet posted by music
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – False claims about Jan. 6 insurrection and 2020 presidential election rely on debunked information
“Jan. 6 was NOT an insurrection…but Nov. 4 at 3 a.m. was!”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Judge in Ghislaine Maxwell trial did not seal “all evidence and proof”
A judge sealed “all the evidence and proof of who helped Ghislaine Maxwell sex traffic children.”
Logically→ China unfurled its national flag at Galwan Valley on January 1, 2022.
The People's Liberation Army unfurled the Chinese flag along the region of the Galwan Valley that lies in territory controlled by China.
Logically→ In India, expired Covaxin vials are being used to jab children above 15 years of age.
The shelf life of Covaxin was extended after taking approvals and carrying out required tests.
Logically→ Natural immunity is longer lasting than immunity from COVID-19 vaccines.
COVID-19 vaccines offer consistent protection against the virus. The CDC states that natural infection plus vaccine is better than infection alone.
Snopes→ What is Pay-As-You-Throw? A Waste Expert Explains
It’s also sometimes called variable-rate pricing or pay-as-you-waste.
Snopes→ ‘Mudi’? Try a Toy: American Kennel Club Adds 2 Dog Breeds
An athletic Hungarian farm dog and a tiny pet of bygone Russian aristocrats are the latest breeds in the American Kennel Club's purebred lineup.
Logically→ NASA hired religious experts to predict human reactions to aliens.
NASA funded a study on the societal implications of discovering life beyond Earth, but none of the program's researchers worked for NASA.
Snopes→ Drivers Snowed-In All Night As I-95 Shuts Down in Virginia
Both directions of traffic on I-95 came to a standstill between Ruther Glen, Virginia, in Caroline County and exit 152 in Dumfries, Prince William County.
Snopes→ Former Theranos CEO Holmes Convicted of Fraud and Conspiracy
Elizabeth Holmes was convicted of duping investors into believing her startup Theranos had developed a revolutionary medical device that could detect a multitude of diseases and conditions from a few drops of blood.
Poynter→ Claims that six-month Pfizer data show its COVID-19 vaccine causes more illness than it prevents are false
A headline widely shared on Facebook alleges that Pfizer’s own data show that the company’s COVID-19 vaccine causes more harm than good. “Alarming Six Month Pfizer Data Show COVID Vaccine […] The post Claims that six-month Pfizer data s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 89% Of New UK COVID Cases Are NOT ‘Among Fully Vaxxed’ – Just People 60 And Above
Do fully vaccinated people account for 89% of COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom? No, that's not true: The actual percentage is less than half that number and the claim misleadingly attributes the figures to The Lancet science journal.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Amazon Did NOT Launch Cryptocurrency Token Presale — It’s A Phishing Scam
Did Amazon launch a presale of a new Amazon Token cryptocurrency -- and does the purchase of this cryptocurrency also include Amazon Prime and other member benefits? No, that's not true: A series of spoof websites impersonating both Amazo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Hydroxychloroquine CANNOT Be Made At Home By Boiling Grapefruit And Lemon Peels In Water
Can hydroxychloroquine be made at home by boiling grapefruit and lemon peels in water? No, that's not true: This claim is "totally false," Dr. Joseph Fortunak, professor of chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences at Howard University, told
Snopes→ Viral Prayer Request Exploits Dead Child, Mother Tells Facebook Like-Farmers: ‘Go Straight to Hell’
Deyse Lene, the mother, said that Sarah, her baby, passed away in 2018. Here's how we found the truth.
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – The CDC didn’t say its COVID-19 tests can’t differentiate between the virus and the flu
The CDC finally admits its COVID-19 test can’t tell the difference between the virus and the flu
Snopes→ Did Makers of Jumanji Settle a $729B Class Action Lawsuit?
The lawsuit supposedly alleged that paranormal forces inside the Jumanji video game threatened to kill all of its players.
PolitiFact→ Explainer: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's data on southern African migrants
Explainer: Where Texas governor got data on migrants
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No, declining the COVID-19 vaccine won’t make you ‘99.8%’ safe from the virus
"By declining the vax, I am 100% safe from adverse reactions and 99.8% safe from COVID."
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, vaccines are not why flights have been canceled
Vaccines are why flights have been shut down worldwide.