A video of Michael Gove dancing in a crowded room to a cover of the Whitney Houston song ‘I wanna dance with somebody’, with the caption “Leaked 10 Downing Street party footage, plenty more to come” has been viewed 16,000 times
AllSides→ Researchers Studying Whether Mouthwashes Can Reduce Viral Load, COVID-19 Transmission
https://www.factcheck.org/2021/12/scicheck-researchers-studying-whether-mouthwashes-can-reduce-viral-load-covid-19-transmission/
Snopes→ UK Court Allows Assange’s Extradition to US for Spying Case
Assange, 50, is currently being held at London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison.
Snopes→ 53 Dead After Truck Smuggling Migrants Crashes in Mexico
The migrants inside the cargo trailer were tossed and crushed in a pile of both the living and the dead.
Logically→ COVID-19 vaccines are causing myocarditis and pericarditis, the U.K. Health Security Agency says.
The guidance report does not say COVID-19 vaccines are causing myocarditis and pericarditis. The report has been misinterpreted.
Logically→ The Omicron variant weakens vaccines protection.
One study, yet to be peer-reviewed, does state this. However, further data is needed to understand the effectiveness of vaccines.
Poynter→ No, Beyonce and Kanye West aren’t Ghislaine Maxwell’s co-defendants in her human trafficking trial
A court document circulating on social media is being shared out of context and misleading some people to believe that Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite accused of trafficking girls to have […] The post No, Beyonce and Kanye West aren’t Ghislain
Logically→ The Red Cross is not accepting blood donations from people vaccinated against COVID-19 because the vaccine wipes out antibodies.
The Red Cross stopped collecting convalescent plasma completely on June 14, 2021 but it still accepts blood donations from vaccinated people.
Washington Post→ Democratic ad claims Cortez Masto helped ‘lower costs’ for prescription drugs
The Majority Forward ad conflates two separate bills anchoring Biden’s agenda: a bipartisan infrastructure law that has passed and a Democratic spending bill that hasn't.
Snopes→ Court Rejects Trump’s Efforts to Keep Records from 1/6 Panel
In a 68-page ruling, the three-judge panel tossed aside Trump’s various arguments for blocking through executive privilege records that the committee regards as vital to its investigation into the run-up to the deadly riot aimed at overturning the re
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 91-Year-Old Woman Did NOT Give Birth, But Carried A Calcified Fetus For 60 Years
Did a 91-year-old woman find out that she had been pregnant for 60 years when she visited the doctor? Yes and no: the story of the rare health condition of an elderly woman from La Boca, Chile is true, but it is presented in a misleading
FactCheck.org→ Researchers Studying Whether Mouthwashes Can Reduce Viral Load, COVID-19 Transmission
In a Dec. 8 town hall meeting, Sen. Ron Johnson may have left a misleading impression in saying “standard gargle, mouthwash, has been proven to kill the coronavirus.” In the laboratory, some mouthwashes have been shown to block infectivity or s
Snopes→ ‘Stop Cuddling With Your Cat,’ Misleading Ad Claims
We clicked through 60 pages of nonsense to spare you the horror.
Snopes→ Travis Scott Says He Was Unaware of Deaths Until After Show
In a lengthy interview with TV and radio personality Charlamagne Tha God posted on YouTube, Scott described from his perspective what happened at the Nov. 5 festival that left 10 people dead.
PolitiFact→ In context: Joe Biden’s ‘fair share’ comments on gas prices
The shortened clip conservative websites and politicians are sharing on social media cut Biden’s sentence short, leaving out the part where he said Americans shouldn’t be “gouged for gas.”
Snopes→ Jussie Smollett Convicted of Staging Attack, Lying to Police
Former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was convicted on five of six charges he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself in 2019 and then lied to Chicago police about it.
Snopes→ Has Anyone Died from Omicron COVID-19 Variant?
Early studies indicate the strain may cause less severe COVID-19 symptoms compared to its precursor, the delta variant.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Omicron is still being studied, but data in viral Facebook post is wrong
“The toxicity of COVID-Omicron is 5 times higher than that of the delta variant, and the mortality rate is also higher than that of Delta.”
Health Feedback→ Unsupported claim about COVID-19 vaccines, anti-spike antibodies, and myocarditis misrepresented conclusions from a New England Journal of Medicine article
REVIEW In December 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of three COVID-19 vaccines, deeming their benefits to largely outweigh the risks. 59.7% of the U.S. population have since been fully vaccinated and research
PolitiFact→ Viral image – No, Beyonce and Kanye West aren’t Ghislaine Maxwell’s co-defendants in her human trafficking trial
Ghislaine Maxwell’s co-defendants include Beyonce and Kanye West.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Electric vehicles not likely to stop functioning from using climate settings during a traffic jam
Electric vehicles are more likely to fail in traffic jams.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Eating 200 Apple Seeds May NOT Cause Fatal Reaction — There’s No Exact Number
Will eating 200 apple seeds cause a fatal reaction? Not necessarily: Apple seeds contain a chemical compound that decomposes into cyanide but the compound must be released by finely crushing or chewing the seeds. The number of apple seeds
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: You Can NOT Simply Declare Yourself Not A US Citizen To Avoid Income Taxes
Can you declare yourself not a U.S. citizen to avoid paying taxes to the IRS? No, that's not true: The U.S. Constitution and the Internal Revenue Code clearly define citizenship and how a "person" is defined for tax purposes. The tactic i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Vermont COVID Rate NOT Worst In U.S.
Does Vermont, with its nation-leading vaccination rate, also have the highest rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents? No, that's not true: Vermont ranks first in vaccination rates and 49th in rate of COVID cases. The claim has circu
Snopes→ In a First, Starbucks Workers Agree to Union in Buffalo, NY
Starbucks workers have voted to unionize at a store in Buffalo, New York over the company’s objections.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pilot Deaths Are NOT ‘Up 1700% After Vax Mandates’
Are pilot deaths up 1,700% after vax mandates? No, that's not true: The erroneous claim is based on an "In Memoriam" list that was published in the Air Line Pilots Association magazine that shows that more pilots died in 2021 than in 2020
Snopes→ Did George the Dog Give His Life to Save 5 Kids from 2 Pit Bulls?
'Tis the story of a "tiny" dog's bravery years ago in Manaia, New Zealand.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Helicopter Crash Video Was NOT One That Killed General From India — This Crash Is From Syria
Is this the video of the helicopter crash that killed former Gen. Bipin Rawat of the Indian Armed Forces on December 8, 2021? No, that's not true: This footage documented a helicopter crash in Syria almost two years earlier, in February 2
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ben Franklin Left Money to Boston’
On December 9 2021, Imgur user rippinro shared the following meme, claiming that Benjamin Franklin left $2,000 to young people in Boston and Philadelphia in his will: Underneath a portrait of Franklin, text read: Benjamin Franklin left $2,000 to Bosto
Snopes→ Chopin’s Last Piano Gets Its 19th-Century Features Back
The last piano on which Frederic Chopin played and composed in Paris is being renovated by a U.S. expert who is giving it back its original mid-19th century characteristics.
PolitiFact→ Amy Klobuchar – How unusual would it be to create a filibuster carve-out for voting rights?
"Over time there have been 160-some carve-outs to the filibuster."
Snopes→ Reality TV’s Josh Duggar Convicted of Child Porn Possession
Former reality TV star Josh Duggar was immediately taken into custody after a federal jury convicted him of downloading and possessing child pornography.
Snopes→ Expelled Coast Guard Cadet Sues over Policy Banning Parents
A former cadet who was expelled from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy after becoming a father filed a federal lawsuit challenging the school's policy that prohibits students from being parents.
Snopes→ Biden Honors ‘Giant of Our History’ Bob Dole at US Capitol
Bob Dole lay in state at the U.S. Capitol, as the president and others gathered to pay tribute to a “giant of our history.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, COVID-19 vaccines do not increase the transmission of the virus
"COVID-19 vaccines do not stop transmission of COVID, but instead increase it.”
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘If the Minimum Wage Increased at the Rate of Productivity Since 1960, It’d Be $24 Today—Not $7.25’
On December 8 2021, Imgur user Lanhdanan shared a screenshot of a tweet claiming that if the federal minimum wage rose in concert with worker productivity, it would be $24 an hour in 2021. That image showed a December 5 2021 tweet by user Qasim Rashid:
AllSides→ Analyzing Republican Attacks on Biden for Increase in Fentanyl Seized
https://www.factcheck.org/2021/12/analyzing-republican-attacks-on-biden-for-increase-in-fentanyl-seized/
Snopes→ UK Prime Minister Johnson’s Wife Gives Birth to Baby Girl
The couple said a healthy baby, the couple’s second child together, was born in a London hospital.
Snopes→ Food Waste Becomes California’s Newest Climate Change Target
The nation's largest mandatory residential food waste recycling program is set to take effect in January.
Logically→ Dr. Fauci gains profits from pharmaceutical companies.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has been the subject of several conspiracy theories. There is no evidence that pharmaceutical companies compensated him.