Quick Take A manipulated image online shows Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holding a T-shirt reading, “Your mask is as useless as Joe Biden.” DeSantis and the White House have sparred, including on the issue of masks, but the original photo is f
Snopes→ Do Belgium’s Solar Parking Meters Not Work Due to Lack of Sunlight?
Misinformation is still misinformation even it sounds humorous.
Snopes→ ‘Bear in Walmart’ TikTok Video Was Not Recorded in Walmart
A TikTok comedian appeared to confuse a number of commenters after making a humorous video.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: California Gas Prices Are NOT $6-Plus Per Gallon On Average — But There Are Exceptions
Are California gas stations pricing gas at over $6 per gallon? No, statewide the average gasoline price is $4.39 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association. But there are exceptions. An AAA spokesperson said that $6-plus
Snopes→ More Red Ink: US Budget Deficit Through July Hit $2.54T
The U.S. budget deficit hit $2.54 trillion for the first 10 months of this budget year, fed by spending to support the country after the pandemic-induced recession.
Truth or Fiction?→ Comedian’s Spoof Interview as ‘Flight Attendant’ Spreads Virally on Facebook Watch
On August 6 2021, Irish broadcaster and verified page “RTÉ 2fm” shared a video captioned “The greatest interview of ALL time. A classic ,” reaching five million views on Facebook Watch and purportedly showing footage of a flig
Logically→ Telangana received the highest amount of FDI among all states in India.
Gujarat has the highest FDI inflow at the end of March 2021, with Telangana at the seventh place by beating Andhra Pradesh at the fifteenth place.
The Dispatch→ Did Ron DeSantis Pose Holding an Anti-Mask T-Shirt?
A viral image purportedly shows Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holding up an anti-face mask T-shirt. a.image2.image-link.image2-1294-1098 { padding-bottom: 117.85063752276868%; padding-bottom: min(117.85063752276868%,
Snopes→ CDC Urges COVID Vaccines During Pregnancy As Delta Surges
Expectant women run a higher risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications from the coronavirus, including perhaps miscarriages and stillbirths.
Snopes→ Taliban Complete Northeast Afghan Blitz as More Cities Fall
The Taliban seized three more Afghan provincial capitals and a local army headquarters Wednesday to complete a blitz across the country's northeast, giving them control of two-thirds of the nation.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Schools Were NOT Planning On Closing On August 10, 2021, Due To ‘Drastic Events Going On In The World’
Were schools planning on closing on August 10, 2021, due to "drastic events going on in the world"? No, that's not true: social media posts that made the claim included a link that led users to a meme indicating the post was a spoof. The
Snopes→ RECALL: Serenade Chicken Linked to Salmonella Outbreak
In the spring and summer of 2021, federal agencies investigated a salmonella outbreak that sickened 28 people in eight states.
Snopes→ ‘River Dave’ Doesn’t Think He Can Go Back to Being a Hermit
"River Dave" Lidstone, a logger by trade who chopped his firewood and grew his food in the woods along the Merrimack River in the town of Canterbury, said he's not grieving the loss of his life in isolation.
Snopes→ Are ‘Vaccine Bandits’ Taking Over Los Angeles Streets?
There's a predictable answer to the question "why is nobody else talking about this?"
Logically→ Anti-lockdown protestors in Australia attacked police horses.
Two men were charged for allegedly attacking police horses during a protest in the Sydney Central Business District.
AllSides→ Indiana Doctor Piles On Bogus COVID-19 Claims in Viral Video
https://www.factcheck.org/2021/08/scicheck-indiana-doctor-piles-on-bogus-covid-19-claims-in-viral-video/
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Doctor Addressing Indiana School Board Does NOT Accurately Represent Benefit Of COVID-19 Vaccines
Did Dr. Dan Stock present well-reasoned arguments to the Mt. Vernon, Indiana, school board against masking and vaccination as means to mitigate the spread and harm of COVID-19, and should his arguments apply universally as public health m
Snopes→ Senate OKs Dems’ $3.5T Budget in Latest Win for Biden
Lawmakers approved Democrats’ budget resolution on a party-line 50-49 vote, a crucial step for a president and party set on training the government’s fiscal might on assisting families, creating jobs and fighting climate change.
AllSides→ Trusting science leaves people vulnerable to believing pseudoscience, new research finds
https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/08/trusting-science-leaves-people-vulnerable-to-believing-pseudoscience-new-research-finds/
Logically→ Two ships from the Royal Australian Navy rammed a boat loaded with undocumented migrants.
The photo in question is mislabeled. It actually shows Japan Coast Guard's attempts to block Chinese activists from landing on the Senkaku Islands.
Poynter→ CNN did not bring on Jeffrey Toobin to analyze Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment allegations
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Aug. 10 announced plans to resign amid ongoing criminal investigations. The state’s attorney general, Letitia James, had recently released a report finding that Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo has denied
Logically→ American actors Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer are dating.
The actors have revealed that they previously had a crush on each other. However, neither has confirmed the current dating rumors.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mike Lindell Cyber Symposium Final Wrap-Up, August 12, 2021 — No PCAP Evidence, Questions Remain
Did the materials released by Mike Lindell at his Cyber Symposium meet evidentiary standards of relevance, proof of origin, chain-of-secure-custody and reproducibility that online security experts say would be needed to take seriously his
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pfizer CEO’s Israel Visit Was NOT Canceled ‘Because He Was Not Vaccinated’– He Was Awaiting Second Dose Of Two-Shot Vaccine
Was a trip to Israel by the CEO of Pfizer canceled "because he was not vaccinated"? No, that's not true: Albert Bourla canceled his trip because while he had had his first shot, he was still waiting for the second shot of the two-step Pf
Snopes→ Census Data Spurred GOP’s Largest Partisan Edge in Decades
A new analysis from the Associated Press.
Snopes→ San Francisco Schools Will Require Vaccine or Weekly Test for Teachers
The announcement makes the San Francisco Unified School District the latest in California to issue a vaccine or testing mandate for staff.
FactCheck.org→ Indiana Doctor Piles On Bogus COVID-19 Claims in Viral Video
SciCheck Digest In a viral video, an Indiana physician baselessly claimed that the COVID-19 vaccines, which have been shown to be safe and effective, “fight the virus wrong and let the virus become worse than it would with native infection.”
Snopes→ Mississippi Back Near High for COVID Hospitalizations
Mississippi is approaching its pandemic high for COVID-19 hospitalizations as the coronavirus continues spreading rapidly in a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: It Is NOT True PCR Test Failed To Distinguish Flu From COVID And That CDC Dropped FDA Application Because Of Errors
Did the CDC's PCR test fail to distinguish flu from COVID and did it cause errors in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tallies by which the agency tracked the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections? No, that's not true. The claim was ma
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Several New Pieces of Evidence Link Mike Lindell’s Election Data and Videos To Accused Con Man Dennis L. Montgomery
After Mike Lindell's appearance on the April 28, 2021, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show, Lead Stories published a story titled "Attention Mike Lindell: What You May Want To Know About The 'Data' Used In Your Stolen Election Claims" that traced s
The Dispatch→ Does the CDC Have a Plan to Put High-Risk Individuals in Camps?
Right-wing provocateur and frequent source of misinformation Candace Owens claimed in a recent viral tweet that the CDC “actually put together a document to discuss putting high risk people into camps to ‘shield’ low risk people from
Snopes→ Chicago Target Employees Allegedly Run in Fear of Possible Shooter, Viral TikTok Video Shows
The same TikTok user who posted the viral video later said that no one was hurt in the incident.
Truth or Fiction?→ Campground Sign ‘Translated for Teenagers’
On August 9 2021, a Facebook post depicting a campground’s “text us” sign and a “teenager translation” went viral; iterations of the image were popular across social media: Every variation of the images of the signs we we
Snopes→ No, a Canadian Court ‘Victory’ Didn’t Prove COVID ‘Is a Hoax’
A viral video is spreading false information about the pandemic on social media.
Snopes→ Did Lionel Messi Officially Sign for Paris Saint-Germain?
Rumors and speculation surrounded the future of the Argentine soccer star, one of the greatest of all time, in August 2021.
Truth or Fiction?→ San Diego Sheriff Admits No Doctor Verified ‘Overdose’ Claim in Viral Video
San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore admitted on August 10 2021 that no medical professionals were involved in the making of a heavily-criticized video his department has claimed showed a deputy “overdosing” on fentanyl. According to the San
Snopes→ No, Kathy Hochul Is Not Nancy Pelosi’s Stepsister
As the New York lieutenant governor's name circulated on social media, so did misinformation.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Vaccinated And Unvaccinated People Do NOT Face The Same Risks From COVID-19
Do vaccinated and unvaccinated people face the same risks from COVID-19? No, that's not true: People who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 have substantially better outcomes. They are much less likely than unvaccinated people to get s
Snopes→ Prince Andrew Faces No Good Choice in Epstein Accuser Case
Britain’s Prince Andrew is likely to do anything he can to avoid giving evidence in a U.S. lawsuit filed by an American woman who alleges that he sexually assaulted her when she was 17, lawyers on both sides of the Atlantic say.
Snopes→ Hospitals Run Low on Nurses As They Get Swamped with COVID
Some patients wait inside ambulances for up to an hour before hospitals in St. Petersburg, Florida, can admit them.