Quick Take A bill introduced in the North Carolina House of Representatives last year said anyone getting an abortion should be “held accountable” for murder. The bill received little support and did not advance. But social media posts misleadingly claimed the state is considering a proposal that would “make it […]
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Posts Misleadingly Omit Critical Data Supporting COVID-19 Vaccines for Youngest Kids
SciCheck Digest In young children, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are expected to primarily protect against severe disease. Both shots successfully met the set benchmarks for vaccine effectiveness, which involved comparing antibody responses to those of adults. Online posts critical of government recommendations for the pediatric vaccines, however, fail to […]
Posts on Social Media Misinterpret Biden’s Quote on Previous Cancer
Quick Take President Joe Biden claimed in a July 20 speech that growing up in Delaware near oil refineries gave him cancer. Posts on social media misinterpreted that to mean he currently has cancer. A White House spokesperson said Biden was referring to a skin cancer that was removed before […]
Ocasio-Cortez Was Arrested at Abortion-Rights Protest, Contrary to Social Media Posts
Quick Take Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one of 17 members of Congress arrested at an abortion-rights protest on July 19. But social media posts falsely claim she was “pretending to be arrested.” Capitol Police records show the arrests did occur, and the congresswoman posted the arrest paperwork on her Instagram […]
Social Media Posts Make Unsupported Claims About Zelensky’s Income, Net Worth
Quick Take Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had an income of about $623,000 in 2020, according to his financial disclosure submitted to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption in Ukraine. But posts on social media claim, without evidence, that he has a monthly income of $11 million. Full Story […]
Biden’s Numbers (Second Quarterly Update)
Summary Since President Joe Biden took office: The economy regained nearly 9 million jobs, coming within about half a million of the pre-pandemic peak. Unemployment fell to 3.6%; unfilled job openings surged, with 1.9 slots for every person seeking work. Inflation roared back to the highest level in over 40 […]
Fake Shinzo Abe Tweet Dredges Up Baseless Clinton Conspiracy Theory
Quick Take Internet trolls have used the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and a fake tweet purportedly from Abe, to promote a long-standing, unfounded conspiracy theory that the Clintons are responsible for the deaths of multiple people. A suspect reportedly with a personal grudge has been arrested […]
U.S. Selling Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Highest Bidding Companies
Q: Is the Biden administration selling crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to other countries? A: The oil is sold to eligible companies that make the highest offers. Some of the companies are U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, and some that purchased oil have then exported a portion to […]
Social Media Posts Misleadingly Edit and Misrepresent Biden Remarks from Teleprompter
Quick Take President Joe Biden quoted the Supreme Court majority opinion on ending the constitutional right to abortion in remarks he made on July 8. Social media posts falsely claim he mistakenly read teleprompter cues. A White House press secretary told us Biden intentionally said “end of quote” and then […]
Posts Incorrectly Cite Map as Showing Future Effects of Climate Change
Quick Take An architect created a map in 2015 as a “thought experiment” to show how the Mediterranean Sea would fit inside the United States. However, social media posts have misinterpreted the map as a prediction of the impact of climate change. The map’s creator said it is not related […]