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SciCheck Digest COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020. But a meme featuring Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis minimizes the toll the pandemic already has taken — particularly among the elderly. The meme also questions getting inoculated, despite the safety record of the vaccines and DeSantis’ […]

Quick Take A single copy of Vice President Kamala Harris’ children’s book was one of many titles donated to a shelter for immigrant children in Long Beach, California. But a debunked New York Post article – which led to the reporter’s resignation — incorrectly claimed every child was given a […]

Quick Take In his April 28 address to Congress, President Joe Biden said, “No one should have to choose between a job and a paycheck or taking care of themselves and their loved ones — a parent, or spouse, or child.” Partisan social media accounts misleadingly edited his words in […]

Summary In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Joe Biden got some facts wrong and stretched others, mainly repeated claims we’ve heard before: Biden said he inherited the “worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.” But when he took office, the economy had recovered some from […]

President Joe Biden opposes the sale of assault weapons, and he supports a mandatory federal registry and a voluntary buyback program for all legally purchased assault weapons. But a video shared on Twitter by Sen. Ted Cruz leaves the false impression Biden wants to confiscate all guns. The video, which […]

When President Joe Biden announced plans to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by the end of the decade, he provided a few examples, but no detailed plan, about how that would be achieved. Nonetheless, speculation by a British tabloid that it could include reducing beef consumption led to […]

FactCheck.org launched a feature in 2015 called SciCheck to increase public knowledge and understanding of science and scientific research. Since then, we have posted more than 250 SciCheck articles and videos on subjects such as climate change, Zika, childhood vaccinations, and, most recently, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and COVID-19. SciCheck was […]

Quick Take An alternate juror in the trial of Derek Chauvin said she initially had “mixed feelings” about jury duty, because of concerns about “disappointing” either side and the possibility of “rioting.” She said she “would have said guilty,” but as an alternate did not participate in the verdict. Social […]

SciCheck Digest There is no evidence that vaccines could cause harm to people who already have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 or have become ill with the disease COVID-19. On the contrary, recent studies show the vaccine gives an important immunity boost to those previously infected and suggest that one dose […]

SciCheck Digest Stanford Medicine says it “strongly supports the use of face masks to control the spread of COVID-19.” Yet viral stories falsely claim a “Stanford study” showed that face masks are unsafe and ineffective against COVID-19. The paper is a hypothesis, not a study, from someone with no current […]