In this video, we explore the existing research on face masks as tools to limit the spread of infectious diseases and explain why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its stance on whether people who aren’t sick need to cover their faces. In the initial months following the […]
Facts Check
Trump’s Claims on IG, Wisconsin Election
At the White House coronavirus task force press briefing on April 7, President Donald Trump distorted the facts about the person he dismissed as the chief watchdog for spending under the new pandemic relief legislation and the Wisconsin election, which took place as scheduled despite the coronavirus outbreak: The president […]
Social Media Posts Make Baseless Claim on COVID-19 Death Toll
Quick Take Viral posts wrongly suggest that the COVID-19 death toll is exaggerated because “the state” has instructed that “anyone who didnt die by a gun shot wound or car accident” be listed as a coronavirus victim. Experts say there is no such default classification — and that the U.S. […]
The HHS Inspector General Report
In a testy exchange with reporters, President Donald Trump questioned the political motivations of an administration inspector general, claiming that her report on hospital experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic was “wrong.” The report gave the results of a survey of 323 hospitals across the country. We asked the White House […]
Walmart Hasn’t Adopted ‘Staggered Shopping’ Based on Age
Quick Take A viral post circulating on Facebook falsely claims that Walmart, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, has instituted a “staggered shopping schedule” that allows only certain age groups on specific days. The store has started a weekly “senior shopping event,” but no other restrictions based on age. Full […]
Kennedy Center Didn’t Contribute to Democrats
Quick Take Online posts falsely claim that the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts donated $5 million to Democrats after it was allocated $25 million in the COVID-19 stimulus package. The center has not given any political contributions; it’s prohibited by law. Full Story The stimulus package that passed with […]
Trump’s False Coronavirus Claim About Lupus Patients
President Donald Trump once again touted hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. This time, the president falsely claimed that “people with lupus” who take hydroxychloroquine “aren’t catching this horrible virus.” While it’s too early to say whether or not hydroxychloroquine has any protective […]
COVID-19 Face Mask Advice, Explained
It’s a seemingly simple question that has divided experts and nations since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak: Should members of the public who aren’t sick use face masks to limit the spread of the disease? For months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintained that the only people […]
Trump, Biden Spin China Travel Restrictions
Both President Donald Trump and leading Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden are spinning the facts on the administration’s coronavirus travel restrictions for those who had been in China. Trump has repeatedly boasted, as he did on April 4, that “I stopped people from China very early — very, very early […]
Trump, Pence and Reassessing Coronavirus
In a little more than a month, President Donald Trump’s language about the coronavirus has shifted, from talk of 15 cases that “within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero” to warning of as many as 2.2 million deaths in the country if no […]