Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene parroted a Russian talking point with her claim that Ukraine is a country whose “government only exists because the Obama State Department helped to overthrow the previous regime.” Experts in foreign policy related to Russia and Ukraine called Greene’s claim “ludicrous” and “preposterous and embarrassing.” […]
Facts Check
Zelensky Remains in Ukraine, Despite False Claims on Social Media
Quick Take Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appeared in several recent videos that show he has remained in the country since Russia invaded on Feb. 24. But a post circulating on Facebook falsely claims he fled and recorded a video using a green screen to make it appear as though […]
Posts Misinterpret Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Monitoring Document
SciCheck Digest A Pfizer document recently released by the Food and Drug Administration describes adverse events reported following vaccination and attests to the continued safety of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine. A popular video and other online posts, however, incorrectly imply that the vaccine caused the events. Many posts also wrongly […]
Polio Vaccine Is a Four-Shot Series, Contrary to Greene Comments
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it “recommends that children get four doses of polio vaccine,” with the last dose given between ages 4 and 6. But Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, when speaking against a potential fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, wrongly suggested that the CDC doesn’t recommend four […]
Ads Attacking Dr. Oz
A super PAC that supports Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick has been flooding the airwaves in the Keystone State with ads attacking his opponent, cardiac surgeon and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz, as a “Hollywood liberal” and RINO, or Republican in Name Only. The ads tie Oz to the […]
Ads Attacking Dave McCormick
The campaign of Dr. Mehmet Oz and a super PAC supporting him are running ads that seek to paint his chief rival in the Pennsylvania Senate Republican primary, Dave McCormick, as a “friend” of China who outsourced Pittsburgh jobs and is out of step with former President Donald Trump. But […]
Both Sides Spin Domestic Oil Production
With the U.S. blocking new purchases of Russian oil, the White House, Republicans and the oil industry are engaged in a disagreement over whether the administration has hampered domestic oil production on federal land or whether the industry is holding back. Both sides are spinning the facts. The competing claims […]
Fauci Continues Making Public Appearances and Hasn’t ‘Disappeared’
SciCheck Digest Dr. Anthony Fauci has continued making public appearances, although news coverage has largely shifted away from the pandemic since Russia invaded Ukraine in February and COVID-19 cases have dramatically fallen. Some politicians and pundits, however, have suggested that Fauci has become so unpopular that he has “disappeared” from […]
Spending Bill Includes Pay Raise for Staffers, Not Members of Congress
Quick Take President Joe Biden signed a $1.5 trillion bill that funds the federal government and provides assistance to Ukraine. Social media posts misrepresent the bill by implying Congress members gave themselves a 21% pay raise. The bill increases House office budgets by 21%, which likely will result in pay […]
Social Media Posts Misrepresent Victims of Hospital Bombed in Mariupol
Quick Take Russian planes bombed a hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 9, killing three people and injuring at least 17, including two pregnant women seen in photos shared around the world. Social media posts falsely claimed one woman “posed” as the two women. One of the women died of […]