Seeking to deflect the significance of Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s loss in the Virginia governor’s race to Republican Glenn Youngkin, President Joe Biden wrongly claimed that “no governor in Virginia has ever won when … he or she is the same party as the sitting president.” In fact, McAuliffe, himself, was […]
Facts Check
Japan Continues to Use Vaccines, Not Ivermectin, to Fight COVID-19
SciCheck Digest More than 70% of Japan’s population has received the COVID-19 vaccines, and the government is moving ahead with a booster shot in December. But a conservative radio host in the U.S. falsely claimed, “Japan drops vax rollout, goes to Ivermectin.” Japan hasn’t stopped its vaccine program and hasn’t […]
Answering Questions About #BeagleGate
Q: Did Dr. Anthony Fauci fund experiments on beagles? A: Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which has provided grants for medical studies using the dogs as test subjects. But the NIAID denied funding one particular project in which sedated beagles had their […]
How Many Died as a Result of Capitol Riot?
In a tweet on Oct. 24, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez referred to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 as “a terror attack,” which she said resulted in “almost 10 dead.” She called for “any member of Congress who helped plot” it to be “expelled.” Journalist Glenn Greenwald commented on Twitter that […]
Why It’s Easy to Misinterpret Numbers of Deaths Among the Vaccinated
SciCheck Digest Raw numbers of hospitalizations or deaths among those who are vaccinated are not a good indicator of whether vaccines are effective. If the large majority of a population is vaccinated, it’s not surprising if most deaths are among the vaccinated. But social media posts misuse data from the […]
Bogus Campaign Signs in Virginia Were Not Posted by McAuliffe or Democrats
Quick Take The role of parents in deciding school curriculum is a flash point in the Virginia gubernatorial race. Days before the election, bogus signs have appeared on streets and in social media posts reading, “Keep Parents Out of Classrooms,” and imply they were placed by Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe. […]
Biden Spins Facts on Framework
In a speech announcing the framework for a pared-down spending plan, President Joe Biden made some questionable claims: Biden said the plan is “fully paid for,” but some economists believe the White House revenue estimates are a bit rosy and warn that the balanced book relies on expiring spending plans […]
Video Spreads Bogus Claims About Plane Crashes and COVID-19 Vaccines
SciCheck Digest The number of U.S. plane accidents has been about the same this year as it was last year. But posts on social media falsely claim that there has been a significant increase due to pilot reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines. The Federal Aviation Administration says it has seen […]
Republicans Spin NIH Letter About Coronavirus Gain-of-Function Research
Republicans say a letter from a National Institutes of Health official is an admission that the agency funded so-called gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses in China, with some falsely linking the work to the pandemic coronavirus. But the research, which the NIH maintains is not gain-of-function, could not have led […]
FEMA Staff and Contracted Medical Workers Are Required to Follow Vaccine Mandate
SciCheck Digest The Federal Emergency Management Agency is deploying contracted medical workers to understaffed hospitals, where they are required to comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates. But social media posts falsely claim that “doctors and nurses are being forced to quit over the mandates,” while the workers sent by FEMA are […]