All articles tagged with #fact check
Snopes curates a collection of 10 COVID-19 vaccine claims investigated during Trump’s second term, covering misinterpreted safety data, alleged data cover-ups, and rumors tying public figures like RFK Jr. and Fauci to vaccines, while providing context and corrections to prevalent misinformation.
CNN’s fact-check finds every element of Trump’s South Korea story false: South Korea has long paid toward the U.S. military presence under cost-sharing deals dating back to 1991, and Trump did not secure $3 billion per year or two subsequent increases. Post‑2019 talks stalled; Biden’s administration later signed new bilateral agreements in 2021 and 2024 that raised Seoul’s contributions. The claim that the 2020 election was rigged is false, and Biden did not rescind any Trump cost-sharing order. Pentagon figures show about 26,589 U.S. troops in South Korea, not 39,000.
Online posts allege Garnet Harper was denied a referral for a kidney transplant because he hadn’t received the COVID-19 vaccine, but Snopes cannot verify this claim and has left it unrated pending medical records and confirmation from the family and LHSC. Harper died in May 2023 from kidney disease; LHSC’s transplant FAQ historically required vaccination (with possible exemptions) and updated its guidance in 2023, but primary evidence is still being sought.
PolitiFact debunks Sen. Ron Johnson’s claim that COVID-19 vaccines cause an 82% miscarriage rate, showing the statistic came from miscounting the denominator in a 2021 v-safe study; when correctly calculated, the miscarriage rate was about 12.6% initially, with follow-ups showing a cumulative risk around 12.8–14.1%, within the normal range. Fauci’s texts reveal early theoretical concerns rather than data proving risk, and numerous large studies find no increased miscarriage risk from vaccination.
NASA says a viral claim that Earth will suddenly lose gravity for seven seconds is unfounded. Gravity is determined by Earth’s mass and would only disappear if the planet shed mass, which isn’t happening. The theory, tied to rumors about a secret program and timing with celestial events, originated on social media and was debunked by NASA (via Snopes), with no evidence of any real project or connection to astronomical events.
FactCheck.org notes that during the Aug. 10 signing of an executive order on vaccines, Trump and RFK Jr. repeated a string of false or misleading claims—ranging from alleging the U.S. requires 72 injections to linking vaccines with autism, and advocating breaking up combination vaccines—while critics say the move to shrink the routine schedule from 17 to 11 diseases would place the U.S. at the low end among peers, court rulings have blocked similar changes, and medical experts emphasize that vaccines are safe and the current schedule should not be altered.
A viral conspiracy dubbed 'Project Anchor' claims Earth will briefly lose gravity for seven seconds on Aug. 12, 2026, but NASA and fact-checkers say the theory is unfounded: there’s no evidence of a leaked document, no mechanism for gravity to vanish, and eclipses do not affect gravity.
BBC fact-checks Trump's executive order reducing recommended childhood vaccines from 18 to 11 and proposing split MMR shots. The 72-injections figure is misleading, as vaccine requirements vary by state and the 72 count includes all doses by age 18 (including flu and COVID-19). A single MMR dose is 0.5ml. The CDC notes vaccines are generally safe and far safer than the diseases they prevent, and there is no proven link between vaccines and autism. WHO's comprehensive review found no causal link between vaccination and autism.
A viral video claiming a Payson, Arizona coyote pressed a crosswalk button before crossing is fake: the image is AI-generated and the accompanying story is fabricated. Snopes found no credible sources or evidence, traced the origin to a Warm Heart Chronicles YouTube channel, and confirmed that there’s no White Canyon Trailhead near Payson. Multiple searches found no legitimate reporting of such an incident, reinforcing that this is misinformation.
CNN fact-checks Trump’s White House remarks in which he again suggested a link between vaccines and autism, claimed the MMR vaccine is unsafe when given as a combined shot, and inflated vaccine doses and autism prevalence. Health experts from Johns Hopkins, University of Colorado, and autism groups, along with decades of international research, say there is no link between vaccines and autism, MMR is safe when given together, and that the numbers Trump cites are inaccurate. The article also notes the administration’s push to reduce vaccinations and that there is no new science supporting his claims.
A viral claim that Earth would briefly lose gravity for seven seconds on Aug. 12, 2026, based on a supposed NASA document called 'Project Anchor,' is false; NASA says gravity will not disappear during a solar eclipse or any other event, and the rumor traces back to a fabricated Instagram post with no credible sources.
Trump claimed grocery costs are ‘way down,’ but HuffPost’s fact-check finds the drop is limited to eggs; overall grocery prices are still rising. The USDA/ERS forecasts a 2.7%–3.9% increase in 2026 for groceries, with eggs being the standout exception. Beef, produce, fats and oils, and nonalcoholic drinks continue to climb, and the White House did not comment.
During a Camp David cabinet meeting, Trump repeated a baseless claim that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was behind recent cyberattacks on water systems. CNN’s fact-check finds no credible basis for the assertion, citing FBI and EPA statements that incidents occurred in several states with no evidence tying Walz or Minnesota to the attacks. Walz’s team pushed back, and the piece also notes several Trump statements about the economy, inflation, immigration and foreign policy that are disputed or misstated.
Amid a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak, Snopes compiles 12 archived fact-checks about cyclospora and other parasites to separate verified information from rumors, examining investigations, CDC tracking changes, potential producer links, and other parasite-related claims.
Declassified intelligence records released with Trump’s address show China did not interfere with U.S. election infrastructure or vote counts; they likely sought to predict outcomes and influence policy, and much of the cited voter data is publicly available or sourced commercially, not secretly obtained.