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A viral video claims that human traffickers are placing tissues coated in toxins on gas pumps and car door handles in attempts to kidnap victims. An organization that runs a national trafficking hotline said it hasn’t been alerted to any such reports

PolitiFact - No evidence human traffickers using toxic tissues to kidnap victims

A viral video claims that human traffickers are placing tissues coated in toxins on gas pumps and car door handles in attempts to kidnap victims. A spokesperson for an organization that runs a...

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3h

Is it true that Latina workers make 54 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men? Yes.

PolitiFact - Yes, wage gap does have big impact on Latina workers

Yes, wage gap does have big impact on Latina workers

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4h

An anti-vaccine publication suggested COVID-19 vaccines were linked to the deaths of 80 Canadian doctors. A closer look at the circumstances surrounding several of the physicians’ deaths found no evidence to suggest that the vaccines were the cause.

PolitiFact - Claims that 80 Canadian doctors died because of COVID-19 vaccines are unsubstantiated

An anti-vaccine publication suggested COVID-19 vaccines were linked to the deaths of 80 Canadian doctors. A closer look at the circumstances surrounding several of the physicians’ deaths found no...

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Claims Stephen Boss died because of the COVID-19 vaccine are unfounded.

PolitiFact - Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss didn’t die because of the COVID-19 vaccine

Claims Stephen Boss died because of the COVID-19 vaccine are unfounded.

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Medical experts say there’s no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause stiff-person syndrome. Scientists still don’t understand the neurological disorder’s cause. But social media posts are drawing their own conclusions about singer Celine Dion’s diagnosis.

PolitiFact - No, Pfizer didn’t say stiff-person syndrome is an adverse effect of COVID-19 vaccine

Medical experts say there’s no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause stiff-person syndrome. Scientists still don’t understand the neurological disorder’s cause. But social media posts are drawing...

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16h

A social media post alleged there were no flu cases last year. After virtually disappearing during the COVID-19 pandemic’s height, influenza returned in the 2021-22 flu season, leading to 9 million illnesses.

PolitiFact - Influenza caused 9 million illnesses, 5,000 deaths last flu season, CDC says

A social media post alleged there were no flu cases last year. After virtually disappearing during the COVID-19 pandemic’s height, influenza returned in the 2021-22 flu season, leading to 9 million...

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18h

Don’t fall for the clickbait. A viral Facebook post that claims to show Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., threatening Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas with impeachment, actually doesn’t. Impeachment wasn’t mentioned in the 11-minute video.

PolitiFact - Video doesn’t show senator telling Mayorkas he would be impeached

Don’t fall for the clickbait. A viral Facebook post that claims to show Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., threatening Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas with impeachment, actually doesn’t....

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19h

No, a county in England did not pass ‘climate lockdowns,’ just a traffic management plan trial.

PolitiFact - No, a traffic management plan is not a ‘climate lockdown’ to confine people to their...

No, a county in England did not pass ‘climate lockdowns,’ just a traffic management plan trial.

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21h

A Facebook post said Kari Lake’s lawsuit “exposes Arizona used no signature verification.” That’s wrong. State law requires signature verification of mail ballots.

PolitiFact - Kari Lake’s lawsuit does not show Arizona failed to verify signatures on mail ballots

A Facebook post said Kari Lake’s lawsuit “exposes Arizona used no signature verification.” That’s wrong. State law requires signature verification of mail ballots.

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22h

This video shows a May 2021 Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on domestic violent extremism. Attorney General Merrick Garland testified at the hearing, but he didn’t implore Sen. Kennedy to “wait for revenge,” as a recent social media post suggests.

PolitiFact - No, Merrick Garland doesn’t tell John Kennedy to ‘wait for revenge’ in this viral...

This video shows a May 2021 Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on domestic violent extremism. Attorney General Merrick Garland testified at the hearing, but he didn’t implore Sen. John Kennedy...

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Dec 15

Ahead of the midterm election, conservative candidates and pundits continued to repeat the false claim that schools are providing litter boxes for students who identify as cats or furries — despite a lack of evidence and repeated debunkings.

PolitiFact - Debunking, rebuttals didn’t stop claim about litter boxes in schools from spreading...

Ahead of the midterm election, conservative candidates and pundits continued to repeat the false claim that schools are providing litter boxes for students who identify as cats or furries — despite a...

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Dec 15

An autopsy found that sportswriter Grant Wahl died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm, according to his wife. She said his death was unrelated to COVID-19 vaccines, as some social media posts have claimed.

PolitiFact - Grant Wahl died from a ruptured aortic aneurysm, not a COVID-19 vaccine

An autopsy found that sportswriter Grant Wahl died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm, according to his wife. She said his death was unrelated to COVID-19 vaccines, as some social media posts have claimed.

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Dec 15

Inflation remains at historically high levels, but does President Joe Biden have a point that “for the last several months, wages have gone up more than prices have gone up”? Through that narrow lens, he’s right.

PolitiFact - Fact-checking Joe Biden on wage gains outpacing inflation for several months running

Inflation remains at historically high levels, but does President Joe Biden have a point that “for the last several months, wages have gone up more than prices have gone up”? Through that narrow...

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Vladimir Putin lies. This is not a revelation, we know. But in 2022, Putin’s lies about Ukraine and the war he waged there killed thousands of people, drove millions from their homes and sought to blindfold his country to these atrocities.

PolitiFact - Lie of the Year 2022: Putin’s lies to wage war and conceal horror in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin lies. This is not a revelation, we know. But in 2022, Putin’s lies about Ukraine and the war he waged there killed thousands of people, drove millions from their homes and sought to...

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An analysis of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's voting record shows that she voted with President Joe Biden 93% of the time. Only four Democrats voted with Biden less often.

PolitiFact - Sinema voted with Biden most of the time, but less often than the majority of Democrats

An analysis of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's voting record shows that she voted with President Joe Biden 93% of the time. Only four Democrats voted with Biden less often.

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Did the Federal Reserve stop distributing new currency? No.

PolitiFact - The Federal Reserve did not discontinue distributing paper money

Did the Federal Reserve stop distributing new currency? No.

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The $36 billion President Joe Biden directed to a Teamsters union pension fund to save it from insolvency is the largest bailout of a private pension fund in U.S. history.

PolitiFact - Biden’s $36 billion to save Teamsters fund from insolvency is largest-ever private...

The $36 billion President Joe Biden directed to a Teamsters union pension fund to save it from insolvency is the largest bailout of a private pension fund in U.S. history.

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Research didn’t conclude vaccines from companies like Pfizer and Moderna were ineffective at protecting people from dying of COVID-19. The authors of the study acknowledged it was based on limited available data over a shorter than desired timeframe.

PolitiFact - Fact-checking claims about Danish preprint study on COVID-19 vaccines and mortality

A Danish study found that adenovirus vaccines protected people from non-COVID deaths, while mRNA vaccines didn’t have an impact. But the findings are limited, and the study didn’t conclude that mRNA...

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Today is the 10th anniversary of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Here are several notable pieces of journalism on the somber anniversary worth your time.

poynter.org

A somber anniversary that needs to be remembered - Poynter

A Washington Post reporter talks to a variety of school-shooting survivors on the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre

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An Instagram post understates how much lithium could be contained in a haul truck used for mining.

PolitiFact - Instagram post misleads about lithium mining and Tesla cars

An Instagram post understates how much lithium could be contained in a haul truck used for mining.

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Sen. Chuck Grassley doesn’t call on President Joe Biden to resign in this video shared on social media, as a post suggests. He criticized the FBI.

PolitiFact - No, this isn’t a video of Chuck Grassley telling Joe Biden to resign

Sen. Chuck Grassley doesn’t call on President Joe Biden to resign in this video shared on social media, as a post suggests. He criticized the FBI.

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During the 2020 presidential race, Joe Biden promised to repeal the Hyde Amendment, which says federal funds can't be used to pay for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or to save the woman's life. We rate his promise Stalled. bit.ly/3YjFWLm

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The changing percentage of votes each candidate received in the Georgia U.S. Senate election runoff reflects counties reporting their election results. It’s not evidence of fraud.

PolitiFact - Vote count changes after polls closed in Georgia aren’t evidence of election fraud

The changing percentage of votes each candidate received in the Georgia U.S. Senate election runoff reflects counties reporting their election results. It’s not evidence of fraud.

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The war in Ukraine isn’t over, despite social media posts making that claim.

PolitiFact - No, the war in Ukraine isn’t over

The war in Ukraine isn’t over, despite social media posts making that claim.

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Bernie Sanders said on CNN “we have 85 million Americans who have no health insurance.” That number includes people who had a gap in coverage over the past year and people who had insurance but couldn’t afford care. bit.ly/3Ftr2JJ

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A post falsely suggests that recent strokes or blood clots in four well-known athletes are related to COVID-19 vaccines. Two of the athletes had other conditions that caused their health issues, and there’s no evidence linking vaccines to the other two

PolitiFact - There’s no evidence linking COVID-19 vaccine to these athletes’ strokes, blood clots

A social media post suggests that recent strokes or blood clots in four well-known athletes are related to COVID-19 vaccines. Two of the athletes had other conditions that caused their health issues,...

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Biden will sign the Respect for Marriage Act today in support of same-sex marriage. But a broader bill – the Equality Act, which would project LGBTQ Americans from discrimination – has stalled in the Senate. bit.ly/3UQTiM9

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Biden promised to enact the Equality Act to guarantee LGBTQ Americans protection from discrimination, but that has stalled in the Senate. bit.ly/3YjXXJz

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My latest

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: PolitiFact uses the word "lie" only once a year, for our annual Lie of the Year. The 2022 Lie of the Year is especially solemn: Putin’s lies to wage war and conceal horror in Ukraine. bit.ly/3j0loaE

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PolitiFact uses the word "lie" only once a year. Here's a look back at all the Lie of the Year awardees going back to 2009.

PolitiFact - They were whoppers: A look back at PolitiFact’s Lies of the Year, 2009 to 2021

PolitiFact uses the word "lie" only once a year. Here's a look back at all the Lie of the Year awardees going back to 2009.

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The results are in for the Readers' Choice Lie of the Year 2022!

PolitiFact - We asked, you answered: PolitiFact readers’ choice for the 2022 Lie of the Year

We asked, you answered: PolitiFact readers’ choice 2022 Lie of the Year

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ANNOUNCING: The 2022 Lie of the Year

In 2022, Vladimir Putin’s lies about Ukraine became the foundation under which horror flourished. It brought widespread death and destruction to a world already reeling from pandemic-inspired uncertainty.

youtube.com

Vladimir Putin lies. This is not a revelation.But in 2022, Putin’s lies about Ukraine and the war he waged there came with tremendous consequence. They kille...

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Vladimir Putin lies. This is not a revelation, we know. But in 2022, Putin’s lies about Ukraine and the war he waged there killed thousands of people, drove millions from their homes and sought to blindfold his country to these atrocities.

PolitiFact - Lie of the Year 2022: Putin’s lies to wage war and conceal horror in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin lies. This is not a revelation, we know. But in 2022, Putin’s lies about Ukraine and the war he waged there killed thousands of people, drove millions from their homes and sought to...

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A website with a history of posting false information claimed the military charged Nancy Pelosi with treason. Pants on Fire!

PolitiFact - No, the military didn’t charge Nancy Pelosi with treason and seditious conspiracy

A website with a history of posting false information claimed the military charged Nancy Pelosi with treason. This is false.

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The Senate Rules Committee is meeting to discuss the update to the 135-year-old Electoral Count Act. It clarifies the role of the vice president and shuts the door on "alternative" slates of electors.

PolitiFact - Electoral reform: What would updating the Electoral Count Act do?

One of the major legislative efforts to prevent another insurrection like the one on Jan. 6, 2021 is moving one step closer to enactment. We looked at the Senate and House bills to update the...

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Albert Bourla remains Pfizer’s chief executive officer, and we found no evidence that he called mRNA technology unsafe, as social media posts claim. Rather, he recently touted the company’s efforts to tap that technology to create a flu-COVID-19 vaccine.

PolitiFact - Bourla is still Pfizer’s CEO, and he didn’t call mRNA technology unsafe

Albert Bourla remains Pfizer’s chief executive officer, and we found no evidence that he called mRNA technology unsafe, as social media posts claim. Rather, he recently touted the company’s efforts...

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This year, as inflation hit 40-year highs, some lawmakers suggested that high corporate profits have been driving inflation. But economists say that’s backward: Inflation, for now, is boosting corporate profits.

PolitiFact - Corporate profits do not drive inflation, but inflation boosts company profits

This year, as inflation hit 40-year highs, some lawmakers suggested that high corporate profits have been driving inflation. But economists say that’s backward: Inflation, for now, is boosting...

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A proposed rule would reduce the amount of milk available to WIC participants. Experts said the changes are more in line with dietary guidelines, and that WIC is a supplemental program.

PolitiFact - Federal food program proposal calls for reductions in milk

A proposed rule would reduce the amount of milk available to WIC participants. Experts said the changes are more in line with dietary guidelines, and that WIC is a supplemental program.

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Reality: Adolf Hitler led the Nazi Party, which orchestrated the murder of six million Jewish people and millions of others during the Holocaust. Debunking Ye's lengthy Dec. 1 interview on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ show, "InfoWars":