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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

McCarthy Mischaracterizes Trump’s Response to Fuentes Meeting

McCarthy Mischaracterizes Trump’s Response to Fuentes Meeting

Asked about Donald Trump’s dinner meeting attended by Nick Fuentes, a white supremacist, Rep. Kevin McCarthy claimed the former president “came out four times and condemned him.” That’s not accurate. Trump had repeatedly said he didn’t know who Fuentes was, but he stopped short of condemning him or his ideas.

FDA Did Not Change Position on Ivermectin Use, Contrary to Online Claims

FDA Did Not Change Position on Ivermectin Use, Contrary to Online Claims

In response to a civil suit, lawyers for the Food and Drug Administration described the agency’s warnings about the unapproved use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 as “recommendations.” Although that description doesn’t reveal new information, some conservative outlets have falsely claimed it’s an “outrageous” revelation and a change in the FDA’s position.

Post Omits Paxlovid’s Ability to Protect Against Severe COVID-19, Death

Post Omits Paxlovid’s Ability to Protect Against Severe COVID-19, Death

Paxlovid, Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill, has been shown to prevent severe COVID-19 and death. An online post alleging the drug is a “fraud” and “should be taken off the market” neglects to mention this important information, and falsely says ivermectin is superior.

Inaccurate TV Graphic Sparks Erroneous Claims of Election Fraud in Pennsylvania

Inaccurate TV Graphic Sparks Erroneous Claims of Election Fraud in Pennsylvania

Social media posts falsely suggest there was fraud in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race, citing a TV graphic that showed Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano with nearly 500,000 more votes than Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro, but Mastriano trailing 41.6% to 56.6%. The graphic showed inaccurate numbers that were quickly corrected on air.

Bogus Theory Misinterprets FTX Support for Ukraine

Bogus Theory Misinterprets FTX Support for Ukraine

The bankruptcy of FTX, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has sparked an unfounded claim that its former CEO had conspired with Ukraine and Democratic politicians to launder U.S. aid money. FTX helped make crypto donations available to Ukraine; it wasn’t taking any assets from Ukraine.

Posts Misrepresent How Florida Arrived at Quick Election Results

Posts Misrepresent How Florida Arrived at Quick Election Results

Florida law allows election officials to start counting early in-person and mail-in ballots before Election Day. But social media posts falsely claim Florida counted all of its more than 7 million votes in five hours on Election Day and states that took longer committed “voter fraud.” Most states don’t allow vote counting to begin until Election Day or after polls close.

RSV Surge in Children Likely Caused by ‘Immunity Gap,’ Not COVID-19 Vaccine

RSV Surge in Children Likely Caused by ‘Immunity Gap,’ Not COVID-19 Vaccine

Hospitals across the country are seeing a spike of respiratory syncytial virus infections among children. Experts say the spike is most likely caused by an immunity gap created by the lack of exposure to the virus over the past couple of years. There’s no evidence the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine is the cause, as viral posts falsely claim.

Ballot Processing Continues in Closely Watched States Amid Unfounded Claims of Fraud

Ballot Processing Continues in Closely Watched States Amid Unfounded Claims of Fraud

Close Senate races are underway in some states that have different laws regarding ballot deadlines and tabulation. But some high-profile Republicans — including former President Donald Trump — have suggested, without any evidence, that “they” are trying to “cheat.” Officials in those states say they are simply trying to count every legitimate vote.

Posts Falsely Claim to Show Hobbs in Arizona Election Tabulation Room

Posts Falsely Claim to Show Hobbs in Arizona Election Tabulation Room

An image shared on social media shows a woman with glasses and brown hair in an Arizona ballot tabulation room. The posts falsely identify the woman as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs, who is the secretary of state, implying that Hobbs was illegally influencing the count. The woman pictured is an election observer, not Hobbs.