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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Puerto Rican Teamsters Stories are Bogus

Puerto Rican Teamsters Stories are Bogus

Q: Did a Teamsters strike hinder aid efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria?

A: No. Stories claiming so misrepresented an actual quote from an Air Force colonel.

Trump Nixed Gun-Control Rule

Trump Nixed Gun-Control Rule

Q: Did President Donald Trump repeal a rule that aims to block some people with mental disorders from buying guns?
A: Yes. The Social Security Administration is no longer required to submit the names of certain mentally disabled beneficiaries to a federal agency that conducts gun background checks.

Answering NFL National Anthem Questions

Answering NFL National Anthem Questions

Q: Does the NFL have rules for player conduct during the national anthem? Does the Department of Defense fund patriotic ceremonies at NFL games?

A: Prior to May 2018, the league didn’t require players to stand during the anthem. The Defense Department no longer funds various patriotic displays.

False Headline on HIV Blood Donation

False Headline on HIV Blood Donation

Q: Will California allow HIV-positive people to donate blood?

A: No. The Legislature has passed a bill that would reduce the penalties for those, including blood donors, who knowingly expose others to the HIV virus.

Obama Didn’t Pardon Wendell Callahan

Obama Didn’t Pardon Wendell Callahan

Q: Did former President Barack Obama pardon Wendell Callahan, who was later accused of killing three people after his early release?

A:  No. Congress unanimously passed a bill changing drug sentencing laws and Obama signed it. Callahan petitioned for early release under the new law and it was approved by a federal judge.  

Counterprotesters Paid in Charlottesville?

Counterprotesters Paid in Charlottesville?

Q: Is a Craigslist ad proof that counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally were “paid to make chaos”?

A: No. The ad called for “actors and photographers” in Charlotte, North Carolina, not Charlottesville, Virginia, where the rally took place.

Charlottesville Stand-Down Order?

Charlottesville Stand-Down Order?

Q: Were the police in Charlottesville, Virginia, told to “stand down” to allow the violent clashes that occurred on Aug. 12?
A: The police chief, mayor and city spokeswoman say there is no truth to that claim. Others have criticized what they describe as slow police action.

Was Driver Acting in Self-Defense?

Was Driver Acting in Self-Defense?

Q: Does a video corroborate a belief by Charlottesville police officers that the driver in the fatal car attack at a white nationalist rally “was not acting maliciously”?

A: No. Police have charged James Alex Fields Jr. with multiple offenses, including second-degree murder and “aggravated malicious wounding.”

Charlottesville Driver Mix-up

Charlottesville Driver Mix-up

Q: Did the man who drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, meet with former President Obama in the White House?

A: No. A satirical website confuses the driver with the organizer of the rally, who is rumored to have been a past Obama supporter.

Earth Won’t Go Dark for Days

Earth Won’t Go Dark for Days

Q: Did NASA confirm that there will be 15 days of darkness on Earth in November?

A: No. Variations of that false claim have been circulating since at least 2015.