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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Baseless Claim About Barr Visit to Epstein Prison

Baseless Claim About Barr Visit to Epstein Prison

A baseless claim that Attorney General William Barr visited the prison where accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was being held has been circulating online. But the sole source of that claim — a former mob associate — told us he has no idea if Barr went to the prison.

Bogus Conspiracy Theory Claims Epstein is Alive

Bogus Conspiracy Theory Claims Epstein is Alive

A Facebook post from a user who appears to subscribe to QAnon conspiracies claims that Jeffrey Epstein is not dead. The theory is based solely on a news photo that shows an unresponsive Epstein being wheeled into a hospital on a gurney.

The Response to the Congressional Baseball Shooting

The Response to the Congressional Baseball Shooting

A viral Facebook post claims that “not one Democrat called for gun control” after a 2017 shooting involving Republicans in Congress. While demands for legislative action were quieter, there were some.

Photos Don’t Tell the Whole Story on Border Trash

Photos Don’t Tell the Whole Story on Border Trash

Old pictures of trash strewn in the Arizona desert are circulating on Facebook with the suggestion that they were taken recently and that the media failed to cover it. Neither of those things is true.

What Republicans Did on Mental Health, Guns

What Republicans Did on Mental Health, Guns

A social media post misleadingly claims that Republicans “voted to allow people with pre-existing mental illness to buy firearms.” The measure blocked the Social Security Administration from reporting to the U.S. background check system some disability beneficiaries who are unable to manage their finances. Federal law still prohibits people with certain conditions from buying guns.

Cummings Didn’t Have Obama’s Records ‘Sealed’

Cummings Didn’t Have Obama’s Records ‘Sealed’

A meme on Facebook falsely claims that Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings “wrote a bill to keep all of Obama’s record sealed.” That distorts bipartisan legislation dealing with the federal records of all presidents that Cummings introduced, which became law in 2014.

False Caption on Refugee Picture

False Caption on Refugee Picture

A photo circulating on social media claims to show “Europeans trying to get to North Africa during World War II,” but it actually shows Albanian refugees arriving in Italy in 1991.