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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Trump’s Misguided Tweet on California Gasoline Prices

Trump’s Misguided Tweet on California Gasoline Prices

California’s proposed fuel efficiency standards for cars don’t have anything to do with the state having the highest gas prices in the country, but that’s what President Donald Trump suggested in a tweet.

Mislabeled Video Politicizes Drug Problem

Mislabeled Video Politicizes Drug Problem

A video spreading on Facebook has been mislabeled to make a political statement about Democratic lawmakers in California. However, the video, which seems to show people under the influence of drugs, was filmed in Philadelphia.

Kamala Harris Spins Facts on Truancy Law

Kamala Harris Spins Facts on Truancy Law

Sen. Kamala Harris acknowledges that a 2010 state truancy law she sponsored resulted in some parents being jailed. But she misleadingly claims that jailing parents was an “unintended consequence” of the law.

Meme Uses Litter Photo to Spread Garbage

Meme Uses Litter Photo to Spread Garbage

A viral meme claims that environmentalists littered a California park on Earth Day, but the image is from a 2009 college football tailgate in Georgia.

Trump’s Border Claims

Trump’s Border Claims

After a group of migrants tried to breach the U.S. border at Tijuana, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said there were no “reported serious injuries on either side of the border.” But President Donald Trump told reporters the same day that “three Border Patrol people yesterday were very badly hurt through getting hit with rocks and stones.”

Bogus Meme Targets Red Cross

Bogus Meme Targets Red Cross

Q: Is the American Red Cross “not helping California wildfire victims” but helping members of the “caravan”?

A: No. The American Red Cross is helping in California, and the global Red Cross network is helping migrants from Central America.

Bad Math Leads to Bogus Voter Fraud Claim

Bad Math Leads to Bogus Voter Fraud Claim

Q: Was “voter fraud” responsible for Democratic wins in Orange County, California?

A: There have been no credible complaints of voter fraud in Orange County following the midterm elections.

Trump Repeatedly Errs on California Wildfires

Trump Repeatedly Errs on California Wildfires

Over the past two weekends, as two major wildfires devastated communities in Northern and Southern California, President Donald Trump has inaccurately blamed the state’s forest management practices for the blazes. He has also wrongly said that raking — a method he attributed to Finland — could have solved the problem.

Viral Meme Makes Up Trump Jr. ‘Quote’

Viral Meme Makes Up Trump Jr. ‘Quote’

Q: Did Donald Trump Jr. say, “Let California burn” for voting blue?
A: No. That’s a made-up quote from a self-described “parody” site. 

California Shooting Prompts ‘Crisis Actor’ Conspiracy

California Shooting Prompts ‘Crisis Actor’ Conspiracy

Q: Was Susan Orfanos, the mother of a shooting victim in Thousand Oaks, California, also interviewed by news outlets after other mass shootings in 2016 and 2017?

A: No. A Facebook post misidentifies two other women as Orfanos.