We explain what two House bills on firearm background checks would do, and some of the spin coming from both sides.
Facts on the House Gun Bills
Instagram Post Misrepresents FDA Document About Monitoring Vaccine Safety
A Food and Drug Administration presentation on monitoring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines listed possible adverse events the agency might track. But an Instagram post misrepresents the document, falsely claiming it shows the vaccines are known to cause harmful side effects — including death.
Hagler’s Widow Refutes Rumors About How He Died
Hall of Fame boxer Marvelous Marvin Hagler “died on March 13 of natural causes,” according to a statement posted on his official website. In a Facebook post, his widow, Kay Hagler, wrote that his death was not the result of a COVID-19 vaccination.
Senator Johnson Distorts Report on Violence in Defense of His Remarks on BLM, Antifa
In response to critics who found his remarks about the Capitol riot to be racist, Sen. Ron Johnson wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that distorted a report’s findings on last year’s demonstrations against racial injustice.
Cheney’s Misleading Criticism of the COVID-19 Relief Package
After the Senate passed its version of the American Rescue Plan Act, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney claimed “the result of that package is going to be middle-class tax increases.” The legislation cuts middle-income taxes.
FactChecking Biden’s Prime-Time Address
In his remarks to the nation after signing the latest COVID-19 relief legislation, President Joe Biden stretched the facts, particularly when boasting of the increase in vaccinations on his watch.
RFK Jr. Video Pushes Known Vaccine Misrepresentations
A video stoking fears of the COVID-19 vaccines in the Black community is being promoted online. But the film repeats misrepresentations about vaccines, generally, and exploits historical cases of unethical medical conduct to suggest without evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe.
SciCheck Video: How Viral Deceptions Spread
In this video, SciCheck reviews a case study of how misinformation spreads online.
FactChecking Barrasso’s Claims About Stimulus Check Recipients
Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming defended his vote against the American Rescue Plan Act, in part, by claiming that the legislation would provide $1,400 stimulus checks to prisoners and “illegal immigrants” who shouldn’t receive them.
Capitol Protesters Were Armed With Variety of Weapons
Conservative social media posts misleadingly claim the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was not an “armed” insurrection, citing FBI testimony that no guns were seized from suspects that day. But 23 people have been charged with having deadly or dangerous weapons during the assault — including a loaded handgun found on a man arrested on Capitol grounds.