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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Fake Shinzo Abe Tweet Dredges Up Baseless Clinton Conspiracy Theory

Fake Shinzo Abe Tweet Dredges Up Baseless Clinton Conspiracy Theory

Internet trolls have used the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and a fake tweet purportedly from Abe, to promote a long-standing, unfounded conspiracy theory that the Clintons are responsible for the deaths of multiple people. A suspect reportedly with a personal grudge has been arrested for the assassination.

U.S. Selling Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Highest Bidding Companies

U.S. Selling Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Highest Bidding Companies

Q: Is the Biden administration selling crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to other countries?

A: The oil is sold to eligible companies that make the highest offers. Some of the companies are U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, and some that purchased oil have then exported a portion to buyers overseas. Exports increase the global supply and still help with U.S. gas prices, experts told us.

Social Media Posts Misleadingly Edit and Misrepresent Biden Remarks from Teleprompter

Social Media Posts Misleadingly Edit and Misrepresent Biden Remarks from Teleprompter

President Joe Biden quoted the Supreme Court majority opinion on ending the constitutional right to abortion in remarks he made on July 8. Social media posts falsely claim he mistakenly read teleprompter cues. A White House press secretary told us Biden intentionally said “end of quote” and then said “repeat the line” for emphasis, and the full, live remarks support that explanation. 

Posts Incorrectly Cite Map as Showing Future Effects of Climate Change

Posts Incorrectly Cite Map as Showing Future Effects of Climate Change

An architect created a map in 2015 as a “thought experiment” to show how the Mediterranean Sea would fit inside the United States. However, social media posts have misinterpreted the map as a prediction of the impact of climate change. The map’s creator said it is not related to climate change in any way.

Q&A on Financial Disclosures by Government Scientists

Q&A on Financial Disclosures by Government Scientists

In this story, we’ll explain what we know about the financial and conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements for Dr. Anthony Fauci, other National Institutes of Health higher-ups and members of two U.S. vaccine advisory committees.

‘Liberal World Order’ Is Decades-Old Term Misinterpreted by Social Media Posts

‘Liberal World Order’ Is Decades-Old Term Misinterpreted by Social Media Posts

“Liberal world order” is a decades-old term referring to a system of global cooperation. A Biden administration adviser used the term to explain why gasoline prices are tied to the war in Ukraine. But social media posts use the adviser’s comments to misleadingly claim Biden is pushing a “new liberal world order” to make Americans pay “high gas prices forever.”