Eight Republicans kicked off the 2024 presidential election debates in Milwaukee.
FactChecking the First GOP Debate
FactCheck Posts
Viral Video Repeats Bogus Claim About Vaccines and Visible Ailments
A video repeating the claim that COVID-19 vaccines are responsible for the sudden onset of various visible ailments — such as fainting and facial paralysis — is making the rounds, again. But, just like the other, similar posts we’ve addressed, there’s no support for this one, either.
High Winds, Drought Conditions Led to Maui Fires, No Evidence Intentionally Set
It’s not known what sparked the wildfires in Maui, although some evidence points to downed power lines. The conditions were ripe for fire, as large amounts of invasive grasses were dry due to drought and high winds helped to rapidly spread flames. Bogus posts on social media, however, are baselessly claiming the fires were intentionally set.
Injection Protects Babies from RSV Hospitalization, Has Not Been Linked to Deaths
Each year, respiratory syncytial virus hospitalizes 58,000 to 80,000 children under age 5 in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved an antibody injection for babies to protect them during the RSV season. There isn’t evidence the shots have killed any babies, contrary to social media claims.
Posts Misrepresent Military’s Response to Maui Wildfires
The White House declared the site of the Maui wildfires a disaster area, and the Department of Defense has provided more than 400 troops, air support and other resources in firefighting and recovery efforts. Yet posts on Instagram misrepresent the federal response and one falsely claimed “the military is standing down.”
Biden Cherry-Picks Unemployment Record
In recent speeches touting so-called Bidenomics, President Joe Biden has repeatedly cited the statistic that “unemployment has been below 4% for the longest stretch in over 50 years.” That’s true, but there’s some cherry-picking going on.
Q&A on Trump’s Georgia Indictment
For the fourth time in a little more than four months, former President Donald Trump was indicted. Here we answer some questions about the Georgia state indictment, as we did for two federal indictments and a state indictment that was brought against Trump in New York.
Trump’s Co-Conspirators in Georgia
In addition to former President Donald Trump, the indictment handed up by a state grand jury in Georgia names 18 defendants. Here we identify them and what they are alleged to have done.
Republicans Oversell Archer’s Testimony About Hunter and Joe Biden
Congressional testimony by Hunter Biden’s former business partner, Devon Archer, on July 31 led to competing narratives about what Archer said, and how damaging his testimony was to President Joe Biden. We sort through the facts.
Posts Exaggerate Significance of Swiss Study on Heart Risk and COVID-19 Vaccination
A Swiss study found that after a COVID-19 booster, less than 3% of people briefly had a slightly elevated blood level of a protein that can be a marker of heart injury. No one in the study had any serious heart damage, and other experts say the findings are unlikely to be clinically significant. Viral posts, however, are spinning the results to falsely claim that the study shows the vaccine’s risks are “off the scale.”