Is "medical error" the third leading cause of death in the United States? No, that's not proven: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not include "medical error" in the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States. For one thing, given the lack of a precise medical or legal definition for "medical error," it's difficult to…

Does California's Proposition 47 state that theft of property valued under $950 will not be prosecuted, so police will not show up if such theft occurs? No, that's not true: The proposition, which passed in 2014 and has been on the books for more than six years, says that such a theft would be considered a misdemeanor rather than a…

Has Monsanto, the agribusiness controversial for its widely used herbicides, been banned in 15 locations? No, that's not true: The company no longer exists under the name "Monsanto" since it was acquired by Bayer, a company best known for its health care products. Glyphosate, an active ingredient in a herbicide created by the company, has been criticized by and even…

Did President Joe Biden announce that Americans who are not vaccinated before 2022 will be put into "quarantine camps"? No, that's not true: There is no record of Biden ever saying anything about "quarantine camps" for unvaccinated Americans. This claim originated on a satirical website and was then republished by an investment website. While the republished article does include a…

Did the highest flood to ever happen in the German town of Bad Schandau happen over a century ago? No, that's not true: The highest flood in Bad Schandau happened on August 16, 2002 -- the flood water rose a few centimeters higher than it had in the Saxon Flood of 1845. A photo of the building with dates and…

Is the COVID-19 vaccine free because it doesn't save lives? No, that's not true: The claim does not specifically mention the COVID-19 vaccine -- referring instead to "the shot" -- but it is implied, given current ongoing vaccination efforts amid the coronavirus outbreak. The cost of a vaccine or a shot is not established based on effectiveness, for COVID-19 or…

Does the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance cite zero studies or data showing a benefit to student masking? No, that's not true: The CDC website is peppered with references to studies that show mask use by students is associated with lower COVID-19 infection rates. Examples of such studies can be seen here, here, and here and…

Did Allied bomber pilots drop wooden bombs on German decoy airfields made from wood to let them know they saw through the ruse? While no historical sources can confirm this story beyond a doubt, researchers have compiled eyewitness accounts and other evidence that indicate that this is more than an urban legend. Versions of this story emerged as early as…

Did the anonymous "whistleblower" in a July 19, 2021, lawsuit against the Secretary of Health and Human Services document her claim that 45,000 people died within three days of receiving a COVID vaccination? No, that's not true: It's her "opinion" that a five-fold multiplier of a list of unverified reports is warranted. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has repeatedly…

Does a video implying that five JetBlue pilots died after getting the COVID-19 vaccine show evidence to back that up? No, it does not. Of the five people named in the video, one was not a pilot, but an inflight crew member for JetBlue. One of the five died from cancer and another one passed away after an off-road vehicle…

Do individuals who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in the United Kingdom make up 60% of COVID-19 hospitalizations in that country? No, that's not true: the statistic was stated erroneously by Sir Patrick Vallance, government chief scientific adviser in the U.K. Vallance later corrected himself via Twitter, saying that at the time, 60% of COVID-19 hospitalizations were…

Was a Florida court told that Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota was recruited by Qatar, received money from that country, and passed "sensitive intel" to Iran through intermediates? Yes, but the statements were made in a deposition during a lawsuit that had nothing to do with Omar and no evidence was presented to prove it was truthful testimony. The lawsuit was…

Did former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld commit suicide at a military tribunal? No, that's not true: The suicide claim originated from a website whose made-up stories regarding well-known people previously have been debunked. The site itself carries a disclaimer saying: "This website contains humor, parody, and satire." Rumsfeld's foundation released a statement that he died on June 29, 2021,…

Do "Blue Java" bananas, a variety of bananas that have bluish peels, exist? Yes, that's true: the bananas' peels take on a bluish-green appearance when unripe and have a distinctive texture and flavor, often compared to ice cream. However, when ripe, the peels turn yellow and no real banana, not even a Blue Java, is baby blue inside and out…

Did the U.N. station armored vehicles outside a pharmaceutical company in Canada? No, that's not true: the tenant of the building has changed and the armored vehicles are parked at a company that builds and maintains armored vehicles, which are not part of a military operation in Canada. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook on…

Do ballots cast by people not on the voter rolls in Maricopa County, Arizona, constitute evidence of fraud in the 2020 election? No, that's not true: People can cast provisional ballots, which are only counted if it's determined that the voters are eligible to vote, according to county officials. Such people would then be added to the rolls at a…

Is a photograph showing a BMW car half submerged in floodwaters with a "F*ck you Greta!" sticker prominetly showing on the rear window real? No, that's not true: someone photoshopped the sticker onto a real image of a car flooded by water during heavy rainfall in Germany in 2021. An example of the photo can be seen in this Facebook…

Was Edward Mordake a man born with a second face on the back of his head that could laugh, cry and whisper horrible things to him? No, that's not true: The legend of Edward Mordake, sometimes called Mordrake, appears to have begun as a work of fiction by writer Charles Lotin Hildreth in 1895. The account of Mordake's life tortured…

Did ink bleeding through ballots impact vote tallies in the 2020 election in Maricopa County, Arizona? No, that's not true: Even if a voter's ballot marks do bleed through from one side of a ballot to another, they don't impact the tally, according to county officials. Officials point to the fact that the ballots have off-centered columns, so any potential…

Were Jews in Nazi death camps victims of critical race theory? No, that's not true: Critical race theory is an academic framework developed -- 30 years after the death camps closed -- to study how racism is embedded in institutions, including racism against Jews. It's a way to study racism in educational settings without focusing on just individuals. It is…