9/11

Did a large plume of smoky air from Canada, which spread poor air quality conditions to many places in the U.S. in late June 2023, originate from gold and lithium mining operations in Sakami, Quebec, and not from forest fires? No, that's not true: There were many large and well-documented forest fires burning in the region near Sakami in northern…

Has former Fox News TV host Tucker Carlson "broken his silence" on the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in June 2023, warning the world that the organization is opening "a portal to hell"? No, that's not true: A video circulating on social media took Carlson's words about his firing out of context and never showed the host actually saying…

Did Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates suggest that "3 billion people need to die"? No, that's not true: The claim on social media recycles unsupported speculations from 2019 based on a distorted quote taken out of context. The story reappeared in a post on Instagram on June 9, 2023. The caption said: Does Bill Gates really want to eliminate…

Does footage related to the 9/11 attack at the Pentagon prove that no airplane struck the building? No, that's not true: The video -- which was published online by the FBI more than a decade ago -- only shows "recovery and investigative operations" at the Pentagon following the attack. Additionally, there are images and a thorough investigation detailed in The…

Does a video that shows a long queue for charging Tesla vehicles indicate some sort of government failure? No, that's misleading: The earliest version of this video was reportedly shot over Thanksgiving in 2019. Charging station locations have expanded since then. The claim, which has been made on other platforms, reappeared in a post on Instagram on April 6, 2023.…

Does police body camera footage from the March 27, 2023, mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, show that the active shooter had changed clothes and shoes sometime during the incident? No, that's not true: Two still images posted to social media originated in official footage that was recorded using different cameras in different locations of the school…

Will rubbing your hands and fingers together every morning cause you to lose weight? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that such a practice will contribute to weight loss. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) posted to TikTok on July 27, 2022, by the user @medical_acupuncture, who is professionally known as Hiroko Shimoda. In the video,…

Are aborted fetal cells added to artificial flavors in food products? No, that's not true: The false claim mis-states the use of HEK 293 cells in taste research by the Senomyx company, which was purchased by Firmenich, a Swiss flavor and fragrance company, in 2018. "Neither Firmenich products nor Senomyx products have ever contained any human cell or material," Firmenich…

Did the judge in the trial of Young Thug sentence the Atlanta rapper to 25 years in maximum-security prison, as of January 12, 2023? No, that's not true: Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams, was not convicted -- much less sentenced -- as of January 12, 2023, when this fact check was written. The claim appeared on Facebook…

Did Chick-fil-A just donate "another $1.8 million to anti-LGBTQ groups"? No, that's not true: The claim is a copy of a headline first published in 2019. The old story reported the fast food chain donated a combined $1.8 million to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army. Chick-fil-A has since announced a "more focused giving approach ... giving…