Conspiracy And Children

Did President Trump sign a bill that addresses the future of 5G infrastructure? Yes, that's true: the Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2020 was signed on March 23, 2020, but a video detailing the potential fallout of expanding 5G technology is exaggerated. The claim came from a video (archived here) where it was published by The Last American Vagabond…

Did New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reject a recommendation for his state to buy 16,000 ventilators in 2015 in preparation for a pandemic? No, that's not true: That is disinformation being spread among conservatives, misinterpreting the facts of a 2015 report by a New York task force about the need for ventilators during a pandemic. The reports of Cuomo "rejecting…

Is COVID-19 virus part of a conspiracy that has a scripted narrative designed to justify closed borders and inspire residents to stay at home? No, that's not true: A conspiracy theory on Facebook claims that the coronavirus outbreak is a move by the government against the so-called "Deep State" - a phrase common to right-wing conspiracy theorists that has not…

Did Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota give $50,000 of taxpayer money to al-Qaida? No, that's not true: The article is a dated work of satire that other websites have, even now, stolen without noting the satirical nature of the story. The claim originated in an article (archived here) published by BeBest.website on August 17, 2019, under the title "Ilhan…

Do the policies of Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg support lenient sentences for drug traffickers that would lead to them avoiding serving time for their crimes? No, that's not true: Buttigieg has said he wants to decriminalize prison time for possession of illicit drugs to keep people struggling with addiction out of prison and get them into rehab. He never…

Did an Inspector General's Report say Hillary Clinton committed 'sexual crimes against children'? And did Barack Obama lie to cover up Clinton's supposed crimes? No, neither are true: The IG report did not refer to any sexual crimes against children having been committed by Clinton, and the stories making the claims are taken way out of context. The claim originated…

Did billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates help fund a patent for the Wuhan coronavirus? No, that's not true: The Pirbright Institute addressed the conspiracy theories and said the patents involve infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) only, and the Gates Foundation did not fund that work. The claim originated from an article (archived here) published by Natural News on January…

Did a patent expire on January 22, 2020, for the "new" coronavirus, and does that prove the virus was "invented"? No, that's not true: The patent is about the SARS coronavirus, which broke out in China in 2002, not the current Wuhan City strain, which has so far killed 18 people in China. There is no vaccine or specific treatment…

Are California 8th graders taught anal, bondage, and sex involving blood in mandatory sex education classes? No, that's not true: First, sex education classes in California public schools are not mandatory, because parents can opt their children out of the program under state law. Second, the book that is purportedly used to teach middle-school students about those sex practices was…

Could the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the "obstruction of justice" impeachment resolution against President Trump? No, that's not true: The U.S. constitution specifies that the House of Representatives has "the sole power of impeachment" and the Senate has the "sole power to try all impeachments." The Supreme Court has no role other than to send the chief justice to preside…