Fact-checking

CLAIM: The World Health Organization admitted that COVID-19 vaccines can lead to multiple sclerosis.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. A database on the WHO website includes an abstract for a conference presentation about research that examined two recent cases of MS.

CLAIM: A new autopsy report for George Floyd has been released in 2023, revealing he died from a drug overdose, not from the actions of arresting Minneapolis police officers.

CLAIM: A Connecticut bill to change the state’s anti-discrimination laws will lead to pedophiles becoming a protected class.

CLAIM: A NASA study found that six to eight snake plants in a room with no airflow is enough for human survival. The agency therefore recommends 15 to 18 plants for an 1,800-square-foot home.

CLAIM: Video taken by school staffer shows scores of banned books being removed from a middle school in Broward County, Florida.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Officials in the school district say the books are being removed as part of a routine weeding out of old materials that coincides with a library renovation project, not because they were banned.

CLAIM: Target’s Pride collection features a bathing suit for kids that is labeled “tuck-friendly.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The “tuck-friendly” swimsuits are only offered in adult sizes, according to a spokesperson for the company and Target’s website.

CLAIM: The U.S. government gives immigrants who cross the country’s border illegally smartphones with unlimited texting and internet access.

CLAIM: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “It’s time to ban cash to fight climate change.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. There is no record of Clinton making that remark and the website making the attribution doesn’t provide any evidence for its claim.

CLAIM: A Dominion Voting Systems employee named Eric Coomer said on an “antifa conference call” prior to the 2020 election, “Don’t worry about the election, Trump’s not gonna win.

CLAIM: A video shows President Joe Biden sitting with first lady Jill Biden at the University of Pennsylvania commencement, “Pomp and Circumstance” playing in the background as some in the crowd sing a disparaging chant. 

CLAIM: A new study found that ventilators were responsible for nearly all COVID-19 patient deaths.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Misleading. The study being referenced found that a secondary pneumonia associated with mechanical ventilation contributes to a patient’s death when it doesn’t respond to treatment.

CLAIM: Starbucks is imposing a $1 surcharge for ordering iced beverages without ice or less ice. 

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. A company spokesperson says there’s no change in price for ordering an iced drink that’s less icy.

CLAIM: Video clip shows U.S. soldier opening a gate on a border fence and allowing migrants to enter the country illegally, in violation of U.S. code.

CLAIM: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admitted that 98 million Americans were given a “cancer virus” through the polio vaccine.

CLAIM: A White House press release says that Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, President Joe Biden's pick to lead the National Institutes of Health, received tens of millions of dollars in research money from Pfizer. 

CLAIM: Tesla CEO Elon Musk is suing Alyssa Milano, an actor and activist, for defamation in a $200 million lawsuit.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. No such lawsuit has been announced.

CLAIM: The World Health Organization is working on an agreement among nations regarding future pandemics that would “bypass” the U.S. Senate and “reshape America.”

CLAIM: A photo shows President Joe Biden touching a child inappropriately below the waist. 

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Altered photo. The photo was digitally altered to make it appear as if Biden’s hands were under the child’s shirt.

CLAIM: A pre-print study found that the COVID-19 vaccines cause long-term brain damage.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The study being referenced, conducted by German researchers and not yet peer-reviewed, looked into the presence of the virus’ spike protein in the brain following infection.

CLAIM: Congressional Republicans voted to cut federal funding to Meals on Wheels, the non-government organization that delivers meals to the elderly in their homes. 

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context.

CLAIM: A video taken from a balcony shows a sea of protesters packing the street outside former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s London home in response to this week’s arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

CLAIM: A photo shows 700,000 migrants heading to the U.S.-Mexico border as pandemic-related asylum restrictions are set to expire.

CLAIM: A video shows Sen. Dianne Feinstein returning to the U.S. Capitol in a hearse on Wednesday following her two-and-a-half-month absence due to illness.

CLAIM: CNN cut short its primetime town hall with former President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The cable news network says it had allotted one hour for the forum but it ended up running about 10 minutes longer.

CLAIM: A Pfizer subsidiary called Zoetis has injected mRNA vaccines into 100 million wildlife animals in the U.S.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The company, which was a Pfizer subsidiary but is now independent, does not have any messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines for animals, a representative confirmed to The Associated Press.

CLAIM: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul approved a memo “denying white people certain medical treatments.”

CLAIM: A screenshot shows a May 11 piece published by The Guardian in which columnist George Monbiot says he caught COVID-19 23 times despite “dozens of boosters.” 

CLAIM: An image of U.S. Rep. George Santos in a gray sweater and blue jacket is a mugshot taken Wednesday after he was indicted on federal charges.

CLAIM: President Joe Biden owns an island next to one previously owned by the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

CLAIM: Chelsea Clinton said, “It’s time to force-jab every unvaccinated child in America.” 

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. There is no evidence of Clinton ever making such a comment, and a spokesperson confirmed she has not.

CLAIM: Two images available from third-party mugshot websites show Mauricio Garcia, the gunman in Sunday’s deadly shooting at a Dallas-area mall.

CLAIM: A video shows a robot attacking a human factory worker.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. The video was created with CGI technology by Sozo Bear Films, the production company told The Associated Press.

CLAIM: Three North Carolina healthcare systems are diagnosing toddlers with gender dysphoria and “transitioning” them.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Officials with Duke Health, University of North Carolina Health and ECU Health say that while they do accept young children as patients, staff only provide general counseling to parents and families at that age.

CLAIM: Photos show children being taught Satanism in libraries in the U.S. during an event called SatanCon.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The images were generated with an artificial intelligence tool and posted online.

CLAIM: An aerial picture of migrants crossing a bridge, some holding flags, shows an “invasion” of the U.S. that was “authorized” by President Joe Biden.

CLAIM: The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives is giving itself a pay raise even as it proposes slashing federal spending for military veterans. 

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context.

CLAIM: The vitamin K shot given to babies contains benzyl alcohol, which is toxic to newborns.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. The shot, given to babies to guard against bleeding, uses a small amount of benzyl alcohol to protect against bacterial contamination.

CLAIM: A widespread photo of an owl resting on a blue pad shows that the birds can sit with their legs crossed like humans.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Ornithologists say owls can’t cross their legs in such a way because of their anatomy and that the photo being passed around is essentially an illusion.

CLAIM: Video shows a large crowd of migrants climbing a fence at the United States’ southern border with Mexico.

CLAIM: Mortgage contracts will soon be “null and void” because U.S. banks are switching to digital currency. 

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Experts say the introduction of a digital currency wouldn’t automatically void home financing agreements, and there are no imminent plans to adopt a nationwide digital currency, regardless.

CLAIM: The planet has an unlimited supply of oil.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Crude oil supplies are not unlimited, experts say. Crude oil is not a renewable resource and humans won’t be able to extract all remaining untapped resources due to economic and technological limitations.

CLAIM: The United Nations said that “children must have sexual partners.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. There is no evidence the organization has ever made that statement and a spokesman called the claim “false.”A website attributing the quote to the U.N.

CLAIM: A photo of a plane underwater shows the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has finally been found. 

CLAIM: A video shows a Boston Dynamics robot that has learned how to fight doing a backflip and throwing punches.

CLAIM: Former President Barack Obama removed 500,000 pedophiles from a background check database.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. That claim originated on an unreliable website that distorted the facts about a change to the federal background check system used for firearms sales.

CLAIM: A video shows Vice President Kamala Harris saying in a speech: “Today is today. And yesterday was today yesterday. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. So live today, so the future today will be as the past today as it is tomorrow.”  

CLAIM: Anheuser-Busch is closing half of its U.S. breweries following backlash over a Bud Light marketing initiative.

CLAIM: The Federal Reserve is launching a new program that will give it the power to monitor, freeze and even seize private bank accounts based on a person’s behavior or political beliefs. 

CLAIM: It is possible to predict earthquakes.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Earthquakes can’t be predicted, experts say. Scientists do calculate the probability that earthquakes will occur in various regions and early warning systems can detect earthquakes that have already started.

CLAIM: An image shows a 103-year-old bride.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The image was made using artificial intelligence technology and photo editing software by artist Malik Afegbua, he confirmed to The Associated Press.

CLAIM: Video shows a maintenance worker sticking “duct tape” on a Spirit Airlines aircraft before takeoff. 

CLAIM: Footage purporting to show astronauts aboard the International Space Station is staged and was actually filmed on Earth. 

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. A spokesperson for NASA and space science experts say the footage is legitimate and that there is ample evidence to show that there are real people on the massive research complex floating above Earth.

CLAIM: 

Placentas of women vaccinated against COVID-19 are abnormal and the women are unable to carry pregnancies to full term.

The World Health Organization now says COVID-19 vaccines are “not recommended” for healthy children and teens.

CLAIM: Dr. Anthony Fauci “admitted” in a recent interview that face masks were a “failure.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Social media posts are misrepresenting what Fauci said about masks and COVID-19 and omitting part of his response.

CLAIM: BlackRock has a substantial stake in both Dominion Voting Systems and Fox Corporation, so Dominion’s lawsuit against Fox was really BlackRock suing itself.

CLAIM: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called in the National Guard to block all entrances to Disney World.

CLAIM: Fox News said it is planning to replace prime-time host Tucker Carlson with Geraldo Rivera.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The network made no such announcement and a Fox spokesperson refuted that claim.

CLAIM: The maker of Bud Light is going bankrupt as it faces ongoing backlash over a marketing campaign featuring a transgender social media personality.