FactCheck.org's Weekly Update
February 8, 2020
SciCheck
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Several online stories inaccurately claim that the new coronavirus contains HIV “insertions” and shows signs of being created in a lab. But there is no evidence that the new virus was bioengineered, and every indication it came from an animal.
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FactCheck.org On the Air
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Explaining Coronavirus Misinformation Posted on Friday, February 7th, 2020
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FactCheck.org writers Jessica McDonald and Angelo Fichera were interviewed by a South Korean radio program about their work combating misinformation related to the new coronavirus.
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FactCheck Posts
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Joe Biden falsely claimed that a hot mic at a NATO reception caught “leaders of the free world” privately saying “they didn’t think [President Donald Trump] knew anything, they didn’t trust him et cetera.” Biden has turned Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s mild ribbing about Trump holding long, unscheduled press interviews into something far worse.
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A day after his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial, President Donald Trump made celebratory remarks in the White House on Feb. 6, thanking many Republican politicians and repeating several false and misleading claims, many of which we’ve checked before.
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Video: SOTU and the Democratic Response Posted on Wednesday, February 5th, 2020
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We fact-check several claims from President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, and one from the Democratic response, in this video.
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Omar’s State of the Union Trivia Tweet Posted on Tuesday, February 4th, 2020
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Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar asked on Twitter: “Have we ever had an impeached President, deliver the State of the Union address while he is on trial in the Senate?” Answer: Yes. President Bill Clinton in 1999.
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Debunking False Stories
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A report by a conservative legal organization about voter registration rates in eight Iowa counties has been cited to promote baseless suggestions of voter fraud.
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Viral posts are spreading a false claim that a photograph shows Rep. Adam Schiff with the “whistleblower.” The photo was posted by Schiff and shows his family and his daughter’s boyfriend — who is a college student, not an intelligence official.
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Articles
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In advance of the first primary, the candidates twisted the facts on gun manufacturers, health care, Iraq, Iran and military spending.
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FactChecking the State of the Union Posted on Wednesday, February 5th, 2020
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The president’s address included false and misleading claims on jobs, wages, energy, immigration and more.
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