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FactCheck.org's Weekly Update

October 10, 2020

SciCheck

Trump Overstates Status of COVID-19 Antibody Drugs Posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2020

Calling investigational COVID-19 antibody drugs “cures” in a video posted to Twitter, President Donald Trump incorrectly said the therapies had been authorized and that “hundreds of thousands of doses” were nearly ready.

Trump’s COVID-19 Misinformation Since Testing Positive Posted on Tuesday, October 6th, 2020

Even after contracting the coronavirus and being hospitalized, President Donald Trump has continued to downplay the risks of COVID-19 and exaggerate the progress the U.S. has made in fighting the pandemic.

FactCheck Posts

Partisan Claims of ‘Russia Hoax’ Revived Ahead of 2020 Election Posted on Friday, October 9th, 2020

President Donald Trump and his supporters on social media are citing unverified “Russian intelligence” from 2016 as evidence that Hillary Clinton “was behind the entire Russian collusion hoax.”

Biden Misquotes Trump on Gold Star Families Posted on Friday, October 9th, 2020

On the subject of President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden misquoted Trump as saying, “I probably got it from Blue Star parents.” That’s not what Trump said.

Trump Revives Claim of ‘Oscillated’ Debate Mic in 2016 Posted on Friday, October 9th, 2020

Hours after announcing that he would not participate in a Oct. 15 debate, President Trump revived an old complaint that the debate commission deliberately “oscillated” his microphone during a 2016 debate with Hillary Clinton.

Trump’s Dubious Claim That He’s Not Contagious Posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2020

Less than a week after being hospitalized due to COVID-19, President Donald Trump now says, “I don’t think I’m contagious at all.” But medical experts say he may very well be.

Video: Highlights of the VP Debate Posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2020

In this video, we review some of the claims Sen. Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence made during the vice presidential debate on Oct. 7.

Trump Campaign Aide’s Dubious Claim on Protecting the President Posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2020

A senior adviser to President Trump’s campaign made the dubious claim that Trump was “probably the most protected person on Earth,” because his visitors “must submit to a COVID test” and “people don’t physically get close” to him.

Biden Bungles Clemency, Race Statistics Posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2020

During an NBC News town hall, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden botched statistics about clemencies during the Obama administration and the size of the Black population in Delaware.

Timeline of Contradictory Statements on Trump’s Health Posted on Monday, October 5th, 2020

Since President Trump announced on Oct. 2 that he had tested positive for COVID-19, White House staff and the president’s physicians have provided confusing and at times contradictory information about the president’s health.

Debunking False Stories

Viral Image Spreads Bogus Trump Quote on COVID-19 Recovery Posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2020

A viral image on social media is spreading a fabricated quote attributed to President Donald Trump. There’s no evidence the president ever said that doctors have “never seen a body kill the Coronavirus like my body,” and that they “tested my DNA and it wasn’t DNA. It was USA.”

Kentucky Attorney General Is Not Related to Mitch McConnell Posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2020

Social media posts falsely claim Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron — who conducted the investigation into Breonna Taylor’s death — is related through marriage to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Cameron was recently married, but his wife is not related to McConnell. 

Putting a Viral Video Clip of Biden in Context Posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2020

Conservative personalities are sharing a brief video clip showing Joe Biden speaking at an event in September to suggest the Democratic presidential nominee was making a racially insensitive remark. But it misleadingly omits any context for the quote.

Viral Post Overstates Effect of Trump’s Order on Preexisting Conditions Posted on Tuesday, October 6th, 2020

A popular Facebook post asks why an order by President Donald Trump “PROTECTING PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS got almost zero coverage,” and suggests it’s wrong to say he is “trying to eliminate that protection.” Trump is trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which put such protections into place, and his recent executive order, on its own, doesn’t legally guarantee them.

Viral Article Distorts Military’s Role in Vaccine Distribution Posted on Monday, October 5th, 2020

The U.S. military may assist in the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available, but it will not forcibly administer vaccines, as a viral article shared on social media falsely suggests. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has said mandatory vaccination “would be unenforceable and not appropriate.”

Viral Posts Don’t Give Full Picture of Mask Mandates in States Posted on Monday, October 5th, 2020

Viral Facebook posts misleadingly claim that Florida, Georgia, Idaho, South Dakota and Tennessee have become “mask free.” None has a statewide mask mandate — but individual cities and counties in each of those states do have orders requiring face coverings to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 

Chris Wallace Pictured With Clooney, Not Epstein Posted on Monday, October 5th, 2020

A photo of Chris Wallace circulating on social media purports to show the Fox News anchor with Jeffrey Epstein. He was actually pictured with George Clooney.

Ask FactCheck

Kamala Harris, Honest Abe and the Supreme Court Posted on Friday, October 9th, 2020

Q: Was Sen. Kamala Harris’ story at the vice presidential debate about President Abraham Lincoln’s 1864 Supreme Court vacancy correct?

A: There’s no evidence that Lincoln said he delayed the nomination to let voters choose the next president, as Harris said.  

Articles

FactChecking the Vice Presidential Debate Posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2020

The candidates disagreed on the facts regarding the coronavirus, jobs, taxes and more.

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