Q: Did President Donald Trump defend a Confederate flag he hung in the White House?
A: No. That was written by a website that “provides a satirical view of current events.”
Fake Confederate Flag Story
Month: August 2017
Flawed Attack on Jeff Flake
A campaign ad attacking Republican Sen. Jeff Flake falsely says that he hasn’t worked with President Donald Trump to “repeal Obamacare.”
Counterprotesters Paid in Charlottesville?
Q: Is a Craigslist ad proof that counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally were “paid to make chaos”?
A: No. The ad called for “actors and photographers” in Charlotte, North Carolina, not Charlottesville, Virginia, where the rally took place.
Trump’s Phoenix Fiction
The president revises history, exaggerates accomplishments and makes false claims.
Charlottesville Stand-Down Order?
Q: Were the police in Charlottesville, Virginia, told to “stand down” to allow the violent clashes that occurred on Aug. 12?
A: The police chief, mayor and city spokeswoman say there is no truth to that claim. Others have criticized what they describe as slow police action.
Charlottesville Driver a Clinton Supporter?
Q: Is the man who drove his car into a crowd in Charlottesville, Virginia, a Hillary Clinton supporter, and funded by George Soros?
A: There is no evidence to support either claim. In fact, the driver is a registered Republican, and his former teacher said he supported Donald Trump during the presidential campaign.
Was Driver Acting in Self-Defense?
Q: Does a video corroborate a belief by Charlottesville police officers that the driver in the fatal car attack at a white nationalist rally “was not acting maliciously”?
A: No. Police have charged James Alex Fields Jr. with multiple offenses, including second-degree murder and “aggravated malicious wounding.”
Charlottesville Driver Mix-up
Q: Did the man who drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, meet with former President Obama in the White House?
A: No. A satirical website confuses the driver with the organizer of the rally, who is rumored to have been a past Obama supporter.
SciCheck on the Air
This year, SciCheck writer Vanessa Schipani has appeared on NBC10 in Philadelphia several times to discuss some of her stories.
Trump’s Hollow Claim about ‘Inner Cities’
President Donald Trump claimed that his administration is “spending a lot of money on the inner cities.” But there has been little change in spending so far, and his first budget proposes to cut or eliminate funding for some programs that benefit cities.