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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Bogus Conspiracy Theory Claims Epstein is Alive

Bogus Conspiracy Theory Claims Epstein is Alive

A Facebook post from a user who appears to subscribe to QAnon conspiracies claims that Jeffrey Epstein is not dead. The theory is based solely on a news photo that shows an unresponsive Epstein being wheeled into a hospital on a gurney.

Harris, Warren Wrong About Brown Shooting

Harris, Warren Wrong About Brown Shooting

On Aug. 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in what the Obama administration’s Department of Justice determined was an act of “self-defense.” But Sens. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren referred to Brown’s death as a “murder.”

Photos Don’t Tell the Whole Story on Border Trash

Photos Don’t Tell the Whole Story on Border Trash

Old pictures of trash strewn in the Arizona desert are circulating on Facebook with the suggestion that they were taken recently and that the media failed to cover it. Neither of those things is true.

Biden Takes Trump Quote Out of Context

Biden Takes Trump Quote Out of Context

In a speech that assailed President Donald Trump for a lack of “moral leadership,” Joe Biden falsely claimed that Trump “asserted that immigrants would, quote, ‘carve you up with a knife.’” Trump said that about MS-13 gang members, not immigrants.

President Trump’s Rhetoric

President Trump’s Rhetoric

Prior to departing for El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 7, President Donald Trump rejected the premise that his rhetoric has divided the country, as his critics have claimed. He said “my rhetoric … brings people together.” But that is not how he is perceived by most Americans.

What Republicans Did on Mental Health, Guns

What Republicans Did on Mental Health, Guns

A social media post misleadingly claims that Republicans “voted to allow people with pre-existing mental illness to buy firearms.” The measure blocked the Social Security Administration from reporting to the U.S. background check system some disability beneficiaries who are unable to manage their finances. Federal law still prohibits people with certain conditions from buying guns.

Politics of Gun Violence

Politics of Gun Violence

In the aftermath of two deadly mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, U.S. political leaders made a series of statements on gun violence that were unsubstantiated, lacked context or were seemingly contradictory. Here we look at some of those statements and present the facts.

Mass Killings Across America

Mass Killings Across America

At least 144 people have died in 31 mass killings in the United States since the beginning of the year. Most of them, 141, died of gunshot wounds. The ages of victims ranged from 1 to 83. We mapped the 31 incidents across the U.S.