Q: Who is flying the drones that are appearing over the East Coast?
A: On Dec. 17, four federal agencies said they followed up more than 5,000 reported drone sightings and determined that they were lawful private and law enforcement drones and other aircraft “mistakenly reported as drones.” The agencies said the drones do not pose a security threat.
Q: Is the development of offshore wind energy farms in the U.S. killing whales?
A: Whales have been dying at an unusual rate along the Atlantic Coast since 2016, often from ship strikes or entanglements with fishing gear. Federal agencies and experts say there is no link to offshore wind activities, although they continue to study the potential risks.
Several posts on social media have made false or misleading claims alleging voter suppression and voting fraud across the United States.
A popular Democratic Facebook page falsely claimed that “Trump supporters are blocking access to polling sites” in a New Jersey town on Election Day. Local police called the report “entirely false.” The photo cited in the post was taken two days earlier.
The former Stop Hillary PAC changed its name and mission to support President Donald Trump.
Q: Is Sen. Robert Menendez on trial — and was his co-defendant convicted on prostitution charges — as an online meme says?
A: No. Menendez was tried on corruption charges last year, but was not convicted. His co-defendant was found guilty of defrauding Medicare in an unrelated case.
Q: Were the victims of a New Jersey home explosion tied to an investigation into the Clinton Foundation?
A: No. A viral conspiracy theory is spreading that claim without any evidence. Investigators told us they “found no evidence of foul play” and that the deaths were ruled “accidental.”
Rep. Adam Schiff mistakenly claimed that the Secret Service has paid the Trump Organization “over $150,000 … for the privilege of renting Donald Trump golf carts to protect Donald Trump on his rounds.” In fact, the federal agency rents golf carts from other companies.
Q: Were three Democratic state senators arrested in New Jersey for running a prostitution ring?
A: No. The senators named in the story don’t even exist.
Q: Is the newly elected mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, a Muslim and did he cancel “government involvement” in Christmas?
A: No. Ravinder Bhalla is a Sikh, not a Muslim, and he hasn’t instituted such a ban. He won’t even take office until Jan. 1, 2018.