President Biden overstated the impact of raising the federal minimum wage to $15, claiming that “if you’re making less than $15 an hour,” and working 40 hours a week, “you’re living below the poverty wage.”
Biden’s Minimum Wage Exaggeration
Schumer, Warren Misstate Student Loan Debt Disparity
In a press conference in which they called on President Biden to use his executive authority to cancel up to $50,000 in federal student loan debt for individuals, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren misstated a racial disparity statistic.
McCarthy Misleads on State and Local Revenue
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy misleadingly argues that federal aid to state and local governments is unnecessary because state and local tax receipts were “the highest… in American history” in the third quarter.
Misleading DCCC Ads Link Republicans to QAnon
Democratic ads claim eight House Republicans “stood with Q, not you,” because they voted against Donald Trump’s second impeachment. But they aren’t known to be QAnon followers, and three of them supported censuring Trump as an alternative to impeaching him.
Both Sides Spin CBO Report in COVID-19 Relief Debate
In the debate over competing rescue plans, those in both political parties have miscited a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office to make their case.
Headlines Distort the Facts on CDC Mask Order
Headlines shared on social media distort the facts of a recent order by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that mandates face masks be worn on public transportation. The order doesn’t require that individuals wear two masks. CDC guidance issued with the order does say that cloth masks should be made of at least two layers.
Video Wrong About Fauci, COVID-19
A video from conservative commentator Liz Wheeler falsely claims the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, repeatedly “lied” to the American public about the COVID-19 pandemic.
SciCheck Video: Don’t Confuse the Virus with the Disease
In this video, available in English and Spanish, we explain the distinction between virus and disease: The virus SARS-CoV-2 can lead to illness with the disease COVID-19.
Video Uses Bogus Claims to Stoke Race-Based Fears of COVID-19 Vaccine
A viral video clip makes bogus claims about COVID-19 vaccines and falsely accuses the government of “pure racism” for “push[ing] this heavily on Blacks and browns.” Public health experts have recommended prioritizing those communities for the vaccine because they have suffered higher rates of infection and death.
Viral Posts Distort WHO Guidance on COVID-19 Tests
Dubious websites and viral posts falsely claim that the World Health Organization changed COVID-19 testing protocols for political reasons following Joe Biden’s inauguration and admitted that false-positive cases had been inflating the case count. The WHO’s guidance merely reminded labs to follow instructions provided by each test’s manufacturer.