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Does JD Vance profit from Russia propaganda?

J.D. Vance personally invested as much as $300,000 in the video sharing platform Rumble, although the precise details remain private. RT, a Russia state-sponsored service that amplifies Kremlin messaging, posts its videos and livestreams on Rumble. RT generates millions of views on Rumble, which increases the platform's value to advertisers. Our ruling Ryan said, "Vance profits off Russia propaganda." Ryan's claim is based on Vance's investment in Rumble, the platform where RT posts its videos. RT amplifies Kremlin messaging, and in the past two and a half months, RT has produced nearly 2 million views on Rumble. More views mean more advertising revenues for Rumble, and RT's presence adds value to Vance's investment. But other programs on Rumble attract many more viewers, and the details on Vance's investment in the company are not public. Rumble's CEO earlier this year ​​said the company has yet to turn a profit. With that caveat in mind, we rate this claim Half True.

No, this photo doesn’t show an American admiral captured by Russians in Mariupol

On May 14, pro-Russia social media accounts started circulating a photo of a group of soldiers taken prisoner by the Russian army. These accounts claimed that one of the prisoners in the photo is a retired American admiral by the name of Eric Olson. That claim is false: this photo actually shows Ukrainians taken prisoner by the Russians in April 2022, well before the soldiers in the steelworks surrendered.

No, this photo of Ukrainians training for combat doesn’t prove the war is fake

A Reuters photo of Ukrainians training for combat is being used as supposed evidence that the war there is fake. It's not. A screenshot of a tweet by conservative activist Jack Posobiec is spreading on social media as evidence that the war in Ukraine is staged. Trudy Rubin, a foreign affairs columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, wrote from outside of Kyiv in February that civilian trainees were "practicing with cardboard guns or plastic paintball guns or hunting rifles from home until they are provided military weapons." Even members of the U.S. military have used paintball guns for training exercises. The war in Ukraine is real, and it has been well-documented by reporters and citizens on the ground in the country. We rate claims that this photo proves it's being staged Pants on Fire.

Baby formula donations to Ukraine not linked to U.S. shortage

• A Mississippi nonprofit, Operation Ukraine, sent $10,000 worth of baby formula to Ukraine in March. • There is no evidence that the donated formula contributed to current U.S. baby formula shortages, which are attributed to supply chain problems that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, plus the recall of some formula that led to a manufacturing plant shutdown. Causes of the U.S. shortage are described by Bloomberg as "​​long-term economic pressures collid(ing) with a sudden supply shock." The long-term issues are related to the pandemic, which led to supply chain and shipping disruptions, as well as labor shortages. And the supply shock, Bloomberg explained, came when Abbott Laboratories recalled its baby formula and shut down a Michigan manufacturing plant because of concerns about contamination. The claim that donations of baby formula to Ukraine are related to the current U.S. shortage is unfounded. We rate it False.