Category USA

No credible reports indicate that Starlink was used in Russian ship attack

• There are no credible government or media reports that indicate the Starlink satellite service was used to facilitate the attack on the Russian ship Moskva. • The Russian government did not order the destruction of the Starlink satellite service. That claim originated on a fraudulent website falsely identifying itself as the official website of a Russian political party. Our ruling A Facebook post says, "Space X's Starlink internet constellation has angered Russia as it was reported that the Starlink satellite constellation was used to guide the fire" on the Russian ship Moskva. But there are no credible government or media reports that indicate the Starlink service was involved in the attack on Moskva. The claim that a Russian official ordered the destruction of the Starlink satellite service originated on a fraudulent website. We rate this claim False.
Read MoreNo credible reports indicate that Starlink was used in Russian ship attack

FACT CHECK: No, The Rothschild Family Does Not Own Reuters And The Associated Press | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False There is no evidence the Rothschild family owns Reuters or AP. Reuters is owned by the Thomson Corporation and the AP is a non-profit cooperative formed by various newspapers and broadcasters.
Read MoreFACT CHECK: No, The Rothschild Family Does Not Own Reuters And The Associated Press | Check Your Fact

Commemorative Zelenskyy coins created by private gift shop, not Biden White House

The commemorative coins honoring Volodymyr Zelenskyy were created for sale by a private company called the White House Gift Shop, not the U.S. government. Social media users are falsely claiming that the Biden White House created special coins honoring Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Despite what the posts suggest, the commemorative coins were created by a private company, not President Joe Biden's White House. The nonprofit White House Historical Association ' which runs two retail shops located near the White House in Washington, including one at the White House Visitor Center ' confirmed to PolitiFact that its stores are not selling the commemorative Zelenskyy coins. There is no mention of the coins on the White House's official government website, either. We rate this Facebook post False.
Read MoreCommemorative Zelenskyy coins created by private gift shop, not Biden White House

FACT CHECK: Did Time Magazine Feature Volodymyr Zelenskyy On Its Cover? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False The cover is digitally fabricated. A Time Magazine spokesperson confirmed the outlet did not publish such a cover. [Note: This article is dated April 2022. Zelensky was featured on the 26 Dec., 2022 cover of Time Magazine, as its 'Person of the Year']
Read MoreFACT CHECK: Did Time Magazine Feature Volodymyr Zelenskyy On Its Cover? | Check Your Fact

FACT CHECK: Did Oprah Winfrey Remove ‘War and Peace’ From Her Book Club Due To Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False The person who originally made the claim later said it was satirical. There is no evidence Winfrey announced the book’s removal.
Read MoreFACT CHECK: Did Oprah Winfrey Remove ‘War and Peace’ From Her Book Club Due To Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine? | Check Your Fact

No, Zelenskyy and Soros are not cousins

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and billionaire philanthropist George Soros are not cousins. ​The claim is "entirely false," said a spokesperson for Soros' Open Society Foundations. A viral Facebook post falsely says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and billionaire philanthropist George Soros are related by birth ' one in a series of baseless claims about links between the two. Soros has been at the center of many debunked claims about his connections to Ukraine, including that he wanted to run the country and that he was using the Ukraine "as a playing field to undermine (former President Donald) Trump's campaign," NBC News reported in 2019. More recently, false claims have said that Soros admitted on television that he helped overthrow the former Ukrainian president in order to help Zelenskyy take office. The NBC News story noted that Soros "has long been the target of conspiracy theorists about Jews controlling the world." Soros and Zelenskyy are both Jewish. We rate the claim that Zelenskyy is a cousin of Soros Pants on Fire!
Read MoreNo, Zelenskyy and Soros are not cousins

No, Tucker Carlson didn’t say this about Ukraine staging dead bodies

Some people have interpreted a tweet about Tucker Carlson and Ukraine to mean that he suggested the country staged dead bodies. But he didn't say that. Russia has said without evidence that "fake dead bodies" were "staged" in Bucha after its troops left the town. Carlson, meanwhile, has been criticized for echoing Russian talking points. On March 9, for example, Carlson said a Russian claim that Ukraine has bioweapon labs was "totally and completely true," but there's no evidence that's the case, PolitiFact reported. But this talking point, about staged bodies, wasn't one Carlson made. We rate claims that he said the words that appeared in Wash's tweet False.
Read MoreNo, Tucker Carlson didn’t say this about Ukraine staging dead bodies

No, NATO Allied Land Command leader wasn’t captured by Russians in Ukraine

Lt. Gen. Roger L. Cloutier Jr., commander of NATO's Allied Land Command, has not been captured by Russian forces in Mariupol, the Allied Land Command confirmed. Cloutier posted photos from a recent event in Turkey to his LinkedIn profile, where he disputed the internet rumors alleging that he had been captured.
Read MoreNo, NATO Allied Land Command leader wasn’t captured by Russians in Ukraine

Claim that Putin beheaded bioweapon engineers, called Trump to tell him has no basis in fact

There is no evidence Putin beheaded 12 bioweapon engineers in Ukraine. This claim comes from Real Raw News, a blog that has shown a pattern of fabricating news about politicians being executed or arrested by the military. Though the story claims Putin told former President Donald Trump about the alleged beheading, a spokesperson for Trump said the account is baseless.
Read MoreClaim that Putin beheaded bioweapon engineers, called Trump to tell him has no basis in fact