Not real news
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories of the week.
ClaimThe $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill awards a $25 million bonus to members of the House of Representatives.
The FactsThe American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, as the bill is titled, contains no allocation for bonuses or raises for House or Senate members.A Facebook post that circulated around the approval of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Wednesday promoted the false information, stating: “Did you know? Line 17 of the $1.9 TRILLION CV (hash)Stimulus awards a $25 MILLION BONUS to House Reps?” It is not clear what “Line 17” means in the post since there's a line 17 on nearly every page of the 628-page bill.There are several passages that cite $25 million in funding, but no mention of congressional pay raises or bonuses.
ClaimProposed federal gun legislation expanding background checks for firearms would create a “national registration of firearms” and put gun owners in jail for transferring or handing their gun to someone, even if they are in a dangerous situation.
The FactsThe bill, HR 8, prohibits using the legislation to establish a national firearms registry and includes exceptions that allow temporary transfers of firearms between family members, transfers between people for self-defense and for use at a shooting range.The bill, requiring background checks on all gun sales, passed the House this week after stalling in the Senate about two years ago.Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson of California, who chairs the congressional task force on gun violence prevention, is the primary sponsor of the bill. Advocates say the legislation is intended to curb gun violence and keep guns out of the hands of people who are barred from owning firearms.Background checks are in place preventing people with criminal records from purchasing a firearm, but there are loopholes where people can buy guns through private sales, often called a “gun-show loophole,” said Jake Charles, executive director at the Center for Firearms Law at the Duke University School of Law.Multiple social media posts described the legislation inaccurately, calling it a gun registration bill. Charles said that description is “completely false.” Not only does federal law prohibit a national gun registry, the bill clearly states: “Nothing in this Act, or any amendment made by this Act, shall be construed to authorize the establishment, directly or indirectly, of a national firearms registry.”
ClaimA new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that mask mandates have a negligible impact on coronavirus numbers.
The FactsThe study found that mask mandates were associated with statistically significant decreases in county-level daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates.Social media users and conservative websites shared a recent report from the CDC with false claims that it shows mask mandates don't stem the spread of the coronavirus.“Here is your proof from the CDC itself that masks don't work,” one Facebook user wrote. “Study released on Friday says masks resulted in only 1-2% spread reduction over 100 days. Basically useless.”The conservative television network One America News reported that the study showed masks have “negligible impact” and mask mandates “do not make any statistical difference.”Those claims distort the findings, according to CDC scientist Gery Guy Jr., the study's lead author. While the changes in daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates in the report may seem small, they were statistically significant, he said.
ClaimA study by scientists at Sloan Kettering discovered Messenger RNA inactivates tumor suppressing proteins, meaning that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines can cause cancer.
The FactsThe 2018 study has no relevance to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center confirmed the claim is false and misrepresents the findings of the study.An article in Natural News, which is known for circulating false information about vaccines, is spreading the false claim that COVID-19 vaccines could cause cancer. The claim that vaccines contain cancer-causing ingredients has long been pushed by vaccine opponents.The story misrepresents a 2018 study to make the false assertion that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are “cancer-driving inoculations that, once the series is complete, will cause cancer tumors in the vaccinated masses who have all rushed out to get the jab out of fear and propaganda influence.” The false information was picked up by anti-vaccine websites and shared on Facebook and Reddit.
