A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week.

Claim

Attorney General Merrick Garland has instructed the FBI to mobilize against parents who oppose critical race theory in public schools, citing 'threats.'”

The Facts

A memo Garland issued on Monday to address a rise in criminal conduct targeting school personnel is being misrepresented online.

Garland did not single out opponents of critical race theory. Rather, he stated the FBI would work with U.S. attorneys and federal, state and local authorities to develop strategies to combat what he called “a disturbing spike” in violent threats facing educators, administrators and school boards.

The trend was highlighted in a Sept. 29 letter from the National School Boards Association to President Joe Biden requesting federal assistance to investigate mounting threats and crimes against educators and school officials.

Following Garland's memo, an activist known for speaking out against critical race theory — a way of thinking about America's history through the lens of racism — shared the erroneous claim that the FBI was specifically targeting public school parents who oppose such race education.

Wyn Hornbuckle, the Justice Department's deputy director of media affairs, told The Associated Press the claim was misleading and stated that the Attorney General's guidance and the Justice Department's efforts are focused on rooting out criminal threats of violence for any reason, not targeting a particular ideology. “There has been misinformation circulated that the Attorney General's directive is an effort to silence those with particular views about COVID-related policies, school curricula, or other topics of public discussion. This is simply not true,” Hornbuckle wrote in an email.

Claim

New York hospitals, including NYU Langone Health, will not release newborn babies or infants in neonatal intensive care units, frequently referred to as NICUs, to parents who have not been vaccinated.

The Facts

No such restrictions exist. The false information, which claimed to stem from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, circulated widely on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. “New Forced Control: NYU Langone and other Hospitals in New York and Long Island are Forcing that if the parent is not VAXXED they will not release Babies from the NICU to Parents or after birth as per CDC Guidelines. You Need to Show VAX-Passport to see your own New Born Baby,” the false post states.

State health officials said there was no truth to the claim. “The New York State Department of Health is deeply disturbed by the grossly inaccurate messages being spread on social media regarding the false claim that there's a prohibition on parents/guardians taking a baby home from the hospital based upon vaccination status,” Jill Montag, director of communications at the state Department of Health, told the AP in an email.

Claim

Adam Ali, a high school student from Solihull, a town in West Midlands, England, died from the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Facts

Ali, a 17-year-old who died in September, had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. The actual cause of Ali's death is unknown, according to a spokesperson from the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS. One false tweet claimed, “Adam Ali 17 years old from Alderbrook school, had his first jab, had instant adverse reaction, convulsing, blood clots,” adding “he died the other day within two weeks and not a word from the media.”

Ali, a student, died at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Sept. 19. “We can confirm that Adam did not have a COVID-19 vaccination; the cause of his tragic death is currently unknown,” a spokesperson for the Birmingham and Solihull vaccination program at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS said in an emailed statement.