Your weekly fact-checks
#Politics
False: Budweiser lost $800 million in one day following its collaboration with transgender social media influencer
An article about Budweiser losing $800 million in one day was originally published by a satirical website. (Source: Reuters)
False: German child protection services are seizing Ukrainian refugee children from their parents in large numbers.
There is no proof that children of Ukrainian refugees were taken away from their parents in Germany; Personal accounts about children taken from refugee families, which have been published by certain media, can not be confirmed because child protection services do not publish info. (Source: Factcheck.bg)
False: A Whole Foods location in downtown San Francisco announced its closure due to "hostile transgender customers."
In April 2023, Whole Foods announced the temporary closure of a location in downtown San Francisco, reportedly because of "deteriorating street conditions around drug use and crime" in the vicinity. The company said it may reopen. (Source: Snopes)
#Tech
Mixture: Cybercriminals are using public USB ports in places like airports and hotels to introduce malware and monitoring software onto users' devices
While it is technically possible for criminals to steal information and/or install malware via public USB ports, no evidence has been presented that the practice is widespread. (Source: Snopes)
False: £37 billion was spent on the UK Covid contact-tracing app
The NHS Covid-19 app cost £35 million in the 2020/21 financial year. The £37 billion figure was the budget of the entire Test and Trace programme in its first two years. (Source: Full Fact)
#Health
Nothing Hidden: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suppressed the results of a study that purportedly showed an increased risk of neuro-developmental delays in newborns who were given a Hepatitis B vaccine during the first month of life.
No, that's not true: The results of the study have been available for decades. (Source: Lead Stories)
False: Report proves that COVID-19 vaccines caused 300,000 excess deaths in 2022.
Health experts said the report included no evidence to back its claim, relying instead on "loose correlations and incorrect assumptions. There have been more than 1.3 million excess deaths in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the majority were because of the virus. (Source: PolitiFact)
Misleading: You can optimize your health by using glucose monitors to prevent blood sugar spikes
Nutrition experts say it is normal to experience an increase in blood sugar after eating and medical professionals warn social media posts offering tips on controlling "spikes" may do more harm than good. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
#Nordics
False: Did Norway Attack Russian Naval Ships?
There is no evidence Norway attacked Russian warships. Norway has also not publicly provided anti-ship missiles to Ukraine, according to an independent analysis. (Source: Check Your Fact)
#Other
True: The last public execution in the United States was held in the 1930s
A photograph from the 1930s shows the last public execution held in the United States. (Source: Snopes)
Barely-True: Vitamins aren’t FDA approved, but Twinkies are
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has no role in approving food products before they hit store shelves, though it can approve food and color additives before they are used in food. (Source: PolitiFact)
Research In Progress: A World War II-era photograph showed former U.S. President Ronald Reagan in drag.
The photograph was real in that it authentically showed three people in drag makeup and clothes, but there's no evidence one of them was Reagan. (Source: Snopes)
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