Snopes Daily Debunker - The ‘DC Blackout’ That Wasn’t

The ‘DC Blackout’ That Wasn’t Last Monday, during overnight protests against racism and police brutality in dozens of U.S. cities, Twitter became ground zero for an especially alarming rumor. Government authorities, the rumor said, had blocked internet and cellphone service in Washington, D.C., to silence the protesters and disrupt the demonstrations. Network data proves that no such “blackout” actually took place, but that’s not the most interesting part of the story. Where did the false rumor come from? Who was involved in spreading it? Was there a coordinated attempt to circulate disinformation? Snopes.com’s Jessica Lee reports. Read more

 

Fact Checks Can Trump Designate Antifa as a ‘Terrorist Organization’? Trump's tweet reacting to protests against the killing of George Floyd appears to blame anti-fascist organizations for the agitation. False   Is This an Instruction Manual for George Floyd Protesters? Democrats, antifa, and George Soros are the usual bogeymen claimed to be behind liberal political protests. False   Did ‘Antifa America’ Threaten to ‘Take What’s Ours’ from the Suburbs? A tweet posted amid nationwide protests and riots over the in-custody death of George Floyd caused panic. But it was a hoax. False   Did Trump Tweet in 2014 About ‘Riots and Looting’ Due to ‘Weak Leadership’? Whatever the situation today might be, one can usually find an old Trump tweet about it. Correct attribution   Did Trump Complain About the State of the White House Bunker in a Tweet? The tweet allegedly took issue with the bunker's "extremely dirty" conditions. False   Did ‘The Simpsons’ Predict George Floyd’s Death? Predictions are typically made prior to the event they are predicting. False

 

Snopes Rapid Rumor Response We’re working smart and fast. Read our new quick fact checks about the George Floyd protests. Read

 

In the News Can the President Really Order the Military to Occupy US Cities and States? Is Trump’s warning bluster? Or does the president have the authority to send the military into American cities? Read more   Murder Charge Upgraded in Floyd Case, 3 Other Cops Charged Prosecutors are charging a Minneapolis police officer accused of pressing his knee against George Floyd’s neck with second-degree murder, and for the first time will level charges against three other officers at the scene. Read more   False Claims of Antifa Protesters Plague Small U.S. Cities For years, some social media users have tried to delegitimize controversial or political protests with baseless theories that they were organized by wealthy financiers or extremists organizations. Read more   Iowa Ousts ‘Conservative Lightning Rod’ Rep. Steve King The Republican known for his incendiary remarks on immigration and white supremacy over his nine terms in the House of Representatives lost his primary to a challenger. Read more   Top Pandemic Scientist Admits Sweden Could Have Battled Virus Better Sweden, which only advised social distancing but did not shut down like other countries, has one of the highest death rates per capita from COVID-19 in the world. Read more

 

Staff Pick Does This Picture Show Hitler Holding a Bible? U.S. President Donald Trump's use of force to clear an area in front of a church occupied by protesters drew comparisons to world dictators. Read more

 

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