Snopes.com - Boebert's Taliban tweet, Trump administration's Taliban prison assist, a "legendary" golden retriever, and Heath Ledger's alleged improv scene

​ FRIDAY EDITION Snopes Debunker 20 August 2021 This Week: Boebert's Taliban tweet, Trump administration's Taliban prison assist, a "legendary" golden retriever, and Heath Ledger's alleged improv scene ​ Did Boebert Praise Taliban for ‘Building Back Better’? Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, Republican U.S. Representative for Colorado Lauren Boebert took to Twitter to praise the extremist group. Madison Dapcevich reports. Read More URGENT: Save Our Snopes Dear Debunker readers, Four years ago, we launched a GoFundMe campaign to fight off legal threats, SLAPP lawsuits, and a takeover attempt by hostile shareholders. Many of you stood up and helped, and we cannot tell you how much we appreciate it. We thought we’d have good news to share with you by now, but that is unfortunately not the case. Although every major court ruling has been in our favor so far, the point of these lawsuits has been — always — to bleed Snopes dry. Now, on the verge of trial, the years of constant legal battles have your favorite fact-checkers in need of rescue. That’s why we’re launching one more campaign to Save Our Snopes. Will you help us? Contribute Fact Checks and Original Reporting Did Trump Admin Get Taliban Leader Out of Pakistani Prison? Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is a key public figure for the Taliban in Afghanistan. Read Story. Video Captures Moment Golden Retriever Fends Off Alaskan Brown Bear The dog’s owner said he was changing his pet's name from “Pretty” to “Legend.” Read Story. Heath Ledger Did Not Improvise in the Hospital Scene in ‘The Dark Knight’ After a ‘Mishap’ A video with more than 30 million views falsely claimed that Ledger "completely improvised" the hospital explosion scene after a "mishap." Read Story. View Latest Fact Checks Entertainment Rumors, legends, and lore about Hollywood, the entertainment industry, and its many stars. Read More News Texas Democrats Return, End 38-Day Holdout over Voting Bill A standoff in Texas over new voting restrictions that gridlocked the state Capitol for 38 consecutive days ended when some Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C., dropped their holdout, paving the way for Republicans to resume pushing an elections overhaul. Read More Vaccinations Rise in Some States with Soaring Infections The surging virus is spreading anxiety and causing turmoil and infighting among parents, administrators, and politicians around the U.S., especially in states like Florida and Texas. Read More Man Surrenders After Claiming to Have Bomb Near US Capitol A North Carolina man who claimed to have a bomb in a pickup truck near the U.S. Capitol surrendered to law enforcement after an hourslong standoff that prompted a massive police response and the evacuations of government buildings in the area. Read More

View Latest News Staff Pick ​ Does a Video Show Firefighters Catching a Suicidal Woman in Mid-Air? The heroic exploits of two Latvian firefighters gained prominence online in August 2021. Read More