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Responding to rising mpox cases in Africa, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern on Aug. 14. Social media posts subsequently repeated a plethora of false or baseless claims, including that COVID-19 vaccines cause the viral disease or that the current outbreak is part of a global conspiracy.

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Mpox is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus, found in small mammals in parts of Africa. The virus historically has caused limited outbreaks in humans after spreading to them from animals. It causes a painful rash and is sometimes lethal, although it causes less severe disease than the related smallpox virus.

As we’ve previously written, there are two main types, or clades, of the virus. A version of the virus belonging to clade II spread around the world in humans in an outbreak starting in 2022, primarily affecting men who have sex with men. The outbreak continues, albeit with lower levels of infection globally than at its peak.

Meanwhile, another family of mpox-causing viruses belonging to clade I has been on the rise in parts of Africa, and in 2023, a subset of these viruses started to show sustained spread among people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and some nearby countries. (For more, see SciCheck’s “Q&A on the Second International Mpox Emergency.”)

In recognition of the surge of mpox in Africa, the World Health Organization last month declared a public health emergency of international concern, which doctors and scientists hope will spur global collaboration to support affected countries in responding to the ongoing mpox epidemics.

An outpouring of false or baseless social media claims about mpox and the public health emergency predictably followed.

False Claims About Vaccines

Some posts referenced debunked claims from the 2022 mpox outbreak. For instance, several posts referred to false claims that various COVID-19 vaccines cause mpox. But there’s still no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause mpox, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician who formerly worked on the WHO’s mpox team, told us.

“THE ASTRA ZENECA COVID JAB CONTAINED MPOX,” screenshotted text in one post incorrectly stated, accompanied by information about the vaccine with the words “chimpanzee adenovirus” circled. A similar screenshot was also shared elsewhere.

As other fact-checkers have previously written, the AstraZeneca vaccine — which was authorized in many countries, but not the U.S. — does not contain the virus that causes mpox. 

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine does contain a chimpanzee adenovirus vector. But this virus is completely different from the virus that causes mpox, and the version used in the shots is unable to replicate in people. It simply contains the information needed to prompt the body to make a protective immune response against the coronavirus.

Posts also spread misinformation on the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, falsely insinuating that cases of mpox might not be real and are just a way of concealing a COVID-19 vaccine side effect.

“Auto immune blistering disease is a reaction to the Pfizer vaccine,” said a screenshot shared in one post. “Monkey pox is a cover up!” the text eventually concluded.

In a regulatory filing that has been widely misinterpreted, Pfizer included autoimmune blistering disease as one entry in a long list of “adverse events of special interest” that were being watched for. The list is not, as many have claimed, a list of side effects that have been shown to occur as a result of the vaccine.

Although there have been some rare reports of autoimmune blistering disease occurring after vaccination, research suggests those reports are coincidental, and the condition is not a COVID-19 vaccine side effect, undermining the entire premise of the post. Also, mpox and autoimmune blistering diseases are completely different types of diseases with different symptoms and methods of diagnosis, experts previously told Reuters, so it’s not plausible that mpox could be used as a “cover up” for autoimmune blistering disease.

Another post spread misinformation on ACAM2000, a smallpox vaccine recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent mpox. In the post, a video falsely stated that the vaccine’s insert says it “may in fact spread the smallpox virus to other people.”

The vaccine will not spread smallpox, and the insert says no such thing. Rather, ACAM2000 contains the vaccinia virus, which is related to both the monkeypox virus and the variola virus that causes smallpox. Vaccinia virus from the vaccine can infect people and in rare cases spread to others. For this reason, ACAM2000 should not be given to certain people, including those who are immunocompromised, and those who are vaccinated must be careful not to expose others to their vaccination site. But the vaccine doesn’t cause smallpox — it causes an infection that is much less severe. In most cases, healthy people experience only mild symptoms from the vaccine.

The ACAM2000 vaccine also can cause several serious side effects, which must be weighed against the benefits of vaccination. Fortunately, another mpox vaccine, Jynneos, is available and contains weakened vaccinia virus that cannot replicate. It therefore cannot spread vaccine virus to others, and its safety profile is better. It’s this vaccine that has been given in the U.S. during the ongoing mpox outbreak that started in 2022.

ACAM2000 “has not been used for U.S. civilians affected by the [mpox] global outbreak that began in 2022, and there are no plans to use it broadly during mpox outbreaks,” a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told us in an email.

A Resurgence of Conspiratorial Thinking

Other posts brought to mind conspiracy theories previously raised in response to other viral outbreaks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the global mpox outbreak starting in 2022 and the current H5N1 bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cows. (The WHO declared and subsequently lifted international public health emergencies for COVID-19 and the 2022 mpox outbreak.)

To be clear, there’s no evidence any of those outbreaks were caused by humans with any kind of global agenda, just as there is no evidence of such a plot with these mpox outbreaks.

One recent post baselessly implied there was something nefarious or intentional about the timing of the mpox international public health emergency and related events. “Just in perfect time for the elections,” the post read.

But mpox is a disease researchers have been tracking for more than half a century. As we’ve written, possible contributors to the recent uptick in cases in Africa are complex. They include ecological changes and waning immunity to smallpox, which younger generations stopped being vaccinated against after the disease was eradicated. (Immunity to smallpox can protect people from getting mpox.)

The idea “that this is coming up because of the election” is “just not true,” Kuppalli said. “This is a disease that was first discovered in 1958, first human cases in 1970. … There’s been cases in DRC every year,” she said, referring to the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Now again, we don’t quite understand why we’re seeing an increased number in the last couple years, but unfortunately there’s lots of factors … and they have nothing to do with the U.S. election.” 

Other posts also implied a vague, nefarious plan behind the current mpox outbreaks, referring to “fear campaigns” or a “planned strategy to unify everything under one centralized global gov.”

“Is Monkeypox Being Used to Justify New Restrictions?” a widely shared post asked. The post featured a clip of Bret Weinstein, a former biology professor with a history of sharing misinformation. Weinstein claimed that with mpox, “they are just simply doing a [rerun],” seemingly referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. (The word “rerun” was partially obscured in the recording and written as “RER*N.”) He also insinuated some sort of nefarious foreknowledge of the mpox outbreaks, saying, “they telegraphed that this was coming” while referring to pandemic preparedness activities of the WHO and his own prior efforts to protest these activities.

But as we have written previously, the WHO’s pandemic preparedness efforts do not mean that the organization can mandate public health measures, such as vaccinations, or override national sovereignty.

Nor did the WHO declare an mpox emergency to justify any restrictions. “The declaration of the upsurge in mpox cases as a public health emergency of international concern … was not made in order to justify new restrictions, control people or unify people under a global government,” a WHO spokesperson told us via email.

Rather, the emergency was declared in response to the increased mpox cases “and the potential to spread further across countries in Africa and possibly outside the continent,” the spokesperson said, concluding, “it was determined that a coordinated international response was needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”

Further, the spokesperson said, the WHO is “unaware of any lockdowns being instituted in response to the outbreaks of mpox cases, and WHO has not recommended lockdowns.”

However, some posts nonetheless referred to lockdowns and other restrictions. “Lockdowns and kissing each other with masks have started because of a monkeypox psyop,” read another post. Another mpox-related post said there was “talk about lockdowns” and referenced a “plan-demic,” referring to a baseless COVID-19 conspiracy theory that the coronavirus was released on purpose as part of some larger plan. 

Jason Kindrachuk, who studies the circulation and transmission of emerging animal-derived viruses at the University of Manitoba, told us that the virus that causes mpox is fundamentally a different virus than the one that causes COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic was caused by a respiratory virus that spread rapidly around the globe, whereas mpox spreads via close physical contact.

“We’re not even within the realm of talking about lockdowns and all those things again that came with COVID,” he said. “But let’s not minimize what this is just because we think the risk to us in North America or to people in Europe is fairly low.”

According to Kindrachuk, the hope is that the international public health emergency will promote access to vaccines and other resources for those who currently don’t have the option of getting them at all. While mpox vaccines are available to eligible people who want them in the U.S., vaccines have been “nonexistent,” in Africa, Kindrachuk said, despite rising mpox cases. 

The international public health emergency appeared to accelerate conversations about providing vaccines to African countries, he said. Donations of vaccines to affected African countries have recently started to arrive.

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Sources

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McDonald, Jessica. “Q&A on Mpox.” FactCheck.org. 22 Jun 2023.

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TRUTH IN SHORT (YouTube Channel) (@truthinshortyoutube). “MPOXDR SAYS COVID SHINGLES.” Instagram. 25 Aug 2024.

Kuppalli, Krutika. Phone interview with FactCheck.org. 1 Sep 2024.

Miri.P (@miri.p.swiss.truths). “… Lockdowns and kissing each other with masks have started because of a monkeypox psyop …” Instagram. 20 Aug 2024.

Nichole, Britt. “[no text].” Facebook. Accessed 16 Sep 2024.

Shim, Kyu-Seok. “Posts misleadingly link AstraZeneca Covid jab to monkeypox cases.” AFP Fact Check. Updated 14 Jun 2022.

Thompson, Tony. “Modified chimpanzee virus in AstraZeneca vaccine isn’t linked to monkeypox.” Full Fact. 31 May 2022.

“Chimpanzee adenovirus vector in the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine does not cause monkeypox.” Reuters Fact Check. 8 Jun 2022.

“AstraZeneca no longer pursuing U.S. approval for COVID vaccine.” Reuters. 10 Nov 2022.

“Freedom of Information request on what the chimpanzee adenovirus used for in the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine (FOI 21/1174).” GOV.UK. 26 May 2022.

Nicole Schulz | Toxin Free Living | Natural Health (@healthiswealthmn). “Very interesting! Seems, they’ve thought of everything?” Instagram. 22 Aug 2024.

“CUMULATIVE ANALYSIS OF POST-AUTHORIZATION ADVERSE EVENT REPORTS OF PF-07302048 (BNT162B2) RECEIVED THROUGH 28-FEB-2021.” Pfizer. Accessed from Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency website.

“Autoimmune Blistering Diseases.” National Organization for Rare Disorders. Updated 15 Aug 2023.

McDonald, Jessica. “Posts Misinterpret Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Monitoring Document.” FactCheck.org. 18 Mar 2022.

Birabaharan, Morgan et al. “Evaluating Risk of Bullous Pemphigoid after mRNA COVID‐19 Vaccination.” The British Journal of Dermatology. 24 May 2022.

“Monkeypox is not an autoimmune blistering disease listed among the suspected adverse effects of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.” Reuters Fact Check. 26 May 2022.

Clarke Payne (@mrclarkepayne2.0). “[No text].” Instagram. 5 Sep 2024.

“ACAM2000.” FDA website. Updated 30 Aug 2024.

“Monkeypox/Smallpox Vaccine (ACAM2000®).” Mother To Baby fact sheet. Nov 2022.

“ACAM2000® [Smallpox and Mpox (Vaccinia) Vaccine, Live].” ACAM2000 prescribing information. Accessed 18 Sep 2024.

“Vaccine Basics.” CDC website section on smallpox. Updated 8 Aug 2022.

“Key Facts About Vaccines to Prevent Mpox Disease.” FDA website. Updated 11 Sep 2024.

“Mpox vaccination overview.” CDC website. Updated 13 Sep 2024.

CDC spokesperson. Email with FactCheck.org. 16 Sep 2024.

Spencer, Saranac Hale et al. “New ‘Plandemic’ Video Peddles Misinformation, Conspiracies.” FactCheck.org. Updated 29 Jun 2021.

Jaramillo, Catalina. “Post Makes Baseless Allegations About Public Health Response to Monkeypox Outbreak.” FactCheck.org. 30 Aug 2022.

Yandell, Kate. “Bird Flu Pandemic Preparedness Activities Are Not Evidence of a Conspiracy.” FactCheck.org. Updated 23 Aug 2024.

Heyward, Giulia and Marc Silver. “WHO ends global health emergency declaration for COVID-19.” NPR. Updated 5 May 2023.

Christie Beene (@beenefamilyfarm). “Just in perfect time for the elections. …” Instagram. 19 Aug 2024.

Business | Motivation | Wealth (@escapethematrixworld). “… The constant fear campaigns are more than just news; they’re strategic moves to keep you in a state of anxiety and control. …” Instagram. 19 Aug 2024.

Freedom is a God given right (@chad.dbell). “NOW MONKEY POX…ITS JUST BEGINNING. THE LAST FOUR YEARS OF LIES DECEPTION AND HARM IS JUST GETTING STARTED. …” Instagram. 20 Aug 2024.

David House-of Demos. “[no text].” Facebook. Accessed 18 Sep 2024.

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WHO spokesperson. Email to FactCheck.org. 16 Sep 2024.

Brandy Lemire (@healingandhomesteadingmama). “I didn’t play plan-demic last time and I definitely won’t this time! …” Instagram. 20 Aug 2024.

Kindrachuk, Jason. Phone conversation with FactCheck.org. 1 Sep 2024.

“FACT SHEET: United States Response to the Clade I Mpox Outbreak in Several African Countries.” CDC website. 22 Aug 2024.

Searchinger, Chloe and Allison Krugman. “Mpox Vaccine Tracker: Millions Pledged, Millions Still to Be Delivered.” Think Global Health. 10 Sep 2024.

Source

Political leanings: Pro-Donald Trump

2022 total spending: N/A

Right for America is a super PAC that says its goal “is to ensure” that former President Donald Trump “is victorious in the 2024 presidential election.” Allies of Trump formed the group in January, a filing with the Federal Election Commission shows.

According to news reports, the super PAC is being led by Sergio Gor, who, along with Donald Trump Jr., founded the company that has published two of Donald Trump’s post-presidency books. Other individuals connected to the political action committee include its treasurer, Lee Rizzuto, who then-President Trump appointed as head of the U.S. consulate in Bermuda in 2020, and Anthony Lomangino, a waste management mogul who is a member of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.

Right for America, like other super PACs, is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money advocating for or against candidates for office — although there generally can be no coordination with the campaign of a candidate.

As of June 30, the group had raised $38.6 million, including $20 million from former Marvel Entertainment Chairman Isaac Perlmutter and his wife, Laura Perlmutter. Among the group’s other disclosed donors are Robert Book, co-vice chairman of the board of Axxes Capital; George Macricostas, owner of Flat Willow Farm; and billionaire investor Doug Leone. Rizzuto and Lomangino have donated to the super PAC as well.

In late August, the New York Times reported that Right for America would start a $60 million ad campaign after Labor Day to boost Trump’s support in swing states. “The group is planning to spend predominantly on cable and network television, with the remainder on digital and radio advertising, plus a few small contributions to other outside groups,” the Times said.

TV and digital ads released by the super PAC so far have attacked Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, on illegal immigration and price increases for groceries, gas and other consumer goods.

Source

Political leanings: Pro-Donald Trump

2022 total spending: N/A

The pro-Donald Trump America PAC is a super PAC that was created in May and is being backed by Elon Musk, who co-founded Tesla and SpaceX and owns the X social media platform. Musk, the richest person in the world, endorsed Trump for president on July 13 — the day that Trump, the Republican nominee, was shot in an assassination attempt.

Musk took credit for the new political action committee in a July 22 interview with psychologist and author Jordan Peterson. Musk said the idea behind America PAC is “to promote the principles that make America great in the first place.” In a post on X, Musk wrote that “key values of the PAC are supporting a meritocracy & individual freedom,” which he said Republicans “mostly” support.

The paperwork for America PAC was filed by Chris Gober, the super PAC’s treasurer, who also is a Republican campaign finance lawyer. The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, said the group is being led in part by Joe Lonsdale, a venture capitalist, who has helped with fundraising and has donated himself. Generra Peck and Phil Cox, Republican operatives who previously worked on campaigns for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, are reportedly helping to run the super PAC, the Times said.

The Wall Street Journal, also citing anonymous sources, reported that Musk planned to donate $45 million per month to the super PAC. However, Musk, in the interview with Peterson, said that news report was “not true.” Musk has given money to the group, according to reporting by the New Republic, although the amount likely will not be revealed until October, when the super PAC’s next quarterly report is due to the Federal Election Commission.

Others who are known to have donated to the super PAC, which can accept and spend unlimited amounts of money influencing voters, include Antonio Gracias, CEO of Valor Equity Partners; Doug Leone, a partner at Sequoia Capital; Joe Craft, an executive at Alliance Resources Partners; and James Liautaud, the founder of food chain Jimmy John’s. They each contributed at least $1 million to America PAC, which had raised about $8.8 million as of June 30, according to the super PAC’s most recent financial disclosure.

But, as of Sept. 17, the group already had spent more than that — about $57.3 million — on independent expenditures supporting or opposing the presidential candidates, according to figures tabulated by the nonpartisan campaign finance website OpenSecrets. About $30.4 million has been spent supporting Trump, and nearly $17.8 million has been used to oppose Vice President Kamala Harris. Before Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee in August, America PAC spent more than $8.8 million against President Joe Biden, who ended his reelection campaign in July.

While super PACs are generally prohibited from coordinating efforts with a candidate’s campaign committee, America PAC, because of an FEC ruling in March, is allowed to coordinate with the Trump campaign on door-to-door canvassing efforts to increase voter turnout, which has been a major focus of the pro-Trump PAC. The group has reportedly discussed spending as much as $160 million to get at least 800,000 voters in swing states to support Trump in the general election.

Several digital or online ads paid for by America PAC also have encouraged people to vote for the former president. One ad, which aired earlier in September, said, “If you sit this election out, Kamala and the crazies will win.” It went on to call Trump an “American badass” who will stop the “nonsense” of higher costs and illegal immigration.

Source

In boasting of job creation, Vice President Kamala Harris told an organization of Black journalists, “We have the lowest Black unemployment rate in generations.” The rate did dip to its lowest point last year, but as of last month it was the same as the pre-pandemic rate under the Trump administration.

Harris, who would become the first Black and Asian American woman president if elected in November, met in Philadelphia on Sept. 17 with members of the National Association of Black Journalists. There was little fodder for fact-checkers, but she did repeat some talking points about jobs that require more context.

“As of today,” Harris said, “we have created over 16 million new jobs, over 800,000 new manufacturing jobs. We have the lowest Black unemployment rate in generations.”

The Black unemployment rate, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been tracking since 1972, dropped in April 2023 to 4.8% — the lowest point on record. But the most recent data show that the Black unemployment rate, as of August, was 6.1% — exactly where it was in February 2020, when former President Donald Trump was in power.

The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic drove up unemployment rates for all Americans. At its worst during the pandemic, the Black unemployment rate reached a high of 16.9% in April 2020. When Trump left office, the rate improved, but still remained high at 9.3%.

Prior to the pandemic, Black unemployment had reached a low of 5.3% under Trump in August and September 2019. That was a record until last year.

Despite the immediate and lingering effects of the pandemic, the average monthly unemployment rates during the Trump (7.9%) and Biden (6.5%) administrations were below the historical average of 11.4%, dating to January 1972.

Harris’ claim about 16 million total jobs and 800,000 manufacturing jobs is close to accurate for the moment — but likely to soon change.

As it stands now, the U.S. economy added nearly 15.9 million total jobs, including 739,000 manufacturing jobs.

But, as we have written, the BLS last month announced a preliminary estimate of its annual revision of jobs data that showed the number of jobs created over the 12 months ending in March was likely 818,000 lower, including 115,000 fewer manufacturing jobs. The final revision will be announced in February along with the January employment report.

If there were 818,000 fewer jobs created than previously reported, then the current total under the Biden administration would be about 15 million total jobs (not over 16 million) and manufacturing jobs would be closer to 600,000 (not more than 800,000).

Harris also repeated her false claim that the Biden administration “came in during the worst unemployment since the Great Depression.” When she made a similar claim during the Sept. 10 debate, we wrote that the unemployment rate was 6.4% when Trump left office in January 2021. That was lower than it was during several administrations since the 1930s.

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Editor’s note: FactCheck.org does not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Please consider a donation. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, 202 S. 36th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104. 

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Political leanings: Democratic

2022 Spending: $42.8 million, combined

Democracy PAC and Democracy PAC II are liberal super PACs created by billionaire George Soros to fund political organizations that help elect Democrats.

Michael Vachon, an adviser, spokesperson and chief of staff for Soros, is the treasurer of Democracy PAC, which was created in January 2019, and Democracy PAC II, which was formed in July 2021. As super PACs, both can accept unlimited donations.

Democracy PAC is solely funded by Soros and the Fund for Policy Reform, of which Soros is the founder and board chairman. The Fund for Policy Reform is one of six Open Society Foundations, which describes itself as “the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights.”  

As of June 30, Democracy PAC had received $60.7 million for the 2024 campaign cycle — and nearly all of it was donated by the Fund for Policy Reform, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Of that amount, the super PAC spent $37.3 million on contributions to other liberal political organizations, including a $10 million donation to FF PAC, $7.5 million to Senate Majority PAC, as well as $2.5 million donations each to Planned Parenthood Votes and BlackPAC, a left-leaning super PAC that focuses on mobilizing Black voters.

On the other hand, Democracy PAC II has received about $1.1 million for 2024 — although, it started the cycle with more than $138 million left over from the 2022 campaign. When he made an initial $125 million donation to Democracy PAC II in 2022, Soros released a statement describing the donation as “a long-term investment so that it can continue this important work into the future.”

Through June, Democracy PAC II had spent more than $13 million, including contributions of $2.5 million to SMP and more than $2 million to AB PAC, another liberal super PAC that conducts opposition research to help Democratic candidates and organizations.

In 2022, Democracy PAC raised and spent $25.3 million, while Democracy PAC II raised $155.9 million and spent $17.5 million. Democracy PAC’s largest contribution was $8 million to the Senate Majority PAC and Democracy PAC II’s largest contribution was $6 million to the same group.

FactCheck.org Undergraduate Fellow Sarah Usandivaras contributed to this article. 

Source

Political leanings: Democratic 

2022 total spending: $327.4 million 

The Senate Majority PAC, or SMP, is a super PAC that describes its “one mission” as helping Democrats “win Senate races.” 

The super PAC is headed by J.B. Poersch, a former director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Poersch was named the super PAC’s president in early 2017. Other senior staff include Amanda Ach, digital director, and Ghada Alkiek, political manager. Ach previously worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Alkiek was deputy chief of staff to Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan.

As a super PAC, the Senate Majority PAC is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts, but it must report expenditures and all donations of more than $200 to the Federal Election Commission. The group cannot make contributions to candidate committees and cannot coordinate independent expenditures with candidate campaigns. 

As of June 30, SMP had raised about $167 million and spent more than $53 million in the 2024 election cycle, according to an analysis of FEC data by OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan group that tracks money in politics. Much of its spending was on fundraising, administrative expenses and strategy and research.

Majority Forward, an affiliated 501(c)(4) organization that does not have to disclose its donors, has contributed almost $16 million to SMP, and two liberal super PACs, Democracy PAC and Working for Working Americans, have given $10 million and $9 million, respectively. Major individual donors include Fred Eychaner, a retired media executive; hedge fund billionaire James Simons, who passed away in May; Stephen Mandel, another hedge fund billionaire; and media entrepreneur Jeff Skoll. 

In early March, SMP launched a $2 million ad campaign against Republican Eric Hovde, a California banker running in Wisconsin against incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Later that month, SMP said that it had reserved $239 million in ads to help defend Senate seats in Wisconsin and six other key states that Democrats need to win to maintain control of that chamber of Congress. 

The largest portion of the reservation is $65 million for Ohio, where Sen. Sherrod Brown is running for reelection, and the second-largest amount, $45 million, is earmarked for Sen. Jon Tester’s race in Montana. In addition, $42 million is reserved for Pennsylvania, $36 million for Nevada, $23 million for Arizona and $14 million each for Michigan and Wisconsin. 

SMP also has contributed to WinSenate PAC, an affiliated super PAC. SMP had transferred $22.8 million to WinSenate PAC, according to the WinSenate PAC’s FEC filings as of July 31.

So far, WinSenate PAC has put more than $66.9 million into independent expenditures against Republican Senate candidates in seven swing states, according to OpenSecrets.

During the 2022 midterms, SMP spent about $327.4 million in total, and more than $159 million of that was spent on independent expenditures, including more than $41 million against Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Republican candidate who lost to Democrat John Fetterman in the Pennsylvania Senate race.

FactCheck.org Undergraduate Fellow Ian Fox contributed to this article.

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The first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump generated a lot of work for fact-checkers. In this video, we complied some highlights from the Sept. 10 debate.

The video, produced by FactCheck.org Social Media Manager Josh Diehl, covers the candidates’ claims about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol; the Russia-Ukraine war; unemployment; immigration; abortion; the U.S. trade deficit; fracking; taxes; tariffs; guns; inflation; health care; and employment.

For more about the recent presidential debate, read our article “FactChecking the Harris-Trump Debate.”

This is the second debate video. We also published a video in June after Trump’s debate with President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the race in part because of his poor debate performance.

The next scheduled debate is Oct. 1 in New York between the vice presidential candidates, Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.

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Este artículo estará disponible en español en El Tiempo Latino.

Quick Take

A viral video showing President Joe Biden briefly donning a campaign hat for Donald Trump has been used to suggest that Biden is endorsing Trump. He isn’t. He had exchanged hats with a Trump supporter at a 9/11 memorial in an effort to show unity.

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On the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, President Joe Biden participated in memorials at the three locations where planes had crashed.

While he was in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for a wreath-laying ceremony with Vice President Kamala Harris at the Flight 93 National Memorial, Biden also visited the local fire station, where he spoke with first responders and area residents.

One exchange he had at the fire station has now become fodder for misinformation spreaders online.

In a now viral video, Biden is shown talking to a man wearing a hat supporting Donald Trump for president. Biden, who dropped his bid for reelection on July 21 and endorsed Harris, offered the man a hat with the presidential seal in exchange for the Trump hat.

Then, with encouragement from the crowd, Biden put on the Trump hat for a moment and smiled. White House spokesman Andrew Bates later described the move as a gesture of unity.

Bates said: “At the Shanksville Fire Station, @POTUS spoke about the country’s bipartisan unity after 9/11 and said we needed to get back to that. As a gesture, he gave a hat to a Trump supporter who then said that in the same spirit, POTUS should put on his Trump cap. He briefly wore it.”

But some social media posts have used clips or screenshots of the video to suggest that Biden has switched his support to the Republican candidate for president.

Trump’s campaign, for example, posted a two-second clip from the video on X, and said, “BREAKING: Kamala did so bad in last night’s debate, Joe Biden just put on a Trump hat.”

Another X account called Breaking911, which we’ve written about before, referred to the video and posted, “IT’S OFFICIAL! BIDEN ENDORSES TRUMP! After wearing a MAGA hat today, the old man posed with kids in Pennsylvania sporting TRUMP SHIRTS!”

And on Facebook, Peggy Hubbard — who ran unsuccessfully in 2022 to be the Republican Senate candidate from Illinois — posted a screenshot from the video and said, “HEY KAMALA! LIKE TRUMP SAID, ‘BIDEN DOESN’T LIKE YOU!’ I GUESS HE’S NOT WITH HER?”

For weeks, Trump has been baselessly claiming that Biden “hates” Harris for forcing Biden to end his campaign. At a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 18, he said, “Joe Biden hates her. This was an overthrow of a president.” And, during the Sept. 10 debate, Trump said, “I’ll give you a little secret — he hates her, he can’t stand her.”

But Biden has praised Harris, saying during his speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, “Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made when I became our nominee, and it was the best decision I made my whole career. We’ve not only gotten to know each other. We’ve become close friends. She’s tough. She’s experienced, and she has enormous integrity.”

Biden continues to support Harris’ campaign for president, with plans to make appearances on her behalf in several key states. Any suggestion that his brief donning of a Trump hat means that he’s switched his allegiance is false.

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Sources

Wojcik, Baylee. “Shanksville Fire Department hosts Biden, Harris, and Trump on 9/11 anniversary.” WJAC. 12 Sep 2024.

PBS NewsHour (@PBSNewsHour). “WATCH: Biden briefly wears Trump hat during 9/11 visit in Shanksville.” YouTube. 12 Sep 2024.

Biden, Joe (@JoeBiden). “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.” X. 21 Jul 2024.

Jones, Brea. “Bogus Claims Follow Donation of Kamala Harris’ Children’s Book.” FactCheck.org. 30 Apr 2021.

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NBC10 and Telemundo62 in Philadelphia featured FactCheck.org in on-air segments before, during and after the Sept. 10 debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Prior to the debate, which was held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Claudia Vargas, an investigative reporter for NBC10 and Telemundo62, interviewed FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely and Staff Writer Catalina Jaramillo about our process for fact-checking.

Click here to view Vargas’ pre-debate interview with Kiely for NBC10 in English, and here for Vargas’ post-debate interview with Jaramillo for Telemundo62 in Spanish.

On debate night, Vargas and her production crew were in our offices at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, to observe the fact-checking process and interview Kiely. You can view that segment here.

Our article about the debate is available in both English and Spanish.

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Este artículo estará disponible en español en El Tiempo Latino.

Quick Take

Social media posts baselessly claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris wore earrings equipped with audio devices in order to cheat during her debate with former President Donald Trump. Similar unfounded claims circulated before or after debates in 2016 and 2020 with Trump’s past political opponents.

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Full Story

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump clashed in their first presidential debate on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia. Before the debate, the candidates agreed to a set of rules, including no prewritten notes or props and no interaction with their staff members during the two commercial breaks.

But viral posts on social media baselessly claimed that Harris cheated by wearing earrings that contained earphones and suggested that her remarks and responses were fed to her during the debate.

A Sept. 10 Instagram post, which received more than 39,000 likes, said, “The earphone earring that Kamala was apparently wearing was created in early 2023.” The post shows an image of an article touting “Nova H1 audio earrings.”

Another Instagram post reads: “BUSTED! SHE’S WEARING EARPHONE EARRINGS.” The post shows photos of Harris’ pearl earring and a similar but not identical earring identified in an ad as a Nova H1 audio earring.

The posts are echoes of unfounded claims made about Trump’s previous political adversaries before or after debates.

In September 2016, after the first debate between Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the website Charisma News falsely claimed that closeup photos of Clinton’s ear showed she was wearing an earpiece or hearing aid. PolitiFact examined photos of her ear on the night of the debate that did not show any hearing device, and a Clinton spokesperson told PolitiFact she “was not wearing an earpiece.”

In September 2020, the Trump campaign claimed that former Vice President Joe Biden had refused to agree to a pre-debate inspection for electronic earpieces, as we wrote then. Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, reportedly called the claim “absurd” and said, “Of course, he is not wearing an earpiece.”

After the debate on Sept. 29, 2020, social media posts made baseless claims that images of Biden showed he was “wearing a wire” to an earpiece. As we wrote, higher-quality video of the debate showed that what had been described as a “wire” on the posts was just a crease in Biden’s shirt.

The New York Times wrote in 2020 about what it called “The Long History of ‘Hidden Earpiece’ Conspiracy Theories.” The report described unfounded claims that tend to recur every election cycle about hidden electronic devices used by presidential candidates, dating to 2000 when conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh said Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore used an earpiece to receive coaching on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in 2000.

The Harris campaign declined to comment on the claim that the vice president wore earrings equipped with an audio device at the Sept. 10 debate.

Some social media users have responded to the unfounded claims about Harris’ earrings. In the community notes to a Sept. 10 post on X, a reader wrote, “Rumors are unfounded, Harris wore earrings by Tiffany & Co. that she has worn many times before,” not Nova H1 Audio Earrings.

In addition, the website “What Kamala Wore,” which covers Harris’ “fashion and style choices,” said on Sept. 11 that the vice president wore “her South Sea Pearl Earrings from the Tiffany Hardwear collection” at the debate. The article shows photos of the earrings Harris wore at the debate, which have an open setting below the pearls, as opposed to the design of the Nova H1 audio earrings as shown on the website of the company that makes the product.

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Sources

Fichera, Angelo. “No Evidence Biden Was ‘Wearing a Wire’ in Debate.” FactCheck.org. 30 Sep 2020.

Fichera, Angelo, and Saranac Hale Spencer. “Baseless Online Claims Target Biden Ahead of First Debate.” FactCheck.org. Updated 1 Oct 2020.

Hauari, Gabe. “Rules for tonight’s presidential debate on ABC: What to know about mics, audience, more.” 10 Sep 2024.

Jacobson, Louis. “Claims that Hillary Clinton wore earpiece at debate don’t hold up.” PolitiFact. 28 Sep 2016.

Kelley, Susan. “Vice President Harris in Familiar Styles for Debate.” What Kamala Wore. 11 Sep 2024.

Kiely, Eugene, et al. “FactChecking the Harris-Trump Debate.” FactCheck.org. 11 Sep 2024.

Link, Devon. “Fact check: Allegations that Joe Biden wore an earpiece at town hall, debate are false.” USA Today. Updated 30 Sep 2020.

Rivera, Madeleine (@madeleinerivera). “Biden Deputy Campaign Manager @KBeds responded to this during a debate preview call today: ‘It is completely absurd. Of course, he is not wearing an earpiece, and we never asked for breaks.’” Twitter. 29 Sep 2020.

Roose, Kevin. “The Long History of ‘Hidden Earpiece’ Conspiracy Theories.” New York Times. 29 Sep 2020.

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