Latest Stories By Sara Swann

Variant-driven COVID-19 cases are increasing and a few U.S. schools and businesses have temporarily reinstated mask mandates to mitigate the virus’s spread. Now, some are sounding the alarm that more severe restrictions are on the horizon. “They’re gonna bring back draconian lockdowns. They’re gonna bring back the tortuous mask mandates in schools,” one person said […]

After three years immersed in COVID-19 pandemic research, scientists worldwide are working to identify what pathogens could spur the next severe global outbreak. But this pandemic preparedness work has also been fodder for online misinformation. At the center of the confusion is the term “Disease X,” a broad phrase scientists use to describe the source […]

It’s nearly impossible to avoid things that use wireless internet. Laptop computers, cellphones, tablets, smartwatches and smart TVs all rely partly on Wi-Fi connectivity.  So, some people may have been alarmed when 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called Wi-Fi radiation a threat to people’s brains. “Wi-Fi radiation opens up your blood-brain barrier, […]

With Canada facing one of its worst wildfire seasons in history and smoke from the fires blanketing parts of the United States, some have questioned the notion that climate change is to blame. But climatologists and wildfire experts say there is no question about the link, which is supported by years of research. Extensive research […]

The Walt Disney Co. pulled the plug on a nearly $1 billion regional headquarters it had planned for Orlando amid a yearlong dispute with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. By walking away, Disney forwent a chance to earn up to $570 million, a historic sum, in tax credits. The tax credit deal became one of several […]

As Tennessee’s governor signed into law a bill that aims to restrict some drag performances, online rhetoric muddied the known scope and impact of the legislation. The measure, signed March 2 by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, bans “adult cabaret performances” on public property or in front of children. Under state law, those performances include male […]

At a McDonald’s in East Palestine, Ohio, former President Donald Trump picked up the lunch tab for first responders and dished out his own take on the Biden administration’s response to the train derailment in that community. A reporter at the restaurant asked Trump about U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s “criticism of you pulling back […]

When disasters happen, local and state officials often turn to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for aid. So, after a freight train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, alarming the local community, many people questioned why FEMA had yet to step in. Misleading social media claims have sowed confusion about the status of […]

A disastrous train derailment in a small Ohio town has left many of the area’s residents concerned about public safety and the environment. On Feb. 3, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed around 9 p.m. in East Palestine, Ohio, a village of about 4,700 people near the Pennsylvania border, about an hour northwest of Pittsburgh. […]

It’s not every day that a Chinese spy balloon is spotted flying across the United States. But when the Pentagon announced Feb. 2 that a Chinese surveillance balloon had been seen hovering over the Northwest, the news unleashed a torrent of questions and political rhetoric. But how much of this chatter is just hot air? […]

Throughout 2022, PolitiFact tackled misinformation across a myriad of issues, including multiple mass shootings, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and the midterm elections. PolitiFact wanted to take a look at what fact-checks our readers clicked on the most. Many of our top fact-checks were of statements […]

After a chaotic ticket presale for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, riddled with long queues and website crashes, fans are saying to Ticketmaster: Now we’ve got bad blood. But it wasn’t just Swifties who were rankled by Ticketmaster’s handling of the ticket sales. Several Democratic lawmakers also seized on the moment to lambaste the ticketing platform […]