Smear Wars

Trouble viewing? [Click here.]( Daily Debunker 10 October 2018 Smear Wars. Amidst the social media chatter surrounding Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court last weekend were conspiracist rumblings about House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s admitting the existence of a “Democrat demonization tactic” allegedly used against Kavanaugh during Senate hearings. In a foreshortened video clip from June 2017, Pelosi can be heard talking about inventing false accusations about someone and feeding them to the press for validation -- a technique she referred to as the “wrap-up smear.” The clip is quite real but misleadingly edited. In its original context, there’s no mistaking the fact that Pelosi was ascribing the smear tactic to Republicans, not Democrats. [Read more]( Rumor Roundup Undesirable Ingredient. Was a tapeworm found in Welch’s Fruit Snacks? A viral Facebook claim about the supposed discovery of a parasite in a piece of Welch's Fruit Snack has not been verified. ([Unproven]() Pretty Fake. Does a viral photograph show a “rainbow butterfly?” If this were a new brand of candy, we'd definitely give it a try. ([False]() Old News. Did the Justice Department demand Facebook information for “anti-Trump activists”? In October 2018, social media users recirculated a story about search warrants that had actually been issued more than a year earlier. ([Outdated]() What’s in the Water? Is LaCroix sparkling water full of dangerous synthetic chemicals? LaCroix’s parent company is being sued over the allegedly false claim that the product is “all natural.” The chemicals identified in the lawsuit, however, are both safe and naturally occurring. ([Read more]() Line Crossed. Did a school employee tweet “Who’s gonna take one for the team and kill Kavanaugh?” A paraprofessional with Rosemount, Minnesota, school district resigned after posting the tweet. ([True]() Then vs. Now. Did Lindsey Graham say Republicans would get “destroyed” if they nominated Donald Trump? Senator Lindsey Graham may have been one of President Trump's biggest supporters in 2018, but that wasn't the case during the 2016 presidential election. ([True]() Wrong Party. Did a “West Virginia Republican” tell women to “Get your coat hangers ready?” Parkersburg City Councilman Eric Barber made the "coat hanger" comment in a reply to a Facebook post about Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation. ([Mixture]() Ill-Considered Homage. Did a high school band perform a skit that depicted police officers being shot? A half-time performance loosely based on the movie “John Q” caused widespread controversy in Mississippi and beyond. ([Mostly true]() Photoshop Much? Did this protest sign suggest the mass killing of white people in order to end white supremacy? Social media users express vehement distaste for fake protest signs -- without realizing they're fake. ([False]() In the News Inflatable Sea Monster Takes Over a Rusting Warehouse. A giant sea monster has taken over a building at Philadelphia's Navy Yard, but only temporarily. [Read more]( Gecko Butt-Dials ‘Bazillion’ Times from Hawaii Seal Hospital. A gecko was the culprit in making numerous calls in a phones' recent call history with his tiny feet. [Read more]( Trump Rally Crowd Chants ‘Lock Her Up!’ About Sen. Feinstein. "Can you believe that?" Trump said, as his supporters turned the chant once deployed against the former secretary of state on another Democratic woman. [Read more]( Next Step for NBA is Hiring Women in Positions of Power. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sees one simple way for both the NBA and women to mark real progress in the league. [Read more]( Limo Driver’s Family Believes He Was Given an Unsafe Vehicle. Four of the Gansevoort, New York-based company's limos were cited for 22 maintenance violations this year, though none were deemed critical. [Read more]( Little-Known UK Site Bellingcat Hunts Online for Scoops. The investigative group Bellingcat is reporting that one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-spy in England is a doctor who works for Russian military intelligence. [Read more]( Court Mood is Jovial as Kavanaugh Takes His Place on Bench. Brett Kavanaugh, narrowly confirmed after a bitter Senate battle, joined his new colleagues to hear his first arguments as a justice. [Read more]( U.S. Student Detained in Israel for Alleged Boycott Support. The case highlights Israel's concerns about the boycott movement and the great efforts it has made to stop it. [Read more]( Objections Blunt Momentum for Foreign Lobbying Law Overhaul. One of the most contentious provisions would eliminate a popular loophole that permits lobbyists representing foreign commercial interests to be exempt from the law, known as FARA. [Read more]( UN Ambassador Haley Resigning. President Donald Trump tweeted that he has a "big announcement with my friend Ambassador Nikki Haley in the Oval Office at 10:30 a.m." [Read more]( Russian Influence Rising in Balkans, Baltics, Central Europe. While the Russian influence is the most obvious in the Balkans, an upsurge of populism in Central Europe has also played into Moscow’s hands. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- You are currently signed up to receive our daily newsletter, the “Daily Debunker.” You will only receive it on the days selected in your preferences center. View your preferences[here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Forward This Email]( Staff Pick Can Pee Change the Color of Pool Water? Kids have longed been warned about a chemical in swimming pools that reveals the presence of urine, but does such a product really exist? [Read more]( Snopes.com has long been engaged the battle against misinformation and fake news online, an effort we couldn't sustain without the support of our readers. If you'd like to learn more about how you can assist us, click [here](. If you'd like to make a monetary contribution, click the button below. [CONTRIBUTE]( The Latest Is Mylan CEO Heather Bresch the Daughter of W.V. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin? A meme about Manchin's vote to confirm Kavanaugh accurately notes that Heather Bresch is Manchin's daughter, but it's not clear why that's relevant. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Does This Video Show Muslims Being Herded Into a Mobile Gas Chamber? A truly horrifying scene, but fortunately one that was staged for cameras and not captured in real life. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Did Brett Kavanaugh Rule That a Raped Immigrant Teen Must Delay Her Abortion in Order to ‘Think About it Maturely’? A widely-shared meme got the basic facts right about an October 2017 case involving the newest Supreme Court justice but embellished certain details. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Did President Eisenhower Say If a Political Party Doesn’t Advance a Moral Cause, Then It Is Merely a Conspiracy to Seize Power? "I have the most deep conviction that a political party can be called such only if its whole purposes are soundly based in some moral and spiritual values." [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- California Judge Will Order New Trial in $289M Roundup Award San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos wrote that plaintiff DeWayne Johnson failed to produce “clear and convincing evidence of malice or oppression” by Monsanto. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [View More]( Help us make the Daily Debunker better by providing your feedback [here](. Rumor Has It Have you seen something strange, outrageous or too good to be true, and you're not sure what to believe? [Search]( through our extensive archive to find fact checks on the latest news, viral social media posts and more. Couldn't find what you were looking for? Use our handy [contact]( form to send us the latest rumor you heard. [Submit Rumor]( [Search Site](    Â© 1994-2018 by snopes.com. 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