snopes.com Update: 30 November 2016

[snopes] snopes.com Update:30 November 2016 [facabook button] [twitter-button] Hello again from snopes, where we shed light on the wild tales you've heard! This e-mail gives information about new articles recently added to the [snopes.com] web site and provides pointers to older pieces about rumors and hoaxes still wandering into everyone's inboxes. If after this update you are left wondering about something newly arrived in your inbox, our [search engine] stands ready to assist you. Bookmark that URL — it's a keeper! And now to the legends, the mayhem, and the misinformation! --------------------------------------------------------------- New Articles: [Fidel Castro, Baseball Star?] Was Cuban leader Fidel Castro once given a tryout by the Washington Senators baseball team? --------------------------------------------------------------- [Public Assistance Barbie] An old fake news item about a holiday release of "Public Assistance Barbie" made the rounds again in 2016. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ben Carson Thinks the Earth Would Have Exploded During Big Bang] While Carson does not buy into the theory of the Big Bang origin of our cosmos, a viral meme misrepresents Carson’s view on the topic. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Fidel Castro Said He 'Won't Die Until America is Destroyed'?] A fairly obvious joke attributing a prophetic quote to Fidel Castro after his death was mistaken for an authentic remark on social media. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Edward Snowden Said Russia Successfully Rigged U.S. Elections In Favor Of Trump] A report that the high-profile whistleblower had announced that Moscow had fixed the 2016 presidential election so that Donald Trump would win is a hoax. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Was a Minnesota Man Jailed for Having a Windmill on His Property?] A story about a man purportedly arrested over his efforts to use wind power on his own property is inaccurate and misleading. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump Tower Name Changed to 'Dump Tower' In Google Maps] A prankster briefly changed the name of Trump Tower, but Google quickly corrected the problem. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Baby Dies of Vicks VapoRub Poisoning?] A viral Facebook post claimed a baby died in his sleep after his mother applied Vicks VapoRub to soothe his fever, but we found no evidence the incident occurred. --------------------------------------------------------------- [What Those Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters Don’t Tell You] An editorial made multiple claims about the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, but did not link to any supporting information. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Beef Tallow In New £5 Notes?] According to rumors on social media, trace amounts of tallow are present in the UK's new polymer bank notes — making them unsuitable for vegans. --------------------------------------------------------------- [CVS Workers Hide From Virginia Man 'Asking for Cheese'] The company acknowledged that its employees left the floor — but denied that the man's ethnicity played a factor. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump Picks El Chapo to Run DEA] A report that Donald Trump tapped El Chapo as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration originated from a well-known humor columnist. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Three Wisconsin Counties 'Admit' They Padded Votes for Trump?] An irregularity that showed more ballots cast than votes counted was corrected when the official results were submitted. --------------------------------------------------------------- [George Soros Was an SS Officer in Nazi Germany?] A viral image purportedly showing a young George Soros in a Nazi SS uniform actually depicts an Auschwitz guard named Oskar Groening. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Backless Booster Seats Banned in United States?] A social media meme shared outdated information about the use of backless booster seats (also known as booster cushions). --------------------------------------------------------------- [Elephants Born without Tusks] Reports that elephants are being born without tusks thanks to the long term effects of ivory poaching are true, but do not describe an unprecedented phenomenon. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump Promises to Pardon Dylann Roof] An image purporting to show a tweet sent by Donald Trump, in which he promised to pardon accused mass shooter Dylann Roof, was a hoax. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Jill Stein Caught Embezzling Recount Funds for Marijuana Dinner Party] An old photograph of Jill Stein was used to claim the Green Party candidate was arrested for using "recount funds" to host a "marijuana dinner party." --------------------------------------------------------------- [Texas GOP Elector: Trump Isn't 'Biblically Qualified' For Presidency] Art Sisneros accused the state Republican Party of making electors sign an "immoral pledge." --------------------------------------------------------------- [Rosie O'Donnell Claims Barron Trump Has Autism] The celebrity comedian posted a video on Twitter that claimed Donald Trump's youngest child could be autistic. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Army Corps Backs Away From Plan to Shut Down Standing Rock Camp] The Army Corps had initially set a 5 December 2016 deadline to move protesters off their current location to a nearby "free speech zone." --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ivanka Trump Will Move Into White House 'to Fill Melania’s Vacancy'] Ivanka Trump isn't moving into the White House because Melania Trump is remaining in New York City initially. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Millions of Muslims Marched Against the Islamic State] Reports that millions of Muslims protested against ISIS and that the media ignored the event are misleading. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Michigan is About to Sell 100 Million Gallons of Groundwater to Nestlé for $200?] A viral petition about the proposed sale of groundwater to Nestlé in Michigan lacked some context. --------------------------------------------------------------- [BBC Accused of Faking Shots for 'Planet Earth 2'] A viral video claiming that the BBC used computer graphics to capture a viral "iguana vs. snake" scene in a nature documentary was short on evidence. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Colorado Birth Control Facts] A meme about Colorado's "free birth control" program is mostly accurate, but lacks some important context. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Woman Stabs Boyfriend for Having Sex With a Turkey Carcass?] A report that a woman tried to kill her boyfriend for attempting to copulate with an uncooked turkey is, unsurprisingly, a hoax. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump's Flip Flop on Flag Burning] In response to a controversial Twitter remark made by Donald Trump about flag burning, someone faked a purported 2011 tweet from the President-Elect. --------------------------------------------------------------- [South Korean President Offers to Resign Amid 'Cult' Controversy] President Park Geun-hye is facing public anger over a shadowy close friend and adviser that critics call a cult figure. --------------------------------------------------------------- [More Than 70 Killed After Soccer Team's Plane Crashes In Colombia] Only three members of the Brazilian team Chapecoense survived the crash. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Does Donald Trump Own a Stake in the Dakota Access Pipeline?] According to rumors on social media, the President-elect owns shares in the company building the hotly contested pipeline. --------------------------------------------------------------- [In Wake of Election, Obama Passes Executive Order Banning All Fake News Outlets] A story that the President is banning all fake news came from — you guessed it — a fake news site. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump's Latest Staff Pick Outed Dying Gay Brother?] A 2006 article in New York Magazine publicly outed the brother of Kathleen "KT" McFarland. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Explained] Learn why generations of young TV viewers grew up perplexed by the odd behavior of a character named Yukon Cornelius in "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." --------------------------------------------------------------- [Will a Deadline of 1 January 2017 Kill the Dakota Access Pipeline?] Both opponents and proponents say that stalling the Dakota Access Pipeline until 1 January 2017 could make its construction unfeasible. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Thousands Evacuated Amid Fatal Tennessee Wildfires] Officials in Sevier County said that at least three people have been killed by the fire. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Study Alleging A Connection Between Vaccines and Autism 'Unpublished' By Journal] The study, published in a controversial journal, was removed after widespread criticism of its methods, motives, and overall validity. --------------------------------------------------------------- Admin Stuff: - Please note that the e-mail address [update@snopes.com] is an administrative address used only for mailing weekly updates to subscribers. 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