A look at what didn’t happen this week
NOT REAL: Delta Airline is celebrating their 93rd Birthday by gifting two free tickets to all
THE FACTS: Social media users searching for cheap flight deals this summer beware: a false Delta promotion is again making the rounds, this time claiming the airline is celebrating its 93rd birthday by handing out free tickets. The link circulating online takes users to a survey that it says must be filled out to win two tickets. A Delta spokeswoman said in an email that the promotion is a fake and the airline is not celebrating its 93rd birthday this year.
NOT REAL: Pope Francis orders white women to ‘breed’ with Muslims
THE FACTS: The pope has not ordered white women to “breed with Muslims,” despite reports circulating online from at least two outlets. The stories base the inaccurate claim on a May 2016 interview between Pope Francis and La Croix, a daily French newspaper. In the wide-ranging interview, the pope was asked if Europe can accept refugees. Pope Francis responded Europeans should not isolate migrants, but work to integrate them into society. He also said that migrants will help stabilize Europe’s declining birth rate. He did not mention women or breeding during the question-and-answer session. The reports also claim the pope compared Jesus to the leader of “an Islamic terrorist death cult.” He did not.
NOT REAL: McCain responsible for 1967 fatal fire on the USS Forrestal aircraft carrier
THE FACTS: A false story claiming that Sen. John McCain was responsible for a 1967 fire that killed 134 sailors began circulating online following the airing of his HBO documentary on Memorial Day. The story on Freedom Daily, a nowdefunct website, blamed the fire on the senator trying to perform a “wet start” on his aircraft, which the site said was a “maneuver that makes fuel build up in the engine before the plane is started.” A U.S. Navy investigation found that the fire was ignited by the accidental firing of one Zuni rocket that struck the fuel tank of a loaded Skyhawk and released one of its 1,000-pound bombs.
NOT REAL: A Ship Appeared After 90 Years Of Being Missing In Bermuda Triangle
THE FACTS: The steamer S.S. Cotopaxi hasn’t reappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, more than 90 years since it was last heard from. The Online Newsfeed site says Cuban authorities intercepted the ship, which was said to have run into a tropical storm in 1925. According to news reports at the time, the Cotopaxi did report water in its hold and that it was listing. The ship sent out distress signals, then went silent. The false story circulating this week about its reappearance is similar to others that date to at least 2015, when an article appeared on a site that publishes hoaxes. After another version of the piece appeared in 2017, Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric Woodall of U.S. Coast Guard office in Miami told The Associated Press his agency had received no reports of the Cotopaxi being recovered. The Coast Guard said Thursday that statement stands.
NOT REAL: Trump Removes Muslim Federal Judge For Trying To Implement Sharia Law In America
THE FACTS: President Donald Trump didn’t use an executive order to remove a Muslim federal judge for trying to implement Sharia law in the United States, despite the claims of a story shared online. That’s because there is no federal justice by the name of Hansam al Alallawalahi-Smith and there is no such body as the 22nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Dearborn, Michigan, as the identically worded articles on the floxy-updates and us-leader sites alleged. Also, presidents cannot remove judges from office with executive orders. The Constitution requires impeachment to remove a federal judge. The story is similar to ones previously circulated on social media about the nonexistent judge. The latest sites that published them couldn’t be reached for comment, as they offered no contact information and registered their pages through thirdparty services.
This is part of The Associated Press’ ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.
Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://www.apnews.com /tag/ AP Fact Check Follow @AP Fact Check on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ AP Fact Check