Free Republic

CLAIM: Anheuser-Busch is closing half of its U.S. breweries following backlash over a Bud Light marketing initiative. AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The claim stems from a website that publishes satirical content. No such widespread brewery closure has been announced by Anheuser-Busch. THE FACTS: Blog posts claiming that Bud Light’s parent company is closing half of its breweries in the U.S. have spread widely across social media in recent days, following the brand’s partnership with a transgender influencer and subsequent calls for boycotts by some prominent conservatives. SNIP But the claim is fabricated. It was first published by a website that is...

The CEO of a major airline suggested during a congressional hearing this week that face masks provide little value on planes — a claim that was quickly amplified online. Citing high-quality filtration systems aboard planes, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly stated that “masks don’t add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment.” But experts strongly disagree. Here are the facts. CLAIM: Mask-wearing on planes is unnecessary because advanced air filtration systems sufficiently reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. THE FACTS: While it’s true that the common air filtration and distribution systems used in modern aircraft are highly effective at...

Karen Fann, the Republican president of the Arizona Senate and the chief instigator behind the ongoing so-called election audit, which has become a national spectacle, recently told a constituent that President Joe Biden won the election. At around 7:40 p.m. on May 21, a woman named "Andrea" fired off an email to Fann to call for an end to the controversial audit currently underway at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. Andrea described herself in the message, which was obtained by Phoenix New Times through a public records request, as a "5th generation Arizonan" and a resident of Legislative District 1...