The former president, who has faced accusations of racism in the past, wrote about James, whose office this week sued him for fraud in a civil suit. Defeat could cost him $250 million and bar him from carrying out business in New York. The nickname he gave the attorney general was subsequently compared to a deeply offensive racial term, some believing “Peekaboo” was either an invocation or an automatic software correction of that slur....

His history of drug abuse and investigations into his tax affairs have made him an easy target for Republicans, who say they will investigate his foreign business dealings if they win a House majority in the November 2022 midterms. Despite widespread coverage from many notable media outlets, conspiratorially-minded opponents of the President still insist that investigations of Hunter have not been thorough, implying a deliberate effort by mainstream institutions to protect him....

The Claim Biden said Trump wants to get rid of Social Security. Trump criticized Biden’s plan, saying that “he’s talking about destroying your Medicare,” which was met by the former vice president saying that Trump is “a very confused guy.” “The idea that we’re in a situation that is going to destroy Medicare… This is the guy that the actuary of Medicare said, ‘If in fact…’ That’s Social Security. ‘If in fact he continues his plan to withhold the tax on Social Security, Social Security will be bankrupt by 2023 with no way to make up for it....

For most people, a booster shot means a third dose of the COVID vaccine, but in Israel experts are already preparing to consider what might happen when protection from that third dose wanes. The Claim On December 5, Eli David, an artificial intelligence researcher and co-founder of the Deep Instinct cybersecurity firm, tweeted that Israel “announced today it will soon approve the 4th vaccine shot.” He said: “It will mean that all those with 3 shots who don’t get the 4th shot will have their COVID passes revoked (as happened to those with 2 shots)....

One that has persisted in recent weeks involves an experiment by a team of scientists at Harvard University, known as the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), that is testing aerosols that might be relevant to solar geoengineering. Solar geoengineering, also known as radiation management, is based on the idea of using technologies to fight climate change by reflecting sunlight back into space. The Claim The claim among Twitter users is that Gates’ involvement with the academic project is somehow nefarious, and that he ultimately wants to “block the sun” from the Earth....

The Public Service Forgiveness Program eliminates the debts of government and non-profit organizations’ workers, who have accrued at least 10 years of qualifying payments. However, recent posts on social media claim there are also existing provisions that exempt family members of congressmen and congressional staffers from having to pay off student loans at all. The claim is often framed around the broader debate of student debt forgiveness, which has become a major polarizing issue across the political and generational divides in the U....

The statue was heavily mocked on Twitter over the weekend, being compared to false idols made of gold in the Old Testament. The Claim Users on Twitter circulated an image of the statue surrounded by faith leaders, with some claiming the photo was taken at CPAC 2021. User @Mocraig13 wrote, “Caption this photo taken today of CPAC’s evangelical leaders. Yes, they are praying to a golden statue of their holy insurrectionist....

The Claim The White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked during a briefing on February 15 whether the guidance is accurate, but she could not immediately clarify the situation. A reporter asked: “Why is the administration encouraging Americans who are fleeing through Poland to bring proof of COVID-19 vaccination? As I understand it, Poland does not require that, so is there going to be a shift in messaging…?”...

The theory spread through Facebook, Twitter and into Congress. The Claim During his post-raid election-certification speech in which he objected to Arizona’s electoral votes, Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)advanced the theory that some people who invaded the Capitol were antifa, according to a Washington Times story that was later retracted. “I don’t know if the reports are true, but The Washington Times has just reported some pretty compelling evidence from a facial recognition company that some of the people who breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters—they were masquerading as Trump supporters and, in fact, were members of the violent terrorist group antifa,” he said....

The extremely hot temperatures have left all 58 of California’s counties under a drought emergency proclamation, with water rationing continuing in the state’s battle against the climate. Nonetheless, one measure used to combat the shortage was met with incredulity when it was posted on social media. The Claim A picture, shared on imgur on August 22, 2022, shows a small metal plate with a hole in the middle and the subtitle: “This is in LA…....

Easier said than done. A remarkable 41 percent of U.S. adults are trying to lose weight—and their average goal is 37 pounds, according to a Consumer Reports survey published this month. (Two thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.) Small wonder they’re tempted to try such, um, unusual regimens as Beyoncé’s maple-syrup, lemon-juice and cayenne-pepper diet. Or the grapefruit diet. Or the blood-type diet. But experts say they should try some common sense instead....

Arroyo is one of several Asian leaders who came to power as a reformer, then devolved into a backslider. Days before the scheduled ASEAN gathering on Dec. 11, Arroyo and her backers had attempted to rewrite the Philippine Constitution in a manner that would disband the powerful Senate, establish parliamentary rule and allow her the option of staying in power (as prime minister, not president) after her current term expires in 2010....

Solomon Peña vowed to “fight until the day I die” in a tweet complaining of a “rigged” election earlier this month, despite having lost to incumbent Democratic New Mexico state Representative Miguel Garcia by more than 45 points in November. On Monday, police arrested Peña on charges that he had orchestrated a recent string of shootings that targeted four current and former Democratic officials. “Earlier today, the Albuquerque Police Department SWAT team took Solomon Peña into custody in reference to these shootings,” Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said during a press conference....

“As of 10 May 2020, there will be no New Yorkers allowed within the parameters of the state of New Jersey,” the counterfeit release read. It went on to say that state law enforcement would be requesting “state identification” from pedestrians and drivers operating vehicles with New York license plates. The letter also threatened fictitious disciplinary action. “If this identification was not issued in the state of New Jersey, the persons will be taken into custody, and escorted back to New York,” the letter continued, claiming the measure had been enacted to “ensure curbing the spread” of the virus....

While the 54-yard run was praiseworthy, it was how fast Jones was running that really impressed — at one point he was clocked at a whopping 20 mph. “When (receiver Mohamed) Sanu kicked the guy out, it was pretty much a foot race,” Jones said, via the Falcons’ website. “That was it. It was wide open, they been giving us those zero looks throughout the game and sooner than later, we made them pay....

As the Falcons try to get back on track on Monday night against the Jets in Atlanta (8:40 p.m. ET, ESPN), they are left to solve one of the NFL's toughest defenses The LVH opened Atlanta -9 before the Falcons were beaten at home by New England last Sunday night, but the number was down to -8 when the game reopened last Monday morning. Bettors have been laying the points all week, and the line is sitting -10 at nearly every shop today....

Goldson is not expected to start at strong safety for the Falcons, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He’ll back up Kemal Ishmael, who has been assigned the starting role in Neal’s absence. Neal is expected to miss at least two regular-season games as he recovers from knee surgery. Goldson, who turns 32 next month, had stints with the 49ers, Bucs and Redskins during his first nine years in the league....

It’s a typically frenetic schedule for the 49-year-old maestro with the wild combover. In his 14 years as chief conductor and artistic director of the Mariinsky, Gergiev has earned a reputation as a brilliant interpreter of Russian classical music–reintroducing long-neglected composers like Prokofiev and Rimsky-Korsakov to American and European audiences. He’s also developed into a cultural impresario without peer in his home country. Even before Russians were convinced of the viability of opening to the West, Gergiev was wooing everyone from Prince Charles to record-industry magnates to American billionaire opera fans–the very people who could keep his theater afloat....

Though Cox was back at practice Thursday and started Sunday against the Cowboys, no further explanation was given. According to the court records, the alleged intruder, identified as Corbyn Nyemah, showed up at Cox’s house looking for Nyemah’s former girlfriend. He is alleged to have damaged her vehicle with a baseball bat before attempting to forcibly enter Cox’s home, throwing rocks through the front door, and then by trying to enter the garage....

And they have an excellent chance to stay there for a while, too. The Eagles are way ahead of schedule in reaching 4-1, in Carson Wentz playing as well as he is, in the offensive weapons they’ve put around him clicking so fast. That’s all fine, but seeing them pull away from a division in which most expected them to struggle to avoid the cellar is the biggest shocker of them all....