By Randol White The overwhelming evidence, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, both for adults and children 12 and up. Also, the FDA is expected to authorize a COVID-19 vaccine for younger children in the coming weeks. But false claims are circulating on social media saying the COVID-19 vaccines are harmful to children and caused the death of a Sonoma County teenager.   CapRadio’s PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols fact-checked those claims in this week's Can You Handle the Truth segment. He spok ..read more

By Sasha Hupka If Your Time Is Short: In recent weeks, several California school districts have announced that students over the age of 12 will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to attend school in person. Some districts, such as the Los Angeles Unified School District, will only accept medical exemptions to the shot, while others, like the Oakland Unified School District, will also offer personal belief exemptions. California for decades has required schoolchildren receive vaccines for a range of diseases from measles to mumps to chickenpox, but experts say it’s unclear whether ..read more

By Chris Nichols Reports about vaccinated Americans catching COVID-19 are energizing vaccine skeptics and leading to more misinformation about efficacy and breakthrough cases. CapRadio’s PolitiFact California Reporter Chris Nichols examined the facts about breakthrough infections in this week’s Can You Handle The Truth. Nichols sat down and spoke with CapRadio’s afternoon anchor Randol White and broke everything down. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Interview Highlights On how exceedingly rare breakthrough COVID-19 cases are feeding into misinformation One example is a ..read more

By Sasha Hupka If your time is short: The California Independent System Operator, which oversees the operations of the state’s power grid, issued a Flex Alert last week amid the first heat wave of the summer. The alert asked Californians to conserve electricity when possible. It included several tips, including a suggestion to avoid charging electric cars during peak power usage hours. Most electric car drivers top off their battery regularly rather than charging it from empty to full. Therefore, many cars are equipped with charging timers and only require a few hours of charging each day, s ..read more

By Steven Rascón False information about COVID-19 vaccines continues to spread on social media, and comes as cases are on the rise across the United States. CapRadio’s PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols and contributor Steven Rascon fact-checked several claims in this week’s Can You Handle The Truth segment.  They spoke with CapRadio anchor Randol White. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Interview Highlights On a false Instagram post that makes a questionable claim about vaccines and miscarriages Chris Nichols: This post cherry-picks and manipulates some da ..read more

By Chris Nichols Misinformation played a crucial role in the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which took place six months ago this week. CapRadio’s PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols breaks down the extent to which false claims influenced those who took part in the riot. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Interview Highlights On what PolitiFact journalists in Washington, D.C. uncovered about the insurrection In a recent investigation, PolitiFact reviewed court filings for 430 defendants arrested on charges tied to the riot. These defendants range from c ..read more

By Sasha Hupka A TV ad supporting Gov. Gavin Newsom in the recall election claims the governor is “getting 65,000 homeless Californians into housing.” CapRadio’s PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols fact-checked that claim in this week’s Can You Handle The Truth segment. Meanwhile, PolitiFact California contributor Sasha Hupka fact-checked a claim about Newsom’s power to extend the COVID-19 state of emergency. Nichols and Hupka joined CapRadio’s afternoon anchor Randol White to discuss both claims. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Interview Highlights On the ad su ..read more

By Chris Nichols Some emails that Dr. Anthony Fauci sent during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic have been released, leading to a new round of misleading posts on social media. PolitiFact California Reporter Chris Nichols joins CapRadio Anchor Randol White on this week’s Can You Handle The Truth segment. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Interview Highlights On how these emails came to light  Fauci, who is the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, wrote these emails in the winter and spring of last year. But they ..read more

By Chris Nichols Vice President and former California Senator Kamala Harris recently claimed one-third of all small businesses have closed during the pandemic. CapRadio’s PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols fact-checked that and other statements in this week’s Can You Handle The Truth segment. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Interview Highlights On when Harris made this claim and if it’s correct She made it during a TV interview that aired this week on MSNBC, and she was talking about the toll the pandemic has taken on small businesses. “This is one of my areas ..read more

By Randol White Misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine continues to spread on social media, with widely-shared and misleading posts saying it’s ineffective or even harmful.  CapRadio’s PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols spoke with anchor Randol White for this week’s Can You Handle The Truth fact check segment.  Interview Highlights  On a false claim on Instagram about new COVID-19 cases This started with a Yale University professor who appeared on Steve Bannon’s podcast in April. And the claim, which is just wrong, was that 60% of new COVID-19 cases came from vaccin ..read more