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France 24
15-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
No, former Covid adviser Anthony Fauci isn't facing criminal charges in the US or elsewhere
A new wave of disinformation has surged online in the past week about Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House's former Chief Medical Adviser under President Joe Biden. And this is far from the first time. Fauci, who is known as the architect of the American fight against Covid-19, is often targeted by anti-vaxxers; people opposed to the use of some or all vaccines. In recent weeks, Fauci has been under renewed attacks from conservative politicians. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, for one, has been spreading the theory that Covid-19 came from a lab in Wuhan, China and accusing Fauci of covering this up – and the fact that the United States was allegedly funding sensitive research in China. This is the backdrop for the false accusations that have been circulating on social media of late. Facebook posts have been circulating claiming that New Zealand has charged 'Fauci with 107,357 counts of negligible homicide' in relation to the Covid-19 vaccination and that "14 countries" had issued arrest warrants for him. Nicolas Hulscher, the administrator of a controversial American foundation, said on X that criminal referral requests had been filed against Fauci and others who helped to manage the pandemic in seven American states. These claims were widely spread on social media, garnering more than 900,000 views on X, Facebook and Instagram. While the first accusation is completely false, the second is missing important context. No countries have issued arrest warrants for Dr. Fauci 'BOOM: 107,357 COUNTS OF NEGLIGENT HOMICIDE – GLOBAL ARREST WARRANTS ISSUED AGAINST FAUCI,' reads a Facebook post in French published by Va Lou, a user who often relays conspiracies about the Freemasons, the deep state or vaccines. This message, which was widely shared in both French and English, comes from an article published on April 6 by the site AMG News. According to the site, Anthony Fauci had been charged in New Zealand with 107,357 counts of "negligent homicide" and was subject to arrest warrants filed by 14 countries, including Brazil, South Africa, Italy, Hungary and the Philippines. There is no information, however, about the nine other countries that have supposedly issued warrants. The Australian police confirmed these claims were false in an interview with Australian media outlet AAP FactCheck for an article published on May 1. "That is not accurate in any way whatsoever," a police spokesperson told the outlet, adding that there are no charges against Fauci in the country. Moreover, if you search for 'Fauci' on the New Zealand police's official website, then there are no results, which also contradicts these allegations. As for the arrest warrants supposedly issued by the other countries mentioned, we came up with no hits when we searched 'arrest' and 'Fauci' in the languages of each of these countries on Google. We also didn't see any sign of arrests on the official sites of their security forces. Moreover, when we did a search in the public database of Interpol – the intergovernmental agency that co-ordinates police co-operation amongst the 196 member countries – we found no wanted notice related to Fauci. Interpol publishes "red notices' for wanted people – requests to locate and provisionally arrest people for the purposes of extradition. Once again, there is no sign of Fauci's name. A site known for 'pseudoscience' and 'conspiracies' The source of this disinformation is the AMG News (American Media Group) website. Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC), a site specialised in evaluating the trustworthiness of media outlets, called AMG News 'a conspiracy and pseudoscience news source based in Romania". The site doesn't have an 'about page' or any information about its owners, which MBFC cites as further signs of a lack of transparency. The website shares conspiracy theories ranging from chemtrails to the deep state and often displays climate change scepticism and anti-vaccine rhetoric. Requests for criminal investigations with no legal weight The claim that criminal referrals had been issued in seven US states for Dr. Fauci and other key figures in managing the pandemic is missing important context. The claims come from an article by someone named Nicolas Hulscher, which was published on April 9 on the site Focal Point. The article cites a press release shared on April 8 by Vires Law Group, a Florida-based group that claims to defend American citizens from 'tyranny' and 'lawless actors'. In the press release, the group says that they made a request to the Arizona attorney general to open a criminal investigation into Dr. Fauci and other architects of the Covid-19 strategy. They say similar requests were made in several other states. So there have been requests for criminal investigations, as Hulscher claimed, but these carry no legal weight and do not constitute criminal referrals. Back in 2024, Vires Law Group issued a near-identical press release also making the same accusations against Fauci. At the time, US media outlet USA Today reported that these requests for criminal investigations did not constitute criminal referrals. 'Anyone or any group can contact local police, state police, sheriffs, district attorneys and/or the attorney general … and report facts and evidence they believe constitute criminal activity,' said Louisiana-based criminal law attorney Jim Boren in an interview with USA Today. This does not mean that an investigation will be opened or that criminal charges will be filed. A foundation known for releasing questionable material The author of the article, Nicolas Hulscher, says on X that he is an epidemiologist and an administrator at McCullough Foundation, an organisation that has sparked controversy, especially about its anti-vaccine stance. It was founded by Peter McCullough, an American cardiologist and former professor of medicine, who became a central figure spreading disinformation about Covid-19. Known for taking positions contrary to scientific consensus, McCullough spoke out against vaccines and promoted non-verified treatments (like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin). Many scientific reviews and media outlets have identified him as sharing false information about the pandemic. His foundation, which is also frequently criticised, shares studies and claims also contested by the scientific community. Some of these publications suggest a link between the Covid-19 vaccination and heart attacks – a theory disproved by medical research. Hulscher and McCullough are the main two contributors to the site Focal Point, an outlet that says it is focused on investigations into public policy, health, justice and news. Many of the articles on the site feature McCullough's anti-vaxx discourse.
The Advertiser
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
Medical access to expand to remove 'abortion deserts'
Abortion access in Australia's most populous state will expand, allowing nurses and midwives to prescribe drugs to terminate pregnancies. NSW parliament's lower house on Wednesday passed an amended bill put up by Greens MP Amanda Cohn to address "abortion deserts" in the state and remove barriers to women in areas outside major cities. But the bill will need to return to the state's upper house, which does not sit again until May 27. Sixty-five lower house MPs supported the change in a conscience vote, while 20 were opposed. Political leaders lamented the "Americanisation" of the debate around increasing access. Opposition Leader Mark Speakman alleged in parliament that a prominent campaigner threatened to derail his leadership if he supported the bill. Anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe told him she would "lead a public campaign aimed at encouraging a grassroots opposition to you as Liberal leader", Mr Speakman told MPs under parliamentary privilege. "I will not cave to brazen bullying like this, nor to the Americanisation of NSW politics," he said. Mr Speakman supported the bill, calling it "a shadow of its former self". "It can no longer be characterised as a 'radical Greens bill'," he said, noting it was narrowed along guidelines from the national regulator, allowing qualified nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion medication. Premier Chris Minns backed his political rival, suggesting Dr Howe had spread an "enormous amount of misinformation and lies" on her social media channels. "It's whipped up a lot of good people in the community believing that the legislative changes are far more extensive than they in fact were," Mr Minns said. AAP FactCheck in March debunked the Adelaide Law School professor's claim the bill would "force the closure of all Christian and Catholic hospitals unless they perform abortions". The pared-back bill allows nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives with appropriate training to prescribe abortion medication, known as MS-2 Step. The ACT, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia have also permitted nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion drugs following advice from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The push to expand abortion access came after revelations a woman was denied an abortion on the day of her planned procedure at Queanbeyan Hospital in August 2024. Another public hospital in Orange restricted terminations for non-medical reasons, triggering Health Minister Ryan Park to intervene and reinstate abortions without restrictions in October 2024. Abortion was permitted by the courts in NSW in 1971 and decriminalised in 2019, but is not always accessible, particularly in rural and regional areas. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Abortion access in Australia's most populous state will expand, allowing nurses and midwives to prescribe drugs to terminate pregnancies. NSW parliament's lower house on Wednesday passed an amended bill put up by Greens MP Amanda Cohn to address "abortion deserts" in the state and remove barriers to women in areas outside major cities. But the bill will need to return to the state's upper house, which does not sit again until May 27. Sixty-five lower house MPs supported the change in a conscience vote, while 20 were opposed. Political leaders lamented the "Americanisation" of the debate around increasing access. Opposition Leader Mark Speakman alleged in parliament that a prominent campaigner threatened to derail his leadership if he supported the bill. Anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe told him she would "lead a public campaign aimed at encouraging a grassroots opposition to you as Liberal leader", Mr Speakman told MPs under parliamentary privilege. "I will not cave to brazen bullying like this, nor to the Americanisation of NSW politics," he said. Mr Speakman supported the bill, calling it "a shadow of its former self". "It can no longer be characterised as a 'radical Greens bill'," he said, noting it was narrowed along guidelines from the national regulator, allowing qualified nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion medication. Premier Chris Minns backed his political rival, suggesting Dr Howe had spread an "enormous amount of misinformation and lies" on her social media channels. "It's whipped up a lot of good people in the community believing that the legislative changes are far more extensive than they in fact were," Mr Minns said. AAP FactCheck in March debunked the Adelaide Law School professor's claim the bill would "force the closure of all Christian and Catholic hospitals unless they perform abortions". The pared-back bill allows nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives with appropriate training to prescribe abortion medication, known as MS-2 Step. The ACT, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia have also permitted nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion drugs following advice from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The push to expand abortion access came after revelations a woman was denied an abortion on the day of her planned procedure at Queanbeyan Hospital in August 2024. Another public hospital in Orange restricted terminations for non-medical reasons, triggering Health Minister Ryan Park to intervene and reinstate abortions without restrictions in October 2024. Abortion was permitted by the courts in NSW in 1971 and decriminalised in 2019, but is not always accessible, particularly in rural and regional areas. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Abortion access in Australia's most populous state will expand, allowing nurses and midwives to prescribe drugs to terminate pregnancies. NSW parliament's lower house on Wednesday passed an amended bill put up by Greens MP Amanda Cohn to address "abortion deserts" in the state and remove barriers to women in areas outside major cities. But the bill will need to return to the state's upper house, which does not sit again until May 27. Sixty-five lower house MPs supported the change in a conscience vote, while 20 were opposed. Political leaders lamented the "Americanisation" of the debate around increasing access. Opposition Leader Mark Speakman alleged in parliament that a prominent campaigner threatened to derail his leadership if he supported the bill. Anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe told him she would "lead a public campaign aimed at encouraging a grassroots opposition to you as Liberal leader", Mr Speakman told MPs under parliamentary privilege. "I will not cave to brazen bullying like this, nor to the Americanisation of NSW politics," he said. Mr Speakman supported the bill, calling it "a shadow of its former self". "It can no longer be characterised as a 'radical Greens bill'," he said, noting it was narrowed along guidelines from the national regulator, allowing qualified nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion medication. Premier Chris Minns backed his political rival, suggesting Dr Howe had spread an "enormous amount of misinformation and lies" on her social media channels. "It's whipped up a lot of good people in the community believing that the legislative changes are far more extensive than they in fact were," Mr Minns said. AAP FactCheck in March debunked the Adelaide Law School professor's claim the bill would "force the closure of all Christian and Catholic hospitals unless they perform abortions". The pared-back bill allows nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives with appropriate training to prescribe abortion medication, known as MS-2 Step. The ACT, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia have also permitted nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion drugs following advice from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The push to expand abortion access came after revelations a woman was denied an abortion on the day of her planned procedure at Queanbeyan Hospital in August 2024. Another public hospital in Orange restricted terminations for non-medical reasons, triggering Health Minister Ryan Park to intervene and reinstate abortions without restrictions in October 2024. Abortion was permitted by the courts in NSW in 1971 and decriminalised in 2019, but is not always accessible, particularly in rural and regional areas. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Abortion access in Australia's most populous state will expand, allowing nurses and midwives to prescribe drugs to terminate pregnancies. NSW parliament's lower house on Wednesday passed an amended bill put up by Greens MP Amanda Cohn to address "abortion deserts" in the state and remove barriers to women in areas outside major cities. But the bill will need to return to the state's upper house, which does not sit again until May 27. Sixty-five lower house MPs supported the change in a conscience vote, while 20 were opposed. Political leaders lamented the "Americanisation" of the debate around increasing access. Opposition Leader Mark Speakman alleged in parliament that a prominent campaigner threatened to derail his leadership if he supported the bill. Anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe told him she would "lead a public campaign aimed at encouraging a grassroots opposition to you as Liberal leader", Mr Speakman told MPs under parliamentary privilege. "I will not cave to brazen bullying like this, nor to the Americanisation of NSW politics," he said. Mr Speakman supported the bill, calling it "a shadow of its former self". "It can no longer be characterised as a 'radical Greens bill'," he said, noting it was narrowed along guidelines from the national regulator, allowing qualified nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion medication. Premier Chris Minns backed his political rival, suggesting Dr Howe had spread an "enormous amount of misinformation and lies" on her social media channels. "It's whipped up a lot of good people in the community believing that the legislative changes are far more extensive than they in fact were," Mr Minns said. AAP FactCheck in March debunked the Adelaide Law School professor's claim the bill would "force the closure of all Christian and Catholic hospitals unless they perform abortions". The pared-back bill allows nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives with appropriate training to prescribe abortion medication, known as MS-2 Step. The ACT, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia have also permitted nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion drugs following advice from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The push to expand abortion access came after revelations a woman was denied an abortion on the day of her planned procedure at Queanbeyan Hospital in August 2024. Another public hospital in Orange restricted terminations for non-medical reasons, triggering Health Minister Ryan Park to intervene and reinstate abortions without restrictions in October 2024. Abortion was permitted by the courts in NSW in 1971 and decriminalised in 2019, but is not always accessible, particularly in rural and regional areas. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Perth Now
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Election expected to drive confidence in electric cars
Electric vehicles are expected to grow in number and fall in price following the federal election as manufacturers and motorists gain confidence that regulations on low-emission transport will not change. Automotive experts issued the predictions on Wednesday following an election campaign in which the coalition announced plans to remove tax breaks for electric cars and repeal penalties for exceeding vehicle pollution limits. While the changes will not go ahead, other motoring groups warned the incoming Labor government would still need to make greater investments in training and infrastructure to support the industry's transition to low-emission transport. The forecasts come after a bruising election campaign for transport, in which the coalition pledged to remove penalties for exceeding emission limits under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard before they came into effect in July. The party also promised to remove fringe benefits tax exemptions for some electric vehicles that had cut their price by thousands of dollars. Changing the regulations would have made it more difficult for motorists to access and afford environmentally friendly cars, Electric Vehicle Council policy head Aman Gaur said, and voters saw through claims to the contrary. "Australians have backed cleaner, more affordable vehicles, rejecting the 'ute tax' scare campaign and plans to remove the electric car discount, which helps make the EV transition more accessible," he said. "The electorate's support for the EV transition gives manufacturers certainty around policy settings and will encourage more supply of cutting-edge low-emission vehicles to Australia." Claims that a fuel-efficiency standard would raise the price of popular utes by thousands of dollars, which have been debunked by AAP FactCheck, were clearly not accepted by the public, Swinburne University future urban mobility professor Hussein Dia said. "The evidence from overseas was that (prices) did not rise and, in cases where there was change, they were very minor changes," he said. "Now, with competition and more imports from China, this will dampen prices further." Automotive groups including the Motor Trades Association of Australia and Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce said the industry welcomed the certainty the election result provided, but they warned the government would need to assist businesses making the transition. Greater investments would be needed in "training, equipment and infrastructure," chamber chief executive Peter Jones said, particularly for independent workshops and regional businesses. "As manufacturers bring more electric and hybrid vehicles to our shores, it is essential that adequate support mechanisms are established for the entire automotive ecosystem," he said. Australia's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, introduced in January, sets emissions limits on vehicle fleets, with a trading scheme and penalties for manufacturers which exceed them.
SBS Australia
03-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
'Absolute rot': Five fact-checked claims you should know before voting
The Australian federal election is on today, and hundreds of candidates have spent the past few weeks suggesting why they should be part of the new parliament. While many of the claims made by politicians and their supporters stack up, that's not the case for all of the information shared in the lead-up to the election. Here are five claims made about the election that aren't quite correct. No, voting isn't an act of fraud A Facebook post suggests there are no lawful candidates and that it's a crime to vote. This stems from the erroneous claim that there has been no valid head of state in Australia since 1973 due to the Royal Style and Titles Act from that year. AAP FactCheck says it's a debunked sovereign citizen myth, and the Act sets out the formal title for the Queen but has no effect on any other laws. Peter Dutton won't cut $350b from the health budget An advert authorised by Labor appears to suggest Labor will cut $350 billion from Victorian hospitals. Labor has told AAP FactCheck the ads did not specifically say the cuts would come from health spending. Dutton has said he would reduce "wasteful spending", but has ruled out reductions to frontline services . The Coalition costings have revealed savings including from ditching Labor's student debt plan, axing its housing fund, and reducing foreign aid. READ MORE The cuts that could leave some Australians worse off after election day Labor's approach to migration did not cause the housing crisis Dutton has claimed that higher migration under Labor has "really created a housing crisis". Experts have said the shortfall in housing pre-dates Labor's term in office. Michael Fotheringham, managing director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, told AAP FactCheck the idea that the crisis was created under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government is "absolute rot", adding: "This is a crisis that's been 40 years in the making." READ MORE The housing affordability stumbling block being ignored by both major parties Bulk-billing claims don't include context The Coalition claims bulk-billing rates for GPs have fallen since Labor won power in 2022. While this is true, experts say this is due to a complex mix of factors. They say elevated inflation rates (which started rising before Labor took office) and the failure of indexation of Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items to keep up with inflation have made the costs of running a GP clinic higher, and less attractive for doctors to bulk bill. Bulk-billing rates also rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic because vaccine and telehealth appointments were funded as part of the government response. Meanwhile, Albanese's claim that bulk-billing rates were in "free-fall" when Labor came into office has been found to be misleading because, while rates were going down, they fell more rapidly after Labor took government. Albanese isn't 'proud' of alleged preference deal with Greens A video circulating on social media appears to feature fake quotes from Albanese. "We're proud to say we will preference the Greens … and we're grateful they have preferenced us," a voice says with pictures of Albanese speaking underneath. But there's no evidence the Labor leader used those words at the Adelaide event, AAP FactCheck said. Labor has suggested supporters give their second preference to the Greens in over two-thirds of lower house seats but this isn't the case in all 150 electorates. Albanese has distanced himself from preference suggestions on how-to-vote cards, saying they were a matter for the organisational wing of the party. For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter .
West Australian
02-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Battleground seats hit by 'false' Labor election ads
A Labor ad campaign targeting battleground seats is falsely claiming that Peter Dutton has said he'll cut $350 billion in spending if the coalition wins government. AAP FactCheck has identified thousands of dollars of funding for federal election advertisements in seats including Gorton and Hawke in Melbourne's west and Lyons in Tasmania. The ads claim that Mr Dutton has cut billions from hospitals, before claiming he has said he'll "cut $350 billion more" over an image of a person lying in a medical crash cart. Labor said the ads don't claim Mr Dutton will cut billions from hospitals specifically and instead refer to coalition plans to wind back other Labor programs such as free TAFE. Labor also pointed to various statements Mr Dutton has made about wasteful spending and claims that Labor has lifted spending by nearly $350 billion since coming to power in 2022. But Mr Dutton has never said the coalition will cut $350 billion. Mr Dutton has also pledged to match Labor's funding for essential frontline services like hospitals. Labor aren't the only ones making some false claims ahead of polling day this weekend. Experts told AAP FactCheck Mr Dutton's claim that Labor took $80 billion out of defence is wrong. Instead, they say, the Albanese government has increased defence spending. Under Labor defence has delayed, reprioritised and changed some projects to make room for spending on other capabilities like nuclear-powered submarines, experts explained. But money has not been removed or cut from the defence budget. Election misinformation also continues to swirl on social media as the campaign draws to a close, including false claims that voting on Saturday is fraud. The false claim leans into several sovereign citizen myths. An AI deepfake video that purports to show US podcast host Joe Rogan attacking Foreign Minister Penny Wong has also been sharwidely circulated. CLAIMS REVISITED AAP FactCheck has been debunking election claims for several weeks. That hasn't stopped some of the key political players from repeating them. * Mr Dutton repeated a misleading claim in the final debate last Sunday that electricity bills have risen $1300, the figure has been called "very cherrypicked" by a leading expert. * Mr Albanese repeated a debunked claim in the final debate that the coalition's nuclear plan will cost $600 billion. Experts say no one knows what nuclear power may cost. * Mr Albanese also repeated a misleading claim that Australians would be $7200 worse off under Mr Dutton, at the National Press Club on Wednesday. * Mr Dutton on Wedensday repeated false claims that Labor's energy policy is renewables only. Visit AAP FactCheck's website to read all of these checks in full.
