Was New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg just arrested for committing treason and election interference?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Alvin Bragg was just arrested for treason!
Real Raw News posted an article (archive) which claimed that the US Army Criminal Investigation Division just arrested New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg for committing treason and election interference!
As usual, the article is (intentionally?) long, rambling and confusing, so here is an excerpt. Please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
Alvin Bragg Arrested!
The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division on Friday arrested Deep Stater and District Attorney of New York County Alvin Bragg on charges of treason and election interference near his home—he owns several—in New York City’s historic St. Nicholas District, also known as Striver’s Row, sources in General Eric M. Smith’s office told Real Raw News.
If justice prevails, Bragg will soon live on a different row—death row at Guantanamo Bay’s Camp Delta internment facility for Deep State prisoners.
CID, he said, had been watching three of Bragg’s properties for several months, during which time they saw at least one Bragg imposter come and go as if he were lord of the household, affectionately and amorously greeting the real Bragg’s wife, Jamila Ponton, upon returning to the Striver’s Row home each day after work. They would embrace rapturously, hugging and kissing on the doorstep.
At 7:00 a.m. Friday, the CID surveillance team saw the fake Bragg wearing a blue pinstriped suit and oxford shoes leave the house, get into his car, and drive toward downtown Manhattan. Forty minutes later, a Cadillac Escalade pulled in front of the residence and out stepped Bragg from the passenger seat. This Bragg, however, wore a charcoal suit and wingtip shoes. CID could not identify the driver because the car’s windows had a dark tint. The investigators allowed the vehicle to depart and then moved against Bragg before he reached the front door.
Bragg spotted the investigators and tried to wobble away, but he collapsed to the ground convulsing when struck by four Tasers in his back, chest, neck, and face. CID zip-tied Bragg, whose bulbous wrists were too large for cuffs—and heaved his portly body into the rear seat of an SUV that had come screeching to a halt the second Bragg had hit the ground.
Our source said White Hats have overwhelming, irrefutable evidence proving Bragg is guilty of treason and election fraud and that Vice Admiral Darse E. Crandall will publish it at the Deep Stater’s military tribunal.
In a follow-up, the source confirmed the man in custody is the true Alvin Bragg and that his body double will also be arrested as soon as possible.
Truth : Alvin Bragg was not arrested for any reason!
The truth is – this is just another fake story created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.
Fact #1 : Alvin Bragg was not arrested for any reason!
This is really silly, but it has to be said – New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg has not been arrested for any reason.
If Alvin Bragg was ever arrested for any reason, it would have been reported across the United States, if not the world. However, there has been no legitimate media report of the US Army or any authority arresting the New York County AG!
Unsurprisingly, the Real Raw News article offered no evidence to back up its claim, just rambling nonsense.
Fact #1 : US Army CID cannot arrest civilians
It is also silly for anyone to claim that the US Army Criminal Investigation Command (now known as the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division) has arrested Alvin Bragg.
The US Army CID is the law enforcement agency of the US Department of the Army, whose primary function is to investigate felony crimes and serious violations of military law, within the US Army. It has no jurisdiction outside of the US Army.
The United States is not a police state, or under martial law. In the US, criminals are arrested by the state police, or the FBI, depending on the nature of the crime committed. US military members would never be involved in such arrests.
Real Raw News is a fake news website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.
To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.
That disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news to go viral, and generate money.
A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter
His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I debunked earlier:
Everything posted by Real Raw News should be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Israel and the United States cause the helicopter used by the President of Iran to malfunction and crash?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Israel + US Crashed Iran President’s Helicopter!
Within hours of news breaking that the helicopter carrying the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials crashed, people started sharing a message claiming that Israel and the United States caused the helicopter used by the President of Iran to malfunction and crash!
Reactions to the “purported” crash of the helicopter carrying the Iran President and other top ranking Iranian officials
📍 All the analysts believe that the President and the other ministers are probably dead by now despite rescue efforts underway to find the plane.
📍 Majority of analysts commenting believe that what caused the crash was the use by Israel 🇮🇱 and the US 🇺🇸 of their own systems to disable navigation systems and get the helicopter to malfunction and crash.
📍Relations between US 🇺🇸 and IRĀN 🇮🇷 were lately getting worse. Hezbollah in Lebanon has been using increasingly advanced weaponry against Israel 🇮🇱 and IRĀN 🇮🇷 has been showing signs of continuing with its program of Uranium enrichment despite US 🇺🇸 opposition.
Sharīf as-Sarifī, media anchor in Egypt 🇪🇬 who largely follows the Sissī line (hence why he is allowed to air, from Egypt 🇪🇬, in his YouTube channel) says: So now that the plane carrying Ibrāhīm Ra’isī and other important political personalities has disappeared. The majority thinks this is not due just to bad weather and this was an assassination.
📍Why? Because the plane was followed by two other two. It was just not any other plane.
📌How would that happen? Israel 🇮🇱 has some equipment that allows to mess up the navigation systems of planes and other vehicles, such as those carrying missiles. Now all the analysts are suspecting this is what impacted the plane carrying the Iranian 🇮🇷President and other ministers.
📍 Sharīf also points to the situation in Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 with leadership there keen to move to develop its own nuclear enrichment program. Talks of a US-Saudi Nuclear deal is now in the open. This is all in the works and is the backdrop against which one should look at this possible assassination attempt.
📍This US – Saudi Nuclear Deal is restricted by the US, and it is all part of the normalization deal between Saudi 🇸🇦 and Israel 🇮🇱. The condition that the US is putting on the table for Saudi is: NO Saudi citizen should be ever allowed into the nuclear enrichment facilities to be established in Saudi and only US citizens can enter them so as to prevent any Saudi citizen from learning and being able to develop the program himself.
The Russian Foreign Minister is angry with Israel and claims:
“Israel carried out the assassination of the Iranian President under the auspices of the United States of America.”
No Evidence Israel + US Crashed Iran President’s Helicopter!
This appears to be yet another example of fake news circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Unknown If Ebrahim Raisi Was Dead Or Alive At That Time
On Sunday, 19 May 2024, the President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi arrived at the northern border between Iran and Azerbaijan, to inaugurate the Gir Galasi hydroelectric dam with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. After that inauguration, the Iranian delegation left in a convoy of three helicopters to Tabriz.
At approximately 1:30 PM local time, the helicopter carrying the Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of East Azerbaijan Malek Rahmati, and Supreme Leader Representative in East Azerbaijan Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, crashed shortly after some passengers made an emergency call.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) described the crash as a “hard landing”. Even at 10:30 AM (GMT+8) on Monday 20, it was unknown if anyone was injured or killed in that crash.
An Iranian official told Reuters that rescuers were still struggling to reach the crash site, and that the lives of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were “at risk following the helicopter crash”.
How is it possible for anyone to know that Israel and the United States are responsible for the helicopter crash, when rescuers had not even reached the crash site that day, never mind investigate the cause of the crash at that time???
It was only at approximately 12:30 PM (GMT+8) on 20 May – almost a whole day later, that Iranian state TV confirmed that President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several others were killed in the helicopter crash.
The viral message claimed that Israel and the US brought down the helicopter carrying the Iranian president by [remotely] disabling its navigation system.
If there was an electronic attack on the helicopter, it would have affected the other two helicopters travelling in the same convoy. Yet the other two helicopters landed safely.
In addition, the flight crew and occupants of those two helicopters did not claim or report that there was an attack on the helicopter that crashed.
Fact #3 : Iranian State Media Blamed Bad Weather For Crash
Iranian state media did not blame Israel or the United States for the helicopter crash. Instead, Iranian state media blamed bad weather for crash, and said that the helicopter made a “hard landing” after getting into difficulties while travelling through heavy fog in the mountainous area.
The rain and heavy fog also made it extremely difficult for rescue efforts, with Iranian state TV broadcasting footage of rescuers trying to reach in the rain and fog trying to reach the crash site. Iranian state media quoted a regional army commander as saying:
The area has very cold, rainy, and foggy weather conditions. The rain is gradually turning into snow.
If the Iranians are not even blaming Israel or the United States for the crash, why would anyone claim otherwise???
Fact #4 : No Reputable Analyst Claimed Israel / US Involvement
The viral message claimed that “the majority of analysts” or “all the analysts” believe that the helicopter crash was caused by Israel and the United States. That’s utter nonsense.
Currently, no reputable analyst has made such claims. In fact, the viral message did not even name a single analyst who made such a claim!
Fact #5 : Viral Photos Show Trident Pier In Gaza!
To make the fake message more convincing, it comes with two photos, purportedly of US Army equipment used to attack the helicopter carrying the President of Iran. That’s just utter nonsense.
For one thing – the photos were taken at the Trident pier the US military built to provide aid to the Gaza Strip – over a thousand kilometres away!
In addition, it only shows point defences protecting the pier, specifically a Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) system with a 20mm Gatling gun, and the M-LIDS system which targets drones and other UAVs.
These point defence systems are very short-ranged, and cannot attack helicopters flying over a thousand kilometres away!
Fact #6 : Russia Did Not Blame Israel + US For Iran Helicopter Crash
Finally, the viral message falsely claimed that Russian Foreign Minister said that “Israel carried out the assassination of the Iranian President under the auspices of the United States of America.”
That’s not true. Sergey Lavrov has not commented on the Iranian president’s helicopter crash, never mind blame Israel and the United States for it.
Only Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has commented on the helicopter crash, stating:
We are closely following the reports about the passengers of the third helicopter, which carried top-ranking Iranian officials, including President Raisi.
We sincerely hope that they are alive and their lives are out of danger. Russia is ready to offer all necessary help in the search for the missing helicopter and the investigation of the accident.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Are US soldiers protecting Trump properties from being seized?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Soldiers Are Protecting Trump Properties From Seizure!
On 22 March 2024, Real Raw News posted an article (archive) which claimed that Navy SEALS, Delta Force, Army Rangers, and US Marines are now protecting Trump properties in New York, Florida, New Jersey, Nevada, and California!
As usual, the article is long, rambling and confusing, so here is an excerpt. Please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
White Hats Fortify Trump Properties
Navy SEALs at Mar-a-Lago. Marines stationed at President Trump’s Bedminster resort. Delta Force guarding Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street in New York City. And Army Rangers patrolling Donald Trump’s expansive Seven Springs golf course and estate in Westchester County.
General Eric M. Smith and the White Hat council have deployed 2,500 soldiers and Marines to Trump’s properties in New York, Florida, New Jersey, Nevada, and California as a formidable deterrent against the Deep State’s threat to seize his real estate empire. Agents of the Deep State have said they will annex Trump’s lands unless he secures a $454 million bond by next week.
Last month, Deep State judge Arthur Engoron floated that arbitrary figure after wrongly ruling that President Trump and his oldest sons overvalued their real estate holdings in New York and Florida. In response, the Trumps denied the spurious allegations, arguing that, if anything, insurance underwriters had undervalued holdings such as Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago, and 40 Wall Street, and saying Engoron’s judgment is part of a broader Deep State conspiracy to deplete Trump’s campaign cash.
Mar-a-Lago sources told Real Raw News that the Deep State won’t see a dime of Trump’s money, and that Trump refused an overture to pay the fine with cash White Hats had acquired from the late Oprah Winfrey’s vast fortune. Trump reportedly told Gen. Smith that Oprah’s assets ought to be injected into the economy to help restore prosperity once the Biden cabal gets annihilated.
President Trump, the lawful commander-in-chief, accepted Gen. Smith’s counterproposal: bolster defenses should the Deep State try to forcibly commandeer Trump-owned properties.
It wasn’t the first time Trump welcomed White Hats onto his land. The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta, or 1 SFOD-D, and an unknown number of Navy SEALs have been safeguarding Trump’s Mar-a-Lago headquarters since April 2021.
Now, White Hats have strengthened seven of Trump’s most valuable landmarks.
“I can’t say how many soldiers and Marines are watching a specific location, but we’ve placed over 2,500 men out there, and we’ve made no secret about it. In fact, President Trump and General Smith notified the necessary parties that Trump’s estates are under military guard. We’ve pretty much dared them to make a move,” our source said.
Claim : Soldiers Are Not Protecting Trump Properties From Seizure!
The truth is – this is just another fake story created by Real Raw News, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Soldiers Are Not Protecting Trump Properties From Seizure!
This is really silly, but it has to be said – US soldiers are not protecting Trump properties from seizure.
If soldiers were actually deployed to protect his properties, it would have been covered internationally, not just nationally, because it would be completely unprecedented!
Yet, there was no such news. Not even right-wing conservative websites or pundits mentioned such a shocking event. There are also no photos or videos of soldiers guarding any Trump property. That’s because it never happened. There are no soldiers protecting Trump properties from being seized.
Unsurprisingly, the Real Raw News article offered no evidence to back up its claim, just rambling nonsense.
Fact #2 : US Soldiers Cannot Be Deployed Except In Special Circumstances
It is really silly for anyone to claim that US soldiers were sent to protect properties owned by Donald Trump, more so to prevent them from being seized.
The Posse Comitatus Act prevents federal military personnel from being deployed within the United States, except when expressly authorised by the Constitution, or an Act of Congress.
Generally, only the President of the United States can order the deployment of US federal military personnel and federalised National Guard troops within the United States using the Insurrection Act of 1807.
Even if President Joe Biden wanted to help protect Donald Trump’s properties, he wouldn’t be able to use the Insurrection Act to deploy troops, because they can only be deployed to “suppress civil disorder, insurrection, or rebellion”.
Real Raw News is a fake news website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.
To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.
That disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news to go viral, and generate money.
A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter
His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I debunked earlier:
Everything posted by Real Raw News should be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did US Army CID officers just foil a plot by Ukraine to assassinate Donald Trump?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Ukrainian Plot To Assassinate Donald Trump Was Just Foiled!
On 24 February 2024, Real Raw News posted an article (archive) which claimed or suggested that US Army CID officers just foiled a plot by Ukraine to assassinate Donald Trump!
As usual, the article is long, rambling and confusing, so here is an excerpt. Please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
White Hats Foil (another) Plot to Assassinate President Trump
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division officers on Wednesday arrested two men suspected of plotting to assassinate President Donald J. Trump at the CPAC conference in National Harbor, Maryland, sources at CID’s headquarters told Real Raw News.
The suspects appeared to be foreigners who spoke limited English with thick Eastern European accents, characterized by heavy use of guttural and palatal consonants. Although the duo discussed dining arrangements and not devious details of assassinating the president, the existence of the map and its shady artists raised the alarm, and the CID officers, having notified their commanding officer and Gen. Smith’s office, requested permission to surveil the suspects.
CID learned quickly that the suspects had leased a nondescript van and rented a room at the MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino a mile north of the convention center. White Hats at U.S. Army Cyber Command accessed the hotel’s registry and discovered that the men had booked separate rooms using the undeniable aliases of William Henry James and Stephen Butler.
Early Wednesday morning, while the sky was still black as pitch and “James” and “Butler” slept soundly in their rooms, the CID team located the suspects’ van, parked on a crossroad, and discovered that someone had cut out a circular hole—large enough to accommodate a scoped rifle—in a rear door pane of glass, which had been carefully reseated using transparent tape.
Our source said the team bypassed the vehicle alarm. The interior held electronic surveillance gear and a steel case secured with a padlock, which CID picked. Upon opening the case, their fears became realized; it held a suppressor-equipped M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle, a U.S. Army weapon that supplemented the venerable M24 Sniper Weapons System in 2010 and saw combat in Afghanistan a year later. The case also had two pistols with silencers, the drawn map, ammunition, and notes on President Trump’s publicized travel itinerary.
CID seized the van and took “James” and “Butler” to an undisclosed location for interrogation, our source said, adding that President Donald J. Trump was immediately made aware of the situation and again encouraged to postpone his speech—should additional assailants lurk elsewhere nearby. But Trump would have none of it. He agreed to added protection but refused to shirk his responsibilities to MAGA and the United States of America. He said his oration would continue as scheduled, and he will speak tonight, delivering what MAGA says will be a passionate Magnum Opus.
According to our source, White Hats identified one suspect as a member of Ukraine’s Intelligence Directorate who entered the U.S. with forged credentials 10 days ago. How or where they obtained the rifle is unclear.
“We know one thing for sure, President Trump plans to stop funding Ukraine’s aggression. That alone might be reason enough for them to take a pop shot at him. We’re doing whatever’s needed to get a full confession,” our source said.
Truth : CID Did Not Foil Ukrainian Plot To Assassinate Donald Trump!
The truth is – this is just another fake story created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.
Fact #1 : Donald Trump Is No Longer President
Let me just start by pointing out that Donald Trump is no longer the President of the United States. He has not been President since he lost the election and left the White House on 20 January 2021.
Yet, the Real Raw News article kept referring to him as President Donald Trump, instead of former President Donald Trump, or just Donald Trump.
Fact #2 : No Plot To Assassinate Donald Trump Was Recently Foiled
While many people dislike Donald Trump, and quite a few would like to see him dead, there is no known recent plot to assassinate the former president.
If any US agency ever foiled a plot to assassinate any former President, it would have been major news. Yet no legitimate news agency in the United States, or anywhere else in the world, reported on such a shocking development?
More so if the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate was actually implicated in such an assassination plot. The Kremlin and its propaganda machine (and its useful idiots) would have actively promoted the story! Yet there was not even a squeak.
Even Donald Trump himself never said anything about an assassination plot. If it really did happen, he would have talked about it non-stop. Yet he said nothing of the sort.
That’s because it never happened. No one foiled a plot by the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate to assassinate Donald Trump in February 2024.
The claim that the US Army CID officers foiled a plot to assassinate Donald Trump is absurd.
The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is the law enforcement agency for the US Army. The civilian justice system is separate from the military justice system. CID officers can only investigate felony crimes and serious violations of military law within the US Army!
US Army CID officers would not be “shadowing” any American politician, or former Presidents. Not only is that not within their job scope, they don’t even have the authority to do that!
Fact #4 : US Army CID Officers Cannot Arrest Anyone
US Army CID officers are not law enforcement officers. They are really more like detectives who investigate serious crimes in the US Army.
They don’t even have the power to charge anyone with crimes. They just investigate allegations, and turn over their official findings to the appropriate US Army command and legal authority for further action.
Fact #5 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website
Real Raw News is a fake news website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.
To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.
That disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news to go viral, and generate money.
A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter
His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I debunked earlier:
Everything posted by Real Raw News should be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Have over a million soldiers been deployed to make arrests across the United States?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Soldiers Are Making Arrests Across The United States!
People are sharing a video on X (formerly Twitter), which appears to show soldiers marching, together with claims that over a million of them are now making arrests across the United States!
GhostEzra : OVER 1 MILLION MILITARY ARE NOW ACROSS THE UNITED STATES TO MAKE ARRESTS
Florentin Patriota Q : OVER 1 MILLION MILITARY ARE NOW ACROSS THE UNITED STATES TO MAKE ARRESTS
Truth : Soldiers Are Not Making Arrests Across The United States!
This is yet another example of fake news circulating on X (formerly Twitter), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Viral Video Is From January 2021
Let me start by pointing out that the viral video isn’t new. It was actually recorded and posted by CNN’s Manu Raju on 19 January 2021 – more than 3 years ago!
Anyone who claims that this shows a current event in February 2024 is lying to you.
Fact #2 : Soldiers Were Marching To Protect Biden Inauguration
The viral video does not show American soldiers marching to arrest anyone. It actually shows National Guard troops marching into Washington D.C. to protect the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
The troops were deployed in unprecedented numbers to safeguard the capital after the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol just days earlier, on January 6, 2021.
Manu Raju posted the video on both his Instagram and Twitter accounts, with the following descriptions:
Troops marching into the Capitol a day before Biden’s inauguration @ United States Capitol
Fact #3 : US Only Has 1.4 Million Active Military Personnel
As per Statista, the United States has the world’s third largest army with about 1.4 million active military personnel, as of 2022. However, that is made up of the many military branches in the United States:
Army Active Duty : 461,657
Navy Active Duty : 340,065
Army National Guard : 329,705
Air Force Active Duty : 320,421
Army Reserve : 176,171
Marine Corps Active Duty : 174,577
Air National Guard : 104,984
Air Force Reserve : 68,048
Navy Reserve : 55,224
Marine Corps Reserve : 32,599
Space Force Active Duty : 8,000
The US Army alone does not have 1 million soldiers, even if it brought in its entire reserves, as well as the National Guard. So it is literally impossible for “over a million” soldiers to be deployed to make arrests across the United States.
That number available for the US Army to deploy within the United States is far below 1 million, because approximately 171,000 troops are deployed overseas!
Even the approximately 800,000 US Army active, reserve and National Guard troops available in the United States cannot all be deployed, because a significant number has to be retained to man its many bases, and provide logistical or technical support.
It is really silly for anyone to claim that the US military personnel were sent to arrest civilians all across the United States. For what crime? For what purpose? None of that was explained, but yet, many people believed it is true.
All that is utter nonsense, because the United States is not a police state, or under martial law. In the US, criminals are arrested by the state police, or the FBI, depending on the nature of the crime committed. US military members would never be involved in such arrests.
Fact #6 : This Is Just Conspiracy Fake News!
This is just another example of fake news created or shared by conspiracy theorists, like these other examples:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did General Eric M. Smith just send Marines and Army Rangers to join the Texas National Guard protecting the border?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Marines + Army Rangers Were Sent To Texas Border!
On 27 January 2024, Real Raw News posted an article (archive) claiming that General Eric M. Smith just sent Marines and Army Rangers to join the Texas National Guard protecting the border!
As usual, the article is long, rambling and confusing, so here is an excerpt. Please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
A White Hat convoy carrying crates of rifles and spools of razor wire arrived in Eagle Pass, Texas, Friday afternoon to support the Texas National Guard in its regional border dispute with unlawful federal forces, a source in General Eric M. Smith’s office told Real Raw News.
General Eric M. Smith and the White Hat council, he said, approved the rapid deployment as a measured response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that allows federal Border Protection agents to remove concertina wire lain across the Rio Grande to prevent would-be illegals and terrorists from setting foot on Texas soil.
According to our source, Gen. Smith’s office spoke with Gov. Abbott immediately following the Court’s deliberate misinterpretation of federal law.
“The general told Gov. Abbott he could muster forces and have trucks ready to roll in 24 hours,” our source said. “Texas has helped us in the past, and we weren’t going to leave Abbott hanging. He said he’d welcome us with open arms.”
Our source wouldn’t enumerate the number of men sent to Texas, but he said the task force includes Marines and U.S. Army Rangers. His mentioning “hundreds of spools of wire,” each 50 feet long, hints at an armada ready to reckon with federal goons if push comes to shove. He said the task force will be embedded in and wear the uniforms of the Texas National Guard to show solidarity.
“Our goal is to gently convince border services to uphold, not violate, their constitutional oath. We hope they will heed that advice. We’re not in this for bloodshed, but we’re not shy about confronting federal forces—a fact we’ve proven time and time again,” our source said.
Truth : Marines + Army Rangers Were Not Sent To Texas Border… Yet!
The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.
Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website
Real Raw News is a fake news website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.
To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.
That disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news to go viral, and generate money.
His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I debunked earlier:
A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter
Fact #2 : Marines + Army Rangers Were Not Sent To Texas Border
This is really silly, but it has to be said – US Marines and Army Rangers were not sent to the Texas border to support Governor Greg Abbott’s refusal to comply with a recent US Supreme Court ruling, allowing US Border Patrol agents to remove razor wire placed on the Texas border.
Neither were any US Marine or Army Ranger instructed to wear the uniform of the Texas National Guard to “show solidarity”. That’s just utter nonsense.
Such an action would have been considered mutiny, and it would have been covered extensively by the US mainstream media, if not news organisations all over the world.
Yet, no legitimate media outlet reported such a shocking story? That’s because it never happened. It was all made up.
Fact #3 : Mutiny Carries A Death Penalty Sentence
The US military is subservient to the US civilian leadership, which is currently the Biden Administration under US President Joe Biden. Deploying military troops without a direct order by the Biden Administration would be mutiny under Article 94 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
Military personnel committing mutiny would be subject to a court martial, and those found guilty shall be punished by death or other alternative punishments that the court martial may decide.
Fact #4 : US Marine Generals Don’t Command Army Rangers
The Real Raw News writer does not appear to understand the basic concept of the military chain of command, or the fact that the United States has multiple uniformed services.
General Eric M. Smith is the 39th commandant of the US Marine Corps, which is just one of eight uniformed services in the United States. He only has command over the US Marine Corps, but not the other uniformed services like the Army, Navy, Air Force, etc.
In short – it is simply impossible for General Eric M. Smith to order US Army Rangers to do anything. The Rangers are part of the US Army, which is a completely different uniformed service.
Fact #4 : US Military Have Been Deployed To Help DHS
The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the federal agency in charge of the border at Texas and other US states.
The US military have been deployed to the Texas border on several occasions by the civilian administration of the day – in 2018 under President Trump, and in 2023 under President Biden. However, they were always there to assist the CBP, with the CBP deciding on where those Marines were deployed, and how they could assist.
The Real Raw News, on the other hand, is claiming that US Marines and US Army Rangers were deployed to help the Texas National Guard fight against the CBP. That’s just utter nonsense. If any US Marines were to be deployed in 2024, it would certainly be to help the CBP, not to fight against them.
Everything posted by Real Raw News should be regarded as FAKE NEWS.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the US government steal $50 trillion worth of gold and oil from Iraq?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-09-19 : Refreshed with updated info Originally published @ 2022-04-12
Claim : US Gov Stole $50 Trillion Of Gold + Oil From Iraq!
People are sharing photos of US soldiers posing with gold bars, as evidence that the United States sold gold and oil from Iraq worth tens of trillions of dollars!
These photos was revived on the 20th anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and then on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as part of the information warfare surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is also being shared and promoted on pro-CCP and pro-Russia groups on social media, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.
Here the US thieves in Iraq. Bringing democracy aka stealing a country’s gold. Same thing they want to do in Russia. But Russia is no Iraq or Libya.
The #US ransacked and plundered the whole of #Iraq. Banks, museums, all of their gold reserves. The US is the biggest gang of thiefs in the whole history. They have raped most of the planet in the last 50 years. #Ukraine #UkraineRussianWar #UkraineRussiaWar #Russia #Putin #NATO
🇺🇸 “liberates” gold & oil while 🇷🇺 liberates humans.
#Denaƶification & #Demilitarization of #UkroNaƶiLand
Truth : US Gov Did Not Steal Gold + Oil From Iraq At All!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or propagated to deflect criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : US Did Not Steal $30 Trillion Of Iraqi Oil
Claims that the US stole $30 trillion worth of oil from Iraq are false. The United States did lose track of 8.7 billion dollars worth of Iraqi funds though.
After the invasion of Iraq concluded, Iraqi oil was sold to help fund the Development Fund of Iraq (DFI). Other sources of funds include surplus funds (about USD 10 billion) from the UN Oil-For-Food Program, and the sale of seized Iraqi assets.
The United States did not truck away Iraqi oil, as claimed. In July 2010, the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) discovered that the US Department of Defense could not account properly for USD 8.7 billion of DFI funds.
This led the Iraqi Parliament to request the United Nation’s help in demanding that the US return $17 billion of “oil money” that it said was stolen from the Iraqi people :
All the indications are that the institutions of the United States of America committed financial corruption by stealing the money of the Iraqi people, which was allocated to develop Iraq, (and) that it was about $17 billion.
… Our committee decided to send this issue to you … to look into it and restore the stolen money.
Stealing $30 trillion worth of oil would require 1.7 billion oil trucks, or 46,000 of these trucks every day for 100 years!
Fact #2 : US Spent $60 Billion To Reconstruct Iraq
There is no evidence that the unaccounted money was repatriated to the United States, or officially taken by the United States.
Even assuming that it was not poor accounting and all of the $8.7 billion was truly stolen, that is a far cry (0.029%) from the $30 trillion that was “allegedly” stolen.
It is also rendered ludicrous by the fact that the United States spent US$60 billion in the reconstruction of Iraq – almost 7X of what it allegedly stole.
Also consider the fact that Iraqi oil production only reached 4.4 million barrels per day in 2016. Assuming an average sale price of USD 60 per barrel, it would take them 311 years to sell enough oil to make $30 trillion.
Fact #3 : US Did Not Steal $20 Trillion Of Iraqi Gold
The United States also did not steal gold from Iraq, certainly not $20 trillion worth of gold!
All those photos of US soldiers with Iraqi gold bars are genuine, but they only show them taking photos with the gold they seized in Iraq.
The Iraqi gold bars (as well as currency and other valuables) that US soldiers seized were transported to the US Army’s headquarters in Kuwait.
There, they were examined by the Secret Service and/or the US Department of Treasury to determine their authenticity and value, before being returned to the Central Iraqi Treasury or the Development Fund of Iraq (DFI).
This is a picture of Lt. Col. Scott Schmidt, who was in charge of the 230th Finance Battalion. The battalion’s job was to seize Iraqi assets like currency, gold bars and other valuables.
Fact #4 : The Entire World Does Not Have So Much Gold!
In 2003, Iraq had under 6 tonnes of gold reserves, worth less than $70 million. So how can the United States possibly steal 20 trillion dollars worth of gold from Iraq? $20 trillion worth of gold would weigh at least 1,714,285 tonnes in 2003.
Guess how much gold mankind has ever mined in history? Only 208,874 tonnes as of February 2023 – which is just 12% of what people are claiming that the United States stole from Iraq.
As of January 2023, the value of all the gold in the world is only USD 13 trillion – less than 2/3 of what the conspiracy theory claims the United States stole from Iraq… and that’s only because gold prices have gone up tremendously since 2003.
Even with the much higher gold price, it would take an additional 90 years of mining gold before the entire world has $20 trillion worth of gold for the US government to steal.
Now that you know the truth, please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check out!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the US Army just lose and then recover sixty stolen M55 Sarin gas rockets?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : US Army Lost + Recovered Stolen Sarin Gas Rockets!
On 9 and 10 July 2023, Michael Baxter (real name : Michael Tuffin) wrote two articles claiming that the US Army just had sixty M55 Sarin gas rockets stolen from its Kentucky facility, but managed to recover them using Special Forces!
As usual, his articles are long, rambling and confusing, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
Chemical Rockets Stolen from Army Weapons Depot in Kentucky
Sixty chemical rockets went missing from a U.S. Army chemical weapons depot in Kentucky last week as workers—military and civilian contractors—rushed to destroy the old ordnance per the International Chemical Weapons Convention, which took effect in 1997 and was joined by 193 countries.
On July 7, a U.S. Army CBRN specialist (MOS 74D) stationed at BGAD contacted the office of Col. Brent Lindemen, 5th Special Forces Group commander and member of the White Hat Council, saying he had to discuss a crucial military matter. The colonel’s adjunct asked the soldier why he reached out to Special Forces instead of following his chain of command.
“Sir, I apologize for the improper protocol, but I don’t know who I can trust. I’ve been led to believe I can trust anyone answering this line,” the soldier reportedly said.
The adjunct implored him to not share his concerns on an open line and instructed him on how to send an encrypted message.
In the message, the soldier identified himself as a CBRN specialist at BGAD tasked with logging serial numbers of weapons scheduled for destruction. He said 60 GB nerve agent rockets scheduled for demolition on Friday were not in their storage racks where he had seen them Wednesday, having had Thursday off. He wrote that no one at the site seemed particularly concerned that he couldn’t account for the rockets’ whereabouts. He described the stringent regulations for weapon destruction. Serial numbers get checked three times—before a weapon leaves the bunker, as it’s placed on a truck for transport, and at the disposal facility. Once a weapon is destroyed, its serial number, stored and color-coded on iPad-like devices, is changed from red (live round) to green (destroyed or inert.) The rockets were missing, and the serial numbers had been entirely wiped from the database, he said.
“It’s been made to look like those rockets never existed,” he wrote.
The message went to Colonel Keirsey, who forwarded it to General Smith. If the CBRN’s story was true, only someone at the regime’s criminal Defense Department could have purged serial numbers from a restricted database and orchestrated the theft of deadly chemical weapons.
One cannot simply walk off with M55 rockets on his shoulder; each is 75lbs. and 78 inches long. The thief would also have to reconcile the theft with the armed guards protecting the storage facilities—a problematic heist.
A source in Gen. Smith’s office told Real Raw News that the general has confirmed the CBRN’s version of events, which contradicts public statements given by regime officials.
United States Special Forces and chemical weapon specialists have recovered the GB rockets that inexplicably vanished from what should have been an impregnable concrete bunker at Army Blue Grass Weapons Depot in Kentucky, a source in General Eric M. Smith’s office told Real Raw News.
Our source said the general cashed in favors to acquire security recordings that showed protocol violations and evidence of rockets leaving the base, the most egregious being missing timestamped footage, 90 minutes of it, between 1:30-3:00 Friday morning, four hours before the whistleblowing specialist started work. Two cameras inside the bunker had been selectively disabled, as had three exterior cameras that, if working, would’ve shown persons or vehicles approaching the bunker’s impenetrable steel doors, sealed shut by massive shackle locks.
“Even with today’s tech, those old bunkers were never fitted with biometric security. Just good old-fashioned keys. And as you can imagine, access to those keys should be tightly controlled. As far as we know, there are only two sets on base. The commander has one, and one is in the security building. Live footage is also fed to the security shack,” our source said.
He mentioned that the whistleblower saw no physical evidence of a break-in—other than the missing rockets. The locks were intact, and no one besides him seemed to notice or care that 60 lethal rockets weren’t in their assigned location.
General Smith also reviewed the video of the base’s entrances and exits. Cameras covering the main gate, the only thoroughfare to weapon bunkers, had 90 minutes of lost time identical to that of the burgled depot.
Two guards, civilian contractors, should have been protecting the main gate at the time.
By Saturday, General Smith and 5th Special Forces Group commander Brent Lindemen had recalled a Special Forces detachment from an ongoing assignment, investigating a famous Hollywood producer suspected of running a child sex trafficking ring, and put them on the case of the missing rockets, which, our source said, took priority, at least temporarily. The general also recruited trustworthy CBRNs from the 48th Chemical Brigade to aid the recovery in case the rusty rockets had sprung leaks.
At 3:00 p.m. Sunday, Special Forces spotted a tractor-trailer with a green cab on an isolated stretch of road near Plover Pit Lake. Thermal scans showed a cold engine and an empty cab.
“They expected to find an empty trailer. But the CBRNs put on protective gear, used infrared detectors to check for nerve agent vapors, and broke the lock. And the rockets were in there, but no sign of the driver or passenger,” our source said.
Someone, he added, had retrofitted the interior with racks designed to safely cradle the rockets.
“Now, it was sitting there a damn long time, Friday morning until late Sunday afternoon, unattended before we arrived. Abandoning a truckload of WMDs made no sense. The general assumed the occupants expected another driver to come along and drive it to its final destination, but again, you’d think they’d have timed it better. Or something happened to delay a relief crew that long. We weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth,” our source said.
Truth : US Army Did NOT Lose / Recover Stolen Sarin Gas Rockets!
The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.
Everything posted by Real Raw News must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.
Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website
Real Raw News is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.
To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.
This disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news to go viral, and generate him money.
His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:
A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter
Fact #2 : Last M55 Sarin Gas Rocket Was Destroyed On July 7, 2023
It is impossible for any M55 Sarin gas rocket to be stolen, because they were all destroyed by Friday, July 7, 2023. In fact, President Joe Biden publicly announced the achievement that day:
Today, I am proud to announce that the United States has safely destroyed the final munition in that stockpile — bringing us one step closer to a world free from the horrors of chemical weapons.
This occurred two days before Michael Baxter / Tuffin claimed that sixty M55 Sarin (NATO designation GB) gas rockets were stolen from the Blue Grass Army Depot!
Fact #3 : Chemical Weapons Are Stored + Processed On-Site
The M55 Sarin gas rockets at stored and processed on-site at the Blue Grass Army Depot, and are heavily monitored at all points.
They are removed from their on-site storage igloos, and loaded into large pressure tanks called Enhanced ON-site Containers (EONCs) for transport to the Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP). There, the weapons are kept in the EONCs, as these old chemical weapons are notorious for leaking!
Only when it is time to destroy them, do technicians test the EONC for leaks before removing the rockets for destruction. All this happens within the Blue Grass Army Depot itself, so it would be impossible for anyone to smuggle one M55 Sarin gas rocket out, never mind sixty of them!
Fact #4 : Destruction Process Is Automated + Monitored
The M55 Sarin gas rockets are removed from the EONC inside the BGCAPP by multiple technicians, and monitored on CCTV. After that, the process is pretty much automated, and handled by robots for safety reasons.
It is therefore impossible for any person to steal a single M55 rocket, especially when each rocket is 2 metres long and weighs 26 kg!
Fact #5 : BGCAPP Is Run By Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass Team
Even though the BGCAPP is located within a US Army facility, it is not manned by the US Army using its own soldiers.
Instead, the BGCAPP was built and operated by private contractors – specifically, the Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass Team – a joint venture of Bechtel National and Parsons Government Services.
So, the claim of US soldiers working at the BGCAPP is utter nonsense. They are all civilians.
Fact #6 : BGCAPP Is Monitored By OPCW
On top of that, operations in BGCAPP are monitored by witnesses representing the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) at the on-site Treaty Office Facility.
Even if BGCAPP technicians collude to steal M55 rockets, OPCW monitors would have spotted them trying to haul away sixty heavy rockets!
Fact #6 : General Smith Is Commandant Of US Marine Corp!
Michael Baxter / Tuffin appears to be simply Googling and using the names of US military officers without bothering to ensure consistency, or even logic!
The Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) is a US Army facility. Even if some kind of nefarious theft occurred, General Eric M. Smith would not be in charge of investigations. After all, he is a general in the United States Marine Corps, not the US Army!
On top of that, he is currently serving as acting commandant of the Marine Corps – its highest position! Why on Earth would the Commandant of the Marine Corps be investigating a US Army depot, even if it involves the theft of dangerous chemical weapons??
Everything posted by Real Raw News should be regarded as FAKE NEWS.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was the US military caught stealing Indomie instant noodles that Indonesia donated to earthquake victims?!
Take a look at the viral photo, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : US Stole Instant Noodles From Earthquake Victims!
People are sharing a photo of US soldiers carrying Indomie boxes, claiming that it is evidence the US military stole instant noodles that Indonesia donated to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria!
ElysiusThor : Hot on the heels of the US military stealing tents donated by China to the Syrian earthquake victims, it’s now been revealed that they’re also stealing Indonesian-donated instant noodles as well. What the hell is the Pentagon feeding them then?
Bevin Chu 朱炳文 : The Unite [sic] States. An equal opportunity looter.
It loots the Syrian people’s oil, the Chinese people’s humanitarian relief tents, and the Indonesian people’s humanitarian relief foodstuffs with equal alacrity.
After the U.S. military stole the tents donated by China to the victims of the earthquake in Syria, it was revealed that it stole instant noodles donated by Indonesia.What the hell is the Pentagon feeding them?
Truth : US Did Not Steal Instant Noodles From Earthquake Victims!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) or pro-CCP netizens and groups, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Viral Photo Was Taken In Turkey
I traced the origin of viral photo to the DVIDS (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service) website.
I confirmed that the original photo was taken by Captain William Stroud, of the 1st Armoured Division Combat Aviation Brigade, in Dulkadiroğlu, Türkiye on 22 February 2023.
Fact #2 : US Soldiers Were Delivering Aid In Turkey
The claim that the US military stole the Indomie instant noodles from Indonesia is nonsense.
The soldiers were carrying relief supplies to people affected by the earthquake in Turkey. This was clearly explained in the caption of the photo:
U.S. Army soldier assigned to 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (12th CAB), V Corps, delivers relief supplies to Turkish authorities in Dulkadiroğlu, Türkiye, Feb. 22, 2023. The 12th CAB supports the dynamic lift capability of the 1AD CAB in direct support of USAID and Turkish relief efforts, to those affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye. 12th CAB is one of several U.S. military units supporting Task Force 61/2 (TF 61/2), operating under U.S. Sixth Fleet, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR), and U.S. European Command as part of the International Turkish disaster relief efforts.
Here is another photo of the same Indomie instant noodles, this time being delivered by US Marines on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
Earthquake relief. @USMC Marines assist the Turkish military loading humanitarian aid onto a CH-47 Chinook helicopter at Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye, as part of an international effort supporting earthquake relief operations. pic.twitter.com/Is8hn13WwP
Fact #3 : Indomie Instant Noodles Were Produced In Turkey
It is unknown if the Indomie instant noodles were donated by Indonesia, or merely provided by the Turkish relief agency, AFAD.
However, the Indomie instant noodles in the viral photo appear to be produced in Turkey. If you look closely at the boxes, you can see that these Turkish words.
Hazir Noodle : Instant Noodles
Yerli Üretim : Domestic Production
Bardak : Cup [Noodles]
Sebzeli Hazir Noodle : Vegetarian Instant Noodles
In 2014, Indofood set up a factory to produce Indomie instant noodles in the Tekirdağ industrial district, in Turkey.
While many countries sent tons of food and other supplies to Turkey, most did not have any base or ability to transport the humanitarian aid to the affected areas. That was left to AFAD – the Turkish relief agency.
That was where the United States military came in – they used their helicopters at the Incirlik Air Base to deliver donated aid to the affected areas that are hard to reach by trucks.
That’s why you see US soldiers taking things on or off helicopters, which may have been donated by other countries. They were not stealing anything, just helping to deliver them.
Fact #5 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda
This appears to be yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), or pro-CCP netizens.
Here is just the latest dozen the other wumao articles and videos that I looked at so far:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the Chinese catch the US military stealing humanitarian tents China donated to Syria?!
Take a look at the viral photo, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : US Military Was Caught Stealing Tents From China!
People are sharing a photo of a US soldier carrying a white humanitarian tent, claiming that it is evidence the US military stole it from China, just like how it stole oil from Syria!
A few days ago, the Chinese discovered that the US military was using tents from China. Only now it turned out these tents are from a humanitarian convoy that China sent to Syria. The Americans are not only stealing oil from Syria, but also humanitarian aid.
Even Iranian state media, Press TV, posted the same photo, and claim:
It’s not only oil that the US steals from Syria!
A photo of an American soldier carrying a Chinese tent has been circulating on social media!
It is now reported that the tents were from a humanitarian convoy that China had sent to Syria.
Truth : US Military Was NOT Caught Stealing Tents From China!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and spread by pro-CCP netizens and groups.
Fact #1 : Viral Photo Was Taken In Turkey
First, let me just point out that the viral photo was actually posted by the US Army’s official Instagram account on March 8, 2023. It was also taken in Turkey, not Syria, as alleged.
Fact #2 : US Soldier Was Delivering Aid In Turkey
The claim that the US military was using tents from China is nonsense.
The soldier was carrying the humanitarian tent to aid people affected by the earthquake in Turkey. This was clearly explained in the caption of the photo:
See how @101stabndivaa (101st Airborne Division) is #MakingADifference
First Strike Soldiers continue to work in support of USAID – US Agency for International Development and Turkish relief efforts to those affected by the earthquake in Türkiye. The First Strike Way! 🖤
Despite counter-claims that the tent was donated by Taiwan, the tent carried by the US soldier appears to be donated by China to help with the humanitarian efforts in Turkey and Syria, following the massive 2023 earthquake.
The tent cover has the printed description in Simplified Chinese (which is used in China, Singapore and Malaysia), instead of Traditional Chinese used in Taiwan:
While the China sent tons of tents and other supplies to Turkey, it did not have any base or ability to transport those aid to the affected areas. That was left to AFAD – the Turkish relief agency.
That was where the United States military came in – they used their helicopters at the Incirlik Air Base to deliver donated aid to the affected areas that are hard to reach by trucks.
That’s why you see US soldiers taking things on or off helicopters, which may have been donated by other countries. They were not stealing anything, just helping to deliver them.
Fact #5 : US Has Almost Triple Military Budget Of China
Only the most ignorant Chinese or pro-CCP netizen will believe that the US military needs to steal tents donated by China. And of all things – white humanitarian tents…
Anyone who even does a 5 second check would have discovered that the United States has almost triple the military budget of China.
In 2021, the US military budget was $767.8 billion, while China only spent $270 billion on its military. The US military can definitely afford to pay for more tents than the Chinese.
Fact #6 : No Evidence Chinese Convoy Got Hijacked By US Military
There is no evidence that the tent being carried by the soldier was stolen from a Chinese humanitarian convoy in Syria.
There is also no evidence that any Chinese humanitarian convoy was hijacked by the US military. If that actually happened, China would have protested the hijacking publicly, and the news would have been broadcasted by the many press and propaganda outlets controlled by the CCP government.
Naturally, there was nothing of the sorts. But since when have the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), or pro-CCP netizens, ever cared about facts?
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Russia just destroy four Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Ukraine?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Russia Just Destroyed 4 Bradley Fighting Vehicles In Ukraine!
People are sharing a video of Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov claiming that Russian forces destroyed four Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFV) in Ukraine!
Here is the accompanying message, which I machine-translated into English.
💥 За сутки боевых действий на данном направлении противник потерял 11 танков, 17 боевых машин пехоты, в том числе четыре БМП «Брэдли» производства США, 10 других боевых бронированных машин, 5 пикапов с крупнокалиберными пулеметами и более 150 военнослужащих.
💥 During the day of hostilities in this direction, the enemy lost 11 tanks, 17 infantry fighting vehicles, including four US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 10 other armored combat vehicles, 5 pickup trucks with heavy machine guns and more than 150 military personnel.
Truth : Russia Did Not Destroy 4 Bradley Fighting Vehicles In Ukraine!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS spread by pro-Russian netizens and groups.
Fact #1 : Video Was Recorded On 4 September 2022
The video is genuine, but it isn’t new. It was actually posted on the official Russian Ministry of Defence’s Telegram group on 4 September 2022.
In that longer video, Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov was giving a report on the state of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
⚡️ Сводка Министерства обороны Российской Федерации о ходе проведения специальной военной операции на территории Украины (04.09.2022 г.)
⚡️ Report of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine (04.09.2022)
Fact #2 : Bradley Fighting Vehicle Donation Only Announced In January 2023
President Joe Biden only announced that the US government would be sending Ukraine about 50 Bradley M2A2 ODS Fighting Vehicles on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.
That’s exactly four months after Russia claimed to have destroyed four of them!
Fact #3 : There Are Still No Bradley Fighting Vehicles In Ukraine
Even today, it is impossible for Russian military forces to have destroyed four Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Ukraine, because the Ukrainian army still does not not have any!
Yes, President Biden announced a new $2.8 billion weapons package on January 4, 2023 that would include about 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, but those vehicles will take months to deliver.
As Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder announced on January 5, 2023 – the Bradley Fighting Vehicles have not been delivered to Ukraine.
You will see when Bradleys arrive on the battlefield. Let Ukraine announce it.
Fact #4 : Ukrainians Need To Train On Bradley Fighting Vehicles First!
Logistically, the US Army has about 4,000 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and can easily deliver the 50 vehicles to Ukraine in weeks, if not days.
However, Bradley Fighting Vehicles are complex vehicles, and it will take several weeks for each vehicle and maintenance crew to learn how to use and maintain them. And that is expedited training.
In fact, the Ukrainians will only start training on the Bradley M2 vehicles this week in Germany, as announced by Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder in a briefing last week.
Training will mostly start next week in Germany. We expect this training to last weeks, not months.
Regardless of when the US government sends the Bradley M2 vehicles to Ukraine, they will only appear on the battlefield after there are trained Ukrainian crews.
This is nothing more than old but official Russian propaganda that is being used by pro-CCP and pro-Russia netizens and groups to promote the perception that the United States is wasting resources in Ukraine.
Be wary of such claims, because there are plenty spreading on WhatsApp, Telegram and social media platforms. Here is a selection of similar Russian propaganda that I fact checked in the past:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the US military find evidence of fraud in the 2022 midterm election?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : US Military Find Evidence Of 2022 Election Fraud!
On 9 November 2022, Real Raw News posted an article claiming that the US Army Cyber Command found evidence of fraud in the 2022 midterm election!
It is long and rambling, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
As citizens and politicians anxiously scrutinized results, so too did the White Hat partition of the U.S. military. At U.S. Army Cyber Command headquarters in Fort Gordon, Georgia, cyber security analysts began noticing election irregularities early in the day. Approximately 35% of vote tabulators—electronic devices into which ballots are fed and counted—experienced what the Maricopa County Elections Department called a “technical hiccup,” which persisted for several hours. Unbeknownst to election officials, White Hats had undercover boots on the ground as the “glitch” forced voters to cast ballots elsewhere or forego voting altogether. At least one machine had active Wi-Fi and was connected to the internet, a Cyber Command source told RRN.
“Tabulators that mark ballots shouldn’t be Wi-Fi capable. It makes them susceptible to outside tampering and intrusion,” he said.
Cyber Command, he added, has “obtained” a compromised machine and is evaluating “suspicious” connection logs.
Cyber Command is also analyzing a video that purportedly shows a Maricopa County election worker doctoring a stack of ballots.
Arizona is a hotbed rife with election fraud. Elsewhere in Maricopa County, voters seeking to cast ballots at locales with working machines were told by poll workers that if they had come to vote (why else would they be there?) they could vote only for Democrats because no Republican officials were on the premises. They were either told to come back later or to vote elsewhere.
“We’ve heard 50 such reports,” our source said. “We’re working to verify them.”
Despite the fraud in Arizona, Republican Kari Lake is projected to win the gubernatorial race.
Arizona wasn’t the only state subject to election fraud. According to our source, White Hats now have a “mail bag full of uncounted ballots” that someone had deposited in a drainage ditch in Baker County, Georgia. Baker is a Republican stronghold.
“There’s a lot going on now that doesn’t meet the eye. We will be looking into all allegations of fraud as we await the results. I can tell you this, if we decide fraud altered the outcome of this election, action will be taken,” our source said.
Truth : US Military Did Not Find Evidence Of Fraud In 2022 Election!
The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.
Everything that Real Raw News posts must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.
Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website
Real Raw News is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.
To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.
This disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news that will go viral, and generate him money.
His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:
As Michael Tuffin himself admitted, he writes as Michael Baxter to “indemnify [himself] against potential legal ramification“.
Fact #2 : Real Raw News Never Offer Actual Evidence
Real Raw News reports always quotes anonymous sources, and offer no evidence to back up those claims. It’s no different in this new claim of electoral fraud in the 2022 midterm election.
Michael Baxter / Tuffin wrote such a long story, and quoted anonymous sources, but when you really look carefully – there is ZERO EVIDENCE for any of his claims.
That’s not really surprising though. How likely is it for this “former English teacher” to get the “inside scoop” from so many anonymous sources from his home in Texas? And why do all his scoops always end up false?
A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter
Fact #2 : 2022 US Election Was Protected By Three Agencies
It is important to understand that the 2022 midterm US election was not actually protected by the US Army Cyber Command, as Real Raw News claimed.
The 2022 midterm election in the United States was protected by three different agencies, from two different departments:
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Department of Homeland Security)
Cyber Command (Department of Defense)
National Security Agency (Department of Defense)
The US Army Cyber Command is merely one part of the US Cyber Command, which oversaw the protection of the 2022 election and is based in Fort Meade.
Fact #3 : All Three Agencies Detected No Fraud Or Threat
On November 8 and 9, 2022, officials from all three agencies said that they detected no evidence of fraud or threat to disrupt the election infrastructure.
Jen Easterly, director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency said:
We have seen no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was any way compromised in any race in the country.
General Paul Nakasone who heads the US Cyber Command and NSA operation to protect the 2022 midterm election said:
We continue to refine what we learned from the 2018 and 2020 elections. We generate insight to enable defense of the homeland, and ultimately impose costs by degrading and exposing foreign adversary capabilities and operations.
Fact #4 : No Legitimate Report Of Fraud In 2022 Election
There was no remotely similar report from any legitimate news outlet, nor an official statement by any government agency.
In fact, not even Fox News, which is notorious for pushing fake claims, actually reported that there was evidence of fraud in the 2022 midterm election.
Everything that Real Raw News posts should be regarded as FAKE NEWS.
Now that you know the facts, please SHARE THIS FACT CHECK out!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
