Updated: 2 hours ago

FILE - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., finishes the vote to approve the Inflation Reduction Act in the House chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. On Friday, Aug. 25, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming Congress exempted its members from IRS audits. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File). i[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Patrick Semansky]

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

___

Congress didn’t exempt its members from IRS audits

CLAIM: Members of the U.S. Congress recently voted to exempt themselves from IRS audits of their personal finances.

THE FACTS: Congress has not voted on any such measure, according to spokespeople for the IRS, the Speaker of the House and the House Ways and Means Committee. The unsupported claim that U.S. lawmakers voted to exempt themselves from IRS audits spread online this week after a tweet from an account that has posted numerous bogus claims was interpreted as real. “BREAKING,” read the Aug. 17 tweet, which amassed more than 13,000 shares. “In order to safeguard democracy, Congress has voted to exempt itself and its members from upcoming IRS audits.” Hours later, the same account hinted that it had been a joke, writing that “a shocking number of American adults” can’t spell or...

Read Full Story: https://www.whec.com/national-world/not-real-news-a-look-at-what-didnt-happen...