Did hundreds of top-ranking U.S. military officers resign in August 2026 over dissatisfaction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the war in Iran?
NewsGuard’s “False Claim of the Week” highlights a claim from NewsGuard’s False Claim Fingerprints, a proprietary database of provably false claims and their debunks. This week’s claim is that the U.S. had the highest COVID-19 mortality rate in the world. It is NewsGuard’s “False Claim of the Week” due to its widespread appearance across social media platforms and websites, its high engagement levels, and the high-profile nature of the sources promoting it. Those three factors, as well as its significant subject matter and potential for harm, make it our False Claim of the Week.
What’s happening: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is falsely claiming that the U.S. had the highest COVID-19 mortality rate compared to all other countries, citing the inaccuracy to criticize Dr. Anthony Fauci, who helped lead the U.S.’s COVID-19 response.
A closer look: While the claim has been circulating online since 2024, it was given a big boost in late July 2026 by RFK Jr., as Fauci was facing tough questioning in the U.S. Senate about his handling of the pandemic.
In a July 27 interview on Fox News Channel’s “The Ingraham Angle,” Kennedy said:...
Did hundreds of top-ranking U.S. military officers resign in August 2026 over dissatisfaction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the war in Iran? False Claim of the Week: The U.S. Had the High...