This Week in Misinformation: The Baltimore bridge collapse, Trump's bond reduction and the solar eclipse
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has made a public plea for decency and respect, urging people to refrain from spreading misinformation about the recent Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
"I'm also asking for folks to have a little bit of decency and respect. Don't spread misinformation, don't play bridge engineer online or in the media," said Mayor Scott.
The mayor's plea comes in response to the circulation of false claims about the bridge collapse.
One such claim suggested that the captain of the ship that hit the bridge was Ukrainian and upset about war funding. However, the crew information being cited is nearly a decade old.
The ship's owner has clarified that the current captain and crew are from India.
In other news, former President Donald Trump received a reprieve when an appeals court reduced the bond he needed to post in his $454 million civil fraud case.
Outside court, Trump reiterated his claim that the judge undervalued his properties.
"Here he values Mar-a-Lago at 18 million dollars and people say it's worth 50 to 100 times that much, the biggest experts in the business," said Trump.
The judge arrived at this valuation using figures from Palm County's tax appraisers, which value Mar-a-Lago at $18 to $37 million.
This is because it's licensed as a private club, unlike other homes in the area. This valuation puts Mar-a-Lago's property tax bill at just over $600,000.
If it were valued at $1 billion, as Trump claims, the tax bill could exceed $18 million.
In preparation for the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, some counties and towns have declared emergencies or requested the National Guard.
Social media posts baselessly claim that this is proof something "catastrophic" will occur.
In reality, local towns along the narrow path for the eclipse are preparing for an influx of visitors and just need a little support.