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0 | 15661 | """The money the Clinton Foundation took from from foreign governments while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state """"is clearly illegal. … The Constitution says you can’t take this stuff.""" | """Gingrich said the Clinton Foundation """"took money from from foreign governments while (Hillary Clinton) was secretary of state. It is clearly illegal. … The Constitution says you can’t take this stuff."""" A clause in the Constitution does prohibit U.S. officials such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from receiving gifts, or emoluments, from foreign governments. But the gifts in this case were donations from foreign governments that went to the Clinton Foundation, not Hillary Clinton. She was not part of the foundation her husband founded while she was secretary of state. Does that violate the Constitution? Some libertarian-minded constitutional law experts say it very well could. Others are skeptical. What’s clear is there is room for ambiguity, and the donations are anything but """"clearly illegal."""" The reality is this a hazy part of U.S. constitutional law. " | false |
1 | 9893 | Annual Mammograms May Have More False-Positives | This article reports on the results of a study of nearly 170,000 women who had screening mammograms beginning between age 40-59. The study found that over ten years of screening mammograms, over half of the women will experience a false-positive recall for additional mammography. In addition, 7%-9% of the women will have a biopsy for a suspicious lump which is not cancerous. Both of those percentages decrease if the woman is screened every other year rather than every year. Even with biennial mammography, 41% of women will experience a recall over 10 years of mammography. The study’s Principal Investigator emphasized that “in most cases, a recall doesn’t mean you have cancer.” She hoped this knowledge would reduce the anxiety of women who are recalled. The story never explained the size of the decrease in the number of false positives between annual (61.3%) and biennial screening (41.6%). Our first two reviewers were a researcher who specializes in health decisions and a breast cancer survivor trained in evidence by the Natiional Breast Cancer Coalition’s Project LEAD. This study is valuable because it helps to quantify and compare the harms of annual and biennial screening, specifically the number of false positives and the number of unnecessary biopsies. Prior to this study, estimates of false positive screening mammography rates varied widely. The critical question is whether you can do less frequent screening, subject women to fewer harms and get similar results in terms of detection of “early stage” cancer. This study’s data seems to suggest that answer is yes. | mixture |
2 | 11358 | SBRT Offers Prostate Cancer Patients High Cancer Control and Low Toxicity in Fewer Treatments | This news release describes five-year outcomes for 309 men with early-stage prostate cancer who received stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), which delivers targeted doses of radiation cheaper and faster than the prevailing radiation therapy treatment for prostate cancer. The study measured the rates of severe injury to surrounding tissues and disease-free survival. The news release said it’s the first large, multi-institutional study of this technology in prostate cancer with long-term follow-up, involving patients at 21 community, regional, and academic hospitals across the U.S. The release does a good job of quantifying the evidence but could have helped readers better understand the implications of the data by giving cost and safety comparisons with other radiation treatment, and by discussing limitations related to using a historical control group (rather than a contemporaneous control group) which introduces potential for bias. The release is based on a study presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual conference. The study abstract can be found on page 4 of this document. Prostate cancer is a commonly diagnosed condition in men that is associated with aging. Many patients don’t realize that prostate cancer is not a uniformly fatal disease. For men with low risk disease, active surveillance without treatment is a viable option. Even for men with higher risk disease where treatment is warranted, one needs to follow patients for 10-15 years to identify a survival benefit from treatment. This is useful context to keep in mind when examining this new study of patients with low and intermediate risk prostate cancer. The results present a rosy picture of SBRT, in terms of both benefits and harms. However, without a contemporaneous control group, such as those receiving intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or even active surveillance, one cannot be sure that these favorable results are due to the treatment itself or the patients who were selected for treatment. Comparing results of individuals who are likely to live a long time with their disease to those treated at some point in the past is rife with problems and such studies, called case series, are deemed to be low on the ladder of scientific rigor. Even the low rate of complications, while very reassuring, still would benefit from a comparison to patients treated with other forms of radiation at the same time period. | mixture |
3 | 10166 | Study: Vaccine for Breast, Ovarian Cancer Has Potential | While the story does many things well, the overall framing of the story is that the vaccine “shows promise,” when the evidence actually points in the other direction. Because only one patient in the study remains cancer free and because that patient may very well have benefited from an earlier cancer vaccine and other complicating factors, we question the decision to write this story in the first place. Right now, there more than 10,000 cancer-related clinical trials recruiting patients. Cancer has foiled scientists repeatedly with treatments that initially seemed promising in the laboratory or in a very small group of people and later proved unworkable on a larger scale. It’s a difficult task — but a crucial one — for reporters to ask tough questions of the evidence and a wide range of sources before deciding whether one of these thousands of experimental treatment options merits coverage. | true |
4 | 11276 | Some appendicitis cases may not require ’emergency’ surgery | We really don’t understand why only a handful of mainstream news organizations reported this story. (At least in what we found.) The most common emergency surgery in the world. Rushing to emergency surgery may not carry any benefit. Waiting a few hours may be safer and less expensive. Why is that not a story? We applaud USA Today for finding time and space – and clearly it didn’t need to free up much space to do a good job telling the story. The story explains that as many as 300,000 appendectomies are done each year in the US. That figure alone explains why this is an important study to report. | true |
5 | 8713 | Britain to reveal trial criteria for coronavirus antibody tests. | British regulators will this week reveal approval criteria for firms offering new coronavirus antibody tests, touted by governments in Britain and elsewhere as critical to easing nationwide lockdowns without helping the virus to spread. | true |
6 | 9851 | Angioplasty through the wrist backed by new study | This is a good piece of reporting about a recent study comparing two different insertion sites to obtain access for angioplasty. While not providing any insight about the specific circumstances when there may be medical reasons to chose one access site over another, the story did a nice job of informing readers that there might actually be a choice when having an angioplasty. It provided information that a reader could use to have a conversation with a doctor about the decision. However – the story should have included some insight about the strength of the observation obtained from the current study. As it was not a controlled study – so it did not evaluate the two procedures in a controlled environment – any predictions are tentative and require further examination. Overall, though, this was a balanced, clear and concise story about an approach that might be a safer alternative to the dominant way of doing an angioplasty. The story included an independent expert to comment on the study. And it reported absolute rates as well as relative rates so the reader can really get a sense of the safety of the new procedure. | true |
7 | 2768 | U.S. says results encouraging for healthcare delivery reforms. | The Obama administration on Thursday reported what it called encouraging results from efforts to reduce healthcare costs and improve the quality of care for more than 5 million Medicare beneficiaries under Obamacare | true |
8 | 2717 | Latest trial in J&J talc litigations gets under way in California. | A California jury on Monday heard opening statements in the latest trial over allegations that Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ.N) talc-based products, including the company’s baby powder, were contaminated with asbestos and cause cancer. | true |
9 | 10527 | Poor test results for heart drugs | """The story reports no additional cardiovascular protection with the cholesterol lowering drug ezetimibe (Zetia) alone, or in combination with the statin simvastatin (trade name Zocor). The report is unfortunately yet another example of an attempt to explain a very complicated story in a short TV chat. The study design, patient population, methodology and support for the surrogate endpoint are absent from the discussion. So, the context of """"failure"""" is totally lost on the audience. This failure to provide any context is especially unfortunate because the report was accompanied by two excellent editorials. The editorial by Brown and Taylor in the NEJM highlights the study design, patient cohort studied and puts the results into an objective context. This report does little to inform its listeners and a wonderful opportunity was lost in the process. The story does not note the cost of a typical statin regimen, Zetia or the combination treatment, Vytorin. This is an important oversight as many people who are prescribed these medications take them for life. The story does mention that these new drugs """"raked in 5 billion dollars last year"""". The failure of the combination product to be better than simvastatin alone has significant financial implications. Simvastatin (the generic name for Merck’s Zocor) is available for about $1.25 a day. Vytorin costs about $3.35 a day. Most clinicians assumed that the combined product was an advantage if you could not get a patient to a LDL goal with just the statin alone or side effects with the simvastatin prevented an adequate dose. The price for the combination is less than the cost of the components. Also, stating that taking more statins is the answer is incomplete at best. Lifestyle changes along with other drugs may be options as well. Interestingly however, this study raises questions about the simple notion that lowering total cholesterol, and LDL are important to lowering cardiovascular risk. People who are not able to lower their cholesterol enough with statins alone (or cannot tolerate the dose of statins needed to lower it) may wish to discuss with their doctor whether other medications (i.e., rather than ezetimibe) may be appropriate. These include niacin, fibrates, and bile acid resins. When added to statins, they can effectively lower cardiovascular risk. There are no interviews with the study authors or with practicing clinicians. The story reported on data presented at a recent American College of Cardiology Meeting, so there were several thousand cardiologists and other specialists available who could have been interviewed for clinical perspective on the results of this study.""" | false |
10 | 28215 | Opossums kill thousands of ticks each week, inhibiting the spread of Lyme Disease to humans. | What's true: Some data indicate opossums eat thousands of deer ticks per season, reducing the number that can go on to spread Lyme Disease to humans. What's false: How much of an impact opossums' eating ticks has on Lyme Disease infection rates is indeterminate. | true |
11 | 5793 | Democrats hoping to flip House not just trash-talking Trump. | Democrats hoping to flip enough seats to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives say they aren’t putting all their eggs in the anti-Trump basket. | true |
12 | 36179 | Hoodies riddled with faux bullet holes bearing the names of schools involved in massacres (including Columbine, Sandy Hook, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas) are available for purchase. | Are ‘School Shooting Hoodies’ With Faux Bullet Holes Real? | mixture |
13 | 11433 | Cancer Activist Sounds Alarm For Early Testing For Genetic Marker | Fails to present the nuances associated with testing for BRCA gene mutations. Focusing on a patient advocate who encourages genetic testing in those with a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer may have helped narrative flow, but it may not have been representative of women’s experiences. While the risks associated with developing cancer with and without a BRCA1 gene mutation were accurately presented, the story would have been vastly improved had it included: information on cost and insurance coverage associated with BRCA testing; clarification on what constitutes a strong family history of breast and ovarian cancer; information on the potential psychological and social harms associated with genetic testing; all the options (not just prophylactic surgery) for preventing cancer in high-risk patients; commentary from experts in the field, as well as from other women who underwent BRCA testing. | false |
14 | 12216 | At the end of 2016, there were 23 percent fewer federal prosecutions than in 2011, so (prosecutors) looked at this scourge (opioid deaths) and they let it go by. | """Trump said """"at the end of 2016, there were 23 percent fewer federal prosecutions than in 2011, so (prosecutors) looked at this surge and they let it go by."""" Trump made the statement in the context of rising opioid overdose deaths. An analysis of data shows that federal drug charges overall declined 23 percent between 2011 and 2016. But that data doesn’t tell us anything about opioid cases specifically. Where Trump misses the mark is his suggestion that the drop in prosecutions is to blame for the opioid epidemic, which started before Obama’s tenure and then grew worse during his presidency. Obama could have done more earlier to address the epidemic, experts said, but there is no evidence that his strategy on federal drug prosecutions led to a spike in opioid overdose deaths.""" | mixture |
15 | 30635 | The train carrying GOP members of Congress to a West Virginia retreat crashed due to a Deep State plot. | Sites like YourNewsWire, Gateway Pundit and InfoWars have made it a habitual practice to cynically exploit tragedies and spread false information about them for their own purposes. | false |
16 | 2981 | Sex tech from women-led startups pops up at CES gadget show. | Sex tech is gracing the CES gadget show in Las Vegas this week, a year after organizers took fire for revoking an innovation award to a sex device company led by a female founder. | true |
17 | 29528 | Waxed apples cause cancer. | """What's true: Apples are commonly coated with food-grade wax to extend their shelf lives. What's false: Waxed apples aren't """"known carcinogens""""; the use of wax on apples isn't a secret.""" | false |
18 | 26007 | Viral image Says BBC prematurely reported “Ghislaine Maxwell moved to intensive care as coronavirus symptoms worsen.” | The BBC did not publish an article dated July 11, 2020, about Ghislaine Maxwell moving to intensive care because of COVID-19 symptoms. | false |
19 | 13871 | John Faso took money from fossil fuel companies as they tried to take your land by eminent domain for a fracked gas pipeline. | Climate activists targeted BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, in London on Monday, demanding that major financial institutions starve fossil fuel companies of the money they need to build new mines, wells and pipelines. | mixture |
20 | 3077 | Officials alert health care providers of HIV surge. | Massachusetts officials alerted health care providers to test frequently for HIV and to quickly report new infections to the Public Health Department. | true |
21 | 30992 | The United States Secret Service arrested Alec Baldwin for threatening President Donald Trump at the 2017 Emmy Awards. | Other stories that have taken in readers of the site include claims that a Muslim mayor outlawed Christmas in 2017, and that a Muslim federal judge had ruled that two items of sharia law were now considered legal in the United States. Neither story had any truth to them whatsoever. | false |
22 | 32993 | Hillary Clinton is (or was) a member of Monsanto's board of directors. | But despite the rumor’s proliferation across social media, there’s no truth to the claim that Hillary Clinton sat on Monsanto’s board of directors at any point during her career. Moreover, we found no direct ties between Hillary Clinton and the agribusiness firm in regards to political fundraising. Apart from working with Crawford (whose firm has also provided services for Monsanto), Clinton has no obvious ties to the Monsanto corporation. | false |
23 | 15232 | Rhode Island will become just the second state to mandate the vaccine … and the only state to do so by regulatory fiat, without public debate, and without consideration from the elected representatives of the people. | """The center says """"Rhode Island will become just the second state to mandate the vaccine … and the only state to do so by regulatory fiat, without public debate, and without consideration from the elected representatives of the people."""" The center, in its statement, got two things right and two things wrong. It was right about Rhode Island being the second state and it was right that the requirement was not adopted by """"the elected representatives of the people."""" It was wrong when it said the vaccination requirement was imposed """"by fiat"""" and """"without public debate."""" In 2014, the ACLU sharply criticized the vaccine requirement at the public hearing and debated the proposal in social media and on its website. As for acting by fiat, the regulation was put in place through a process established by law. And comments at a public hearing influenced that process, leading to a decision by the director of health to delay execution of the policy for one year. More recently, the new health director told the public that philosophical objections were enough to qualify for the religious exemption. In other words, parents can pretty much say whatever they want to get exemptions for their children. (If you have a claim you’d like PolitiFact Rhode Island to check, email us at [email protected] And follow us on Twitter: @politifactri.)""" | mixture |
24 | 9605 | I’ll never go through shoulder surgery again, so here’s what I did | This story tells the tale of the writer’s experience using a new therapy for a rotator cuff injury, a procedure called platelet-rich plasma, or PRP. The writer previously had undergone traditional rotator cuff injury surgery and cited a long and difficult recovery, making the allegedly easier procedure and recovery from PRP more appealing. The story is problematic on several fronts, and was concerning enough that we used it to examine the hazards of first-person reporting on health interventions in a separate blog post, “Washington Post’s story on platelet-rich plasma injections highlights drawbacks of first-person health reporting.” In sum, it is a first-person account of one individual’s experience, not an actual report on the efficacy of a new approach to such injuries. Research-wise, it only cites, anecdotally, one tiny pilot study of the procedure and fails to provide any real data on those and other results, including a Cochrane systematic review, which is one of the most authoritative sources of evidence on hand today. It also leans heavily on quotes from the physician treating the writer, and provides no information that would convince readers that his statements are free from conflict. It’s also important to point out a factual error in the story: Injecting lidocaine into the shoulder or another area known as the subacromia bursa numbs up more than just the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff, itself, is not injected. Imagine sitting down over coffee with friends listening to one of them explain their latest medical experience. That’s what this story essentially is — one anecdote. It offers no data on success or failure of the procedure in question. A larger problem lies with the fact that the story ran in the Washington Post, one of the country’s leading newspapers and information source for hundreds of thousands of people, who might understandably assume the information in the story is more valuable than it is. Stories that report on advances in medicine, which interest us all, must have actual facts and data so that readers may evaluate their worth. This story lacks all that. | mixture |
25 | 37873 | CostCo stores will require shoppers to wear masks beginning on May 4, 2020. | Is CostCo Requiring Shoppers to Cover Their Faces? | true |
26 | 7453 | Brazil cities lurch to lockdowns amid virus crisis red flags. | Faced with overwhelmed hospitals and surging coronavirus deaths, Brazilian state and city governments are lurching forward with mandatory lockdowns against the will of President Jair Bolsonaro, who says job losses are more damaging than COVID-19. | true |
27 | 10931 | Laser Used to Blast Away Cells Causing Irregular Heartbeat | Another HealthDay, another story straight from a news release. Which might not be so bad if it only put things in a balanced perspective. Which this one doesn’t, as they often don’t. We also didn’t hear anything about why we don’t jump to conclusions after studies in just 27 people. And why was the pig research thrown in? To make the human findings seem more robust?! ? | false |
28 | 8069 | Slovakia's new government to sharply ramp up coronavirus testing. | Slovakia aims to sharply increase daily coronavirus testing in the next few weeks by bringing bringing in laboratories as the new government seeks to put a clamp on the coronavirus outbreak. | true |
29 | 26723 | The coronavirus is “simply the common cold.” | The 2019 coronavirus is part of a family of viruses that produce illnesses ranging from the common cold to more critical diseases such as SARS or MERS. The 2019 coronavirus is a new virus that had not been previously identified. Most cases of the 2019 coronavirus disease have been mild, but it’s been lethal for some people. | false |
30 | 10307 | Encouraging news about reversing heart disease | This is an enthusiastic story about the results of the ASTEROID Trial, which showed that very high doses of Crestor (a statin) caused regression of atherosclerosis as shown on intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in high risk patients. The story did not make clear that, while these results are intriguing, it is not clear that they will have any clinically meaningful impact on real cardiovascular outcomes, such as heart attack or death, compared to current practice. In fact, the story almost seems to makes leaps beyond what the evidence showed when it said, The study was not big enough to detect changes in the numbers of heart attacks or strokes but evidence suggests that eliminating plaque should lower the risk. There is no explanation of the availability of Crestor. Is it FDA approved? Is it on the market? The story can’t assume that everyone knows. The story also does not place the treatment within the context of other existing therapies. This is important given that the study did not compare the treatment to current practice – regular doses of statins. Although the story is based on trial results, so little information about the design of the trial is presented that the viewer has no basis on which to interpret the strength of the evidence. No harms or side effects are mentioned, which are likely to be significant given the high dose of the drug. No costs are mentioned and only a single source, the study’s lead author, is quoted. The lack of balanced information in this short story makes it very difficult for the viewer to be able to interpret the study results. | false |
31 | 31799 | Microwave ovens were banned in the USSR in 1976 to protect its citizens from harmful health effects. | The text from his website (which has a significant readership) has been repeated all over the web as fact, despite the truth that no such ban ever took place, and despite the fact that the claim stems from a possibly non-existent man with no apparent scientific credentials who may or may not have worked at the Atlantis Rising Educational Center in the late 1970s. | false |
32 | 31852 | Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain all died with white Bic lighters in their pockets. | Britain should not follow the European Union’s “Museum of Agriculture” and let false concerns over U.S. farming practices get in the way of a post-Brexit trade deal, the U.S. ambassador to London said on Saturday. | false |
33 | 12123 | Schools in Austin Independent School District are teaching children as young as 4 years old that their gender is fluid – that they’re not a boy or a girl and they can choose whichever gender they want. | """Hodge said: """"Schools in Austin Independent School District are teaching children as young as 4 years old that their gender is fluid – that they’re not a boy or a girl and they can choose whichever gender they want."""" Hodge didn’t deliver proof of Austin students including toddlers getting told that gender is fluid nor did we confirm such instruction. It’s clear otherwise that the district has put energy into teachers understanding that each child comes to terms with gender identity among developmental issues. Teacher training materials include a lesson plan describing gender identity varying along a spectrum.""" | false |
34 | 10149 | Spiriva as good as Serevent in asthma study | Helicopter pilot Mark Law did not hesitate to fly out to New Zealand’s White Island volcano immediately after it erupted to carry survivors to hospital, but after a harrowing week he knows his town’s adventure tourism industry faces an uncertain future. | mixture |
35 | 5243 | Massachusetts to help test addiction treatment rating system. | Massachusetts has agreed to participate in a new rating system that is being developed to measure the quality of addiction treatment programs. | true |
36 | 36991 | Secretary of State John Kerry’s daughter married an Iranian man with connections to an Iranian foreign minister who participated in nuclear negotiations. | John Kerry’s Daughter Married an Iranian with Connections to Nuclear Negotiators- Fiction! | false |
37 | 702 | U.N. urged by own staff to look at its climate footprint. | Close to 2,000 United Nations employees have called for the global body to reduce its carbon footprint, including through curbs on their own diplomatic perks like business-class flights and travel handouts, a letter obtained by Reuters showed. | true |
38 | 4639 | ALS patient behind ice bucket challenge: I will bounce back. | Pete Frates was mistakenly written off as dead this summer. Turns out, the man who helped spark the ice bucket challenge that raised millions of dollars for research on Lou Gehrig’s disease hasn’t gone anywhere yet. | true |
39 | 3801 | State Senate leader outlines agenda as lawmakers sworn in. | The Democratic leader of the Massachusetts Senate promised Wednesday to work for lower prescription drug costs, expanded mental health services and a reform to the state’s education funding formula as she laid out an ambitious agenda at the start of the Legislature’s new two-year session. | true |
40 | 10018 | Menopause: A flash of concern | For decades women have been encouraged to use hormone replacement therapy to stave off a variety of ills—from menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats to heart disease and osteoporosis. But as the result of new research over the past few years, more experts are urging caution. Recent findings suggest that women taking hormone therapy have slightly more heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, and breast cancer than those who do not. Now researchers are trying to understand how a woman’s individual characteristics might increase or lower her risks for these problems. This Newsweek story focuses on a minor component of a larger analysis about the potential influence of age and years since menopause on the risk of cardiovascular disease. The story says that certain older women are at increased risk of heart disease and heart attacks if they had lots of hot flashes and take hormone therapy. It quotes the study’s author saying this means that older women with these symptoms “should try to get off hormone therapy” and receive treatment for heart disease risks. Alerting readers to the potential significance of hot flashes and night sweats is alright—but only if it is accompanied by the clear message that the line connecting hot flashes and hormone therapy to heart attacks and death is convoluted and unclear. The “danger” is not statistically significant, remains hypothetical, and requires further research. The phrases “possibly” and “could be” don’t capture the provisional quality of the new findings. Readers will also appreciate hormone therapy’s risks better if they know their frequency. Exactly how many more women taking hormone therapy have problems than women taking no therapy? (Or, in researchers’ terms, what’s the absolute excess risk?) The published study included data on the risk of nonfatal heart attacks and death as well as stroke for women who took hormone therapy closer to menopause and others who took it more distant from menopause. For example, in a group of 10,000 women within 10 years of menopause, 6 fewer women had a heart attack or died while taking hormone therapy than while taking placebo, but 8 more had strokes. In a group of 10,000 who passed through menopause 20 years ago or more, 17 more women had a heart attack or died while taking hormone therapy than while taking placebo and 13 more had strokes. Some readers with bad hot flashes and night sweats might think these numbers are worth worrying about, and some might not. If readers had heard from an expert who was not a member of the research team, they might have been alerted to the shaky foundation of the “hot flash” findings and heard a less worrisome message. Accurately conveying the nuances of risks, benefits, and cost is the key to helping individual women make informed decisions. It should be noted that this story is accompanied by an extensive web-only feature with much more discussion. But readers of the print magazine version would not necessarily see this. | false |
41 | 29931 | """Sen. Elizabeth Warren once said: """"Having an abortion is no different than someone having their tonsils removed.""" | Contrary to the impression created by the LifeNews and NewsTarget articles, Warren was not likening a human fetus to a set of tonsils. Furthermore, the quotation included in the meme that re-emerged in January 2019 was a fabrication: Warren simply did not say, “Having an abortion is no different than someone having their tonsils removed.” | false |
42 | 26761 | Instagram posts Says no one has died from the coronavirus in the United States. | Nine people have died from the coronavirus in the United States. The first death was reported on March 1. | false |
43 | 14336 | """Rick Scott's Starbucks heckler Says Rick Scott """"cut Medicaid"""" so people can't """"get Obamacare.""" | """The activist at Starbucks said Rick Scott """"cut Medicaid"""" so people can't """"get Obamacare."""" Her point-blank accusation that Scott cut the program doesn’t fit. But through Scott’s inaction and the Florida House's resistance to expansion, many Floridians are not benefitting from either subsidies to buy private insurance or an expanded Medicaid. The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details.""" | mixture |
44 | 41009 | Italy is hit hard, experts say, only because they have the oldest population in Europe. | Whilst it is true that an older population has contributed to a high number of deaths in Italy, it may not be the sole reason. | true |
45 | 8737 | 'Enemy of mankind': Coronavirus deaths top SARS as China returns to work. | China raised the death toll from its coronavirus outbreak to 811 on Sunday, passing the number killed globally by the SARS epidemic, as authorities made plans for millions of people returning to work after an extended Lunar New Year break. | true |
46 | 12494 | Some of the safest communities in the United States are along the border. | """Ramos said, """"Some of the safest communities in the United States are along the border."""" Violent crime rates in some border communities are lower than in other parts of the United States, according to FBI data. The FBI has warned against using its crime rates to rank communities’ safety because doing so overlooks other factors. Yet, local law enforcement officials have said crime is low in their border communities, and heavy federal and local law enforcement presence may be deterring crime in border communities. """ | true |
47 | 2572 | Holiday fitness gifts trend from high-tech to basic. | Looking for the perfect holiday present for a fitness fan? Gift offerings this year range from apps that can store a run in the country to be viewed later to gadgets so sophisticated they measure quality of sleep as well as calories burned. | true |
48 | 40739 | The message claims that the singer Shakira was a guest on MTV and during a segment of live telephone calls refused to speak to an Israeli caller. She is quoted as having said that she’d rather have pigs listening to her music than Israelis. The eRumor encourages a boycott of Shakira’s music. | A New York court on Thursday temporarily halted a state ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, giving the embattled vaping industry a breather just a day before the state’s prohibition was due to take effect. | false |
49 | 34499 | """Secretary of State John Kerry """"funneled"""" taxpayer money into his daughter's global charity.""" | Given that Seed Global Health was expressly conceived to provide specialized services within the framework of the Global Health Service Partnership, it would appear to meet all necessary criteria for an exception to the requirement of open competition. | unproven |
50 | 26595 | An audio message lists five ways people can prevent the novel coronavirus. | An audio message lists 10 ways people can avoid contracting COVID-19. We fact-checked five of the most questionable claims. There is no evidence that sipping water every 20 minutes or exposing your clothing to the sun can help prevent the coronavirus. Officials advise people to wash their hands, but not every 20 minutes, as the message claims. There’s also no evidence that consuming cold things makes you more susceptible to the virus. There’s no proof that the coronavirus can live for up to nine days on metallic surfaces. A preliminary study suggests it can remain viable on stainless steel for up to three days. | false |
51 | 7606 | Mass virus test in nursing home seeks to combat loneliness. | Some were born in this warren of small rooms in what used to be a hospital, dating to the 17th century. Many are likely to die here. And all are currently confined to their rooms, denied the simple comfort of human companionship. | true |
52 | 23166 | Dwayne Bohac Says the Annie's List political group supports third-trimester abortions on demand. | """Texas Rep. Dwayne Bohac says Annie's List supports """"third-trimester abortion on demand""""""" | false |
53 | 10101 | Experiments test if implant can block sleep apnea | The story presents one glowing personal anecdote about the new devices but no sense of how much research has been done to date. It doesn’t discuss costs or spend enough time with independent experts. Because it selectively chooses the scariest facts about sleep apnea, it veers into disease-mongering, helping to hype these new devices without giving enough data about benefits from current approaches. Sleep apnea is a real problem for a minority of people. Usually it is a warning sign of another, even more serious problem: obesity. One of the unseen adverse effects of obesity is the development of sleep apnea. At the moment, about 12 million Americans have diagnosed sleep apnea. That number is expected to increase along with the increasing problem of obesity. At the moment, the symptoms of sleep apnea can be successfully managed with the use of specialized breathing masks used at night. Unfortunately many people cannot tolerate the masks, since they are uncomfortable and are very confining. Other somewhat more drastic approaches including surgery have not been widely adopted. That’s why another approach to sleep apnea is of interest. The technology described has been under development since the early 1990s and described in previous studies. Treating sleep apnea with a medical device might be effective for some, but people who are obese need to address the root causes of their weight. That approach might, indeed, include a medical device, such as a lap band, but targeting each “side effect” of obesity with a different device would lead to a mind boggling escalation of costs, not to mention the potential risks involved in each surgery. | false |
54 | 8628 | Tokyo reports 143 new coronavirus cases, highest jump in one day: governor. | Some 143 more cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in Tokyo, the city’s governor said on Sunday, with the highest daily jump bringing the number of cases in the Japanese capital to more than 1,000. | true |
55 | 15032 | """The gun industry is """"the only business in America that is wholly protected from any kind of liability.""" | """Clinton said the gun industry is """"the only business in America that is wholly protected from any kind of liability."""" Clinton is talking about a law that says the gun industry is protected from liability in certain instances, but the law also specifies several situations in which the gun industry is susceptible to lawsuits. Further, Congress has passed a number of laws that protect a variety of business sectors from lawsuits in certain situations, so the situation is not unique to the gun industry.""" | false |
56 | 35637 | A captive panda deliberately faked symptoms of pregnancy in order to obtain special treatment from her keepers. | Pandas that staff believe to be expecting are given a single, air-conditioned room, as well as more buns, fruit, and bamboo than non-pregnant pandas. | false |
57 | 6818 | Judge won’t end decades-old Everglades cleanup oversight. | A federal judge on Monday refused to end a decades-old court order that oversees water quality and environmental restoration in the sensitive Florida Everglades. | true |
58 | 37568 | A Washington, DC clergyman tested positive for COVID-19, potentially exposing congregants. | Did a Washington, DC Priest Expose Hundreds of Churchgoers to Coronavirus? | true |
59 | 12479 | """Dan Patrick Says Texas tax legislation would """"save the average homeowner in Texas $20,000 a year over the next 20 years or so.""" | Patrick said legislation targeting local tax rate growth will result in the average Texas homeowner saving $20,000 a year over 20 years. That’s an absurd amount. Even if we look at what Patrick purportedly meant to say — $20,000 over 20 years — we find major flaws in the assumptions underlying that calculation. To reach that amount, one must assume that every city, county and special taxing district will raise tax rates by 8 percent every year without this legislation in place and by 5 percent a year with it. Neither assumption is in line with recent history, making the total savings figure highly suspect, at best a wild guess. The statement is not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim. CORRECTION, 9:55 a.m., May 24, 2017: Thanks to a reader's nudge, we amended this story to correct our description of the second tax-rollback savings chart provided by Bettencourt. This revision did not affect our rating of the claim. | false |
60 | 3775 | No more menthol cigarettes: New ban on tobacco, vape flavors. | Massachusetts became the first state to ban flavored tobacco and nicotine vaping products, including menthol cigarettes, after Republican Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law on Wednesday a bill that’s meant to reduce the appeal of the products to young people amid a rash of illnesses and deaths linked to vaping. | true |
61 | 31187 | Indonesian villagers performed a rite that brought a dead woman back to life after three years in the grave. | The photograph does not show an actual zombie. | false |
62 | 14753 | """Medicaid expansion """"could cost the Commonwealth of Virginia over $1 billion a year...""" | """Landes, in a constituent survey, said Medicaid expansion """"could cost the Commonwealth of Virginia over $1 billion per year."""" That contradicts the latest estimates on expansion. Virginia’s gross cost in 2022 - the furthest out the projections go - would be $324 million. The net cost, after taking into account a variety of savings the expansion offers, would be $3.1 million. That’s light years away from Landes’ figure. Landes’ estimate rests on the eye-popping supposition that the federal government could decide in the future to cut nearly half of its commitment to pay 90 percent of the costs for expansion, leaving states holding the bag. But this is pure speculation of his part. There’s no effort in Congress now to cut the federal share at all, let alone by the proportion Landes suggests. There’s a burden on Landes to prove his statement with facts, and he comes up short.""" | false |
63 | 7171 | As wildfires grow deadlier, officials search for solutions. | Creating fire buffers between housing and dry brush, burying spark-prone power lines and lighting more controlled burns to keep vegetation in check could give people a better chance of surviving wildfires, according to experts searching for ways to reduce growing death tolls from increasingly severe blazes in California and across the U.S. West. | true |
64 | 16297 | """Some doctors say Ebola can be transmitted through the air by """"a sneeze or some cough.""" | Will said that some scientists say that Ebola can be transmitted in public by a sneeze or a cough. The source of that was a commentary about the risks to hospital workers treating people in advanced stages of the disease. One of the authors of that commentary said her work applied only to health care workers in those settings. The medical literature says sneezing and coughing are not part of the disease’s typical symptoms, and experts we reached drew a bright line between what might happen in a hospital isolation ward and a person with early symptoms of Ebola before he or she is admitted. There is no evidence that Ebola has been transmitted in the general public through coughing or sneezing. Will took a medical commentary out of context. | false |
65 | 14848 | The number of people in Atlanta dying from HIV and AIDS declined 59 percent between 2004 and 2012. | At a time when new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are down globally, Fulton County touted a report that showed its mortality rate dropped 59 percent from a peak in 2004. The report, and state data, back up the dramatic decline. While Atlanta remains in the top five cities in the nation for such deaths and still struggles with executing prevention programs, it also has seen the mortality rate drop since the report. | true |
66 | 28785 | Stem cells can be harvested from baby teeth, so it's a good idea to preserve them in private stem cell banks for future use in medical treatments. | What's true: Research shows that stem cells can be harvested from baby teeth and have potential dental and medical uses in repairing and regenerating tissues, and commercial facilities exist for the preservation and storage of dental stem cells for future use, at a price. What's undetermined: Whether, to what degree, or when such potential uses for dental stem cells will actually come to pass. | mixture |
67 | 14624 | Bioweapon! Zika virus is being spread by GMO mosquitos (sic) | """An Internet rumor propagated in a YouTube video claims that the """"Zika virus is being spread by GMO mosquitos (sic)."""" There’s no evidence that this is true. The argument offered — where the Zika outbreak occurred matches up with where the transformed mosquitoes were released — doesn’t hold up. What’s more, the mosquitoes in question were specifically engineered to self-destruct before they can spread viruses. This claim is both inaccurate and ridiculous.""" | false |
68 | 17148 | """Freedom Partners Says Bruce Braley took """"tens of thousands from his friends in the health insurance industry"""" and gave them """"special favors"""" by voting for Obamacare.""" | """Freedom Partners’ ad claims that Braley took """"tens of thousands from his friends in the health insurance industry"""" and gave them """"special favors"""" by voting for Obamacare. Braley did take tens of thousands of dollars from the insurance industry, though from all types of insurers, not just health insurers. However, Braley, like most Democrats, had campaigned on expanding health coverage to the uninsured, and then, faced with a landmark and highly partisan vote, carried through on his stated intentions. It’s ridiculous to suggest that donors who contributed less than 1 percent of his warchest weighed more heavily on his vote than his ideology, his past campaign promises and his partisan affiliation.""" | false |
69 | 33670 | Shaving makes your hair grow back in thicker, faster, and fuller. | Does hair grow back darker or thicker after it has been shaved? | false |
70 | 3165 | Arkansas election office may move due to high mold levels. | Mold contamination at an election commission office in Arkansas is so extreme that staff health and electronic voting machines are at risk, and officials are looking for an alternative working space. | true |
71 | 1391 | Britain confirms bird flu case in Lancashire, to cull infected poultry. | The H5N8 bird flu strain has been found in a flock of about 10,000 pheasants at a farm in Lancashire, northwest England, British authorities said on Tuesday. | true |
72 | 16316 | """If Florida expanded Medicaid, """"some studies indicate it would create about 120,000 jobs.""" | """Crist said """"some studies indicate"""" expanding Medicaid would """"create about 120,000 jobs."""" Crist was referring to one study done for the Florida Hospital Association, a supporter of Medicaid expansion. That study predicted about 120,000 new jobs. There have been several studies that predict job growth related to Medicaid expansion, with one study putting the figure as low as 10,000 jobs. Crist cherry-picked the study with the highest statistic and omitted that it was done for an association that supports the expansion. Most economists and Medicaid experts say that it’s likely that the infusion of federal cash would lead to some jobs, but it is difficult to pinpoint the number.""" | mixture |
73 | 41639 | £1.8 billion of ‘new money’ has been announced for the NHS over the next five years. | £850 million has been announced for 20 hospitals over the next five years and £1 billion for the NHS in capital funding this year. The £1 billion is money that NHS trusts previously earned through a cost-cutting incentive scheme, but were then told not to spend. It is ‘new’ in the sense that the Treasury had not previously budgeted for them spending it. | mixture |
74 | 40835 | Increasing the international health surcharge to £625 and extending it to all foreign workers, including EU migrants after Brexit, will raise over £500 million a year. | It’s unclear how the Conservatives have calculated this figure. We’ve asked for more information. | unproven |
75 | 2258 | Britain loses case to delay submission of air pollution plan. | The British government has failed in a legal bid to delay the publication of its plan to tackle air pollution until after the general election on June 8. | true |
76 | 21809 | You see a whole bunch of Korean cars here in the United States, and you don't see any American cars in Korea. | Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) plans to ramp up manufacturing capacity for its lower-cost continuous glucose monitor, the FreeStyle Libre, by three to five times in the next few years, aiming to reach millions more patients worldwide, the company told Reuters. | true |
77 | 11447 | Tai Chi Reported to Ease Fibromyalgia | This is a well considered look at a limited study of an unusual approach to a disorder that has stumped clinicians for decades. It is the only one of the five stories we reviewed that quoted a patient about her experience. This has pluses and minuses. The patient’s extraordinary improvement after tai chi could give reader’s the impression that it will work for everyone. At the same time, it shows that the reporter attempted to gather a fuller picture of the study than most of the other reporters covering it. It could have included more cost information and could have examined the evidence a little more closely. Still, it is the best of the five stories we reviewed. With a sensational topic like tai chi for a debilitating syndrome it is important to write even more clearly and dispassionately as possible. Whether clinicians really have a handle on what causes fibromyalgia remains to be seen, but the truth is that many patients feel shackled to the condition. If an alternative therapy can liberate them without surgery or dependency on long-term drug therapy, that would indeed be reason to celebrate. | true |
78 | 10042 | FDA approves AbioCor heart | This is an extremely upbeat article for use of an artificial heart device in the treatment of a very select subset of individuals with end stage heart failure. While mentioning that this device is only for patients with advanced heart failure who have no other options and would otherwise die, the story just three sentences later quotes a surgeon stating that the device’s approval “gives tons of hope to people with end-stage heart failure”. This paints a somewhat unrealistic picture about the limited group of patients for whom the device is an option. In addition to only being intended for those who are not eligible for a heart transplant and who would likely live less than a month without the device, it is only for patients whose chest is large enough to hold the device. Only the results from the longest living recipient of the device were included in the article. For balance, it would have been useful to include the average amount of time that people survived with the device as well as some mention of consequences of the treatment that may affect quality of life. Further, it is hard to predict who will live “less than a month,” a theme not addressed in the story. It is possible that some recipients may have their life shortened (death in surgery or immediately thereafter). Costs are not fully explained. A price range of $200,000 to $250,000 for the device was included in the story. However, there was no mention of physician fees or hospital stay costs. The article contained quotes from physicians directly involved in the clinical trial leading to the humanitarian device exemption, family members of patients who had, on balance, positive experiences with the device and the director of the FDA division responsible for the decision. The article would have been improved had it contained the views of some individuals slightly more removed from the device itself to help provide a framework in which to consider the ramifications of this treatment. | mixture |
79 | 9578 | New treatment offers some hope for an unshakable tremor | This story describes a recently FDA-approved device to treat essential tremor in patients who have not responded to medication. The ExAblate Neuro, made by Dallas-based InSightec, uses magnetic resonance images taken during the procedure to deliver focused ultrasound that destroys tissue in the thalamus, the part of the brain where tremors are believed to originate. Results of a randomized clinical trial on the device’s safety and efficacy were published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine. The story and accompanying video (seen at right) vividly illustrate rapid symptom improvements, highlighting a 72-year-old woman who says the procedure changed her life by allowing her to “eat like a normal person” and easily perform basic tasks such as signing her name and folding a scarf. This powerful patient anecdote throws the balance off: Imagine how different the story would seem if the video instead showed a patient who had improved, but also was affected by one of the serious adverse effects caused by the treatment. Also, the story needed specific numbers on the measured benefits and harms, along with a discussion of costs and alternative treatment options. Note: We also reviewed the news release that was issued to journalists about this study. While not life threatening, essential tremor can be debilitating, especially affecting people in their advanced years. The ExAblate Neuro, which the FDA calls the first focused ultrasound device to treat essential tremor in patients who have not responded to medication, offers a somewhat less invasive treatment option than traditional surgical approaches. It’s certainly newsworthy. But all of the facts, including long-term efficacy data, are not in. Stories that feature glowing patient anecdotes and positive physician commentary need to be balanced with plenty of data that can help patients and their families decide whether this treatment might be worth seeking out. | true |
80 | 9710 | FDA Approves Roche’s Cotellic Treatment for Melanoma | This story reports on U.S. Food & Drug Administration approval of Cotellic in combination with vemurafenib to treat advanced melanoma, cancer that has spread throughout the body. The story adheres very closely to the FDA announcement and includes ample information on the side effects. However, the story does not convey the actual efficacy of this drug combination, stating only that that “The FDA said the safety and efficacy of Cotellic in combination with vemurafenib were shown in a clinical study of 495 patients.” There is no indication of how well this drug combination works and it is also not made immediately clear that this drug combination works only for one genetic varient of melanoma, the BRAF V600 mutation. We think the most egregious problem with this story is that nothing at all is said about the cost of this drug. The combination is reportedly going to be priced at $17,600 per month. According to the FDA, melanoma is the most aggressive and dangerous form of skin cancer in the United States. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 73,870 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma and 9,940 will die from the disease this year. The incidence of melanoma among younger people is increasing. Once melanoma has spread to other parts of the body it is very difficult to treat. | false |
81 | 42183 | """FDA-approved """"synthetic marijuana"""" leads to deaths in Illinois.""" | Q: Did an FDA-approved form of “synthetic marijuana” lead to recent deaths in Illinois? A: No. The drugs that have killed four people in the last two months are unregulated and illegal. | false |
82 | 28199 | Sen. David Perdue advised attendees to offer up an ominous prayer aimed at President Obama during the 2016 Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference. | What's true: Sen. David Perdue referenced Psalms 109:8 at an event; Perdue's representative later denied he wished death on the President. What's false: Sen. Perdue didn't explicitly state attendees at the conference should pray expressly for the President to die. | true |
83 | 26471 | This is COVID-19, not COVID-1, folks. And so you would think the people charged with the World Health Organization facts and figures would be on top of that. | Conway suggested that the World Health Organization should have been on top of the novel coronavirus earlier on because “this is COVID-19, not COVID-1.” COVID-19 stands for “coronavirus disease 2019” — reflecting the year in which the disease was first identified. Conway later said on Twitter that she knows why the disease is named as such. | false |
84 | 8947 | Fermented dairy products may protect against heart attack | The study described in this news release is a 20-year observational analysis of a very specific subgroup: Men from Eastern Finland, ages 42-60. The research question is: how do fermented dairy products (like yogurt, kefir, sour milk, cottage cheese, and quark) compare with non-fermented dairy (mostly milk) when it comes to the risk of heart attacks? The authors of this study of just under 2,000 men report that men who consumed more low-fat/fermented dairy had lower rates of heart attack compared with men who consumed less of those products. But we get no sense of just how much difference there was between the groups, the volumes of dairy that had to be consumed, or what limitations of the study might make the findings debatable. Further, the release engages in some cause-and-effect language when describing fermented dairy products’ potential affect on cardiovascular health but these kinds of claims can’t be supported by an observational study. Fortunately, the news release does not use unjustifiable language, and does make it clear that the mechanisms of action behind the study’s findings are not completely understood. There is an emerging assumption that fermented dairy products might be “pro-biotic” and, therefore, “heart-friendly.” But, at this time, that remains purely speculative. There’s currently no proof that any alleged pre-biotic or pro-biotic — or dairy product, for that matter — protects against heart disease. Because CHD is a key cause of sickness and death, it is important to understand dietary patterns that might prevent or postpone the disease. Although this research is interesting, it is not conclusive because of issues discussed below. | false |
85 | 8247 | UK calls for 250,000 volunteers as virus deaths surge. | The number of coronavirus deaths in Britain jumped on Tuesday, the first day of a national lockdown, while the government called for 250,000 volunteers for the health service and announced a temporary hospital would open in London next week. | true |
86 | 10118 | FDA approves first inhalable version of insulin | This is a story about FDA approval for an inhaled form of insulin marketed as Exubera. The story discusses how this new form of insulin delivery may affect diabetics, possibly increasing adherence to blood sugar management by reducing the need for injected insulin. A cost comparison of the two forms of insulin is provided. There are appropriate caveats from medical professionals who specialize in diabetes care regarding the need for continued insulin injections for some diabetics. These warnings are contradictory to the story’s sub-headline which states that Exubera is an “alternative to daily injections”. (We realize that reporters don’t write headlines, but someone at AP is responsible for it.) Some diabetics, especially those with Type 1 diabetes, may need a longer-acting injected insulin and cannot rely solely on inhaled insulin. The story discusses some potentially serious side effects, such as a decrease in lung capacity in some people, however, there is no data on the incidence of this or other side effects. Overall, there is little quantitative information on the efficacy of the new form of insulin compared with the existing method of insulin delivery. While investors may be interested that this could be a “$1 billion a year seller for Pfizer”, diabetics who are considering inhaled insulin would appreciate quantitative information on the risks and benefits of Exubera. | true |
87 | 99 | Iran's thirsty energy industry runs up against water shortage. | The plan to build a petrochemical plant near the Iranian city of Firouzabad had everything usually needed to get a project off the ground: approval from the nation’s top authority, funding from the Revolutionary Guards and plentiful gas feedstock. | true |
88 | 30597 | Tamiflu is responsible for the increased number of deaths this flu season. | While Tamiflu does list some scary side effects in its insert, these side effects are both rare and irrelevant to the increased number of influenza deaths this year. | false |
89 | 12926 | """The Obama administration issued an """"11th-hour rule that entrenches federal family planning funding for Planned Parenthood.""" | """Ernst said the Obama administration issued an """"11th-hour rule that entrenches federal family planning funding for Planned Parenthood."""" It may be a slight exaggeration to use the word """"entrench,"""" since there are ways to overturn the rule within a matter of months, and it should be noted that the rule would affect a variety of other health care providers, not just Planned Parenthood, Still, it’s hard to argue that this was not an 11th-hour rule, and in general we find that Ernst has characterized pretty accurately what the Obama administration did.""" | true |
90 | 6671 | Plague confirmed in prairie dogs in Commerce City. | Plague has been confirmed in prairie dogs at several sites in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, prompting officials to close some parks and take other precautions. | true |
91 | 8556 | Indonesia reports biggest jump in coronavirus deaths as Malaysia trend improves. | Indonesia reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus deaths on Thursday, bringing the total confirmed number to 280 in the world’s fourth most populous country, the highest death toll in Asia outside China where the virus first emerged. | true |
92 | 26473 | Facebook post Says Michigan COVID-19 order bans gardening and the sale of vegetable seeds and fruit. | An executive order by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer does not prohibit gardening or the sale of any particular product. Stores in Michigan larger than 50,000 square feet must close areas that sell carpet or flooring, furniture and paint, as well as garden centers and plant nurseries. | false |
93 | 21026 | """Greg Walden Says the federal stimulus program was ineffective because """"the number of jobs has actually decreased by 18,300 through July 2011.""" | Greg Walden says stimulus hasn't helped Oregon gain jobs | mixture |
94 | 7454 | Rules for reopening hotels, gyms, attractions taking shape. | A panel tasked with reopening New Hampshire’s economy amid the easing threat from the coronavirus pandemic agreed Tuesday on proposals for seven sectors, among them lodging, outdoor attractions and gyms. | true |
95 | 22806 | The Greenest County in America. | """DeKalb """"greenest county in nation"""" claim gets muddy""" | false |
96 | 6183 | New California laws help animals, fire victims, immigrants. | Hundreds of new California laws take effect with the start of the new year, including measures stemming from the devastating wildfires that have swept the state. Others address animal rights, criminal justice, businesses and health care. Among them: | true |
97 | 21950 | Ten percent of violent deaths in the U.S. each year are due to strangulation. | R.I. Rep. DaSilva says 1 in 10 violent deaths in U.S. are caused by strangulation | false |
98 | 37880 | Quarantine is when you restrict the movement of sick people. | A Facebook meme asserted “QUARANTINE IS WHEN YOU RESTRICT THE MOVEMENT OF SICK PEOPLE, TYRANNY IS WHEN YOU RESTRICT THE MOVEMENT OF HEALTHY PEOPLE,” and it demonstrated lack of knowledge about the pandemic on myriad levels.Historically and through 2020, quarantine was never designed to apply to “sick people”; the word for that is isolation. Quarantine, by contrast, was for people who might have been exposed to an infectious disease, for the duration of the time that they might pass the disease on to others. Finally, 25 to 50 percent of coronavirus carriers never get sick, and just over one percent of Americans had been tested as of April 2020. The meme was not only ignorant, but dangerously so — in fact, it ought to be quarantined until it can no longer do harm. | false |
99 | 37893 | """Hot mic"""" video from a White House coronavirus briefing revealed a far lower """"real"""" case-fatality rate, as well as the existence of a vaccine provided to the government and the press corps (but not you.)""" | Did a ‘Hot Mic’ at Coronavirus White House Briefing Reveal a COVID-19 Conspiracy? | false |