TASK DEFINITION: Generate an explanation for the given claim using the provided supporting material from the paragraph. Please consider the following points while generating an output. 1) The claim will always have supporting proof in the paragraph, and the paragraph will have a clear point of view supporting the claim. 2) There can be instances where direct correlation to the claim is not available. Make use of the sentences in the paragraph to provide a corresponding output supporting the claim. 3) The explanation should be at least one and at most twelve sentences long.
PROBLEM: Paragraph: Major European stock markets dived more than 7%, Japanese indexes fell over 5% and U.S. markets sank over 7% after Saudi Arabia launched an oil price war with Russia that sent investors already spooked by the coronavirus epidemic running for the exits. In Italy, scene of Europe’s worst outbreak with infections and deaths still soaring, the government took its most drastic steps yet to contain the outbreak, affecting some 60 million people. It ordered everyone across the country not to move around other than for work and emergencies, banned all public gatherings and suspended sporting events, including soccer matches. Deaths in Milan’s Lombardy region - which had already been on lockdown with cinemas, theaters and museums closed and restaurant hours restricted - jumped 25% in a day to 333, while the national death toll soared by 97 to 463, the highest in the world after China. Over 9,000 people have become infected in Italy in little over two weeks, out of a global total of more than 113,000 in over 100 countries. Nearly 4,000 people have died across the world, the vast majority in mainland China. “Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. But he welcomed Italy’s tough measures, noting that just four countries - China, South Korea, Italy and Iran - accounted for 93% of cases worldwide. Israel ordered anyone entering the country to self-quarantine for 14 days on Monday. “It would be the first pandemic that could be controlled,” Tedros added. “The bottom line is we are not at the mercy of the virus.”  In the United States, which has reported over 600 cases and 26 deaths, the administration scrambled on Monday to assure Americans it was responding to the outbreak as stock markets plunged and top health officials urged some people to avoid cruise ships, air travel and big public gatherings. U.S. President Donald Trump, who continued to play down the threat posed by the flu-like virus, said he would announce economic measures on Tuesday and would discuss a payroll tax cut with Congress to bolster the economy. Trump recently spent time with two members of Congress, including one who rode on Air Force One, who are self-quarantining over concerns about exposure to the virus. Vice President Michael Pence said he did not know if Trump had been tested for coronavirus. Around the world, flights have been canceled, communities and cruise liners isolated, and concerts and trade fairs postponed. While some countries, such as China and Italy, have turned to drastic measures to try to delay the spread of the virus, others remain in a “containment” phase, where individual cases can still be tracked. Britain, with five deaths from almost 300 confirmed cases, said it would remain in that phase for now, allowing major gatherings and sporting events to continue, while making extensive preparations to move to the “delay phase.”  In neighboring Ireland, acting Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said a 3 billion euro ($3.4 billion) coronavirus package had been agreed. Funds set aside for a potential sudden rupture in trade ties with Britain, which has left the European Union, were to be diverted to coronavirus mitigation. Perhaps just as dramatically, Varadkar announced  cancellation of all parades planned for the national St. Patrick’s Day festival on March 17, including one in Dublin that draws more than 500,000 people from all over the world. In Spain, schools were closed across the Madrid region and the Basque capital Vitoria for two weeks as cases topped 1,200 nationwide. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said an emergency economic plan had been prepared. In the Gulf region, where most cases stem from travel from Iran, the emphasis has been on border control. Saudi Arabia said it would fine people who did not disclose health information and travel details at entry up to $133,000. Iran, with 7,161 cases and 237 deaths, said it was temporarily releasing about 70,000 prisoners because of the coronavirus. China and South Korea both reported a slowdown in new infections. Mainland China, outside the outbreak center of Hubei province, recorded no new locally transmitted coronavirus cases for the second day. South Korea reported 165 new cases, bringing the national tally to 7,478, while the death toll rose by one to 51. With the rate of increase in new infections at its lowest  in 11 days, President Moon Jae-in said South Korea could enter the “phase of stability” soon. In Italy, that phase still seems far off. Authorities said seven prisoners died as riots spread through more than 25 jails across the country over measures imposed to contain the coronavirus. Police and fire trucks massed outside the main prison in the northern town of Modena, the site of some of the worst violence. Barkeepers in Rome and Milan said police had visited them to warn that they risked closure if they let customers huddle together. “We went into the cafe together but were told to stand far apart. It was really odd because we are friends,” said Ilaria Frezza, a 21-year-old student. But the bar she was in was, in fact, almost deserted. “I wish I was having problems keeping people apart, but that’s the least of my worries,” said Franco Giovinazzo, who runs the Spazio Caffe in Rome. “The real problem is there’s no-one here.”  (Graphic: Coronavirus spreads in China and beyond, here)  (Graphic: Tracking the novel coronavirus, here)  (Online package of coronavirus news, here) Claim: Stocks savaged, Italy on lockdown, Trump seeks to reassure as coronavirus spreads.

SOLUTION: All of Italy under lockdown, reeling financial markets and rioting prisoners made clear on Monday how the global coronavirus epidemic was extending its reach into all aspects of social and economic life.

PROBLEM: Paragraph: "Pitching for a bump in the minimum wage, a labor leader suggested a hike could save all Texans money by elevating low-income workers who’d no longer need government help. We don’t know about that. But we flipped on the Texas Truth-O-Meter after John Patrick, president of the Texas AFL-CIO, said at a January 2017 Capitol press conference: ""If you have a family, the current minimum wage easily qualifies you for food stamps."" Really? ""Food stamps"" is an outdated term referring to food benefits available to income-eligible residents through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Beneficiaries purchase food and groceries using electronic benefit transfer cards. Nationally on average in 2015, about 45.8 million people in 22.5 million households monthly participated in SNAP, according to the federal government, and because benefits are available to most low-income households, participants represent a broad cross-section of the nation's poor. A November 2016 U.S. Department of Agriculture report states that in the year, 55 percent of SNAP households with children included people with jobs. Still, the average gross income of participating households was $786 a month, the report says, which breaks out to $9,432 a year. We asked the Texas AFL-CIO for the basis of Patrick’s claim. By email, spokesman Ed Sills said a full-time minimum-wage Texas worker earns $7.25 an hour (identical to the federal minimum). Multiplied over 2,000 work hours in a year, that’s an annual income of approximately $14,500. The labor group’s use of 2,000 hours in a work year contrasts with the 2,087-hour work year used by the federal government in its data assumptions. Using that figure, a single full-time worker would earn $15,130 in a year. Sills otherwise said that according to maximum monthly income limits posted by the state, a family could easily qualify for SNAP with a single worker earning the minimum wage. He pointed out the relevant chart, posted on a Texas Health and Human Services Commission web page titled  ""SNAP Food Benefits."" We proceeded to crunch the figures, which mostly supported Patrick’s claim, though we also noticed Patrick hadn’t said if he was thinking solely of families with one full-time minimum-wage worker; Sills told us by phone that he believed so. A twist Then came a twist causing us to realize the commission-posted figures were out of date. We recognized as much when Christine Mann, a commission press officer, responded to our inquiry about Patrick’s claim by providing SNAP-eligibility household income thresholds lower than the thresholds on the agency’s SNAP food benefits web page--which Mann told us would be updated. Mann later provided a commission web link to the up-to-date income eligibility figures. For our part, we spotted the same income-eligibility numbers on a USDA web page that describes the figures as in effect for the fiscal year running through September 2017. Mann’s response also indicated that qualifying for SNAP is more complicated than simply grossing less than a particular threshold. ""Eligibility for SNAP is based on household size, the countable amount of gross and net income for all mandatory household members, and allowed deductions"" for items including shelter, utilities, child care and medical expenses, Mann wrote. Agency confirmation Mann otherwise told us that a single minimum-wage full-time worker in a household of two to three people would draw monthly gross income of $1,255.70. In support of Patrick’s claim, that amount runs short of the up-to-date income thresholds to qualify for SNAP of $1,736 a month for a two-person household or $2,184 a month for a three-person household. Bigger households with a single full-time minimum-wage worker would qualify too, we calculated, as would households of four or more with two full-time minimum-wage workers. We identified one exception: A household of three with two full-time minimum-wage workers, which would have a combined gross monthly income of $2,511.40, would earn too much to qualify for SNAP at the qualifying gross-income threshold of $2,184 a month for a household of three. We separately asked the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities, which says it advocates for conditions enabling every Texan to be healthy, well-educated and financially secure, to assess Patrick’s statement. By email, Oliver Bernstein described calculations like our own; he said the claim holds up. Our ruling Patrick said that in Texas, ""if you have a family, the current minimum wage easily qualifies you for food stamps."" Our finding is that a household of two or more residents including a single full-time minimum-wage worker would clearly qualify for SNAP as would a household of four or more with two full-time minimum-wage workers. A three-person household with two such workers would gross too much to qualify. – The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information. Claim: If you have a family, the current minimum wage easily qualifies you for food stamps.

SOLUTION: "Patrick said that in Texas, ""if you have a family, the current minimum wage easily qualifies you for food stamps."" Our finding is that a household of two or more residents including a single full-time minimum-wage worker would clearly qualify for SNAP as would a household of four or more with two full-time minimum-wage workers. A three-person household with two such workers would gross too much to qualify."

PROBLEM: Paragraph: "The article states that the costs are “generally … close to $45,000.” The news story notes in a sentence that hip replacement has a success rate of more than 90%, and defines “success” as “relatively pain-free mobility.” The article also clearly states why this new device was developed — to provide longer lifetime use prior to device failure. It quantifies this benefit vaguely, saying the device is ""much more durable"" and lasts ""much longer."" The news story focuses on one main harm—squeaking in hip implants made of ceramic—and provides estimates of its prevalence. A spokesperson for the hip maker points out that hip replacement has other potential risks as well, including infection, dislocation, and leg-length discrepancy. The news story makes it fairly clear that the research it is citing is from cohort studies. The first mention of the prevalence of squeaking in ceramic hip implants appears to cite the highest known estimate—7% of ceramic implants in one study of 143 patients. Only later do readers discover that other studies suggest the prevalence of the problem may be much smaller, from 3% (in a study of 1500 people) to less than 1%. This is not disease mongering, but it could cause some people to fear ceramic hip implants more than may be justified. In addition, the Times article says no squeaking occurred in patients with metal and plastic implants. But a recent 2007 review in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS) reported that squeaking in similar implants made out of metal and plastic occurred in 4% of patients. (JBJS 2007;89:1874-85) If the JBJS review is accurate, the news story would be misleading. Unfortunately, the JBJS failed to support its own contention with a complete reference. The story cites 4 patients, 4 surgeons, a spokesperson for implant maker Stryker, and a lawyer representing aggrieved patients. All in all, they provide a balance of viewpoints. The story mentions a conflict of interest for one surgeon. It appears that 2 of the patients are clients of the lawyer. The story points out that the alternatives to a ceramic total hip replacement include hip replacements with implants made from metal and plastic. It doesn’t mention whether there are nonsurgical alternatives to hip replacement, but this is beyond the scope of the story. The story does not explicitly state that ceramic hip replacements are approved by the FDA, but with “tens of thousands” implanted, it’s clear that surgeons’ adoption of the devices is widespread. The FDA’s warning to implant maker Stryker about squeaking suggests the devices may not be perfect, but are approved. The story notes that Stryker introduced ceramic hip implants into the U.S. in 2003. The story cites several sources and does not appear to rely solely or largely on a news release." Claim: That Must Be Bob. I Hear His New Hip Squeaking.

SOLUTION:
This is a well-reported news story about hip replacements that squeak. The story covers all the basics—including the availability, costs, novelty, harms, and benefits of the implants. It provides a reasonable description of the evidence and treatment options, and is loaded with sources and case studies. If there is a problem with the story, it is the suggestion that squeaking is unique to implants made from ceramic. While the Times story cites a study showing “no squeaks occurred among … patients who received hips made of metal and plastic,” some researchers say metal and plastic hips emit noise as well.