What Would It Mean to Codify Roe v. Wade? [...] Takeaways - Codifying Roe v. Wade would mean passing a law that would affirm a pregnant person’s right to an abortion without undue interference - The most effective way to codify Roe v. Wade would be for Congress to pass a law, such as the Women’s Health Protection Act, that would be binding for all states. This act was passed in the House on September 24, but it is considered unlikely to pass in the Senate - Unless Roe v. Wade is codified, blue states will likely decide to codify Roe, while red states will continue to enact restrictions on abortion rights, like the 2021 Texas Abortion Law [...] Laskowski: Have Democrats proposed codifying Roe v. Wade before and why weren’t they successful?


ABC News reporter said “government tried to kill” former President Donald Trump.

FACT CHECK: No, ABC News Reporter Pierre Thomas Did Not Say The Government Tried To Kill Trump A video shared on X claims ABC News journalist Pierre Thomas said the U.S. government tried to kill 2024 Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump when reporting on the shooting that occurred at Trump’s July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. [...] The X video claims Thomas said the government tried to kill Trump when reporting on the shooting that occurred at the former Republican President’s July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. "NEW: ABC host claims the United States government tried to kill President Trump!" the post’s caption reads. The report is focused on a new video from mere seconds after the shooting, Thomas says during the segment.


In Afghanistan, “over 100 billion dollars spent on military contracts.”

Over the 20-year period of the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of Defense paid various companies about $108 billion in contracts for work performed in the country, according to our latest research. This is in addition to the trillions of dollars spent on Department of Defense contracts performed in the U.S. over that period – and does not include other goods and services produced in the U.S. and used in the war in Afghanistan, such as weapons. What’s more, this figure is just a fraction of the over $14 trillion in Pentagon spending since the start of the war in Afghanistan in total, with one-third to one-half of the total going to military contractors. Over one-third of the contract spending went to "undisclosed" recipients – domestic and foreign businesses who are not uniquely identifiable in the publicly available contracting databases – USASpending.gov and the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). Of the $108 billion spent in Afghanistan from fiscal years 2002-2022, over 40 percent went to the 14 largest companies, which each received over one billion dollars in total contract spending, with the largest receiving over $13.5 billion. There were also thousands of smaller contracts.


News reports show the Pentagon spent $107.9 billion on contracted services in Afghanistan. To be sure, not all of the money was spent appropriately, according to a new report from a special inspector general.


“New Haven, Conn., had to issue bonds for a bridge after using funds for that bridge to pay for a police misconduct settlement."

In 2017, New Haven, Conn., had to pay $8.4 million to settle a police misconduct lawsuit. It drew the funds from other city programs, and restored them the next year using proceeds from bond sales. Few municipalities track the total cost of these lawsuits, which total millions nationally each year.


Ward of the State: New Haven’s Use of Federal and State Grants in the Financing of Public BridgesNew Haven railyards, connecting the city’s downtown with its harbor. This time the city government was onboard. With the cooperation of the local congresswoman, the Mayor testified before Congress in pursuit of federal funding. A $19 million earmark was inserted into the transportation appropriations bill. The $32 million bridge opened in 2003, funded almost entirely by federal and state grants. The Grand Avenue and Church Street Bridges illustrate a dramatic change in the financing of New Haven’s bridges. One hundred years ago, all bridges within the city, even those ordered by the federal government or located on state highways, were constructed using city funds raised through bond issues. Today, almost all locally owned bridges within the city, even those that mainly benefit New Haven residents, are primarily funded through federal and state grants. Of the $12.55 million the city will spend on bridge construction and rehabilitation in 2009-2010, only $490,000 will come from municipally raised revenues. The growth in federal and state grants, for all types of goods and services, has occurred across the country.


Says Taylor Swift “announced a fund raising concert with Beyoncé in support of Harris” on July 23.

Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Mitt Romney: Key endorsements to watch ahead of November by Jared Gans - 05/22/24 6:00 AM ET by Jared Gans - 05/22/24 6:00 AM ET [...] Swift endorsed Biden for president shortly before the 2020 election, saying she believed Biden and now-Vice President Harris would start a "healing process" for the country. [...] Beyoncé has been more active in politics than Swift. She and her husband, Jay-Z, helped raise millions of dollars for Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, and both performed at a concert supporting Hillary Clinton just before Election Day 2016.


Taylor Swift didn’t announce on July 23 a fundraiser for Vice President Kamala Harris.


Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed a law that would “take children away from their parents if the parents don’t want to consent to sex changes.”

Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation Thursday that further enshrines the right to abortion and gender-affirming care into law and another that bans so-called conversion therapy. [...] Walz previously signed an executive order restricting conversion therapy in the state in 2021. And earlier this year, the Democratic governor codified the right to abortion in the state and signed an executive order in March directing state agencies to protect and support access to gender-affirming health care across the state. [...] The laws Walz signed Thursday include the reproductive health care and gender-affirming care bills, HF366 and HF146, which will shield people from legal action that other states may levy over such care.


"I think it’s pretty weird to try to take children away from their parents if the parents don’t want to consent to sex changes," Vance said Aug. 7 at a campaign event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. "That’s something that Tim Walz did." Other conservatives made similar claims. Fox News host Jesse Watters said the law Walz supported "removes a child from their parents’ home if the parents don’t want to castrate them." Political commentator Megyn Kelly wrote on X that the law "lets the state take away (your) kids" if you don’t agree to gender-affirming care. [...] The law would neither "take away" a parent’s custody rights, nor would it authorize the government to take custody of a child just because a parent objects to gender-affirming care.


Shooting, Kenosha police shoot Jacob Blake in Wisconsin on Aug. 23, 2020, Kenosha protesters, police clash again after Black man shot, Federal investigators launch a civil rights probe into shooting of Jacob Blake, My 2018 election was the first time Speaker Robin Vos has lost a Republican-held seat. [60], Former Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said "these shots pierce the soul of our nation" and called for an "immediate, full, and transparent investigation". The Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times last month told investigators he thought Blake was trying to abduct one of his … Cuomo's daughter, Gov. Gunshot wounds; paralyzed from the waist down; damage to his stomach, kidney, and liver; most of small intestines and colon removed. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. This page was last edited on 26 October 2020, at 20:04. "When asked about court-packing, Biden's staff immediately escorts the camera out.", Says U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner "voted five times against protecting pre-existing conditions.


Latest Fact-checks on Robyn Vining Robyn Vining stated on October 25, 2020 in a TV interview: "People are less likely to just vote for party now. … They’re looking at the personalities." Robyn Vining stated on October 25, 2020 in an interview: My 2018 election was the first time Speaker Robin Vos has lost a Republican-held seat Robyn Vining stated on October 25, 2020 in a TV interview: "People are less likely to just vote for party now. … They’re looking at the personalities." Robyn Vining stated on October 25, 2020 in an interview: My 2018 election was the first time Speaker Robin Vos has lost a Republican-held seat [...] Robyn Vining stated on October 25, 2020 in an interview: My 2018 election was the first time Speaker Robin Vos has lost a Republican-held seat


There is “$500 billion of unspent COVID money” that can be rescinded.

Is Nikki Haley right that $500 billion in COVID-19 funding could be rescinded? It’s not that simple [...] "We start by clawing back the $500 billion of unspent COVID money," she said at an April 10 town hall in Salix, Iowa. [...] Haley said there is "$500 billion in unspent COVID money" that could be rescinded.


In Milwaukee, "The (homicide) rate has nearly doubled in the past two years."

That was back in March. On Friday, 21 people were injured in three shootings in the city’s downtown entertainment district. Milwaukee has seen record numbers of homicides in each of the past two years — double the rate from as recently as 2019 — and is on pace to break the record again this year. In January, six people were killed across the street from a home where Johnson grew up. "Milwaukee is in the midst of unsustainable and unacceptable violence," Johnson says. Milwaukee has other public safety problems. Vehicle thefts have doubled over the past couple of years to more than 11,000 annually, many ripped off by minors known as "Kia Boys" in reference to one of the preferred brands for break-ins. Milwaukee is a mostly flat city criss-crossed by long, broad, straight streets. If you’re driving 40 mph in a 30 mph zone, you will get passed. Last year, 65 people were killed in the city due to reckless driving. "It’s become a social contagion," says Jordan Morales, a resident of the Sherman Park neighborhood. "It’s not just teenaged kids in stolen cars."


Wisconsin congressman correct about Milwaukee’s homicide rate nearly doubling in past two years [...] It is well known that Milwaukee is on pace for a third straight year of record homicides. But we wondered about the second part: Has the rate really nearly doubled in the past two years? [...] The Journal Sentinel’s homicide database recorded Milwaukee homicides in 2019 at 111. In 2020, the number rose to 204. In 2021, the figure climbed to 212 homicides. So Steil’s "nearly doubled" claim is on the mark.


“The state of Washington has already sent out their ballots” for the 2024 presidential election.

WA presidential primary ballots sent. Here’s who’s on them [...] On the Republican side, the Washington ballot includes former President Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and former U.N. ambassador who is the last rival remaining on Trump’s path to the 2024 GOP nomination. [...] In 2020, Washington’s Democratic presidential primary ballot featured 13 candidates, chiefly Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders but also other rivals who had ended their campaigns before the vote count here, including billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Biden narrowly won the state’s primary.


No, Washington state’s 2024 presidential election ballots are not ‘already sent out’ [...] The claim that Washington state has already "sent out" ballots for the November 2024 presidential election is inaccurate. [...] An Instagram post said "the state of Washington has already sent out their ballots" for the 2024 presidential election.


Head Start is a federally funded program that supports early education and other services for low-income Americans. The Project 2025 conservative policy blueprint says on Page 482 that it would "Eliminate the Head Start program."


This article is part of a series from the Center for American Progress exposing how the sweeping Project 2025 policy agenda would harm all Americans. This new authoritarian playbook, published by the Heritage Foundation, would destroy the 250-year-old system of checks and balances upon which U.S. democracy has relied and give far-right politicians, judges, and corporations more control over Americans’ lives. [...] Despite strong evidence that the program has helped boost educational attainment and fight intergenerational poverty, Project 2025—a far-right authoritarian playbook that would upend the 250-year-old system of checks and balances on which American government is built—proposes eliminating Head Start in its entirety. Enacting Project 2025’s plan to eliminate Head Start would vastly restrict the number of available child care slots, dramatically increase child care costs for families living in poverty, and undermine economic growth and exacerbate inequality. [...] Additionally, eliminating Head Start would upend the progress states and localities have made on universal pre-K. The District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma, and West Virginia—top states in pre-K access for 4-year-olds—each have integrated Head Start programs into their state pre-K programs. For instance, in West Virginia, where pre-K is available for all 4-year-olds, 68 percent of the state’s preschool classrooms were in Head Start programs in the 2020 school year. Without Head Start, states would have to take on a larger share of funding to reach universal pre-K access.


If implemented, Project 2025 plans to completely eliminate Head Start, a federally funded child care program that has served nearly 40 million children and provides vital support to American families experiencing poverty. Nixing Head Start would create painful and, in some cases, unbearable increases in the cost of child care for countless Americans. Worse still, the repercussions would be disproportionately felt by some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations, including Latino and rural communities. [...] "Project 2025’s plan to eliminate Head Start pulls the rug out from under families living in poverty and would have a devastating impact on children’s development, parents’ ability to seek employment, and our economy," said Casey Peeks, senior director for Early Childhood Policy at CAP and author of the column. "A majority of Americans already live in child care deserts, but this plan would increase costs for families, set our country’s early learning system back decades, and fall hardest on the backs of rural communities and Latino Americans." Read the column: "Project 2025 Would Eliminate Head Start, Severely Restricting Access to Child Care in Rural America" by Casey Peeks


Former President Jimmy Carter “passed away Tuesday, July 23, at 01:34 am at his home in Plains, Georgia at the age of 99.”

The death announcement included satirical claims about former President Jimmy Carter’s time in office and lewd references to former first ladies. The Carter Center, a nonprofit organization Carter founded, told PolitiFact the letter is a hoax.


Jimmy Carter, now 99, became the oldest living president in history after George H.W. Bush died in 2018 at the age of 94. He has survived metastatic brain cancer, liver cancer and a number of health scares, including brain surgery after a fall in 2019. He entered hospice care in February 2023 after a series of hospital stays and made a rare public appearance to attend his wife’s memorial service back in November. [...] The former president is widely revered for his championing of human rights. His brokering of the Camp David Accords in 1978 with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin remains central to his legacy. A peanut farmer and US Navy lieutenant before going into politics, Carter, a Democrat, served one term as governor of Georgia before serving as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.


There are nine states “where Biden’s name can’t be removed and no one can be added. That’s over 130 electoral votes in the toilet.”

An Instagram post said there are nine states "where Biden’s name can’t be removed and no one can be added. [...] It’s wrong to say Biden’s name can’t be "removed" because it hasn’t yet been placed on ballots. Biden was the presumptive nominee — not the official nominee. Election officials in the states listed in the Instagram post have said in written statements and in emails to PolitiFact that their deadlines for the party to submit its nominees’ names for the ballot have not yet passed. [...] But there is nothing to "remove" Biden’s name from because he was the presumptive nominee, not the official nominee. After the Democrats formally choose their official nominee — either at their Aug. 19 convention or before — state officials will receive those names to place them on their states’ ballots.


President Joe Biden was the presumptive — not official — Democratic presidential nominee until he announced July 21 that he would be dropping out of the race. The official nominee will be chosen either in the run-up to the Democratic National Convention that starts Aug. 19 or at the convention itself. States set deadlines for receiving the names of presidential nominees so that ballots can be printed. Those deadlines are generally after the convention.


“Iran has stockpiled 10 times as much enriched uranium as it had” in 2016.

"This past month has proven that Trump's Iran policy is a dangerous failure," Biden wrote Sept. 13. "Trump tried to unilaterally reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran, only to have virtually all the U.N. Security Council members unite to reject his gambit. Now there are reports that Iran has stockpiled 10 times as much enriched uranium as it had when President Barack Obama and I left office." [...] The International Atomic Energy Agency reported in September that Iran now has a bit over 2,105 kilograms of enriched uranium. That’s more than 10 times the limit in the agreement. [...] Biden said that Iran has 10 times as much enriched uranium as when he left office in 2016.


Iran's enriched uranium stockpile '10 times limit' Iran now has more than 10 times the amount of enriched uranium permitted under an international agreement, the UN's nuclear watchdog says. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran's enriched uranium stockpile had reached 2,105kg (4,640lb).


Iran should strictly adhere to its JCPOA commitments and move away from using brinksmanship as leverage.[fn]In addition to delaying the transfer of centrifuge infrastructure in Fordow to storage in the Natanz facility until shortly before the 16 January 2017 deadline, Iran kept its heavy-water stockpile close to the 130-ton threshold, and its low-enriched uranium stockpile just under the 300kg cap. Crisis Group interviews, U.S. and European officials, Brussels, London and Vienna, November 2016. Asked about the calculus behind this, an Iranian official retorted: "Because 299kg is under 300kg. We committed to remain under 300kg, not to keep a large distance from it". Crisis Group interview, November 2016. Yet, as an EU official said, "implementing a long-duration agreement is difficult when you are always on the brink of surpassing the threshold, even if inadvertently".


Kamala Harris “returned” a $5,000 donation Donald Trump made to her campaign in 2011.

Though Donald Trump has a history of derisive comments about Harris since taking office, political contribution data, reviewed by USA TODAY on the California Secretary of State website show he gave $5,000 to Harris during her first bid for attorney general in 2011 and $1,000 in 2013 during her reelection. Ivanka Trump contributed $2,000 in 2014 for Harris' reelection campaign. [...] We rate this claim as TRUE, based on our research. Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka donated to Harris' campaigns for California attorney general. Though Harris' spokesman said $6,000, as the meme suggests, was donated to a nonprofit group, the Trumps actually donated a total of $8,000. It is unclear whether Harris returned Ivanka Trump's contribution or similarly donated it. The donations to Harris' campaigns were given before Trump's 2016 election. [...] - Washington Examiner, July 31, 2019, "Trump’s $5,000 donation to Kamala Harris was at request of disgraced former NY attorney general."


"(The) top issue for college students is the economy."

The midterm election is right around the corner and the economy and abortion rights are the top issues of concern for college students according to a new survey by BestColleges.com. These issues are also ranked as the most important for Americans overall. BestColleges.com surveyed over 1000 students about their political beliefs and plans to vote. Thirty-seven percent (37%) of those surveyed noted the economy, inflation, and employment as the most important issues in this election. Students are worried about finding jobs, their future finances, and the growing cost of everything from housing to peanut butter. White college men, in particular, are overwhelmingly concerned about the economy, employment, and inflation, with almost half (49%) selecting these three issues as their top political issues — a significantly higher percentage than other demographic groups surveyed. Abortion rights, which have been the subject of heated national and local political campaigns, were ranked as a top concern by college students with 33% of those surveyed ranking these rights as a top issue. College women were particularly concerned about legislation having an impact on their bodies. While college men chose the economy as their top issue (44%), abortion rights were the most important issue for college women (43%), with women of color expressing the deepest concern. Only 21% of college men considered abortion rights an important issue. For college men, the economy, gun policy, healthcare, racial and ethnic inequality, and climate change all came out ahead of abortion rights as leading issues.


"The everyday concerns of Americans are the economy — even young people that we work with at Young America's Foundation, our polling shows nationwide, their top issue for college students is the economy," Walker said. [...] Is Walker right that the "top issue for college students is the economy"? [...] The economy was the top issue for college students who participated in the group’s poll. Wisconsin pollster Charles Franklin said the polling company is reputable and the questions were overall evenhanded.


Says since he took office, the City of Milwaukee has seen the creation of 7,000 new affordable housing units.

Mayor Tom Barrett said the city has created 7,000 new housing units since he took office in 2004. Data from Milwaukee’s Department of City Development shows that as of October 2019, a total of 7,261 affordable housing units had been developed since Barrett took office. Barrett has faced criticism about focusing on apartment units instead of single-family homes or duplexes. The federal grants the city has used apply only to apartment developments.


Downtown’s population has reached 14,000 and should continue growing. A study I published in 2003 with Cleveland State University’s Center for Housing Research and Policy found that in the waterfront cities of Chicago and Baltimore, 2.2 percent of their region’s middle- and upper-income households lived downtown. The figures for Portland, Oregon, and Milwaukee were, respectively, 2.5 percent and 0.7 percent. If Cleveland’s downtown had 2.5 percent, it would amount to around 10,000 households containing a population of nearly 20,000, which would support more stores, restaurants, and services. Including downtown residents whose income is below mid-level means a total population of 28,000 is possible. That would be double the current figure, or a community the size of Shaker Heights. Space for that many, and more, certainly exists. As downtown’s population continues to grow, so will its attractiveness. I expect it to happen, as long as crime remains under control. But downtown alone will not be enough to offset citywide move-outs, which are likely to increase as regionwide homebuilding increases and enables more out-migration. (Around 4,000 homes were built in the region in both 2015 and 2016. A gradual increase to 7,000 or 8,000 units annually is likely.)


“We’ve seen an 800% increase in the Swanton sector, which is the part of the northern border that I represent, in illegal crossings.”

The agency’s Swanton Sector in Vermont — covering parts of upstate New York and New Hampshire — requested a "quick turnaround" of agents from the already overwhelmed southern border to make their way north to volunteer for at least a month starting next week. [...] His sector said that the current fiscal year — which started in October — "demonstrates an approximate 846% increase in encounters and apprehensions compared to the same period" in the previous year. [...] The Swanton sector has seen families with young kids, even infants, crossing, and late last year provided life-saving aid in separate incidents in Vermont and upstate New York, Garcia said.


SWANTON, Vt. (TND) — Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is blaming the Biden administration's failure to control immigration on the southern border for a major uptick in illegal border crossings along the U.S.-Canada border. Between October 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023, there has been a 846% increase in encounters and apprehensions along theSwanton Sector of the northern U.S. border compared to the same period a year ago. Total apprehensions and encounters in that region, which covers land in Vermont, New Hampshire and northeastern New York, during fiscal year 2023 have already surpassed the FY22 and FY21 totals combined, CBP added. [...] Stefanik said her office has been in contact with "numerous" families along the U.S.'s northern border who have recorded first-hand accounts of vast amounts of illegal crossings occurring on their own private property.


"We’ve seen an 800% increase in the Swanton sector, which is the part of the northern border that I represent, in illegal crossings," Stefanik said on "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo" on Jan. 28. [...] Stefanik claimed that there has been at some point an 800% increase in illegal crossings in the Swanton sector of the U.S.-Canada border. Stefanik did not say which time period she was talking about. The increases in unauthorized crossings vary depending on the period, but there have been increases exceeding 800% at the border. The actual numbers of encounters remain very low compared with crossings at the southern border.


“The racial wealth gap is the smallest it’s been in 20 years.”

A simple calculation puts the persistent and policy-driven black-white wealth gap into perspective. Consider that the racial wealth gap—measured as the ratio of median black wealth to median white wealth—slightly narrowed from 2013 to 2016. (see Table 1) If this pattern continued over time and with no major policy changes, it would take more than 20 years just to return to the racial wealth gap that existed in 1998. Moreover, it would take more than 200 years for median black wealth to equal median white wealth. Leaving wealth inequality to market forces would likely create a massive gulf in economic opportunity and security by race. That said, shrinking the black-white wealth gap in a meaningful way will undoubtedly require large, targeted policy interventions.


“When a basketball player or football or baseball player from another team plays in Wisconsin, that one game's salary, they pay Wisconsin income tax on it. ... So if for some reason we do not have the Brewers in Wisconsin all of those player salaries that generate dollars for the State of Wisconsin go away."

Many people perceive professional sports teams as beneficial for the local economy and essential to an area's civic identity. Professional sports teams have been credited with providing jobs and injecting millions of dollars into local economies. The presence of a professional sports franchise from one of the four major sports is often regarded as a prerequisite to becoming a "big league" city or state. As Wisconsin state representative Marlin Schneider joked in 1995, "Without the Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Green Bay Packers, [Wisconsin] ain't nothing but another Nebraska." With so much money and status on the line, professional sports teams have become highly sought after, and their movements from city to city have led to public outrage, lawsuits, and legislative proposals. The owners of professional sports teams have been able to obtain generous deals from city and state officials by threatening to move their franchises. If the owners do not receive the support they seek, they move their team to a more accommodating city. Typical benefits include the use of sports facilities at below-market rents and taxpayer funding for the construction and maintenance of new facilities. Most of the funding comes from the team's home state, but some funding comes from the federal government.


“Prices have increased over 17% in the last two years.”

Highly experimental research, based on web-scraped supermarket data for 30 everyday grocery items, shows that the lowest-priced items have increased in cost by around 17% over the 12 months to September 2022: an increase from 7% over the 12 months to April 2022. [...] Vegetable oil showed the largest percentage increase and average price increase between April 2022 and September 2022, increasing 46% (80 pence per litre) during the period; in contrast, orange juice showed the largest decrease, decreasing 8% (6 pence per litre). [...] While there is a lot of variation at the individual item level, overall the lowest prices of the 30 everyday items, weighted by retailer and item, rose by 17% in the year to September 2022. This includes a 9% increase since our previous analysis in April 2022.


Lowest-cost groceries have become 17% more expensive in the past year, ONS data finds [...] The price of low-cost everyday grocery items has increased 17% in the 12 months to September, data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) has shown, more than the average rate of food and drink inflation. [...] Some items increased by more than the 17% yearly rate. Vegetable oil has increased 65% in price, pasta 60% and tea 46%.


Americans are still struggling under the weight of inflation. Americans are paying more for just about everything—groceries, rent, gas, energy. [...] Over the last two years, total inflation has increased by over 17 percent.


“We are No. 1 among all large states in having fully vaccinated teenagers. We are No. 2 in all large states for having fully vaccinated five- to 11- year-olds.”

We consulted data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which issues Covid-19 reports for each state. A report from Feb. 25 showed that 33.5% of children ages 5 to 11 and 71.2% of children ages 12 to 17 were fully vaccinated in New York State. Among large states, Illinois had a greater share of children ages 5 to 11 who were fully vaccinated, at 34.8%. Among children ages 12 to 17 in large states, New York had the largest share. [...] In two television interviews on Feb. 28, Hochul did not include "among large states" as a qualifier. Across the country, there are 10 states and the District of Columbia with higher rates of vaccination among children ages five to 11 who have had at least one dose, according to the analysis of CDC data from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The 10 states are: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, Virginia, Minnesota, Hawaii, and Illinois. [...] Hochul said New York State ranked No. 1 one among large states in having fully vaccinated teenagers and No. 2 among large states for having fully vaccinated 5 to 11 year olds.


Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services back up Hochul's claim. New York is a leader among large states, though there are smaller states that have higher vaccination rates among children.


“If you look at the hospitalizations at Ruby Memorial in West Virginia, and around the country, 90% to 95% of those hospitalized are unvaccinated.”

If Your Time is short • Ruby Memorial Hospital confirmed that at the time of the remark, about 90% to 95% of those hospitalized for COVID-19 were unvaccinated. [...] Angela Knopf, director of media relations and public affairs for J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, confirmed to PolitiFact West Virginia that at the time the faculty meeting was held on Sept. 1, about 90% to 95% of the patients hospitalized for COVID-19 were unvaccinated. [...] Ruby Memorial Hospital confirmed that at the time of her remark, about 90% to 95% of those hospitalized for COVID-19 were unvaccinated.


U.S. News & World Report names J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital top hospital in West Virginia [...] MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital has been named the number one hospital in West Virginia for 2021-22 by U.S. News & World Report, which also recognized six WVU Medicine hospitals, including Ruby Memorial, as High Performing Hospitals. In the Specialties category, Ruby Memorial Hospital was recognized as High Performing in Neurology and Neurosurgery; Orthopaedics; Pulmonology and Lung Surgery; and Urology.


“2022 was the biggest tourism year ever in West Virginia”

The tourism industry in West Virginia had its highest-ever economic impactt in 2021, delivering in about $5 billion in total visitor expenditure. According to West Virginia Secretary of Tourism Chelsea Ruby, preliminary data indicates that tourist spending in 2022 will likely topped $5 billion for the first time, with much more increase predicted in the years following. [...] "West Virginia’s tourism industry depends on our workforce. We have the friendliest people you’ll find anywhere, and — with these new training and education programs — we are committed to building the strongest tourism workforce in the nation," said Gov. Jim Justice when the program launched. "I’m thrilled to again see West Virginia leading the way with this bold workforce development program."


WVPA Sharing Gov. Justice announces record $7 billion annual tourism impact for West Virginia in 2022 on September 16, 2023 More in WVPA Sharing: Vandalia Hospitals Awarded for Commitment to Excellence October 5, 2024 Column: Breast Cancer Awareness is a time for action October 5, 2024 Gov. Justice announces launch of West Virginia Paranormal Trail October 4, 2024 Tourism industry reports more than 53,000 West Virginia jobs, one out of every 16 in the state WV Press Release SharingDAVIS, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice this week joined more than 300 tourism-industry members to announce West Virginia’s best tourism year ever, with the industry’s economic impact exceeding $7 billion last year. That number represents a 17% increase in visitor spending compared to pre-pandemic levels, far higher than the United States’ overall 1% post-pandemic tourism recovery.West Virginia saw more visitors last year, and those visitors spent more money than they had in previous years. Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company that measures tourism spending and economic impact, found that visitors to the state had direct spending of $5.3 billion last year, an all-time high.


Milwaukee's Marcus Performing Arts Center – where 'The Daily Show' had been scheduled – “was originally located in the ‘soft perimeter,’ they called it, security-wise” but “was shifted, understandably so, to the ‘hard perimeter.’”

Comedy Central’s EMMY® Award-winning franchise will broadcast from the Marcus Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee, WI throughout the RNC and the Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture in Chicago, IL during the DNC. The Daily Show’s all-star News Team includes Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta, and Desi Lydic, alongside Dulcé Sloan and Lewis Black with new additions Troy Iwata, Josh Johnson, and Grace Kuhlenschmidt. [...] Recent Press Releases by Marcus Performing Arts Center [...] Jun 24th, 2024 by Marcus Performing Arts CenterHighlights include Cirque Kalabanté, The Magic of Rob Lake, the return of The Hip Hop Nutcracker, and a one-night-only performance of the National Tour of The Cher Show


Because of the attempt on Trump’s life, Stewart said, the Marcus Performing Arts Center – where they were supposed to host the show – "was originally located in the ‘soft perimeter,’ they called it, security-wise" but "was shifted, understandably so, to the ‘hard perimeter.’" [...] Stewart claimed that the Marcus Performing Arts Center, where his team was set to tape episodes of "The Daily Show" during the RNC, was originally located in the "soft" security perimeter but "was shifted, understandably so, to the ‘hard perimeter.’" Though there were questions at the time "The Daily Show" pulled out of the trip to Milwaukee about whether the security perimeter would change, it did not ultimately change. The Marcus Center was not and still is not inside the "hard perimeter" as Stewart claimed.


Says he has issued more pardons than “any Wisconsin governor in contemporary history.”

As of February 2022, Evers has issued 416 pardons since taking office. Only Gov. James Doyle came close to matching Evers’s record at 326, according to the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, but that was over an eight-year period. To find a governor to issue more pardons than Evers, you would have to go back to Gov. Julius Heil in 1939.


(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s governor has issued more pardons than any governor in modern history. Gov. Tony Evers last week issued another 171 pardons, bringing his four-year total to 774. [...] Evers pardoned more people in his first four years than any other Wisconsin governor, and his office said the governor has pardoned more people than "any governor in contemporary history."


Kamala Harris has adopted the Nazi-rooted phrase “Strength Through Joy” as her campaign slogan.

Vice President Kamala Harris has spoken about joy on the campaign trail and at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. At an Aug. 6 campaign rally in Philadelphia, vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz thanked Harris for "bringing back the joy." But we found no instances of Harris saying the "strength through joy" phrase in her presidential campaign speeches. We also found no credible news articles about this phrase being her campaign slogan.


“We passed 27 bills last year, which is the fewest since the Depression.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congress just wrapped up its least productive year since the Great Depression, passing just 27 bills that were signed into law. Of those 27, one law created a commemorative coin and two renamed medical centers. What You Need To Know - In 2023, Congress passed the fewest bills that were signed into law than any year since 1931 - Democrats and Republicans in both chambers blamed each other for the lack of legislation passed - Prospects remain dim for more legislation next year amid partisanship, intraparty fighting and politics of an election year The term "Do Nothing Congress" was famously coined by former President Harry S. Truman in 1948. That year, however, Congress passed 511 bills that were signed into law. For comparison, the last 10 Congresses averaged 391 bills signed into law per term.


That may seem like a fairly large number, especially after PolitiFact Wisconsin just found that Congress passed only 27 bills last year, the fewest since the Great Depression. However, onlookers of state government have pointed out that fewer bills now become law, especially with a Democratic governor and a Republican-led Legislature. [...] All of this creates a complicated picture of how productive state government was last session. But it’s important context to keep in mind when state lawmakers talk about it this summer on the campaign trail.


“The idea that there’s political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of.”

And he said he had ordered an independent review of how security was handled at the political rally in Pennsylvania and would be speaking to the nation Sunday night. The White House said his address from the Oval Office would be at 8 p.m. ET. [...] "There's no place in America for this kind of violence. It's sick. It's sick. It's one of the reasons why we have to unite this country," he said. "... the idea that there's political violence or violence in America like this, is just unheard of, it's just not appropriate. We - everybody, everybody must condemn it," he said.


"The idea that there’s political violence … in America like this, is just unheard of, it’s just not appropriate," said President Joe Biden, the backer of Israel’s genocidal war against Palestine, with a death toll that researchers believe could reach 186,000 Palestinians. Biden’s narrower point was correct, though: Deadly attacks on the American ruling class are vanishingly rare these days. Political violence that is not "like this" — the political violence of organized abandonment, poverty, militarized borders, police brutality, incarceration, and deportation — is commonplace. [...] And condemn it, most everyone in the Democratic political establishment has: "Political violence is absolutely unacceptable," wrote Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on X. "There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy," tweeted former President Barack Obama, who oversaw war efforts and military strikes against Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Pakistan with massive civilian death tolls; Obama added that we should "use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics." "There is no place for political violence, including the horrific incident we just witnessed in Pennsylvania," wrote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. [...] As author Ben Ehrenreich noted on X, "There is no place for political violence against rich, white men. It is antithetical to everything America stands for."


Examples of political violence against U.S. presidents date back to Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Lawmakers, presidents and political candidates have also been targeted. U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., was injured in a 2011 shooting and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., was injured in a 2017 shooting. The Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol is an example of political violence on a wider scale. Some rioters chanted to "hang" Vice President Mike Pence.


"The Trump administration handed out taxpayer dollars to a foreign company. Hundreds of homes and farms were bulldozed, and over $500 million in taxpayer dollars were wasted preparing for Foxconn."

It might be funny, she added — except that local and state governments spent roughly $500 million to buy land, bulldoze houses and build infrastructure for an unfulfilled manufacturing megasite that was supposed to include dozens of futuristic buildings and a factory to produce flat-panel displays for televisions. [...] By the time the Foxconn deal was slimmed down, the Village of Mount Pleasant and Racine County had already borrowed more than a combined $300 million to buy land and lay water and sewer pipes required by the originally promised LCD factory. State taxpayers and a local utility, meanwhile, were in the process of spending nearly $300 million on roads and power lines, according to the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau. [...] Soon after the initial grand promises, Foxconn began repeatedly changing plans for the site, throwing out so many ideas that locals lost track. First it said the LCD factory would be scaled down to produce smaller flat-panel displays. Then, even as houses were being demolished in early 2019, a Foxconn executive told Reuters: "In Wisconsin we’re not building a factory." A conversation with Trump prompted the company to backtrack again and recommit to an LCD plant.


During his tenure as mayor of New York City, “street homelessness decreased by 28 percent.”

The Bergen Street shelter was one of the first announced under "Turning the Tide on Homelessness," Mayor Bill de Blasio’s ambitious, five-year plan to revamp the way New York’s shelter system operates. With a long-term goal of reducing the homeless population by 2,500 people (or about four percent of the then-total of 60,000), the plan also aims to end the use of commercial hotels for shelter; shutter all of the city’s shelter units in privately-owned, often far-flung apartments called cluster sites; and replace them with 90 new, purpose-built shelters with on-site supportive services. The idea, the mayor argued, was only fair; get rid of an ad-hoc network of shelter units in favor of high-quality facilities distributed more equitably throughout the boroughs. [...] Banks acknowledges the "problem of affordability" is the backdrop for homelessness in New York, and many other large cities. But he contends homeless prevention efforts, addressing street homelessness, and rehousing with rental assistance and social service programs "are all transforming the system" in the city. During the de Blasio administration, evictions are down 27 percent, which he attributes to a boost in funding for legal help for tenants, and the city says it has helped 95,000 people stay in their homes through new rental assistance programs.


City data show that street homelessness decreased by 28 percent from when counting began in 2005 until Bloomberg's last year in office. Experts warned that counts of people living on the street can be flawed. Most people experiencing homelessness in New York live in shelters, where populations rose dramatically.


If Your Time is short - City data show that street homelessness decreased by 28 percent from when counting began in 2005 until Bloomberg's last year in office. [...] On his campaign website, Bloomberg claims that during his tenure, "street homelessness decreased by 28 percent." "As Mayor of New York City, Mike led one of the nation’s most ambitious affordable housing plans, implementing several initiatives that have been replicated in cities around the country. During his tenure, street homelessness decreased by 28% and more than 170,000 affordable homes were built or preserved," his site states.


The GOP-controlled Legislature has "refused to act on at least 150" appointees of Gov. Tony Evers.

9:44 AM CT on 2/4/21 (AP) The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Assembly is scheduled Thursday to vote on repealing the statewide mask mandate issued by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, but the order will remain in effect until the state Senate concurs. [...] The Supreme Court could end the legislative back and forth with a ruling that says Evers must get lawmakers’ approval every 60 days. The court could also say he doesn’t need approval, which would then force the Legislature to repeal every order Evers issues if Republicans disagree with it. [...] Evers also promised during his speech to present a package of legislation addressing the virus. He did not say what measures the bills would enact. Republicans control the Legislature but hasn't met since April, when it passed a coronavirus aid package. Pressure has been building for the GOP to act but so far Republican leaders haven't signaled they plan to do anything.


The ruling came after the GOP-controlled state legislature challenged Evers’ order. The state Supreme Court split 4-2 along ideological lines, with Justice Daniel Kelly, who is up for reelection in Tuesday’s balloting, abstaining. [...] "The clerks of this state should stand ready to proceed with the election," state House Speaker Robin Vos and state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said in a joint statement upon appealing Evers’ order. "The governor’s executive order is clearly an unconstitutional overreach." [...] Evers had called the state legislature back for a special session and asked them to act to postpone the election on Friday. The GOP-controlled legislature declined to do so, gaveling in and out of sessions in a matter of minutes on Saturday and earlier on Monday.


Chris Larson stated on November 9, 2023 in X, formerly Twitter: Says expanding Medicaid in Wisconsin would save the state $530 million, which could pay for 3,287 K-12 teachers, or 7.8 educators per district. Chris Larson stated on September 10, 2021 in Twitter: The GOP-controlled Legislature has "refused to act on at least 150" appointees of Gov. Tony Evers. Chris Larson stated on November 9, 2020 in Twitter: "Jurisdictions representing about 80% of WI residents have passed referendums or resolutions in favor of fair maps." Chris Larson stated on September 23, 2020 in a tweet: "(Republicans) have the power to overturn the (state of emergency) order by joint resolution and they refuse to do it." Chris Larson stated on August 24, 2020 in Facebook post: Police are "20.8 times more likely to kill than be killed by a criminal." [...] Chris Larson stated on September 10, 2021 in Twitter: The GOP-controlled Legislature has "refused to act on at least 150" appointees of Gov. Tony Evers.


“We're having the largest classes of correctional officers we've ever had before.”

Yes, Wisconsin correctional officer training classes are largest they’ve ever been [...] The state Department of Corrections graduated its largest training class ever in February with 214 graduates. [...] During a TV interview, Evers claimed pay raises for correctional officers had led to "the largest classes of correctional officers we've ever had before."


Correctional officers maintain order and calm in detention centers, jails, and prisons. Before deciding on this career path, it’s important to understand the necessary education and training. This guide will also reveal how to complete your education online and tips to land your first job. Correctional officers are critical to maintaining order and peace in jails, prisons, and other detention facilities. To be qualified to oversee and manage incarcerated individuals, correctional officers must complete the proper education before starting the job. Although a formal degree is not always required to work in corrections, officers need to undergo in-depth training to handle detainees. Before choosing which level education to pursue, it’s good to evaluate where you want your career to go. To help, we have created this guide to breakdown your options, provide an overview of the career, and help you decide if you have what it takes to become a correctional officer. [...] The vast majority of new correctional officers will have to attend a training academy at some point. The only question is when. Some may choose to enroll as tuition-paying students, as if they’re attending a conventional college program, then seek a job upon graduation. But in most situations, enrollees will already have a job with a correctional department and attend the training academy to complete the professional requirements to be qualified for it.


New York is "leading the nation with the lowest imprisonment rate of any large state”

Federal data on imprisonment rates supports the claim that New York has the lowest rate among states with populations of more than 10 million people. Imprisonment rates in some smaller states, including Massachusetts, Maine, and Minnesota, are lower than the rate in New York.


More remarkably, as the crime and murder rates declined, so did the jail population. Currently, there are less than 6,000 people incarcerated—a reduction of 16,000 or 73% in the jail population. Clearly, NYC has shown that crime and jail populations can be drastically reduced at the same time. Both the current NYC murder rate (4.5 per 100,000) and the jail incarceration rate (66 per 100,000) are well below the national rates (6.5 murder and 192 jail rates). NYC also has one of the lowest incarceration rates for Black people in the nation. If the rest of the country could match New York City’s rates of Black Incarceration, the national jail population would decline by about 400,000 and there would be about 5,000 fewer murders per year.


BBC News published a graphic quoting President Joe Biden saying, “Let me say this as clearly and simply as I can: [inaudible].”

In July 2024, a viral post purported to share a real graphic from British broadcaster BBC News, quoting U.S. President Joe Biden as saying "inaudible" during a speech, as though reading from a teleprompter. The graphic included an image of Biden speaking, with the caption below reading: "Let me say this as clearly and simply as I can: [inaudible]." The above image was edited to appear like a BBC News graphic, but it was not real. We found no evidence of such an image on BBC News' official social media accounts. The statement in question on the graphic is also inaccurate, as Biden was not inaudible at that moment in his speech. As such, we rate this graphic as "Fake." We found the authentic graphic of Biden on BBC's Instagram account. The graphic quotes Biden as saying, "Let me say this as clearly and simply as I can: I'm running."


“Right now, two-thirds of the U.S. Senate is composed of millionaires.”

The annual salary of each senator, since 2009, is $174,000;[40] the president pro tempore and party leaders receive $193,400.[40][41] In 2003, at least 40 senators were millionaires;[42] by 2018, over 50 senators were millionaires (partly due to inflation).[43] [...] - ^ Sean Loughlin and Robert Yoon (June 13, 2003). "Millionaires populate U.S. Senate". CNN. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2006. - ^ "Wealth of Congress". Roll Call. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2018.


As of 2018, the last year when lawmakers filled out financial disclosures, 61 were worth $1 million Many of the newly-elected members of the Senate are also millionaires


List shows settlements Donald Trump made to 10- to 13-year-old victims of child sex crimes.

Woman suing Trump over alleged teen rape drops suit, again A woman who accused Donald Trump of raping her two decades ago when she was a 13-year-old aspiring teen model has again dropped a federal lawsuit over the alleged assaults. [...] Doe named Trump and Epstein as defendants in the suits and says they knew she was well under 17 — the age of consent. "I understood that both Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein knew that I was 13 years old," she wrote.


(1) Michael Parker, 10-years old, oral rape, Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, FL, 1992. Trump paid his parents a $3 million settlement. [...] (4) Rebecca Conway, 13-years old, intercourse and oral sex. Trump Vineyard Estates, Charlottesville, VA, 2012, $5 million settlement. [...] Of course, it's also possible to make accusations, claims, or demands against a party and reach settlement of them without resorting to filing lawsuits first. But that scenario would require us to believe, incredibly, that at least six different children between the ages of 10 and 13 reported that they had been raped by Trump, but not a single parent in any of those cases submitted a police report or criminal complaint, sought redress in civil court, or ever spoke publicly about their child's experience -- every single one of them simply approached Trump privately and demanded large sums of money from him to keep quiet, and he complied.


Kamala Harris "co-sponsored, fully sponsored" the Green New Deal.

When senators introduced their version of the Green New Deal in February 2019, Harris was one of 11 Democrats who were original co-sponsors. In a Medium post published the day the resolution was introduced, Harris wrote that she was "proud" to have signed on as an original Senate co-sponsor.


Project 2025 mandates women carry “period passports” to “track their menstrual cycles” and “monitor pregnancies.”

Those plans — and many more, including proposals to attack contraception access, use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase "abortion surveillance" and data collection, rescind a Department of Defense policy to "prohibit abortion travel funding," punish states that require health insurance plans to cover abortion, and retool a law that is currently protecting pregnant women with life-threatening conditions — are outlined in Project 2025’s "Mandate for Leadership." Project 2025 is an initiative of the Heritage Foundation, a rightwing think tank that has helped staff and set the agenda for every Republican administration since Ronald Reagan. It describes Project 2025 as "the conservative movement’s unified effort to be ready for the next conservative administration to govern at 12:00 noon, January 20, 2025." [...] Project 2025, meanwhile, is already pre-screening applicants for jobs in the next Republican administration, filtering out candidates based on their answers to a list of questions, including whether they agree or disagree with the statement: "Life has a right to legal protection from conception to natural death."


This claim originated on a satirical X account. Project 2025 is a policy agenda created by conservative groups in the hope that former President Donald Trump will enact it should he win the presidency in November. The agenda does not call for women to carry period passports.


The Associated Press reported “prosecutors are reconsidering bringing charges against former President Donald J. Trump on child rape and molestation charges.”

A post shared on Facebook claims AP News reported that charges of child rape and molestation have been brought against former President Donald Trump. [...] A Facebook post claims AP News has reported that child molestation charges have been brought against Trump. "BREAKING NEWS Prosecutors Are Reconsidering Bringing Charges Against Former President Donald J. Trump On Child Rape And Molestation Charges. @mjfree – AP News," the post reads. There is no evidence for this claim, however. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports from AP News or other outlets about Trump being accused of child molestation. The alleged story cannot be found through a search of the AP News website or its social media accounts. (RELATED: Photo Of Donald Trump Is Edited To Make Him Look Larger)


C-sections are coded as abortions in hospitals.

No, US hospitals do not code C-sections as abortions [...] In response to a June 27 Threads post about the rarity of nine-month abortions, one user wrote that, "Technically there is. It’s called a cesarean section, also know(n) as a c-section. Coded in hospitals as an abortion. Remember abortion means termination/ending of a pregnancy and not murdering a child." [...] A Threads post said C-sections are coded as "abortions" in hospitals.


A cesarean section, commonly known as a C-section, is a surgical procedure that delivers a fetus through incisions in the mother's abdomen. C-sections have their own procedural codes for tracking and insurance that cover this type of delivery. These codes do not mention abortion. C-sections can be risky and are not typically used to facilitate abortions, health experts said.


Under Joe Biden, there are “record numbers of new Black entrepreneurs”

U.S. Census Bureau and the Federal Reserve Board datasets found record levels of Black business ownership in 2021 and 2022, the most recent year available. Independent analyses show some of President Joe Biden’s policies laid the groundwork for the increases.


President Biden Takes Credit For Prompting Financial Boom For Black-Owned Small Businesses This Year [...] During a Milwaukee event, President Joe Biden took credit for creating a financial boom for Black-owned small businesses. On Dec 20, he brought to the forefront some of the Biden-Harris administration’s investments that have generated considerable revenue for Black entrepreneurs. [...] Since he and Vice President Kamala Harris were elected, Biden claimed that a record number of 15 million new applicants to start businesses surfaced. Black households with business ownership particularly doubled between 2019 and 2022.


What about "record numbers of new Black entrepreneurs"? Biden has made similar comments a few times recently, including in campaign speeches Jan. 27 in South Carolina and Feb. 4 in Las Vegas. Data supports the claim that the prevalence of Black-owned small businesses has reached record levels under Biden, based on available data since 1989. [...] A Biden campaign ad said that during his presidency, there have been "record numbers of new Black entrepreneurs."


“Disney and Google bought the rights to the first King James Bible.”

An old rumor that Disney bought the rights to the Bible has re-emerged online, so where did this start, and what is actually going on? Here’s Disney Fanatic’s fact-check and deep dive! [...] It appears the origin of the rumor dates back to 2018 when the satire site The Babylon Bee released an article claiming that Disney bought the rights to The Bible and planned to make 37 sequels. The site also seemingly republished this article on social media periodically as it also surfaced on X, formerly Twitter, in 2019. [...] Disney Buys Rights To The Bible, Plans 37 Sequelshttps://t.co/vPgT4kulGD — The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) July 9, 2019


Texas and Florida have a “balanced budget” while California is “in debt $54 billion and New York is “in debt $6.1 billion.”

States commonly take on debt to pay for construction and environmental projects. Debt is not the same as a budget shortfall. All four states have debt. The amount of state budget shortfalls due to the pandemic is a moving target. States can have debt and a balanced budget.


The California and New York results illustrate the importance of having information on actual IGTs in examining issues related to the current distribution of Medicaid DSH funds. Across-the-board assumptions such as those made Chapter 4 regarding the proportion of DSH funds that are "new" are not substantiated at the hospital-level. CMS should consider expanding the state DSH reports to obtain information on provider contributions to DSH pools as well as the payments from those pools to individual hospitals. [...] The "snapshot" approach of looking at one year's data may not be sufficient for an adequate understanding of the financial implications of serving low-income patients. In California, the FY1998 payments included payments from the state's fiscal year 1997 and thus overstated the average DSH payments. The New York indigent care pool was in transition during FY1998 and additional changes were enacted in 2000. Wisconsin's uncompensated care costs have increased 60 percent since 1997. Only the first-year impacts of the Balanced Budget Amendment are reflected in the FY1998 data. These considerations suggest that a multi-year study- perhaps with periodic updating- would be appropriate.


Sen. John Cornyn says 49 states have a balanced budget amendment in their state constitutions [...] An appendix in the report lists 45 states, including Texas, with a constitutional citation concerning a balanced budget requirement, and four states that have a statutory requirement. Vermont is the only state with neither. The information comes from the legislative fiscal staff in each state, said Ron Snell, director of state services at NCSL. [...] More substantively, the report notes that there's no consensus on which states have or do not have balanced-budget laws. That is, not every state has an explicit requirement that state expenditures not exceed projected revenue. The report names Wyoming, North Dakota and Alaska as states whose balanced-budget requirements are debated.


Says Joe Biden “has issued more executive fiats than anyone in such a short period of time, ever, more than Obama, more than Trump, more than anyone.”

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 12:37 P.M. EST [...] Q Does the President think Mr. Trump should do more than he has in this area? [...] Q I haven’t -- I don’t recall the President doing anything like that in the last eight years. Has he -- would he do something like that? Would President Obama do something like that?


No president has assaulted individual liberty, free enterprise, and social harmony like Trump has [...] But CEI didn't even take into account the worst aspect of Trump's regulatory overreach: His unprecedented assaults on immigration almost entirely by executive fiat and administrative means. [...] None of this is to suggest that libertarians won't have their work cut out for them in the event of a Biden victory, particularly when it comes to stopping the advance of the soft tyranny of the regulatory state that Democrats have come to embrace. But Trump with his authoritarian taste for the hard power of the police state is an existential threat to libertarian ideals.


"For 18 months under President Trump, not a single American was harmed in Afghanistan.”

CLAIM: When former President Donald Trump was in charge, 18 months went by in Afghanistan when "we didn’t lose one American soldier." [...] THE FACTS: While speaking in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, Trump claimed while discussing the U.S. war in Afghanistan: "When I was in charge, in 18 months, we didn’t lose one American soldier." "In 18 months in Afghanistan, we lost nobody," he later emphasized after mentioning that day’s deadly shooting in Buffalo, New York, in which a white gunman killed 10 Black people in a supermarket.


Defense Department data shows an 18-month stretch with no U.S. service member combat deaths in Afghanistan after then-President Donald Trump and the Taliban reached a deal to end the war in late February 2021. That includes seven months of President Joe Biden’s administration. There were three service members wounded in combat and four troops who died in noncombat-related deaths during the Trump administration after the deal with the Taliban was reached.


“WNBA organizers have officially announced an investigation into the referees in all of Caitlin Clark's games for ignoring all dirty actions by her opponents against her.”

One day after the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced an unprecedented $1.2 million sponsorship of the dozen Aces, the WNBA announced it was opening an investigation into the deal. [...] Davis said the WNBA using the word investigation could have a chilling effect on other potential sponsors both in Las Vegas and other markets. [...] "Nike is an owner of the WNBA and they're allowed to sponsor Caitlin Clark for $28 million on one player. And nobody's complaining or investigating," Davis said. "And I think it's great that Nike's doing that. But let's give credit to where credit's due: Las Vegas Convention Authority is stepping up and recognizing these women."


Authorities arrested 4 people in connection with the caseGemini and Scorpio compatibility: What to know about the 2 signs coming togetherComfy flats, lightweight dresses and more Amazon spring fashion finds — starting at just $10Taylor Swift reacts to Ryan Gosling singing her song on ‘SNL’ with Emily BluntCaitlin Clark says she’s ‘confident’ going into WNBA future: ‘I've earned to be in this moment’Caitlin Clark on making time for her young fans: ‘That never gets old’Scottie Scheffler wins the 2024 Masters Tournament, joining select group of golfers who have earned the title twiceOlivia Rodrigo re-creates Gwen Stefani’s style to join No Doubt onstage at CoachellaRyan Gosling is still tortured by the Papyrus font in sequel to fan-favorite ‘SNL’ skitJill Duggar Dillard and husband Derick Dillard announce stillbirth of daughter at 4 monthsDua Lipa set to host and perform on 'SNL' following Ryan Gosling's appearanceMegan Fox says she thinks ‘Love Is Blind’ star Chelsea Blackwell is ‘telling the truth’ about look-alike commentsCaitlin Clark roasts Michael Che in hilarious ‘Weekend Update’ appearanceTravis Kelce and Taylor Swift pack on the PDA while dancing to ‘Karma’ at CoachellaBrittney Griner and wife Cherelle Griner are expecting their first childIran launches attack on Israel that risks sparking


“Research illustrates a clear correlation between vitamin D deficiencies and (higher) COVID-19 mortality rates.”

There were data sets from 10 countries that fitted the criteria and were analyzed. Severe vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25(OH)D less than 25 nmol/L (10 ng/dL). Pearson correlation analysis between death rate per million of population from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency showed a strong correlation with r = 0.79, p = 0.007. Over time, correlation strengthened, and r coefficient asymptotically increased. After adjusting for countries’ age structure and per capita health expenditures, multiple linear regression analysis showed that higher prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased mortality. Each 1% increase in prevalence increased deaths by 55 per million (95% confidence interval, CI 8–102), p = 0.03. [...] Data collected shows a strong and significant correlation between prevalence of severe Vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 deaths per million in European countries. The correlation is asymptotically getting stronger over time, making it even less likely to be caused by a random chance. This is consistent with US and UK trends that show the mortality rate from COVID-19 is higher in dark-skinned and obese individuals than in general population, as these individuals are at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency. [...] There is a strong correlation between prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency and the mortality rate per million from COVID-19 in the European countries. The authors recommend for physicians to universally screen for vitamin D deficiency, and recommend further investigation of vitamin D supplementation in randomized control studies, which may lead to possible treatment or prevention of COVID-19.


"Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 returns after 10-year mystery"

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished 10 years ago today. What have we learned about what happened? Malaysia's government has said it may authorize a new hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 a decade after the plane and all 239 passengers and crew on board disappeared on March 8, 2014. What happened to MH370 after it departed Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, en route to Beijing remains one of aviation's biggest mysteries. [...] Ocean Infinity recently suggested it could resume the "no find, no fee" search for MH370, though Malaysia has said it will only do so if there is credible new evidence of where it might be located.


For the families of those on board these have been 10 years of inescapable grief, battling to keep the search going, to find out exactly what happened to MH370, and why. [...] Over 10 years, the lives of those affected have moved on, yet they also feel chained to the missing plane. [...] Ten years after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and its 239 passengers and crew vanished, can new evidence help locate the plane and finally solve aviation's greatest mystery?


Says a 1942 Milwaukee YMCA brochure shows children playing a violent, racist carnival game

This image is authentic and shows a 1942 YMCA brochure for Camp Minikani, a children's summer camp in Wisconsin. "Hit the Nigger Baby" (also known as "The Black Dodger" or "Hit the Coon") was a common fairground game in which players hurled objects (usually eggs or baseballs) at African-American people serving as human targets. According to the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University, "It sounds like a common carnival target game, but there was one unsettling part of the game, namely, the game's target was a real live human being, a 'negro' human being."


The game, with a banner including the n-word, was advertised in a 1942 brochure for Camp Minikani, in Washington County. This barbaric game was played widely at local fairs and carnivals from the 1800s into the mid-1900s, often using humans as targets. Newspaper accounts from the era casually reference the "dodgers" being badly injured and even killed.


People who are still living today played horribly racist games at carnivals and kids’ camps [...] Posts have been circulating on social media showing an old, black-and-white photo of kids playing a game called "Hit the N****r Baby," where they throw baseballs at black people's heads for fun. Such carnival games, also known as "African Dodger," "Hit the Negro," or "Hit the Coon," were still played as late as the 1950s. Snopes says that the "Hit the N****r Baby" photo came from a 1942 YMCA brochure for Camp Minikani, a children's summer camp in Wisconsin. So not only was this game played, but it was acceptable enough to have been included in a freaking camp brochure.


“R. Kelly has been released from United States of America Federal Prison, Chicago.”

Despite what is being shared on social media, Kelly has not been released from jail. Records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons show Kelly is in custody awaiting trial. [...] The claim that Kelly was released from jail is FALSE, based on our research. The image being used to make the claim is from March 2019, when he was released from jail after child support payments owed to his ex-wife were paid. Prison records show Kelly is still in custody at Chicago's Metropolitan Correctional Center. - United States Department of Justice, July 12, 2019, Recording Artist R. Kelly Arrested on Federal Child Pornography and Obstruction Charges - Associated Press Images, March 9, 2019, APTOPIX R KELLY CHICAGO - CBS Chicago, March 9, 2019, R. Kelly Released From Cook County After Arrest For Failing To Pay Child Support - ABC 7 Chicago, June 8, R. Kelly's lawyers request to withdraw from NY racketeering trail; others say they were fired - Federal Bureau of Prisons, accessed June 9, Find an inmate - Associated Press, April 15, Judge allows R. Kelly to be moved to NYC for sex-trafficking trial after several delays - PolitiFact, June 4, An old photo of R. Kelly leaving jail is being shared online but the singer is still in custody


CHICAGO (CBS) -- R. Kelly has been moved to a prison in North Carolina to serve his sentences prison sentence of more than 30 years. The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Kelly – whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly – was moved on Wednesday of last week from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago to the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina. [...] Kelly, 56, could be eligible for release from prison when he's a little over 79 years old.


R. Kelly is still incarcerated, serving a 30-year prison sentence.


Says Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson “called climate change ‘bull----’ during a record heatwave” and “raked in over $700k in fossil fuel cash.”

Fact-check: Did Ron Johnson take $700,000 from fossil fuel industry? [...] In an Aug. 13, 2022, tweet, the League of Conservation Voters took aim at Johnson, saying he "called climate change ‘bull - - - -’ during a record heatwave" and "raked in over $700k in fossil fuel cash." [...] The League of Conservation Voters claimed Johnson "called climate change ‘bull - - - -’ during a record heatwave" and "raked in over $700k in fossil fuel cash."


"President Zelenskyy’s wife orders 4 million dollar Bugatti” in Paris with U.S. tax money.

A claim that Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska preordered a $4 million luxury sports car while visiting France originated on a French website that was created June 22. A Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. spokesperson said Zelenska did not buy one of its vehicles. Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation called the claim Russian propaganda. Verite Cachee, where the claim first appeared, contains other articles that left instructions on how to write with a pro-Russia slant.


The city of San Francisco posted street signs warning that “stolen goods must remain under $950.”

City officials did not post street signs in San Francisco that appeared to warn thieves that "stolen goods must remain under $950," the city’s Board of Supervisors president said. The city has removed the signs. Proposition 47, a California ballot measure voters passed in 2014, lowered some nonviolent felony crimes to misdemeanors, including shoplifting, as long as items taken totaled less than $950. People convicted of that crime face six months in prison and/or fines of up to $1,000.


"86% of Americans and 82% of gun owners support requiring all gun buyers to pass a background check."

"Statistic: 86% of Americans and 82% of gun owners support requiring all gun buyers to pass a background check, no matter where they buy the gun and no matter who they buy it from." [...] One of the survey’s questions was: "Do you support or oppose requiring a background check on all gun buyers?" 86 percent of respondents said support, 7 percent said oppose, and 8 percent said unsure, according to the Giffords report on the poll. [...] A March 2019 poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that 87 percent of national gun owners support "requiring background checks for all gun owners." The poll surveyed 1,120 national voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.


Beth Wessel-Kroeshell stated on Jan. 22 in a published article that 86 percent of Americans and 82 percent of gun owners "support requiring all gun buyers to pass a background check" regardless of how they purchase them. [...] "Statistic: 86% of Americans and 82% of gun owners support requiring all gun buyers to pass a background check, no matter where they buy the gun and no matter who they buy it from." [...] A March 2019 poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that 87 percent of national gun owners support "requiring background checks for all gun owners." The poll surveyed 1,120 national voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.


“The weapons that Ukraine used in the early days of this war to fend off the Russian invasion are the weapons that Donald Trump sent, that Barack Obama and Joe Biden had refused to send.”

"A couple years ago, Obama was refusing to provide lethal aid to Ukraine, they were trying to do a reset. The Democrats lauded that. They viewed guys like me who are more of the (Ronald) Reagan school that’s tough on Russia as kind of throwbacks to the Cold War. They criticized Mitt Romney in 2012. Now all of a sudden, because they’re using it against Trump, they’re so concerned about Russia. I think we should be concerned about them, but I think a lot of this stuff has reaped the politics from the day that election happened." [...] DeSantis refused to comment on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year until it was five days in. When he did, he praised Ukrainian leadership. At the time, he said President Biden needed to act tougher and bring sanctions against Putin and Russia. [...] "And yet, when I was in Congress when Obama was President, Obama refused to send weapons to Ukraine. When Trump was President, we sent weapons to Ukraine. Putin didn’t like that very much. When Obama was President, Putin took Crimea. When Trump was President, they didn’t take anything. And now Biden’s President and they’re rolling into Ukraine."


“New York is one of only 12 states where the average gallon of gas costs more than $2.00.”

A quiet city on the edge of the Ozarks is the only town in the entire country where the average price of gas is less than $2 a gallon. [...] The national average stands a $2.45 a gallon, the lowest since 2009. As of Friday, half of all states had at least one station selling gas for less than $2, twice as many as on Monday. And Alaska and Hawaii are the only two states with an average gas price above $3 a gallon.


If Your Time is short • According to AAA data, New York was one of 12 states that had unleaded regular gasoline that cost more than $2.00 a gallon on April 27, as long as the District of Columbia is included as a state. [...] "New York is one of only 12 states where the average gallon of gas costs more than $2.00, according to numbers provided by the AAA of Western and Central New York," the report said. [...] A news report cited the American Automobile Association in saying that "New York is one of only 12 states where the average gallon of gas costs more than $2.00."


Chiefs' Coach Andy Reid "fires 3 top players for anthem kneeling."

"They Never Learn": Coach Andy Reid Suspends 3 Players On The Spot For Anthem Kneeling [...] The ritual of players taking a knee during the national anthem has been a symbol of peaceful protest against racial injustice, with athletes using their platform to amplify social issues. However, Coach Andy Reid’s recent decision to terminate three top players over this act has brought a new dimension to the ongoing discourse. [...] Coach Andy Reid’s bold move to fire three top players for anthem kneeling has stirred the waters of the NFL, emphasizing the ongoing tension between sports and activism. This incident will likely leave a lasting impact on the league’s approach to issues of expression, solidarity, and the role of athletes in advocating for social change. As the dust settles, the NFL faces a critical juncture in defining its stand on matters beyond the gridiron.


Chiefs’ Coach Andy Reid Draws Line, Fires 3 Top Players For Anthem Kneeling: "Stand for the Game, Not Against the Anthem" Travis Kelce Andy Reid Coach Kneeling In a move that reverberated through the sports world and beyond, Kansas City Chiefs’ Head Coach Andy Reid made headlines last week when he dismissed three of his top players from the team for kneeling during the national anthem. This decision, encapsulated in Reid’s stern declaration "Not on my field," has ignited a firestorm of debate, drawing attention to the ongoing struggle between sports, politics, and personal beliefs.


The ritual of players taking a knee during the national anthem has been a symbol of peaceful protest against racial injustice, with athletes using their platform to amplify social issues. However, Coach Andy Reid’s recent decision to terminate three top players over this act has brought a new dimension to the ongoing discourse. [...] The abrupt termination of three top players sent shockwaves through the NFL community and beyond. Social media erupted with a mix of support and criticism for Coach Reid’s decision. The move raised questions about the balance between freedom of expression and the expectations placed on athletes in their professional capacities. [...] Coach Andy Reid’s bold move to fire three top players for anthem kneeling has stirred the waters of the NFL, emphasizing the ongoing tension between sports and activism. This incident will likely leave a lasting impact on the league’s approach to issues of expression, solidarity, and the role of athletes in advocating for social change. As the dust settles, the NFL faces a critical juncture in defining its stand on matters beyond the gridiron.


“It wasn’t all women that lost jobs (in the December jobs report), it was mostly Black and Latina women. In fact, white women gained employment.”

There was a net loss in jobs from November to December. Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicate that while women overall lost jobs, men overall gained jobs nationally. A separate Bureau of Labor Statistics survey indicates the number of employed white women increased, while the number of employed Hispanic or Latina women and Black women decreased.


By December 2017, the unemployment rates for the four major race and ethnicity groups had returned to their prerecession levels. The rates for Blacks and Hispanics have remained higher than the rates for Whites and Asians. In December 2017, the unemployment rate for Blacks (6.8 percent) was 3.1 percentage points above that for Whites (3.7 percent) but the lowest in the series’ history. The December 2017 rate for Hispanics (4.9 percent) was 1.2 percentage points higher than the rate for Whites but also little different from the series’ low.5 The unemployment rate for Asians (2.5 percent) was 1.2 percentage points lower than that for Whites. [...] During the recession, employment declined sharply for all major race and ethnicity groups, but the decline was most pronounced among Blacks. The employment–population ratio for Blacks declined by almost 7 percentage points during and after the recession. At the low point in July 2011, only about half (51.0 percent) of Blacks were employed. Consistent with historical patterns, Black men fared worse than did men of other race and ethnicity groups. In fact, from 2009 to 2011, their employment–population ratio fell below the ratio for White women and was level with the ratio for Asian women. The ratio for Black women trended similarly to the ratios for women of other race and ethnicity groups.


Sarah Godlewski stated on January 9, 2021 in Twitter: "It wasn’t all women that lost jobs (in the December jobs report), it was mostly Black and Latina women. Sarah Godlewski stated on March 3, 2024 in Public appearance: "When it comes to how many votes (President) Joe Biden won, it was literally less than a few votes per ward." Sarah Godlewski stated on February 21, 2024 in X, formerly Twitter: "One of my responsibilities as Secretary of State is to countersign acts passed by the legislature & signed into law by Gov. Evers." Sarah Godlewski stated on May 8, 2022 in Newspaper opinion piece: "Fifty-four percent of Wisconsinites live in a child care desert." Sarah Godlewski stated on April 1, 2022 in Twitter: "Ron Johnson is trying to let insurance companies deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions like cancer, depression, pregnancy, diabetes—or even COVID." Sarah Godlewski stated on February 18, 2022 in Campaign statement: "Here in Wisconsin, prescription drug costs grew at a pace of nearly twice as much as the average Wisconsinite's income from 2015-2019." Sarah Godlewski stated on February 6, 2021 in a tweet: "On average, 17% of a family’s income goes towards child care in Wisconsin." Sarah Godlewski stated on January 9, 2021 in Twitter: "It wasn’t all women that lost jobs (in the December jobs report), it was mostly Black and Latina women.


A jury “ordered Disney and Lucasfilm to pay” actor Gina Carano $115 million.

This claim originated on a self-described satire website. "The Mandalorian" actor Gina Carano has sued Disney for wrongful termination, but the lawsuit continues.


A Facebook post published on January 19, 2023, claimed that actor Gina Carano was paid $115 million after she was "Wrongfully Terminated" from the Star Wars spin-off show The Mandalorian. The post links to an article that states: "Disney Incorporated LLC will pay $115 million for wrongful termination, according to a jury in Orlando. [...] There appears to be no evidence that Gina Carano has received $115 million from Disney after she left the show in 2021. The article was published by America's Last Line of Defense, a parody news site.


Florida has “the highest” homeowners insurance in the nation.

Trump is correct that Florida has the nation’s costliest highest homeowners insurance. [...] The industry-funded Insurance Information Institute found that Floridians pay the highest average home insurance premium at $6,000 a year for 2023, Mark Friedlander, an institute spokesperson, told PolitiFact. That amount is 42% higher than 2022. [...] Trump said that Florida has "the highest" homeowners insurance in the nation.


ST. JOHNS, Fla., June 23, 2022—With its overabundance of unneeded new roofs on homes, and flashy lawyer billboards at every turn claiming massive settlements on claims, Florida’s insurance market is on the verge of failure. Even more, this man-made catastrophe is causing financial strain on resident consumers, as the annual cost of an average Florida homeowners insurance policy will skyrocket to $4,231 in 2022, nearly three times more than the U.S. annual average of $1,544, according to an Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) analysis. "Floridians pay the highest homeowners insurance premiums in the nation for reasons having little to do with their exposure to hurricanes," said Sean Kevelighan, CEO, Triple-I. "Floridians are seeing homeowners insurance become costlier and scarcer because for years the state has been the home of too much litigation and too many fraudulent roof replacement schemes. These two factors contributed enormously to the net underwriting losses Florida’s homeowners insurers cumulatively incurred between 2016 and 2021." [...] The typical Florida homeowners insurance policyholder paid $2,505 for coverage in 2020, the Triple-I found, and that figure rose to $3,181 in 2021. Triple-I’s analysis was based on data and analyses from Florida’s OIR, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and Triple-I’s estimates of what insurers are paying today for home replacement costs (e.g., lumber).


ST. JOHNS, Fla., Aug. 9, 2022—The turmoil in Florida’s homeowners insurance market is being caused primarily by the state’s outsized number of lawsuits and its commonplace fraud schemes, according to an Issues Brief published today by the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I). "Floridians are seeing homeowners’ insurance become costlier and scarcer because for years the state has been the home of too much litigation and too many fraudulent roof-replacement schemes," said Sean Kevelighan, CEO, Triple-I. "These two factors contributed enormously to the net underwriting losses Florida’s homeowners’ insurers cumulatively incurred between 2017 and 2021." Florida homeowners pay the highest average property insurance premium in the U.S. at $4,231, nearly three times the U.S. average of $1,544, according to Triple-I’s analysis. [...] Two major hurricanes made landfall in the state in 2017 (Category 4 Irma) and 2018 (Category 5 Michael). The past three hurricane seasons (2019-2021), however, have been relatively quiet ones for Florida. Insurers are experiencing net underwriting losses in large part because Florida is the site of 79 percent of all homeowners insurance lawsuits over claims filed nationwide while Florida’s homeowners insurers receive only 9 percent of all U.S. homeowners property insurance claims, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Floridians For Lawsuit Reform estimates 130,000 property claim lawsuits will be filed in 2022, largely due to Florida’s favorable litigation environment.


CNN's David Chalian referred to Michelle Obama as "Big Mike" on air during presidential debate coverage.

Snopes: No, Video Does Not Show CNN's David Chalian Referring to Michelle Obama as 'Big Mike' July 2, 2024 Snopes examines claims about CNN's coverage. Read The Full Article.


Instagram posts stated on September 12, 2024 in an Instagram post Former President Donald Trump admitted during the Sept. 10 presidential debate that he "blew up the Nord Stream pipeline." Instagram posts stated on September 9, 2024 in Instagram posts A Haitian woman was arrested in Springfield, Ohio, for eating a cat. Social Media stated on September 10, 2024 in social media posts Vice President Kamala Harris wore NOVA H1 audio earrings in the Sept. 10, 2024, presidential debate. TikTok posts stated on June 28, 2024 in a video CNN's David Chalian referred to Michelle Obama as "Big Mike" on air during presidential debate coverage. Vivek Ramaswamy stated on September 27, 2023 in a Republican presidential primary debate. Being transgender is a "mental health disorder." Facebook posts stated on April 24, 2021 in a Facebook post Social media posts stated: "Remember Kamala telling Joe during the debate, ‘You will do whatever the Chinese tell you! They gave your son over a billion dollars.’" Facebook posts stated on April 24, 2021 in a Facebook post "Anyone remember Kamala telling Joe during the debate: ‘You will do whatever the Chinese tell you! They gave your son over a billion dollars.’" [...] TikTok posts stated on June 28, 2024 in a video CNN's David Chalian referred to Michelle Obama as "Big Mike" on air during presidential debate coverage.


It was a pivotal moment in the coverage of the night. He'd said aloud what others had until then been saying only to themselves. [...] David Chalian: "By 9:15, I think I said to my producer Terence Burlij, 'Trump may win this thing.' He looked at me like I was crazy. You could sense that the night was different." [...] David Chalian joined the CNN team at the main anchor desk for the end of the ten-hour special report. After Blitzer signed off -- "This has been a truly historic night. Trump elected President of the United States" -- there was "a complete and utter exhale" in the studio.


“Today in America, 1 in 3 women of reproductive age live in a state with an abortion ban.”

One year ago, the Supreme Court eliminated a constitutional right that it had previously recognized, overturning nearly fifty years of precedent. Today, more than 23 million women of reproductive age—one in three—live in one of the 18 states with an abortion ban currently in effect. In the last year, women have been denied essential medical care to preserve their health and even save their lives. They have been turned away from emergency rooms, forced to delay care, and made to travel hundreds of miles and across state lines for needed medical care. Despite this devastating impact on women’s health, Republican elected officials continue to advance these bans at both the state and national level. President Biden and Vice President Harris stand with the majority of Americans who believe the right to choose is fundamental—and who have made their voices heard at every opportunity since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. As the President has made clear since the day of the Dobbs decision, the only way to ensure women in every state have access to abortion is for Congress to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade.


Harris’ claim was similar to a White House fact sheet that said "more than 23 million women of reproductive age — one in three — live in one of the 18 states with an abortion ban currently in effect." [...] How many U.S. women of reproductive age live in states with abortion bans [...] "Given the shifting landscape of abortion laws, many organizations have different definitions and categories for states’ abortion laws," said Laurie Sobel, women’s health policy director at KFF. Today, approximately 21.5 million women ages 15 to 49 live in the 14 states that totally ban abortion, and in the two states with six-week bans in effect, she said. That comes out to about 29% of women of childbearing age, or about 1 in 3.4.


“Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Donald Trump not wearing a face mask in public.”

Democrats take a negative view of much that happens in the Trump administration (86% of them disapprove of how Trump is handling his presidency), and they tend to support a different theory—that the government is concealing the scale of deaths from the virus. Democrats (60%) are three times more likely than Republicans (21%) to believe this. [...] Just a third last week and this week would cancel long-distance travel. Support for this comes across the board, from both Republicans and Democrats. The American public generally agrees with the medical authorities who say requiring that people wear face masks isn’t desirable from a medical point of view. [...] Americans are divided on the president’s handling of the coronavirus; this week 41 percent approve, 43 percent disapprove (last week, disapproval outweighed approval 47% to 37%). Like last week, four in ten don’t believe the President is taking the situation seriously enough. There is also division on the appointment of Vice President Mike Pence to head the Administration’s response to the virus.


"Two thirds of Americans disapprove of Donald Trump not wearing a face mask in public, and the vast majority supports elected officials being required to wear masks in government buildings," Jackson tweeted. [...] Their poll question asked, "Do you approve or disapprove of Donald Trump’s decision NOT to wear a face mask while in public?" [...] Jackson said "two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Donald Trump not wearing a face mask in public and the vast majority supports elected officials being required to wear masks in government buildings."


Health experts say Americans should wear a face mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but President Trump has been reluctant to do so in public. Democrat Darren Jackson, the minority leader in the North Carolina House of Representatives, said two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump's decision. There's one poll that supports his exact claim, and several others showing that roughly 66% of Americans want Trump to wear a mask.


“You’ve raised a lot more money than I have, Bernie.”

Bernie Sanders is raising staggering amounts of money through the ActBlue fundraising site. Much of it comes from small donors. [...] When the 2016 election began, the idea was that big money from big donors would dominate the election. Instead, many candidates with robust super PACs have failed; Donald Trump has loaned himself money; and Bernie's raised more than $112 million (accounting for 82% of contributions to his campaign) through ActBlue, an online donation service for Democrats, specializing in small donors. [...] And Sanders has indeed raised an insane amount of money from the actual small donations — he's literally been given $10 about 1.4 million times.


Bernie Sanders, I would say at this point, you’re hard-pressed to find a path forward for him numerically. Very much on the other side, like a Marco Rubio, he is very much fighting the math at this point. He did win four key states. He has raised and continues to raise more money than Hillary Clinton, which is fascinating – $40 million last month, which is quite impressive. But he has stalled because he hasn’t been able to make it – make a name for himself or pick up delegates and support outside of the Northeast. He hasn’t been able to pick up delegates or support in nonwhite states or states with a large nonwhite population. And that’s something that continues to be difficult for him.