claim_id stringlengths 1 234 | claim stringlengths 14 491 | explanation stringlengths 1 4.18k | label stringclasses 5
values | subjects stringlengths 0 223 | main_text stringlengths 18 41.7k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9185 | Screening MRI benefits women at average risk of breast cancer | The news release does a generally good job presenting the main findings of the study. In particular, the release makes a compelling case for why current practices in breast cancer screening may be lacking, establishes the novelty of the research and presents the hypothesis that MRI screenings are helpful to women with ... | mixture | MRI,Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) | Although the news release does not specify the exact price tag, it makes the reader aware that MRI screening is often avoided due to higher cost than other screening options: “MRI screening has not been considered necessary for women at average risk, and there has been resistance to expansion of MRI into this populatio... |
9308 | Before Starting A Statin, Talk It Over With Your Doctor | The story reports on a study that re-assessed who benefits from taking a statin to prevent heart disease, with different risk thresholds based on sex, age group, and statin type. It reports the view that current guidelines “haven’t adequately considered” the harms from taking these widely used drugs. The story laudably... | true | statins | There’s no discussion of cost, even to mention that statins are relatively inexpensive these days and are mostly generically available. To its credit, the article does mention the cost of a calcium scan. We learn that “anywhere from 50 to 200 healthy people need to take a statin daily to prevent a single heart attack f... |
26221 | “This is what Bill Gates and George Soros want to do… secretly stick you with a chip while testing you for the coronavirus... the Dems have a bill on the House floor ready to vote on it to require this.” | We found no evidence to support this claim. | false | Facebook Fact-checks, Coronavirus, Facebook posts, | "Social media users have shared a lot of misinformation about a possible vaccine against COVID-19, including allegations that Americans will be microchipped if they’re vaccinated. A recent Facebook post uses a similar ploy to discourage people from getting tested for the coronavirus. ""This is what Bill Gates and Georg... |
7778 | U.S. to help South Korea get flu drugs to North despite stalled nuclear talks. | The United States has agreed to help South Korea send flu medication to North Korea, a South Korean official said on Friday, after the United States said it would help deliver aid to the North despite stalled nuclear talks. | true | Health News | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to work toward denuclearization at a landmark summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore in June but the two sides have made little progress. North Korea raised new doubts about a nuclear agreement on Thursday when its state media said any deal on it giving up its nuclear... |
14846 | 15 years ago, cancer drugs cost an average of $10,000 a year. Now it’s $10,000 a month. | "Maher said, ""15 years ago, cancer drugs cost an average of $10,000 a year. Now it’s $10,000 a month."" The average annual cost of a drug isn’t easy to calculate, given the way cancer drugs are scheduled; many drugs aren’t used every month for an entire year. So the first half of the statement is hard to verify, thoug... | true | Health Care, PunditFact, Bill Maher, | "Patients used to pay $10,000 a year for cancer drugs, but now they’re paying $10,000 a month, according to HBO talk show host Bill Maher. That’s a message circulating on Facebook recently, promoted by the ""Bill Maher Fanpage."" A reader asked us to check it out. The quote comes from the Oct. 2 episode of Real Time wi... |
40249 | Reports have gone viral that Fireball Whiskey has been recalled because it contains an ingredient found in anti-freeze. | Fireball Whiskey Contains Anti-Freeze Ingredient | mixture | Food / Drink | It’s true that Fireball Whiskey was recalled, but claims that it contains an anti-freeze ingredient are misleading. Sazarac, Inc., bottler and distributor of Fireball Whiskey, announced the recall in a statement released on October 28, 2014. Batches of the cinnamon-flavored whiskey were recalled in Europe, F... |
2298 | Humans should thank ancient Scottish fish fossils for joy of sex. | Scientists studying fossils have discovered that the intimate act of sexual intercourse used by humans was pioneered by ancient armored fishes, called placoderms, about 385 million years ago in Scotland. | true | Science News | In an important discovery in the evolutionary history of sexual reproduction, the scientists found that male fossils of the Microbrachius dicki, which belong to a placoderm group, developed bony L-shaped genital limbs called claspers to transfer sperm to females. Females, for their part, developed small paired bones to... |
28997 | Administering three simple tests will help diagnose a stroke, and pricking a stroke victim's fingers will prevent further harm from the cerebral attack. | What's true: Three simple tests can help diagnose the occurrence of a stroke. What's false: Making a stroke victim bleed from his fingers won't prevent further harm. What's undetermined: Asking a stricken victim to stick out his tongue may help diagnose a stroke. | mixture | Medical, Disease, prevent stroke, stroke | Each year an estimated 600,000 Americans experience strokes, which are interruptions of the blood supply to any part of the brain, resulting in damaged brain tissue. Of these victims, 160,000 die, making stroke the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Those persons this dread killer does not immediately send to the... |
2752 | GSK to launch late-stage clinical trials on 10 new drugs: paper. | GlaxoSmithKline is set to unveil plans to launch late-stage clinical trials on 10 new drugs over the next two years, the Telegraph reported, without citing sources. | true | Health News | The new drugs, which have not been detailed to investors, will include cancer and respiratory disease medicines, the newspaper said on its website. (link.reuters.com/fup56v) Britain’s biggest drugmaker is also expected to report that fourth-quarter sales in China, where it is embroiled in a major bribery probe, took a... |
8976 | Gas sensing gut pill beats breath test diagnosis | The news release concerns a very small (12 human subjects) preliminary trial to assess if a swallowable capsule can measure intestinal hydrogen gas as well as the existing method of breath testing. Such breath testing is used to aid in the diagnosis of a small handful of uncommon gastrointestinal disorders. What’s prob... | false | breath test | The news release makes many bold claims about the accuracy and clinical utility of this device. And if it’s not too early to make such claims, it’s not too early to give readers some idea of what this type of technology might cost. The main benefits touted are: Unfortunately, we’re not given any supporting data, or con... |
27914 | A man was killed by an exploding lava lamp. | In 2004, a lava lamp was put to use as a weapon in an attempted murder in the Dallas area when 35-year-old Tammy Britt Miller beat her mother, 62-year-old Connie Britt, with such a lamp, stabbed her repeatedly, and smashed a large picture frame over her head before attempting to suffocate her with a plastic bag. | true | Horrors, freakish fatalities | Sooner or later, the Grim Reaper comes for us all, but sometimes his mode of operation almost defies explanation. Take the 2004 demise of 24-year-old Phillip Quinn of Kent, Washington, who was done in by his lava lamp. An icon of the 1960s and 1970s that experienced a resurgence in popularity in the mid-1990s, lava lam... |
31280 | A video documents that the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School were a staged hoax. | A video supposedly documenting that the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School were a staged hoax is full of misinformation. | false | Politics Guns, conspiracy theories, crisis actors, laura phelps | A video, since removed by YouTube, which was widely circulated after the 14 December 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, which left 26 victims dead at that school, purported to show many contradictions in facts surrounding the Sandy Hook shootings which established that the incident was a s... |
6720 | Mosquito breed known to carry Zika found in Nebraska. | A mosquito species native to tropical climates and known to carry the Zika virus has been found in Nebraska. | true | Health, York, Nebraska, Zika virus | State health officials said Tuesday in a news release that the Aedes aegypti mosquito was recently found in southeastern Nebraska’s York County. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says it’s the first time that type of mosquito has been found in Nebraska. Health officials say the Aedes aegypti bites pr... |
18530 | "Caddy McKeown Says ""A baby in Coos County is two times as likely to be born to a mother who is someone who used tobacco during her pregnancy as is the average baby born in Oregon or the U.S." | Are babies born in Coos County twice as likely to be born to smokers? | true | Oregon, County Government, Public Health, Taxes, Caddy McKeown, | "Legislation to let counties set additional taxes on tobacco squeaked through the Oregon House last week on a 31-to-29 vote. Lawmakers opposed to higher taxes said it wasn’t fair to squeeze more revenue out of cigarette addicts. Lawmakers in support said smoking is a public health hazard and that local governments shou... |
26116 | “The CDC just confirmed a 0.2% death-rate for COVID19.” | "The CDC has not “confirmed” any mortality rate for COVID-19. The Facebook posts draw on the low-end of a range of estimates the CDC published in May saying the fatality rate for those showing symptoms was between 0.2% and 1%, with a ""best estimate"" of 0.4%. The estimated overall mortality rate of those with and with... | false | Public Health, Facebook Fact-checks, California, Coronavirus, Facebook posts, | "Determining the death rate of COVID-19 is a big challenge, especially at this still-early stage in the pandemic. Health officials and epidemiologists say there are many unknowns: How many people got infected but were never tested? How many died of the disease without being counted as coronavirus deaths? The answer is ... |
1613 | Ireland unveils minimum alcohol price plan to reduce drinking. | The Irish government, aiming to change the country’s “damaging attitude to alcohol”, approved on Wednesday plans for minimum prices for drinks in the hope of reducing one of Europe’s highest levels of alcohol consumption. | true | Health News | A bill to be submitted to parliament later this month would set a minimum of 10 euro cents per gram of alcohol, ban cut-price marketing, restrict “happy hours” and prohibit advertising for drinks near schools, playgrounds and public transport, a health ministry statement said. Alcohol advertisements could only be broad... |
20396 | Rick Perry Says you need a photo ID to purchase Sudafed in Texas. | Rick Perry says photo ID required to purchase Sudafed in Texas | true | Elections, Legal Issues, Texas, Rick Perry, | "Defending the blocked Texas law requiring voters to present photo IDs at the polls, Gov. Rick Perry pointed out that similar identification is already required for some activities. In an interview with Fox News on March 16, 2012, Perry told anchor Bill Hemmer: ""It goes without saying that in today’s world, having a p... |
29432 | Parents should keep any eye out for drug-laced Gummy bears and ecstasy (MDMA) disguised as Halloween candy being distributed to trick-or-treaters. | "What's true: Some forms of Ecstasy are brightly colored and look like candy. What's false: These forms of Ecstasy are not ""new,"" they're not intended to appeal to children, and they're not likely to end up in kids' Halloween trick-or-treat bags." | false | Horrors, Contaminated Products, ecstasy, gummi bears | In September 2015, many Facebook users shared photographs along with warnings that the images depicted a “new shapes of Ecstasy” that “can kill kids through overdoses,” and therefore parents should be vigilant to ensure no such items turned up in their children’s trick-or-treat bags on Halloween: If your kids get the... |
39918 | Allegedly from a Ph.D.at the University of Vermont, this warning says that the 2006 pumpkin crop in New England in the U.S. is infected with a virus that results in toxic fumes coming from the pumpkin when it is cut open. The email claims that a woman in Vermont is in a coma because of... | Beware of toxic pumpkins with deadly vapors | false | Food / Drink, Household, Warnings | This email is a hoax. There is no deadly squash virus spreading through New England that affects the health of humans. There is no documented report of anyone being overcome by fumes or in a coma. There are viruses that affect various plants that are called comoviruses including Squash mosaic co... |
31993 | The Communist Party of the USA endorsed Hillary Clinton. | After it became clear in July 2016 that Clinton’s rival in the primaries, Sen. Bernie Sanders, would not be the Democratic nominee, CPUSA did issue a statement urging members to vote against Trump, even if they didn’t particularly care for Clinton. The group did not, however, formally endorse Clinton, Sanders, or any o... | false | Politics, 2016 election, 2016 presidential election, communism | On 3 September 2016, news and current events blog NewsBusters posted an article claiming that the Communist Party of the USA (CPUSA) had endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The claim was contextualized with the idea that the media at large was ignoring the story in favor of reporting on the fact that a Klans... |
22224 | Under a proposal by Rep. Paul Ryan, people on Medicare will only have $15,000 from the federal government to spend on their health care. | Bill Maher says GOP proposal would limit seniors to $15,000 spending under Medicare | false | National, Federal Budget, Health Care, Medicare, Pundits, Bill Maher, | "During the April 15, 2011, edition of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, the liberal host and his ideologically diverse panel had an animated discussion about a proposal to overhaul Medicare that has been offered by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Ryan’s plan was included in a budget resolution that passed the House on a near p... |
10305 | Stem Cells and Weakened Hearts | "CBS claimed an “exclusive” with this report on the “first person ever to get an infusion of his own heart stem cells” to try to avoid future problems after a heart attack. OK, they had the exclusive report that the procedure was done. But they didn’t make clear that: There is currently nothing known about the benefi... | false | "There was no estimate for the costs involved for this approach. While it is in its early stages of investigation, since the story closed with a quote ""If this works, it’s going to help so many people. "", it is worth some discussion about some of the costs involved. There is currently nothing known about the benefits... | |
9787 | Vitamin A may slash melanoma risk | Using language like this is simply not appropriate nor accurate to describe the findings from an observational study: “slash risk”…”reduce the risk”…”reduced risk was more pronounced in women than in men”…”protective effect”…”melanoma risk was reduced the most” When, oh when, will such news organizations become aware o... | true | melanoma,vitamins | Not applicable. The cost of Vitamin A is not in question, although the amount we collectively spend on supplements — most of which are probably unnecessary — is substantial. At least in clearly describing the study’s findings, the story spelled out the absolute numbers: Among the 59,000 people in the study who had neve... |
11074 | TGen identifies drug that could limit the spread of deadly brain tumors | This news release describes the discovery of propentofylline, a drug that researchers claim could help patients with brain tumors. But there’s no justification for calling this test of a drug on brain tumor cells in a lab dish “a significant breakthrough.” Because of the murky wording of the release, and the many menti... | false | Foundation/nonprofit news release,Independent research center news release | Even though propentofylline, the drug being studied, is not FDA approved for use in people, the release could have easily included some basic price information since the drug is currently sold for use in elderly dogs in many countries. One online pharmacy quotes a price of $67 for sixty 100 mg tablets tablets. Of cours... |
14179 | The Obama administration has even joined Islamist governments in sponsoring a U.N. resolution that would shred our First Amendment by threatening to make discussion of radical Islamism potentially illegal. | "Sen. Ted Cruz said that the Obama administration has ""joined Islamist governments in sponsoring a U.N. resolution that would shred our First Amendment by threatening to make discussion of radical Islamism potentially illegal."" The United States in 2011 voted in support of United Nations Human Rights Council Resoluti... | false | Terrorism, Texas, Ted Cruz, | "In an email to supporters March 28, 2016, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas criticized the Obama administration’s approach to fighting terrorism. The email, with the subject ""If I Am Elected President, America Will Have a Commander-in-Chief Committed to Defeating Radical Islamic Terrorism,"" reprinted a Cruz op-ed column publis... |
5817 | Ocean changes affected deadly duo of Mozambique cyclones. | Warming waters and rising sea levels are affecting Indian Ocean cyclones such as those that have wrought havoc in Mozambique in recent weeks, making them potentially more deadly. | true | Climate, Climate change, International News, Rising sea levels, Oceans, Africa, Mozambique, Science, Indian Ocean | But experts caution it is premature to say whether the unprecedented double-whammy of storms to hit the southern African nation is a consequence of climate change, and whether these cyclones will become more common. Cyclone Idai, which swamped large parts of central Mozambique last month, killed over 600 people and dis... |
24404 | "A data-storing microchip ""would be implanted in the majority of people who opt to become covered by the public health care option." | Chain e-mail says those on public option will have to get microchip implant | false | National, Health Care, Privacy Issues, Chain email, | "It's a recipe for a great conspiracy theory: a big health care bill, an effort to centralize medical records and a new microchip that can be implanted under your skin. Just add outrage and stir! A chain e-mail warns darkly that an ""implantable radio frequency transponder system for patient identification and health i... |
10071 | Shots more effective than FluMist in adults | First, we acknowledge that the version of the AP story that we found in the Charlotte Observer was less than half the length (327 words) of the AP story as we found it in other newspapers (734 words). So the reporter clearly did a lot more work than what was seen in the Charlotte paper. This is a troubling practice tha... | mixture | "The article omits mention of costs, an important public health issue. A flu shot costs about $11, whereas FluMist costs about $20. Even though equally effective in preventing the onset of flu, FluMist is less efficient than the flu shot. The AP story accurately reports the proportion of children who benefited from eit... | |
28804 | A list tallies some of the good deeds accomplished by Donald Trump. | A list tallies some of the good deeds credited to Donald Trump. How accurate is it? | mixture | Politics Politicians, donald trump | In July 2016, an image listing some of the good deeds accomplished by Donald Trump was widely circulated on social media as a response to criticisms that that the Republican presidential candidate was racist, sexist or elitist: Here is our examination of the claims contained within that image: POSSIBLY TRUE: Donald ... |
14697 | Anyone can die of a toothache. | "Cortes said, ""Anyone can die of a toothache."" It’s not so much that you’ll die of pain, of course, but dentists and research confirm that an untreated abscess can infect other parts of the body, either through the bones or the bloodstream. Most people won’t die from a toothache, but it’s a condition that if left unt... | true | Health Care, Medicaid, Florida, John Cortes, | "State Rep. John Cortes, D-Kissimmee, made a biting claim about the consequences of poor dental care during debate on a bill that would change the rules for Medicaid coverage. HB 819 is backed by MCNA, a Fort Lauderdale dental benefits company that lost its Medicaid contracts with the state after the 2011 switch to man... |
18168 | Jonathan Stickland Says Texas has more than 80,000 abortions each year. | "Stickland said there are ""80,000+"" abortions each year in Texas. That was last true in 2006, 2007 and 2008, according to the state, but the number has declined since, with 72,470 Texas abortions reported in 2011. Still, Guttmacher, a respected source, hasn’t updated its data since its survey reporting 84,610 Texas a... | false | Abortion, Texas, Jonathan Stickland, | "CLARIFICATION, 11 a.m., July 11, 2013: We amended this story to clarify that the law requiring a sonogram and a 24-hour wait before an abortion was phased in starting Sept. 1, 2011, an indication that it would not have deterred abortions the whole year. As the Texas House renewed debate on proposed changes in abortion... |
294 | German scientists create see-through human organs. | Researchers in Germany have created transparent human organs using a new technology that could pave the way to print three-dimensional body parts such as kidneys for transplants. | true | Science News | Scientists led by Ali Erturk at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich have developed a technique that uses a solvent to make organs such as the brain and kidneys transparent. The organ is then scanned by lasers in a microscope that allows researchers to capture the entire structure, including the blood vessels and ev... |
8522 | With plastic sheets, Japan's convenience stores target social distancing. | Some of Japan’s ubiquitous convenience stores have taken a novel approach to social distancing by hanging plastic sheets from the ceiling to provide a barrier between customers and staff at the cash register during the coronavirus pandemic. | true | Health News | Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures last week in response to the coronavirus outbreak. While many businesses in Tokyo and elsewhere are now shut, most convenience stores have stayed open as they are considered essential. There are around 58,000 convenience stores t... |
14188 | Closing the tobacco loophole would save Missouri taxpayers $50,000,000 | Our ruling Koster said that closing the tobacco loophole would save Missouri taxpayers $50 million. Koster said that closing the tobacco loophole would save Missouri taxpayers $50 million. The tobacco settlement and the arbitration that followed is complicated, but ultimately, Koster did reach a settlement to return $5... | true | Public Health, State Budget, Missouri, Chris Koster, | "As part of his campaign to become Missouri’s 56th governor, Chris Koster tweeted a statistic about something he has been working to accomplish during his time as attorney general: closing the tobacco loophole. In his tweet, Koster called upon the legislature to #FixTheLoophole, which he says will save Missourians $50 ... |
16378 | We have a retiree that is collecting a $17,000 paycheck a month . . . tax free. | "Jorge Elorza said, ""We have a retiree that is collecting a $17,000 paycheck a month . . . tax free."" The city's biggest retirement check goes to a retired fire chief who is getting $16,401. Although Elorza overstated the amount a bit, its close enough to rate his statement True. (If you have a claim you’d like Polit... | true | Rhode Island, Debates, Debt, Deficit, Disability, Economy, History, Labor, Legal Issues, Pensions, Public Safety, Retirement, Unions, Workers, Jorge Elorza, | "If you're looking for reasons why Providence is in financial trouble, Democratic mayoral candidate Jorge Elorza says a good place to start is the city's pension costs. During a Sept. 30, 2014, mayoral debate, he was asked about the city's huge pension debt. Elorza blamed one of his opponents, Vincent A. ""Buddy"" Cian... |
5442 | Source confirmed in Legionnaires’ outbreak at Atlanta hotel. | The Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed the source of a deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at a downtown Atlanta hotel. | true | Georgia, Health, General News, Legionnaires disease, Atlanta, Disease outbreaks, Public health | According to news outlets, officials said Thursday that the bacteria were present in the Sheraton Atlanta’s cooling tower and in a decorative fountain in the atrium. The hotel has been closed for about a month since the first cases were confirmed. Health officials say the hotel passed an inspection Thursday and has bee... |
7999 | Heroic nurses need full protection against coronavirus, association says. | More equipment is needed to protect the world’s nurses working on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic to save lives, the head of the International Council of Nurses said. | true | Health News | “They are heroic, I think there is no other way to describe what they are doing at this moment,” said Howard Catton, a British nurse who is the ICN’s chief executive officer. Infection rates of 9% and 12-14% have been reported among health workers in Italy and Spain, respectively, and deaths among nurses there and in I... |
9871 | Study Shows SAMe May Ease Depression | Without explaining the novelty of this new research, we’re given the hope without the real reason. The piece provides a number of important specifics about the evidence and tries to wrap the study in historical and geographical context. But there are enormous holes in that context, which we point out in this review — e... | mixture | There’s a nice summary of costs and lack of insurance coverage, citing the editorial. However, we were surprised to see in this summary that “the cost is relatively low” when the cited editorial states “SAMe is relatively expensive.” This mistake may have been unintentional, and while it’s the exact opposite conclusion... | |
7408 | First embryo gene-repair holds promise for inherited disease. | Altering human heredity? In a first, researchers safely repaired a disease-causing gene in human embryos, targeting a heart defect best known for killing young athletes — a big step toward one day preventing a list of inherited diseases. | true | AP Top News, Health, Politics, North America, Genetic Frontiers, Science, U.S. News | In a surprising discovery, a research team led by Oregon Health and & Science University reported Wednesday that embryos can help fix themselves if scientists jump-start the process early enough. It’s laboratory research only, nowhere near ready to be tried in a pregnancy. But it suggests that scientists might alter DN... |
6294 | NE Alabama hepatitis A outbreak grows. | Alabama health authorities are urging the public to get vaccinated after a hepatitis A outbreak in DeKalb and Jackson counties continues to spread. | true | Immunizations, Health, Hepatitis, Dekalb, Alabama, Public health | The Department of Public Health says more cases that may be related have been identified in Cherokee and Marshall counties, with March 3 as the latest known symptom onset. Currently, there are 22 cases in Jackson County, 12 in DeKalb County and one case in Marshall County. For more details about the current outbreak, p... |
7962 | Coronavirus can spread one to three days before symptoms appear: CDC study. | People infected with the novel coronavirus can transmit the infection one-to-three days before symptoms start to appear, according to a study published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). | true | Health News | The study, which underscored the importance of social distancing to fight the coronavirus outbreak, looked at 243 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, reported in Singapore between January 23 and March 16. It identified seven “clusters” where pre-symptomatic transmission was likely, and in four suc... |
9946 | New vaccine strategy better protects high-risk cancer patients from flu | This brief news release describes the findings from a study of patients with plasma cell disorders, including multiple myeloma, who were given two high-dose injections of Fluzone influenza vaccine in order to lower their risk of contracting the flu during the 2014-2015 flu season. The results were presented at the annu... | mixture | Academic medical center news release,Cancer | The news release doesn’t mention any costs associated with the high-dose vaccine. The New York Times reported last year that “The cost of the high-dose vaccine is $28.65 a dose, and Medicare covers one shot a year without a co-payment.” The release states that the flu infection rate fell to 6% in the patients who recei... |
3896 | US Sen. Reed says bill will help prevent veteran suicides. | U.S. Sen. Jack Reed said he believes legislation that recently cleared the Congress will improve suicide prevention and mental health resources for veterans. | true | Rhode Island, Mental health, Health, Jack Reed, General News, Legislation, Suicide prevention, Bills, Veterans, Veterans affairs, Donald Trump | The Rhode Island Democrat co-sponsored the Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act, which requires the comptroller general to assess the responsibilities, workload and vacancy rates for suicide prevention coordinators at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Reed praised the Senate for passing the bill last week.... |
3009 | Clinics awarded grants to help uninsured, underinsured. | Nearly four dozen clinics will share $860,500 through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s Strengthening the Safety Net program. | true | Health, Michigan, Health care services, Detroit | The funding will help the clinics provide free or low-cost medical, dental and mental health care services to uninsured and underinsured Michigan residents, according to Blue Cross. The funding also pays for substance use disorder treatment. Grants of up to $25,000 each were awarded to 17 clinics. Another 30 clinics we... |
6329 | Shooting poses Virginia governor’s first test since scandal. | Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam wasted little time getting to Virginia Beach after a gunman killed a dozen people in a city office building, the first major test of his leadership since a blackface scandal almost forced him from office four months ago. | true | Shootings, Virginia Beach, General News, Virginia, Medical schools, Ralph Northam, AP Top News, Gun politics, Donald Trump | The governor, who is also a pediatric neurologist, worked to comfort victims of Friday’s shooting and their families, while helping coordinate the massive government response. He discussed the shooting with President Donald Trump in a private phone call, stood shoulder to shoulder with other elected officials at a news... |
3368 | Less common flu strain prominent this year in Virginia. | Public health officials say a type of flu virus that’s usually less prevalent is being reported more frequently in Virginia this year. | true | Health, General News, Flu, Public health, Virginia | The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that of the more than 1,800 cases confirmed by lab reports since the start of the 2019-2020 flu season, 75% have been identified as type B, according to the Virginia Department of Health. That trend is in line with national statistics. Scott Pauley, a spokesman for the Centers for D... |
29180 | An autumn 2018 outbreak of E. coli linked to romaine lettuce was caused by a decision by President Trump to reverse existing rules on agricultural water inspection. | What's true: The Trump administration FDA pushed back required start dates for agricultural water testing. What's false: Agricultural water testing regulations were delayed and not overturned, President Trump himself did not order the rollback of testing dates, the cause of the autumn 2018 E. coli outbreak has not been... | false | Politics, donald trump | U.S. government officials reported three major outbreaks of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria in 2018. One was associated with ground beef, but two others associated with romaine lettuce garnered widespread news coverage throughout the year. The first outbreak, during the spring, affected 210 people in 36 states and ... |
32668 | Americans are immune to the Zika virus. | Researchers recommended taking swift action to debunk unscientific conspiracy theories around Zika and other viruses in order to make sure that future vaccine campaigns — once the vaccine is developed — are effective. | false | Science, conspiracy theories, vaccine misinformation, zika virus | Several conspiracy theories were offered up around the Zika virus in 2016 as the disease spread across South America, then the rest of the world. One of the most outlandish of these rumors, the claim that Americans are immune to the virus, was posited on Twitter in May 2016: No scientific body, whether it is from the U... |
29602 | Baby carrots are made from deformed full-sized carrots that have been soaked in chlorine. | "What's true: Baby carrots are often treated with small amounts of chlorine as an antimicrobial measure to reduce contamination. What's false: Most baby carrots are not made from larger carrots (deformed or otherwise) and are not ""soaked in chlorine.""" | false | Food, carrots, Food Preparation | In March 2008, we began receiving an e-mailed heads-up cautioning consumers that what we call “baby carrots” are actually deformed (crooked) regular carrots that have been whittled down and marinated in chlorine: The “cute” cocktail carrots that you buy in grocery stores come from deformed crooked big carrots. They are... |
33765 | Forwarding an e-mail message will help Amy Bruce, a 7-year-old girl dying of lung cancer and a brain tumor. | A 2017 version changed the name to “Annakay Brown.” | false | Inboxer Rebellion, Medical Appeals | There is no 7-year-old girl named Amy Bruce dying of lung cancer and a brain tumor brought on by “repeated beatings,” nor will the Make-A-Wish Foundation donate money to anyone based upon the number of times an e-mail is forwarded. The decades-old “Amy Bruce” message is one of many variants of the same basic hoax, one ... |
11931 | "Sebastian Gorka Says Jake Tapper said Allahu Akbar was a ""beautiful phrase"" after a terrorist attack in New York." | France will absorb 10 billion euros ($11.1 billion) of public hospital debt, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Wednesday, in an emergency measure designed to end months of protests by disgruntled doctors and nurses. | false | Pundits, Religion, PunditFact, Sebastian Gorka, | Philippe also promised an extra 1.5 billion euros over three years for hospitals, including an 800 euro bonus for 40,000 nurses and carers earning less than 1,900 euros per month. “The hospital crisis is nothing new. But it has gone through one of its acutest phases in recent months,” said Philippe. “Healthcare workers... |
13520 | If Congress fails to act, the Obama administration intends to give away control of the internet to an international body akin to the United Nations. | "Cruz said: ""If Congress fails to act, the Obama administration intends to give away control of the internet to an international body akin to the United Nations."" As of October 2016, the U.S. government is set to no longer have a contract to oversee certain internet-related duties having to do with all of us finding ... | false | Foreign Policy, Government Regulation, Technology, Texas, Ted Cruz, | "Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas says the federal government is about to give away control of the internet. Really? A shift has been in motion, we found, yet not a handoff of all things web. As of October 2016, that is, contractual federal oversight of the California nonprofit that’s managed website domains since 1998--the Inte... |
23515 | Over 81 percent of the babies that are born at LBJ Hospital right here in Houston are born of women who are not here legally. | Debbie Riddle says more than 81% of babies born at Houston hospital have moms here illegally | false | Immigration, Children, Families, Health Care, Terrorism, Texas, Debbie Riddle, | "State Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, has long expressed concerns about illegal immigration. She sounded that theme anew Aug. 10 during an appearance on CNN, telling host Anderson Cooper that mothers who are illegal residents routinely have babies in the United States to ""anchor"" their families in this country. ""The... |
8979 | Treating dementia with the healing waves of sound | This release by Tohoku University in Japan promotes a dementia-related study in mice, specifically a technique called low-intensity pulsed ultrasound, or LIPUS. It notes that previous research has looked at focused ultrasound on the brains of mice that were genetically engineered to simulate having Alzheimer’s disease,... | false | dementia,Tohoku University | We don’t see any dollar signs, but we mark this one “not applicable” because the research is at such an early phase and just making the transition from animal models to clinical trials. And though it’s unreasonable to speculate how much a LIPUS device or treatment may cost, if it pans out to be safe and effective, ultr... |
10751 | Ultrasound may cut deaths in high-risk pregnancies | This story clearly explains that a new review of the available evidence from published trials backs the use of Doppler ultrasound to monitor high-risk pregnancies. Notably, the story reports the absolute risk calculation of fetal or newborn deaths (1.7 percent among women who did not receive ultrasound monitoring vs. 1... | true | The story does not give any estimate of the cost of Doppler ultrasound examinations. The story clearly states the reduction in fetal death rates the review authors calculated by combining the results of the studies ithey looked at. It reports the absolute risk calculation of fetal or newborn deaths (1.7 percent among w... | |
35729 | A school district in Utah included a template letter to send home if a student or staff member died after reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic. | A crisis communication plan needed its own crisis communication plan. | mixture | Politics Education, COVID-19 | In early July 2020, Facebook users shared a meme that claimed a school district in Utah included in their reopening plan a template letter to send home to parents informing them if a student or school staffer had died. The meme caption opined that if a reopening plan includes a template letter for student or teacher de... |
37514 | "A ""March to End COVID-19"" was held in Cleveland, Ohio." | Was There a ‘March to End COVID-19’ in Cleveland? | false | Disinformation, Fact Checks | A social media user playing on real-world ignorance over the COVID-19 pandemic succeeded in making a stir on March 26 2020 with a photograph he claimed at the time was an ill-advised gathering.The user’s post, which has been shared more than 6,000 times on the platform, purportedly showed a “march to end COVID-19 in Cl... |
32152 | Scientists have officially declared the Great Barrier Reef to be dead. | While the Great Barrier Reef is far from healthy, reports of its death are greatly exaggerated. | false | Science, great barrier reef | On October 11, 2016, Outside Magazine Online published a piece titled “Obituary: Great Barrier Reef (25 Million BC–2016),” which used the obituary format as a vehicle to describe the perilously fragile state of the Great Barrier Reef — the world’s largest coral reef system that lies off the coast of Queensland, Austra... |
14257 | "Jerry Jones Says it’s ""absurd"" to say there’s enough data to establish a link between playing football and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy." | "Jones said it’s ""absurd"" to say there’s enough data to establish a link between playing football and CTE. In fact, scientists have reached consensus establishing this link, though research remains to be done on the degree to which football players and others involved in high-contact activities risk CTE. We find Jone... | false | Health Care, Science, Sports, Texas, Jerry Jones, | "The owner of America’s Team says science hasn’t cemented a link between playing football and chronic traumatic brain injury. Jerry Jones got into the tender topic on March 22, 2016, during the NFL’s annual meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, Dallas Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple told us by email. We’d reached out to Dal... |
15336 | "Erick Erickson Says Donald Trump ""has supported a Canadian-style universal health care system." | Erickson said that Trump has supported a Canadian-style universal health care system. Trump’s own book from 2000 affirms that. By about 10 years later, he had changed his position. Erickson got it right. | true | Elections, PunditFact, Erick Erickson, | "The rise of Donald Trump is striking not merely because it has come so quickly, but because there’s much in his resumé that clashes with Republican orthodoxy. Conservative columnist Erick Erickson ran down the list in a recent post on RedState.com. Trump has given money to Democrats, including Hillary Clinton. He has ... |
10165 | Weight loss plus vitamin D reduces inflammation linked to cancer, chronic disease | This news release describes a randomized, controlled clinical trial designed to learn whether adding vitamin D supplements to substantial weight loss regimens would have a synergistic effect in reducing inflammatory chemicals in the bodies of overweight, older women with levels of vitamin D considered too low. The stud... | true | Academic medical center news release,Cancer | There was no mention of the potential costs of screening women for vitamin D levels (as encouraged in the release in a statement from the principal investigator) or the cost of supplementation. The release does a good job of comparing data and providing explanations for the measurements used. We’ll award a Satisfactory... |
4699 | More women in poor countries use contraception, says report. | More women and girls in poor countries are using modern contraception, signifying progress in efforts to involve women in family planning, according to a report released Monday. | true | Health, Africa, Rwanda, Kigali | The number of women and girls using contraceptives in 69 of the world’s poorest countries surpassed 317 million in 2018, representing 46 million more users than in 2012, said the report by Family Planning 2020, a U.N.-backed global advocacy group working to promote rights-based family planning. Access to modern contrac... |
26571 | “My mask will keep someone else safe and their mask will keep me safe.” | Last weekend, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey recorded a message about how to stop the spread of the coronavirus and posted it on Twitter. His message was simple and direct – start wearing a homemade mask when you leave the house. He was the first member of Congress to suggest this. For weeks, public health officials advised heal... | true | National, Coronavirus, Pennsylvania, Pat Toomey, | "Last weekend, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey recorded a message about how to stop the spread of the coronavirus and posted it on Twitter. His message was simple and direct – start wearing a homemade mask when you leave the house. ""My mask will keep someone else safe and their mask will keep me safe,"" said Toomey, a Republican... |
10240 | A Portable Glow to Help Melt Those Winter Blues | Always an interesting topic – but we thought much more could have been done with this story. (Yes, we know you can’t do all things with all stories, but this story has been told so many times that we look for an emphasis on what’s new or on broader context.) The story does a credible job of explaining that physicians t... | mixture | Depression,New York Times | Light sources for therapy cost about $200, the story explains. But it gives an incomplete picture by not factoring in follow up visits to a health provider when getting light therapy vs. receiving medication or psychotherapy. The story raises a very big issue, but does not provide evidence. Do patients need the same le... |
31119 | Starbucks refused free product to Marines serving in Iraq, saying the company didn't support the war or anyone taking part in it. | Starbucks, like any other successful corporation that has a strong public presence, is fated to operate with the Damocles sword of public opinion hanging above its head. No corporation can fund everyone who comes to it looking for assistance, which means some deserving groups will always be refused. In less emotionally... | false | Business, shunned serviceman, starbucks | In these days of heightened patriotism and concern among Americans for their military troops, any rumor about a corporate giant snubbing those who are putting their lives on the line overseas is bound to make a number of folks hot under the collar, which is what a message originally circulated via e-mail back in 2004 d... |
23884 | While in Congress, Nathan Deal was a leader when it came to protecting our borders. | Nathan Deal says he's a leader on immigration | true | Georgia, Immigration, Nathan Deal, | "During his campaign for governor, Nathan Deal has repeatedly cited his work on immigration issues as a U.S. congressman as evidence he has leadership skills. He brought it up in May during a gubernatorial debate in Gwinnett County. Fox Business TV host Neil Cavuto said Deal ""led the fight against illegal immigration ... |
5734 | Lamont overrules official, wants more vaccine data released. | Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday overruled his public health commissioner, saying school-by-school vaccination rates should be publicly released. | true | Ned Lamont, Immunizations, Health, General News, Connecticut, Hartford, Public health | Max Reiss, the governor’s spokesman, said the Democrat “finds this information important” and believes “the public has the right to know,” including state legislators, who’ve discussed possibly ending a religious exemption from vaccines. Reiss’ comments came a day after Department of Public Health Commissioner Renee Co... |
12558 | "Donald Trump Says of the GOP health care proposal, ""pre-existing conditions are in the bill." | "Trump said of the GOP health care amendment, ""Pre-existing conditions are in the bill."" The amendment says that health insurers can’t limit access to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, but that insurers can charge people more if states agree. In some states, health insurers would be able to charge sic... | false | Health Care, Government Regulation, Medicaid, Medicare, Florida, Donald Trump, | "President Donald Trump remains hopeful that he can deliver on his promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a plan from the Republican Party. In an interview with CBS’ Face the Nation, Trump argued that the GOP’s health care plan covers pre-existing conditions, despite what news reports have said. ... |
15307 | "Planned Parenthood is ""the only health care that a significant number of women get. About 30 percent of women, that's their health care." | "Reid said Planned Parenthood is ""the only health care that a significant number of women get. About 30 percent of women, that's their health care."" That’s not the case -- Planned Parenthood saw 2.7 million patients in 2013, not the 39 million it would have needed to see for Reid’s claim to be accurate. Even if every... | false | Abortion, National, Health Care, Women, Harry Reid, | "An anti-abortion group recently released several secretly recorded videos of Planned Parenthood employees discussing fetal tissue, and that has given opponents of the abortion-providing health organization new momentum to shut off federal funding. During Senate floor debate on July 29, 2015, Senate Minority Leader Har... |
26379 | Facebook post Says President Donald Trump is selling coronavirus-themed commemorative coins through the White House Gift Shop. | WhiteHouseGiftShop.com is selling COVID-19-themed commemorative coins for around $100. The gift shop has a historical connection with the White House that dates back to the Truman administration, but it was taken over by a private company. The federal government is not affiliated with the shop and isn’t involved in any... | false | Corrections and Updates, Facebook Fact-checks, Coronavirus, Facebook posts, | "Headlines going around social media are leading some people to wrongly believe that President Donald Trump is trying to profit from the pandemic by selling COVID-19-themed commemorative coins. The caption on one Facebook user’s post says: ""Just when you think that Trump couldn't stoop any lower.....we find ROCK BOTTO... |
29809 | "Women and doctors meet to determine whether to ""execute"" newborn babies." | In a statement released by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Dr. Lisa Hollier, the organization’s president, called Trump’s comments inflammatory and offensive, saying, “The rhetoric used to describe the delivery of abortion care was offensive, wrong, and dangerous. Claims of this sort undermine ... | false | Politics | During a 27 April 2019 political rally in Wisconsin, U.S. President Donald Trump made a false and incendiary remark, claiming that doctors and pregnant women confer with each other to decide whether to “execute” newborn babies. There is no truth to this statement. In a speech in Green Bay, Trump stated, “The baby is bo... |
10078 | Doctors screen for cervical cancer too often: study | This story was generally clearly written and delivered an important reminder to women that screening too often isn’t harmless – and that there’s a reason for evidence-based screening guidelines. Unfortunately, the story is confusing in a way that could mislead women about how often Pap smears are recommended. The story... | true | Cancer,Reuters Health,Screening | The story referred to “extra costs women may incur to get childcare and make it to the doctor’s office — plus the costs to a strained healthcare system of ordering more tests.” Not applicable. The story wasn’t about benefits, but rather, the suggested lack of benefit from screening too often. The story did a good job e... |
33522 | "Psychologist B. F. Skinner raised his own daughter in a ""Skinner box""; as a result, she grew up psychologically damaged, sued her father, and committed suicide." | Did psychologist B.F. Skinner raise his daughter in a 'Skinner box'? | false | Medical, b.f. skinner, baby | B.F. Skinner was a renowned behavioral psychologist who began his career in the 1930s and is best known for his development of the Skinner box, a laboratory apparatus used to conduct and record the results of operant conditioning experiments with animals. (These are typically experiments in which an animal must manipul... |
15602 | Transgender individuals in the U.S. have a 1-in-12 chance of being murdered. | "Coleman told colleagues: ""Transgender individuals in the U.S. have a 1 in 12 chance of being murdered."" We’re not judging here whether transgender individuals are at risk of attack. But we did not find evidence for this figure or even sufficient information to gauge if it was rooted in facts. All told, Coleman's cla... | false | Corrections and Updates, Criminal Justice, Crime, Sexuality, Texas, Garnet Coleman, | "State Rep. Garnet Coleman brought up murder in urging colleagues to add acts against transgender Texans to the state’s hate-crimes law. ""The facts do not lie,"" the Houston Democrat said in a May 6, 2015, hearing held by the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence. Coleman, suggesting transgender Americans ar... |
11475 | Quick fix for nearsightedness; 20-minute operation adds a permanent contact lens for instant vision upgrade | This is a story on a new medical device, an implantable collamer lens (ICL), which is never mentioned by name in the story. It was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of fairly severe nearsightedness. While the story mentions its limited use (only for those with serious nearsightedness) and the risks associa... | mixture | Lists cost of surgery at $3,500 per eye and notes it is not typically covered by insurance No quantification of benefit. FDA new device approval (see above) had some of this. Risks of harms (infection, glaucoma, and cataract) are listed but no rates are presented. Wouldn’t readers want to know how often these occur? Th... | |
28098 | "In May 2018, President Donald Trump established a ""religious office"" to give religious groups a ""voice in government." | "What's true: In May 2018, President Trump established the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative, in the Executive Office of the President of the United States. The administration said the initiative would give faith-based organizations a ""voice in the White House."" What's false: The description of the initiat... | true | Politics, donald trump, occupy democrats | On 3 May 2018, the “Occupy Democrats” Facebook page posted a meme which claimed that the president had violated the constitutional separation of church and state by setting up a “religious office”: President Trump did sign an executive order in May 2018 to establish a new faith-based initiative within the White House,... |
25986 | Federal officials confirmed that the CDC “sent states tainted lab test kits in early February that were themselves seeded with the virus.” | The CDC produced a batch of defective tests that were distributed to a limited number of public health laboratories in early February. The contamination came from a chemical substance that was later removed in the mass-produced tests. The test kits did not and could not contain the live virus. | false | Facebook Fact-checks, Facebook posts, | "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t send out COVID-19 testing kits that were ""seeded"" with the live virus, as one Facebook post claims. The post shows an illustration of a nasal swab being used to test for the virus. Text on the graphic reads: ""COVID-19 test HAS the virus … ‘the U.S. Centers ... |
3416 | Oak-killing fungus spreads to more places in New York. | A devastating fungus that kills oak trees has been found in an eighth location in New York state. | true | New York, Trees, Environment, Oak trees, Canandaigua, Schenectady | The Department of Environmental Conservation says oak wilt has been found in the Ontario County town of South Bristol. It’s the second location the disease has been found in Ontario County. There was a 2016 outbreak in Canandaigua, a few miles north of the new site. A landowner contacted DEC after several oak trees sta... |
10203 | Breakthrough asthma treatment | This story about an experimental new technique for controlling asthma spent a lot of time emphasizing benefits but glossed over the limitations, risks and unknowns. Our reviewers were particularly concerned by unsupported claims about effectiveness and a lack of balance and caution. Asthma attacks account for millions ... | false | "The frequent emergency room visits described in this story represent a big cost burden that this treatment might help alleviate. But the treatment itself is also likely to be expensive and might counteract these benefits. Regardless, the story doesn’t mention costs. There wasn’t much quantification of the benefits obs... | |
4654 | Rejected medical marijuana grower applicant sues Missouri. | A southwest Missouri family that saw its application to grow medical marijuana rejected by the state is now suing the state, demanding a license to participate in Missouri’s fledgling medical cannabis industry. | true | Michael Brown, Medical marijuana, Health, General News, Marijuana, Lawsuits | The lawsuit filed Friday by Paul Callicoat and his family, of Sarcoxie, Missouri, came a day after the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services granted 60 licenses from the more than 500 companies that applied. The Callicoats, who had planned to open a cultivation facility called Sarcoxie Nursery, were not am... |
7450 | 212 at Nebraska meat plant test positive for COVID-19. | More than 200 workers at a northeastern Nebraska pork processing plant have tested positive for COVID-19, according to plant owners and local health officials. | true | Omaha, Health, General News, Nebraska, Virus Outbreak, Public health | Tyson Foods said in a Tuesday news release that 212 workers at its plant in Madison tested positive for the virus; 74 of them had no symptoms. The numbers were the results from testing from May 1-4 of 1,467 workers, contractors and vendors at the plant, and the results were released jointly by Tyson and the Elkhorn Log... |
10226 | A Genentech Eye Treatment Is Found to Help Prevent Vision Loss in Diabetics | This story reports on the results of a newly published phase III trial demonstrating the benefits of the drug Lucentis for vision in those with diabetic macular edema. While including pertinent information about the possible benefits, harms, and costs, the story also included some information about another very similar... | true | Kudos! This story reported on the costs of the drug Lucentis as well as the less expensive Avastin. The story provided quantitative information about the possible impact on vision. But we wish there information about any measurement of the patients’ perspective on whether they are functioning better after receiving th... | |
25709 | “QAnon violence! There is none.” | QAnon is a baseless conspiracy theory. The FBI has identified it as a potential domestic terrorist threat, and it has been linked to multiple instances of violence. QAnon has been associated with various crimes, including the blocking of a bridge near the Hoover Dam by a man in an armored truck and the killing of a New... | false | Fake news, Crime, Pundits, PunditFact, Greg Gutfeld, | "QAnon, the sprawling and baseless internet conspiracy theory labeled by the FBI as a potential domestic terrorist threat, has on several occasions been linked to real-world violence. Fox News host Greg Gutfeld ly claimed in a recent episode of ""The Five"" that it had not. ""QAnon violence! There is none,"" Gutfeld sa... |
3921 | FDA warns of breathing risks with popular nerve drugs. | U.S. health regulators are warning that popular nervous system medications can cause dangerous breathing problems when combined with opioids and certain other drugs. | true | Health, General News, Medication, Marijuana, Opioids | The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it would add new warnings to packaging for Neurontin, Lyrica and generic versions, which are used to treat seizures, nerve pain, restless leg syndrome and other conditions. The new labels will warn doctors against prescribing the drugs with other medications that can slow ... |
18753 | "Peter Courtney Says, ""Statistics indicate that one in eight children, and one in 18 adults in Oregon suffers from mental illness." | Do one in eight Oregon children and one in 18 adults suffer from mental illness? | true | Oregon, Health Care, Public Health, State Budget, Peter Courtney, | "Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, doesn’t tend to throw his personal weight behind many public bills. That’s why the Oregon Capitol stood at attention when Courtney called for more money -- new money, dedicated money -- to pay for a game-changing boost in mental health services for children and adults. ... |
12769 | "The Obama administration said ""they were going to be able to drive folks away from one of the most expensive areas for the provision of health care, and that is the emergency rooms. In fact, they did just the opposite." | "Price said the Obama administration said ""they were going to be able to drive folks away from one of the most expensive areas for the provision of health care, and that is the emergency rooms. In fact, they did just the opposite."" While the data varies a bit from study to study, the findings generally fail to provid... | true | National, Health Care, Tom Price, | "One of the arguments Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price made about why substantial changes in federal health care law were needed was that the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called Obamacare, had failed in one of its goals -- to cut down on emergency room use. Because emergency rooms by law cannot turn pati... |
3980 | Mild form of bird flu found in Minnesota turkey flock. | A mild form of bird flu detected in one flock of turkeys in a west-central Minnesota county is not the same virus that caused a devastating outbreak in 2015 and poses no public health or food safety risk, officials said Tuesday. | true | Animals, Health, Flu, Minnesota, Animal health, Bird flu, Public health | The World Organization for Animal Health said routine surveillance testing confirmed on Monday the presence of a low-pathogenic N5N2 virus in a flock of 40,000 turkeys in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota’s top turkey producing county. The virus originated in wild birds. The state Board of Animal Health said only one of four... |
41035 | If someone with the new coronavirus sneezes, it travels about 10 feet before it drops to the ground and is no longer airborne. | Environmental factors impact how far droplets from a sneeze can travel, but it is likely to be several metres. | unproven | online | If you have a runny nose and sputum, you have a common cold. These are the symptoms for the common cold, but they don’t rule out Covid-19. Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose. Some Covid-19 patients do get pneumonia, and one of the symptoms is a dry cough. A runny nose doesn’t rule out Covid-19. The... |
28317 | The Food and Drug Administration has halted all food inspections due to the federal government shutdown. | What's true: The Food and Drug Administration has halted most of its food inspections due to the partial federal government shut down. What's false: The agency has recalled some inspectors back to work with no pay, and has restarted some crucial inspections. | mixture | Politics, donald trump, FDA, federal government shutdown | In early-to-mid January 2019, several major news outlets reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had halted inspections of various foods as a result of an ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government. Although it’s true that the FDA halted many inspections on 9 January 2019, the agency also resu... |
13553 | "Hillary Clinton Says Donald Trump supports ""an agenda out there"" to privatize the Veterans Affairs health care system." | Clinton said Donald Trump supports privatizing the Veterans Affairs health care system. Trump does support allowing more privatized care in cases where treatment at the VA is delayed or inadequate. In some cases he's talked about giving veterans a choice that would include doctors and hospitals outside the system. But ... | false | National, Health Care, Veterans, Hillary Clinton, | "Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton pledged to do ""whatever is required to move the VA into the 21st century"" during NBC’s Commander-In-Chief Forum, while adding that her opponent’s plan would be much worse for veterans. ""I will not let the VA be privatized,"" Clinton said Sept. 7, 2016, during the foru... |
30016 | Researcher Judy Mikovits was thrown in jail after she refused to discredit research that led to the discovery that deadly retroviruses have been transmitted through vaccines. | “In the United States of America … everything’s censored,” Mikovits said on the website of a man who guest hosts Alex Jones’ Infowars conspiracy ranting, “so to look at things like Natural News, to come to meetings like The Truth About Cancer, I was just floored today because today was the first time I was treated like... | false | Science, big pharma, vaccines | In 2009, biologist Judy Mikovits, who was then the research director of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-focused Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI), published a paper on what she and many others thought to be a major scientific breakthrough in the prestigious journal Science. Her team alleged to have demonstrated an assoc... |
4718 | Dorian’s floodwaters trap people in attics in North Carolina. | A weakened Hurricane Dorian flooded homes on North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Friday with a fury that took even storm-hardened residents by surprise, forcing people to climb into their attics. Hundreds were feared trapped by high water, and neighbors used boats to rescue one another. | true | AP Top News, Hurricane Dorian, Floods, General News, North Carolina, Storms, Latin America, Bahamas, Business, Science, Hurricanes, Banks, U.S. News | Medics and other rescuers rushed to Ocracoke Island — accessible only by boat or air — to reach those who made the mistake of defying mandatory evacuation orders along the 200-mile (320-kilometer) ribbon of low-lying islands. “We are flooding like crazy,” Ocracoke Island bookshop owner Leslie Lanier texted. “I have bee... |
18763 | I still live in the same working-class neighborhood I grew up in. | An Oklahoma judge on Monday ordered Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) to pay $572.1 million to the state for its part in fueling an opioid epidemic by deceptively marketing addictive painkillers, a sum that was substantially less than investors had expected, driving up J&J’s shares. | true | Housing, Florida, Marco Rubio, | The state’s attorney general had filed the lawsuit, seeking $17 billion to address the impact of the drug crisis on Oklahoma. It had been considered a bellwether for other litigation nationwide over the opioid epidemic. “The expectation was this was going to be a $1.5 billion to $2 billion fine,” said Jared Holz, healt... |
10342 | Anti-smoking pill may help curb drinking | "The drug described in the article, varenicline, is an FDA-approved medication for smoking cessation. The article is an enthusiastic conjecture about the possibilty, suggested by a vaguely-described rat study, that this drug might work for alcohol dependence. The story suggests that there might be common neurochemical ... | false | "The story contained no cost information about this medication. The story indicates that this medication would be unlikely to work for all drinkers. This is, of course, a leap of faith as there are no studies published to date about how effective this medication is in helping alcoholics stops drinking, let alone whethe... | |
5407 | Royal Botanic Garden seeks respect for world’s fungus. | The scientists at the renowned Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew are trying to correct an injustice: They don’t believe fungus gets the respect it deserves. | true | Plants, Europe, Fungi, Ants, Science | That’s one reason behind the release Wednesday of their ”State of the World’s Fungi ” report, touted as the first ever global look at the way fungi help provide food, medicine, plant nutrition, lifesaving drugs — and can also spread death and destruction at an alarming pace. The focus on fungi is designed to call atten... |
7784 | As Spain readies euthanasia law, dying sclerosis victim senses hope. | Painfully aware that his advancing illness will eventually leave him on life support, Spaniard Mariano Lopez has his hopes pinned not on a cure but on a parliamentary bill that would allow him to meet death on his own terms. | true | Health News | The government expects to make Spain the fourth country in Europe to decriminalize euthanasia and assisted suicide before its terms ends in 2020. Right now, helping someone end their life carries a jail term of up to 10 years, and while there are still pockets of resistance in the traditionally Catholic country to disp... |
31992 | The characteristics of stereotypical millennial liberals make them less competitive, because they are in discord with the natural world. | The larger fallacy that Adams is committing is the serious problem: abusing scientific information to convince people that the natural world supports your version of humanity and that people who don’t fit that view are, as Adams put it, “little more than aberrations of nature.” | false | Science, biological fitness, mike adams, natural news | On November 12 2016, the alternative medicine website-turned-conspiracy-hub Natural News published a pseudo-scientific rant by editor and founder Mike Adams (aka the “Health Ranger”) arguing and celebrating the fact that liberal millennials (whom he calls “crybully snowflakes”) are not biologically fit and therefore no... |
13601 | "David Plouffe Says ""Donald Trump himself contributed $100,000"" to the Clinton Foundation." | "Plouffe said, ""Donald Trump himself gave $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation."" Tax records show the Donald J. Trump Foundation gave $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation in 2009, and spent an additional $10,000 for a table at a Clinton Foundation gala the following year. The Clinton Foundation also lists Donald J. Trump... | true | Candidate Biography, PunditFact, David Plouffe, | "As Donald Trump amps up attacks on the Clinton Foundation, Democrats are pointing out that Trump himself has given to the nonprofit he now calls a pay-to-play operation. Recently released emails between Hillary Clinton’s aides when she was secretary of state and officials at the Clinton Foundation have demonstrated th... |
1959 | Sea defeats body, not spirit, of swimmer, 61. | An asthma attack, a painful shoulder and battering wind and waves forced 61-year-old swimmer Diana Nyad to abandon early on Tuesday her bid to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. | true | Health News | Diana Nyad cries as she speaks to reporters and fans after arriving back in Key West, Florida August 9, 2011. An asthma attack, a painful shoulder and battering wind and waves forced 61-year-old swimmer Diana Nyad to abandon early on Tuesday her bid to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shar... |
2931 | Health reform's grand experiment: Will it play in Peoria?. | By all accounts, Sandy Wright of Mackinaw, Illinois, is a challenging patient. The spunky 69-year-old with a rare autoimmune disease has been in the hospital more than a dozen times since she was first diagnosed in 1997. | true | Health News | “You name it, I’ve had it,” Wright says. “I’m a very hard case.” Now, patients like Wright are at the forefront of an experiment, under way in Peoria, Illinois, and hundreds of other U.S. cities, that could transform the way doctors, nurses and hospitals deliver care to patients. Amid the barrage of criticism over the... |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.