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7435 | Economists project billion-dollar Michigan budget shortfalls. | Michigan’s tax revenues will plummet between $3.1 billion and $3.6 billion below prior estimates this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and will likely fall billions of dollars short in the next budget year too, economists said Thursday. | true | Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, Public health, Business, Virus Outbreak, General News | On Friday, nonpartisan legislative experts and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration will meet to try to get a handle on the budget outlook two months into the public health crisis. One-third of the workforce has filed for unemployment benefits, schools and many businesses are closed, and travel is restricted to curb ... |
299 | China draws up tighter rules on human gene and embryo trials: Xinhua. | China’s top legislature will consider tougher rules on research involving human genes and embryos, the first such move since a Chinese scientist sparked controversy last year by announcing he had made the world’s first “gene-edited” babies. | true | Science News | He Jiankui, associate professor at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, attracted condemnation from the global scientific community when he said he had used a technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the embryonic genes of twin girls born in November. Chinese authorities launched an investigation ... |
3691 | Wisconsin Legislature to consider tax cuts, water in 2020. | It was a tough year in the Wisconsin Legislature. And 2020 doesn’t promise to be much rosier. | true | Legislature, Cabinets, Wisconsin, Health, General News, State budgets, Marijuana, Homelessness | Faced with a new Democratic governor, Republicans in control passed few bills of consequence in 2019 outside of the state budget. They so angered one another that Gov. Tony Evers spewed four-letter words in the halls of the Capitol minutes after the Senate fired one of his Cabinet secretaries — an unprecedented move. T... |
6015 | 6 years after Nebraska TD, boy with cancer takes the field. | A boy with brain cancer who scored a touchdown at a Nebraska practice game is playing football for real. | true | Cancer, Health, General News, Rex Burkhead, Nebraska, Jack Hoffman, Football, Brain cancer | Jack Hoffman took the field Monday to play center for his West Holt junior high team in Atkinson, situated 179 miles (288 kilometers) northwest of Omaha. His proud father, Andy Hoffman, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the 13-year-old played every down at center and some defense. “I’m happy Jack got to do tha... |
26839 | “When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program.” | Cigarette maker Philip Morris International Inc has suspended a global social media marketing campaign in response to Reuters inquiries into the company’s use of young online personalities to sell its new “heated tobacco” device, including a 21-year-old woman in Russia. | true | Education, Foreign Policy, Bernie Sanders, | The company’s internal “marketing standards” prohibit it from promoting tobacco products with youth-oriented celebrities or “models who are or appear to be under the age of 25.” The company told Reuters of the decision late Friday, saying it had launched an internal investigation into marketing posts and photographs t... |
35517 | A July 2020 letter purportedly sent by the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) was accurate in stating that any retailer or manufacturer — including those operating from homes — could be sued for selling or creating COVID-19 protective face masks that were not medically approved, defective, or without proper labeling. | What's true: Under Ohio law, consumers can bring lawsuits against suppliers for unfair or deceptive practices, though a lot of these practices are up to court interpretation. What's false: The letter in question was not sent by the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) nor the American Bar Association (ABA). The OSBA also ... | false | Legal Affairs | As Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a statewide mask mandate starting July 23, 2020, amidst a rise in COVID-19 cases in the region, online rumors suggested any mask manufacturers, including those selling masks from home, were at risk of facing lawsuits. Snopes readers alerted us to the circulation of the above-displayed... |
22168 | One of three patients hospitalized (is) harmed by the care they receive. | One in three harmed during medical care, White House official says | true | Georgia, Health Care, Kathleen Sebelius, | "It’s no secret that health care costs are rising, but comments by a White House Cabinet member about the quality of care surprised us. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at a recent Atlanta Press Club luncheon that ""one of three patients hospitalized (is) harmed by the care they receive."... |
35473 | Residents of various U.S. states have received unsolicited mailings of seeds sent from China with malicious intent. | What's true: Numerous residents in the U.S. (and UK) have reported receiving unsolicited packages of seeds in the mail with return addresses indicating they were sent from China. What's undetermined: The precise motive behind these mailings, and whether or not it is a malicious one, is not yet known. | mixture | Inboxer Rebellion | In July 2020, social media users began circulating a warning from the Washington State Department of Agriculture about people in the U.S. receiving unsolicited mailings of seeds sent from China (sometimes in packages identifying the contents as jewelry), which included a caution for recipients not to plant any seeds so... |
28593 | Memorial Day began with a May 1865 ceremony held by former slaves to honor Union war dead. | What's true: In May 1865, free blacks in Charleston reburied dead Union prisoners of war and held a cemetery dedication ceremony. What's false: The May 1865 event was not the origin of the modern Memorial Day observance. | mixture | History, memorial day, slavery | The custom of holding observances (including the laying of flowers on burial sites) to remember and honor those who gave their lives in military service goes back many hundreds, if not thousands, of years. In the United States, that custom has long since been formalized in the creation of Memorial Day (formerly known a... |
21289 | Michele Bachmann Says Rick Perry co-chaired Al Gore’s campaign for president. | Michele Bachmann says Rick Perry co-chaired Al Gore's presidential campaign | mixture | Candidate Biography, Elections, Texas, Michele Bachmann, | "Given a chance to question any other presidential candidate, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann opened her question for Texas Gov. Rick Perry at the Oct. 11, 2011, Bloomberg/Washington Post debate by saying: ""In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan introduced an economic miracle. And while all of us were wishing and yearning for a third... |
16425 | "Greg Abbott ""has campaigned with a sexual predator who has bragged about having sex with underage girls." | "Davis said Abbott ""has campaigned with a sexual predator who has bragged about having sex with underage girls."" Davis didn’t mention Nugent’s name, but she’s right the former rock star, who stumped for Abbott this year, has talked about sexual escapades with much younger women. Then again, we found no confirmation o... | mixture | Corrections and Updates, Ethics, Crime, Sexuality, Texas, Wendy Davis, | "CLARIFICATION, 4 p.m. Sept. 26, 2014: We revised the conclusion of this fact check to clarify our reasoning. The rating did not change. Democrat Wendy Davis revived a link between Republican Greg Abbott and guitar rock and roller Ted Nugent in the Sept. 19, 2014, debate between the gubernatorial nominees. The Fort Wor... |
33730 | Missionary is protected from murderous attackers by the miraculous appearance of 26 armed guards. | The Christian commandment about not bearing false witness just isn’t getting the mileage it used to. | false | Glurge Gallery, glurge, missionaries, parables | “Potential victim’s attacker is scared off by guardian angels” is a common glurge theme. (Another widely-circulated tale about a girl who barely avoids becoming the victim of a rapist also draws upon this theme): Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2000] A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting h... |
26244 | Hidden in the CARES Act was an obscure $135 billion tax break for 43,000 millionaires. | The post refers to a real provision in the CARES Act that eases restrictions passed in 2017 that limited how extensively pass-through corporations can apply business losses to the owner’s individual tax burden. Congress’ official tax arbiter pegged the 10-year cost of the provision at $135 billion, and that committee a... | true | Taxes, Facebook Fact-checks, Facebook posts, | "The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act was a roughly $2 trillion bill passed in March that provided economic assistance to everyone from unemployed workers and beleaguered small businesses to overwhelmed hospitals and state governments. Was it also a giveaway to millionaires? Yes, according to a May 14... |
7196 | NY Senate win gives Democrats a lock on Albany. So now what?. | Universal health care, marijuana legalization and early voting. Stronger gun control laws, protections for abortion rights and higher taxes on millionaires. | true | Albany, Health care reform, Marijuana, Universal health care, New York, Gun politics, Laws | Democrats say those are just a few of their priorities after seizing control of the state Senate from Republicans. With Democrats already in charge of the state Assembly and occupying all four statewide offices, Tuesday’s big wins in the Senate could clear the way for liberal proposals long blocked by the GOP. “We will... |
26121 | “Cops in Norway: require 3 years of training, 4 people killed since 2002. Cops in Finland: require 2 years of training, 7 people killed since 2000. Cops in Iceland: require 2 years of training, 1 person killed since ever. Cops in the U.S.: require 21 weeks of training, 8,000+ people killed since 2001.” | This post leaves out key context for how much these countries differ when it comes to gun ownership and homicide rates from gun violence. Researchers also agree that there needs to be structural change in policing that address the many factors that increase fatal police shootings. Most of the numbers for Nordic countri... | mixture | Corrections and Updates, Criminal Justice, Crime, Facebook Fact-checks, Guns, Viral image, | "As protesters of police brutality call for police reforms that include defunding the police, some social media posts seek to compare U.S. training policies with those in other countries. One post features an image with pictures of three smiling law enforcement officers above a photo of a fourth officer aiming an assau... |
41638 | £1.8 billion of money announced for the NHS over the next five years isn’t all new money. | This depends on how you define ‘new money’. The Treasury will have to increase spending by this amount—but it is money that NHS trusts had already earned, but were subsequently told they couldn’t spend. | false | health | £1.8 billion of ‘new money’ has been announced for the NHS over the next five years. £850 million has been announced for 20 hospitals over the next five years and £1 billion for the NHS in capital funding this year. The £1 billion is money that NHS trusts previously earned through a cost-cutting incentive scheme, but w... |
10779 | What “clinically proven” means for a beauty product | "A five-star review for this ""buyer beware"" on an allegedly ""clinically proven"" product. There may be an inclination for some to look the other way when it comes to claims for personal care products. After all, come on, what’s the harm? Well, we can think of many. Especially with all the hype for products that supp... | true | "Costs not discussed and it could have been frosting on this story. The story makes clear the expert opinions that ""there are no data there."" No discussion of harms found in the trials so far, but then the evidence in the trials so far is being called into question. We’ll give the story credit for exposing the potent... | |
11237 | Study Weakens Case for Preventive Mastectomy | But our reviewers were troubled by the story’s headline and lead sentence, which they felt overreached with its suggestion that the study results “weaken the case for preventive mastectomy” in women who test negative for certain cancer mutations, because there there was never strong evidence that these women were at in... | true | Cancer,Screening,Wall Street Journal | The story did not discuss the cost of the BRCA test, which according to the National Cancer Institute can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The story accurately reports the study’s implications in the middle of the piece when it says: “The results support current guidelines that say non-BRCA mutat... |
5965 | ‘Thrones’ actress Emilia Clarke says she’s had 2 aneurysms. | “Game of Thrones” actress Emilia Clarke revealed Thursday that she has had two life-threatening aneurysms, and two brain surgeries, since the show began. | true | Health, North America, TV, Aneurysms, Emilia Clarke | An unknown actress before landing the role, Clarke had just finished filming her first season as Daenerys Targaryen, the “Mother of Dragons,” on the HBO fantasy series when she had the first aneurysm in 2011 at age 24 while working out at a London gym. “Just when all my childhood dreams seemed to have come true, I near... |
7461 | Seattle, King Co. urges people to wear masks in most areas . | People who ride buses in the Seattle area will be required to wear masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus and authorities are also strongly urging people to cover their faces in many other situations. | true | Seattle, Health, General News, Virus Outbreak, Public health | Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and King County Executive Dow Constantine made an announcement Monday afternoon, saying people are urged to wear masks in grocery stores, businesses and outdoors when they can’t keep six feet apart from others. Masks are required for people who use King County Metro’s transit system, though r... |
3124 | Port of Olympia settles lawsuit over storm water for $1.3M. | The Port of Olympia agreed to pay more than $1.3 million to settle a federal lawsuit alleging violations of the Clean Water Act at the port’s marine terminal, according to court documents. | true | Olympia, Environment, Lawsuits, Water quality, Business, General News | The port and Waste Action Project of Covington settled the lawsuit that claimed the port was discharging polluted storm water into Budd Inlet, The Olympian reported Saturday. Waste Action Project filed the lawsuit in June 2017. The port commission voted unanimously to approve the settlement last week. Under the agreem... |
12139 | "Jeff Sessions Says President Barack Obama’s policy known as DACA ""contributed to a surge of minors at the southern border." | "Sessions said that DACA ""contributed to a surge of minors at the southern border."" Since the DACA policy itself didn’t address the situation of unaccompanied Central American minors at all, the only way it could have had any effect was through mistaken understandings among potential migrants in Central America about... | false | Immigration, National, Legal Issues, Race and Ethnicity, Jeff Sessions, | "During his announcement that the Trump administration would phase out Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, Attorney General Jeff Sessions blamed the Obama-era policy for a surge in unaccompanied minors at the southern U.S. border that spiked in 2014. Speaking from prepared remarks at the Justice Department... |
30616 | While in college, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was in a rock band whose lyrics and album titles championed the use of marijuana. | Very Serious Content is labelled an “entertainment web site” on Facebook, and describes itself, with tongue firmly in cheek, as “a very serious video network for people who get their very serious news on mobile devices.” | false | Politics, cannabis, jeff sessions, marijuana | Attorney General Jeff Sessions is perhaps the nation’s most prominent critic of marijuana use, and a fervent opponent of its legalization. At a Senate Committee hearing in April 2016, he supported the view that “good people don’t smoke marijuana.” As the nation’s top federal law enforcement official, he has reversed Ob... |
18556 | Lee Leffingwell Says 90 percent of Americans and 74 percent of National Rifle Association members support background checks of gun purchasers. | Austin’s mayor said 90 percent of Americans and 74 percent of National Rifle Association members support universal background checks for gun purchases. Polls taken in 2012 and 2013 support both figures, though one taken closest to Leffingwell’s press conference indicates support among all Americans possibly slipping a ... | true | Regulation, Texas, Guns, Lee Leffingwell, | "Joining calls for criminal background checks prior to every U.S. gun purchase, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell said the idea is widely popular. Ninety percent of Americans and 74 percent of National Rifle Association members support universal background checks, Leffingwell said, the Austin American-Statesman reported in ... |
9631 | Doctors test new device for uterine fibroids | The story focuses on treatment options available for women who are experiencing health problems related to uterine fibroids, with a particular focus on a technique called Sonata, or sonography-guided transcervical ablation. The story relies heavily on an anecdote–tracking one patient’s experience with the experimental ... | true | fibroids,Sonata,sonography-guided transcervical ablation | The story pulls off a difficult trick: addressing cost in a meaningful way when it’s not clear what the price tag will be. The story tells readers “Sonata’s manufacturer declined to say what the procedure might cost once the trials are complete and it is approved.” The story also explains that “because it’s still under... |
7492 | UN: Possible to eradicate malaria, but probably not soon. | The World Health Organization says it’s theoretically possible to wipe out malaria, but probably not with the imperfect vaccine and other control methods being used at the moment. | true | Malaria, Health, General News, Africa, International News, Business, Europe | Dr. Pedro Alonso, the U.N. health agency’s global malaria director, said WHO is “unequivocally in favor” of eradication, but that major questions about its feasibility remain. In a press briefing on Thursday, Alonso acknowledged that “with the tools we have today, it is most unlikely eradication will be achieved.” Alon... |
37520 | "Los Angeles police have instituted a policy of conducting ""spot checks"" and ticketing motorists for non-essential travel." | Are Los Angeles Police Conducting ‘Spot Checks’ on ‘Non-Essential’ Driving? | unproven | Fact Checks, Viral Content | A social media dispute broke out around comedian Ashley Ray on March 25 2020, after she posted what she called an advisory for people venturing outside in Los Angeles amid the city’s stay-in-place order to limit spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.“Heads up LA: Cops are starting to pull people over as spot checks to see wh... |
23585 | There are currently delays of up to six months in the processing of DNA evidence at the state run crime lab. | GOP challenger Mike DeWine says BCI tests delayed 'up to 6 months' under Cordray | mixture | Ohio, Crime, Mike DeWine, | "A ""tough on crime"" reputation plays well on the campaign trail for Ohio attorney general candidates. It worked wonders for former Republican Attorney General Betty Montgomery, who won two terms in the 1990s by talking a big game about the law enforcement functions of the office. So as Democratic Attorney General Ric... |
8184 | Poland to receive protective gear, tests from China to fight coronavirus. | Poland will receive more than 10,000 test kits and tens of thousands of other protective items such as masks, goggles and shoe covers from China to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak, Poland’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement late on Wednesday. | true | Health News | “Even though the fight with coronavirus is ongoing in China, they decided to show solidarity with Poland and help our country by providing tests to uncover COVID-19, as well as protective medical gear,” the statement said. China will send 20,000 masks, 5,000 protective suits, 5,000 medical goggles, 10,000 single-use me... |
33395 | Actress Jamie Lee Curtis acknowledged in an interview that she was born with both male and female sex organs. | It is a telling commentary on the skewed importance we give any matter relating to sexuality that this rumor exists at all. Numerous children come into the world less than perfectly formed, yet no stigma is attached to those who require surgery to repair a malfunctioning heart, a disorder of the digestive system, or al... | false | Entertainment, Actors, Movies | What to make of the child of two successful and famous actors who grows up to achieve an equal measure of fame in the same field? What if this gal has a boyish-sounding name and adopts children rather than bears her own? A rumor, apparently. And one she would rather not discuss at all: One story that keeps on circulat... |
27570 | "Prolonged sexual arousal in men without an ejaculation can cause pain, a condition colloquially referred to as ""blue balls""." | If masturbation isn’t your jam, Morgentaler has another easy solution: Just give it some time, rest a bit, and it will go away on its own. Perhaps these simple solutions are why there is such a dearth of scientific research into the ailment. | true | Love, sex | The agonizing pain known as “blue balls” is well known to just about any man who was ever a teenager, an ache caused by prolonged arousal without release — a condition often referred to by urologists as epididymal hypertension. But what causes this syndrome? Although anecdotal evidence suggests that epididymal hyperten... |
4337 | Alaska officials fear tuberculosis spread at religious event. | Attendees at an Alaska religious meeting may have been exposed to tuberculosis, officials said. | true | Health, Public health, Tuberculosis, Alaska | A person who was diagnosed with an active case of the disease participated in the New Fire Bethel Ministry revival April 12-14, KYUK-AM reported Friday. The person attended all three days of the event in western Alaska, according to Alaska Public Health and Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation officials. Tuberculosis bac... |
10384 | Sugar Cane Cholesterol Treatment Faulted | Overall, this is a good piece that reports on a recent study that found policosanol to have no effect on low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. This observation differs from the previously published work on this compound, most of which has been conduced by a single research group in Cuba. Although this produ... | true | There were no cost estimates for policosanol either as sole ingredient supplement or when included in a multi-vitamin preparation. The article reported that there was no difference in LDL cholesterol levels after 12 weeks of treatment between the ‘dummy pill’ and policosanol group. The article neglected to mention that... | |
11000 | Probiotics May Help Soothe The Stomach | There’s been a lot of news coverage and a lot of marketing claims about the alleged benefits from products containing probiotics. The study reported on is from the well respected Cochrane organization. A Cochrane review is comprehensive and rigorous, meaning that the conclusions are important and can change medical pra... | mixture | NPR,Supplements | There was no discussion of costs. Because we always think cost is important – even if it doesn’t amount to much – we wish the story had included some cost estimates for probiotics-containing products. Does it add much to the cost of yogurt and other products? The story was clear that outcome studied was the duration fo... |
40312 | A worker at a candy factory in Africa accidentally exposed a batch of chocolate to Ebola, and it was later shipped to America. | Chocolate Laced With Ebola Ships to U.S. | false | Food / Drink | It’s not true that chocolate from Africa was accidentally laced with “Ebola positive blood.” The false report can be traced back to a Twitter account operated by “Conspiracy Story.” The eRumor claims that a factory worker in South Africa who later tested positive for Ebola bled into a batch of melted chocolate that wa... |
9880 | Berries May Ward Off Parkinson’s Disease | China’s quick-growing solar equipment makers, forecast to meet half of global demand by the mid 2020s, are ramping up overseas sales to stave off closure after the elimination of government subsidies pushed domestic installations to a five-year low. | false | WebMD | Exports of key solar components this year have already exceeded last year’s total and executives expect growth to continue next year, stoking concerns of a flood of cheap Chinese products undercutting those of manufacturers worldwide. “Solar makers are indeed really struggling with over-capacity in the domestic market.... |
5466 | Maine adding 50 new public health nurses. | Maine is hiring 50 public health nurses to help address disease outbreaks and the opioid crisis. | true | Paul LePage, Maine, Health, Disease outbreaks, Public health | The Portland Press Herald reports a new law sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Brownie Carson is responsible for the hiring increase. Under the measure, Maine is required to have at least 50 public health nurses on staff. Republican Gov. Paul LePage had opposed the effort as he sought to reform public health and welfar... |
7102 | Tunisia: 12 infants die of hospital-acquired infection. | Twelve newborn babies have died in Tunisia after acquiring infections at the public maternity hospital where they were born prematurely, the country’s interim health minister reported Monday. | true | Africa, Tunisia, Health, Tunis | Sonia Ben Sheikh, who hastily took over when Tunisia’s health minister resigned amid growing outrage, said during a news conference in Tunis that the infant deaths were “unacceptable.” While hospital-acquired infections were the immediate cause, Ben Sheikh said the deaths at the Center for Maternity and Neonatology “re... |
7806 | Swimmers beware: water at some U.S. beaches may make you sick. | Every summer millions of American families head for beaches, but few stop to think of the possibility that the water they swim in may harbor enough bacteria to cause stomach flu and a host of other illnesses. | true | Environment | "The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that 10 percent of water quality samples collected from nearly 3,500 coastal and Great Lakes beaches in 2013 contained levels of harmful bacteria that exceeded ""safe to swim"" thresholds recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency. (here) The findings - publ... |
35347 | The CDC readjusted the COVID-19 death toll from 60,000 down to 37,000. | That 37,308 was not a drastic downward revision of any previously reported death total. Rather, it only might have seemed such because it was mistakenly compared to the number of deaths reported on the CDC’s COVID-19 Cases in the U.S. page, which as of May 3, 2020, displayed a total of 65,735 deaths: | false | Politics, COVID-19 | At the beginning of May 2020, widely circulated social media posts asserted that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had substantially revised their figures for the number of deaths in the U.S. caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus disease, from 60,000 down to about 37,000: HOLY SHIT: Did I read th... |
10292 | Eat your blueberries! They may cut risk of diabetes and high blood pressure | Lest anyone think we’re unfair to blogs or that we don’t appreciate the brevity embraced by many blogs, please note that this 1-star story ran 474 words. Earlier today we posted a 5-star score for a story that ran only 262 words. It is the quality – not the quantity – of the words that matters. | false | "Not applicable. Costs of blueberries – or of the ""daily dietary supplementation of bioactives in freeze-dried whole blueberry powder"" – were not given. But we don’t think this is a major issue. No quantification of benefit in the first study described – only that ""participants’ insulin sensitivity increased."" How... | |
18064 | Mike Collins Says federal regulations adopted in 2011 increased the cost of each vehicle for his business by $10,000. | Does truck claim carry its weight in accuracy? | true | Georgia, Environment, Regulation, Mike Collins, | "A congressional candidate says Uncle Sam is making it tougher to keep on truckin’. Mike Collins told the Gwinnett Daily Post that changes in federal emissions standards have added $10,000 to the price of every new truck his family’s trucking business buys. ""The EPA is stifling business,"" Collins told us, referring t... |
36900 | John Ashe, a former diplomat and president of the United Nations General Assembly from Antigua, died in June 2016, days before he was to testify in a corruption case against a Hillary Clinton donor. | John Ashe Dies Days Before Testifying Against Hillary Clinton Donor – Truth! & Fiction! | mixture | Politics | It’s true that John Ashe died unexpectedly in the middle of a corruption case, and that an alleged former Clinton donor was involved, but other details about Ashe and the charges against him are false or unproven. First, neither Hillary Clinton nor the Clinton Foundation were involved in the corruption case against Joh... |
10035 | Prostate drug shows promise in early testing | This is a 180-word story about a potential new approach for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. The molecule discussed, MDV3100, is poised to enter phase 3 clinical trials and this story is about some preliminary data from the phase 1-2 clinical trial to determine if the drug was safe and tolerable. But importan... | false | As the story was about a drug in the process of development, the costs associated with its use are not available at this time. We generally believe that if it’s not too early to report on the potential benefit of a drug in development, then it’s not too early to at least mention potential cost. But this story was so cl... | |
21409 | An amazing 5,400 jobs were lost in the first 12 months of the (smoking) ban’s implementation in Ohio’s hospitality industry alone. | Tobacco group claims Ohio smoking ban led to major job losses | false | Georgia, Public Health, Chris McCalla, | "Debate over proposed government-enforced smoking bans generally follow a prescribed path. Public health advocates tout the health benefits of reduced smoking while bar and restaurant owners complain about potential lost business. Often the debate ranks high on the rhetorical scale but is limited in hard facts. So it g... |
26696 | The health insurance industry has “agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments.” | Health insurance companies said they will waive costs for coronavirus tests, not treatment. A shortage in diagnostic supplies means that testing is limited. A major health insurance lobbying group said that there are currently no industry-wide plans to waive costs for hospital stays or other treatment. | false | Health Care, Coronavirus, Donald Trump, | "As coronavirus cases multiply in the United States, one concern Americans have is what they can expect to pay if they seek treatment. Speaking from the White House, President Donald Trump suggested that people with health insurance shouldn’t have to worry about that. ""Earlier this week, I met with the leaders of the ... |
7467 | Whistleblower: US still lacks virus plan, Americans at risk. | Despite White House claims, the U.S. still lacks a comprehensive battle plan against the coronavirus in critical areas including masks, testing, treatments and vaccines, whistleblower Rick Bright warned Thursday in testimony before a House committee. “Our window of opportunity is closing,” he declared. | true | AP Top News, Understanding the Outbreak, Health, General News, Politics, Racing for a Remedy, Virus Outbreak | The nation could face “the darkest winter in modern history” if the virus rebounds, the government vaccine scientist told lawmakers. Bright’s appearance came after his ouster last month as head of a Health and Human Services biodefense agency, an action he alleges was retaliation by the Trump administration. “We need s... |
17605 | "The town of Cumberland has ""its highest bond rating in history." | "Cumberland Mayor Daniel McKee said the town has ""its highest bond rating in history."" We found that, as far back as comparable statistics can be found -- about 17 years -- he’s right. The facts also support his claim that the bond rating improved five points under his administration. In addition to the Moody’s A1 ra... | true | Rhode Island, City Budget, Debt, Daniel McKee, | "When Cumberland Mayor Daniel McKee launched his campaign for lieutenant governor Nov. 13, he cited the town’s financial progress during his administrations. As evidence of his managerial capability, McKee claimed that his administration restored his town’s credit rating after it dropped into junk bond territory in 200... |
30870 | A young girl disconnected her grandfather's life support in order to charge her mobile phone. | The fictional El Mundo report may have been based on an even older urban legend which claimed that a janitor killed several people at a hospital in South Africa after he unplugged life support systems to power their floor polisher. | false | Junk News, buzzflare, cell phones, el mundo today | Repeating a lie doesn’t make it true, even if you are aggregating it on numerous web sites. In October 2017, dozens of web sites ran with a fictitious story claiming that a young girl had disconnected her grandfather’s life support in order to charge her phone: Ally Louia, a 26-year old girl went to the hospital yeste... |
6981 | Taillon, Bettis face off after bonding over cancer battles. | The starters for Tuesday’s game between Pittsburgh and Colorado reads like this: Jameson Taillon vs. Chad Bettis. | true | Baseball, Colorado, Cancer, MLB baseball, North America, Health, Jameson Taillon, Chad Bettis | A more accurate description: Two starters bouncing back from testicular cancer. “Both healthy. Both in the big leagues,” the Pirates’ Taillon said. “Life’s good.” The Rockies’ Bettis underwent surgery in November 2016 for testicular cancer and continued cancer treatments through that spring and into last season. So whe... |
9925 | Taking cholesterol medication before aneurysm repair improves outcomes | A review of 200,000 cases of individuals who underwent aortic abdominal aneurysm repair using two different repair methods uncovered the fact that patients taking cholesterol-lowering medications fared better than those who did not. Unfortunately, almost none of the abundant data in the study published in the journal V... | false | cardiovascular disease,University news release | There is no discussion of costs in the release, not costs of statins or costs of the surgeries and procedures referenced. If the researchers truly believe that statin medication before, during, and after the procedure are a significant factor in reducing mortality, talking about the medication costs would help make the... |
5732 | Judge dismisses lawsuit over release of vaccination data. | A Hartford Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Connecticut couple seeking to stop the Department of Public Health from publicly releasing additional information about immunization rates at private and public schools. | true | Immunizations, Health, General News, Public health, Connecticut, Hartford, Bristol, Lawsuits | They had also sought to have school-by-school immunization data from 2017-18 removed from the department’s website. In a decision dated Friday, Judge Susan Quinn Cobb said Brian and Kristen Festa of Bristol had not exhausted their “administrative remedies” with state public health officials and therefore the court lack... |
485 | Vaping increases the risk of lung disease by a third: U.S. study. | Using e-cigarettes significantly increases the risk of developing chronic lung conditions such as asthma or emphysema, U.S. researchers said on Monday. | true | Health News | The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, is among the first to show the potential long-term harms of using e-cigarettes, which are often promoted as a safer alternative to tobacco and a means of helping smokers quit. It found that e-cigarettes increased the risk of lung disease by a third co... |
10304 | Pancreatic Chemo Comparison Finds No Survival Boost | This story gave balanced coverage and the right tone to an ongoing area of research: chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. A few more sentences would have plugged the holes and added important context about why the study compared these two regimens in the first place. New strategies are needed in the war against pancreat... | true | Costs of these chemotherapy agents are not discussed. The study compared a drug available only as a brand name to a regimen consisting of two drugs available generically. Average survival times and survival rates at one and two years of follow-up were provided for both treatment groups. Harms and tolerability are discu... | |
7983 | Pet cat tests positive for coronavirus in Hong Kong. | A pet cat has tested positive for the coronavirus in Hong Kong after its owner was confirmed with having the virus, the city’s Agricultural and Fisheries department said, cautioning that the animal has not shown any signs of the disease. | true | Health News | In a notice late on Tuesday, the department said there is currently no evidence that pet animals can be a source of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and owners should not abandon their pets. The World Health Organization also states on their website that there is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet c... |
11577 | Weekly Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Provides Long-Term Relief of Post-Stroke Pain | NIH illustration of rTMS therapy.This news release speaks to the results of a small open-label study examining the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients who have suffered a stroke. The 18 patients studied all had chronic pain as a consequence of their stroke and did not obtain... | mixture | Association/Society news release,Pain management,Stroke | The FDA approved the use of rTMS for chronic depression several years ago, so it should have been easy to approximate the costs of a 12-week course of therapy. The usual cost of the use of rTMS for depression is $6,000 to $10,000 for 4 sessions per week for 5 weeks. So, continuing with treatment weekly for an ongoing ... |
34165 | During Halloween 2019, an Australian mother and registered nurse offered chickenpox-infected lollipops for sale in an anti-vaccine Facebook group. | We reached out to the Queensland Police Department to ask if its investigation had turned up any new information, and we will update our post if any such information is provided. Because it is unclear who this Facebook user actually is and what the person’s motive was behind the post. | unproven | Politics | On Oct. 30, 2019, a Facebook user claiming to be a registered nurse at the “Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane” posted an offer in the anti-vaccine Facebook group “Stop Mandatory Vaccination” to send chicken pox-infected lollipops (courtesy of her son’s recent infection with the virus) to other parents looking to impa... |
11209 | Sleeptime Head-Cooling Cap Eases Insomnia, Study Finds | This is an interesting story about interesting research for a common problem. We appreciate the caveat at the end of the story – “Because this study was extremely small and presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal and confirmed i... | true | HealthDay | Not applicable. No discussion of costs but that’s understandable at this early stage of development. The story didn’t adequately place the findings into context. It stated: “While wearing the cooling cap, it took insomnia patients an average of 13 minutes to fall asleep and they spent 89 percent of their time in bed a... |
22710 | "William G. Batchelder Says a ""Canadian provincial prime minister came to Ohio for his medical treatment because of the delay in Canadian health care which would have endangered his life." | Ohio House Speaker William G. Batchelder tells a healthy tale about a Canadian premier | false | Ohio, Health Care, William G. Batchelder, | "New House Speaker William G. Batchelder loves telling a good story. With a legislative career in the Ohio House stretching back to 1968, Batchelder is well-known for his floor speeches peppered with political references and historical anecdotes from days long gone. Therefore, it was no surprise that Batchelder’s initi... |
17610 | Obamacare is going to increase the divorce rate. | "Limbaugh said, ""Obamacare is going to increase the divorce rate."" There is concern about a ""marriage penalty,"" which exists for other federal programs with sliding income eligibility scales, with the Affordable Care Act, and there is anecdotal evidence that at least one couple considered divorce to avoid it. (The ... | false | Health Care, Marriage, PunditFact, Rush Limbaugh, | "If you think divorce is prevalent now, just wait. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh says marriage in the United States is poised to crumble for a whole new reason. Yes, the culprit is Obamacare. The point came up as Limbaugh chatted with a caller from Jacksonville, Fla., on his Dec. 6, 2013, talk show. Jim the cal... |
2508 | Thinking differently: Autism finds space in the workplace. | Some call it neurological diversity, others see it as autism’s fight back. People diagnosed as “on the spectrum” are suddenly in demand by employers seeking a competitive advantage from autistic workers more used to being considered disabled than special. | true | Health News | Expressing a belief that “innovation comes from the edges”, German computer software giant SAP last month launched a recruitment drive to attract people with autism to join it as software testers. A week later, U.S. home financing firm Freddie Mac advertised a second round of paid internships aimed specifically at auti... |
33353 | Barack and Michelle Obama surrendered their law licenses to avoid pending disciplinary actions. | This was hardly remarkable or suspicious: neither of the Obamas held a currently active law license because neither President of the United States nor First Lady was a position that required one. This statement was also inaccurate in referring to the Obamas as the “first Lawyer President and First Lady,” as both Bill a... | false | Politics Politicians, barack obama, michelle obama | Several similar items have been circulated during or since the 2008 U.S. presidential election, all suggesting (without evidence) that Barack and Michelle Obama, both of whom obtained licenses to practice law in Illinois, were forced to give up those licenses in order to avoid having them revoked through disciplinary ... |
7501 | Africa readies for new virus as cases confirmed on continent. | Across Africa, steps are being taken to prepare for — and to reduce the effects of — the spread of the new coronavirus. Testing laboratories are being supplied, quarantine and hospital treatment facilities are being readied for patients, and public health advisories have been issued. | true | Ebola virus, Algeria, Health, General News, Senegal, Africa, International News, Business, China, United Nations, Dakar, Nigeria, Virus Outbreak, Public health | As of Monday, the continent of 1.2 billion people has eight confirmed cases of COVID-19 — three in Algeria, two in Egypt, one in Tunisia, one in Nigeria and one in Senegal. The case in Senegal was a French citizen who resides in Senegal and who had recently returned from France. But 13 of Africa’s 54 countries have bee... |
13398 | "Mike Pence Says Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine ""want to expand (Obamacare) into a single-payer program." | "Pence said Clinton and Kaine ""want to expand (Obamacare) into a single-payer program,"" suggesting that they have proposed such a change. They have not. They have promoted a public option, which would be a government-sponsored insurance plan. A lot of Democrats, such as Bernie Sanders, would like to go in that direct... | false | National, Drugs, Health Care, History, Mike Pence, | "Republican Mike Pence warned during the Oct. 4 vice presidential debate that the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is only going to get bigger if Democrat Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, are elected Nov. 8. ""Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine want to build on Obamacare,"" Pence said. ""The... |
8981 | Stem Cells Shows Promise For Repairing Torn Meniscus | This news release describes the results of an experiment using stem cells and other blood components derived from fat tissue to repair a torn meniscus. The release relies on general statements regarding the degree of benefits or harms to the patient and ignores the issue of costs entirely. It doesn’t adequately explain... | false | sten cells,torn meniscus,U.S. Stem Cell | There is no mention of the cost of this proposed procedure to the patient, nor is there any indication that such a procedure might be covered by medical insurance, since this is a very early experimental approach. The procedure involves outpatient liposuction to obtain a small quantity of the patient’s fat tissue, and ... |
8295 | Switzerland's Roche joins global race to make coronavirus antibody tests. | Swiss drugmaker Roche aims next month to be able to offer blood tests to identify those who have been infected with the coronavirus, joining a huge global push to inform locked-down nations about who might have some immunity and return to work. | true | Health News | Governments and businesses are seeking out such tests, to help them craft strategies to end lockdowns that have battered global economies even though it is not yet certain if those infected develop immunity to the new virus as with many other illnesses. Roche’s announcement on Friday follows others including U.S.-based... |
9706 | Light therapy effective for treating depression, not just winter blues | This brief story gives a tantalizing glimpse into a small study of 122 people with major depression, but it leaves us wanting a bit more. The randomized controlled study divided patients into groups with some receiving light therapy alone, some receiving light and antidepressant, and others received sham therapies imit... | true | antidepressants,depression,light therapy,psychiatry,seasonal affective disorder | The story squeaks by on this with mention that light therapy is “cheap” and easy to use. We would have preferred some numbers giving prices for the light sources that patients typically use at home and some estimate for a therapeutic course of psychotherapy (which is often provided in combination with light therapy). T... |
17861 | "Only ""four countries in the world… allow abortions after 20 weeks"" of pregnancy." | Perry said only four countries allow legal abortions past 20 weeks into the gestational period. The United States, Canada, North Korea and China fit that measure, but Singapore and the Netherlands do as well. Also, far more countries permit abortions in certain circumstances in which the pregnancy would damage the woma... | mixture | Abortion, Texas, Anita Perry, | "Anita Perry said she supported new abortion restrictions advanced by the Republican-majority Legislature and signed into law this summer by her husband, Gov. Rick Perry. ""And I believe there are only four countries in the world that allow abortions after 20 weeks,"" Anita Perry said, adding that Texas belonged in the... |
35223 | "Johns Hopkins University published this ""excellent summary"" on avoiding COVID-19." | For starters, this list starts with the claim that COVID-19 is a protein molecule (DNA), but coronaviruses are RNA viruses which contain no DNA. | false | Medical, COVID-19 | In late March 2020, a letter supposedly published by Johns Hopkins University containing an “excellent summary” of advice on how to avoid catching COVID-19 was widely circulated via email and on social media: But this content did not originate with Johns Hopkins, a spokesperson confirmed: This is not something produced... |
14346 | Most funding for tuberculosis research (is) provided by the U.S. National Institutes for Health. | Low said that most funding for tuberculosis research comes from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Whether he used those exact words is a bit unclear, but in the sense that the NIH is the single-largest funder of research, the statement is correct. The only caveat is that when we factor in the size of the economy,... | true | Global News Service, Federal Budget, Foreign Policy, Public Health, Marcus Low, | "Tuberculosis stands second to AIDS as the world’s deadliest infectious disease, killing about 1.5 million people in 2014. Only a small percentage of those deaths took place in the United States, yet the American government is the pre-eminent funder of tuberculosis research. HIV/AIDS activist Marcus Low, policy head fo... |
38757 | A photo shows Asian beetles embedded in a dog’s mouth and warns of the potential dangers of dogs eating Japanese beetles. | Photo of Asian Beetles Embedded in a Dog’s Mouth | true | Animals | This warning about Japanese beetles embedded in a dog’s mouth is true. Asian beetles (which look a lot like ladybugs) have been known to embed themselves in roof of dogs’ mouths and cause serious health problems. The medical jargon for the Asian beetles embedded in a dog’s mouth is “acute corrosion of the oral mucosa i... |
38533 | A report that two Muslim men assaulted a Denny’s waitress because she served pork during Ramadan has gone viral. | Denny’s Waitress Assaulted by Muslim Men for Serving Bacon | false | Religious, Terrorism | A fake news website is behind this false report of a Denny’s waitress being assaulted for serving bacon during Ramadan. The story originated at JTXH News under the headline “Denny’s Waitress Assaulted by Muslims for Serving Bacon During Ramadan” that begins: ROUND ROCK TX: A Denny’s waitress was allegedly assaulted by ... |
10031 | “Heart disease potential breakthrough” | This story covers a new study in which very high doses of the statin drug Crestor regressed atherosclerosis, or coronary artery plaque buildup, as shown on intravascular ultrasound, in high risk patients.The story states that the patients showed a 7 to 9% reduction in plaque. It is not clear if this is clinically meani... | false | There is no mention of costs in the story. Quantitative estimates are given in relative frame only. The story states that the patients showed a 7 to 9% reduction in plaque. It is not clear if this is clinically meaningful. The story says “Crestor reduced so called bad cholesterol by more than 50 percent and increased g... | |
489 | Samoa extends measles state of emergency, NZ to fund Pacific vaccination campaign. | The South Pacific island nation of Samoa on Saturday extended a state of emergency due to a measles outbreak which has killed 72 people, mostly infants, as New Zealand announced NZ$1 million ($640,700) to help combat measles in the Pacific. | true | Health News | Samoa said a state of emergency will be extended to Dec. 29 with 5,154 cases of measles now reported since the outbreak started in October. Samoa has a population of only 200,000. Measles started appearing en masse earlier this year in the New Zealand city of Auckland, a hub for travel to and from small South Pacific i... |
9669 | How a balloon can help you lose weight | This story describes a medical intervention designed to help people lose weight. The intervention, called Orbera, involves placing a balloon in a patient’s stomach via the mouth and then inflating it with saline. This, according to the story, will limit the patient’s hunger, allowing the patient to eat less and still f... | false | gastric balloon,journalism,orbera,weight loss | The story clearly notes that the device, known as Orbera, “is not covered by insurance and costs $8,000.” The story does not address benefits in any kind of meaningful way, much less offer any quantification of the benefits. Instead, the story tells readers what the “objective” of Orbera is. It also offers an anecdote ... |
7505 | White House unveils $2.5B emergency coronavirus plan. | The White House on Monday sent lawmakers an urgent $2.5 billion plan to address the deadly coronavirus outbreak, whose rapid spread and threat to the global economy rocked financial markets. | true | Virus Outbreak, Health, General News, Politics, Infectious diseases, Science, Travel, U.S. News, Ebola virus, Donald Trump | The White House budget office said the funds are for vaccines, treatment and protective equipment. The request was immediately slammed by Democrats as insufficient and came as coronavirus fears were credited with Monday’s 1,000-plus point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and are increasingly seen as a potential... |
11331 | Breast cancer drug may slow lung cancer’s march | This article briefly (353 words) examines a retrospective analysis of 6,655 Swiss breast cancer patients followed between 1980 and 2003 . The study looks at the hypothesis that there might be a link between estrogen and lung cancer. Patients taking tamoxifen had a lower rate of lung cancer deaths, but statistically i... | false | Cancer,Los Angeles Times | Although generic tamoxifen is a relatively inexpensive medication, there was neither discussion of the medication cost in the article nor discussion of the cost of tests involved in evaluating such a treatment. As this is an observational study, much of the problem with understanding benefits/harms of tamoxifen in this... |
34258 | A young couple unable to conceive a child visited a fertility doctor, who discovered that they were engaging solely in anal sex. | It’s difficult to prove a negative, but typically when we see familiar legends and humorous anecdotes playing out as “real” news taken from a questionable single source, it’s a sign someone’s leg is being pulled. | unproven | Risqué Business | In late August 2018, a number of English-language websites rehashed a story about a young Chinese couple who had reportedly struggled with infertility issues for years, until they visited a doctor who informed them that they could not become pregnant through anal sex alone. The woman’s symptoms led Doctor Liu to believ... |
33528 | Home remedies to repel mosquitoes are effective ways to defend yourself from West Nile Virus. | Are home remedies to repel mosquitoes effective ways to defend yourself from West Nile Virus? | false | Old Wives' Tales, ASP Article, home remedies, mosquitoes | If we had a frog, we’d be tempted to drop it down the back of whoever wrote this. Once again inboxes have been flooded with yet another “here are easy ways to protect your loved ones” mailing. Concern about the danger of attack from mosquitoes bearing the dreaded West Nile Virus has made combating the pesky critters an... |
10662 | Studies: 1 dose of swine flu vaccine works | This story makes the main point clear: that a single dose of the new H1N1 flu vaccine may be effective enough that the initial plan to give people two doses won’t be necessary. However, important caveats about the small size and rushed nature of these preliminary trials are buried deep in the story, where they would be... | mixture | The story should have mentioned the typical range of charges for seasonal flu and whether there would be any difference in the price of the H1N1 flu shots. Near the top, the story notes that the new trials indicate the H1N1 flu shots appear to be as effective as seasonal flu shots. However, there is no explanation of t... | |
31001 | High diabetes rates among African-Americans are caused by a genocidal government plot to ship weaponized radioactive milk to black communities. | Moret uses the disparity in health outcomes between impoverished, inner-city black Americans and other populations (arguably one of the most pressing healthcare injustices facing the United States) to push a conspiracy theory against nuclear power that lacks both evidence and logic. As such, we rank this claim as false... | false | Racial Rumors, conspiracy theories, genocide, milk | In August 2017, a years-old video excerpt from a presentation by “independent scientist” and conspiracy theorist Leuren Moret went viral on Facebook. In the short clip, Moret claimed that the relatively high rates of diabetes found in poor and ethnic minority communities in the United States are caused by the deliberat... |
29615 | The film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was based on a true story. | "A remake of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' was promoted with the tagline, ""Inspired by a true story,"" prompting fans to wonder about the origin of this horror classic." | false | Horrors, Films, horror movies, Movies | When The Texas Chain Saw Massacre hit movie theaters in 1974, it quickly supplanted the previous year’s top horror flick, The Exorcist, as “the most terrifying movie ever made.” Unlike The Exorcist, however, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre eschewed standard production values and modern special effects in favor of a grainy ... |
21791 | Barack Obama Says that when President Bill Clinton raised the top tax rates to levels now proposed by Obama, the country experienced significant job growth. | Obama claims job rate soared after Clinton raised taxes | mixture | National, Deficit, Jobs, Taxes, Barack Obama, | "While many Republicans have warned that President Barack Obama's plan to raise taxes on wealthy Americans would hurt the fragile economy, Obama fired back in a Twitter town hall on July 6, 2011, that he's only proposing to return the top tax rate to the level it was raised to under President Bill Clinton, when job gro... |
21639 | [T]his breed (of pit bulls) is most often associated with aggressive behavior. | Are pit bulls more aggressive than other dogs? | true | Georgia, Animals, Elaine Boyer, | "DeKalb County commissioners are considering a reversal of an ordinance that has tongues wagging in Georgia’s third highest-populated county. County leaders are thinking about removing pit bulls from its list of banned household pets. Commissioner Elaine Boyer, whose district includes a politically conservative area in... |
37484 | "White House Advisor Kellyanne Conway said ""this isn't COVID-1, folks"" during a Fox News appearance." | Did Kellyanne Conway Say ‘This Isn’t COVID-1, Folks’ on Fox News? | true | Fact Checks, Viral Content | "On April 15 2020, a viral tweet asserted Trump White House advisor Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News, stating “this isn’t COVID-1” when discussing challenges posed by the novel coronavirus and COVID-19:Kellyanne Conway: ""This is COVID-19, not COVID-1 folks, and so you would think the people in charge of the World... |
3876 | Medicaid expansion has saved Montana $30 million. | Montana’s Medicaid expansion program has saved the state health department more than $30 million since its start in January 2016, mostly because the federal government paid a bigger share of the costs for some recipients, officials said. | true | Montana, Medicaid, Health care services | Erica Johnston with the Department of Public Health and Human Services told a legislative oversight committee on Wednesday that the program covers nearly 84,000 residents and has paid for $574 million in health care services since it began. Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government began picking up all of t... |
9385 | Boomers are going bionic, and they want joint replacements to let them do it all | This story reported on the growing popularity of joint replacement surgery, which it said is driven by Baby Boomers who want to take advantage of improving technology to regain their active lifestyles. To its credit, the story addressed costs, highlighted overly optimistic expectations by patients, and mentioned the ge... | mixture | medical devices | The story states: “The procedures can cost up to $50,000 for knees and $40,000 for hips, though the prices vary widely among Medicare and private insurers, which typically bear the bulk of the cost.” The story offered several positive anecdotes, such as a former mountain climber and football player who resumed his abil... |
5838 | Phoenix-area officials record 5 baby deaths from syphilis. | Health officials recorded five baby deaths from congenital syphilis in the Phoenix area last year. | true | Health, Arizona, Phoenix, Syphilis | The Arizona Republic reports the Maricopa County Department of Public Health counted 30 babies born with the disease in 2018. The department says the county’s rate of the disease has doubled over the last two years and is nearly 60 percent higher than the national average. Congenital syphilis is when an infected mother... |
5456 | Michigan health chief fights to undo manslaughter charges. | The head of Michigan’s health department is trying to overturn a decision that sends him to trial for two deaths in the Flint water crisis. | true | Health, Michigan, Legionnaires disease, Flint, Disease outbreaks | In court filings Monday, Nick Lyon’s legal team asked a judge to dismiss involuntary manslaughter and other charges. A lower court judge in August said there was enough evidence to send Lyon to trial. Lyon is accused of failing to prevent the deaths of two men by not timely informing the public about a Legionnaires’ di... |
1342 | Scientists urge UK to fortify flour with folic acid to limit birth defects. | Britain’s failure to legislate to make food producers fortify flour with folic acid to help prevent babies being born with birth defects is based on flawed analysis and should be reversed, scientists said on Wednesday. | true | Health News | Urging the UK to follow more than 80 other countries, including the United States, who have mandatory fortification, the scientists said there was no need for an upper limit on folate intake because there is no risk of harmful overdose. Deficiency in folate, by contrast, can cause pregnant women to have babies with ser... |
31158 | A waste company will be offering curbside dead body pickup service to offset “TrumpCare. | "Reports that a waste company will be offering curbside dead body pickup service to offset “TrumpCare"" deaths originated as satire." | false | Junk News, nevada county scooper, trumpcare | On 19 July 2017, the Nevada County Scooper (NC Scooper) web site published an article positing that a prominent waste management company would soon be offering a curbside dead body pickup service to offset the results of “TrumpCare” (the Trump administration’s proposed legislative replacement for the Affordable Care Ac... |
24569 | President Obama . . . wants to mandate circumcision. | Limbaugh wrong that Obama is mandating circumcision | false | National, Health Care, Pundits, Rush Limbaugh, | "PARENTAL ADVISORY: We don't imagine there are a lot of kids reading PolitiFact, but this item contains explicit language you don't normally see here. Parental discretion is advised. A new rap song by the hip-hop artist Jay-Z takes a shot at Rush Limbaugh. But the radio talk show host — referring to the rapper as ""Mr.... |
713 | Neurotoxin may have caused diplomats’ illness in Cuba: study. | Fumigation against mosquitoes in Cuba and not “sonic attacks” may have caused some 40 U.S. and Canadian diplomats and family members in Havana to fall ill, according to a new study commissioned by the Canadian government. | true | Health News | The incidents took place from late 2016 into 2018, causing the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to charge that diplomats were attacked by some sort of secret weapon. Canada has refrained from such charges. The United States in 2017 reduced its embassy staff to a minimum and Canada followed more recently, c... |
7298 | Planned Parenthood Florida gives transgender hormone therapy. | Planned Parenthood is now offering hormone therapy and other services for transgender patients in Florida, starting with two health centers in Miami this week. It plans to expand statewide within the year. | true | Planned Parenthood, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Health | The services could help a patient who, for example, was born as a female and still has female organs but identifies as male. Oral, topical and injectable hormones would address issues like facial hair, redistribution of fat and muscle and thicker vocal chords. The prescriptions are written after extensive medical and b... |
27754 | Feminine hygiene products are subject to sales tax in most states. | In May 2016, the majority of the 40 states with a tampon tax retained it (although New York was on its way to tax-free status for feminine hygiene products). By and large, social media tampon tax claims were accurate. To be clear, tampons weren’t taxed at a special or higher rate than other taxable items — they simply ... | true | Politics, taxes | A tax on feminine hygiene products (also known as a “tampon tax”) was not new by the time social media interest in the topic appeared in May 2016, but a screenshot published by the page “Women’s Rights News” contributed the buzz: The image originated with a 15 January 2016 interview between YouTube personality Ingrid N... |
2680 | Study finds welfare cuts can cost lives. | Radical cuts in social welfare spending by governments intent on reducing budget deficits can cost lives as well as cause economic pain, according to a study published on Friday. | true | Science News | British researchers found that levels of social spending in Europe are strongly associated with risks of premature death, particularly from diseases linked to wealth and social circumstances such as heart attacks and alcohol-related illness. In a study published in the British Medical Journal, the researchers calculate... |
22876 | The cost-saving measures we put into place at Columbia/HCA drove down national health care inflation from 18% to 8% in seven years. | Rick Scott claims his company caused national health care inflation to nosedive | false | Health Care, Florida, Rick Scott, | "Florida Gov.-elect Rick Scott touted himself as a businessman during his 2010 campaign. Now he says that steps he took at his former health care company caused national health care inflation to drop dramatically. In a written copy of his speech to the Florida Council of 100 Governors on Nov. 18, 2010, a couple weeks a... |
26019 | Video of man using an air-quality monitor proves that people are “not getting enough oxygen” while wearing masks | This claim has been repeated and debated by professionals for the past three months. Air-quality monitors take 10 seconds on average to adjust to the air quality in an environment, so they are not ideal for measuring the oxygen concentration in a mask where the air being inhaled and exhaled is changing constantly. Whil... | false | Public Health, Facebook Fact-checks, Coronavirus, Facebook posts, | "A two-and-a-half minute video shared thousands of times on social media warns viewers that the protective face masks recommended to stop the spread of coronavirus are not safe for work. The man in the video uses an air-quality monitor to measure the oxygen saturation under his mask before determining that wearing a ma... |
32289 | A woman who appeared in New York after Hillary Clinton left a 9/11 memorial service for medical reasons was body double Teresa Barnwell, not Clinton herself. | It also doesn’t require a denial from Teresa Barnwell to determine she was not the woman depicted in the 11 September 2016 footage of Clinton following her early exit from a 9/11 memorial event. Whether Clinton looked the same in the two photosets is a subjective assessment, but video and photographs of the subsequent ... | false | Fauxtography, clinton health, hillary's body double, politics | On 11 September 2016, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made headlines for appearing unsteady on her feet before abruptly leaving a 9/11 memorial event (a phenomenon later attributed to pneumonia). Two hours later, Clinton appeared outside daughter Chelsea Clinton’s apartment, sparking rumors (along wit... |
3975 | Horse racing canceled in Britain over flu outbreak. | Horse racing has been canceled in Britain on Thursday due to an equine flu outbreak. | true | Health, Sports - Europe, Horse racing, Flu, Animal health | The British Horseracing Authority said it was informed Wednesday night by the Animal Health Trust of three confirmed flu cases from vaccinated horses in an active racing yard. They raced on Wednesday and the BHA says they potentially exposed the flu to a “significant number of horses from yards” in Britain and Ireland.... |
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