Florida ranks first in the nation for access to free prekindergarten.

Explanation: GlaxoSmithKline said an experimental multiple myeloma treatment has shown a meaningful response in patients that have run out of three previous treatment options, in a boost for the British drugmaker’s cancer drug business.

Children, Education, Florida, Rick Scott,

Two doses of belantamab mafodotin helped subdue the disease in adults who had received three prior treatments for multiple myeloma, a cancer of the white blood cells, GSK said on Friday. The company intends to seek market approval and submit data from the trial to regulatory bodies this year. GSK sold its approved oncology drugs to Novartis in 2014, but has staged a comeback in cancer treatment with a deal to buy U.S. firm Tesaro for $5.1 billion last year and an agreement in February to pay up to 3.7 billion euros ($4.09 billion) to Germany’s Merck KGaA for the rights to a next-generation immunotherapy. “We are on track to file belantamab mafodotin later this year and continue to investigate how it could help even more patients with this disease,” GSK’s Chief Scientific Officer Hal Barron said. The drug targets a protein linked to multiple myeloma known as BCMA. “This is yet another positive signal that GSK’s R&D engine is being turned around and should be well received by the market,” said Liberum analyst Graham Doyle. In another recent win in oncology, GSK’s Zejula - formerly Tesaro’s lead compound - was shown to slow progression of ovarian cancer. GSK shares were up 1% at 0923 GMT versus a 0.4% gain in the STOXX Europe 600 Health Care index. Details of the belantamab mafodotin trial, which tracked how patients fared over time and did not feature a comparison group without the novel treatment, would be presented at an as yet undisclosed medical conference, the company added. The interim result gives further credence to a class of molecules known as antibody drug conjugates (ADC) that belantamab mafodotin belongs to. The concept further builds on the established method of using antibodies that block or bind to foreign substances in the body. ADC, in turn, are antibodies with a cell toxin as a molecular add-on. That allows chemotherapeutic agents, which are harmful to all human cells, to be brought to cancer cells at much higher doses than in conventional chemotherapy. AstraZeneca agreed in March agreed to pay up to $6.9 billion to work with Daiichi Sankyo on an ADC against breast cancer, in a challenge to another ADC called Kadcyla, made by Roche. Multiple myeloma is the second most common form of blood cancer. While it can be treated, there is no available cure, GSK said. The condition is expected to claim the lives of 13,000 people in the U.S. in 2019, according to the American Cancer Society. The BCMA protein that is characteristic of multiple myeloma is also being used as a target in cell therapies developed by Johnson & Johnson, bluebird bio Inc, Celgene Corp.


Searching for any three-digit number followed by "new cases" on Google provides evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic was manufactured.

Explanation: Herein lies an even bigger hole in the conspiracy theory. Out of the dozens of social media posts we encountered from people spreading this rumor, we have not seen anyone correctly claim that the search results provided by Google were inaccurate. Our own searches resulted in genuine news articles from national and local media that cited credible sources.

In July 2020, a rumor started to circulate online that typing any three-digit number followed by the words “new cases” into Google would return news articles or other reports about COVID-19 in search results. This, according to proponents of this claim, showed that the coronavirus pandemic was nothing more than a conspiracy theory. In all honesty, we had trouble following the logic of this false rumor. Those spreading these “mind blowing” search results also appeared a little unsure of what it meant. Most of the posts we encountered did not lay out any specific claims or accusations. Rather, these messages contained vague statements about how the world was being “played.” As best we can tell, the idea is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (or, possibly, some shadowy group of elites, George Soros, or another frequently invoked boogeyman) were gaming search results in order to inundate the population with coronavirus content and convince everyone that this “hoax” was in fact a real problem. There are, of course, a number of problems with this theory. We have not typed each of the 900 three-digit numbers (100-999) into Google followed by “new cases,” but we did perform a few dozen searches in this manner and in every instance we did get results related to rising COVID-19 cases. For some numbers (typically on the higher range of the three-digit set), Google had to dig back weeks or months in order to find news articles related to the specific search term. Not really. Although some may see (or claim to see) these search results as “mind blowing,” this actually isn’t all that unusual considering the duration (approximately 8 months, as of this writing) and widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consider this: The first case of COVID-19 in the United States was reported in January 2020. Since then, the disease has spread to all 50 states. In the approximately 200 days between the early COVID-19 cases and this writing, state, local, territorial, academic, and commercial entities have reported case numbers to the CDC. Many cities have also held daily press briefings. In addition to multiple entities recording and reporting on these numbers, there have also been national and local news outlets publishing articles on a daily basis about this data. Let’s take a look at the math. If each of the 50 states issued daily reports about COVID-19 cases for 200 days, that would mean 10,000 reports could contain a three-digit number of COVID-19 cases. There are approximately 19,500 municipal governments in the United States. If every one of those governments reported a daily rise in cases over this 200 days, that’s an additional 3,900,000 reports that could contain a three-digit number of COVID-19 cases. If you factor in local and national newspapers and websites (we’ll use 13,000, the number of daily newspapers in circulation in 2014; the actual number is likely much higher due to an unknown number of online news websites), that’s an additional 2,600,000 reports about COVID-19. Even if you reduced the number of possible days from 200 to 120 (lockdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020), that’s still millions of daily reports that could possibly show a three-digit rise in case numbers. It should also be noted that Google can return search results from international organizations, cities, and news outlets. In other words, there are millions of articles and reports that Google can comb through in order to find a result for each of the 900 possible three-digit numbers.


Cervical cancer in Africa is "fully preventable with basic education, screening and vaccines.

Global News Service, Health Care, Foreign Policy, Public Health, Joe Biden,

Vice President Joe Biden has called for a "moonshot" to cure cancer. The disease took his son in 2015, and now it has become his mission to eliminate some cancers and turn the rest into treatable, chronic diseases. Biden took his campaign to the Vatican where he said that "nearly 50 percent of cancers are preventable." "Take cervical cancer --  530,000 new cases are diagnosed each year," Biden said. "270,000 people die each year; 87 percent in developing countries. In Africa, it’s the second-most common cancer after breast cancer. It’s a travesty. But it’s fully preventable with basic education, screening, and vaccines." Biden’s comment about cervical cancer in Africa caught our attention. Is cervical cancer fully preventable with the right interventions? A fact-sheet on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website tells us that Biden is almost but not quite right. "Every year in the U.S., more than 12,000 women get cervical cancer, and 4,000 die from it. 93 percent of cervical cancer deaths could be prevented through screening and HPV vaccination." Now, that is for the United States with a system of doctors, clinics and hospitals that far surpasses anything found in any African nation. If it’s not fully preventable here, it’s difficult to see why the results in Africa would be better. Beth Meyerson, a researcher at the School of Public Health at Indiana University is in the middle of a study on cervical cancer strategies in Africa. Meyerson told us "Sub-Saharan Africa would not be able to achieve 100 percent prevention." Meghan Dubyak, a Biden spokeswoman, said the vice president was trying to make a slightly different point. "The vice president was referring to the travesty of cervical cancer being preventable," Dubyak said. To be sure, cervical cancer is highly preventable. The journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, says "cervical cancer is a relatively rare disease in countries that have instituted and maintained national screening programs." In this light, Biden’s statement draws attention to Africa’s unfortunate distinction. As this World Health Organization map shows, it is a hotspot worldwide for cervical cancer. In every dark blue country, the rate of new cases is over 30.2 per 100,000 women per year. By comparison, the rate in the United States is about 8.1 per 100,000 women per year. Of the 20 nations with the highest incidence of cervical cancer, 16 are in Sub-Saharan Africa. (Some researchers note there are vast gaps in this cancer data and say the true prevalence "remains largely unknown.") A 2015 report from the Sub-Saharan African Cervical Cancer Working Group, a body of physicians, epidemiologists and cancer researchers, described the key reasons behind the reach of the disease. Screening is sorely lacking. The group found a "lack of widespread services, delays in receiving results, lack of the high-quality laboratories needed for cytology based screening and absence of adequate centres for the evaluation and treatment of identified patients." Dealing with cervical cancer exposes the many cracks in the health care systems across the region. Richard Wamai, assistant professor of public health at Northeastern University, said the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa are ill equipped for this challenge. "Detection will require expanding the health service system, which requires investments in infrastructure," Wamai said. "That calls for prioritization which is difficult to do because of competing health demands. Cancer in general is, to me, the most worrying of all other diseases for the continent. There is very little preparation and in many cases policy makers are not yet awoken to this impending tsunami." Public health experts also say vaccination programs are essential. Some strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) can lead to cervical cancer and some of those strains can be blocked by vaccines. But just as Sub-Saharan countries lack the infrastructure for screening, they also lack a system for vaccinating young women. Speaking at a January 2016 event in Washington, Deborah Birx, U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, gave a bleak summary of the status of health care in Sub-Saharan Africa. "There is no systematic health care for girls between the time they turn 5 and the time they get pregnant," Birx said. That age range would be key for any vaccination program. On top of that core challenge, Meyerson said the price tag for vaccines puts them out of reach. "Many African countries find that the HPV vaccination cost is too high to have broad coverage," Meyerson said. Our ruling Biden said cervical cancer in Africa is "fully preventable with basic education, screening, and vaccines." The experience of the developed countries shows that nearly all deaths from cervical cancer could be eliminated with widespread screening and vaccination programs. Neither currently exist in Africa, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. We rate the claim .


Michael Alonzo Thompson was imprisoned for decades for selling marijuana, while Joseph Robert Meili got five years' probation for kidnapping and raping an 11-year-old girl.

Explanation: What's true: Thompson was jailed for decades in relation to an incident in which he sold 3 pounds of marijuana. Meili was given five years' probation for an incident in which an 11-year-old girl claimed he engaged in sexual intercourse with her (statutory rape) and in which he admitted to molesting her. Though not definitive, further evidence exists that could reasonably lead an observer to conclude that he committed statutory rape. What's false: Thompson's sentence was not based on his sale of marijuana but on the basis of a weapons charge, and his jail term was multiplied because he was already a thrice-convicted felon. Meili was not convicted of kidnapping the girl, and police statements suggest she voluntarily left her family home with him. Neither was Meili convicted of raping the girl.

Disparities in prison sentences are a frequent subject of online memes and social media content, especially when one or both of the cases highlighted is regarded by some as a miscarriage of justice, or when racial basis is presented as an explanation for a relatively heavy punishment being imposed on an individual from a racial or ethnic minority group. We have examined such memes on several occasions in the past. In September 2019, we received multiple inquiries about two more cases: that of Michigan resident Michael Alonzo Thompson, who is African American, and that of Missouri resident Joseph Robert Meili, who is white. On Aug. 4, the Facebook page First People’s Inter-Indigenous Network of the Americas posted a meme that showed Thompson’s face on the left, along with the following text: “This man sold three pounds of weed in 1994 in Michigan, a state where it is now legal. He’s still in prison to this day.” Under Meili’s face, on the right, the text stated: “This man kidnapped and raped an 11-year-old girl in Missouri. He was sentenced to probation.”    The meme was originally posted in June 2019 by the left-leaning Facebook page The Other 98%. On the whole, it comprised a mixture of accurate and misleading claims. The case of “Meeko” Thompson formed one half of a similar meme published previously by The Other 98%. An in-depth examination of his offenses and punishment can be found in our May 2019 fact check of that meme, but the following is a brief outline of the facts. In 1996, Genesee District Court in Michigan sentenced the then-45-year-old to a combined total of between 40 and 60 years in prison. As of September 2019, Michigan Department of Corrections records show that Thompson was still incarcerated at Muskegon Correctional Facility, meaning The Other 98% meme was accurate in claiming “He is still in prison to this day.” Thompson was convicted of five charges: possession with intent to deliver marijuana; conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver marijuana; delivery of marijuana; possession of a weapon by a convicted felon; and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony. The Other 98% meme was therefore misleading in its description of Thompson’s offenses, saying only that he had “sold three pounds of weed,” and leaving out the fact that he had also been convicted on weapons charges. In fact, the relatively heavy prison sentence he received (the reason why he is “still in prison to this day”) was not related to the three drug charges. For those offenses, Thompson was given a 15-year sentence, and he would have been released in 2011 if he had not also been convicted on weapons charges. In fact, the statutory maximum penalty for those drug charges was four years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000. Thompson’s sentence was increased to 15 years because he had already been convicted of three drug-related felonies dating back to the 1980s and therefore was charged under Michigan’s “habitual offender” law. Similarly, his sentence for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon was increased, under the habitual offender law, from five years in prison to between 40 and 60 years in prison, and it is that conviction and sentence alone that accounts for Thompson’s continued incarceration as of 2019. The two weapons-possession charges were rather controversial. Thompson never had a firearm on his person while he sold three pounds of marijuana to a police informant in 1994, and did not use or reach for a weapon at any time. Rather, he was convicted on the principle of “constructive possession.” In arresting Thompson, police found several firearms at his home, all of which Thompson’s wife claimed to own. Despite this, the logic of constructive possession meant that, while the police informant was handing him $4,200 in cash for the marijuana, Thompson knew the whereabouts of the firearms and, in principle, he had them at his disposal. In the view of prosecutors and the court, this amounted to constructive possession, and Thompson could therefore be charged and convicted of possession by a felon and possession while committing a felony (the drug deal). Under Michigan law, Thompson’s status as an habitual offender meant the district court had lawful discretion to impose the 40- to 60-year sentence it ultimately imposed. In March 2019, 22-year-old Meili pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree child molestation, which in Missouri, typically carries a potential penalty of up to seven years in prison. Three months later, Greene County Circuit Court judge Calvin Holden sentenced him to serve five years on probation for his crime. So The Other 98% meme was accurate in stating “he was sentenced to probation.” Meili was originally charged with two additional offenses: first-degree statutory rape (which carries a potential penalty of between 10 years and life in prison) and child kidnapping (which also carries a potential penalty of between 10 years and life in prison). However, those charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement. Therefore, it cannot be stated unambiguously that Meili “kidnapped” an 11-year-old girl, as The Other 98% meme claims, because he was not convicted of that particular crime. Furthermore, according to police statements, the girl later told them she had agreed in advance to be picked up from her home by Meili. Notwithstanding her relative immaturity and limited decision-making capacity, the girl does appear to have entered the car voluntarily, in the expectation Meili would drive them away from her family home. The following facts of the case are taken from Greene County Circuit Court records. They include descriptions of child sexual abuse and alleged statutory rape and might be upsetting to some readers. Although the evidence against Meili was never tested in a trial, because he pleaded guilty in return for two other charges being dropped, the following is how police officers in Springfield, Missouri, outlined their account of the events that led to Meili’s arrest, taken from a felony probable-cause statement filed in September 2017:  On July 16, 2017, an 11-year-old girl was reported missing from her home in Republic, Missouri. She returned home at 9 p.m. that night and later told police she had been picked up from her house by then 21-year-old Meili, who took her to an apartment in nearby Springfield. During an interview, the girl told police she had begun chatting with Meili in the early hours of July 16, on an app called “Meet Me,” using her mother’s cellphone. According to police, the girl told them that, in her “Meet Me” profile, she had listed her age as 18 years old, and not her true age of 11. She gave Meili her family’s address and he picked her up by car several hours later. According to the probable-cause statement, the girl’s description of her text conversation with Meili was consistent with messages found on her mother’s cellphone. The girl told police she fell asleep at the apartment in Springfield and later awoke with “a feeling something sexual had happened.” Meili did not live in the apartment in question but had access to it because he had agreed to dogsit for his friend, who lived there. The girl spoke to police again in August 2017 and provided further details about her encounter with Meili at the Springfield apartment the previous month. She told them Meili had removed her clothes and inserted his fingers and penis into her vagina. According to police, semen was found on her underwear. The girl tested positive for the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia in August, having tested negative the day after her meeting with Meili in July. Given that chlamydia is estimated to take at least seven days to incubate, police came to the conclusion that “it is probable [the girl] contracted chlamydia from [Meili].” Before his arrest, Meili insisted to police that he believed the girl to be 18 years old, as her “Meet Me” profile stated, rather than her true age of 11. Under Missouri law, statutory rape is defined as “sexual intercourse with another person who is less than fourteen years of age.” According to police, the girl told them that Meili had “put a condom on his penis” and then “put his fingers and penis inside her vagina.” Police later found a condom wrapper in the trash at Meili’s friend’s apartment, which the girl insisted she had no knowledge of. If true, the act of intercourse the girl alleged would undoubtedly constitute statutory rape on Meili’s part, and The Other 98% meme would be justified in claiming that he had “raped” the girl. However, Meili was never convicted of statutory rape. Rather, the offense to which he admitted (third-degree child molestation) was described by prosecutors as follows: “… The defendant subjected [the girl], who was then less than 14 years of age, to sexual contact, by placing his hand on [the girl’s] vagina, for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of any person.” The circumstances surrounding Meili’s plea bargain and his pleading guilty to the lesser charge of child molestation must be weighed against the allegation made by the girl to police (that Meili had indeed inserted his penis and fingers into her vagina), and the fact that the 11-year-old girl tested positive for chlamydia five weeks after the alleged intercourse. Judge Calvin Holden was not obliged to sentence Meil to only five years’ probation. According to the Huffington Post, prosecutors in the case had asked for Meili to be imprisoned for the maximum term of seven years, but Holden imposed probation, instead. Unless Meili breaches any of the terms and conditions of his probation, he will never go to jail as a consequence of his actions. The 40- to 60-year prison sentence imposed on Thompson is undoubtedly one that some observers would view as outrageously, even inhumanely, long. The Michigan Court of Appeals itself described it as “quite severe.” However, The Other 98% meme was misleading to readers because, while it’s true Thompson received that sentence in relation to an incident in which he “sold three pounds of weed,” the 40- to 60-year sentence was not based on that drug offense. Rather, he received that sentence because he was also convicted of “possession of a weapon by a convicted felon,” and his prison term was multiplied because he was already a thrice-convicted felon in the state of Michigan. It is a matter of subjective opinion as to whether those facts justify the sentence imposed upon Thompson, but they are undoubtedly highly relevant facts that the meme markedly failed to mention. Similarly, Holden’s decision to ignore the wishes of prosecutors and suspend Meili’s five-year sentence for molesting an 11-year-old girl, when the maximum sentence available was seven years in prison, would undoubtedly strike some readers as unjustifiable and unjust. However, The Other 98% meme went further and used two specific terms to describe Meili’s actions, alleging that he “kidnapped and raped” the girl. Although Meili was initially charged with kidnapping, that charge was dropped as part of his plea bargain, and notwithstanding her immaturity and young age, the girl does appear to have agreed to meet Meili, and voluntarily left her family home in the car he was driving, according to police statements. While it cannot be claimed definitively that Meili raped the girl, and a charge of statutory rape was dropped, the meme is on somewhat less shaky factual ground here. Firstly, the girl reportedly told police that Meili had penetrated her vagina with his penis, which would be statutory rape. Secondly, semen was found on the girl’s underwear just one day after her meeting with Meili. Thirdly, the 11-year-old girl tested positive for chlamydia, five weeks after the meeting with Meili, during which she alleged he had sexually penetrated her, and during which he later admitted to having molested her. While those facts do not amount to definitive proof, and it must be emphasized again that Meili was never convicted of statutory rape, it is understandable that some observers, including those who created The Other 98% meme, might come to the conclusion that he had, in fact, raped her. On the whole, the meme was comprised of a mixture of accurate and misleading claims.


Poll shows a partisan split over virus-era religious freedom.

Explanation: As the nation’s houses of worship weigh how and when to resume in-person gatherings while coronavirus stay-at-home orders ease in some areas, a new poll points to a partisan divide over whether restricting those services violates religious freedom.

AP Top News, Health, General News, Politics, Lifestyle, Virus Outbreak, Public health, Donald Trump

Questions about whether states and localities could restrict religious gatherings to protect public health during the pandemic while permitting other secular activities have swirled for weeks and resulted in more than a dozen legal challenges that touch on freedom to worship. President Donald Trump’s administration has sided with two churches contesting their areas’ pandemic-related limits on in-person and drive-in services — a stance that appeals to his conservative base, according to the new poll by The University of Chicago Divinity School and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say prohibiting in-person services during the coronavirus outbreak violates religious freedom, 49% to 21%. A majority of Democrats, 58%, say they think in-person religious services should not be allowed at all during the pandemic, compared with 34% of Republicans who say the same. Among Republicans, most of the remainder — 48% — think they should be allowed with restrictions, while 15% think they should be allowed without restrictions. Just 5% of Democrats favor unrestricted in-person worship, and 38% think it should be permitted with restrictions. Caught between the poles of the debate are Americans like Stanley Maslowski, 83, a retired Catholic priest in St. Paul, Minn., and an independent who voted for Trump in 2016 but is undecided this year. Maslowski was of two minds about a court challenge by Kentucky churches that successfully exempted in-person religious services from the temporary gathering ban issued by that state’s Democratic governor. “On the one hand, I think it restricts religious freedom,” Maslowski said of the Kentucky ban. “On the other hand, I’m not sure if some of that restriction is warranted because of the severity of the contagious virus. It’s a whole new situation.” The unprecedented circumstance of a highly contagious virus whose spread was traced back, in some regions, to religious gatherings prompted most leaders across faiths to suspend in-person worship during the early weeks of the pandemic. But it wasn’t long before worship restrictions prompted legal skirmishes from Kansas to California, with several high-profile cases championed by conservative legal nonprofits that have allied with the Trump administration’s past elevation of religious liberty. One of those conservative nonprofits, the First Liberty Institute, spearheaded a Tuesday letter asking federal lawmakers to extend liability protections from coronavirus-related negligence lawsuits to religious organizations in their next coronavirus relief legislation. Shielding houses of worship from potential legal liability would “reassure ministries that voluntarily closed that they can reopen in order to resume serving their communities,” the First Liberty-led letter states. Among the hundreds of faith leaders signing the letter were several conservative evangelical Christian supporters of Trump, including Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, and Rabbi Pesach Lerner, the president of the Coalition for Jewish Values. John Inazu, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis who studies the First Amendment, said the letter’s warning of legal peril for religious organizations that reopen their doors amid the virus appeared inflated. But he predicted further legal back-and-forth over whether eased-up gathering limits treat religious gatherings neutrally. “I would think the greater litigation risk is not from private citizens suing churches but from churches suing municipalities whose reopening policies potentially disadvantage churches relative to businesses and other social institutions,” Inazu said by email. “Some of those suits will have merit, and some won’t.” Drive-through or drive-in services have grown in popularity during the virus as ways for houses of worship to continue welcoming the faithful while attempting to keep them at a reasonable social distance. Local limits on those services prompted high-profile legal challenges, including one of the two where the Justice Department weighed in on behalf of churches. The new poll also points to a partisan split on that issue. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans say prohibitions on drive-in services while the outbreak is ongoing are a violation of religious freedom, compared with 30% of Democrats. Republicans are also more likely than Democrats to say that drive-through religious services should be allowed without restriction, 38% to 18%. Most Republicans and Democrats think drive-in services should be restricted, with few thinking they shouldn’t be allowed at all. Daniel Bennett, an associate political science professor at John Brown University, pointed to high support for Trump among white evangelicals — whom the poll showed are also more likely than others to say in-person worship should be allowed during the virus — as a possible driver of Democratic sentiment in the opposite direction. Religious freedom can grow “more partisan when you have these white evangelicals who are such a key part of the Trump administration’s voting bloc,” said Bennett, who wrote a book on conservative Christian legal organizations. “It’s a gut reaction to say, ‘oh, you’re for this -- I have to be against this’.” Bennett pointed to a bigger question that predated, and promises to outlast, the virus: “How do we communicate these issues in terms of religious freedom while not alienating people for partisan reasons?”  ___ Swanson reported from Washington. ___ The AP-NORC poll of 1,002 adults was conducted April 30-May 4 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. ___ Online: AP-NORC Center: http://www.apnorc.org/ ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through the Religion News Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for this content.


College student in Boston diagnosed with measles.

Explanation: Boston public health officials say a Northeastern University student diagnosed with measles may have exposed others to the disease around campus, at nearby businesses and at Logan International Airport.

Health, Measles, General News, Business, Boston, Public health

The Boston Public Health Commission says the student was diagnosed Wednesday. The student, whose name was not released but who lives in the city, may have exposed others between Jan. 3 and Jan. 6 at several locations on campus, including dormitories, dining halls and classrooms. The student was at the airport’s Terminal E on Jan. 3 from about 9 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. The student during that period also visited restaurants, retail stores, a pharmacy and other businesses near campus. It could take someone potentially exposed to measles up to 21 days to become ill. The commission urges anyone who thinks they may have been exposed and unsure about their immunization status to consult with a health care provider. The last time a city resident was diagnosed with measles was October, and that was the first case since 2013.


Medical school get $3.7M to address geriatric care shortage.

Explanation: The University of Nebraska Medical Center has received a five-year, $3.7 million grant to address the looming shortage of doctors who specialize in the care of older adults.

General News, Medical schools, Nebraska, Education

The U.S. Health Resources Services Administration estimates a need for 33,200 geriatricians in the U.S. by 2025 — around 27,000 more than the current projected supply of around 6,200. The medical school says a way solve the problem is to expand the access of primary care professionals to resources that aid them in treating the older adults’ complex health issues. The grant will provide education to teams including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, mental health professionals and social workers. The idea: care for patients as a team when they’re sick but also keep them well.


Four times as many black people are being detained as white people. If you're black, you're about four times as likely to be detained than if you're white. Overall, more white people are detained, since they make up a larger portion of the population. The number of people detained under the Mental Health Act has increased by 47% in ten years. Correct in England between 2005/06 and 2015/16. Claim 1 of 3


A photograph shows three anti-lockdown protesters hanging on crosses alongside a McDonald's in order to protest COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.

Explanation: ‘McDonald’s Crucifixion’ Image Repurposed as Purportedly ‘Protesting Stay at Home Orders’

In late May 2020, a photograph of three purported protesters of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders circulated which purported to show three men “crucified” outside a McDonald’s. A since-deleted Facebook post originally stated:I have no words …..this is disrespectful as hell *clarification*They are protesting staying inside orders, feel like they’re being martyred 😒Another iteration of the claim (archived here) was visible on May 26 2020, and it was originally posted on May 10 2020:Legit picture of actual protestors. Where do I even begin? The lack of nails through the wrists shows no real dedication and is disheartening. Do we get to stab them with spears? Are they singing “Always look on the bright side of life” while they stand on their platforms? Who brings a grill to McDonald’s? When did hamberders and haircuts equal crucifixion? Why are they off their meds? What part of the South is this?Although the post did not mention COVID-19 lockdowns directly, it was evident that the poster referenced protests to lift social distancing restrictions throughout May 2020. Other variations of the image and claim were also shared to Twitter on May 10 and 11 2020 (via Know Your Meme):these corona protesters are getting nutty with it pic.twitter.com/0ToiI7ds7c— einstürzende neubolton🇮🇹👑 (@AmbJohnBoIton) May 10, 2020I want McDonalds to open again too but crucifixion is a step too far.Even for a delicious Big Mac with strawberry milkshake.#COVID pic.twitter.com/1KvP5vy4uq— Dr. Mike Rosser (@EmergMedDr) May 11, 2020In the first image above, the poster retweeted a tweet suggesting that the image depicted “three corona protesters getting nutty with it,” and a second person wrote:I want McDonalds to open again too but crucifixion is a step too far.Even for a delicious Big Mac with strawberry milkshake #COVIDHowever, as Know Your Meme explained, the image existed well before SARS-CoV-2 did, and therefore had nothing to do with stay-at-home orders or ensuing protests:On April 5th, 2018, Tumblr user x7s018y3fhigoxg posted the earliest version of the image.Iterations of the claim the McDonald’s crucifixion image was a COVID-19 anti-lockdown protest continued circulating on Facebook and Twitter, but the image was mislabeled and misleadingly presented. The photograph was first shared in April 2018, nearly two years before COVID-19 was deemed a pandemic by the World Health Organization.Comments


In   an effort preserve the mainstream chronology of human evolution, the   Smithsonian destroyed skeletal remains of giant humans found across the   U.S.

Explanation: Smithsonian Admits Destroying Giant Human Skeletons

This story is a hoax based on theories about giant skeletons that have   persisted for hundreds of years. A  fake news report by the World News Daily Report claimed that   recently-released documents dating back to the early 1900s proved that   the Smithsonian had destroyed tens of thousands of giant human skeletons   in a “major historical cover up.”  The article claimed that the remains   were destroyed because “mainstream archeology can not admit to” their   existence. Despite the website’s  disclosure that its content is intended for “entertainment   purposes,” the story was quickly shared more than 60,000 times on   Facebook. The website publishes satirical articles and accompanying   photos in a way that makes them appear real. But readers who were duped by the story shouldn’t feel bad. A number of  websites and groups have formed around the theory that the   skeletal remains of giants have been found around the U.S. since the   early 1800s. The History Channel has even featured the show, “Search   for the Lost Giants,” on the subject. A speech delivered by Abe Lincoln during a visit to Niagara Falls in   1848 is often used to lend credibility to the giant skeleton theory. Speaking about the unique appeal of the Niagara Falls, Lincoln said:  “But still   	there is more. It calls up the indefinite past. When Columbus first   	sought this continent — when Christ suffered on the cross — when   	Moses led Israel through the Red-Sea — nay, even when Adam first   	came from the hand of his Maker — then as now, Niagara was roaring   	here. The eyes of that species of extinct giants, whose bones fill   	the mounds of America, have gazed on Niagara, as ours do.”  Lincoln appeared to embrace the idea that ancient giants had once walked the  United States. The view wasn’t all that uncommon among influential figures of  the time, either. The book “The  Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee,” written by attorney and  historian John Haywood in 1823, attempted to prove that native tribes of  Tennessee were descendants of giant ancient Hebrews. In his book, Haywood writes:  “In White County, a conical mound was lately opened, and in the centre of it was  found a skeleton eight feet in length … With this skeleton was found another  nearly of the same size, with the top of his head flat, and his eyes placed  apparently in the upper part of his forehead. The descendants of these giants, both in the old and new world, agree with each  other in bulk, as their ancestors did with each other, which proves a uniform  cause operating equally both in the old and new world. The decrease in bulk  seems to have kept pace everywhere with the increase of warm temperature, and  with the abbreviation of longevity. The giants of Hebron and Gath, and those of  Laconia and Italy, whose large skeletons to this day attest that there they  formerly dwelt, compared with those now found in West Tennessee, demonstrate  that a change of climate, or of some other cause, has worked a remarkable change  in the human system.”  Haywood was an influential and respected figure, which lends credibility to his  work. At the time of the book’s publication, Haywood  was a justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court, and a county in  Tennessee was named after him the same year it was published. However, Haywood’s  work was later  criticized for inaccuracies. It’s believed that Haywood interviewed  early pioneers and recounted undependable second-hand accounts of their  discoveries in his books. So, while conspiracy theories about the skeletons of giants in the U.S. have  persisted for hundreds of years, nobody has actually found one. And the eRumor’s  claim that the Smithsonian has plotted to keep it that way is false. Comments


Nursing homes with COVID-19 outbreaks named in Wisconsin.

Explanation: The names of 38 nursing homes in Wisconsin where there are active public health investigations due to an outbreak of COVID-19 were released Wednesday by the Department of Health Services.

Wisconsin, Health, Public health, Nursing homes, Virus Outbreak, Archive

Department Secretary Andrea Palm said in a statement that the names were released “in order to provide peace of mind to families who cannot visit or check on their loved ones during these unprecedented times.” Previously, the department only listed how many investigations into nursing homes were ongoing, but did not name any facilities. “As we continue to see cases of COVID-19 in nursing homes, it is important to be transparent and list the locations where they are occurring,” Palm said. Outbreaks at nursing homes have been a particular concern because older people are more susceptible to the virus, which can be easily spread where many people live close to one another. As of Wednesday, there were nearly 11,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin and there had been 421 deaths, the state health department reported. It only takes one case of a resident or staff member testing positive at a nursing home to spur a public health investigation. The department said the list of facilities with ongoing investigations will be updated every Wednesday.


Reverse your diabetes -- and you can stay diabetes-free long-term

Explanation: This release from Newcastle University describes a very small study that sought to control type 2 diabetes in patients through a reduced-calorie diet and a weight-management program. The results showed that 12 of the 30 participants saw a resumption of normal insulin production that continued for six months, supporting the release’s claim of “reversing” the disease. But what about the other 18 patients? A study this small can hardly suggest its finding are applicable to all type 2 diabetes patients which, in effect, it does. And benefits observed after only 6 months may not be maintained over the longer term. The release also omitted discussion of harms and alternatives, and didn’t give us a good picture of how the study was conducted. Rates of Type 2 diabetes have increased markedly in parallel with rates of obesity, especially in developed countries. It has long been recognized that diet, weight loss and exercise can improve the control of diabetes. Large studies investigating the impact of weight loss surgery have demonstrated that blood sugar results can return to normal after significant weight loss. It has also been shown that individuals who regain weight after surgery can then have blood sugars go up again and need to resume medications for diabetes. Patients and their families may excitedly assume that the approach described in this release is right for them and alter their normal regimen in the treatment of their disease. But adhering to the diet discussed in this release will be very difficult for most people and is not without risks. And despite the release’s suggestion of universal benefit, a “reversal” of diabetes did not occur in the majority of patients. Patients should understand that context when weighing whether to embark on such a diet.

Academic medical center news release,diabetes,University news release,Weight loss

The release makes no mention of cost and while the diet changes, including diet shakes and vegetables, may not exceed the cost of a regular diet, the individualized weight management program for a half-year could represent additional costs for people not in the study, something of which readers should be reminded. The headline on this release, along with the lede, states that diabetes can be reversed while the data provided only suggest that 12 of the 30 participants experienced a return of normal insulin production levels following adoption of a very low calorie diet. Given that this was such a small study, we fault the release for suggesting the results can be extrapolated to the universe of Type 2 diabetes patients. In cases like this, where the number of patients with diabetes is so large, semantics are important. At best, the release suggests that in this small study, only 40 percent of the participants experienced a remission in their disease for a period 6 months — which is not very long considering that most patients who lose weight will eventually regain it over the course of several years. Suggesting that the disease can be “reversed,” without qualifying that the result applies to a limited number of patients, is an exaggeration and far too great a conclusion for this study. There is no mention of any harms that might arise from this approach. There are risks that come with very low calorie dieting — which was done for 8 weeks according to the release. Potential harms of extreme dieting should have been mentioned including whether there were any health issues in the 30 patients over the six months study period. The most common side effect of very low calorie dieting is gallstones, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Minor, short-lasting side effects include fatigue, constipation, nausea and diarrhea. The Institute recommends that patients following a very low calorie diet that results in rapid weight loss should be monitored by a doctor. The study the release is based on is indeed intriguing and certainly supports the idea of a better, larger research effort to test whether its findings are confirmed. But the verbiage used to describe the study’s outcome far exceeds what should be garnered from this research. The release doesn’t paint a full picture of what happened in the study. For example, there is no explanation about the 18 patients in the study whose insulin production did not return to normal, something a thoughtful reader of the release might quickly wonder about. Throughout the release there is mention that the weight loss worked by removing fat from the pancreas, leading to improved release of insulin. One of our reviewers on this release, a clinician and associate professor at Harvard Medical school, thought that this should have been recognized as a hypothesis that is not well supported by a large body of literature. It is not that the pancreas is not producing insulin in Type 2 diabetes, rather it is not producing enough and the insulin being produced is being blocked, especially by the fat cells throughout the body. Losing weight decreases the amount of fat and improves insulin resistance — leading to improved sugars. The hypothesis proposed in this release also is inconsistent with a growing body of genetic studies pointing to the underlying mechanisms that are associated with the development of Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is currently believed to be associated with a number of different genetic mechanisms, implying that the one mechanism implied in this release, even if true, may apply to only a fraction of patients with Type 2 diabetes. The release doesn’t engage in disease mongering, but neither does it give us much context about Type 2 diabetes incidence. Because the release included a very important caveat about obesity and diabetes prevalence, we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. “Individuals vary in how much weight they can carry without it seeming to affect their metabolism – don’t forget that 70% of severely obese people do not have diabetes,” according to the release. The release does identify multiple funding sources and there is no suggestion of any conflict of interest. There are alternatives to this diet that have been shown to correct blood sugar results in large studies — specifically weight loss surgery. This should have been mentioned. Given that the approach of this study focuses on specific foods as key to maintaining weight, and that these foods are commonplace, one assumes that they are readily available in the marketplace. The study addresses novelty through this statement: “The research is part of a growing body of evidence showing that people with Type 2 diabetes who successfully lose weight can reverse their condition because fat is removed from their pancreas, returning insulin production to normal.” We think that’s not quite appropriate positioning of the results. While it’s true that there is considerable evidence from studies of weight loss surgery that diabetes values can be normalized with significant weight loss, this release is also suggesting that it has proven that all diabetes patients can reverse the disease through diet alterations, and that the benefits are due to a reduction in fat in the pancreas. These claims go too far based on the small study size and a demonstrated 40 percent success rate. We’re rating this category unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. First, the blatant claim that diabetes can be “reversed” rather than pushed into remission for 6 months based on results from 12 participants who represent less than half of those tested. Second, the lead investigator is first described as “world-renowned” while readers would be hard-pressed to recognize his name. The description of the funders touts its “world-class expertise,” a descriptor which, while it might be correct, offers readers little to help them understand this study.


The murder rate in Atlanta is on the rise this year.

Georgia, Crime, Public Safety, Atlanta neighborhood association,

Crime is always the sort of news that attracts headlines. Now it’s also generating posts in online forums, where one neighborhood association alerted Atlanta residents that the city’s murder rate was spiking and had even reached a 50 percent increase from a year ago. PolitiFact Georgia couldn’t resist when an alert reader asked us to check it out. After all, the number of murders in several big cities is on the rise nationwide, after years of decline. That includes cities with populations close to those of Atlanta’s roughly 450,000 residents. For instance, through the first half of the year, Milwaukee (population 600,000) has seen a 105 percent surge in its homicide rate and the rate is up by 33 percent or more in Baltimore (about 620,000 residents) and St. Louis (about 320,000) And in Atlanta? According to the Atlanta Police Department website, the rate was up 16 percent in the first half of the year. Through July 11, the most recent date available, there have been 52 murders in the city. During the same time last year, there were 42 murders – a 24 percent increase. So while the increase is not as dramatic as suggested in the neighborhood forum or compared to similar cities, the rate is up. But the rates fluctuate wildly per week, which is how the police department reports all crimes. So it did appear that Atlanta had a serious surge of murders for the week ending May 23, or the 21st week of the year. Then, the homicide rate was up 54 percent at the time (40 murders at that point this year versus 26 last year). Then again, the city went without any murders for three weeks this year, between March 15 and April 2. And that spike in Week 21 was followed by no homicides in Week 22, the data show. In fact, the city had no murders at again for another multi-day run, between June 10 and June 20. "These numbers are very fluid," said Atlanta Police Capt. Michael O’Connor, who serves as the department Homicide Commander. So while brass are concerned that the rate is up and in theory on pace to be above 100 annual murders for the first time in years, "it’s very difficult to trend to know where you are going to finish the year." Criminologists support that analysis – and lack of analysis that can be done. To some extent, after years of declining murder rates, an increase can be little more than a statistical blip to get closer to a median. But without minimizing the loss of 52 lives, there isn’t much statistical analysis that can be done with such a relatively low number, said Dennis Jay Kenney, a professor of criminology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. For instance, only two women have been reported murder victims in Atlanta this year. While that may suggest the city has a better handle on domestic violence murders, a single such death could skew the data to suggest the exact opposite. "You don’t want to jump to a lot of conclusions," Kenney said. "If homicides are up, you are not necessarily at greater risk because we don’t randomly select our murder victims." That is, there are some people more at risk to be victims than others. Broadly speaking, that tends to be young men, especially men of color. Atlanta Police have just begun sifting through its first-half data to compare victims, perpetrators and scenarios to see just where the greatest risks lie, O’Connor said. Police do that constantly, targeting for instance a specific neighborhood or specific gang that may be making trouble. Putting a larger number of victims and suspect pool up for comparison should help analysts see if anything stands out that will help insert police sooner into the equation – and hopefully prevent some deaths, O’Connor said. It also will provide Atlanta Police Chief George Turner with some information to share with his counterparts at the Major Cities Chiefs Association on Gun Violence Summit, being held in Washington, D.C. next month. Such events are often heavy on anecdotes, Kenney said, but can provide the start of understanding crime trends. "When you can see a general increase virtually everywhere, that suggests crime is up but doesn’t tell you anything about why or what to do about it," he said. "Still, the police have to anticipate what they can so they can refocus their energies, and they seem to be doing that." Our ruling A neighborhood association alerted Atlanta residents that the city’s homicide rate is up for the year and has even reached a 50 percent increase. At one point, the murder rate did spike that high, though with weekly fluctuations, the year-to-date rate is up about a quarter from this time last year. That puts Atlanta in line with other cities seeing an increase in their murder rates. There is little conclusion on what might be driving the rate, or even if different cities share the same causes. But a 24 percent increase is cause for notice. We rate the claim .


Deadly eruption hits New Zealand volcano tourist town hard.

Explanation: Helicopter pilot Mark Law did not hesitate to fly out to New Zealand’s White Island volcano immediately after it erupted to carry survivors to hospital, but after a harrowing week he knows his town’s adventure tourism industry faces an uncertain future.

As the search continues for the final two missing bodies from Monday’s deadly eruption, Law knows it will be challenging for his business, Kahu Helicopters. Some of his seven staff, including three pilots, could lose their jobs. “We’re going to be greatly affected, we’re anticipating probably damn near shutting the doors. It’s going to be devastating, we’ve been operating that part of our business for years,” he said. Law is not alone worrying about his future in Whakatane, a picturesque town of 35,000 of the shore of the Bay of Plenty that is the main access point to the volcanic island. Anne Tolley, the local member of parliament, said the town was shattered by the disaster and its thoughts were with the victims, but hoped that tours would one day restart. “It is iconic and it is certainly is the centerpiece of the town’s tourism. We also have fantastic beaches and walks and the kiwi, but Whakaari, you will have seen all the signs, we are the gateway to Whakaari,” Tolley told Reuters, using the Māori name for the volcano. Daily tours had taken more than 10,000 visitors every year to privately owned island 50km (30 miles) off the coast. Tours to the island were part of Whakatane’s history, and operators had been gearing up for the peak Christmas holiday season before Monday’s disaster, Tolley said. “It’s very difficult coming at probably the busiest time of year for them. It will be devastating.”  On Monday, the 48-year-old Law had quickly organized three other pilots to fly out to the island, where they picked up 10 badly burned people and flew them back to Whakatane’s hospital. Law and his team tried to fly back to the island to recover the bodies of those they knew had died, but were “tremendously disappointed” to be stopped by police. After initially being sidelined from police operations, by mid-week Law was sharing his knowledge of the volcano’s terrain and environment with the military squad that on Friday retrieved six of the eight bodies left behind. On the weekend, the search continued for the remaining bodies. “At the end of the day people on the ground generally know and it is important… to weave into the plan the effort of the local people,” Law told Reuters. Shock had ripped through Whakatane at the eruption, with the local hospital overwhelmed as dozens of seriously injured people were delivered from the island. Whakatane’s tourism sector had been growing strongly with the unique marine volcano at its heart, but with the prospect that people may be reluctant to visit the island even if it is reopened, immediate prospects will be challenging. As the recovery mission on Friday played out, Boz Te Moana, 24, and Michael Mika, 28, waited to support their community gathered in the indigenous Māori marae, or meeting ground. The two, who had traveled from their homes further up the Whakatane River, hoped in time tours to the waters around the island would be allowed again but tourists should not step foot on it again, out of respect for the dead, they said. “I don’t know if the mamae or the hurt will ever change, but the environment, it’s up to the town itself to move forward from here in the most positive way,” said Te Moana, using the Māori word for pain.


Beta-Propiolactone is in vaccines and is known to cause cancer, suspected gastrointestinal, liver, nerve and respiratory, skin and sense organ poison. It may be present in trace amounts of some vaccines. It is potentially carcinogenic, but only in much larger amounts than would be in a vaccine. The antibiotics gentamicin sulfate and polymyxin b are in vaccines and can cause allergic reactions ranging from mild to life-threatening. Traces of these antibiotics can end up in certain vaccines, but would only cause a reaction in someone severely allergic. Genetically modified yeast, animal, bacterial and viral DNA in vaccines can be incorporated into the recipient’s DNA causing unknown genetic mutations. Modified DNA can be used in the production of some vaccines, but is very unlikely to end up in the final product. Even if it did, there’s no evidence it can cause mutations. Glutaraldehyde is in vaccines and is poisonous if ingested and causes birth defects in animals. There are trace amounts in some vaccines from manufacturing, and not enough to cause harm. Formaldehyde is in vaccines and causes cancer in humans among other issues and is banned from vaccines in most European countries. It’s not banned in Europe. There are only trace amounts in certain vaccines and not enough to be carcinogenic. Latex rubber is in vaccines and causes life-threatening allergic reactions. Latex is used in the packaging of some vaccines, which could potentially cause harm if someone’s strongly allergic to it. Human and animal cells from sources like aborted foetuses are in vaccines and are linked to childhood leukaemia and diabetes. They may be used in certain vaccines’ production, but are unlikely to make it to the final product. Mercury (aka thimerosal or thiomersal) is in vaccines and can damage brain, gut, liver, bone marrow, nervous system and kidneys, is linked to autoimmune disorder, autism. Thiomersal isn’t in any UK vaccines any more. This is down to concern around a slightly different mercury-based chemical. MSG is in vaccines and is linked to birth defects, developmental delays, infertility and is banned in Europe. It’s not banned in Europe. It’s used in some vaccines to stabilise them. There’s no strong evidence it causes these problems in humans. Neomycin sulphate, an antibiotic, is in vaccines and can lead to epilepsy, brain damage and allergic reactions. Trace amounts of this antibiotic may end up in certain vaccines. If you are allergic to it could cause an allergic reaction. Phenol / phenoxyethanol is in vaccines and is used as antifreeze. It is toxic to all cells and can destroy the immune system. These chemicals have been used in vaccines as preservatives. They are not in antifreeze. Polysorbate 80 and 20 are in vaccines and cause cancer in animals and are linked to autoimmune issues and infertility. Tiny amounts of Polysorbate 80 is in a type of flu vaccine. There isn’t evidence ingesting it is linked to these issues in humans. Tri(n) butylphosphate is in vaccines and is potentially damaging to the kidneys and the nervous system. We can find no evidence of this being used in vaccines in the UK. Claim 1 of 14


Study Suggests Special MRI Might Help Diagnose Autism

Explanation: If it had spent a little more time quantifying the potential benefits of this screening, and if it had discussed any of the potential harms, it would have earned a higher rating. MRIs are being touted as a breakthrough screening for a range of conditions, with promises that “early intervention” will save lives and eliminate suffering. For this to be true, studies have to be properly designed and have to target the right population of patients. The study in question here does neither well, and the story does a decent job capturing the uncertainty around the study’s findings.

The story deserves high marks for noting the high costs of an MRI. “This test costs no more than a standard MRI, which runs around $1,500, Hirsch noted.” The story starts off with a very vague description of the study’s findings, saying, “The researchers found no differences in the activity in the hearing area of the brain between the two groups. However, in the language comprehension area, there was significantly more activity among typical children than among children with autism, Hirsch’s group noted.” What would be considered significant when comparing one group of 12 to another group of 15? The story does provide a bit more specific information later saying, “To further test this screening approach, another group of 27 autistic children, aged 5 to 17, underwent fMRI and the researchers were able to identify 26 of them as autistic.” We felt this was inadequate and also misleading. As the story goes on to point out, the brain differences that were found may not be exclusive to autism. There’s a chance, in fact, that were the study group much larger that there would have been many other subjects who had the same brain activity but were not otherwise diagnosed as autistic. There are no harms quantified or even mentioned, which is disappointing. The harms from an inaccurate diagnosis of autism or any other disorder can be real and devastating. The story notes the limitations of the study several times and in several ways. For example, it says, “For one, this study was done in school-aged children, many of whom were actually teenagers, so it is impossible to know if these differences in neuroimaging would also be found in younger patients, Adesman pointed out.”  We would have liked more details about the correlation between clinical symptoms and the fMRI findings. The story avoids disease-mongering and takes care to acknowledge that there are different shades of autism along a spectrum. “For one, it is not known whether this technique can identify autism across the entire spectrum of the disorder.” HealthDay continues its laudable tradition of listing the story’s sources at the end of the piece.. We thought the quotes from independent experts were great and provided some strong context. The story does not go into much detail about the alternatives to MRI screening, but it does say that most chlidren are diagnosed by a clinician, not through any biological screening or brain scan. The story makes it clear that using MRIs to diagnose autism is an uNPRoven approach. The author of the study says, “This is not the diagnostic that you can package and send to all community health centers in the United States. This is an announcement that this can be done,” she said. The story could have pointed out that the validity of the testing would be dependent on the expertise of the radiologist, as reading functinal MRI is different from traditional MRI. The story shows that there is still a lot of work to be done before MRIs could be used as a novel screening device for autism. The story does not rely on a news release.


The Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization gives only 20% of their donations to cancer research and pays their CEO $684,000 per year.

Explanation: Online criticism claims the Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization only gives 20% of their donations to cancer research and pays their CEO $684,000 per year.

When Susan Goodman Komen died of breast cancer at the age of 33 in 1980, her younger sister, Nancy Goodman Brinker promised she would do whatever she could to help end that disease. Brinker fulfilled that promise by founding The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (later known as Susan G. Komen for the Cure, then just Susan G. Komen) in 1982, a group that has since become the largest and most well known breast cancer organization in the United States:  Brinker fulfilled a promise to her sister that she would do everything she could to help eradicate the disease — a disease that Brinker also was diagnosed with and successfully fought. “At that time, there was a stigma and shame around breast cancer,” Brinker said. “You didn’t talk about it. There were no 800-numbers, no Internet. Our government didn’t spend much on breast cancer research. There were few major cancer centers with expertise about breast cancer. That’s the world we faced when Suzy was diagnosed. It’s a world I watched her suffer in, and it’s a world she wanted us to change.”  In 2012, Komen founder and CEO Nancy Brinker became the focus of controversy when she announced Komen would be pulling the grants the organization had been providing to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings, then quickly reversed that decision. Several months later Brinker announced she would be stepping down as Komen’s CEO, but the following year she was again the focus of controversy when news outlets reported that not only did she still hold her CEO position, but she had received a hefty raise to boot that brought her annual compensation up to $684,000 per year:  In early 2012, Komen announced it was pulling its grants for breast-cancer screenings from Planned Parenthood, drawing an immediate backlash from Komen supporters and abortion rights advocates. Within days, Nancy Brinker, the group’s founder and CEO, reversed the decision to defund the organization. Then, in August, Brinker announced that she would be stepping down. But 10 months later, Brinker still holds her position and tax documents reveal that she received a 64 percent raise and now makes $684,000 a year, according to the charity’s latest available tax filing. Komen says the raise came in November 2010, prior to last year’s controversy. Ken Berger, president and CEO of Charity Navigator, which evaluates and rates charities, called Brinker’s salary “extremely high.” “This pay package is way outside the norm,” he said. “It’s about a quarter of a million dollars more than what we see for charities of this size. This is more than the head of the Red Cross is making, for an organization that is one-tenth the size of the Red Cross.”  The American Red Cross had revenue of about $3.4 billion, while Komen’s was about $340 million last year. Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern makes $500,000, according to the most recent financial documents available for the charity. Charity Navigator’s last compensation figure for Nancy Brinker was $560,896 per year, which at the time put her below Komen president Elizabeth Thompson’s reported annual compensation of $606,461. In June 2013, Komen finally announced that Brinker would be stepping down as president and CEO of that organization and named Judith A. Salerno, M.D. as her successor. In June 2015, reportedly Brinker resigned from her paid position to assume an unpaid role role as a top volunteer with Komen. Dr. Salerno’s most recently reported compensation (in August 2017) was $479,858, while Nancy Brinker was still listed as a “founder” receiving a salary of $397,093. The reference to Komen’s applying only 20% of donated money to breast cancer research likely comes from a pie chart displayed in the “Use of Funds” section of Wikipedia’s article about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which shows Komen’s 2009-2010 Expenses:  While it may be true (or have recently been true) that breast cancer research comprises only a 21% share of Komen’s program expenses, citing that figure as a criticism of the organization reflects a common misbelief that groups dedicated to addressing particular diseases (e.g., the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the ALS Association) exist solely or primarily to fund and direct research into curing and/or preventing those diseases. This perception is inaccurate: Komen and other groups like it have goals that include delivering a wide array of services to the communities they support beyond the funding of research, such as funding educational awareness and outreach programs, providing screening and diagnostic procedures, and arranging medical treatment and home care for persons currently living with those diseases. A more relevant metric for assessing a charity’s overall financial effectiveness is the percentage of the organization’s budget that is actually spent on all the programs and services the charity delivers, and in this area the Charity Navigator charity evaluation site gives  Komen an 80.3 rating (as well as a 96.0 rating for Accountability & Transparency). Charity Navigator does rank many other breast cancer charities higher than Susan G. Komen for the Cure, however. Regarding the seemingly excessively high level of CEO salaries at some charities, Charity Navigator advises that:  While there are certainly some charities that overpay their leaders, Charity Navigator’s data shows that those organizations are the minority. Among the charities we’ve evaluated (those being mid to large-sized charities), the typical CEO’s annual compensation is in the low to mid six figures. Before you make any judgments about salaries higher or lower than that range, we encourage you to keep in mind that these charities are complex organizations, with multi-million dollar budgets, hundreds of employees, and thousands of constituents. These leaders could inevitably make much more running similarly sized for-profit firms. Furthermore, when making your decision it is important to consider that it takes a certain level of professionalism to effectively run a charity and charities must offer a competitive salary if they want to attract and retain that level of leadership.


Donald Trump Says John McCain "has done nothing to help the vets.

National, Military, Veterans, Voting Record, Donald Trump,

Facing a continuing maelstrom over his remark that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is "not a war hero," billionaire businessman and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump wants to shift the focus from McCain’s service record to his track record. McCain may talk a lot about supporting American troops, Trump insisted on ABC’s This Week, but he doesn’t walk the walk. "I'm very disappointed in John McCain, because the vets are horribly treated in this country. I'm fighting for the vets. I've done a lot for the vets," Trump said on July 19. "He's done nothing to help the vets. And I will tell you, they are living in hell." He echoed the point that same day in an editorial published in USA Today. Trump wrote: "Thanks to McCain and his Senate colleague Bernie Sanders, their legislation to cover up the VA scandal, in which 1,000+ veterans died waiting for medical care, made sure no one has been punished, charged, jailed, fined or held responsible. McCain has abandoned our veterans. I will fight for them." Is Trump correct that that McCain -- a Vietnam prisoner of war and current chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee -- hasn’t helped his fellow veterans? The Trump campaign never got back to us, but McCain’s office did, and, not surprisingly, they begged to differ. They provided a wide variety of examples of things McCain has done for veterans during his nearly three-decade congressional career. Here are a few of the most recent ones: • Military families. In June 2015, McCain co-sponsored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016 to cover the travel costs for the family of troops killed in overseas missions. The amendment was adopted by the Senate by unanimous consent. • Veterans health. McCain introduced the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act in early 2015 to increase access to mental health support for veterans. It has become law. • Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2014, McCain -- along with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a Democratic presidential candidate -- led efforts to address the scandal over secret waiting lists at VA hospitals by pushing the The Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act all the way to enactment. In 2015, McCain co-sponsored a bill to increase accountability at the department. • Non-legislative support. McCain’s office employs five caseworkers solely dedicated to helping veterans who are running into problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs. A spokeswoman told us McCain’s office has handled more than 2,000 veterans-related cases in 2015 alone. We also reached out to veterans groups. Even those who have taken issue with McCain’s record on veterans disagreed with Trump that McCain has "done nothing" for vets. Decorated veteran Brandon Friedman, a former Obama administration official and vice chairman of the progressive VoteVets PAC, detailed McCain’s history of failing veterans in 2008, but rejected Trump’s characterization. " ‘Nothing’ is a strong word," Friedman told us. "He hasn't been great on veterans issues. That being said … the senator doesn't deserve that." Groups that gave McCain failing grades during his 2008 White House bid agreed with Friedman. Though McCain voted with Disabled Veterans of America about 20 percent of the time in 2008, the group praised McCain in 2014 "for putting partisan politics aside to quickly pass bipartisan legislation in response to the current VA health care crisis." Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America also gave McCain a grade of D in 2010, but pointed to a specific example of McCain’s recent support. "I have had the honor of working with Sen. McCain on key veterans legislation, including the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act," CEO Paul Rieckhoff wrote in the New York Daily News. Other groups also rushed to McCain’s defense. "Donald Trump also revealed that he has no idea what he is talking about with regards to reforming and fixing the VA. If he did, he would have known that Senator McCain has been a leader in fighting to give veterans more health care choices and to hold the VA accountable for its failures," Concerned Veterans for America wrote in statement Navy Vice Adm. Norb Ryan, president of the Military Officers Association of America, said in a press release that McCain has a been a "champion" for troops and veterans, arguing that no one has visited American troops more than McCain. "We can disagree with some of Sen. McCain’s positions at times, but we can never say he has abandoned the troops," Ryan wrote on July 20. "We should acknowledge the facts: John McCain cares deeply about our men and women in uniform, and through his actions, he has made a real difference for our troops. Mr. Trump owes Sen. McCain and all veterans an apology." Our ruling Trump said that McCain "has done nothing to help the vets." While many veterans’ groups have had their differences with McCain over the years over specific legislation and his general approach to veterans’ issues, that’s not the same as saying he’s done "nothing" for veterans. In fact, just within the past two years, McCain has sponsored and helped enact several major provisions to help veterans. He also devotes a significant portion of his office staff to offer veterans on casework. We rate Trump’s claim .


Environment, Climate Change, Education, Energy, Health Care, States, Workers, Texas, Facebook posts,

A "Rick Perry 2016" image popped up on Facebook accompanied by warnings about the state he’s led since late 2000: "Texas ranks: #1 in worker deaths, #1 carbon emissions, #50 in high school graduates, #50 in funding for mental health patients." The June 13, 2013, post by the Everlasting GOP Stoppers, which also has a web page highlighting political items, was accompanied by a message signed "Veruca": "True. Google it." Referring to the Republican governor’s possibly renewed presidential aspirations, the comment closed: "Just think if he makes good on his threat to run again, he can do for the whole country what he's done for Texas." Mindful that we’ve previously explored claims about each of these topics, we asked the Everlasting GOP Stoppers, whose posts play off of the novel and movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," how it reached its Texas rankings. Worker deaths "Veruca Salt" (who did not provide her real name), a co-founder of the group, replied via Facebook message and pointed out an April 1, 2013, commentary by a state legislator, a Sept. 15, 2012, Dallas Morning News news article and a Sept. 21, 2011, news release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, each of them indicating that in 2010, Texas was tops in some kind of worker fatalities. The commentary by Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, said: "Texas still leads the country in the rate of construction worker fatalities." The Sept. 15, 2012, News’ story said that Texas led the nation with 461 total worker deaths in 2010, a tally attributed to the bureau, whose news release said Texas had 456 "fatal work injuries" in 2010, according to a preliminary count, which was down 26 from 2009. Some 134 of the deaths were highway-related, according to the release, with workplace homicides and falls accounting for 48 and 45 deaths, respectively. The release does not say Texas led the nation in workplace deaths. In May 2013, we rated a claim that Texas leads the nation in fatal industrial accidents. Drawing on statistics compiled by the federal bureau, we found that according to preliminary figures for 2011, Texas ranked No. 1 in five of six types of event or exposure tabbed by Austin advocate Jim Marston as  "industrial accident categories" plus the transportation category. California led in deaths caused by violence and other injuries by persons or animals. Texas, the nation’s second-most populous state, had 18 of the nation’s 143 work fatalities attributed to fires and explosions; 67 of the total 666 from falls, slips and trips; 43 of the 401 caused by exposure to harmful substances or environments; and 66 of 708 deaths resulting from contact with objects and other equipment. California had the second-most in each of the four categories: 9, 60, 36 and 50 deaths, respectively. Third in fires/explosions was Tennessee with 10; third in falls and slips was New York with 39; third in harmful exposure was Florida with 27; and New York was third in object/equipment contact deaths at 34. We looked at preliminary data for 2003 through 2010 and found Texas led those categories about 88 percent of the time. Seeking a way to account for population differences among states, we took each state’s 2011 raw numbers of deaths in the four categories Marston tabbed, added them together, then divided by the average number of workers employed in the state in 2011 per the bureau. Texas ranked 18th, with a rate of 1.7 such deaths per 100,000 workers. Observing that the five states with the "worst" rates all employed fewer than 1 million people in 2011, we checked to see how Texas fared among states employing more than 1 million. The answer: 10th place. "Worst" among the states were Montana (3.4 deaths per 100,000 workers), North Dakota (3.3), West Virginia (3), Alaska (3) and New Mexico (2.8). "Worst" among states with more than 1 million employed were Arkansas (2.6), Louisiana (2.3), Kansas (2.3), Missouri (2.1) and Kentucky (2). During our look into the Everlasting GOP Stoppers’ claim, a bureau spokeswoman, Cheryl Abbot, responded to our inquiry about worker deaths in general by emailing us a federal document showing 2011 workplace fatality rates state by state. That year, according to the document, Texas had a rate of 4 fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. That tied the state for 22nd with Alabama. North Dakota ranked first with a fatality rate of 12.4, according to the document, with Wyoming second (11.6) followed by Montana (11.2), Alaska (11.1), Arkansas (8.0), South Dakota (6.7) and New Mexico (6.6). Among the 10 most populous states, Texas ranked second to Ohio, which had a 5.5 fatality rate, according to the document. Carbon emissions "Salt" pointed us toward a May 14, 2013, blog post in a trade publication, Environmental Leader, stating: "Texas still led the U.S. states in CO2 emissions from energy with 663 million metric tons in 2010, followed by California and Pennsylvania." The post, like a May 29, 2013, online post by the Environmental Defense Fund, attributed the conclusion to figures posted by the federal Energy Information Administration. The post said too, however, that Wyoming had the nation’s greatest per-resident emissions, 118.5 metric tons per capita. In February 2013, we found a similar contrast; by far, Texas topped other states in carbon emissions except when those emissions were adjusted for population. A Jan. 12, 2012, Houston Chronicle news article said that according to federal data released that day, Texas was releasing far more greenhouse gases into the air than any other state. The story continued: "Texas' coal-fired power plants and oil refineries generated 294 million tons of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases in 2010, more than the next two states – Pennsylvania and Florida – combined, the data show." The story said the Environmental Protection Agency released the data from the largest industrial sources across the country for the first time as part of a broader effort to reduce emissions linked to global warming. It said the agency "collected data from more than 6,700 industrial facilities that release at least 25,000 tons of greenhouse gases into the air a year. The threshold is comparable to the emissions from burning 131 railcars of coal, the EPA said." To our inquiries at that time, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Sierra Club in Texas each guided us to even more recent EPA data on industrial emissions of greenhouse gases, the primary driver of climate change, the federal agency says. And on the agency’s website, it’s possible to check on each state’s industrial emissions of eight gases, among them carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and hydrofluorocarbons. According to the posted information, Texas industrial facilities in 2011 emitted 391 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, mainly produced from the burning of fossil fuels. The database indicates that industrial CO2 emissions in other populous states were lower: California (95 million metric tons); New York (44); Florida (123); Illinois (41); Pennsylvania (141): Ohio (142); Michigan (89); Georgia (82); North Carolina (66); and New Jersey (23). Louisiana, on the Gulf Coast like Texas, had 132 million metric tons of CO2 emissions, according to the agency. It’s no surprise, perhaps, that Texas plants make the state No. 1 in industrial carbon dioxide emissions. Neil Carman, who directs the Clean Air program for the Sierra Club’s Lone Star chapter, told us by email: "Realize that Texas has more large oil refineries, major chemical and petrochemical plants, hundreds of natural gas processing plants, Portland cement kilns, carbon black plants, etc. than any other state because of the strength of the oil & gas industry and the large geographical size and population base as well." Carman’s comment underscored a hitch in the federal information. The data does not reflect total gases emitted in each state--just those attributed to industrial facilities. Yet Al Armendariz of the Sierra Club guided us to a spreadsheet prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on its analysis of emissions from the consumption of fossil fuels, estimating that in 2010, Texas had 653 million metric tons of CO2 emissions. California placed a distant second, at 370 million metric tons, and Pennsylvania was third, at 257 million metric tons. So, Texas has been No. 1 in total CO2 emissions, though it would have tied for 13th if each state’s emissions were adjusted for its population.In per-capita emissions, less populous states led the nation, topped by Wyoming (108 metric tons per capita); North Dakota (76); Alaska (56); Louisiana (50); Montana (36); Kentucky (35); Indiana (34); Iowa (30); Alabama and New Mexico (28); Nebraska and Oklahoma (27). Kansas and Texas each had 26 metric tons of CO2 emissions per resident. High school graduates On Texas ranking last in high school graduates, "Salt" cited the March 2013 edition of a report by a Texas House caucus, the Legislative Study Group, on how Texas ranks compared to other states. "Texas is dead last in percentage of high school graduates," the report said, a conclusion attributed to the "Texas Fact Book" published in 2012 by the Legislative Budget Board, which said that in 2009, 79.9 percent of Texans had graduated from high school, placing the state 50th. By email, a staff spokesman for the budget board, John Barton, told us that ranking was based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009 American Community Survey, which indicates Texas trailed Mississippi, at 80.4 percent, and California, 80.6 percent. More up-to-date information was available before the group made its post about Perry. In the bureau’s 2011 survey, Texas, Mississippi and California tied for last among the states, with 81.1 percent of adults having high school degrees. Louisiana was fourth, at 82.5 percent. We suppose the group’s Facebook post could be read as saying Texas is last in current high school graduation rates. That was not what we found in January 2013 when we rated a Perry claim that Texas graduation rates were at an all-time high and third-highest in the nation. Texas had tied with five states for the third-highest graduation rate in 2011, of 86 percent, we found. Then again, three states had higher rates, meaning Texas might better be described as fourth-ranked. Also, by another measure, comparing the number of graduates one year to students in ninth grade four years earlier, Texas remained among middling states for 2009-10, with a 79 percent completion rate. Mental health spending "Salt" offered news articles and blog posts from 2011 and 2012 indicating Texas ranked 50th in per-resident spending on mental health care. Most drew on an annual analysis by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. In February 2013, we rated a claim that Texas is "last in mental health expenditures," after noting that the foundation’s latest review indicated that another state spent less per resident than Texas in fiscal 2010, which in Texas ran through August 2010. Texas was last among the states in such per-capita spending in 2009, 2008 and 2007, according to Kaiser charts for those years, though the 2007 chart shows no available data for Hawaii. The latest comparison: In fiscal 2010, which in Texas ran through August 2010, Texas spent nearly $980 million total on mental health services, placing ninth nationally, according to a foundation chart. The state’s per-person spending of $38.99 placed the state 49th -- not last -- among the states. Idaho, with per-capita spending of $36.64, was 50th, with Maine No. 1 at per-capita spending of $346.92. The national average was $120.56. In raw dollars, then, Texas spent more on mental health services than 41 states. But in per-resident spending -- the better metric for comparing states --Texas ranked second-to-last to Idaho after trailing all other states for several years. Our ruling The Facebook post said: "Texas ranks: #1 in worker deaths, #1 carbon emissions, #50 in high school graduates, #50 in funding for mental health patients." This post takes things out of context by cherry-picking figures, in each case stressing the result that makes Texas look worst. Still, two of the declared ranks seem fairly solid. Texas tied with Mississippi in 2011 for the greatest share of adults lacking high school degrees and it was second to last in per-person mental health spending in 2010. In contrast, Texas ranked 22nd nationally in its 2011 worker fatality rate and while the state had the most carbon emissions in 2010, it would have tied for 13th if each state’s emissions were adjusted for its population. We rate this claim as .


Deaths unrelated to COVID-19 are routinely being attributed to the virus in order to make it seem worse than it is.

Explanation: ‘State of Illinois Definition of a COVID-19 Death’

In July 2020, social media users continued spinning a remark by a top health official in Illinois to claim that death tolls attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic have been inflated around the United States — and to attempt to sow doubt around the actual dangers posed by the virus.The idea that public health experts are purportedly inflating the death toll in order to frighten the populace has been a persistent claim from those denying the severity of the global pandemic:Many have latched on to Illinois as an example of how this might be playing out. For example, a YouTube channel posted a clip of remarks made by Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the state Department of Public Health, during an April 19 2020 briefing held by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.Ezike announced at the time that 30,357 cases had been confirmed across the state, with 1,290 deaths. She also fielded a question posed to Pritzker asking whether the death of a sixteen-year-old boy in Cook County attributed to the disease that month was the first instance of the virus killing someone in that age group. Ezike responded:I don’t have that information at my disposal at this time. We have had people of all age groups die. I just want to be clear in terms of the definition of people dying of COVID. The definition is very simplistic. It means, at the time of death it was a COVID-positive diagnosis. That means that if you were in hospice and had already been given a few weeks to live and then you were also were found to have COVID, that would be counted as a COVID death. Technically, even if you died of clear alternate cause but you still had COVID at the time it is still listed as a COVID death. Everyone who’s listed as a COVID death doesn’t mean that that was the cause of the death but they had COVID at the time of their death. I hope that’s helpful.As WAND-TV reported the following month, local officials used Ezike’s statement to fuel their claim that the state death toll of 3,000 people attributed to COVID-19 had been inflated:On May 1, WAND News reached out to Ray Koonce, a member of the Christian County board. He recently sued the Governor over the extended stay-at-home order. When asked if he believes Dr. Ezike, he frankly responded “No I do not.”Representative Darren Bailey also sued the Governor. He told WAND News the governor is not being factual.“You could be driving home and be in an auto accident and die from that,” Bailey said. “And if you had COVID-19 in your system, that death gets labeled as COVID.”As Scientific American reported, accusations that death statistics related to COVID-19 are being “inflated” fail to account for signs that they might actually be undercounted, because states and jurisdictions do not have a uniform reporting for death certificates. In Chicago — the largest city in Illinois — medical examiners are involved in making that determination for every case involving the virus.But Ezike specifically refuted the argument that unrelated deaths are attributed to the virus in an interview with nonprofit news organization Block Club Chicago published in May 2020:“As we learn more about the disease, there may have been less typical presentations of COVID-19 that were not appropriately attributed to COVID because there wasn’t a test done because the suspicion was not there,” Ezike said. “There [are] also some additional deaths [of people] who happened to be COVID-positive but the COVID infection had nothing to do with the death.”For example, a death might be reported to the state and the death certificate might mention coronavirus — but when officials do a further review and see the person died from a shooting or car crash, they exclude that person from the state’s COVID-19 death toll, Ezike said.In a separate interview with WMAQ-TV, Ezike provided more context for her initial remarks, saying that the effects of COVID-19 on a patient made it harder to gauge how much of a factor it could be on their death.“It’s very hard to separate the respiratory illness from some of these other manifestations that could also be linked to COVID, so there is a reason to put them together,” Ezike told the station. “Even if someone had heart disease, global data has established that [COVID-19 can cause] more serious complications, and we’ve seen that for heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”Jim Allmon, coroner for Sangamon County, corroborated her argument.“If that person passes away from pneumonia because they had obtained this virus, then that virus directly contributed to their death and should be placed as a contributing factor on their death certificate, and that is the only reason why it should be,” Allmon told WICS-TV.At the time of publication on July 17 2020, the state health department’s website listed 7,272 deaths connected to the disease and 159,334 total confirmed cases.Comments


A viral video shows a newborn baby delivered inside an intact amniotic sac.

Explanation: A video boasting millions of views on Facebook shows a newborn baby delivered by C-section still inside an intact amniotic sac.

Fewer than one in 80,000 pregnancies result in what is called an “en caul” birth, meaning the newborn is delivered still encased in its amniotic sac (traditionally known as a “caul”) because normally the sac ruptures and releases amniotic fluid  (i.e., the mother’s “water breaks”) well before birth occurs. En caul deliveries are rare enough that some obstetricians may never attend one in their entire careers, though not so rare as to prevent multiple videos of such births from going viral on the Internet. The example above was shot in the Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Barretos hospital, Sao Paulo, Brazil by a nurse, Giselinha Correa, who posted it to YouTube on 4 August 2016 and on her Facebook page two days later. The New York Times provided this translation of her caption (from the original Portuguese): “Look what I had the honor of filming in my dear Santa House Mercy,” the nurse, Gih Flor de Lis, wrote, explaining that the newborn was actually one of a set of twins, the first of whom was delivered vaginally. “We were waiting to stabilize the first baby and the second came softly, in fact, look there that beautiful!!! Historic moment! !! !” she wrote in the post. Other online videos capturing en caul births include one comprising a series of photographs of an infant born prematurely at 26 weeks at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles:  And another of a baby born in Spain who was sliced out of his amniotic sac as a cell phone camera rolled: