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300 | 17378 | Six people in Florida die as a result of (not expanding Medicaid) every day. | """Crist said that Florida’s decision not to expand Medicaid means that """"six people in Florida die as a result of that every day."""" The statistic is based on a recent study, but experts note a few caveats. First, Crist used the study’s high-end figure; using the low-end figure cuts the number of deaths to three a day. Second, experts caution about uncertainties about the studies upon which the new study was based. And third, while many experts agree that it’s plausible to assume that the lack of Medicaid coverage could lead to deaths, they were careful to add that it is difficult to pinpoint a number as precise as the one Crist offered.""" | mixture |
301 | 27823 | """A veterinary pathologist testified that being immersed in a can of Mountain Dew would turn a mouse into a """"jelly-like"""" substance.""" | d. Because of the condition of the mouse, its internal organs, and cartilaginous and bony structures, namely that none of them had been disintegrated or been decalcified, this mouse was not in the Mountain Dew fluid for more than 7 days and could not have been and was not introduced into the can of Mountain Dew when the can was produced (filled and sealed) on August 28, 2008, seventy-four days before it was allegedly found in the can. From a medical, pathological and scientific view, that simply would not have been possible. | true |
302 | 11035 | Doubts on mammogram software | This story provides readers with a balanced discussion of the potential downside of incorporating newer technologies into routine practice too soon. Specifically, the story reports evidence recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine that computer-aided detection (CAD), a newer method of reading mammographies, was no better–and may have produced more false positives–than images read and interpreted by radiologists alone. There was 20% increase in biopsies after mammographers used the CAD software, and many of these women had non-malignant lesions. The article did not adequately describe the study. It was an observational study of select practices in the US – not randomized, not controlled and there was no information about how representative these samples were, especially in the centers that used CAD. The story reported on key results, but without adequately explaining how they were arrived at. The story provides multiple perspectives on the CAD technology in breast cancer detection. The reporter interviews not only the lead author of the NEJM study, but also the author of an accompanying editorial on this newer technology, as well as radiologists who talk about CAD in their practice. Interviews with clinicians who offer a rationale for not using the CAD technology give excellent balance to the story and provide an often overlooked perspective: newer and more high-tech devices are not necessarily better. The story notes the additional $20 per mammogram cost to Medicare with CAD. With the newer technology, costs to public health would increase via additional screening and unnecessary biopsies, and treatment would likely increase for cancers that may never become problematic (i.e. some forms of DCIS or ductal carcinoma in situ). Importantly, the story discuses the continued benefit of mammography for early detection of breast cancer. The story highlights that computer-assisted screening does not replace human judgment in interpretation of radiological films. More screening centers with the CAD technology are available; however, the new technology may not serve women any better. Traditional mammography with a radiologist interpreting the results may be more accurate and result in fewer unnecessary tests and biopsies. | true |
303 | 18578 | On changing the rules governing judicial conflicts of interest | """At PolitiFact, we award a Full Flop when an official makes a """"major reversal of position"""" that is a complete flip-flop. We don’t think that fits here. Fallone sharply criticized the rule both in both the primary election and in the general election, and he went after Roggensack on it the first chance he had in a face-to-face meeting. But did he partially change his position or make inconsistent statements, which would earn him a Half Flip? A plain reading of the Wisconsin Eye interview is that Fallone didn’t express a problem at all with the Supreme Court’s take on recusals. In response to a pretty general, and pretty clear, question, he offered a sweeping endorsement of the status quo, which includes the rule backed by Roggensack. So the answer is strikingly inconsistent with his rhetoric only a few weeks later. For that, we think this merits a Half Flip.""" | mixture |
304 | 35194 | In 2011 Mike Bloomberg said health care providers should not treat elderly prostate cancer patients in order to alleviate health care costs and overcrowding. | Bloomberg: It’s going to get worse with the health care bill [the Affordable Care Act] and with the governor’s cutbacks, because the governor’s cutbacks — which, he may not have any choice in all fairness to the governor — but there’d be less money, some of these small hospitals will close, some of these other programs, and people will come to the HHC [New York Health and Hospitals Corporation] hospitals, and that’s — | true |
305 | 5007 | Shaheen announces broad legislation to address addiction. | U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen introduced sweeping legislation Friday to spend $63 billion over 10 years to combat addiction beyond the opioid epidemic. | true |
306 | 13213 | """Roger Stone Says Hillary Clinton """"shows up in Broward County"""" and had a private meeting with elections supervisor Brenda Snipes.""" | Stone said Clinton showed up in Broward County and slipped into a private meeting with elections supervisor Brenda Snipes. Stone was wrong. He heard it third-hand from Trump supporters who claim they stumbled across such a meeting. Snipes and a spokeswoman for the Clinton campaign in Florida denied such a meeting took place and we found no evidence that it did. Days later, Stone admitted he was wrong but then claimed that Clinton met with elections officials in Palm Beach County. He lacks evidence for that claim, too -- and both the elections supervisor and the Clinton campaign deny it. | false |
307 | 1908 | Ranks of people reaching age 90 tripled since 1980: report. | The ranks of the nation’s oldest residents are growing quickly now that people who reach age 90 are expected to live longer than ever before, according to a study released on Thursday. | true |
308 | 4614 | Former Bush, Reagan EPA heads warn on Trump rollbacks. | Environmental Protection Agency heads under three previous Republican presidents joined their Democratic counterparts Tuesday in telling lawmakers they were concerned by the Trump administration’s rapid rollbacks of environmental protections. | true |
309 | 8917 | Cathay to let crew wear masks on all flights due to new coronavirus. | Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd (0293.HK) will allow all crew members and frontline employees to wear surgical masks due to concerns over a new coronavirus, and said passengers to and from Wuhan, China, could change or cancel flights for free through March 31. | true |
310 | 9461 | HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT: TWO-WEEK DIET BETTER FOR DROPPING POUNDS | This article describes a small and limited study (men only!) concluding that “intermittent” dieting that gives participants alternating cycles of two weeks of less restrictive weight-maintenance eating after two weeks of more restrictive calorie counts results in more weight loss over time. The article properly notes the potential benefits of such a plan–better compliance and some possible metabolic assist that prevents dieting “plateaus” that frustrate so many trying to lose pounds. But while the article acknowledges the flaws in most trendy diets, it doesn’t offer readers enough specific information to determine whether this variation on the dietary theme will work for them any better than any other diet. For example, it doesn’t say what the two arms of the intermittent diet included in actual calorie counts and/or foods; what the starting and ending average weights were for the study group; or even how the researchers kept track of what the participants were actually eating or doing other than (presumably) weighing them every two weeks. It’s hard to exaggerate the confusion, frustration, misinformation, disinformation, and potential harm perpetrated by the gazillion diets proffered by those with and without any scientific basis to the growing numbers of obese and overweight in the U.S. and worldwide. Indeed, this Newsweek article starts out with just that notion, but can’t resist promoting yet another one based on very limited evidence and information. Diet studies are guaranteed instant news hooks, so it’s important that stories about them offer abundant context and detail. | mixture |
311 | 2576 | Large Europe majorities for assisted suicide: survey. | Large majorities of west Europeans favor the legalization of assisted suicide, now allowed only in four countries on the continent, according to a new survey. | true |
312 | 7033 | Amazon’s growing ties to oil industry irks some employees. | Amazon is getting cozy with the oil industry — and some employees aren’t happy about it. | true |
313 | 38593 | After music icon Prince died in April 2016 at the age of 57, rumors began swirling about his cause of death. | Rumors Surround the Death of Prince | unproven |
314 | 13475 | Our African-American communities are absolutely in the worst shape they've ever been in before. Ever. Ever. Ever. | """Trump said, """"Our African-American communities are absolutely in the worst shape they've ever been in before. Ever. Ever. Ever."""" Trump’s emphatic statement lacked any nuance. There is no comparison between the situation today and slavery, or the situation today and the Jim Crow era. Meanwhile, over the past half-century, African-Americans, despite consistently trailing whites, have made significant strides in life expectancy, educational attainment and other measures, and currently have unemployment and poverty rates that are near historical lows.""" | false |
315 | 8609 | Coronavirus epidemic 'under control' in Norway: health minister. | The coronavirus epidemic is “under control” in Norway, the health minister said on Monday, pointing to the low rate of transmission of the disease. | true |
316 | 34466 | A government report from 2008 states that 35,000 veterans of the first Gulf War died as a direct result of adverse effects from an Anthrax vaccine they were mandated to receive. | We have reached out to Scott Miller, the filmmaker, for clarification regarding this figure and are awaiting his response. | unproven |
317 | 16628 | Blogger Says George Soros and Bill Gates are funding a bioweapons lab in Sierra Leone that caused the Ebola outbreak. | Bloggers worried about the New World Order connected the bank accounts of Soros and Gates to a facility responding to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone -- a facility they strongly suggest is responsible for the outbreak. A direct link to the billionaires is unproven. One researcher who received education and research grants from their foundations does not warrant the much-hyped connection. Moreover, the virus did not start from a research lab in Kenema, giving the bloggers’ incendiary claims even less credibility. | false |
318 | 10351 | GPS-like system helps surgeons align joints | Too often when a reporter learns about a developing medical technology used locally, the result is a gee-whiz rave. This well-reported, judiciously written story on navigation-assisted joint surgery is a welcome exception. The story plainly says the surgical technique has not been proven effective. The reporter interviewed four physicians about its value, including one who has not used the machine. The story discusses the potential benefits and harms without falsely emphasizing either one. The reader takeaway is that there is an interesting but uNPRoven new technology available for local joint replacement surgery. Some may want to talk to their doctors about it, but none will go expecting a miracle treatment certain to improve outcomes. The story could have been improved in two ways: It’s not clear who is paying the cost of using the machines if insurers do not. It’s also not clear what the cost difference is between navigation-assisted and conventional joint replacement surgery. The story did not report on potential conflicts of interest. It’s not known whether any of the physicians quoted has worked as a researcher or consultant for the device maker. The reporter should have asked and reported the answer. | true |
319 | 18483 | Demand for public transportation is reaching record levels in Wisconsin. | """1000 Friends of Wisconsin, arguing for restoration of transit aid, claimed that """"Demand for public transportation is reaching record levels in Wisconsin."""" The group can point to hot spots where ridership in 2011 reached heights unseen for many years, and makes a decent argument that transit cuts have suppressed demand. But its claim goes well beyond that, suggesting a quantifiable statewide trend at """"record"""" levels -- and hard evidence of that is lacking.""" | false |
320 | 14299 | """Bernie Sanders Says Hillary Clinton supported and continues to """"support fracking.""" | """Sanders said that Clinton supported and continues """"to support fracking."""" As secretary of state, Clinton supported and promoted fracking around the world. As a 2016 candidate, her support comes with conditions such as local choice, stronger environmental regulation and chemicals. Sanders’ claim is accurate but needs additional information.""" | true |
321 | 17646 | """In Wisconsin, more than 300,000 people have """"some kind of addictive gambling problem, whether it’s pathological or what we’d categorize as a problem gambler.""" | """Appling said more than 300,000 Wisconsinites have """"some kind of addictive gambling problem, whether it’s pathological or what we’d categorize as a problem gambler."""" She relied on a published figure from a legitimate organization, but even in the squishy world of problem gambling research, there is little if any hard evidence that backs up this estimate extrapolated from an outdated national study. The best evidence is it’s much lower, especially when describing """"addictive"""" gambling problems. Perhaps fewer than 45,000 Wisconsin adults fit that description, plus an unknown number of adolescents.""" | false |
322 | 9654 | More than shots, there's new help for allergy sufferers | This is a Q&A with a physician about allergy treatments. It offers a mostly solid if standard review of what allergies are, what treatment alternatives are available, and some information about costs. It’s a “sole-source” consumer health story of the kind prepared regularly by news organizations via interviews with local (in this case Philadelphia-based) medical experts. Some news organizations have a rotating list of institutions whose experts are asked to address various medical topics, bringing PR value to the experts’ institutions and consumer health expertise to readers and viewers. Although it’s missing any hard quantitative research data, the story hits a good number of high notes and benchmarks in the “news you can use” category. One downside was its heavy emphasis on newer delivery options for immunotherapy, which will not be needed in most cases. Allergies are a common cause of sometimes debilitating and clearly miserable symptoms, affecting millions of men, women, and children. Health agency statistics worldwide support the point–also made in the piece–that prevalence has been consistently rising and the costs of treating allergies has soared into the billions in the U.S. alone. Thus, there is wide and deep interest in what works to control or prevent symptoms, and in therapies that target the immunologic sabotage that is at the root of allergic reactions. | true |
323 | 16461 | """Recently Rick Scott """"closed 30 women’s health care centers across the state.""" | """In a fundraising email sent out by the Crist campaign, Frankel wrote that Scott """"closed 30 women’s health care centers around the state."""" Crist’s campaign said that the email should have said that Scott cut money for rape crisis centers, but even that smaller claim isn’t accurate. More importantly, the statement that Scott closed 30 health centers is completely wrong.""" | false |
324 | 15279 | As governor of Florida I defunded Planned Parenthood. | """Bush said, """"As governor of Florida I defunded Planned Parenthood."""" In 2001, he used his line-item veto power to end funding for Planned Parenthood affiliates, and that funding never returned. We must note that the money was for family planning and health care services, not abortions, but he did cut off state money for the group.""" | true |
325 | 23491 | """Gov. Rick Perry """"has overseen the highest Texas unemployment in 22 years.""" | Back to Basics PAC says Gov. Rick Perry has overseen the highest unemployment in Texas in 22 years | mixture |
326 | 5784 | Montana county faces transgender discrimination complaint. | A Montana county may have discriminated against one of its own attorneys by denying the transgender woman access to health care. | true |
327 | 37083 | Fruits and vegetables from other countries are being contaminated with blood containing either AIDS or HIV. | Were Blood Oranges from Libya Injected with HIV? | false |
328 | 11325 | Exercise may be the Rx for RSI | This story may leave the reader with the impression that the evidence in support of exercise as a treatment for repetitive motion injuries is more consistently positive than it really is. The lead author of the literature review is quoted as saying that it’s not possible to draw firm conclusions, yet the story depicts exercise as ‘the best medicine’ for these (sometimes) work-related complaints. The evidence for the value of exercise was actually found to be similar to that for the value of ergonomic approaches such as specially designed keyboards. In both cases the authors found conflicting evidence that these strategies help. While the difference in wording (conflicting versus limited evidence) may seem like splitting hairs, limited evidence means that positive outcomes were found in one well-designed trial, or consistently positive findings across multiple trials. On the other hand, conflicting evidence means that outcomes across trials were inconsistent–sometimes positive, sometimes showing no effect at all or perhaps even a negative effect. The story might have done better to highlight how little is actually known about what works for these disorders–particularly in light of how much money is spent to address them. Most of the reviewed studies were poor quality and too small to draw any valid conclusions. While quoting experts who assert that various approaches can help makes for an interesting story, it doesn’t reflect what the available research shows–and so may not be as helpful as the writer may have intended. | true |
329 | 40942 | Bill Gates’ polio vaccine permanently disabled 47,000 children in India. | Cutting back on red and processed meat brings few if any health benefits, according to a review of evidence drawn from millions of people, but the finding contradicts dietary advice of international agencies and has prompted criticism from many experts. | false |
330 | 3894 | Arizona schools use therapy dogs to assist mental health. | An Arizona school district is using four-legged therapy counselors as part of a pilot program to help students deal with issues related to mental health, officials said. | true |
331 | 37528 | New York City Health (NYC Health) issued official guidelines for sex during a global coronavirus pandemic. | Did the NYC Department of Health Issue ‘COVID-19 Sex’ Guidelines? | true |
332 | 28577 | Researchers in Cuba have discovered a cancer vaccine that is already saving thousands of people. | """What's true: Researchers with Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology have developed and approved an immunologic cancer therapy that improves survivability for certain types of cancers in some cases; as of January 2017, the drug has begun clinical trials for the treatment in the United States. What's false: While the drug is not a vaccine in the preventative sense, it has improved survivability in some cases; however, claims that it has cured thousands of people conflates the total number of people who have been treated with those who have been """"cured"""".""" | mixture |
333 | 7404 | Ultra-personal therapy: Gene tumor boards guide cancer care. | Doctors were just guessing a decade ago when they gave Alison Cairnes’ husband a new drug they hoped would shrink his lung tumors. Now she takes it, but the choice was no guesswork. Sophisticated gene tests suggested it would fight her gastric cancer, and they were right. | true |
334 | 16045 | When Disney was looking to build Disney World, they came to Miami and we told Disney to take a hike. | """Moss said, """"When Disney was looking to build Disney World, they came to Miami and we told Disney to take a hike."""" At PolitiFact we believe that politicians need to back up their claims, and in this case Moss said he doesn’t have a documented source. The account by Capp that former Mayor Clark told him in the 1980s that this happened decades before doesn’t provide first-hand evidence. And it’s the only piece of evidence we found in favor of Moss’s point. The historians we interviewed said they had never seen evidence to support the claim that Disney considered Miami-Dade for Disney World. If we later find evidence that shows Disney considered Miami-Dade for Disney World, we will revisit this fact-check, but so far Moss has failed to prove his claim.""" | false |
335 | 7015 | With rare candor, Lovato chronicled her recovery and relapse. | While most celebrities tend to hide their struggles with drugs and battles with depression, Demi Lovato not only acknowledged her issues, she’s shared them with the world. | true |
336 | 4714 | Company to pay $245M toward cleanup of Kalamazoo River PCBs. | One of the companies responsible for polluting an 80-mile (129-kilometer) stretch of river and floodplains in southwestern Michigan with toxic chemicals will pay at least $245.2 million to advance a cleanup effort that began more than 20 years ago, federal officials said Wednesday. | true |
337 | 14347 | """Bernie Sanders Says Bernie Sanders """"fundamentally changed the lives"""" of Immokalee farm workers in Florida for the better.""" | """Sanders’ ad says he """"fundamentally changed the lives"""" of Immokalee farm workers in Florida. Sanders helped give national publicity to the struggles of Immokalee tomato pickers in 2008. He visited with the workers, wrote letters to tomato purchasers urging them to join a program to pay workers more, met with a representative from the growers exchange and held a Senate hearing in 2008. About two years later, the workers reached an agreement with the growers. The coalition and the growers’ exchange both say Sanders should get some credit, although it’s likely that the agreement could have been reached without his efforts. Whether the agreement """"fundamentally changed the lives"""" of the workers is difficult to quantify. The agreement included an increase for purchasers which goes toward pickers, but it’s unclear on average how many dollars more each picker earns per week as a result of it. There have been other successes in the agreement, including the resolution of worker complaints.""" | mixture |
338 | 25803 | """Facebook post Says """"Pelosi blackmails Congress! She demands mail-in voting or no 2nd stimulus for you and your family.”""" | Pelosi does not have the power to “demand” mail-in voting for November; that is being decided by each state governor The HEROES Act includes election funding for states to conduct safe elections in any form during COVID-19 | false |
339 | 6368 | Florida latest place to declare emergency over hepatitis A. | Officials have declared a public health emergency over the rising number of hepatitis A cases in Florida, the latest part of the country dealing with outbreaks of the liver disease. | true |
340 | 41983 | A video showing people who appear to be impaired by drugs is labeled as being from California. | A video spreading on Facebook has been mislabeled to make a political statement about Democratic lawmakers in California. However, the video, which seems to show people under the influence of drugs, was filmed in Philadelphia. | false |
341 | 7009 | Toledo clinic suspends surgical abortions during change. | Toledo’s last abortion clinic is administering only medication abortions as it undergoes a management change. | true |
342 | 9339 | The FDA Says This Brain-Stimulating Device May Help People With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder | This article reports on an Food and Drug Administration “marketing authorization” for a commercial magnetic pulse delivery device designed to temporarily reduce the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by affecting neurochemical transmissions in the brain. The device is worn on the head and, through a coil, delivers noisy, often headache-inducing pulses to part of the brain. Treatments are needed on an ongoing basis in most cases, and are delivered in a clinical setting by health care specialists. This type of device was first approved by the FDA for use in major depression and some migraine conditions. The text of the story only thinly describes the very limited clinical trial that informed the new FDA decision, and doesn’t go much beyond a news release from the company. The only quote is from an FDA official saying the device has “potential” to help people with OCD who have not responded to conventional therapy. An independent expert source would have likely made this story much stronger. The underlying cause and reasons why some therapies work for OCD are not well understood; it would be helpful if news articles about novel treatments would include that context. It is also imperative that this reporting is informed by as much detail about the clinical effectiveness as possible. | mixture |
343 | 1656 | EU drug agency sees no U.S.-like cannabis legalization moves. | European Union countries are unlikely to legalize marijuana any time soon as some parts of the United States have done recently, EU drug monitoring agency chief Wolfgang Gotz said on Thursday. | true |
344 | 6490 | Housing options help autistic adults find independence. | Masha Gregory was nervous to move out of her parents’ home and into her own place, where the 26-year-old Pennsylvania woman worried about making friends and being away from her parents. But after living in her own apartment at a complex that focuses on adults with autism, she’s made new friends and found she loves her independence. | true |
345 | 33156 | The Centers for Disease Control have issued a warning concerning used condoms being repurposed as hairbands. | In sum, while hair ties made with recycled condoms once circulated in China, the claims made in the Now8Newsarticle (that the CDC issued a warning to US residents and that the hair bands were made with used condoms) are false. | false |
346 | 11100 | Mesothelioma Surgery Improves Quality of Life, Study Finds | This news release describes a small study on surgery for mesothelioma that was presented at a recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting. The study involved 114 mesothelioma patients who underwent a procedure called pleurectomy and decortication (PD). Following the surgery, patients generally reported experiencing improved quality of life. Although the news release appropriately explains malignant pleural mesothelioma and PD in an easy-to-understand manner, it omits many important details regarding the study’s design and limitations. It describes the benefits of the surgery but does not mention any of its risks and harms. The release also includes sensational language. We normally caution against covering studies that have not yet been peer-reviewed and published in a journal, since the findings tend to be preliminary. But if presentations are written about in a news release, we would expect a thorough weighing of the evidence, which was not the case here. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer that represents less than 1 percent of all cancers. Prognosis is poor, since the median survival is about one year following diagnosis. Patients should be presented with treatments to improve their quality of life during their possible final year of life. Surgery is certainly an option, but is it really the best for this disease and for all patients? It is also important to present surgical treatments in a balanced, nuanced fashion, so that patients can be informed of the benefits and drawbacks before making such an important decision given the circumstances. | false |
347 | 8331 | Portugal suspends water, electricity shutoffs and releases some prisoners amid coronavirus outbreak. | Portugal’s parliament temporarily suspended electricity, water and gas shutoffs and granted partial pardon to some of its prisoners on Wednesday as the country moved to contain the economic and social damage of the coronavirus outbreak. | true |
348 | 10952 | Latest anti-aging craze ‘Dracula Therapy’ involves injecting your face with your own blood | """Another in a series of stories that the NY Daily News simply picks up from an overseas paper and treats as its own – even putting its own reporter’s byline on the story! And another """"fountain of youth"""" anti-aging story. The only one of our criteria that the story addressed was cost – which is high. Sensational, non-evidence-based – not much else to say about this one.""" | false |
349 | 11771 | Jerry Patterson Says the Texas General Land Office led by George P. Bush has repaired just two homes since Hurricane Harvey. | Patterson said that since Hurricane Harvey, the agency helmed by Bush has done just two home repairs. Patterson’s figure, confirmed by GLO, was accurate. However, this claim leaves out ample significant information such as FEMA’s overriding control of the complicated DALHR program, which isn't open to every homeowner and only funds partial repairs. Notably too, additional homes were poised to qualify for or get repairs through DALHR at the time that Patterson spoke. | true |
350 | 17159 | "Republican Party of Florida Says Charlie Crist supports ""cuts to the Medicare Advantage program.""" | "The Republican Party of Florida said Crist supports ""cuts to the Medicare Advantage program."" Crist has flip-flopped on a lot of issues, including the federal health care law. He used to oppose the Affordable Care Act, but now he supports it. The law tries to bring down future health care costs by reducing Medicare Advantage payments. But on the issue of Medicare Advantage, Crist has actually been consistent: He's been critical of the Medicare Advantage cuts for years. He specifically said he opposed the reductions in 2009 and 2010, and he still opposes them today. Crist doesn’t appear to have come up with other ways to save money on health care without reducing payments to Medicare Advantage. But our purpose here is to fact-check the claim that he supports the cuts, and we found no proof that he does." | false |
351 | 3432 | French panel: Seize guns to reduce domestic violence. | A French government panel on domestic violence is urging authorities to begin confiscating guns from people following the first complaint of family violence levied against them. | true |
352 | 5261 | Opioid crisis brings unwanted attention to wealthy family. | The Sackler name is emblazoned on the walls at some of the world’s great museums and universities, including the Smithsonian, the Guggenheim and Harvard. But now the family’s ties to OxyContin and the painkiller’s role in the deadly opioid crisis are bringing the Sacklers a new and unwanted kind of attention and complicating their philanthropic legacy. | true |
353 | 8190 | Asia prepares for coronavirus boomerang wave as residents return home. | Governments in Asia are preparing measures to head off a new wave of coronavirus cases as people flee an explosion of the disease in Europe, North America and the Middle East. | true |
354 | 41801 | The U.S. “would actually be on a glide path to balancing the budget” had Congress enacted Trump’s 2018 plan. | Companies in India will seek exemptions from the government’s planned ban on certain plastic items, fearing the move will disrupt supply chains and raise costs ahead of a festive season, according to sources and an industry document seen by Reuters. | mixture |
355 | 10547 | New Breast Cancer Test Approved | For women with early stage breast cancer, the decision to undergo chemotherapy after surgery is a difficult one to make. This story reports on the recent FDA approval of a genetic test that may help in the decision making process. The goal of the test is to help predict if the cancer is likely to recur. Theoretically, if the cancer is unlikely to recur, then chemotherapy can be avoided. If there is a higher likelihood that the cancer will come back, a woman might decide she wants to do everything she can to prevent that from happening. While this story does a good job of explaining the potential importance of the test, it does not present important information for the consumer, most notably, the lack of evidence that this test improves outcomes in patients. The story does not describe the cost of the test, does not adequately describe potential harms of the test, nor does the study quote any experts who can put the test in context with existing approaches. The story does not exaggerrate the prevalence or seriousness of breast cancer. However, the story verges on 'treatment mongering' by stating that 'one in seven women in the US will have breast cancer in their lifetime.' While this may be true (although some question the framing of the statistics in this manner), according to government statistics (SEER), fewer than half of these women would be eligible for the test if it can only be used in women under the age of 61 with early stage cancer. Most importantly, the story does not adequately describe the strength of the available evidence. Specifically, the story does not state that there is no evidence that the test, in combination with treatment, results in better outcomes, such as decreased mortality or improved quality of life. To date, the test has only been shown to predict whether or not the cancer is likely to recur. | mixture |
356 | 30927 | """As of October 2017, there was an """"epidemic of child abduction"""" in the state of Kansas.""" | The web site has a long record of publishing fake news and false claims. | false |
357 | 8696 | Italy coronavirus deaths jump to 52, cases climb above 2,000. | The death toll from coronavirus in Italy jumped to 52 on Monday from 34 the day before and the total number of confirmed cases in Europe’s worst affected country climbed past the 2,000 mark. | true |
358 | 33614 | """Barack Obama """"lied"""" about his father's military service during World War II.""" | Likewise, during an appearance in New Mexico on Memorial Day in 2008, Barack Obama made reference to an uncle of his “who was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps.” Critics quickly pointed out that such a circumstance was impossible (primarily because Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet forces, not American troops) and similarly accused Senator Obama of telling a lie. But his misstatement was simply a mistake, not a lie: Barack Obama’s uncle, Charlie Payne, was in fact part of a group of American troops who helped liberate a concentration camp, but that camp was at Buchenwald, not Auschwitz. | false |
359 | 3065 | Sanders says he’ll enact national drinking water standards . | Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders said Tuesday that he would enact federal drinking water standards for a group of toxic chemicals that have caused widespread contamination in New Hampshire and other states. | true |
360 | 16922 | """Judging by a recent vote, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz """"thinks it's okay for medical marijuana patients to go to federal prison.""" | """The ad by Americans for Safe Access says that, judging by a recent vote, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz """"thinks it's okay for medical marijuana patients to go to federal prison""""-- even the elderly ALS patient shown in the ad. We can't measure what Wasserman Schultz believes in her heart, but we are able to take a closer look at what her voting record shows. She did vote against an amendment to prevent the federal government from using money to keep certain states from decriminalizing medical marijuana. And laws that could theoretically send medical marijuana users to prison remain on the books. Still, it’s an exaggeration to say that Wasserman Schultz’s vote means she wants to send ailing seniors to prison for smoking a joint. The reality is that today, even without the amendment in force, federal prosecutions of medical marijuana users are exceedingly rare. Most of the prosecutions we found involved users who were also accused of dealing marijuana. The statement contains some element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.""" | false |
361 | 32743 | The American Psychiatric Association condones pedophilia and says it is normal to be sexually attracted to children. | A representative from the American Psychiatric Association told us that the organization does not condone pedophilia, nor does it espouse the position that sexual attraction to children is normal or healthy. | false |
362 | 14297 | Senate Bill 1070, simply, just mirrors federal law. | """Brewer said, """"Senate Bill 1070, simply, just mirrors federal law."""" The law on the books today comes close to mirrored federal law. But that’s only because the majority of the law was tossed out by the federal courts because it conflicted with federal law. It’s an odd thing for Brewer to be bragging about. Brewer’s statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.""" | false |
363 | 15243 | Peachtree and Pine is one of the leading sites for tuberculosis in the nation. | """Mayor Kasim Reed said """"Peachtree and Pine is one of the leading sites for tuberculosis in the nation."""" Thirty cases of a medicine-resistant strain of TB in eight states have been traced back to the shelter at Peachtree and Pine. The shelter also had a large share of the cases in a recent TB outbreak in Fulton County and four TB deaths, according to state data. CDC officials clearly believe it’s a concern, but a leading tuberculosis expert says there’s a dearth of comparative data.""" | true |
364 | 944 | Sydney's city council reviews use of Bayer's Roundup weed killer amid cancer fears. | Sydney’s city council said on Friday it was reviewing its weed management, which included the use of Bayer AG’s Roundup, after other councils in Australia began cutting ties with the product amid concerns about possible links to cancer. | true |
365 | 10933 | Drugs Show Promise Slowing Advanced Melanoma | The story made strong, clear attempts to report in a restrained manner, using terms/phrases such as: “notable progress” “do not cure” “might add two to several moths to expected lifespans” “To be sure, more than half of patients with metastatic melanoma would not be helped all that much by either drug.” Stories about cancer – perhaps especially melanoma because of its treatment challenges – should balance promise with realistic context. This story did a better job of that than the competitors’ efforts we reviewed. | true |
366 | 9949 | Firm develops magnetic-pulse treatment for major depression | We love all the cost information in this detailed and fairly well reported story. This makes good sense for a business story, and we’d like to see more financial information in other health-related pieces. We wish, though, that the same attention to detail had been given to the evidence behind some of the therapeutic claims being made in the story and that the story had relied less heavily on sources connected to the medical device industry. Clinical depression can break a person’s will and leave them feeling isolated and desperate. Drugs have become the dominant treatment, but they also bring with them side effects. A non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical treatment option will surely attract a lot of people with depression looking for alternatives. This is why stories about devices like this need to carefully break down the evidence, the benefits, and the harms and use independent sources to help readers understand whether the device would be right for them. | mixture |
367 | 3536 | Tennessee reports 49 cases of lung injury linked to vaping. | Tennessee health officials say they have received 49 cases of serious lung injury in people who use electronic cigarettes or other vaping devices. | true |
368 | 9929 | Common dementia drug found to improve Parkinson's symptoms | This public relations news release describes the results of a small, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that suggests rivastigmine, a drug commonly prescribed to Alzheimer’s patients, might also be useful in reducing the risk of falls in people with Parkinson’s disease. The drug is a cholinesterase inhibitor which binds to and inactivates the enzyme acetylcholinesterase.The drug is believed to work by preventing the loss of acetylcholine, a chemical associated with concentration. Because the study was small with just 130 patient volunteers, it is too early to draw a conclusion about the drug’s benefit to people with Parkinson’s. While the idea and the results are quite interesting and novel, there is some unjustified hype in the news release. Parkinson’s disease patients are prone to falls due to the disease’s hallmark tremors, slowness in gait and muscle rigidity. Falls are a frequent complication of Parkinson’s because of their potentially serious consequences (bone fractures, need for surgery, hospitalizations and even death). Fall prevention, therefore, is one of the main goals in managing this condition. If researchers can prove in a larger study that an existing drug can safely and effectively reduce the risk of falls among Parkinson’s disease patients it could improve their quality of life. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimates that at least 500,000 American’s have Parkinson’s disease, with about 50,000 new cases diagnosed each year. In the UK, where the study was conducted, about 127,000 currently live with Parkinson’s. | mixture |
369 | 34665 | Drivers in China commonly intentionally kill pedestrians in hit-and-run accidents. | Do drivers in China commonly intentionally kill pedestrians in hit-and-run accidents? | unproven |
370 | 37585 | The 1988 animated film Akira predicted the 2020 Olympics would be in Tokyo, and that a pandemic (Coronavirus) would lead to its cancellation. | Did ‘Akira’ Predict a 2020 Coronavirus Outbreak? | mixture |
371 | 13676 | I opposed the only multilateral trade deal that came before the Senate while I was there. | """Clinton said, """"I opposed the only multilateral trade deal that came before the Senate while I was there."""" Clinton did oppose one multilateral deal (CAFTA) and opposed another that could be characterized as a multilateral deal (the Trade Act of 2002). However, focusing only on multilateral agreements, as Clinton does, obscures her overall voting record on trade pacts while serving in the Senate. When it came to bilateral agreements, Clinton cast votes to support five of them, and she supported -- but never cast a formal vote for -- an additional three. The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details.""" | mixture |
372 | 26008 | A study “showed that over 1 million people in North Carolina have now been exposed to the virus.” | U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy, a doctor and a Republican from North Carolina, said a study “showed that over 1 million people in North Carolina have now been exposed to the virus.” Murphy based his claim on the results of an ongoing study of antibody tests. More than 10% of tests are coming back positive. But the study's lead researcher, as well as state health officials, say there's not enough data yet to estimate how many people have been exposed. Participation levels vary across the state. | false |
373 | 29454 | Snacks marketed to children are heavily laden with ingredients that cause cancer. | If a chemical considered damaging at higher doses but safe at lower doses concerns you, consider kale — a vegetable that, in Wolfe’s words, would allow kids to safely “taste the rainbow”. It contains a naturally-occurring compound chemical called thiocyanate, which (like almost any organic compound) can be synthesized using petroleum derived base chemicals. In extremely high doses, this naturally-produced leaf compound could — unequivocally and abruptly — kill you. Is it time to start going after Big Kale? | false |
374 | 2755 | California sees high rate of flu deaths in unusually severe season. | An unusually severe flu season has claimed the lives of at least 147 young and middle-aged people in California - 10 times the number killed by influenza viruses by the same time last year, public health officials said on Friday. | true |
375 | 27934 | Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner married a woman who had two children, one a special needs child. | In Super Bowl XXXVI, Kurt Warner led the St. Louis Rams (who have since relocated back to Los Angeles) in their quest for another victory; although they came up just short, Warner was already the stuff of legends. Deservedly. | true |
376 | 3400 | Georgia’s Kemp submits bid to remake health insurance market. | Georgia’s Republican governor on Monday submitted twin plans requesting that President Donald Trump’s administration allow changes to federal government subsidies for health insurance. | true |
377 | 378 | Pigs fly: China pork producers surge as swine disease cuts supply. | Shares in China’s leading pig producers have soared to record levels despite one of the worst disease outbreaks in years, as investors bet on tightening pork supplies and strong government support for leading producers. | true |
378 | 2781 | WellPoint says health exchange applicants hit expectations. | U.S. health insurer WellPoint Inc said on Wednesday the applicants for the new Obamacare health plans are of the age and demographics it had expected, indicating that medical costs will not soar beyond the prices it charges. | true |
379 | 24444 | """The GOP health care plan """"would allow health insurance companies to continue engaging in unfair and discriminatory practices like denying coverage to people because of a pre-existing medical condition.""" | Wasserman Schultz says GOP alternative health care plan allows insurers to continue denying coverage for pre-existing conditions | true |
380 | 8604 | Israelis put on coronavirus lockdown for Passover holiday celebration. | Israelis celebrating the Jewish Passover holiday this week will hold the “seder”, the traditional meal celebrating freedom from biblical slavery, confined to their homes under a national coronavirus lockdown. | true |
381 | 21954 | Obamacare cuts $500 billion in future Medicare funding in order to fund the new constitutionally questionable government mandate, even going so far as to scuttle Medicare's most popular (and successful) part, Medicare Advantage. | Mike Haridopolos takes on health care bill in newspaper op-ed | mixture |
382 | 35215 | """A newspaper clipping from 1918 documents a """"public notice"""" from the city of Kelowna, British Columbia, announcing that schools, movie theaters, and other public places would be closed to prevent the spread of """"Spanish Influenza."""" """ | During the 1918-19 H1N1 “Spanish” influenza pandemic, which infected a fifth to a third of the world population, and during which 50 million people have died worldwide, including an estimated 675,000 Americans, the United States has adopted a range of nonpharmaceutical (public health) interventions. These measures, which were similar to those currently adopted, included closure of schools and churches, banning of mass gatherings, mandated mask wearing, case isolation, and disinfection/hygiene measures. However, these measures were not implemented at the same time or for the same duration in different cities, nor were they uniformly followed. A recent analysis concluded that in some cities (San Francisco, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Kansas City), where the measures were implemented early, they reduced transmission rates by up to 30–50%. Cities that implemented such measures earlier had greater delays in reaching peak mortality, and had lower peak mortality rates and lower total mortality. The duration that these “social distancing” measures were kept in place correlated with a reduced total mortality burden. Although we still have no known effective therapy or vaccine prevention for this coronavirus, and the world is a quite different place than it was 100 years ago, the efficacy of the measures instituted during the 1918-19 pandemic gives us hope that the current measures will also limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. | true |
383 | 38675 | A Saudi billionaire purchased the entire town of Buford, Wyoming, and has hired the Binladen Group to build a “Western Mecca” that will ban non-Muslims. | Saudi Billionaire Buys Buford, Wyoming, to Build Mecca | false |
384 | 32868 | A photograph captures President Obama pointing at a nude painting of Donald Trump. | In other words, an artist’s imagined take of Donald Trump’s naked body was Photoshopped into an image which itself was a digitally manipulated photographed created to promote an art gallery exhibit: | false |
385 | 6565 | In a twist, Colorado asks EPA to lower state’s air rating. | Colorado took the unusual step of inviting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to downgrade the air quality rating of the state’s biggest population center, and not everyone thinks that was a good idea. | true |
386 | 7360 | Georgia aims to ease virus spread among Hispanic residents. | “No Mask! No Service! No Mascara! No Servicio!” say the stickers, posters and T-shirts going up across northeast Georgia, as community leaders try to rally people to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which recently flared up in the region and threatened to level the state’s huge poultry processing industry. | true |
387 | 28411 | """A """"liberal Democrat"""" judge released on bond a Muslim extremist who trained children at a New Mexico compound to become school shooters.""" | What's true: A New Mexico judge denied prosecutors' request that five defendants be held without bond, because the standards required for denying bail under state law had not been met. What's false: The judge did not allow the release of Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, who allegedly trained a child to carry out school shootings, as he is being held on a detainer from Georgia. | mixture |
388 | 23311 | Alan Grayson Says Daniel Webster thinks wives should submit to their husbands. | Alan Grayson calls opponent 'Taliban Dan Webster' in stinging new TV ad | false |
389 | 1273 | Novartis's cancer therapy wins UK backing after initial lymphoma snub. | Novartis’s Kymriah cell therapy won the blessing of health authorities in England for adult lymphoma patients, the Swiss drugmaker said on Friday, reversing last year’s rejection. | true |
390 | 27007 | """San Francisco has spent $72.5 million this fiscal year cleaning up human waste and drug paraphernalia"""" and """"there are more drug users on their public needle program than high school graduates.""" | """Turning Point USA claimed that San Francisco has spent $72.5 million this fiscal year """"cleaning up human waste and drug paraphernalia"""" and that """"there are more drug users on their public needle program than high school graduates."""" Those claims are based on two San Francisco Chronicle articles — but Turning Point USA’s post misconstrues both the stories and the data backing them up. The Public Works Department said the $72.5 million figure is closer to its entire annual street cleaning budget and that it doesn’t keep track of how much money is spent for specific types of cleaning. The Public Health Department said there is no count of people who use its """"public needle program."""" The statements are inaccurate.""" | false |
391 | 7315 | Chinese communities rattled by virus, cancel new year events. | The rapid spread of a new virus from China has cast a pall across Chinese American communities, with people staying inside whenever possible, wearing medical masks when they must go out and canceling some celebrations for Lunar New Year, China’s biggest holiday. | true |
392 | 32512 | DNC staffer Seth Rich was gunned down to prevent him from meeting with the FBI over plans to testify against Hillary Clinton. | While it’s true police maintain an open investigation into Seth Rich’s death, the claim connecting him to Hillary Clinton was the third of its sort to emerge from the same conspiracy-monger in mid-2016. All those rumors were variations on the long-circulating (and false) “body bags” claims that the Clintons habitually do away with once-loyal associates turned political liabilities. Prior to publishing the trio of Clinton-related fabrications, the same site and blogger held that President Obama had ordered the military to nuke the city of Charleston (which didn’t happen), that Rear Admiral Rick Williams was fired because he revealed Obama’s purchase of a mansion in Dubai (Williams was actually terminated for misconduct), and that Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama were enmeshed in a potentially conflict-starting dispute over the practices of the Monsanto agribusiness corporation. | false |
393 | 7322 | Nevada has 94 new coronavirus cases, pushing total to 1,836. | Nevada is reporting 94 new coronavirus cases, pushing the statewide total to 1,836, but the state Health and Human Services Department’s website shows the death toll remaining at 46. | true |
394 | 19408 | """Barack Obama Says he """"will protect your guaranteed benefits"""" in Medicare while """"Mitt Romney would take away Medicare as guaranteed benefits.""" | """In the ad, Obama said he """"will protect your guaranteed benefits"""" in Medicare, while """"Mitt Romney would take away Medicare as guaranteed benefits."""" Obama exaggerates when he refers to """"guaranteed"""" Medicare benefits under today’s system. Currently, Medicare does """"guarantee"""" a form of health coverage for seniors and, in the shorter term, guarantees specific benefits. But Medicare doesn’t cover everything, and Congress and the president can change what is covered, and will be forced to do so when fiscal pressures hit. Meanwhile, it’s plausible that the Romney plan could provide less of a """"guarantee"""" than Medicare currently does, but we found sharp disagreement between supporters and opponents of Romney’s Medicare plan on that point. This disagreement is hard to resolve given the shortage of information Romney has so far provided.""" | mixture |
395 | 10077 | Eating Foods High in Vitamin C Cuts Risk of Cataract Progression by a Third | This release from the American Academy of Ophthalmology describes a study on citrus foods as a possible nutritional cataract intervention. Because this study focused on 1,000 sets of female twins, the release offers some interesting observations about the role genetics may play in cataracts compared to diet and exercise. The body of the news release did not go further than the study itself in linking diets rich in Vitamin C to reduced risk of cataract formation and progression. But the headline blew past those constraints to assert a cause-and-effect relationship that the study itself did not. Cataracts are a clouding of the lenses in your eyes. They affect vision and are very common in older people. More than 22 million Americans have cataracts, according to the National Institutes of Health. The Institute further states that “By age 80, more than half of all people in the United States either will have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.” According to the World Health Organization, cataracts cause most of the world’s blindness, some 20 million cases, as well as cases of low vision. If a simple dietary intervention can delay or prevent such vision loss, that would be important information for individuals as well as for public health organizations. | mixture |
396 | 5465 | Illinois lawmakers plan 2nd Legionnaires’ disease hearing. | Illinois lawmakers will meet again next month in Springfield for a bipartisan hearing about the deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at a western Illinois veterans’ home. | true |
397 | 2742 | Furiex irritable bowel syndrome drug succeeds in large trials. | Shares of Furiex Pharmaceuticals Inc more than doubled in value after the company said its experimental drug significantly alleviated diarrhea and abdominal pain associated with irritable bowel syndrome in two large late-stage trials. | true |
398 | 16828 | Nearly 60 percent of women who use birth control do so for more than just family planning. | """Wasserman Schultz said that """"nearly 60 percent of women who use birth control do so for more than just family planning."""" This claim gets support from a Guttmacher Institute report that found 58 percent of pill users citing at least one non-contraceptive reason. However, Wasserman Schultz’s comment glosses over two important caveats. First, she said """"women who use birth control,"""" even though the study looked at women who use the birth control pill specifically -- a type of birth control that wasn’t even one of the ones directly at issue in the Supreme Court case. Second, the Guttmacher study found that birth control is indeed the most common reason that women use the pill, with 86 percent saying it was one of the reasons they chose that option. The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information.""" | true |
399 | 32638 | Scientists have created a human-gorilla hybrid called Hurilla. | was lightened and shared as a supposed photograph of a human-ape hybrid. | false |