INSIDER
Fact check: Dixon ad uses Nesselโs โjokeโ about drag queens in Whitmer attack
Read full article: Fact check: Dixon ad uses Nesselโs โjokeโ about drag queens in Whitmer attackMichiganโs Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel said she was joking when she said in a June speech that there should be โa drag queen for every school.โ
5 ways you can help fight misinformation on Election Day
Read full article: 5 ways you can help fight misinformation on Election DayAs Election Day finally arrives it is going to be easy to feel overwhelmed by the volume of information being aimed at every single voter in the country. As polls open here are five things to watch for on Election Day 2020:Many, many reports, photos, and videos of long lines. You can also share what you are seeing with the Trust Index team and weโll get to work on it. Use the Trust Index form to send it to trained fact-checkers for review and possible debunking on a newscast or online. The Trust Index team fact checks questionable information circulating on social media and in our communities.
Trust Index: Fact-checking Trump-Biden final debate on COVID, state lockdowns
Read full article: Trust Index: Fact-checking Trump-Biden final debate on COVID, state lockdownsFor more Trust Index fact checks, go here: https://www.clickondetroit.com/topic/Trust_Index/If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566.
Trust Index: Fact-checking Trump-Biden final debate comments on race
Read full article: Trust Index: Fact-checking Trump-Biden final debate comments on raceTrust Index: Fact-checking Trump-Biden final debate comments on racePublished: October 23, 2020, 7:09 amThe candidates debated one last time on Oct. 22. For more Trust Index fact checks, go here: https://www.clickondetroit.com/topic/Trust_Index/
Trust Index: Fact-checking Trump-Biden final debate comments on health care, minimum wage, jobs, aid to farmers
Read full article: Trust Index: Fact-checking Trump-Biden final debate comments on health care, minimum wage, jobs, aid to farmersTrust Index: Fact-checking Trump-Biden final debate comments on health care, minimum wage, jobs, aid to farmersPublished: October 23, 2020, 7:03 amFor more Trust Index fact checks from the presidential debates, go here: https://www.clickondetroit.com/topic/Trust_Index/
Trust Index: Fact-checking Trump, Biden claims on energy, climate change
Read full article: Trust Index: Fact-checking Trump, Biden claims on energy, climate changeGrant Hermes is fact-checking the final presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566.
Trust Index: Fact-checking crime, unrest claims from first Trump-Biden debate
Read full article: Trust Index: Fact-checking crime, unrest claims from first Trump-Biden debateWeโre fact-checking the claims, starting with one that Biden has been making since late last month on the Presidentโs budget and local police. โThe only one defending that his budget calls for a $400 million cut and look for law enforcement assistance,โ Biden claimed. Crime rate under ObamaBiden also talked about the record of the Obama administration when it came to the crime rate. Violence during protests, civil unrest claimsFinally, one more from the President about violence during protests and civil unrest. โLook at Oakland, look what happened and look what happened in Baltimore, look what happened.
Trust Index: Fact-checking claims on health care from first Trump-Biden debate
Read full article: Trust Index: Fact-checking claims on health care from first Trump-Biden debateHealth care remains a top issue for voters, particularly during the spread of the coronavirus as millions lost their jobs and health insurance over the course of pandemic. According to the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation roughly 25 million people get their health care through the federal ACA marketplace or the ACAโs Medicaid expansion. Hereโs one from President Trump about Bidenโs plan:โThe bigger problem that you have is that youโre going to extinguish 180 million people with their private health care,โ Trump said. While estimates differ, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services do estimate that roughly 180 million Americans have private health insurance. Bidenโs plan creates a public option for low income Americans but does not get rid of private insurance.
Fact-checking climate change comments in first presidential debate
Read full article: Fact-checking climate change comments in first presidential debateMost analysts did not expect climate change to be one of the subjects highlighted by moderator Chris Wallace. But Wallace dropped a bit of a surprise by bringing global warming into the debate. While the Amazon rainforest does indeed absorb a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide, its estimated annual total of two billion metric tons of absorbed annual carbon dioxide is less than half of the estimated 5.1 billion metric tons of energy-related carbon dioxide produced by the U.S. every year. There is no questioning that the Amazon is very important in taking in carbon dioxide, but it does not by itself offset the total U.S. carbon dioxide emission. (RCC-ACIS)Hopefully, the upcoming vice presidential and presidential debates will provide more insight into the candidates' thoughts about Earthโs unnaturally warming climate, the ramifications, and what they propose to do (or not do) about it.
Trust Index fact check: Trump says โWeโre weeks away from a vaccineโ -- true or false?
Read full article: Trust Index fact check: Trump says โWeโre weeks away from a vaccineโ -- true or false?The issue came up during Tuesday nightโs first presidential debate between Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. โWeโre weeks away from a vaccine,โ said Trump. Fauci was talking about trials being done on vaccines, and said his team is โcautiously optimisticโ about having a vaccine ready before the end of the year. Thatโs a bit longer than just โweeksโ away, but Trump was not exactly specific in his statement. Trump says the vaccine development is a "political thing" and he says he disagrees with his own CDC.
Trust Index: What do you want fact-checked from presidential debate?
Read full article: Trust Index: What do you want fact-checked from presidential debate?What statement(s) would you like us to fact check from the Sept. 29 presidential debate? If there is a specific statement made by one of the candidates that you want us to check out, let us know here:Related: Fact-checking 5 claims about mail-in voting
FACT CHECK LIVE: Trump, Biden in first Presidential Debate of 2020 election
Read full article: FACT CHECK LIVE: Trump, Biden in first Presidential Debate of 2020 electionCLEVELAND โ Watch the first presidential debate of the 2020 election between President Donald Trump and Former Vice President Joe Biden and moderated by Chris Wallace. Follow live fact checking with Local 4โฒs Trust Index team below the video player. Watch live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Follow live fact checking from the Trust Index team below (app users click here):
Live fact-check: Trump, Biden in first Presidential Debate of 2020 election
Read full article: Live fact-check: Trump, Biden in first Presidential Debate of 2020 electionCLEVELAND โ Watch the first presidential debate of the 2020 election between President Donald Trump and Former Vice President Joe Biden and moderated by Chris Wallace. Follow live fact checking with Local 4โฒs Trust Index team below the video player. Watch live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Follow live fact checking from the Trust Index team below (app users click here):
Fact-checking 5 claims about mail-in voting
Read full article: Fact-checking 5 claims about mail-in votingIn the Aug. 2020 primary election more than 10,000 mail-in ballots were rejected by the Michigan Secretary fo State. An absentee voter who knowingly makes a false statement on the absentee ballot return envelope is guilty of a misdemeanor. Claim: Mail-in voting is not the same as absentee voting โThis claim is false. Mail-in voting and absentee voting are the exact same thing. Claim: Mail-in voting benefits Democrats โEven though polls show Democratic voters are more likely to support mail-in voting, there is actually no evidence that shows it benefits either political party.
Debunking 3 popular conspiracies about coronavirus
Read full article: Debunking 3 popular conspiracies about coronavirus๐ฆ Coronavirus conspiracies ๐ฆ Weโre starting with the novel coronavirus -- or -- COVID-19. According to Scientific American, counting flu deaths the way we count COVID-19 deaths, over the last six years, flu deaths have ranged from about 3,500 to 15,000. Claim: COVID-19 is caused by 5GThis is one of the more out-there theories about COVID-19, but itโs still very popular. Social media origins : If you see something floating around social media, like a meme or a story, try to find the original source and check it yourself. The Trust Index team fact checks questionable information circulating on social media and in our communities.
Fact-check: Photo of Joe Biden at Detroit Athletic Club is from March
Read full article: Fact-check: Photo of Joe Biden at Detroit Athletic Club is from MarchA photo circulating social media shows claims to show Joe Biden and other local officials at an event at the Detroit Athletic Club not wearing masks. The post started circulating after Dennis Archer Jr. posted a photo following Joe Bidenโs visit to Michigan last week. The posts circulating social media pointed to the fact that Biden wasnโt wearing a mask at this event. The Detroit Athletic Club also debunked the photo, releasing a statement on their Facebook page:โThere is a post and photo circulating showing an event at the DAC. The claim that Joe Biden was at the Detroit Athletic Club last week at an event without masks is false.
Fact-check: CDC has not reduced the death count related to COVID-19
Read full article: Fact-check: CDC has not reduced the death count related to COVID-19The CDC data table is based on an analysis of death certificates that mention COVID-19 as a cause. For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned, the CDC notes. As of Aug. 26, the CDC said, there were 161,332 deaths where COVID-19 was listed on the death certificate. Experts say itโs not surprising that so few people who died from COVID-19 had no underlying conditions listed on their death certificates. โIn 92% of all deaths that mention COVID-19, COVID-19 is listed as the underlying cause of death."
How researchers can track the way a virus circulates
Read full article: How researchers can track the way a virus circulatesDETROIT When it comes to tracking the way a virus circulates, researchers use many traditional methods, like contact tracing. The genetic code of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is made of roughly 30,000 base pairs. Researchers have been sequencing, or reconstructing, the genetic signatures of different SARS-CoV-2 viruses around the globe. Suggesting the virus didnt come to Michigan directly from China, but rather was imported from Europe. The Michigan signatures also have a relationship to viruses found in several other states.
Fact Check: Has coronavirus (COVID-19) been mutating?
Read full article: Fact Check: Has coronavirus (COVID-19) been mutating?DETROIT Since the beginning of the outbreak, scientists have known the genetic sequence of COVID-19, but over time, researchers have seen it change, giving rise to the theory coronavirus is mutating. While the newly hijacked cell is making parts to build new viruses, its also copying the virus genetic code and thats where mutations can occur. READ: List of Michigan pandemic executive orders that are still activeThe RNA genetic code for SARS-CoV-2 is 30,000 base pairs long. Fortunately, SARS-CoV-2 appears to change very slowly and sustained mutations do not occur frequently. In fact, its estimated that notable new changes occur at a rate of about 2 per month, which is actually pretty minimal.
Fact-check: Michigan is not sending absentee ballots to every registered voter
Read full article: Fact-check: Michigan is not sending absentee ballots to every registered voterDETROIT In a tweet Wednesday, President Trump threatened to hold up funding to Michigan, claiming the Secretary of State was illegally sending absentee ballots to all voters. Michigan is not sending absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of elections this year. On Tuesday, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced the state would send applications to vote by mail to every registered voter, not a ballot. Congress included $400 million in election funding in a previous coronavirus relief bill, but estimates of the total cost to expand mail voting and make in-person voting safer have run as high as $4 billion. Related: AP Fact Check: President Trumps rhetoric on voter fraud is misleadingAfter review, we've found this claim is Not True.
Fact-check: Are hospitals reporting all deaths as COVID-19 related?
Read full article: Fact-check: Are hospitals reporting all deaths as COVID-19 related?Debunking 4 coronavirus claims spread on social mediaHospitals are counting all deaths as COVID-19 relatedThis is false. FactCheck.org says thereโs no evidence that any state has adopted a policy to classify all deaths, regardless of the individual circumstances, as being related to COVID-19. โIf COVIDโ19 played a role in the death, this condition should be specified on the death certificate. Share it with the Trust Index team for reviewYES: States, countries are revising death tollsSome states and countries have added deaths as COVID-19 related after deciding the victim was โsuspectedโ of having COVID-19. We are focused on ensuring that every New Yorker who died because of COVID-19 gets counted," said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot.
Did Michigan ban gardening? Debunking 4 coronavirus claims spread on social media
Read full article: Did Michigan ban gardening? Debunking 4 coronavirus claims spread on social mediaDETROIT โ In the last several weeks, many false or misleading theories have surfaced on social media about coronavirus, and the response to coronavirus. This idea is one of the biggest drivers that sparked a massive protest in Lansing on Wednesday. โIf COVIDโ19 played a role in the death, this condition should be specified on the death certificate. It wonโt be a signature, but โPresident Donald J. Trumpโ will be printed on the fronts of the checks, the Treasury official confirmed. That has since been picked up by the internet, and itโs now being reported that Ibuprofen is dangerous with a coronavirus infection.