A Tennessee boy died in the arms of a local man portraying Santa Claus during a hospital visit.

Explanation: In this way, this particular Santa tale served an instructive purpose: it showed how an unvetted story can spread regardless of how true it might be, with each news outlet repeating it making it seem that much closer to the truth until it is, at last, uncritically reported as fact.

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A heartwarming story set in an East Tennessee hospital in 2016 received international coverage, but without confirmation of key details:  Eric Schmitt-Matzen looks every bit the part of Santa Claus. His 6-foot frame carries 310 pounds, leaving “just enough of a lap for the kids to sit on,” he says with a gentle Kringley chuckle right out of Central Casting. No fake facial fuzz for this guy. Schmitt-Matzen’s snowy beard is the real thing, albeit regularly bleached to maintain its whiteness. His shag is so spectacular, in fact, it won first place in the “natural full beard, styled moustache” division of a 2016 national contest sponsored by the Just For Men hair products company. There’s more. He’s professionally trained. Custom-tailored in red. Was born on Dec. 6 (that’s Saint Nicholas Day, of course; are you surprised?) Works approximately 80 gigs annually. Wife Sharon plays an authentic Mrs. Claus. His cellphone, with a “Jingle Bells” ringtone, continually counts down the days until Christmas. Even his civilian attire always includes Santa suspenders. The whole shtick is designed to spread joy and have fun. Which it does – except for the role he played several weeks ago at a local hospital. “I cried all the way home,” Schmitt-Matzen told me. “I was crying so hard, I had a tough time seeing good enough to drive. “My wife and I were scheduled to visit our grandchildren in Nashville the next day, but I told her to go by herself. I was a basket case for three days. It took me a week or two to stop thinking about it all the time. Actually, I thought I might crack up and never be able to play the part again.” This is what happens when a terminally ill child dies in Santa’s arms. “I’d just gotten home from work that day,” recalled Schmitt-Matzen, 60, a mechanical engineer and president of Packing Seals & Engineering in Jacksboro. “The telephone rang. It was a nurse I know who works at the hospital. She said there was a very sick 5-year-old boy who wanted to see Santa Claus. “I told her, ‘OK, just let me change into my outfit.’ She said, ‘There isn’t time for that. Your Santa suspenders are good enough. Come right now.’ ” Schmitt-Matzen got to the hospital in 15 minutes. He met the lad’s mother and several family members. “She’d bought a toy from (the TV show) PAW Patrol and wanted me to give it to him,” he said, voice growing husky. “I sized up the situation and told everyone, ‘If you think you’re going to lose it, please leave the room. If I see you crying, I’ll break down and can’t do my job.’ ” Nobody entered with him. They watched, sobbing, from a hallway window in the Intensive Care Unit. I’m now going to relay what happened next, just as Schmitt-Matzen spoke to me. Space does not allow inclusion of the numerous pauses he took while struggling to maintain composure: “When I walked in, he was laying there, so weak it looked like he was ready to fall asleep. I sat down on his bed and asked, ‘Say, what’s this I hear about you’re gonna miss Christmas? There’s no way you can miss Christmas! Why, you’re my Number One elf! “He looked up and said, ‘I am?’ “I said, ‘Sure!’ “I gave him the present. He was so weak he could barely open the wrapping paper. When he saw what was inside, he flashed a big smile and laid his head back down. ‘“They say I’m gonna die,’ he told me. ‘How can I tell when I get to where I’m going?’ “I said, ‘Can you do me a big favor?’ “He said, ‘Sure!’ “When you get there, you tell ’em you’re Santa’s Number One elf, and I know they’ll let you in. “He said, ‘They will?’ “I said, ‘Sure!’ “He kinda sat up and gave me a big hug and asked one more question: ‘Santa, can you help me?’ “I wrapped my arms around him. Before I could say anything, he died right there. I let him stay, just kept hugging and holding on to him. “Everyone outside the room realized what happened. His mother ran in. She was screaming, ‘No, no, not yet!’ I handed her son back and left as fast as I could. “I spent four years in the Army with the 75th Rangers, and I’ve seen my share of (stuff). But I ran by the nurses’ station bawling my head off. I know nurses and doctors see things like that every day, but I don’t know how they can take it.’” In despair, Schmitt-Matzen was ready to hang up his suit. “I’m just not cut out for this,” he reasoned. But he mustered the strength to work one more show. “When I saw all those children laughing, it brought me back into the fold. It made me realize the role I have to play. “For them and for me.”  Eric Schmitt-Matzen’s account of an encounter with a 5-year-old boy was first printed by the Knoxville News-Sentinel on 12 December 2016, before it was picked up by USA Today. Schmitt-Matzen himself did interviews with both local and international outlets. According to the story by columnist Sam Venable, Schmitt-Matzen, a mechanical engineer who moonlights as a part-time Santa Claus, was contacted by a friend working as a nurse at a local hospital and asked to visit the boy. Schmitt-Matzen arrived moments before the boy’s death, having just enough time to hold him in his final moments. Venable told us that Schmitt-Matzen has refused to identify the family, the hospital, or the nurse involved in the story in follow-up interviews. However, Schmitt-Matzen did backtrack from his initial claim that he reached the facility in 15 minutes, saying instead that it was in East Tennessee. According to Venable, the News-Sentinel was still investigating Schmitt-Matzen’s claim, proclaiming: “Certainly, if we are in error on this, we want to be the very first to come out and say — if there is an error — it’s on us.” We contacted several hospitals in Knoxville for comment. Both the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and the University of Tennessee Medical Center confirmed that a visit like the one Schmitt-Matzen described did not occur at their respective facilities. Tennova Healthcare, which manages several hospitals in the area, told the Washington Post that it did not take place at any affiliated facility. It is unclear whether a scenario like the one Schmitt-Matzen described constitutes privacy violations for the patient and his family under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. We contacted both the Tennessee Department of Health and the federal Department of Health and Human Services seeking comment. On 14 December 2016, the News-Sentinel released a separate story, attributed to Venable and Editor Jack McElroy, saying they could not verify the story: The News Sentinel cannot establish that Schmitt-Matzen’s account is inaccurate, but more importantly, ongoing reporting cannot establish that it is accurate. Therefore, because the story does not meet the newspaper’s standards of verification, we are no longer standing by the veracity of Schmitt-Matzen’s account. Another Knoxville news outlet, WBIR-TV, posted a story a day later saying that it “verified several critical details of this story” while agreeing not to publish them. The station’s story cited interviews with Schmitt-Matzen’s wife, Sharon Schmitt-Matzen, as well as a friend identified as Daniel Cunningham. It also cited — but did not quote — text messages sent from Eric Schmitt-Matzen’s phone to Cunningham and another friend on the night of the alleged visit, which WBIR said took place in October 2016. It does not, however, state whether the station confirmed this account with any healthcare facility. Reporter Becca Habegger told us: We’re pointing everyone to our web story online and letting that speak for itself. Since Schmitt-Matzen has reiterated his account of the visit, we cannot say with absolute certainty that it didn’t happen — nor do we want to have to say it. He did not respond to a request for comment from us but did tell the Post: If some people want to call me a liar … I can handle that better than I can handle a child in my arms dying. It’s sticks and stones. However, it’s also impossible to say that it did, because of an apparent lack of vetting of his claims by the multiple media outlets that ran with the story without following up on Venable’s initial reporting or finding a second source for the claim.


Parking lot carjackers are placing flyers or $100 bills on the windows of automobiles, then taking the cars when drivers step out of their vehicles to remove them.

Explanation: In November 2014, Washington, D.C., television station WJLA ran a muddled news report about a new satellite office of the Maryland attorney general issuing a warning about “carjackers” or “scammers” (they couldn’t decide which) leaving $100 bills (or fakes that look like $100 bills, they weren’t clear which) under the windshield wipers of cars parked at malls and then taking off with those vehicles when their drivers exit them to snatch the money. But again, the whole news story was based on nothing more than someone at the attorney general’s office saying they had “gotten reports of scammers in Maryland leaving $100 bills on windshields” and provided no documented instance of such a crime actually having taken place. The attorney general’s office told us they had received only a single (unconfirmed) report of this supposed crime wave, but “due to the severity of the issue, we have reported it to make people aware of it.”

Forms of a “carjacking” alert have been kicking around the Internet since at least February 2004, even though what they describe might more accurately be described as a form of automobile theft rather than a form of carjacking (which involves threatening or attacking the driver of a vehicle to force him out of his car):  Imagine: You walk across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. Then you lock all your doors, start the engine and shift into REVERSE. Habit! You look into the rear-view window to back out of your parking space and you notice a piece of paper, some sort of advertisement stuck to your rear window. So, you shift into PARK, unlock your doors and jump out of your vehicle to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view … when you reach the back of your car, that is when the car-jackers jump out of nowhere … jump into your car and take off — your engine was running, your purse is in the car, and they practically mow you down as they speed off in your car. BE AWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME  Just drive away and remove the paper that is stuck to your window later … and be thankful that you read this email and that you forwarded it to your friends. Please beware that my daughter was coming out of the West York Wal-Mart tonight and as she was walking to her car she noticed that a couple of guys were watching her, she got into her car and locked her doors. As she was leaving she saw what appeared to be a 100.00 dollar bill on her windshield, she was smart enough not to get out of her car at the time because she remember a email that I sent her not that long ago about people putting something on the windshield and when the person gets out to retrieve it they are car jacked. Here’s a pic of the fake money….be careful. Ever since the earliest warnings of this putative form of crime hit the Internet, we have been following news reports for any documented instances of an actual car theft (either perpetrated or merely attempted) that followed the script outlined in the widely-spread e-mailed caution, but we have yet to turn up evidence of so much as one. Were this “lure motorists from their vehicles by leaving flyers on their rear windows, then drive off with their cars” method as commonly in play as suggested in the example above, that surely would not have been the case. Nothing rules out there having been a few thefts carried out in the manner described that we have yet to hear about. But even if that proved to be the case, there is clearly no crime wave, no ever-present danger to motorists everywhere, no flyer-armed menace lurking in the nation’s parking lots. Our law enforcement contacts have also noted that although the process described above could be used by carjackers, they were unfamiliar with any cases of cars being taken in this manner, and the scheme outlined ran contrary to their experience of how carjackers operate. Specifically, they said that carjackings are generally crimes of opportunity, committed by persons in need of quick cash or youngsters either out for a thrill or participating in some rite of passage (such as a gang initiation). Carjackers tend to hang around places where motorists have to stop or exit their vehicles (e.g., intersections, gas stations, car washes, ATMs, freeway on- and off-ramps) and then force the drivers out of their automobiles (or simply take off with the temporarily unoccupied cars). Running around parking lots sticking flyers on windshields and then hanging around to wait for drivers to return to their vehicles involves planning and exposure atypical of most carjackers; they’re more likely to approach occupied vehicles (particularly luxury cars with high resale value) and force the drivers out (by threatening them with weapons and/or physically pulling them out of their seats). They acknowledged, however, that as improvements in car alarms, locking devices, and other anti-theft systems have made it harder to steal unoccupied vehicles, car thieves (i.e., those who boost vehicles on a regular basis, without the use of violence or weaponry) may be resorting to alternative methods such as the one described above. However, attracting attention by plastering parked cars with flyers or fake money, hanging around waiting for the drivers of those vehicles to return to their autos, and hoping that those motorists don’t remove what was left on their windshields or windows before entering their cars (rather than afterwards) isn’t a terribly efficient scheme for grand theft auto. This alert has gained a measure of credibility thanks to it having been forwarded by members of the law enforcement community. Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Terry Granell received the warning via the usual method (a friend e-mailed it to him), thought it something he should pass along to his daughters, and so unthinkingly volleyed it to them from his work account, which automatically appended his official signature block to the mailing. Taking their dad’s e-mail for an official announcement from the Illinois State Police about a mode of crime that agency was dealing with, the alarmed girls passed along the heads up about leaflet-armed carjackers to their friends, who in turn loosed it upon a wider audience. As it sped from one inbox to the next, the alert was presumed authentic because it carried the contact information for a real police officer. Yet appearances to the contrary, Sgt. Granell’s e-mail wasn’t an official statement made on behalf of the Illinois State Police about a form of crime it had noted and wanted the public to guard itself against, it was merely the passing along of a dubious e-mail by a private citizen who just happened to be a police officer. Later versions of this e-mail identified Sgt. Granell as being a member of the Louisiana State Patrol or Louisiana State Police. One of the many versions in circulation commenced:  Detective Bledsoe, of the Florissant, MO Sheriff’s office confirms that this is happening in St. Louis County, Missouri and could be happening near you, so be careful and take note. Leutenant Tony Bartholome of the Missouiri Highway Patrol urges everyone to keep this email circulating — the more people who are aware of this MO, the better. Description of new carjacking scheme:  The Florissant (Missouri) Police Department posted a denial of this claim on their web site:  ERRONEOUS E-MAIL CAUSES ALARM IN CITY OF FLORISSANT Chief William Karabas of the Florissant Police Department wants to make the public aware of an erroneous e-mail circulating in reference to auto thefts, specifically ‘car jacking’ incidents in the City of Florissant. “I want to put an end to this rumor. The City of Florissant has not had any incidents of this nature!”, said Chief Karabas. In fact, the e-mail makes reference to many false claims. Chief Karabas stated, “Some of the points include, referring to the Florissant Police Department as a Sheriffs Department, which we are not, we DO NOT have a Detective Bledsoe, there is NO State Trooper named Bartholome, there is NO Missouri Neighborhood Watch Association, there is NO such address (1456 Washington Ave) in Florissant and the telephone number given on the e-mail is NOT IN SERVICE!”  Again, there is NO validity to this e-mail. It is FALSE. We ask that people be informed and get the correct information. One way to check e-mails for validity is to call your police department or go on-line to check â? ?Urban Legendsâ?? at www.snopes.com  Detective Bledsoe of the infamous warning notoriety is an actual police officer, but he serves with the Montgomery County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office, not the Florissant Police Department. (Montgomery County is just north of Houston.) He came to have this Internet can tied to his tail after receiving the “carjackers using flyers to lure victims from their vehicles” warning in his e-mail in February 2005 and sending it to some friends as an example of what possibly could happen, not realizing that his official signature block would be automatically appended to his forward. He has no personal knowledge of carjackings being carried out by this method, he has not been party to any such investigations, nor was his e-mail meant as an official alert on behalf of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Since February 2005, Det. Bledsoe has fielded more than 300 phone calls about the warning many presume he authored, with inquiries coming in from all over the country. There is a Lt. Tony Bartolome, but he’s with the Florida Highway Patrol, not Missouri’s. His involvement with the e-mail began in 2004. As Lt. Bartolome stated on the FHP web site: “I got that information four and half years ago from the San Diego police. I passed it on to a couple of friends. I wish I’d never sent it.”  San Diego police Sergeant Jim Shorr said he’s seen the message on the Internet, but to his knowledge San Diego hasn’t had any cases like it. “It was attributed to us,” he said. “But I don’t know where it came from.”  New Zealand experienced a resurgence of the rumor in 2009 when a version in circulation that included the name of a police employee and the NZ Police logo made the rounds. The New Zealand Police said that the rumor “is an urban myth”:  Police are urging people who receive an email about tactics used in supposed ‘carjackings’ to delete it rather than forwarding it to friends and family, as it is an urban myth. The email has been around for some time and appears to be experiencing another circulation surge at the moment. It gained momentum earlier this year as it contains the name of a Police employee and the NZ Police logo — lending it credibility. The email was passed on, albeit with the best of intentions, by the employee, gaining the staff member’s details and Police logo in the process. The email warns recipients to be on the lookout for a piece of paper stuck to the rear window of their vehicle, seen only as they back out of parking spaces. The scenario suggests people then get out of their vehicle to remove the piece of paper, leaving keys in the ignition, the engine running and their bags/purses and other valuables in the car. When the vehicle owner gets out of their car, waiting ‘offenders’ then take the car and its contents. Police say it is easy for people to be taken in by such stories, evidenced by the fact a Police employee saw fit to forward the email on. Police say it’s simply not good practice to exit a vehicle with keys in the ignition, the engine running and valuables inside. In December 2009 the e-mail was attributed to Mark Scheck, an officer with the RCMP in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. While the officer is real, his connection with the e-mail was not, as an article in the Wetaskiwin Times confirmed.


Fight against malaria could be set back 20 years, WHO warns.

Explanation: One of the hard lessons the World Health Organization learned during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was this: Other diseases can be forgotten and take a deadlier toll.

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The WHO is now warning that the battle against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, where it already kills hundreds of thousands of people a year, could be set back by 20 years as countries focus energy and resources on containing the coronavirus. The WHO said new projections indicate that in a worst-case scenario, 769,000 people could die of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa this year as campaigns to combat it are interrupted. That’s more than double the deaths in the last detailed count two years ago, when more than 360,000 people died, and would be the worst figures for the region since 2000. “We must not turn back the clock,” Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said Thursday. While health experts express fears that the coronavirus pandemic could erode the global fight against many diseases,  sub-Saharan Africa is by far the worst affected by malaria. It had 93% of the world’s cases and 94% of deaths in 2018, the WHO said. The deaths were mainly children under the age of 5. There have already been “severe disruptions” to anti-malaria campaigns and access to anti-malaria medication in Africa, WHO said. The warning came ahead of World Malaria Day on Saturday. Malaria remains one of the leading killers in low-income countries. “I urge all countries to not lose focus on their gains made in health as they adapt to tackle this new threat,” Moeti said. “We saw with the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa that we lost more people to malaria, for instance, than we lost to the Ebola outbreak. Let us not repeat that with COVID-19.” Africa has reported more than 27,000 cases of COVID-19 and nearly 1,300 deaths, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The continent is at a point in the outbreak that more than one health expert has referred to as the calm before the storm. “This means that countries across the region have a critical window of opportunity to minimize disruptions in malaria prevention and treatment and save lives,” WHO said in a statement aimed at highlighting the threat malaria still poses. Malaria isn’t the only concern. Immunization campaigns to protect children against measles, polio and yellow fever are also affected, and not just in Africa. Earlier this month, the Measles and Rubella Initiative said more than 24 countries including South Sudan, Mexico and Bangladesh had suspended immunizations, and that figure could rise to 37. More than 117 million children may miss out on receiving possibly life-saving vaccines for measles, which has seen a resurgence in recent years. Perhaps the most alarming suspension of an immunization program has occurred in Congo, where more than 6,000 people have died in the world’s largest current measles outbreak. The outbreak has lasted over a year, an immensely frustrating development for health officials given that a vaccine was developed more than 50 years ago.


Isles’ Lehner thrives after confronting mental health issues.

Explanation: A sign hangs above the door between the locker room and the ice at the New York Islanders’ practice facility that reads, “GET BETTER TODAY.”

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It carries a powerful double meaning for Robin Lehner, who before the season disclosed his struggles with mental illness and is now a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender. He was a huge reason the Islanders returned to the playoffs after a two-year absence. “It’s been a fun year,” Lehner said. “I feel like I’m playing good. ... Obviously I made some changes. Yeah, it’s clicking.” It’s finally clicking in every possible way for Lehner, who has figured out how to manage a bipolar disorder and thrive on and off the ice. The 27-year-old Swede set a career high with 25 victories, posted a 2.13 goals-against average and .930 save percentage and, in tandem with Thomas Greiss, helped New York go from worst to first in the league in goals allowed. Lehner stopped 130 of the 136 shots he faced in a first-round sweep of the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins to get the Islanders into the second round against Carolina. He didn’t do it all himself, but teammates are quick to say Lehner shouldered the burden to solve his problems. “Robin’s handled a lot of this with his support staff and his family and people that are closest to him, and he’s done a wonderful job with that,” captain Anders Lee said. “The biggest thing is just being there for him, letting him know that we have his back and if he needs to reach out to any of us, just being an outlet.” Lehner first detailed his demons and diagnosis of bipolar 1 with manic phases in an essay published by The Athletic in September. He documented his suicidal thoughts, the game that forced him to seek help from the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse & Behavioral Help program and his path back to the ice. Islanders winger Matt Martin recalls meeting Lehner last summer. Lehner was fresh out of a stint in alcohol rehab and had just landed a contract. “He was kind of on his way back,” Martin recalled. “He had a clear head, but he still had a long way to go from a fitness standpoint and he worked hard every day. He was here all summer getting better.” It had been a rocky road. After he was revealed as a Vezina finalist, Lehner said eight or nine teams were interested in him as a free agent last summer before that list shrunk to two after he and his agent were transparent about his coming out of rehab; one meeting “didn’t go well at all.” Conversations with new Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello changed Lehner’s life. Lamoriello signed Lehner to a $1.5 million, one-year contract that is known in hockey circles as a “prove-it” deal. Lehner has outperformed it by leaps and bounds and the organization has helped him. “It’s not like I’ve been a special case that I need someone holding my hands,” Lehner said. “They’ve been incredibly supportive and open-minded and nonjudgmental and all that stuff.” Lehner said plenty of people deserve credit for his spectacular season, from Lamoriello and new coach Barry Trotz to goaltending guru Mitch Korn and goalie coach Piero Greco. But those around the league believe Lehner also deserves a lot of credit for the courage to tell his story. “We are extraordinarily proud of him both in terms of what he’s been able to accomplish for himself and his family personally,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “I do believe that players and the league based on the profile we have can be role models, can let people who are not processional athletes but who adore the games and professional athletes understand that everybody can have problems and everybody can have issues, it doesn’t matter what your walk of life is and that there is hope and that you can address these things.” Attitudes in hockey have changed since Corey Hirsch tended goal in the NHL and dealt with his own mental health issues, largely in hiding. He, too, has disclosed details publicly to help others learn and understand. “You’re seen as mentally weak. ... I know what I went through and I know the strength you have to have to get to practice every day,” Hirsch said this week. “The excuse that we don’t want someone who has mental illness because I can’t win a Stanley Cup with them or have a successful team, Robin Lehner just blew that out of the water.” Lehner did so after the Islanders made him part of their plan at goaltender after struggling at that position last season. They’ve since watched him turn into a leading piece of a playoff run for a franchise starved for postseason success over the past quarter century. “Robin has got his life in order,” Trotz said. “When your life is in order, your career is in order. It’s amazing how it sort of goes hand in hand. If it’s not in order, I guarantee you it will fall apart. He’s done a really great job. Really proud of him for getting all that stuff in order and he’s been rewarded with a real great year.” The Islanders by extension have been rewarded for their belief in Lehner, who has been in an ongoing battle while having a career year. “I know if I go into depression, if I go into mania, I know now and my wife knows, ‘OK, maybe I need to fix something, tweak something,’ and I’ve had to do that throughout this whole season,” Lehner said. “I’ve had bad days. I’m always going to have them. It’s like everyone else on their team, they’re going to have bad days. It might get a little worse, but I know how to handle it now and it’s nothing to be scared of.” Lehner revealed his struggles as a way to educate the public and try to influence others who are dealing with similar things. That, more than anything else, is what impresses teammates about how Lehner has handled his journey. “He just really wants to help other people now because he’s been obviously in a dark place and he wants to help other people out of that dark place because he’s an example of kind of that sort of success story,” Martin said. “I’m sure it’s not easy for him. I’m sure he still has his demons, I guess, on a day to day basis, but he’s done a great job and we’re all here for him.” ___ Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno ___ More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


EU suspends delivery of 10 million masks over quality issues.

Explanation: The European Commission said Thursday it has suspended the delivery of 10 million Chinese masks to member states and Britain after two countries complained about the poor quality of the batches they received.

Understanding the Outbreak, Health, Poland, Virus Outbreak, Europe, General News

As part of its efforts to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, this month the EU’s executive arm started dispatching the masks to health care workers. After a first batch of 1.5 million masks was shipped to 17 of the 27 member states and Britain, Poland ’s health minister Lukasz Szumowski said the 600,000 items Polish authorities received did not have European certificates and failed to comply with the medical standards required for their distribution. “We have decided to suspend future deliveries of these masks,” Commission health spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker said. “We will then see what action needs to be taken if there is indeed a quality problem with these masks.” According to De Keersmaecker, another member state, the Netherlands, has identified similar problems so far. The whole stock of masks was purchased from a Chinese provider via a EU fund. It was set to be distributed in weekly installments over six weeks. De Keersmaecker insisted that the Commission scrupulously followed all control measures when it bought the masks, and verified they were usable. “If necessary we will of course take any necessary legal action,” De Keersmaecker said. He added that the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, has alerted all the countries which have already received masks about the potential problems and asked them to provide feedback on their quality. “It is of utmost importance that personal protective equipment sent out by the Commission is of very high quality,” De Keersmaecker said. “That’s fundamental because that equipment is used by citizens and by professionals in the health sector.”  ___ Monika Scislowska in Warsaw contributed. ___ Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


Research finds talc doesn’t cause cancer; juries disagree.

Explanation: Two lawsuits ended in jury verdicts worth $127 million. Two others were tossed out by a judge who said there wasn’t reliable evidence that the talc in Johnson & Johnson’s iconic baby powder causes ovarian cancer. So who’s right? And is baby powder safe?

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Most research finds no link or a weak one between ovarian cancer and using baby powder for feminine hygiene, a practice generations of American mothers have passed on to their daughters. Most major health groups have declared talc harmless. Johnson & Johnson, whose baby powder dominates the market, says it’s perfectly safe. Yet some 2,000 women have sued, and lawyers are reviewing thousands of other potential cases, most generated by ads touting the two big verdicts. Meanwhile, jury selection in the next trial began Monday. A look at the issue: WHAT IS TALC? Talc is a mineral that is mined from deposits around the world, including the U.S. The softest of minerals, it’s crushed into a white powder. It’s been widely used in cosmetics and other personal care products to absorb moisture since at least 1894, when Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder was launched. But it’s mainly used in a variety of other products, including paint and plastics. DOES IT CAUSE OVARIAN CANCER? Like many questions in science, there’s no definitive answer. Finding the cause of cancer is difficult. It would be unethical to do the best kind of study, asking a group of women to use talcum powder on their genitals and wait to see if it causes cancer, while comparing them to a group who didn’t use it. While ovarian cancer is often fatal, it’s relatively rare. It accounts for only about 22,000 of the 1.7 million new cases of cancer expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year. Factors that are known to increase a women’s risk of ovarian cancer include age, obesity, use of estrogen therapy after menopause, not having any children, certain genetic mutations and personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer. WHAT RESEARCH CAN BE DONE Two other kinds of research are possible. Neither of them, though, can conclusively prove something causes cancer. One looks back in time, after an illness has occurred. It compares two groups of people, one with the illness, one without, and asks about past exposures that might be factors. But people have trouble remembering details years later. The second approach follows a large group of people. It assesses their health at the start and follows them for years, recording any illnesses while tracking possible influences such as diet and use of medication, alcohol or other substances. Scientists generally find these “prospective” studies most reliable. WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS The biggest prospective studies have found no link between talcum powder applied to the genitals and ovarian cancer. But about two dozen smaller, look-back studies over three decades have mostly found a modest connection — a 20 percent to 40 percent increased risk among talc users. However, that doesn’t mean talc causes cancer. Several factors make that unlikely and there’s no proof talc, which doesn’t interact with chemicals or cells, can travel up the reproductive tract, enter the ovaries and then trigger cancer. One large study published in June that followed 51,000 sisters of breast cancer patients found genital talc users had a reduced risk of ovarian cancer, 27 percent lower than in nonusers. An analysis of two huge, long-running U.S. studies, the Women’s Health Initiative and the Nurses’ Health Study, showed no increased risk of ovarian cancer in talc users. WHAT EXPERTS SAY If there were a true link, Dr. Hal C. Lawrence III says large studies that tracked women’s health for years would have verified results of the smaller look-back ones. “Lord knows, with the amount of powder that’s been applied to babies’ bottoms, we would’ve seen something” if talc caused cancer, said Lawrence, vice president of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The National Cancer Institute’s Dr. Nicolas Wentzensen says the federal agency’s position is that there’s not a clear connection. “It is very hard to establish causal relationships,” he said, adding, “A lot of ovarian cancers occur in women who have never used talc, and many women have used talc and not gotten ovarian cancer.” Research director Elizabeth Ward of the American Cancer Society says it is unusual to have so much discrepancy between studies. “The risk for any individual woman, if there is one, is probably very small,” Ward said. WHAT LAWYERS AND COURTS SAY Like the studies, courts have produced mixed results. In the first trial two years ago, a South Dakota jury found Johnson & Johnson liable for one woman’s ovarian cancer but didn’t award any damages. This year, state court juries in St. Louis awarded plaintiffs $72 million and $55 million — verdicts the company is appealing. But U.S. District Judge Nelson Johnson in Atlantic City threw out the first two of the 400 lawsuits in his court. He reviewed the research and testimony from two doctors who are the plaintiffs’ key expert witnesses and concluded the two aren’t reliable, noting they had previously written that there was no proof talc causes ovarian cancer. Other courts approved them as experts, noted the plaintiffs’ attorney, Ted Meadows of Montgomery, Alabama. J&J attorney John Beisner says the health care giant plans to fight every lawsuit, rather than settle, “for the fundamental reason that the science on which they’re based is totally lacking.” Most of the pending cases are in Missouri, California and New Jersey, where J&J is based. In the case that began Monday in St. Louis, lawyers for Deborah Giannecchini of Modesto, California, say she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012 after years of talcum use. Her lawsuit accuses the company of “negligent conduct” in making and marketing its talc. ___ Follow Linda A. Johnson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lindaj_onpharma.


US senators ask federal government to address youth vaping.

Explanation: U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal says he’s leading a group of a dozen senators in urging the federal government to do more to prevent young people from vaping.

Health, Jack Reed, Elizabeth Warren, Connecticut, Patrick Leahy, Edward Markey, Vaping, Richard Blumenthal

The Connecticut Democrat says the senators asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Friday to “take long overdue steps” to advance policies to prevent more adolescents from becoming addicted to electronic cigarettes and help youth quit vaping. The signatories, all Democrats, include Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey and Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy. The CDC said Thursday that 18 deaths linked to vaping have been confirmed in 15 states, and 80% of patients in lung injury cases associated with vaping products are younger than 35 years old. The senators say there’s a growing “e-cigarette epidemic.”


Our spending has caught up with us, and our debt soon will eclipse the entire size of our national economy.

Explanation: House Speaker John Boehner has the right count on the magnitude of the federal debt

Ohio, Deficit, Federal Budget, John Boehner,

Republicans like to say the government is spending like a drunken sailor. Democrats say the government needs to keep spending, albeit strategically, to jolt job creation. It’s all relative to political persuasion and the economic theories that partisans follow. But congressman John Boehner, a southwestern Ohio Republican who just became speaker of the House of Representatives, provides a perspective that Americans outside of Washington  might not think about. "Our spending has caught up with us, and our debt soon will eclipse the entire size of our national economy," Boehner said in his inaugural remarks upon accepting the speaker’s gavel. "Hard work and tough decisions will be required of the 112th Congress." There are certain assumptions built into this claim about the extent of the government’s debt, although they are widely held and agreed to by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and President Barack Obama’s commission on reducing the deficit and debt. But before going there, we thought we’d look at Boehner’s statement in its most simplistic interpretation. The United States government’s total debt on the day Boehner took over as speaker was $14 trillion, according to the Treasury Department’s interactive "Debt to the Penny" website. The size of the United States economy, measured by the gross domestic product, or the value of all goods and services, was $14.745 trillion in the third quarter of 2010, the most recent quarter for which data is available. This number comes from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis databases. Using only these numbers, it would appear that the eclipse is about to start. But since GDP estimates are not as current as the debt numbers, we wanted to see how big the debt was at the  end of the third quarter of 2010. Going back to Treasury’s calculator, we got a debt figure of $13.668 trillion by putting the date at Oct. 31, 2010. Boehner said "soon," so he was correct: $13.6 trillion in debt against a $14.7 trillion economy signals the onset of an eclipse. Economists and analysts who are reading this by now are shouting, "Wait!" We understand. Some government debt is considered way more troubling than other, and many analysts say that only part of it should be used when measuring its size against the total economy. A mercifully short primer: Federal debt has two major components, namely, debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings. Public debt is money the government owes to the public, including foreigners who buy government T bills and retirees who want safe government bonds. The government sells them these bills and bonds and uses the money to operate. But like a loan, the money must be paid back in real cash. Intragovernmental holdings involve such things as Social Security Trust Fund IOU’s and other transfers between divisions of the government. These borrowings must be repaid, too, but they don’t put an immediate crimp on the government, and they often are handled by shuffling paper back and forth between departments, despite the future perils that may hold (the piper must be paid eventually, and all that). In other words, the public debt will require real money to repay the lenders, and that has a faster ripple effect in the private sector. So we go back to that Treasury calculator to see how much money this might involve. It shows that the public debt on the day that Boehner took control of the House was nearly $9.4 trillion. It was $9.069 trillion as of the end of last October, when the GDP was $14.745 trillion, or nearly 62 percent of the GDP. That’s a high debt-to-GDP ratio by historic standards, although it was much higher at the end of World War II, when the debt did in fact exceed the nation’s GDP. But what worries Boehner and many others is the projection that the public debt could reach World War II proportions again. If current practices aren’t changed, debt will reach 90 percent of GDP in 2020, according to the Congressional Budget Office, whose figures were cited by President Barack Obama’s national Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform in December. Brian Riedl, a research fellow at the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation, told us the public debt could reach 100 percent of GDP by then, "and if you add in state and local debt, it could be as early as 2016, 2017 or 2018." And if this trend were to continue? Unless Congress made some big changes, "the federal debt would balloon to 185 percent of GDP by 2035," said the CBO. The president’s commission used the same warning. Would this automatically be catastrophic? That depends on the government’s choices. For a parallel, consider the mortgage on a house, which often exceeds the owner’s income by 200 percent or 300 percent. The problem is that if there are other debts and the car breaks down and Junior suddenly needs braces, the homeowner is likely to have a problem that limits his financial and lifestyle options. For the government, this would likely drive up interest rates as the government competed with the private sector to borrow money, and crimp economic growth. It could result in tax hikes, spending cuts and stingier government entitlements, analysts say.. It needs to be noted that these projections are based on the most dire projections that use a set of what-ifs, and rosier estimates show up, in fact, in current budget documents. But the what-ifs come from realistic expectations about the way Washington operates. For example, the CBO noted that Congress passed tax cuts a decade ago and projected they would only last a decade. Yet Congress just renewed them. Similarly, Congress keeps passing temporary, one-year payment hikes for Medicare doctors who otherwise would see steep cuts -- and might stop caring for seniors. While well-intentioned, this keeps the long-term costs from looking too bad when projecting future budgets, despite the fact that renewal is a near certainty every single year. The CBO doesn’t say this is nefarious; it just says that continuation of these kinds of practices has consequences. So what of Boehner’s claim that the debt will "soon" eclipse the size of the economy? We are not endorsing or rejecting Boehner’s proposed solutions or his analysis of the policies that led to the problem. Democrats blame the war in Iraq and the tax cuts of former President George W. Bush, while Republicans blame spending by Democrats and President Barack Obama’s White House. Some economists suggest that with sensible policy changes and an economy that eventually turns robust, these fears will never come to pass. But when the nonpartisan CBO and the Democratic president’s fiscal commission agree with the Republican leader on the scope of the problem, both citing the prospect public debt at 185 percent of GDP, the Truth-O-Meter must concur that his prediction is reasonable.


France's coronavirus death rate accelerates, cases near 100,000.

Explanation: France’s coronavirus figures on Monday showed that the rate of increase in fatalities - now at almost 9,000 - sped up again after several days of slowing, while the increase in people needing intensive care continued to decelerate.

The total number of cases, combining hospital and nursing home statistics, increased by 5,171 over the last 24 hours to 98,010, meaning France will likely become the fifth country, after Italy, Spain, the United States and Germany, to cross the 100,000 threshold on Tuesday. “The pandemic hasn’t stopped expanding. The figures prove it,” Health Minister Olivier Veran said, adding that the government had decided to mass screen nursing homes which account for about 27% of the total death toll. “We must keep up our efforts as citizens by staying at home,” Veran added. Some health officials had suggested on Sunday that French people appeared to comply less strictly to the national lockdown than in other countries. France started including data from nursing homes last Thursday, which partially explains why the official number of deaths has more than doubled since Wednesday. The health ministry data showed that 605 people died from COVID-19 in hospitals in the last 24 hours - a new daily record - taking hospital fatalities to 6,494. The figure represented a 10% increase, up from 6% on Sunday and 9% on Saturday. Nursing homes deaths also rose 10% to 2,417, bringing the total to 8,911, an increase of 10% on Sunday’s tally. A total of 7,072 serious coronavirus cases were being treated in intensive care units, Veran added, a rise of just 1.3% from Sunday, giving the French health system small but much-needed relief.


$150K grant will help unravel mysterious panther illness.

Explanation: Florida’s mysteriously ailing big cats will soon get some help from Florida black bears.

Wildlife, Animals, Bears, Florida, Environment, Science, Naples

The Naples Daily News reports that a $150,000 grant from the Fish & Wildlife Foundation will fund scientists researching a troubling neuromuscular disorder afflicting the state’s panthers and bobcats. Every “Conserve Wildlife Florida” tag featuring a Florida black bear delivers $25 to the nonprofit foundation, which supports Florida’s rare species and other nongame wildlife. Wildlife biologists will use the grant to collect and analyze images from trail cameras in the cats’ habitat as well as perform diagnostic tests on the animals. The illness has remained a puzzle. Affected big felines have damaged myelin, an insulating sheath that protects nerve cells. The disorder causes it to break down, which also occurs in some human neurodegenerative such as multiple sclerosis. “We termed the condition feline leukomyelopathy based on the microscopic changes seen in the brain and spine. We continue to learn more about it but have not yet determined a cause, as well as what can be done to prevent further panthers from acquiring the disease,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission veterinarian Mark Cunningham told the paper last year.


Acupuncture shows promise for depression in pregnancy

Explanation: The story met many of our criteria. Room for improvement: a discussion of cost and interviews with sources not affiliated with the trial. Alerting the reader to study limitations is just as important as reporting the results. In this case, a quote from the lead researcher tells us much of what we need to know: “I do not think we can say that our study proves that acupuncture is effective for depression during pregnancy.”

No mention of the cost of acupuncture, which is relevant, especially since acupuncture is not always covered by insurance The story only reported benefits in percentages in each group that "responded to therapy," but later the story provided the actual numbers of women assigned to the three study groups – so it’s possible for readers to do the math. Nonetheless, why make them do the math? Why not just give the absolute numbers of how many in each group responded?


Antibiotics should be used to fight Covid-19. Antibiotics are not recommended in patients with Covid-19. Covid-19 is caused by a virus and antibiotics are used to prevent or treat bacterial infections. Antivirals should be used to fight Covid-19. Antiviral drugs can be used to treat viral infections, but no specific antiviral drug has been conclusively shown to be effective against Covid-19 so far. Anti-inflammatories should be used to fight Covid-19. Anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen may be useful in treating Covid-19 symptoms at home. Anticoagulants should be used to fight Covid-19. There is evidence supporting the use of anticoagulants in some Covid-19 patients. Claim 1 of 5


Fish Oil Has Benefits After a Heart Attack: Study

Explanation: In a randomized controlled trial studying fish oil versus placebo, a very modest improvement in heart health markers was observed in people prescribed fish oil. This TIME article demonstrates a good understanding of the study’s novelty, which appears to be among the first to look at potential benefits of fish oil in patients who have just had a heart attack. However, the story missed the mark in several ways: It didn’t mention the potential harms of taking fish oil if you’re a post-heart attack patient, nor did it discuss costs of the intervention. The only person quoted is the lead researcher of the study–an independent source was needed. Lastly, several limitations of the study are not discussed, including that many patients did not return for post-treatment follow-up. Fish oil is a widely used health supplement. Notwithstanding dozens of rigorous studies that cast doubt on its actual health benefits, the popularity of fish oil supplements remains unabated. Most studies have looked at the preventive benefits of fish oil in high-risk populations. The study reported here, on the other hand, examines the protective benefits of fish oil in patients right after a heart attack. The results suggest that high doses of fish oil after a heart attack may have modest benefits, based on measurements of things like scarring and heart function, which are surrogate markers. News coverage ideally points out this fact–that these markers can’t tell us if fish oil actually reduces the risk of a repeat heart attack, death or other cardiac event.

Costs of the intervention are not disclosed. A casual reading of the news article may lead one to believe that over-the-counter fish oil was used in the treatment arm of the study. However, our own careful reading of the original study reveals that GlaxoSmithKline (Research Triangle Park, NC) provided both the fish oil and placebo pills. (The study was solely funded by the National Institutes of Health.) A curious reader might ask what is the cost discrepancy between the fish oil by GlaxoSmithKline and a standard over-the-counter fish oil product, too. The story includes the most salient quantitative evidence of the study: This is sufficient for a Satisfactory rating. However, more context would have made the story stronger: That researchers don’t know what “6% less scarring” means in terms of actually reducing a repeat heart attack, death or another cardiac event. And from the original study, we learn that compared to standard post-heart attack medical therapies, the benefits of fish oil were not significant: “after adjusting for standard post-MI (heart attack) medical therapies, there was only a nonstatistically significant trend for the treatment effect of O-3FA (omega-3 fatty acids) on noninfarct myocardial fibrosis (abnormal scarring of the heart muscle).” Harms should have been included. As made clear in a New York Times story, Dr. James Stein of the preventive cardiology department at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics explained that “fish oil can be hazardous when combined with aspirin or other blood thinners.” This seems particularly pertinent here as post heart-attack patients are often recommended to take aspirin. The article provides an accurate description of the study design, including the sample size and type of design. There is, however, a lack of discussion around study limitations. And the limitations were significant enough that we feel they should have been included in any news coverage. For example, readers should be strongly reminded that the study was measuring surrogate markers, and not direct events like repeat heart attacks. And importantly, the study notes that “a substantial proportion of patients could not return for the post-treatment follow-up visit” and that “no specific recommendations were given with regard to dietary omega-3 fatty acid intake.” There is no disease-mongering. Only the lead investigator, Dr. Raymond Kwong, was interviewed. No alternatives to fish oil were discussed. Most people understand that fish oil is available over the counter, so we’ll rate this Satisfactory–though just marginally, because the fish oil prescribed to people in the treatment arm of the study was not standard over-the-counter fish oil pills; see our discussion on this in the “Discuss costs” section above. The article demonstrates a good understanding that the novelty of the study lies in examining the protective benefits of fish oil right after a heart attack. That is, the study is novel in its patient population. A further discussion of using MRI to assess heart conditions would’ve further highlighted the novelty of the study. The article does not appear to be based on a news release.


Merck says thousands file for Vioxx payments.

Explanation: Merck & Co on Monday said it has moved  closer to resolving thousands of claims arising from its 2004  withdrawal of arthritis pill Vioxx, with 93 percent of people  alleging the drug caused a heart attack or stroke submitting  documents in a $4.85 billion settlement.

Of some 47,000 people who registered eligible injuries,  about 44,000 submitted some or all of the documents that could  qualify them for an interim payment in the program to resolve  state and federal heart attack and stroke claims filed in the  United States, Merck said. Merck withdrew arthritis pill Vioxx from the market in  September 2004 after research found it doubled heart attack and  stroke risk in patients who took it for at least 18 months. More than 20 million people in the United States had used the  drug, and the company was hit with tens of thousands of  personal-injury lawsuits. A November settlement agreement with people alleging injury  from the drug calls for the company to meet an 85 percent  threshold for receiving enrollment documents in various claims  categories. Meeting the threshold obligates Merck to pay $4.85 billion  in installments into a resolution fund. About 5,500 eligible heart attack and stroke claimants  alleging death have initiated enrollment, and more than 26,500  eligible heart attack and stroke claimants alleging more than  12 months of use have initiated enrollment, Merck said. In  addition, the eligibility of another 5,000 claimants who have  sought to enroll has to be determined. The company said it expects to meet all enrollment  thresholds. Merck recorded a fourth-quarter 2007 pretax charge of $4.85  billion to cover the cost of the agreement. Shares of Merck were off 7 cents at $44.23 in morning  trading on the New York Stock Exchange.


Literally lousy: Parasite plagues world salmon industry.

Explanation: Salmon have a lousy problem, and the race to solve it is spanning the globe.

AP Top News, Health, Canada, Scotland, North America, New Brunswick, Science, Chile, U.S. News, Norway

A surge of parasitic sea lice is disrupting salmon farms around the world. The tiny lice attach themselves to salmon and feed on them, killing or rendering them unsuitable for dinner tables. Meanwhile, wholesale prices of salmon are way up, as high as 50 percent last year. That means higher consumer prices for everything from salmon fillets and steaks to more expensive lox on bagels. The lice are actually tiny crustaceans that have infested salmon farms in the U.S., Canada, Scotland, Norway and Chile, major suppliers of the high-protein, heart-healthy fish. Scientists and fish farmers are working on new ways to control the pests, which Fish Farmer Magazine stated last year costs the global aquaculture industry about $1 billion annually. So far it has been an uphill struggle that is a threat to a way of life in countries where salmon farming is a part of the culture. “Our work has to be quicker than the evolution of the lice,” said Jake Elliott, vice president of Cooke Aquaculture in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick. Experts say defeating the lice will take a suite of new and established technology, including older management tools such as pesticides and newer strategies such as breeding for genetic resistance. The innovative solutions in use or development include bathing the salmon in warm water to remove lice and zapping the lice with underwater lasers. Farmers worldwide consider sea lice the biggest threat to their industry and say the persistent problem is making the fish more expensive to consumers. Farmed salmon was worth nearly $12 billion in 2015, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The only hope is to develop new methods to control the spread of lice, which are present in the wild, but thrive in the tightly packed ocean pens for fish farming, said Shawn Robinson, a scientist with the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans. “There are not enough tools right now to allow the farmer to really effectively deal with it,” Robinson said. The lice can grow to about the size of a pea and lay thousands of eggs in their brief lifetime. The chance of a louse making its way to a diner’s plate is very small because salmon are checked for lice before being sent to market. But even if one did, eating it wouldn’t pose a health threat. Atlantic salmon have held their own with sea lice in the wild for centuries, and fish farmers managed them in aquaculture environments for many years. Then, farmers in Canada identified the lice as a problem around 1994, said Jonathan Carr, executive director of research and environment with the Atlantic Salmon Federation. Feeding fish a pesticide with the active ingredient of emamectin benzoate became the tool of choice to control lice, Carr said. But around 2009, the lice appeared to become resistant to the pesticide, and they have spread globally since. The industry’s key mistake was reacting when the lice evolved to survive pesticide, Carr said, rather than “getting ahead in the game.” “The efficacy went away and pressure developed to create new treatments,” said Kris Nicholls, chief operating officer at Cooke, a major player in world salmon farming. The worldwide supply of salmon fell almost 10 percent last year, with Norway, the largest producer in the world, especially hard hit. In Norway, there are hundreds of times more salmon in aquaculture than in the wild. And the fish potentially can escape their pens with lice attached and introduce them to wild fish. Norwegian farmers are looking to use new closed-in pens that resemble giant eggs instead of typical mesh pens. Scottish farmers have deployed a device known as a Thermolicer to warm the water and detach the lice from fish. And farmers in North America and Europe are experimenting with using species of “cleaner fish” to coexist with the salmon and eat the lice. Research about farming salmon along with mussels, which researchers have found will eat larval sea lice, is underway. Underwater drones inhabit the other end of the technological spectrum, zapping lice with lasers to kill them. That technology was developed in Norway and has been used there and in Scotland. Cooke keeps a brood stock of fish in the hopes of breeding them for desirable traits such as disease resistance. And the company uses a pair of boats capable of pumping 10,000 fish at a time into a hydrogen peroxide bath, which kills most of the lice, although it also can stress and kill some fish. On the shores of Beaver Harbour, New Brunswick, Cooke engineer Joel Halse stood recently aboard a $4 million vessel containing a series of tubes that send 300 salmon a minute on a winding journey while dousing them with warm water to remove lice. Halse, who likened it to a “waterslide park” for fish, said the fish farming industry has no choice but to try such innovations. “The cost to the salmon farming industry from sea lice is huge,” he said. “And having tools to control the population would be huge.”


Citizens Property Insurance has "over $500 billion worth of risk, with less than $10 billion worth of surplus.

State Budget, Weather, Florida, Rick Scott,

It’s become Gov. Rick Scott’s favorite talking point in the escalating debate over raising rates at Citizens Property Insurance: The state-run insurer has a whopping $500 billion in risk exposure, and a paltry $6 billion in surplus, or cash-on-hand. In interviews, at Cabinet meetings and even in a pop-quiz-styled survey to the Florida Council of 100, Scott repeatedly uses these two numbers to illustrate the financial health of Citizens. "I’m not sure how much smaller Citizens can get. But here’s the position Citizens is in now," Scott said during a May trip to the Florida Keys. "They have over $500 billion worth of risk, with less than $10 billion worth of surplus. So that’s a lot of risk, and I think one of the most important things homeowners want is if there ever is a disaster that their insurance company is going to be able to pay the bill." In a survey given to the Florida Council of 100 last month, Scott got more specific, stating that the state-run insurer had $504.8 billion in total risk exposure and only $6.1 billion in cash surplus. It’s a jarring numerical juxtaposition used to show that Citizens is severely undercapitalized and, if a major hurricane hits, would spur untold financial calamity for the state. Fearing so-called "hurricane taxes," Scott asked the Citizens board of governors to find ways to drastically reduce the company’s size and exposure late last year. (Citizens currently has issued about 1.4 million policies.) The board came up with more than 30 proposals, most of which would lead to increased rates or reduced coverage for policyholders. To justify those painful rate hikes, proponents point to the weak financial position of Citizens, often comparing its cash on hand to its maximum exposure. A growing chorus of critics say Scott and insurance industry insiders are using exaggerated, apocalyptic language to incite fear and justify large increases on insurance premiums. The numbers are extreme, to say the least. After six years without a single hurricane hitting Florida, could Citizens’ finances really be that frightful? We did a little digging and found that Scott’s statements about Citizens’ financial assets and liabilities, while technically true, omit major components of the financial structure of Citizens. First, on the side of Citizens’ "surplus." The state-run insurer does, indeed, have nearly $6 billion in cash reserves, money it has been able to build up during the last six hurricane-free years. But that cash— the most Citizens has ever had--is only part of the pot the insurer uses to pay hurricane claims. Few, if any, property insurers rely solely on cash surplus to pay claims in the wake of catastrophe. Citizens, like every other licensed property insurer in Florida, has backup insurance from the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. It also has private reinsurance worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Finally, Citizens has the ability to sell bonds to pay the cover claims that exceed its surplus and reinsurance coverage. Altogether, Citizens has about $19.5 billion in claims-paying ability, more than three times the amount cited by the governor. Most of that could be paid out before any assessments, or "hurricane taxes" would be required from non-Citizens policyholders. The other half of Scott’s statement mentions that Citizens has $500 billion in total exposure to risk. This is also true, but it has little to do with whether Citizens "is going to be able to pay the bill" after a storm. What would it take for Florida to actually have to pay out $500 billion in claims? A superstorm 25 times as ferocious as Hurricane Andrew would have to hit South Florida, and zigzag its way through Florida’s peninsula, hitting all 67 counties and damaging or destroying every home and business with a Citizens policy. A series of back-to-back, Andrew-sized storms up and down the state could also do the trick. In the absence of such an apocalyptic occurrence, a more realistic estimate of maximum losses would be the 1-in-100-year storm, the so-called "Big One," that would cause more damage than Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Estimates indicate that kind of storm -- which only has a 1-percent chance of occurring in a given year -- would cost Citizens a maximum of $21 billion. This number, while large and financially troublesome for Citizens, is nowhere near the $500 billion often repeated by the governor. Scott spokesman Lane Wright said regardless of which numbers are presented, the fact that Citizens remains in a precarious financial position is central. "No matter how you slice it, in the worst case storm, the one-in-100-year storm, Citizens still falls short of being able to pay its claims," Wright said, adding that Florida could also get hit with several back-to-back storms. "That’s a fact." That’s true -- but those aren’t the words Scott has been using. He’s opted for the gasp-inducing $6-billion-versus-$500-billion language. Our ruling Scott has said repeatedly that Citizens has more than $500 billion worth of risk, but about $6 billion in cash surplus. But the $500-billion number vastly overstates what Citizens might have to pay in even the most vicious storm season imaginable. And the $6-billion figure undercounts Citizens’ ability to pay claims. So those numbers are not the appropriate figures to use when determining whether the insurer "is going to be able to pay the bill" after a storm. More appropriate numbers would compare Citizens’ total claims-paying ability (about $19.5 billion) to the damage caused by a once-in-a-century kind of hurricane (about $21 billion). Scott’s statement ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.


Eighty-five percent of every dollar donated to the Clinton Foundation ended up either with the Clintons or with their staff to pay for travel, salaries, and benefits. Fifteen cents of every dollar actually went to some charitable beneficiary.

Campaign Finance, Candidate Biography, Human Rights, PunditFact, Rush Limbaugh,

Much of the discussion about the Clinton family foundation has focused on who donated to it and what they may have expected in return from then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. But critics of the Clintons have opened up another line of attack on what is formally known as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, charging that it doesn’t actually spend very much on charitable works. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh aired this line of argument on April 23, 2015, citing a report in the Federalist, a conservative publication. Here’s a portion of what Limbaugh said: "The Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation -- 99 percent pass-through. The Clinton Family Foundation pass-through is 15 percent. The Federalist reports only 15 percent of the money donated to the Clinton Family Foundation went to actual charitable causes. The bulk of the money donated to the Clinton Family Foundation went to travel, salaries, and benefits. Sixty percent of all the money raised went to other expenses. In other words, folks, 85 percent of every dollar donated to the Clinton Foundation ended up either with the Clintons or with their staff to pay for travel, salaries, and benefits. Fifteen cents of every dollar actually went to some charitable beneficiary." As this claim was circulating, the Clinton Foundation pushed back. The foundation tweeted, "More than 88% of our expenditures go directly to our life-changing work." The difference between 15 percent and 88 percent is wide, so we decided to check Limbaugh’s claim. A representative with Limbaugh’s radio network didn’t answer an email inquiry. An unusual approach for a foundation When most people in the charitable world think of foundations, they think of organizations that give away a lot of money in the form of grants to others who go out and do good works. The Clinton foundation works differently -- it keeps its money in house and hires staff to carry out its own humanitarian programs. This set-up means the Clinton foundation’s finances get complicated in ways other foundations do not. Partly because of that, one of the leading independent groups that track charities -- Charity Navigator -- has been flummoxed about how to analyze that foundation and has stopped rating it, at least for now. Charity Navigator says it has "determined that this charity's atypical business model cannot be accurately captured in our current rating methodology. Our removal of The Clinton Foundation from our site is neither a condemnation nor an endorsement of this charity. We reserve the right to reinstate a rating for The Clinton Foundation as soon as we identify a rating methodology that appropriately captures its business model." What is counted in the foundation’s financials? The Federalist article that Limbaugh cited dug into the Clinton foundation’s tax forms known as 990s, which nonprofits have to file annually with the Internal Revenue Service. Here’s an excerpt from the Federalist article: "When anyone contributes to the Clinton Foundation, it actually goes toward fat salaries, administrative bloat, and lavish travel. Between 2009 and 2012, the Clinton Foundation raised over $500 million dollars according to a review of IRS documents by The Federalist (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008). A measly 15 percent of that, or $75 million, went towards programmatic grants. More than $25 million went to fund travel expenses. Nearly $110 million went toward employee salaries and benefits. And a whopping $290 million during that period — nearly 60 percent of all money raised — was classified merely as ‘other expenses.’ " The Clinton foundation, on the other hand, gets to its 88 percent going to "life-changing work" by combining the finances of the Clinton Foundation and an affiliated organization, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, that before 2010 had been part of the Clinton Foundation proper. The Clinton Health Access Initiative works with governments and private groups to lower the costs of treatment for HIV/AIDS in the developing world. The Clinton Health Access Initiative was split off from the foundation because "they got so big they needed their own organization to do it," said Craig Minassian, a spokesman for the foundation, in an interview with PolitiFact. But in putting together its annual report for 2013, the Clinton Foundation folded together both groups before calculating the numbers. Some question the logic for doing it this way. "Clinton allies are deliberately conflating the activities and finances of multiple independent nonprofit organizations and hoping you'll view everything together as ‘The Clinton Foundation,’ " Sean Davis, who wrote the Federalist story, told PunditFactc. "That's just not the case, though." The correct number for the Clinton Foundation alone -- which owned the account the tweet was sent from -- was just over 80 percent in 2013, not 88 percent. The Clinton Foundation’s unusual model As we noted earlier, many foundations carry out charitable works by giving money to other organizations that, in turn, do the ground-level charity work, whereas the Clinton foundation’s charitable works are mostly done by people on the foundation’s payroll. "We are an implementing organization rather than a grantmaking organization," said the foundation’s Minassian. That’s why the Clinton Foundation’s 990s show a relatively small amount of money categorized as "grants" -- only about 10 percent of all expenses in 2013. The foundation says its own employees are doing its charitable work. The annual report -- which, remember, includes both the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Health Access Initiative -- says that 7 percent of expenditures were spent on "management and expenses" and 4.5 percent for "fundraising." (The numbers on the 990s for the two entities are in the same ballpark.) Add those two percentages together and you get almost 12 percent; subtract that from 100 percent and you get the magic 88 percent figure the foundation cited. An independent academic CPA who specializes in nonprofit foundation finances said Limbaugh’s error was in assuming that all spending beyond grants amounted to wasteful overhead. "When Mr. Limbaugh says most of the spending is on salaries, travel, and other, that is not particularly informative," said Linda Parsons, an associate professor of accounting at the University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Commerce. "Travel and salaries for those who are directly carrying out the mission of the organization are much different than salaries and travel for executives who are networking in order to raise funds or for those who manage the organization. The response from the Clinton foundation that they carry out their missions directly, rather than outsource it to another organization or series of organizations, makes sense given that the Clinton Foundation reports travel, salaries, depreciation and conferences directly." Of course, Parsons’ interpretation depends on trusting the Clinton foundation’s characterization of its expenditures. As with any institution that files tax forms, the Clinton foundation has to characterize on its own what counts as "management" and what counts as spending on front-line charity work. The Federalist article says the foundation’s tweet exaggerates when it says money spent "directly" on "life-changing work," when in fact the group, by its own calculations, "spent nearly $8.5 million – 10 percent of all 2013 expenditures – on travel. Do plane tickets and hotel accommodations directly change lives? Nearly $4.8 million – 5.6 percent of all expenditures – was spent on office supplies. Are ink cartridges and staplers ‘life-changing’ commodities?" In response to a PolitiFact request, the Clinton Foundation said the expenditures for its programs are "inclusive of salaries for staff, large-scale conferences (which is how the foundation convenes partners to take action such as the Clinton Global Initiative and the Health Matters conference), training for farmers and other beneficiaries, as well as direct program expenses like purchasing seeds and fertilizer for our agricultural programs and medical equipment for our public health work." Reasonable people can disagree about how to categorize expenses, said Janet S. Greenlee, emeritus professor of accounting at the University of Dayton business school. "There is no approved, required, or suggested method for allocating costs between program and nonprogram spending, so two charities that have the same financial events may have totally different financials," Greenlee said. "Limbaugh is saying everything that’s not direct service must be a waste of money, while the foundation is probably estimating that most of its other costs are actually direct service and so are accounted as such. The ‘truth,’ if there is such a thing, is somewhere in between." The foundation sent PolitiFact a rough geographic breakdown for program spending in 2012 and 2013. It cited expenditures split between 66.2 percent for the United States, 18.1 percent for South America, 5.6 percent for Southeast Asia, 4.9 percent for Sub-Saharan Africa, 3.6 percent for Central America and the Caribbean, 1.2 percent for West and Central Africa and 0.4 percent for Mexico. That’s more than we had expected to see in domestic spending -- we’re checking with the foundation on why that was so high, and will report their explanation if we receive one -- but even if the foundation devoted as little as one-third of its expenses to programs outside the U.S., then Limbaugh’s 15 percent estimate would be too low. To offer some context, spending 88 percent of expenses on charitable programs, as the Clinton foundation says it does, would actually be pretty good by industry standards. Parsons said the average reported across all organizations in the National Center for Charitable Statistics is 81 percent -- equal to the Clinton Foundation’s rate on its own -- and the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance suggests a minimum of 65 percent. "The foundation exceeds that," Parsons said. Our ruling Limbaugh said "85 percent of every dollar donated to the Clinton Foundation ended up either with the Clintons or with their staff to pay for travel, salaries, and benefits. Fifteen cents of every dollar actually went to some charitable beneficiary." There’s a grain of truth here -- roughly 85 percent of the foundation’s spending was for items other than charitable grants to other organizations, and a large chunk of this 85 percent did go to Clinton Foundation staff for travel, salaries and benefits. However, the foundation says it does most of its charitable work in-house, and it’s not credible to think that the foundation spent zero dollars beyond grants on any charitable work, which is what it would take for Limbaugh to be correct. The claim contains some element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.


Pakistan psychologists issue conflict health warning.

Explanation: Rifaat Ramzan lay in a hospital bed with a blank stare, still traumatized weeks after losing his best friend, Noman, to a suicide bomber.

Men undergoing psychiatric treatment sit while waiting to get food at the courtyard of Sarhad Psychiatric Hospital in Peshawar May 12, 2010. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood “He had just told me how it is good to dream and we will achieve our dreams,” said Ramzan, who began sleeping with a gun under his pillow, fearful he too will be killed in Pakistan’s relentless violence. “This man came and asked Noman if he could get a lift on his motorcycle to the police station. When they got there the man blew himself up. Noman and nine other people were killed.”   In the conflict between Taliban insurgents and Pakistan’s army, thousands have been killed in bombings of everything from military and police facilities to crowded street markets; even a volleyball match was attacked. Countless others have been wounded. But the psychological toll often goes unnoticed, even though underfunded and understaffed hospitals are treating a sharply rising number of people who can’t cope with bloodshed. “This is alarming us,” said psychologist Najam Younes. Some people are too depressed to function. Others are gripped by anxiety attacks, paranoia and post traumatic stress disorder. Flashbacks are common. It doesn’t take much to destabilize minds. Even headlines of smaller attacks that flash across news channels are enough to send people to psychiatrists seeking pills to calm them or help them sleep at night. Luckily for Pakistanis, the stigma attached to mental illness has eased, making it easier for them to seek psychiatric care, psychologists say. But the problem is that people caught up in the violence — mostly living in the epicenter of the conflict in the northwest — have no access to psychological care facilities. So they must take long, expensive journeys to cities like Peshawar for treatment. Those who can afford it often don’t get the attention they need because there are too few doctors, who are often overworked and cannot provide therapy, only medicine. Peshawar’s Sarhad Psychiatric Hospital, located on the same complex of a prison where militants awaiting trial and other hard core criminals are held, is one example. It is the only proper mental health facility in the northwest. In the hospital courtyard, patients dulled by medicine sit on a cement floor in rows, quietly staring at each other. Some look lost. Others are suspicious. “Long live Pakistan”, is scribbled on a wall behind them beside a drawing of a flower. In a grim, tiny kitchen nearby, a cook slops stew into a huge pot beside steel bowls. Senior consultant Muhammad Tariq sometimes treats 100 patients a day. He is also the region’s main forensic psychologist, so he must spend time in court. Scant funding at the state hospital means he has no computer to manage files. “There is only so much I can do,” he said. Tariq says 10-15 new patients suffering mentally from the violence arrive every day. Many have lost their homes and livelihood. Still, those are not the worst cases. Handling people rattled by bloodshed who already have mental illnesses is far more challenging. They are the most vulnerable. Muhammad Ikhtiar was lucky enough to have an Islamic charity pay for his schizophrenic son’s medicines. Fighting distressed his son Muhammad’s fragile mind. “Sometimes he is scared of the Taliban and the army. Other times he is convinced he is the commander of the Taliban and the army,” said Ikhtiar, a serious, elderly man with a white beard. Ikhtiar’s problems don’t end there. Taliban militants would often hide in his maize fields, so government forces made him cut down the crop, he said. Now he has to find ways of making a living while caring for his son. Doctors say the patients need family support. But because of the fighting, it’s too dangerous for them to head home. Muhammad Iqbal, a sturdy man wearing a traditional flat wool chitrali hat, suffers from bipolar disorder. His moods often swing from depression to elation. Doctors hope stabilizers will make him realize it’s too risky to return to his four children in North Waziristan, which is infested with al Qaeda and Taliban militants. “Right now he has no idea what is happening,” said the hospital’s Tariq. “He thinks he will return to a peaceful village with a nice forest.”


New Hampshire, Consumer Safety, Fake news, Government Regulation, Transportation, Bloggers,

Springtime in New Hampshire means motorcyclists are itching to hit the state’s scenic, winding roads. But if they trusted a widely distributed news article last year, they might think they need to install a device that limits their motorcycle to 75 mph – per a federal government regulation – before they can ride. Since the Granite State has the second-highest motorcycle ownership rate nationwide – one bike for every 17 people – a mechanical requirement imposed by the federal Department of Transportation would hit the state especially hard. An estimated $35 price tag for the speed governors would cost New Hampshire’s motorcycle riders more than $2.5 million to bring all 73,000 bikes registered statewide into compliance. It would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to bring the 8 million-plus motorcycles across the United States into compliance, based on the article published by Associated Media Coverage. Despite the alarm, there was never any such rule proposed, much less mandated. The apparent news story with the headline ""New regulation requires motorcycle owners to install 75 MPH governor by January 2017," wasn’t true. There was no requirement to install speed governors, and the article’s lone quoted source, James Littleton, a purported representative of the DOT, doesn’t appear to exist. Nevertheless, it reached nearly 10,000 people – perhaps more though social media – within a matter of days, according to a cached version of the article, which was subsequently removed. Maybe those readers – 5,500 of whom clicked the like button on the Associated Media Coverage website – should have slowed down. In addition to removing the article, the website Associated Media Coverage appears to have rebranded itself. Its old URL now redirects to a page called The Seattle Tribune. It also adopted a marginally less-confident tagline: its old motto "News You Can Trust" is now simply "Informing the Nation." The Seattle Tribune describes itself as "a news and entertainment satire web publication … Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental." It has no association to the 126-year-old newspaper, The Seattle Times. PolitiFact New Hampshire decided to examine this claim as part of the inaugural International Fact-Checking Day, April 2, 2017. Organizers at Poynter.org describe the day as "not a single event but a rallying cry for more facts - and fact-checking - in politics, journalism, and everyday life." The motorcycle claim – and its apparent intent to irritate motorcyclists – is the type of story that made up this fake news outlet’s bread and butter. The hoax-debunking website Snopes, which found the claim to be false, made this comment about the "fake news" Associated Media Coverage article: "The sensational claim was one of several hoaxes recently promulgated by the Associated Media Coverage fake news site, the most popular of which pertained to purported laws that would affect specific subsets of the population (such as motorcyclists or e-cigarette users)," Snopes wrote. If its goal was to rile up one of those subsets – and thereby drive clicks to the website – it worked on at least one motorcycling forum, DungBeetleBikers.com. A user called Prickle posted the verbatim article two days after it first appeared July 31, 2016. An Australian user called Roo promptly responded to the made-up spokesman’s reasoning that the speed limits would promote safety: "Per capita exposure to road trauma on a motorcycle is always going to be much higher than say that of cage drivers," Roo wrote, referring to non-biker motorists as "cage drivers" and continuing indignantly, "So, cages are exempt? That makes sense, dunnit?" It turns out speed limiters, or governors, are a real thing. You can buy them online for cars, motorcycles and ATVs, but the cost is usually a few hundred dollars, not the "subsidized cost" of $35 as the article states. The article goes on to make a couple of other assertions that are easily disproved. The first tries to peg the number of annual motorcycle fatalities: "... each year approximately 8,265 motorcycle fatalities occur throughout the United States." Actually, 4,693 motorcyclists died in the U.S. last year, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System.The peak years for motorcycle fatalities in 1980 and 2008 never topped 5,112. The second assertion is that 73 percent of motorcycle fatalities "are the result of motorcyclists driving at unsafe speeds." Wrong again. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that only 33 percent of all motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes were speeding, according to an analysis by the Insurance Information Institute. In both cases, the figures cited in the article are nearly double the numbers put forth by authorities. When Snopes assessed this claim last August, it noted that Associated Media Coverage, unlike the Seattle Tribune, didn’t identify itself as "fake news" or a satirical website. "While many fake news sites include disclaimer notices informing readers that their content is not credible, Associated Media Coverage does not. As such, many of the less ostentatious claims (such as the 75 MPH motorcycle speed governor one) spread on social media amid a targeted audience," Snopes wrote. Bottom line: The only thing bikers need to worry about if they go over 75 mph is a speeding ticket. Our ruling The website Associated Media Coverage claimed the federal Department of Transportation was forcing motorcycle owners to install speed governors on their motorcycles that would limit their max speeds to 75 mph. That assertion was never true and was sourced to a made-up federal government official. Supporting statistics that the phony spokesman cited also exaggerated the number of motorcycle fatalities each year and the propensity for speeding among people killed in those crashes. The website did not identify itself as a purveyor of fake news, and some motorcyclists took the bait. We rate the claim !


Chris Christie advised U.S. President Donald Trump to attempt to provoke Joe Biden to stutter during their 2020 presidential debates.

Explanation: If you know and love a stutterer and you watched the presidential debate last night, within minutes it became obvious what was going on. Abusive tone of voice, rapid fire interruptions, zigzagging change of topic, personal insult and humiliation, and family pain are all tripwires that scramble a stutterer’s ability to speak. There was nothing unplanned or spontaneous in the President’s strategy. The bastards did not prep him to attack Joe. They prepped him to attack Joe’s disability hoping that by triggering his stuttering they might deceive an audience unfamiliar with the disability into thinking that Joe was stupid, weak, uncertain, confused, or lost to dementia.

In October 2020, many readers asked Snopes to examine the accuracy of social media posts that claimed Republican and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had advised U.S. President Donald Trump to provoke his Democratic rival Joe Biden into stuttering. (Biden has spoken publicly about being a stutterer throughout his life). Those posts were shared widely after Oct. 3, when Christie, an adviser to Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections, announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. A typical version of the post read: Chris Christie gave Trump only one piece of advice as debate coach: “People who overcome stuttering have a harder time maintaining their train of thought when interrupted. Keep interrupting him and he’ll stumble when he tries to speak. This will enforce the ‘senile’ narrative.”  Another widely shared version, posted on Sept. 29 after the first presidential debate, misspelled Christie’s last name as “Christy.” A third version, posted after Christie’s COVID-19 diagnosis, claimed that: Chris Christie gave Trump debate advice: “Constantly interrupt Biden. People who struggle with stuttering can lose their train of thought when they’re interrupted. Interrupt Biden and we can make him look weak and feeble.” On Oct. 6, the Democratic Coalition, a progressive campaigning organization, also tweeted a similar version of the claim. We did not find any publicly available source for the quotations attributed to Christie in those widely shared social media posts, and they appear to be, at best, paraphrases of an alleged broader Trump campaign debate strategy. It’s unclear why they were attributed to Christie, in particular. The broader claim, that Christie had advised Trump to attempt to provoke Biden to stutter, appears to be based on earlier news reports that cited anonymous sources purportedly familiar with the president’s debate preparations. On Sept. 4, 2020, three weeks before the first debate, Politico reported that Trump’s debate advisers included Christie; campaign adviser Jason Miller; campaign manager Bill Stepien; White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; and Trump Senior Adviser Jared Kushner. According to the website, the team was split on whether or not the president should target Biden’s stutter: There’s some tension among the president’s advisers over whether it’s wise to try to trip up Biden so he stutters, or to box him in on issues. One 2016 Trump campaign official said it’s a “calculated risk” to phrase things in such a way that might cause the former vice president to stammer in his response, acknowledging such a strategy could backfire if Trump deliberately appears to be messing with Biden’s history of stuttering — an attribute Biden has used to demonstrate his ability to overcome challenges and his empathy for children in similar situations. On Sept. 29, the Washington Post cited another anonymous source as saying that Trump had been advised and was keen to “make Biden stutter and stammer.” “No one really knows what he’s going to say,” one person with knowledge of preparations said. “But he has certainly been coached to be on offense, and he wants to make Biden stutter and stammer.” Biden has been open about his lifelong struggle to overcome his severe childhood stutter. The morning after the first presidential debate, State of New York Geneseo English professor Wes Kennison contributed to the narrative surrounding the Trump campaign’s purported “stutter strategy” with a viral Facebook post in which he wrote: