Hospitals plan for 'COVID cabanas,' conference rooms to house patients.

Explanation: U.S. hospitals, bracing for a surge in demand as more Americans are infected with the novel coronavirus, plan to use tents, conference rooms and cafeterias to house overflow patients.

Scripps Health, which operates five hospital campuses in San Diego County, is starting to set up tents outside its clinics to screen people for the virus. “By Friday we will have what we are euphemistically calling COVID cabanas at two of our clinics,” Chris Van Gorder, its chief executive, told Reuters. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Thursday began seeing patients in tents set up in its parking garage. “Patients who present to the emergency department will be screened. If they have respiratory symptoms they will potentially be sent to this area,” said Jeff Smith, the center’s chief operating office. “We are anticipating that some will test positive for coronavirus.”  Members of the American Hospital Association have been advised to prepare for 96 million cases in the next few months, with 4.8 million additional admissions, 1.9 million intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and 480,000 excess deaths - or about 10 times the number caused by a severe flu season. “If we have a full-blown outbreak, as is predicted by almost all the modelers, we may have a situation where we are 75,000 to 100,000 ICU beds short,” Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of Columbia University’s national center for disaster preparedness (NCDP), told Reuters. Experts estimate that about 80 percent of people infected with the virus, SARS-CoV-2, will have only mild symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that these patients remain at home, isolating themselves as much as possible. COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, is a highly contagious respiratory illness. About half of the remaining 20 percent of infected individuals are likely to develop serious symptoms, with the most severe cases requiring hospitalization. The elderly and people with underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, are most at risk. There are currently 95,000 ICU beds in the United States, the NCDP says. The number of coronavirus cases in the country has risen steadily to over 1,300, with 38 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Smith at Cedars said the two-hospital center currently has adequate ICU capacity, but is anticipating that the number of patients will grow. “Contingency plans could include caring for patients in anesthesia recovery units or other areas within the hospital,” he said. The 1,400-bed Scripps hospital group has 99 negative pressure isolation rooms used to contain airborne contaminants, three of which are in use - including one patient with COVID-19. If the number of COVID-19 patients surpasses that, Van Gorder said temporary air handlers can be brought in to convert standard rooms - or even an entire wing or floor of a hospital - into isolation units. Tents could also be used to house patients if needed, he said. California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued an executive order clearing the way for the state to “commandeer property,” such as hotels, to quarantine or treat COVID-19 patients. “A lot of our care we are planning to do remotely via telemedicine or video medicine,” the Scripps CEO said. “Hospital beds would be reserved for seriously ill patients.”  Scripps has been working to make sure personnel are “fit tested” for masks, including reusable powered air purifying respirators, or PAPRs, that can be cleaned in about 25 minutes. “We generally have about 1,000 beds that are free on any given day for a surge in illness,” Los Angeles County Public Health Department Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said at a press conference this week. Ferrer said an influx of seriously ill patients who need treatment in an intensive care unit could overwhelm hospitals in the nation’s most populous county. “We are going through the process of identifying decommissioned beds, and other areas within the hospital where we have the ability to expand,” said Jeremy Baker, executive director clinical quality, risk and safety at two Los Angeles-area hospitals run by Providence St. Joseph Health, a 51-hospital chain. “We are constantly reviewing our surge capacity plan to identify other units we could use, such as conference rooms, for less acute treatment.”  He said Providence is also looking to put up screening tents at its clinics to isolate possible COVID-19 patients from emergency rooms, and could shift some non-coronavirus care to its associated nursing homes. “As part of our normal disaster planning process, we do have the ability to put out a call for physicians. We do have an emergency credential process for that,” Baker said. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that they were entering “a situation where the only analogy is war, and a wartime dynamic,” referring to how the city will deal with a surge in demand for hospital beds. “Hospitals will create brand new capacity,” de Blasio said at a news conference. “I’ll take a parking lot and put up a tent and turn it into an ICU. We’ll turn a cafeteria into an ICU.”


Explanation: A new and uNPRoven approach to autism pops up in a local community. A reporter and his newspaper have several choices:   Accept the claims of the promoters at face value Ignore the issue entirely. Dig in, scrutinize the claims, and attempt a public service by evaluating the evidence for local readers. Thankfully, this reporter and this paper chose #3. The story quotes the mother of two developmentally disabled children saying:  "These people are preying on the fears of parents. We cannot be using these children who are so vulnerable as guinea pigs in a medical experiment." And it quotes a developmental pediatrician saying "

The story says that Lupron costs about $5,000 a month but is seldom covered by insurance. Good job to address both points. The story, as noted, cites the Maryland researcher’s claims from small published studies, but also states: " numerous physicians, researchers and therapists insist there’s no proof mercury causes autism, that Lupron removes mercury or that autistic kids have excessive testosterone." The story did a good job dedicating quite a bit of discussion to potential harms from this approach – both known and unknown. The story explained that the Maryland physician promoting the theory "published a 2006 study contending that 11 autistic children taking Lupron did better on tests of awareness, sociability and behavior. He has since issued other studies finding that mercury leads to excess testosterone and that autistic children have excessive levels of the hormone." But then it immediately notes: "Other doctors said (the) studies were small, were not scientifically sound and were published in journals that do not follow the standard practice of having experts review the methods." No disease mongering in this story. Several independent expert sources were quoted. Good job on this as well. The story states that "untested autism treatments have flourished." And it ends with:    It’s clear from the story that Lupron is already used to treat endometrial cancer and prostate cancer. The story might have addressed more directly its current off-label use. It’s also clear that this is about a Maryland medical group taking its idea on the road to South Florida. Ideally, the story might have addressed whether it’s being tried elsewhere. No inordinate claims of novelty. In fact, the story establishes that the one Maryland researcher has been testing this for at least five years. This story did not rely on a news release. Strong enterprise reporting.


A forwarded email that blames President Obama   for delays in the rescue of Richard Phillips, the captain of the ship   named the Maersk Alabama, which was taken over by pirates off the coast   of the African country of Somalia. It claims that Obama delayed the   deployment of Navy Seals by 36 hours and limited the rules of engagement   so the rescuers could not act unless Captain Phillips’ life was imminent   danger.

Explanation: Navy Seals rescuing Captain Richard Phillips from pirates were restricted by Obama's delays and rules of engagement

Our investigation into this   story did not find any evidence that President Obama delayed important   decisions in the rescue of Captain Phillips. Throughout the entire   ordeal the President was kept informed on the situation with briefings   and twice gave orders to engage the pirates. The Washington Times looked thoroughly   into the incident and came to the same conclusion. In an exclusive   article on 4/22/09, the Times concluded, “President Obama dispatched two   separate teams of Navy commandos to carry out last week’s rescue of a   merchant ship captain held hostage by Somali pirates but left the   operational details and rules of engagement to military commanders.”      Click for Washington Times article. Several versions of this email have been submitted to   TruthorfFction.com and some claim to come from an unnamed USMC General   or Retired Navy Rear Admiral Lou Sarosdy. In an April 21 ,2009   Virginian Pilot article Sarosdy said that he did not write this. Click for Virginian Pilot story. Military   veterans who have read the email doubt that it was written by an   insider, as it claims. The terminology and acronyms used in the email   were not consistent with military standards, indicating that this eRumor   might have been written by a civilian with no or little knowledge of the   military. The acronyms “CPN” for Captain and “RIB” for rigid hull   inflatable boat  if used by anyone in the military would be “Capt.” and   “RHIB” Richards Phillips was the Captain of the   American flagged vessel Maersk Alabama and was rescued by US Navy Seals   after a 5 day ordeal of being held captive by Somali pirates on a   lifeboat. Piracy has been a problem off the East African coast but   this was the first takeover of an American ship by pirates in modern   history. Shortly after midnight   April 8, 2009, while on route to deliver food aid to Uganda and Somalia   the Maersk Alabama was attacked by the pirates about 350 miles off the   coast of Somalia. The Alabama crew of 21 worked feverishly for more than   three hours using fire hoses to fend off boarding attempts by the   pirates. Eventually four pirates armed with AK-47 rifles managed to   board the cargo ship. Sometime during the fight the crew of   the Alabama managed to disable their vessel and went into hiding near the steering compartment. Shortly after that the pirates boat was scuttled. About twelve hours   later the crew emerged and managed to overtake and capture one of the   pirates. The three other pirates had Capt. Phillips prisoner. In an   attempt to secure the safety of his crew, Capt. Phillips offered himself   as a hostage along with a 28 foot lifeboat from the Alabama.. In an   attempt to secure the release of their captain the crew gave freedom to   their pirate prisoner, but the pirates did not reciprocate. Captain   Phillips remained in the hands of his captors. The closest Navy vessel, U.S.S. Bainbridge arrived on the scene on April 9, 2009 at 1AM. In   the meantime, other US Naval vessels and US Navy Seals were on route to   the incident as well. According to the   Washington Times article, there was no delay in granting authorization   to the officers on the scene to take whatever action was necessary to   protect the life of Captain Phillips. A Whitehouse spokesperson gave   truthorfiction.com an event time line of President Obama Actions on the   Pirate Situation in the Indian Ocean off of Somalia. The   Whitehouse used “POTUS”, an acronym for President of the United   States :   TIMELINE


A Time magazine cover from 1977 with the title “The Big Freeze” is an example of media fearmongering over  “global cooling” in the 1970s.

Explanation: Because the cover in question is about a wholly unrelated topic to the one WWUT for some reason ascribes to it, we rank the remarkably superficial claim that this cover is about the concept of “global cooling” as false.

Science, climate change, climate change denial, global cooling

On 30 October 2017, climate change denier blog “Watts Up With That?” (which bills itself as “the world’s most viewed site on global warming and climate change”) published a guest essay by Leo Goldstein. This essay attempted to use a 1977 Time Magazine cover as evidence that Snopes and other news organizations had used a straw man argument in a previous debunker about Time Magazine and so-called Global Cooling. (Goldstein appears to be under the impression he invented the concept of a straw man argument, and instead calls such a device by his own term “Flooding Fake.” We will use the established nomenclature here). Despite the fact that this article did not once mention the concept of global cooling, and despite the fact that this article was about record-setting cold temperatures in the winter of 1977 and was explicitly filed under the subject “weather,” WUWT described the cover as “An example [of the] global cooling scare of the 70s.” The WUWT post went on to suggest, without evidence, that Time magazine itself wanted to hide the existence of this cover (which is freely available in their online archives) by manufacturing a fake cover for unsuspecting fact-checkers like ourselves to then debunk: That cover is a seriously inconvenient truth for climate alarmists and their media accessories. So, Time attempted to re-write a history. It published a forged version of its own cover. …and then easily debunked it as a photoshopped version of its April 2007 cover. As I will explain below, Time magazine knew it was launching a hoax. The rest of the liberal media popularized it, although it could have easily recognized it. Snopes adopted it, invented additional details that were not present in the Time article, and angrily condemned “climate deniers.” It is clear that Goldstein either willfully ignored the contents of the article, or (as other prolific climate deniers proudly brag about) did not read it in the first place. The article, in brief, discussed anomalously cold temperatures during the winter of 1977, and the effect that such temperatures had on a variety of elements of American life, most notably shortages of natural gas: Still, it is the brutal and unrelenting cold — the Big Freeze — that has transformed the inevitable grousing about the weather into personal agony and national hardship. It was like living in the Arctic—an ominous reminder of how modern man, so proud of his technological mastery of his environment, remains so vulnerable to its whims. Indeed, his very reliance on energy-consuming machines, vehicles and conveniences contributed last week to widespread suffering. To meet soaring energy demands for heating, electrical utilities ordered temporary blackouts in some communities and reduced voltage in others. A genuine crisis developed in the natural-gas industry. Suppliers put into effect emergency plans, cutting all deliveries to thousands of industrial users. Company officials pleaded for school closings, shortened business hours, and thermostats to be turned down to teeth-chattering levels in private homes. Weather, which is the short-term scale fluctuation of temperatures, precipitation and other environmental factors that might describe a singularly cold winter in 1977, is a wholly different concept than climate, which is concerned with long-term averages of weather phenomena, normally referring to time periods no shorter than 30 years. WUWT does reference media reports from the 1970s that, as we discussed in our fact-check of the other purported Time magazine global cooling cover, did indeed raise concerns about a cooling planet. However those reports did not represent in any way a consensus view from the scientific community, and the author of the most notable iteration of that story (published not in Time but in Newsweek), later admitted the article was high on enthusiasm but low on supporting science: Here I must admit mea culpa. In retrospect, I was over-enthusiastic in parts of my Newsweek article. Thus, I suggested a connection between the purported global cooling and increases in tornado activity that was unjustified by climate science. I also predicted a forthcoming impact of global cooling on the world’s food production that had scant research to back it.


People who undergo amputations can sign paperwork allowing them to take the removed limbs home after the procedure.

Explanation: What's true: Many hospitals have documentation allowing patients to take their limbs home following amputation procedures, barring certain health risks. What's false: If a virus or bacteria-related issue is associated with the affected limb's tissue, a patient may not be allowed to take the limb home. Three states also have laws banning private ownership of human organs.

Medical, amputation, cannibalism, medical ethics

A strange story with its toes in both the culinary and medical worlds swept its way online in June 2018, to the point that the author was interviewed by media outlets. We were skeptical, but at least one of the key points tracks with medical reality. The story originated with an anonymous post on a Reddit forum: About 2 years ago I was hit on my motorcycle . The [sic] salvaged my foot but I would never be able to walk on it. I elected to have it amputated. I asked the doctors to keep it. I signed some papers. I got it back, and with the help of some friends cooked a portion of the tibialis anterior. The unidentified man included a link to graphic photographs of the injury, as well as the process of the amputated link as it was prepared and served:  He was described by Vice as a 38-year-old man. When asked how he was able to retain custody of his foot, he said: Most hospitals have policies where they will release your body parts to you because of some religions where you have to be buried whole, so I just signed the paperwork. My mom, who was helping me get back on my feet, so to speak, drove me back to pick it up. She doesn’t know I ate it, though. I went inside and the hospital gave me my foot in a red plastic biowaste bag. I brought it to the car and immediately put it in a cooler. It was pretty bizarre. While the idea of retaining an amputated limb (let alone cooking it) is offbeat, medical professionals have said that it is not unheard of. “This is not common practice in our facility,” said Janet Cortez, the trauma program manager at the University of Utah Hospital: That being said, if a patient would like to retain their amputated body part, they can fill out a form provided upon request by Risk Management. Once the form is complete, the patient provides a copy to the pathology department, who may ‘release’ the body part to its owner within two weeks (if it is free of disease). George Annas, director of the the Center for Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights at the Boston University School of Medicine, said that the only legitimate reason for health officials to intervene against an amputation patient’s request to keep their limb would be concern over a virus or bacteria in its tissue. “The general rule is you have custody of it it, you are considered the owner of your body parts as long as they’re inside of you,” he told PBS in January 2017. “Once it’s taken out, we have some reasonable expectation about what’s going to be done with it.” There are, however, some restrictions: Georgia, Louisiana, and Missouri have laws banning private ownership of body parts. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act also forbids private trade of Native American remains. As for the Reddit user’s ability to cook his erstwhile foot, he said that a friend’s partner prepared it, and added a copy of the recipe. He said of the experience: This particular cut was super beefy. It had a very pronounced, beefy flavor to it. The muscle I cut was tough and chewy. It tasted good, but the experience wasn’t the best. We were unable to fact-check whether the anonymous user’s account of eating his limb was legitimate, but it is — at the very least — plausible.


Wyoming QB Allen still day-to-day on injury.

Explanation: Wyoming coach Craig Bohl says quarterback Josh Allen continues to make progress in treating his injured right shoulder but his status remains day-to-day.

Sports medicine, Nick Smith, Wyoming, Josh Allen, Laramie, Sports, Craig Bohl

Allen injured his throwing shoulder during the Nov. 11 game at Air Force. He sat out last weekend’s home loss to Fresno State. Bohl says he’s hopeful that Allen can play in this Saturday’s season finale at San Jose State. The coach says the sports medicine staff on Monday were encouraged by the progress Allen was making during treatment. Backup quarterback Nick Smith started in place of Allen against Fresno State, completing 20 of 32 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown. Bohl says he was pleased with Smith’s performance.


Strobe lighting provides a flicker of hope in the fight against Alzheimer’s

Explanation: This story describes a study in which genetically engineered mice were exposed to an hour of pulsing light daily for a week, with the result that certain toxins associated with Alzheimer’s disease were dramatically reduced in their brains. The story suggests the flickering lights are an intriguing, non-invasive, and probably inexpensive idea that could hold promise for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in humans. There is a major disclaimer: “The authors caution that a ‘big if’ remains over whether the findings would be replicated in humans – and whether cognitive deficits as well as visible symptoms of the disease would be improved.” This is a story that admits many of the limitations of the research it cites, but initially draws people in with a headline that promises much more than the research has so far delivered. The study cited was published in a top journal and could represent a meaningful step on the way toward innovative treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The operative word, however, is “could.” This research is years away from impacting human lives, if indeed the findings end up being relevant to humans at all–and that needed to be explained better. Furthermore, the heavy use of medical terminology and a confusing explanation of the rationale behind the study could make it hard for many people to pick up on just how far from application the findings really are. This is a study that is important for researchers, but one we think probably didn’t need a wide general audience in mainstream news publications. Alzheimer’s is a tragic disease that impacts hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It is excruciating not only for victims but for caregivers who watch their loved ones incrementally being taken away from them. Hopeful headlines about results of mouse trials–the vast majority of which don’t translate into benefits to humans anyway–seem irresponsible. Couldn’t we use our line space for something more relevant? If not, here’s how we recommend framing these kind of stories.

The story does include a hint from the senior author that the treatment would be “accessible,” and presumably the cost of flickering lights would be an issue for most people. Given that the research under consideration here involved mice — and genetically bred mice at that — there’s no way to determine whether the intervention would have any benefit at all to people, let alone to quantify the likely benefits for human. The story does acknowledge this. But in the process, it also overstates what is known about the causes of Alzheimer’s and therefore how relevant this approach is to treating it. The story states flatly that “toxic proteins” are the culprit, but this is the subject of much debate within the Alzheimer’s research community and increasing evidence points against it. This potential treatment is still in mouse trials, so there’s not a lot that can be said at this point about potential harms. The author quotes the researchers, who pointed out that the lights as they were used in the trial “would not be offensive at all for people to have in the background.” The story acknowledges in the third paragraph that the study involved only mice and notes that more research will be needed to determine whether this intervention has any relevance to people. It also acknowledges recent failed drug trials and notes that drugs typically take more than a decade to develop before clinical efficacy is even examined. We’ll award a Satisfactory grade on that basis, but we renew our concern that this is mice–and nothing here is relevant to the lay reader. We think that this is the kind of research that’s better left communicated amongst research audiences, not the general public. The study does not engage in disease mongering. It would be hard to overstate the tragedy of Alzheimer’s disease. We’re a little disappointed that the article closes by conflating dementia with Alzheimer’s, when it tells readers that dementia has passed heart disease as the second leading cause of death in Britain. The senior author of the study is cited (and her quote came from an unattributed news release, see last criterion, below), but so are other researchers. Independent sources appear to have been consulted. The story also notes that the author has formed a company to pursue this, which is an important conflict of interest disclosure. Overall, this story feels inappropriately weighted in several ways, and a lack of background information about the state of the science in treatment for Alzheimer’s disease is one of them. The recently failed Eli Lilly trial is mentioned, but there’s no explanation of other prevention and treatment approaches (some of which are based on an entirely different model of the disease) that are currently under investigation. There’s also no sense of just how little can be done for Alzheimer’s patients at this point in time, nor indeed how devastating the condition is for victims and their families. That kind of information would have provided a much-needed context for the results of the study. The story address availability with this statement: “The latest intervention, scientists predict, should be quicker and cheaper to confirm in humans than pharmaceuticals, which typically take more than a decade to develop and assess for safety before the clinical efficacy is even examined.” OK, quicker and cheaper — but does that mean a year from now or five years or 10? The study author and one external source are quoted explaining that the findings are surprising. Just how novel the approach is would have been better established if the story gave readers background facts about current treatments and results of similar research. For example, other researchers reported earlier this year that light stimulation could purportedly “retrieve lost memories” in Alzheimer’s mice. At the very end we’re told two of the co-authors on the original study are starting a company to investigate therapeutic potential in humans. It would be helpful to know if this company is the first of its kind and whether other researchers are looking into specific types of sensory stimulation as treatment for this disease. The study quotes two independent experts, which is good. But, it uses quotes taken directly from PR materials from the research organization without attribution: Example, this quote: “If humans behave similarly to mice in response to this treatment, I would say the potential is just enormous, because it’s so non-invasive, and it’s so accessible,” said Li-Huei Tsai, director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT, and the paper’s senior author. Is taken from here, which published this as: “But if humans behave similarly to mice in response to this treatment, I would say the potential is just enormous, because it’s so noninvasive, and it’s so accessible.”


Trump vows 'major' steps to aid U.S. economy amid coronavirus rise.

Explanation: President Donald Trump on Monday said he will be taking “major” steps to gird the economy against the impact of the spreading coronavirus outbreak and will discuss a payroll tax cut with congressional Republicans on Tuesday.

“We’ll be discussing a possible payroll tax cut or relief, substantial relief, very substantial relief, that’s a big number,” Trump told reporters. He did not provide details but said a news conference will be held on Tuesday. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top two Democrats in Congress, told reporters that any payroll tax cut should be limited to those affected by the virus. They also said they are crafting new legislation, on the heels of $8.3 billion coronavirus funding enacted last week, that might be ready to be introduced this week. Among proposals that could be included are ensuring water supplies are maintained for people even if they cannot pay their bills as a result of the crisis, expanded unemployment insurance, medical leave and providing food for children who rely on school nutrition programs if schools are shut. Vice President Mike Pence said the administration was consulting Congress on providing paid sick leave to workers, an idea that Democrats already have been trying to advance. The stepped-up response to the coronavirus came as the number of confirmed cases in the United States hit 605, according to Johns Hopkins University. Three additional deaths in Washington state, according to officials, brought the total nationwide to 25. Earlier Monday, Johns Hopkins said that worldwide, there are 113,584 cases, with 3,996 deaths, the majority in China. The Trump administration moves came as stock markets plunged and top health officials urged some people to avoid cruise ships, air travel and big public gatherings. The administration was planning to huddle in coming days with executives of the banking, hospital and health insurance industries. While an across-the-board payroll tax cut has been under discussion, top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and others have advocated specific tax credits, loans or direct subsidies to certain industries or hard-hit areas. A payroll tax cut could encourage consumer spending and help households that might otherwise struggle to make rent and mortgage payments on time or pay medical bills if family members’ work hours are reduced during the coronavirus outbreak. In Florida, state health officials said everyone returning from China, Iran, South Korea and Italy must isolate for 14 days while travelers from other countries affected by the outbreak should monitor their health. Thirty-four U.S. states and the District of Columbia have reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infections of the respiratory illness COVID-19 that can lead to pneumonia. Louisiana had its first presumed coronavirus case, Governor John Bel Edwards announced on Monday. As worries over the virus deepened, a wave of selling took over Wall Street. The Dow fell a record 2,000 points when trading opened and the S&P 500 posted its largest single-day percentage drop since December 2008, the depths of the financial crisis. A nearly 25% plunge in oil prices contributed to fears of a looming recession. Trump, who often points to the stock market as a gauge of his economic record, criticized news media organizations’ coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and accused Democrats of hyping the situation “far beyond what the facts would warrant.”    The CDC advised colleges and universities to consider asking students studying abroad to return home and cancel or postpone upcoming travel. Several U.S. universities were either moving to virtual instruction or considering the step and limiting gatherings on their campuses. Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, and other health officials say older Americans, especially those with chronic medical concerns, should avoid big social gatherings, cruise ships and airline flights. As leaders in the U.S. Congress reviewed potential plans for operating amid coronavirus, four Republican lawmakers - Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Paul Gosar, Doug Collins and Matt Gaetz - announced that they would self-quarantine after coming in contact at a conservative political conference with an attendee who later tested positive for the virus. Gaetz traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One on Monday. Republican Representative Mark Meadows, Trump’s incoming chief of staff, will self-quarantine until Wednesday, a spokesman said. Trump and Pence, who is heading the administration’s overall response to the crisis, also attended the conference. The White House said there was no indication either came into contact with the infected attendee. The White House late Monday said that Trump had not received the coronavirus test. Pence said he has not been tested. The coronavirus outbreak, which originated in China late last year, has spread to at least 105 countries and territories. Italy, which has the second-highest death toll, said it was extending to the rest of the country restrictions on movement imposed on much of its wealthy industrial north in an effort to contain the virus. The hardest-hit place in the United States has been a nursing home in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, and Washington state is considering mandatory measures such as banning large gatherings but not necessarily imposing massive quarantines. The Life Care Center facility has accounted for most of the 18 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in Washington state. The three new deaths reported on Monday were all former residents of the facility. In California, officials planned to offload 2,400 passengers on Monday and Tuesday from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which was barred from returning to San Francisco last week due to a coronavirus outbreak on board. Most of the passengers will go into quarantine at military bases in the United States, with those requiring immediate medical attention heading to hospitals. The crew of 1,100 will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, unless they are in need of acute care off the vessel. California has more than 100 confirmed cases, while on the East Coast, cases in New York state rose to 142, up from 105 a day earlier, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asked employers in the nation’s most populous city to consider staggering workers’ start times to ease crowding on public transport and to allow more telecommuting where possible. De Blasio said there were 20 confirmed cases in the city as of Monday afternoon. Graphic - Tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus: here


Accepting a friend request from a stranger will provide hackers with access to your computer and online accounts.

Explanation: Accepting a Facebook friend request from a stranger will not provide hackers with access to your computer and online accounts.

Computers, Agent Sharon, Andrea Wilson, Bright Victor

Heads-up!! Almost every account is being cloned. Your picture and your name are used to create a new face book account (they don’t need your password to do this this). They want your friends to add them to their Facebook account. Your friends will think that it’s you and accept your request. From that point on they can write what they want under your name. I have NO plans to open a new account. Please DO NOT accept a 2nd friend request from “me”. please forward to all your contacts Hi….I actually got another friend request from you yesterday…which I ignored so you may want to check your account. Hold your finger on the message until the forward button appears…then hit forward and all the people you want to forward too….I had to do the people individually. Good Luck! PLEASE DO NOT ACCEPT A NEW ONE FROM ME AT THIS TIME. Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept anything from Fabrizio Brambilla. He has a foto with a dog. He is a hacker and has the system connected to your messanger account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Thanks. Forwarded as received. Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept Jayden K. Smith friendship request. He is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Please tell all the contacts in your Messenger list not to accept Anwar Jitou’s [Anwar Jitu’s] contact, it’s a hacker that has the computer connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Si prega di dire a tutti i contatti della tua lista Messenger, di non accettare il contatto di Anwar Jitou [Anwar Jitu], è un hacker che ha il computer collegato nel tuo account Facebook. Se uno dei tuoi contatti lo accetta, sarai anche hackerato, così fai in modo, che tutti i tuoi amici lo sappiano. If you get a request from Sunny Boyie do not except, he is a kidnapper. Send this to all your friends. Hello we are the company Facebook. You must send this to 20 people to stay active. If you don’t you will be disconnected from Facebook. If you think this is fake check the customer service. ALERT!!!!! ALERT!!!!! Don’t accept a friend request from Maggie from Sweden, she is a HACKER.Tell everyone on your list cause if someone on your list adds her then she will be on yours too. She will figure out your computer ID and address, so send this to everyone on your list even if you don’t care for them cause if she hacks them, she hacks YOU too. She is also noted for repeated sexual harrasment and indecent private chatting. PB: BEWARE!!! DO NOT ACCEPT A FRIEND REQUEST FROM TANNER DWYER, CHRISTOPHER BUTTERFIELD, STEFANIA COLAC AND ALEJANDO SPILJNER. THESE ARE HACKERS SO PUT IT ON YOUR WALL. IF SOMEONE ADD’S THEM THEY TAKE YOUR CONTACTS, EMPTY YOUR COMPUTER AND ADDRESSES, SO COPY AND PASTE THIS ON YOUR WALL. WARNING!!!!! DO NOT ACCEPT FRIEND REQUESTS FROM ~~~ BOBBY ROBERTS ~~~ Profile picture is four colored picture ~~ A hacker and fake name!!!! the name will DESTROY EVERYTHING!!! Please… COPY THIS TEXT ON YOUR STATUS SO THAT YOUR FRIENDS ARE WARNED ****************** PASS ON ALONG.. ATTENTION ATTENTION !!! ATTENTION !!! ATTENTION ALL FACEBOOK USERS**… DO NOT ADD *JASON ALLEN*, ALSO IF SOMEBODY CALLED *AMY ALLEN* ADDS YOU, DON’T ACCEPT… IT IS A VIRUS. TELL EVERYBODY, BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY ON YOUR LIST ADDS THEM, YOU GET THE VIRUS TOO. **COPY AND PASTE AND PLEASE RE POST* THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY FACEBOOK AND SNOPES ATTENTION **ALL FACEBOOK USERS ** .. DO NOT ADD “LINDA SMITH”, also IF SOMEBODY CALLED “JASON LEE”, ADDS YOU, DON’T ACCEPT IT.. IT IS A VIRUS. TELL EVERYBODY, BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY ON YOUR LIST ADDS THEM , YOU GET THE VIRUS TOO . COPY AND PASTE AND PLEASE RE-POST – THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY FB DO NOT ACCEPT ANY FRIENDSHIP INQUIRIES FROM: ROLAND DREYER, MATTHIAS DAMBERGER, MARIO SOMMER, FABIAN BERNEDER OR FRANK BECKER !!!!! THESE ARE HACKERS!!!!! THEY CAN DESTROY THE HARD DISK!!!!! !…PLEASE …COPY TEXT ON YOUR BULLETIN BOARD!! !…SO THAT YOUR FRIENDS ARE PROTECTED Don’t add anyone named rehana n 27 years from leicister .she is a hacker. Tell everyone on your buddy list because if someone on your buddy list adds her, she’ll be on your list too. She’ll figure out your computer ID and address. So copy and paste this message to everyone on your buddy list because if she hacks them your next. I sent to everyone on my list so please send to everyone on your list FROM NEWS FEED: DO NOT ADD HER!!! IF SOMEBODY CALLED “SMARTGRRL15”, ADDS YOU, DON’T ACCEPT IT…IT IS A VIRUS. TELL EVERYBODY, BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY ON UR LIST ADDS THEM, U GET THE VIRUS TOO. COPY AND PASTE AND PLEASE REPOST ATTENTION:::::::DO NOT ACCEPT FRIEND REQUEST FROM CHRISTOPHER DAVIES AND JESSICA DAVIES, THEY ARE HACKERS. TELL EVERY 1 ON YOUR LIST, BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY ON YOUR LIST ADDS THEM, THEY WILL BE ON YOUR LIST TOO. HE’LL FIGURE OUT YOUR COMPUTER’S ID AND ADDRESS, SO COPY & PASTE THIS MESSAGE…… EVEN IF YOU DON’T CARE.. PLEASE ***ATTENTION!!! *** Do not accept a friend request from a CHRISTOPHER BUTTERFIELD he is a hacker. Tell everyone on your list because if somebody on your list adds him u get him on your list too and he’ll figure out your computer’s ID and address, so copy and paste this message to everyone even if u don’t care for them cause if he hacks their email he hacks your mail too! FORWARD ONTO all!!! IF A PERSON CALLED SIMON ASHTON (SIMON25@HOTMAIL.CO.UK) CONTACTS YOU THROUGH EMAIL DON’T OPEN THE MESSAGE. DELETE IT BECAUSE HE IS A HACKER!! TELL EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY ON YOUR LIST ADDS HIM THEN YOU WILL GET HIM ON YOUR LIST. HE WILL FIGURE OUT YOUR ID COMPUTER ADDRESS, SO COPY AND PASTE THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE EVEN IF YOU DONT CARE FOR THEM AND FAST BECAUSE IF HE HACKS THEIR EMAIL HE HACKS YOUR MAIL TOO!!!! !… Can you tell me anything about this that has been going around: ⛔ WARNING ⛔ >>>>>>>>>>>>>> HACKERS VIRUS ATTACKERS ON THE MARCH THIS WEEKEND ON SOCIAL MEDIA BE EXTRA WISE!!! DO NOT CLICK VIDEOS IN YOUR INBOX UNLESS U COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR FRIEND/S TO SEE IF THEY SENT IT ASK THEM TO EXPLAIN BE CAUTIOUS!!! ESPECIALLY BE EXTRA CAREFUL DO NOT CLICK VIDEOS WITH ON IT!!! – THAT ARE SENT TO UR INBOX BY A SO CALLED FRIEND U HARDLY KNOW!!! EVEN IF U KNOW THE PERSON WELL ASK QUESTIONS AGAIN ASK FOR EXPLANATION – AND ASK THEM A PERSONAL QUESTION AND IF THEY SENT IT DO NOT CLICK!!!! IF NO EXPLANATION!!! OR REPLY!!! IGNORE IT!!!! DO NOT OPEN OR CLICK!!! Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept friendship request from james wood . He is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Thanks. Forwarded as received. Hold your finger down on the message. At the bottom in the it will say forward. Hit that then click on the names of those in your list and it will send to them New Hacker warning on FB messenger but did not see it here when I checked for validity. I usually shit these down with a link from Snopes. But there is nothing so here is what I received: Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept anything from Fabrizio Brambilla. He has a foto with a dog. He is a hacker and has the system connected to your messanger account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Thanks. Forwarded as received. Hold your finger down on the message. At the bottom in the middle it will say forward. Hit that then click on the names of those in your list and it will send to them Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept friendship request from Andrea Wilson . She is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Thanks. Please tell all contacts in your messenger list not to accept Dominique Amblard’s request for friendship. He is a hacker who has a system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked. Make sure that all your contacts know it. Thank you. Retransmits as received. The examples reproduced above are multiple variants of a long-running hoax, one which warns readers not to allow contact from a particular person or group because dire consequences will result. The basic form of these hoax warnings is typically drawn from the following template:  Variants of these messages are circulated endlessly, with different names swapped in and out as various pranksters decide to play jokes on people they know by inserting their acquaintances’ names and addresses into the warning in place of the existing information. The most common variant of this hoax is one that warns the reader not to accept Facebook friend requests from “hackers” purportedly named “Christopher Davies” and “Jessica Davies,” otherwise one of the two will wreak some unspecified havoc by being able to “FIGURE OUT UR COMPUTER’S ID AND ADDRESS.” (The latest version also incorporates a hoax warning about the non-existent “Dance of the Pope” cell phone virus.) Of course, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that an e-mail message or a link posted on Facebook might carry a virus payload which could infect your computer and allow it be controlled by a botnet, but virus warnings that correspond to the patterns detailed above can be safely dismissed as japes. In March 2009, the “Simon Ashton” variant of this prank was combined with text referencing the hoax version of the Mail Server Report virus warning: Anyone-using Internet mail such as Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL and so on. This information arrived this morning, Direct from both Microsoft and Norton. Please send it to everybody you know who has access to the Internet. You may receive an apparently harmless e-mail titled ‘Mail Server Report’ If you open either file, a message will appear on your screen saying: ‘It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful.’ Subsequently you will LOSE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PC, And the person who sent it to you will gain access to your name, e-mail and password. This is a new virus which started to circulate on Saturday afternoon. AOL has already confirmed the severity, and the anti virus software’s are not capable of destroying it. The virus has been created by a hacker who calls himself ‘life owner’. PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THIS E-MAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS, And ask them to PASS IT ON IMMEDIATELY! In June 2017, a new variant of the same hoax emerged, with Anwar Jitou (or Anwar Jitu) taking the role of boogeyman on this occasion. The hoax was particularly prevalent among Italian Facebook users, where the warning message typically read like this: Si prega di dire a tutti i contatti della tua lista Messenger, di non accettare il contatto di Anwar Jitou [Anwar Jitu], è un hacker che ha il computer collegato nel tuo account Facebook. Se uno dei tuoi contatti lo accetta, sarai anche hackerato, così fai in modo, che tutti i tuoi amici lo sappiano. It subsequently spread to the English-speaking internet, where Facebook users were told: Please tell all the contacts in your Messenger list not to accept Anwar Jitou’s [Anwar Jitu’s] contact, it’s a hacker that has the computer connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Additional and very popular identical hoaxes in 2017 included the purported hackers Fabrizio Brambilla and Jayden K. Smith … new names, same old hoax. 2018 brought us a West African version: Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept bright Victor, Desmond kelechi or Sharon Emeka or Okechukwu Anni friendship request is one person using different account and with people’s pictures. He is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. and more American versions: “Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept friendship request from sherman stuurman . he is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Thanks. Forwarded as received. Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept anything from Lucia Hernandez (Luciana). She has a picture of her sitting by the water)She is a hacker and has the system connected to your messanger account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Thanks. Forwarded as received. Please tell All your contacts on messenger not to accept a friend request from klara mesel . She has a picture of her standing holding her glasses…..she is a hacker … copy paste and send to all your contacts. Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept friendship request from Natalie Avalos. He is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Thanks. Forwarded as received.


Heroin comes in the United States "from the southern border.

Donald Trump tied the heroin epidemic gripping suburban white communities to the issue central to the campaign: border security and illegal immigration. The rate of heroin-related overdoses has nearly quadrupled between 2002 and 2013, with more than 8,200 deaths that year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Appearing on CNBC, Trump argued that this too is tied to weak borders. "Our youth is being poisoned. You go to places like New Hampshire, where it’s the No. 1 thing, heroin, and it comes from the southern border. And you go to Ohio, as an example, I was there two days ago, and the biggest complaint they have is what’s pouring into there," Trump said, before repeating his False claim that Hillary Clinton "is for open borders." We’ve all heard of poppy fields blooming in Afghanistan, but is Trump right that heroin is entering the United States largely through the southern border? Yes. Even though Southwest Asia supplies heroin to most of the rest of the world, nearly all of the heroin available in the United States comes from Mexico and South America. "Mexico, and to a lesser extent, Colombia, dominate the U.S. heroin market, because of their proximity, established transportation and distribution infrastructure, and ability to satisfy US heroin demand," the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration wrote in its National Drug Threat Assessment of 2015. "Mexico continues as the primary supplier of heroin to the United States," the White House’s page on the international heroin market reads. "Estimated cultivation of opium poppy reached 10,500 hectares in 2012, with an estimated pure potential production of 26 metric tons." Here’s a chart from the DEA report demonstrating the prevalence of heroin from the southern border:  As you can see, South America and Mexico have been the sources for much of the heroin in U.S. markets for the past two decades. In recent years, Mexican traffickers have expanded by simultaneously wedging black tar heroin into Northeastern markets dominated by Colombian white powder heroin and increasing production and distribution of white powder heroin themselves. Mexican heroin accounted for 45 percent of the total weight of heroin the DEA seized and analyzed in 2012 (South American heroin accounted for 51 percent). By 2014, the proportion of Mexican heroin had grown to 79 percent (South American heroin made up about 17 percent), DEA spokesman Russell Baer told PolitiFact. This market share is also reflected in the amount of heroin seized at the border and the amount grown in Mexico. From 2013 to 2015, the amount of poppy fields cultivated in Mexico increased by 169 percent from 11,000 hectares to 28,000 hectares, according to Baer. In 2008, the total amount of heroin seized at the U.S.-Mexico border (about 560 kilograms) surpassed the amount seized from commercial airlines for the first time (about 400 kilograms). Border seizures nearly quadrupled from 2008 to 2015 (2,210 kilograms), according to data provided to us by Baer. "The majority of the drugs in the U.S. market are trafficked across the Southwest Border from Mexico into the US. Southwest Border seizures conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, while not the complete picture, provide insight into trafficking trends," he said. Traffickers typically smuggle the drugs in through secret compartments in vehicles across the border (illegally and legally), transport them to stash houses in hub cities like Dallas, Los Angeles and Phoenix, and then distribute to the Midwest and East Coast. Here’s a map from the Justice Department that shows how heroin moves through the United States: Our ruling Trump said heroin "comes from the southern border." The vast majority of heroin in the United States comes from Mexico and South America.


Indiana city in jeopardy of losing animal health business.

Explanation: Officials in a small central Indiana city are awaiting a company’s decision on whether it will sell or spin off its animal health business, a move that could deliver a blow to the local economy.

Indianapolis, Greenfield, Health, Animal health, Business, Indiana, Eli Lilly and Co, Economy

If Eli Lilly and Co. officials were to sell or spin off Elanco Animal Health, there’s no guarantee the operation would remain in Greenfield, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported. The company has had a presence in the city since it built research laboratories in the late 19th century. Lilly CEO David Ricks said last month that the company would likely announce a decision by July. Elanco makes vaccines, antibiotics, food additives and other health products for livestock and pets. It employs about 775 at its campus in Greenfield, a 21,000-person city about 15 miles (24 kilometers) east of Indianapolis. Mayor Chuck Fewell said the city would hate to lose the business. “Elanco is a great corporate partner,” said Fewell. Elanco’s revenue dipped 2 percent last year and analysts said it’s also losing market share to major competitors, including Zoetis and Bayer. The downturn came just as the company was expecting increased sales and profits, helped by its $5.4 billion purchase of Novartis’ animal health division in 2015. Elanco officials are estimating 2018 sales to be “flat to slightly up.” But they said new and recent launches will gradually turn the business around “We expect 2018 to be the year of a kind of transition as we continue to evolve our product mix against headwinds,” said Elanco President Jeff Simmons. ___ Information from: Indianapolis Business Journal, http://www.ibj.com


Suzanne Somers advocates ‘natural’ approach when treating menopause

Explanation: This story highlighted a book written by the actress Suzanne Somers which appears to make claims about products derived from yams and soy for use in helping manage the symptoms of menopause. There was no information that a reader could use to evaluate any of the claims made other than the use of celebrity as marketing strategy. The story was devoid of data, evidence, cost information, and in-depth clinical perspectives.

The article provides no cost estimate for  bioidentical hormone replacement therapy; it does, however provide us with the price of Suzanne Somers book, "Ageless." The possible benefits of the treatment are not quantified. One clinician quote mentioned that these products are without FDA approval and he went on to say that they are ‘potentially quite dangerous’. However – this quote did not differentiate between the possibility that products failed to obtain FDA approval or whether they are exempt from seeking FDA approval (the latter is often the case). It would have been helpful to inform readers what sort of danger potential was being alluded and to provide some way to guage the actual type and size of the risk posed. There is actress testimony about the benefits to be obtained through the use of bioidentical hormones. One clinician is quoted as stating that these products ‘deliver renewed energy and reduced menopausal symptoms’. However – we are not given any sort of metric for gauging these benefits (is the effect seen in all women, some women, or a few women; how large is the effect observed – how was it measured, how long was treatment needed for the effect(s) to be realized). Furthermore – we are not given any sort of assurance that there is actual data supporting these claims. Discussing menopause in terms of a battle "fighting off nasty symptoms" and describing life after menopause as "constant and progressive deterioration" are examples of disease-mongering language. The line "…without hormones there is no quality of life" is another. The major source of information for this article is an interview with the actress Suzanne Somers. Two physicians’ opinions are mentioned – in 84 words – but the actress’ opinions warranted 472 words. The story opened with a statement about ‘the spigot to the hormone fountain of youth’ being ‘practically turned off’. This may have lead readers to conclude that hormone replacement therapy is unavailable or at best difficult to obtain; this is not an accurate representation. The ails listed for menopause included symptoms that are not necessarily linked with menopause; further – there are treatments available for problems such as depression or weakening bones. The story made no mention of treatments other than those hyped in the book. The headline and introduction to the story suggested that the focus would be bioidentical hormones. But they actually received little space in this article. The story should have mentioned the controvery and confusion about the terminology "bioidenticals"; some are FDA-approved, but those most generally refer to the unregulated, individually compounded mixtures which are not FDA approved. The treatment of symptoms of menopause with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is not new but the story never clearly established that. Even the claims made by the actress profiled in the story are not new; she published a 2004 book, "The Sexy Years: discover the hormone connection." Does not appear to rely on a press release.


Heparin recalled in France, Italy, Denmark: report.

Explanation: Supplies of the blood-thinning drug  heparin are being recalled in France, Italy and Denmark because  they are contaminated or suspected of being contaminated,  although there have been no reports of patients being harmed by  the medicine in those countries, the Wall Street Journal said.

The European Medicines Agency presumes the contaminant in  all three countries is the same as the one identified in  recalled U.S. batches of the drug, a chemical called  over-sulfated chondroitin sulfate, the article on the Journal’s  Web site said. France on Friday began recalling heparin made by  Rotexmedica GmbH, the same company that made heparin which was  recalled from Germany earlier this month, the article said,  citing a spokesman for the European regulator. Moreover, the active ingredient used to make heparin is  being recalled in Italy and Denmark because it is contaminated,  the agency spokesman said. The chemical was made by an Italian  company, Opocrin SpA, which used raw ingredients sourced in  China, the agency spokesman said. Batches of the drug have recently been recalled in Germany  and the United States, where some patients taking the drug  suffered allergic reactions. In both the United States and  Germany, the contamination surfaced in supplies made from  ingredients bought in China, the article said.


Experimental Drug Raises Good Cholesterol Levels in Early Trial

Explanation: Beginning with the lead and continuing throughout, the story reminded readers of the limitations of this trial and that questions about health benefits will have to wait for the next round of experimentation. However, although this story gives readers a balanced view of what researchers reported, it should have told them that the trial was sponsored by a drug company and that the lead researcher has financial ties to that company and others in the field. When a trial is designed to test safety, stories about the results should focus on that question without wandering off into speculation about health benefits that have yet to be put to the test. That’s what this story does. Over 20 million Americans currently take statin drugs. Anacetrapib works on cholesterol in a different way, by inhibiting a protein called CETP (cholesterol ester transfer protein). These drugs also offer hope to drug companies that are losing patent protection on the leading brands of statins. That marketing angle means journalists need to be vigilant about claims of benefits. The early tests of an earlier CETP inhibitor, torcetrapib, also indicated powerful effects on cholesterol, especially in raising levels of the “good” HDL form. However, as this story notes, larger trials then discovered dangerous side effects. It turned out that drug actually caused more heart problems than it prevented. In reality it takes a lot of subjects to even begin to get a picture of the risks and benefits of a new drug. While encouraging, the results of this study are far from conclusive.

Because this story clearly points out that the drug is only part way through the clinical trial process and still has a long way to go before it might be on the market, we can excuse it for not giving cost estimates. Nevertheless,  It would have been informative for readers to have made some comment about the potential economic impact of a cholesterol drug, given that over 20 Million Americans are currently taking statin. On the day that the trial results were announced, Merck stock went up even though the market as a whole sagged, demonstrating the financial implications of this research. The story emphasizes the safety questions that were at the heart of this trial. It also tells readers plainly that it is unknown whether the changes in cholesterol levels seen in this trial have beneficial health effects. It does an impressive job in describing the uncertainties associated with drug manipulation of HDL blood levels. After reporting that the HDL cholesterol numbers rose from 41 mg/dl to 101 mg/dl, the story quotes an independent source saying, “Currently, we’re not convinced that manipulation of HDL matters, though certainly it’s promising.” Unlike some other stories about these trial results, this report repeatedly tells readers that any discussion of real health benefits will have to wait at least until after a trial designed specifically to measure such outcome is conducted. The story reports that anacetrapib did not show the type of harmful effects (including higher blood pressure and higher rates of cardiovascular problems and death) seen in trials of a similar drug, torcetrapib, which was pulled from testing. However, the story does not make it clear that this trial was designed to detect harms that were at least 25 percent more common in the treatment group than in the placebo group… so it was not powerful enough to rule out side effects that were less common than that threshold. This story clearly states more than once that this trial was primarily intended to look at safety, not possible health benefits. The lead sentence says the drug  “seems to have passed an initial hurdle by proving safe in preliminary trials.” Only then does it mention that trial participants on the drug saw substantial changes in their cholesterol numbers compared to the people who were given a placebo, with the “good” HDL cholesterol levels rising and the “bad” LDL cholesterol levels falling. Comments such as “simultaneously excited and leery” and “Don’t take this to the bank” emphasized that the results are welcome news, but far from conclusive. The story accurately reports that the researchers saw a tendency toward better outcomes, but that the trial lasted only 18 months, and as mentioned above, the trial was not designed to demonstrate health effects. Although this story doesn’t give details about the type of patient included in this trial and the only specific reference is not quite accurate; it does not engage in disease-mongering. The story says that this trial included patients with coronary heart disease, but according to the article on the trial in the New England Journal of Medicine the participants also included people who were considered to have a greater than 20 percent chance of a cardiovascular event (heart attack, stroke, etc.) within 10 years according to standard risk models. While the story erred in describing the trial participants, the error portrays the story as relevant to a narrower, rather than a broader, definition of eligible patients. So we’ll say that it doesn’t oversell the potential population that might be offered this sort of drug. Although this story includes a strong lineup of independent sources that put the results in context for readers, it fails to report either that the trial was sponsored by the drug company developing anacetrapib or that the researcher quoted in the story has financial ties to that and other drug companies. Although the story does note that niacin (spelled incorrectly by the way) is the only drug that reliably increases HDL, we would have liked to have seen a bit more information about the role of diet and exercise and how researchers think a CETP inhibitor like anacetrapib (if approved) might fit into the context of other approaches. The story points out that anacetrapib still must be tested in a large clinical trial and is years away from being considered for approval. We’ll give the story a passing score on this criterion because this class of drugs is indeed new and the story did not exaggerate the novelty. However, the story would have been better if it clearly stated that while no drug in this class has been approved for clinical use, there are other drugs at similar stages of testing. The story does not appear to rely on a news release.


One in 10 babies born in this country is born in Texas.

Children, Population, States, Texas, Joyce Mauk,

A Fort Worth pediatrician who supports continued federal backing of health insurance for children of the working poor suggested it’s an important issue in these parts because 10 percent of Americans start as Texans. In October 2017, Joyce Mauk, president of the Texas Pediatric Society, was quoted by the Austin American-Statesman as saying: "One in 10 babies born in this country is born in Texas, and so it affects us disproportionately if access to health care is compromised for children. There is nothing good you can say about taking away access to health care for children." At the time, Congress had failed to extend its authorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program before federal funding expired at the end of September. Without further action, about 400,000 Texas children and pregnant women were believed to be at risk of losing coverage by early 2018. We wondered about the share of U.S.-born babies birthed in Texas. By phone, Mauk told us she relied on statistics compiled from U.S. states by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that 403,618 Texas births accounted for 10 percent of 3,980,000 births nationally in 2015. We were shortly able to confirm that number, thanks to a January 2017 CDC report tabulating U.S. births. It showed 403,618 Texas births in 2015 made up 10.1 percent of 3,978,497 births nationally. Among the states, the chart shows, only California accounted for a greater share; 491,478 births there accounted for 12.4 percent of U.S. births. Next, we asked the CDC and the Texas Demographic Center, based at the University of Texas at San Antonio, about more recent data and figures giving historical perspective. By email, CDC spokesman Brian Tsai pointed us to bureau-posted 2016 birth counts by state, posted in September 2017, showing that the 406,945 births in Texas that year accounted for 10.3 percent of 3,956,112 births nationally. So, the 1-in-10 figure still holds up. In Texas, to our emailed queries, Lila Valencia of the demographic center provided a chart showing that Texas-born babies have comprised 1 in 10 U.S. births since 2008. From 1960 through 1971, the chart indicates, Texas-born babies made up 6 percent of U.S.-born babies. That share, the chart shows, was 7 percent from 1972 through 1979; 8 percent from 1980 through 1995; and 9 percent from 1996 through 2007. Of late, Valencia elaborated, "the Texas share of births has been steadily increasing, even following drops in the number of births following the Great Recession," Valencia wrote, adding: "If current total fertility rates and the child-bearing age distribution of women in each state remains the same, we would anticipate the Texas share of births to continue to increase given the younger age distribution of the state, its larger Hispanic share of the population, and its significant population growth relative to other states." Our ruling Mauk said 1 in 10 U.S.-born babies is born in Texas. According to government tallies, that’s been so since 2008. The statement is accurate and there’s nothing significant missing.


Too many people missing out on health benefits of golf, says expert panel

Explanation: This news release touting the health benefits of golf overreaches and employs unjustified language in summarizing the consensus statement of 25 experts who used questionnaires to agree upon “how best to maximize [golf’s] health benefits, promote [its] sustainability, and widen participation.” There is no original research here. The methodology used to reach a subjective consensus is fraught with major limitations which preclude making health recommendations. The news release fails to mention the entire process was funded by the World Golf Foundation, and some of the authors have other notable financial conflicts of interest within the golf industry. If a news release is going to make claims of evidence showing wide-ranging health benefits related to both physical and mental health — as well as longevity — it had best back that up with real evidence. Furthermore, when there is no original research involved, and the conflicts of interest are substantial, use of the term “evidence” is grossly misleading. This is promotional pablum, not science.

The news release states that golfers tend to be “relatively well off” and: “… the sport is often perceived as expensive … and not a game for the young or those on the lower rungs of the social ladder” The cost to play 18 holes at the course closest to where this review is being written is $27. The fee at St. Andrews Royal and Ancient Golf Club in Scotland — where one of the authors is director of Golf Development — is roughly 10 times that amount. The subtitle of this release claims golf “may not only be good for mind and body, but also for a long life.” More specifically we’re told evidence for this comes from the “systematic review of the available evidence (342 eligible studies)” — and — “the evidence shows that playing golf regularly is associated  with longevity and reducing the risk factors for heart disease/stroke. And it can boost older peoples strength and balance.” Unfortunately, absolutely no data are offered to support these sweeping health claims. The only potential harm from golf mentioned is an increased risk for skin cancer. It’s an important inclusion that prompts us to give a barely passing grade. This nebulous statement is also included: “Compared with other sports, the risk of injury is moderate.” (Rugby and mixed martial arts come to mind). What’s not mentioned is a host of musculoskeletal injuries related to the repetitive and asymmetric nature of swinging a golf club. This study is based on a “modified Delphi method” involving 25 experts “in public health and health policy, and industry leaders.” Their qualifications are not included. The Delphi Method  has experts complete several rounds of anonymous questionnaires with the goal of reaching a consensus. This methodology has several limitations including: it’s subjective, not objective. There are no established guidelines for implementing the surveys. The goal is to reach a convergence of opinion, and — most importantly — the resulting consensus does not equate with causation. Not mentioning the study method and its limitations is a major weakness of this news release. No disease mongering noted. This is the second major weakness of this news release. It’s not mentioned that this “2018 Consensus Statement on Golf and Health” was funded by an unrestricted grant from the World Golf Foundation. Two of the authors receive fees from the European Golf tour and one is the director of Golf Development at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews, Scotland. Golf is often referred to as “a good walk spoiled.” Common sense would suggest many of the benefits touted in this news release might also hold for a good walk or hike; unfortunately, no alternatives are mentioned. Golf is widely available worldwide. But as suggested in the release it may be prove unaffordable for many. This news release does not present golf as a novel form of exercise. But we think it clearly overreaches in suggesting a host of health benefits through a news release —  without any supporting evidence. There is no news here, just promotion. Given there is no study here, and the basis of the health claims is nothing more than a subjective consensus statement of experts (some with major conflicts of interest), we find the headline and health recommendations of this news release to be unjustified and overreaching.


Atheists are trying to ban Bibles from all hotel rooms.

Explanation: What's true: The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) requested Bibles be removed from public university hotel rooms and further lobbied the hospitality industry to offer "Bible-free" rooms in hotels. What's false: The FFRF demanded that all Bibles be removed from all hotel rooms.

Politics, bibles, freedom from religion foundation

On 4 December 2015 the Facebook page “American Center for Law and Justice” (ACLJ), a Christian advocacy group founded by Pat Robertson, published the above-reproduced image along with the following text: A radical group of atheists is demanding all hotels remove Bibles from their rooms, claiming the Bible “may endanger your health and life.” This is not only absurd, it’s unconstitutional. Help us fight back: http://bit.ly/1N8YmlN The status update claimed a “radical group of atheists” had demanded “all hotels remove Bibles” from their rooms, and references to it in social media asserted that the Bible banners sought to “ban the Bible in ALL hotel rooms.” The link appended to the update pointed to an ACLJ petition titled “Don’t Ban the Bible. Defend It,” which read (in part): Banning the Bible … That’s what one angry atheist group is trying to do in hotels at public universities. The anti-Christian Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) is demanding that the Bible — placed by a Christian group — be banned from university hotel rooms. It’s already had them banned from universities in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. FFRF extremists call the Bible “obnoxious” and insultingly claim that the “[B]ible calls for killing nonbelievers.” It even absurdly claims that it is “unconstitutional to have them” — Bibles — in university hotel rooms. FFRF is legally and constitutionally wrong. It’s time to set the record straight. We’ve been defending constitutionally protected religious speech at the Supreme Court for decades. Now, we’re sending these universities a critical legal letter to protect the Bible. Add your name today: The image asserted simply that “angry atheists [were] trying to ban the Bible,” while the status update maintained a “radical group of atheists is demanding all hotels remove Bibles from their rooms,” and the linked petition claimed “[the] Freedom from Religion Foundation (a non-profit non-theist advocacy group) is demanding that the Bible … be banned from university hotel rooms.” The petition published on Facebook by the ACLJ specifically referenced “university hotel rooms,” which in turn suggested that the conflict in question pertained to religious materials and public institutions. On 30 October 2015, the FFRF had published a press release on the matter which stated that: Northern Illinois University quickly removed all bibles from the Holmes Student Center Hotel after receiving a letter from the Freedom from Religion Foundation stating that it was unconstitutional to have them there. FFRF Legal Fellow Ryan D. Jayne sent the letter on Oct. 20 to Norm Jenkins, director of the Holmes Student Center, stating, in part: “Providing bibles to Holmes Student Center Hotel guests sends the message that NIU endorses the religious texts. Including bibles sends the message to non-Christian and non-religious guests that they should read the bible, and specifically the version of the bible provided: the Gideon Bible. Certainly, if guests want to read this religious text during their stay, they can bring their own copy or access any of the numerous churches or libraries near the university.” The next day, Oct. 21, Gregory A. Brady, deputy general counsel for Governance and Administration at NIU, responded to FFRF by stating that the university “will be removing any such bibles from their hotel guest rooms.” As such, the 4 December 2015 ACLJ image meme was misleading at the time it was issued. The so-called “Bible ban” involved public universities and the issue of government endorsement of religious texts, not a call to remove all Bibles from all hotel rooms. On 2 December 2015, the ACLJ published an article titled “Angry Atheists Demand Hotels Ban the Bible Comparing Scripture to Danger of Smoking” which held that: The radical anti-Christian Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) has launched a crusade to ban the Bible in hotel rooms. Now FFRF is moving beyond public university hotel rooms and demanding that all hotels remove the Bible from bedside tables. Again, removing the Bible from his room is not good enough. This anti-Christian organization will not be satisfied until every Bible is banned from every hotel in America — and even then I’m sure they’ll find a new place to hate. That article referenced a 12 October 2015 article about the issue of hotel rooms and Bibles published on the blog Patheos: FFRF has long complained about the Gideon Bibles. In the late 1980s we launched a national “Bible Free Room” campaign, with limited success. Although this is not a state-church issue (unless the hotel is owned by the state or the military), we consider it an important consumer complaint, much like asking for smoke-free rooms. The Gideon Bibles are not owned by the hotel. Many establishments are dunned into contributing to the Gideons International for the “donation,” which means that we guests are paying for them. The Gideons say that readers are welcome to take the book … Why should we be posting complaints on their book? Can you imagine what would happen if the hospitality industry were placing The God Delusion in every room? To be clear, the 2 December 2015 ACLJ article referenced a think-piece suggesting (not demanding) that hotels offer Bible-free rooms for guests. However, on 7 December 2015 the FFRF issued a press release titled “FFRF Requests ‘Bible-Free’ Hotel Rooms,” which read in part: The Freedom from Religion Foundation … is making a major consumer request to the hospitality industry, asking it to be more hospitable to non-Christian and nonreligious clientele by offering “bible-free” rooms. In early December, FFRF sent a letter to a number of companies, including Wyndham Worldwide, Intercontinental Hotel Groups (Holiday Inn), Choice Hotels International (Quality Inn), Hilton Worldwide, G6 Hospitality (Motel 6), Marriott International, Best Western, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group (Radisson, Carlson, Country Inn) and Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Sheraton). FFRF does ask the hotel industry to follow the lead of Gansevoort Hotel Groups, which, to provide a friendlier environment, removed religious materials from guest rooms but provides such materials upon request. Many boutique hotels have likewise stopped serving as a conduit for Protestant missionaries. Travelodge (UK) removed bibles from more than 500 hotels last August “in order not to discriminate against any religion.” Whether the chain of press releases from ACLJ and FFRF regarding Bibles in hotel rooms (both public university lodging and otherwise) were part of a direct rhetorical escalation or simply coincidental was unclear. Further obfuscating the chain of debate were assertions that the FFRF sought to ban “all Bibles” from “all hotel rooms” at any point during the controversy. According to releases from both the FFRF and the ACLJ, the FFRF requested that Bibles be removed from hotel rooms at public universities in or around October 2015, and that request (framed as more broad that it actually was at the time by the ACLJ) was granted. Concurrently, the FFRF asked that commercial hospitality properties consider offering “Bible-free hotel rooms” to non-theists or non-Christian guests. Whether that request involved removal of Bibles from all rooms (with the books remaining available to guests who asked for them) was unclear, but the specific use of the term “Bible-free rooms” and the comparison to smoke-free hotel rooms suggested that the request extended to some (but not all) rooms.


Wikileaks’ dump of John Podesta’s e-mails reveal conversations he had with a former NASA astronaut about the existence of aliens, alien technology, and space warfare.

Explanation: Ultimately, though, what has emerged from these messages is a picture of a decorated astronaut with a history of eccentric views attempting, unsuccessfully, to set up a meeting with a high ranking and potentially sympathetic government official with either the help of (or influence from) both a metaphysicist and an advocate for a demilitarized space. In Mitchell’s and Mansfield’s view, there is a straight line connection between signing a stronger space treaty and receiving information from aliens about how to create a form of energy that will save our civilization. What does not emerge, however, is any evidence supporting the quasi-scientific claims made by Mitchell or Mansfield, or that the United States Government is privy to any information regarding those claims.

Fauxtography, edgar mitchell, Government, john podesta

On October 9th, 2016, WikiLeaks disclosed thousands of e-mails from the personal account of Hillary Clinton campaign director John Podesta, also a former counselor to President Barack Obama. Among those files were two e-mails signed by former NASA astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell from the e-mail address terribillionairs@aol.com. The first message, dated 18 January 2015, read:  Subject: email for John Podesta (c/o Eryn) from Edgar Mitchel re meeting ASAP Dear John, As 2015 unfolds, I understand you are leaving the Administration in February. It is urgent that we agree on a date and time to meet to discuss Disclosure and Zero Point Energy, at your earliest available after your departure. My Catholic colleague Terri Mansfield will be there too, to bring us up to date on the Vatican’s awareness of ETI [extraterrestrial intelligence]. Another colleague is working on a new Space Treaty, citing involvement with Russia and China. However with Russia’s extreme interference in Ukraine, I believe we must pursue another route for peace in space and ZPE on Earth. I met with President Obama’s Honolulu childhood friend, US Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto on July 4 at the US Mission in Geneva, when I was able to tell her briefly about zero point energy. I believe we can enlist her as a confidante and resource in our presentation for President Obama. I appreciate Eryn’s assistance in working with Terri to set up our meeting. Best regards, Edgar D. Mitchell, ScD Chief Science Officer & Founder, Quantrek Apollo 14 astronaut 6th man to walk on the Moon  The second message, dated 18 August 2015, included a brief introduction and a series of links to articles that primarily discussed the militarization of space. It bore the same signature as the first e-mail:  Subject: email for John Podesta c/o Eryn re Space Treaty (attached) Dear John,  Because the War in Space race is heating up, I felt you should be aware of several factors as you and I schedule our Skype talk. Remember, our nonviolent ETI from the contiguous universe are helping us bring zero point energy to Earth. They will not tolerate any forms of military violence on Earth or in space. The following information in italics was shared with me by my colleague Carol Rosin, who worked closely for several years with Wernher von Braun before his death. Carol and I have worked on the Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, attached for your convenience. Best regards, Edgar Edgar D. Mitchell, ScD Chief Science Officer & Founder, Quantrek Apollo 14 astronaut 6th man to walk on the Moon  Before diving into the content of these two e-mails, we should identify the players involved. Dr. Edgar Mitchell (who passed away in 2016) was a NASA astronaut who traveled to (and walked on) the moon as part of the Apollo 14 mission in 1971. A Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, he once completed a record-breaking nine-hour, 24-minute EVA on the surface of the moon. In addition to his distinguished scientific career with NASA, he was a strong believer in metaphysical phenomena. He claimed, for example, that a Toronto-based healer named “Adam Dreamhealer” had cured him of kidney cancer remotely while the two men were separated by thousands of miles. He also was a strong believer in the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life and claimed Earth had frequently been visited by aliens. Among the many times he made these assertions was in a 2009 interview with the Guardian:  “We are being visited,” [Mitchell] said. “It is now time to put away this embargo of truth about the alien presence. I call upon our government to open up … and become a part of this planetary community that is now trying to take our proper role as a spacefaring civilisation.”  Though Mitchell signed the messages, the e-mail address from which they originated belonged to Terri Mansfield (Mitchell’s “Catholic colleague”), who runs a nonprofit that focuses on metaphysical concepts including consciousness, god, extraterrestrial intelligence, and the development of technology that could harness zero point energy (a pseudoscientific concept discussed below). Carol Rosin, whom Mitchell mentions as having helped to collect the links listed in the second e-mail, states on her web site that she is the founder of the Institute for Security and Cooperation in Outer Space. On the same site, she describes her role as “advis[ing] decision makers and others about applications of technology and information services for human needs, environment, new energy, and peace and security, health and prosperity for all on earth and in space.” Mansfield and Rosin’s connection to Mitchell does not necessarily imply influence or authorship of these emails, as the content is consistent with causes he championed. In fact, Rebecca Hardcastle Wright, a former employee of Mitchell’s, wrote a post attesting to their authenticity, confirming that a Skype meeting with Podesta had been requested by Mitchell but never ended up taking place. As far as the content of the e-mails, there are two (very) loosely connected threads at play. The more straightforward thread (and what ultimately seems to be the primary premise for a Skype meeting, based on the subject lines) is the discussion of adding the United States as a signatory to an amended version of the “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space,” an international agreement dating back to the 1960’s that prevents governments, essentially, from putting nukes or weapons of mass destruction in orbit or from putting military bases on the moon or on other objects in space. Mitchell and Rosin were arguing for the United States to sign onto an even more restrictive treaty originally proposed  by China and Russia in 2008, which would ban weapons in space outright. The list of links provided by Rosin (primarily news articles and blog posts) all related to international space collaboration and various warnings about countries currently involved in, or planning to be involved in, putting weapons in space. It’s the material in the first e-mail that is a bit more convoluted. That missive opens with an “urgent” request to discuss “zero point energy” and “disclosure.” Disclosure refers to the release of any and all information the U.S. government might have on UFOs. This is, in fact, a topic for which John Podesta openly advocated well before any WikiLeaks referenced the subject, as the Washington Post reported in April of 2016:  “In 2002,” [Leslie] Kean and co-author [of UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record] Ralph Blumenthal wrote, “Podesta began publicly supporting what became a landmark Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by the Coalition for Freedom of Information, an independent advocacy group. NASA had been stonewalling and refusing to release its records concerning a significant 1965 UFO incident in Kecksburg, PA.” Documents were released, but they “did not include one iota of information relating to the Kecksburg case, despite an earnest and thorough effort by NASA staff.” It’s apparently those documents to which Podesta was referring when, after a brief stint working in the Obama White House, he tweeted that failing to secure the release of UFO files was his “biggest failure of 2014.”  Zero point energy is a concept in quantum physics that refers to the amount of energy a given quantum system has at its lowest quantum state or ground state. The fact that systems at this “zero point” actually still possess some energy has lead to myriad science fiction or pseudoscientific claims of being able to tap into that energy to achieve things currently known to be physically impossible. Mitchell ran a company, listed in his email signature, called Quantrek, which sought, among other things, to harness this zero point energy, according to Terri Mansfield (the woman from whom the e-mails to Podesta originated):  [Mitchell] and his science team researched the application of the quantum hologram as well as zero point energy, the most powerful, cleanest, cheapest, safest, most ubiquitous form of energy for the planet. ZPE will power cars, trains, planes, sea-going vessels, space ships, as well as our homes and buildings. The connection between the zero point energy topic and the space treaty, while not completely articulated in the e-mails, appears to be based on Mansfield’s (and presumably Mitchell’s) belief that as a species humans need to show our obedience to God and embrace extraterrestrial beings by abandoning free will and embracing peace, at which point the aliens will allow us to understand and implement zero point energy. Mansfield explains that connection on her web site:  The ETI (Extraterrestrial Intelligence) with whom Suzanne and Terri work are peaceful, nonviolent and obedient to God. They are NOT from our universe but from a CONTIGUOUS universe. They are the highest form of intelligence working directly with God. Their purpose is to assist us humans who are eager to bring powerful, safe, clean, cheap, sustainable, ubiquitous, infinite ZERO POINT ENERGY application as THE energy source to our viable Earth. This ZPE energy is centered on the Tau neutrino. When ETI want to make themselves known, they do so with specific colors, sound, touch, scent, taste and manipulation of matter. Examples abound. They frequently turn on lights in our homes when they want our attention. ETI want only what is best for humanity to evolve spiritually, demand obedience given by free will choice, respond with compassion and / or justice, when required. The implication appears to be that extraterrestrials are willing to help us with our zero point energy problems so long as we can demonstrate our peaceful nature. This is presumably what Mitchell is referring to in the second e-mail when he wrote:  Remember, our nonviolent ETI from the contiguous universe are helping us bring zero point energy to Earth. They will not tolerate any forms of military violence on Earth or in space. Though we cannot say for certain, it appears likely that the reference to God and the Vatican stems from Mansfield’s belief system revolving around “obedience to God” and her Catholicism.


Page 92 of the House health care bill "says specifically that people can't purchase private health insurance after a date certain.

Explanation: Michele Bachmann claims Page 92 prohibits private insurance

National, Health Care, Michele Bachmann,

House Democratic leaders last week released the health care bill they plan to bring to the floor, and it didn't take long for the Republicans to publish a laundry list of complaints about it. We'll be exploring those complaints with a story we'll publish later today or tomorrow, but in the meantime, we'd like to explore one of the points made by Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Republican from Minnesota. She made the statement on Oct. 30, 2009, on Sean Hannity's show on the Fox News Channel. She said that on Page 92 of the new bill, "it says specifically that people can't purchase private health insurance after a date certain, which means people will ultimately go into a single-payer plan where it is government providing health care and only one single government system. That's why this is so bad, Sean. This is socialized medicine ... This is, as I said, the crown jewel of socialism. It's what Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have wanted from the very beginning." (See her comments starting about the 2:15 mark in  this video  .) We won't rate her opinion that Democrats are proposing the "crown jewel" of socialized medicine, or her prediction that it will ultimately lead to a single-payer system. Instead, we're interested in Bachmann's claim that Page 92 of the bill prevents people from buying private health insurance after a certain date. We not only find that she is misinterpreting that one page, but that she's also distorting the other 1,989 pages of a bill that would construct a system largely based on private health insurance. Her claim is a serious misrepresentation of a plan that relies on a marketplace of private coverage. Bachmann's office did not respond to our call or an e-mail, but we found the language that she seemed to be referring to on Page 91 of the new bill: "The individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day of Y1." To decipher it, we called Karen Pollitz, project director for the Health Policy Institute at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute. She said it was a clause that allows people who would be eligible for coverage in the new health care exchange to keep an old policy they like. "If you have a plan that's in effect prior to the effective date (of the exchange) and you like it, you can keep it," she said. (This is similar to a claim we checked back in July when the editorial page of  Investor's Business Daily  said the bill  would outlaw private insurance  . We rated that .) Here's how the exchange would work: Under the House bill, insurance companies would sell individual policies through a government-run health care exchange, and the government would set minimum standards for coverage. For example, the government would require companies to cover people even if they have pre-existing conditions such as serious illnesses or pregnancy. The government would also set levels for minimum coverage for services such as mental health coverage. But if someone liked a plan they owned before the new law kicks in, they'd be able to keep the policy, no matter the level of coverage. The rules would largely prevent insurance companies from changing benefits in these grandfathered plans or altering the premiums. So Bachmann is referring to language that prevents the health insurance companies from enrolling new people in old plans that don't meet the new standards, Pollitz said. Any plan sold after the new law is enacted must provide better coverage. Bachmann is incorrect that people "can't purchase private health insurance after a date certain." To the contrary, a key principle of the bill is to create a new marketplace for people to buy private insurance. People who already get private coverage from their employer would continue to do so and should be able to shop for new plans with different coverage. People who are self-employed or work for small businesses will be able to buy private insurance through the new exchange. In fact, the bill requires that everyone have some form of coverage, Pollitz said. "Not only do you have to [buy insurance], but you can" buy it after the bill goes into effect, she said. "There's no reasonable way to look at Page (91) and say that you couldn't." Bachmann isn't just guilty of misinterpreting the language from one page of the bill. She's taken that misinterpretation to a ridiculous extreme — the claim that no private insurance could be sold after a certain date. That ignores the central tenet of a plan that's been discussed for months — that the plan would rely on a marketplace of private insurance.


Spending on mental health went up by £575 million last year. This refers to the increase in spending by Clinical Commissioning Groups, but doesn’t account for inflation. Factoring that in the increase was around £368 million. It’s not a complete picture of mental health spending because other money is spent by the NHS on specialised mental health services. The figures on this aren’t regularly published. Claim 1 of 2