Sunday, January 3, 2021
Re-Elected Speaker Nancy Pelosi Full Remarks on Opening Day of 117th Congress
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks following her re-election as Speaker for the 117th Congress. Full video here:
Discover the C-SPAN Video Library at
Download our App
C-SPAN: Created by Cable in 1979. Offered as a public ser […]
Read More
Putting a Viral Video Clip of Biden in Context
Quick Take
Conservative personalities are sharing a brief video clip showing Joe Biden speaking at an event in September to suggest the Democratic presidential nominee was making a racially insensitive remark. But it misleadingly omits any context for the quote.
Full Story
A short video clip of former Vice President Joe Biden is circulating on social media, but it misleadingly omits any context for Biden’s words.
The 10-second clip shows Biden only saying, “They’re saying, ‘Jeez, the reason I was able to stay sequestered in my home is because some black woman was able to stack the grocery shelf.’”
Biden did say those words during a Sept. 15 event with veterans in Florida. But the full context of his remarks indicates he was suggesting that Americans are becoming more aware and realizing “we’re all in this together” during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also expressed gratitude for such essential workers.
Here’s a more complete look at what Biden said before and after the quote in question:
Biden, Sept. 15: I am, ironically, more optimistic about the prospects of dealing with the problems we talked about today, as well as so many other problems we have right now, than I’ve ever been in my whole career. And they say, “Well, why in the hell would you say that Biden? You just talked about all these difficulties.” Well, I’ll tell you why. Because the American public, the blinders have been taken off. They’ve all of a sudden seen a hell of a lot clearer. They’re saying, “Jeez, the reason I was able to stay sequestered in my home is because some black woman was able to stack the grocery shelf.” Or “I got a young Hispanic is out there, these dreamers are out there, 60,000 of them acting as first responders and nurses and docs.” Or all of a sudden people are realizing, “My Lord, these people have done so much. Not just black, white, across the board, have done so much for me. We can do this. We can get things done.” And I think they’re ready.
And the irony of all ironies is that I think it’s the vehicle by which we’re going to be able to create really good paying jobs. We’re going to be able to provide for significant healthcare. The idea that in the middle of a pandemic, the worst thing since the great flu back in the turn of the century, where so many people died worldwide, is that, you know, people are figuring out that we’re all in this together. We can get through this if we just level with one another. Just tell the truth, let people know.
The short, out-of-context clip was amplified on Twitter by a contributor for the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, among others. On Facebook, a columnist for the Patriot Post shared a video of the remark repeating in a loop and wrote, “Biden has #TheHelp who he calls ‘some black woman’ SMH!”
In addition to the video clip, the same select quote has been shared in text form on social media.
Some of the posts sharing the clip attempted to tie it to a comment Biden made in May, when he said, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.” Biden later apologized for that comment.
Here’s a video of the veterans event Biden participated in; the video begins at the relevant timestamp.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here.
This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here for more.
Sources
Forgey, Quint and Myah Ward. “Biden apologizes for controversial ‘you ain’t black’ comment.” Politico. 22 May 2020.
“Joe Biden Veterans Roundtable Event & Speech Transcript.” Rev.com. 15 Sep 2020.
“WATCH: Biden speaks at veterans roundtable in Tampa, Florida.” PBS NewsHour. 15 Sep 2020.
The post Putting a Viral Video Clip of Biden in Context appeared first on FactCheck.org.
Stay informed: https://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/
Description
Due to the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, BRIO has dedicated 100% of their operations to importing critically needed respirator masks. Featuring a 3D comfort design, these KN95 masks provide filtration against particulate pollution, gases, as well as bacteria, viruses, and most odors. It's made with comfortable stretch fabric and has convenient earloops for a tight fit. These masks are perfect for everyday wear. Order your 5-Pack now!
- 3D Comfort mask design
- Convenient earloop design
- Comfortable stretch fabric for tight fit
- Easy to put on & remove
Specs
- Color: white
- Materials: 3-layer melt-blown non-woven PPE
- Product dimensions: 1"H x 8"L x 5"W
- 3D Comfort design
- KN95 PRC Standard (Similar to NIOSH N95)
- CE 0194
- FFP2 - EN149 Filtration Level
https://www.newsbreak.com/topics/guerin-green https://webfeeds.brookings.edu/%7E/t/0/0/brookingsrss/topics/foreignaid/%7Ethecherrycreeknews.com
Saturday, January 2, 2021
Trump’s False Claim That Michigan Is ‘Closed’.
In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the state of Michigan is “closed,” specifically and falsely mentioning churches and schools.
In fact, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat and a frequent target of Trump, lifted the state’s stay-at-home order on June 1. The vast majority of the state’s businesses are open with some restrictions, as are churches and schools, although some of the latter are teaching remotely.
Trump’s comments came on the day the federal government charged six men with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer. The governor’s coronavirus restrictions had triggered vehement disapproval and led to demonstrations by armed protesters at the state Capitol in Lansing in April and May.
Trump, Oct. 8: And she keeps her state closed, although we just won the big case, as you know, to open up Michigan, because what she’s doing is a horrible thing to the people. The churches are closed. The schools are closed, and the whole state is closed.
Trump returned to the theme at a virtual telerally he held for Michigan voters two days later.
Trump, Oct. 10: Uh, your governor has to open up her state. We, uh, as you know brought suit, and now. … And she lost the suit on a constitutional basis. Get your kids back to school. Uh, we’re rounding the turn on the pandemic. And we’ve done a really good job on it, and you’ll see that very soon when the vaccines start coming out, and the final therapeutics.
Whitmer issued her stay-at-home order on March 23 in an effort to stem the state’s rising tide of COVID-19 cases. The order told residents to stay home, although there were a number of exemptions, and said that nonessential workers should not report to work and telework if possible. Whitmer lifted the order on June 1, although some businesses — including gyms, hair salons and theaters — remained shuttered. Whitmer has issued several orders on the subject.
A number of other restrictions have remained in effect, including limits on crowd size at gatherings. But some have been lifted. For example, last month Whitmer issued an executive order allowing movie theaters and bowling alleys to reopen effective Oct. 9, although with stringent restrictions on crowd size. (Gyms and salons had reopened earlier, in June.)
The New York Times, which monitors what’s open and what’s closed in all 50 states during the pandemic, lists nearly everything as open in Michigan, including retail stores, industries and houses of worship. The only thing it lists as shut down is indoor service at bars.
But even that is no longer the case. According to the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services on Oct. 9: “There are no longer bar closures, but bars may only serve alcohol to gatherings seated at tables.”
As is true in many states, the situation in Michigan schools is a mixed bag, often dependent on local conditions. Some districts have students in class, while others have opted for remote learning. And some schools that opened up had to close in the face of flare-ups of COVID-19.
In August, Whitmer and legislative leaders reached a bipartisan agreement under which local school districts would determine their plans for reopening.
As for places of worship, a few days after issuing her initial stay-at-home order in March, Whitmer added language stating that “[a] place of religious worship is not subject to penalty” for exceeding restrictions on crowd size.
Despite the exemption, a group of churches filed a suit in May claiming Whitmer’s order violated religious freedom. The lawsuit sought to further exempt worshippers traveling to services from being subject to penalties. Two days after filing the suit, the churches put it on hold after Whitmer added language saying the exemption applied not just to places of religious worship but also to people attending and traveling to and from the services.
The situation in Michigan was complicated on Oct. 2 when the Michigan Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional the 1945 law that Whitmer had relied on in issuing her emergency orders on COVID-19. Undeterred, Whitmer blasted the narrow 4-3 decision by the court’s four Republican justices. Whitmer noted that the decision would not go into effect for 21 days. After that, she said, the rules on masks and crowd size would continue “under alternative sources of authority that were not at issue in today’s ruling.”
After the ruling, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, like Whitmer a Democrat, said Oct. 4 that she would no longer enforce Whitmer’s emergency orders through criminal prosecutions. A statement issued by her press secretary, Ryan Jarvi, also said: “However, her decision is not binding on other law enforcement agencies or state departments with independent enforcement authority. It’s her fervent hope that people continue to abide by the measures that Governor Whitmer put in place — like wearing face masks, adhering to social distancing requirements and staying home when sick — since they’ve proven effective at saving lives. … We can respect both the court’s decision and the advice of medical experts by continuing with these important measures voluntarily.”
In the wake of the ruling, the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, citing authority not covered by the state Supreme Court ruling, issued an emergency order replicating several aspects of Whitmer’s orders. They include requiring wearing masks at indoor and outdoor gatherings; limiting the size of crowds at indoor and outdoor gatherings, with some exceptions; and requiring bars to close indoor common areas. The crowd-size limits mirror those Whitmer had imposed and also exempt religious services.
For indoor gatherings of between 10 and 500 people, crowd size is restricted to 20% of normal capacity. Outdoor gatherings of between 10 and 1,000 people are allowed at venues with fixed seating at up to 30% of normal capacity and at 30 people per 1,000 square feet at venues without fixed seating.
Whitmer came under fire from Trump in April over her coronavirus restrictions. The president took to referring to the first-term governor, who was interviewed as a possible Democratic vice presidential nominee, as “‘Half’ Whitmer” and ”the woman in Michigan.” On April 17, he tweeted, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!”
After news of the kidnapping plot against Whitmer surfaced, the governor said Trump was “complicit” because the president hadn’t sufficiently condemned white supremacist groups. Trump campaign official Jason Miller fired back by assailing Whitmer for “the fact that she wakes up every day with such hatred in her heart towards President Trump.”
Rhetoric aside, Michigan is not “closed,” as Trump claimed.
Editor’s Note: Please consider a donation to FactCheck.org. We do not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, 202 S. 36th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Swing State Watch is an occasional series about false and misleading political messages in key states that will help decide the 2020 presidential election.
This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here for more.
The post Trump’s False Claim That Michigan Is ‘Closed’ appeared first on FactCheck.org.
earn more: https://thecherrycreeknews.com/category/latest/
Description
Due to the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, BRIO has dedicated 100% of their operations to importing critically needed respirator masks. Featuring a 3D comfort design, these KN95 masks provide filtration against particulate pollution, gases, as well as bacteria, viruses, and most odors. It's made with comfortable stretch fabric and has convenient earloops for a tight fit. These masks are perfect for everyday wear. Order your 5-Pack now!
- 3D Comfort mask design
- Convenient earloop design
- Comfortable stretch fabric for tight fit
- Easy to put on & remove
Specs
- Color: white
- Materials: 3-layer melt-blown non-woven PPE
- Product dimensions: 1"H x 8"L x 5"W
- 3D Comfort design
- KN95 PRC Standard (Similar to NIOSH N95)
- CE 0194
- FFP2 - EN149 Filtration Level
https://www.newsbreak.com/topics/guerin-green https://www.talgov.com/Main/exit.aspx?url=https://thecherrycreeknews.com
Trump Ad Lifts Fauci Praise Out of Context
A Trump campaign ad uses a clip of Dr. Anthony Fauci praising federal public health officials — saying that he “can’t imagine that … anybody could be doing more” — and makes it seem like Fauci was personally complimenting the president. Fauci himself says the ad lifted his words “out of context.”
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has at times been critical when President Donald Trump has strayed from the guidance of public health officials. For example, Fauci has criticized some states for opening too quickly per Trump’s encouragement. He has also criticized the president’s mixed messages on wearing masks, and his insistence on holding large, densely packed rallies.
The new Trump ad begins with images of a masked Trump leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and returning to the White House, as the narrator says: “President Trump is recovering from the coronavirus and so is America.”
The narrator later says, “President Trump tackled the virus head-on, as leaders should.” It then immediately cuts to a clip of Fauci on camera saying, “I can’t imagine that … anybody could be doing more.”
Fauci’s comment came in an interview with Fox News host Mark Levin in late March.
Levin, March 23: Dr. Fauci, let me ask you a question. You’ve been doing this a long time. Have you ever seen this big of a coordinated response by an administration to such a threat, a health threat?
Fauci: Well, we’ve never had a threat like this and the coordinated response has been, there are a number of adjectives to describe it. Impressive, I think, is one of them. I mean, we’re talking about all hands on deck, is that I, as one of many people on a team, I’m not the only person, since the beginning that we even recognized what this was, I have been devoting almost full time on this, almost full-time.
I’m down at the White House virtually every day with the task force. I’m connected by phone throughout the day and into the night. When I say night, I’m talking 12, 1, 2 in the morning. I’m not the only one. There’s a whole group of us that are doing that. It’s every single day. So I can’t imagine that under any circumstances, that anybody could be doing more. I mean, obviously we’re fighting a formidable enemy, this virus. This virus is a serious issue here.
Though the ad implies Fauci was talking about Trump, Fauci never mentioned the president.
“In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate,” Fauci said in an Oct. 11 statement to CNN. “The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement I made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials.”
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Oct. 12, Fauci said he thought the Trump campaign ought to take the ad down.
“I think it’s really unfortunate and really disappointing that they [officials in the Trump campaign] did that,” Fauci added. “And to take a completely out of context statement and to put it in which is obviously a political campaign ad, I thought was really very disappointing.”
In an Oct. 11 statement to NBC News, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh pushed back, responding: “These are Dr. Fauci’s own words. The video is from a nationally broadcast television interview in which Dr. Fauci was praising the work of the Trump administration. The words spoken are accurate, and directly from Dr. Fauci’s mouth.”
Trump later echoed that, writing on Twitter, “They are indeed Dr. Fauci’s own words. We have done a ‘phenomenal’ job, according to certain governors. Many people agree…And now come the Vaccines & Cures, long ahead of projections!”
They are Fauci’s words, but they are presented in a way to make it seem that Fauci was talking specifically about Trump and his response to the coronavirus when he says, “I can’t imagine … anybody could be doing more.”
However, in the context of the interview — as confirmed by Fauci himself — he is referring to the efforts of federal public health officials. Even though they are members of the Trump administration, that is not the same thing as praising Trump’s response, which has occasionally been at odds with the guidance of public health officials on everything from reopening states safely to wearing masks and holding rallies.
Since early April, public health officials with the Trump administration have been “clear and unambiguous,” as Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar recently put it, in support of the public wearing masks when social distancing is not possible. But as we have written, Trump has repeatedly raised doubts about the science, noting that health experts who now advocate public mask-wearing were once opposed to it.
In July, Fauci said the president’s mixed messages on wearing masks were “not helpful.”
“But I can tell you, you’d have to say it’s not helpful if people get signals about not wearing masks when we are trying to get people to universally wear masks,” Fauci said. “My feeling about what we should do with masks is very, very clearly understood by everyone including those in the White House.”
Fauci also took issue with Trump repeatedly promoting the drug hydroxychloroquine, even though members of the administration’s coronavirus task force, including Fauci, warned that scientific studies did not support using the drug to treat COVID-19.
“We know that every single good study — and by good study I mean randomized control study in which the data are firm and believable — has shown that hydroxychloroquine is not effective in the treatment of COVID-19,” Fauci said in July.
As the president encouraged and prodded states to lift restrictions on business closures, Fauci faulted some states for opening too quickly, in contradiction of federal guidelines.
“There are some times when despite the guidelines and the recommendations to open up carefully and prudently, some states skipped over those and just opened up too quickly,” Fauci said in July.
Fauci singled out Florida as an example, saying, “Certainly Florida I know, you know, I think jumped over a couple of checkpoints.”
Trump repeatedly praised early-opening states, such as Florida, even when some failed to meet the federal guidelines for reopening safely.
Fauci also has been critical of Trump’s insistence on holding densely packed campaign rallies, two of them indoors, where many attendees didn’t wear masks.
In mid-June, as Trump was gearing up for an indoor rally in Tulsa, Fauci was asked if he would attend a Trump rally. “I’m in a high-risk category. Personally, I would not. Of course not,” Fauci, who’s 79, said.
In September, “CBS This Morning” host Gayle King asked Fauci if the prevalence of attendees at Trump rallies not wearing masks was frustrating him. Fauci responded, “Well, yes it is. And I’ve said that often. That situation is, we want to set an example, because we know, we know, that when you do four or five typical kind of public health measures — masks, physical distance, avoiding crowds, making sure you do most things outdoors versus indoors — those are the kind of things that turn around surges, and also prevent us from getting surges.”
“Anybody who has been listening to me over the last several months knows that a conversation does not go by where I do not strongly recommend that people wear masks,” he said in an interview on Sept. 30 on ABC News’ “Start Here” podcast.
Fauci has at other times been complimentary of Trump’s willingness to follow the advice of federal public health officials in his administration. For example, on April 13, Fauci said that when he and Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, approached Trump about directing strong mitigation, the president’s response was, “Yes, we’ll do it.”
But as we said, Trump has not always been on the same page with federal public health officials. So when Fauci praises public health officials, saying he couldn’t imagine “anybody could be doing more,” that’s not the same as praising Trump, as the Trump ad suggests.
Editor’s Note: Please consider a donation to FactCheck.org. We do not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, 202 S. 36th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104.
This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here for more.
The post Trump Ad Lifts Fauci Praise Out of Context appeared first on FactCheck.org.
News and Views: https://www.northdenvernews.com
Description
Due to the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, BRIO has dedicated 100% of their operations to importing critically needed respirator masks. Featuring a 3D comfort design, these KN95 masks provide filtration against particulate pollution, gases, as well as bacteria, viruses, and most odors. It's made with comfortable stretch fabric and has convenient earloops for a tight fit. These masks are perfect for everyday wear. Order your 5-Pack now!
- 3D Comfort mask design
- Convenient earloop design
- Comfortable stretch fabric for tight fit
- Easy to put on & remove
Specs
- Color: white
- Materials: 3-layer melt-blown non-woven PPE
- Product dimensions: 1"H x 8"L x 5"W
- 3D Comfort design
- KN95 PRC Standard (Similar to NIOSH N95)
- CE 0194
- FFP2 - EN149 Filtration Level
https://newsbreak.com/topics/guerin-green https://webfeeds.brookings.edu/%7E/t/0/0/%7Ethecherrycreeknews.com
Friday, January 1, 2021
Colorado will not crown secondary school basketball champs for very first time, leaving trains, professional athletes and neighborhoods in "shock".
For the very first time in the history of state competitors, Colorado will not crown high school basketball champs.
CHSAA made the official call late Thursday night to cancel the competition due to the spread of the coronavirus in the state. The unmatched cancellation left student-athletes, coaches and communities feeling devastated, even as they comprehended the requirement of the choice.
” People’s health is more crucial than basketball, even if it does not seem like it in some cases (in this moment),” stated Jana Van Gytenbeek, Cherry Creek senior and reigning Gatorade Gamer of the Year. “It was a good choice by CHSAA due to the fact that I was also shocked we played (on Thursday). CHSAA basketball was the last man standing; everybody in professional sports was canceling, March Madness was done, spring sports was done. They held out as long as they could.”
Colorado has actually crowned a boys promote every year because 1918 and a girls promote given that 1976.
The final rounds of the competition were allowed to be played Thursday, with Van Gytenbeek’s Bruins among four big-school women groups advancing to the state champion.
But the tournament’s cancellation leaves the Cherry Creek-Grandview rematch in the girls Class 5A bracket unresolved, and cuts brief Rangeview’s attempt to become the very first undefeated Class 5A kids promote because2004 Those 2 storylines, amongst numerous others, won’t be played out.
CHSAA assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann described coaches’ responses as “helpful, comprehending or both.”
” I definitely comprehend their thinking,” Cherry Creek women coach Clint Evans stated. “It’s a circumstance where you’re not going to make everyone happy, so why try? Do what you believe is the very best thing for individuals, and for public health, which’s what CHSAA did … However, I’m still in disbelief and I think everyone is.”
Included Rangeview coach Shawn Palmer: “There’s no enemy here– there’s no finger to point at anyone. This is just extremely unusual scenarios, and it’s hard on everybody. We support CHSAA’s choice and we certainly comprehend it, particularly when you take an action back and understand the scope of what’s happening in the nation and the world today.”
Around 8 p.m. Thursday, CHSAA was notified by the University of Denver that the school could no longer host the Class 3A state basketball competition there. That, in conjunction with revealed issues from other state championship websites as well as expanded spread of the coronavirus on a local level, led to the cancellation of all classes of the tournament around 11 p.m.
Now, players, coaches and fans are left wondering whether there is the possibility of ending up the tournament when the pandemic subsides. However CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green stated that possibility, however remote, is not being gone over.
” When it’s appropriate and safe to re-convene public gatherings, we will reassess,” Blanford-Green said. “Right now, we’re concentrating on the choice that was made and spring sports being closed down until April 6. We’re not having discussions around a postponement or a re-schedule (of state basketball) when there are school closures and we just decided the competition was canceled.”
Blanford-Green worried the decision to cancel the competitions was one made with the hope of protecting the community, but likewise with unhappiness knowing what the tournament indicates to many.
” Everyone in the CHSAA office gets what this experience suggests not only to the kids, but to their families, to the schools, to the neighborhoods and to the trainee fan bases,” Blanford-Green stated. “We did everything we could to keep this experience special … the athletic world is fluid and uncertain today, and we had to weigh an athletic competition versus offering a decision in this unknown to ensure everybody was safe.”
The lack of closure to a championship-caliber season makes sure to hang on the groups and players who saw their title aspirations get swept away. That holds true from leviathan Cherry Creek (CHSAA-record 211 total team titles) to Class 4A Northfield, whose young boys team received the Final Four in simply its 2nd university season.
” Most significantly, I feel for our senior citizens, since we’re so brand-new as a school and as we were developing a tradition, this occurs,” Northfield coach Ezekiel Ocansey said. “This opportunity was so important for our community, and for it to not happen at all is deflating in the worst method.”
The memories of the trip up to this point are all that’s left to stick to.
” As high school athletes, you’ve spent your entire life preparing to play in championships, preparing to bet your high school and your community in the biggest minutes,” stated Van Gytenbeek, a Stanford commit. “That keeps a high school professional athlete going every single day, due to the fact that those goals are your body and soul, therefore this (stinks). I feel so bad for everyone.
” But if anything, this all makes you appreciate every moment along the way.”
History of state champion cancellations
Canceling a state competition in Colorado is relatively extraordinary. Here are the other cases.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Grandview’s Addison O’Grady (22) conserves the free ball throughout 5A Woman’s Semifinal State Champion video game versus Valor Christian at Denver Coliseum in Denver, Colorado on Thursday. March 12,2020 Grandview won 49-42
1956– No Class A state baseball (due to weather)
1919– No state track satisfy
1918– No state track meet
1917– No state track fulfill
[NDN/ccn/comedia Links]
https://www.newsbreak.com/topics/guerin-green/?=DenverNews https://www.office.xerox.com/perl-bin/reseller_exit.pl?url=https://thecherrycreeknews.com
Physicians in Video Wrongly Relate COVID-19 With a ‘Typical Flu Infection’
Quick Take
A video posted by a European-based group called World Doctors Alliance falsely claims the novel coronavirus is “a normal flu virus” and there is no COVID-19 pandemic. Actually, COVID-19 is deadlier than the seasonal flu, and some European nations are combatting a second wave of cases.
Full Story
According to the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we remain in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic, with an uptick in case numbers and hospitalizations straining the ability of medical centers in some areas to cope. Some European governments have imposed more restrictions to fight another wave of cases.
Yet on Oct. 10, Heiko Schöning, a German physician and head of a group known by the German acronym ACU2020, announced formation of an organization called World Doctors Alliance to challenge the veracity of the COVID-19 pandemic. The alliance website claims it is “abundantly clear that the ‘pandemic’ is basically over and has been since June 2020.”
An 18-minute video announcing the group’s formation was posted on the ACU2020 website but has since been taken down by YouTube for violating its terms of service. Still, portions of the video featuring two doctors challenging the science behind the pandemic are circulating on Facebook with false assertions and statistics.
Staking out the group’s position, Elke De Klerk, a Dutch general practitioner, says on the video, “We do not have a pandemic” and calls COVID-19 a “normal flu virus” – claims flatly rejected by the WHO, CDC, and other experts.
De Klerk claims the pandemic designation was based on poor testing, with the polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, molecular test returning false positive results in “89 to 94%” of the cases. That’s not true.
While the false positive rate remains an area of continued examination, preliminary studies show the test’s false positive rate is far less than De Klerk claims. A recent article in the British medical publication The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, said estimates in the U.K. place the false positive rate in the 0.8 to 4% range, while false negatives could run as high as 33%.
As for the virus that causes COVID-19, scientists universally agree it is a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, not a strain of influenza.
While the death rate for COVID-19 remains uncertain, as we have reported, evidence suggests it is higher than for seasonal influenza.
In De Klerk’s own country, the Netherlands, there have been more than 6,800 deaths attributed to COVID-19 so far this year, compared to 2,900 due to flu and pneumonia in 2018-19.
In the U.S., where COVID-19 has caused more than 220,000 deaths, the worst flu season in the past decade killed an estimated 61,000 people in 2017-18, as we’ve reported. In fact, COVID-19 so far has killed more people in the U.S. than the past five flu seasons combined, and hundreds more die each day.
In addition, a CDC study released Oct. 20 found hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the Veterans Health Administration had a five times higher risk of death than patients with the flu.
The other speaker in the video circulating on Facebook is Dolores Cahill, a professor at the medical school at the University College Dublin in Ireland. Cahill, who has become something of a lightning rod as a COVID-19 denier, claims on the video that there have only been 98 deaths in Ireland due to the coronavirus since April.
But according to Ireland’s Central Statistics Office, more than 1,800 people have died of COVID-19 in the country, all but 200 since April.
And with cases on an upswing, the Irish government announced Oct. 19 that it was imposing tough new restrictions to slow the spread of the disease. The measures, which will last until at least Dec. 1, require all non-essential retail businesses, barbers, hairdressers, and salons to close and ban gatherings in homes. Restaurants and pubs will be limited to takeout and delivery service.
Cahill has found herself under fire from both her university, which issued a statement disassociating itself from her views, and the European Union, which asked her to resign from an EU medical panel.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here.
Sources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Past Seasons Estimated Influenza Disease Burden. Accessed 21 Oct 2020.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Risk for In-Hospital Complications Associated with COVID-19 and Influenza: Veterans Health Administration, United States, October 1, 2018 – May 31, 2020.” 20 Oct 2020.
Central Statistics Office (Ireland). COVID-19 Information Hub. Accessed 20 Oct 2020.
Davies, Guy. “Further restrictions, curfews imposed in Europe as continent fights ‘second wave’ of coronavirus cases.” ABC. 19 Oct 2020.
Dolores Cahill profile. Professor, School of Medicine, University College Dublin.
Gallagher, Aoife. “UCD professor asked to resign EU committee over Covid-19 claims.” The Irish Times. 13 Jun 2020.
Johns Hopkins University & Medicine. Coronavirus Resource Center. Accessed 20 Oct 2020.
Keena, Colm. “UCD school of medicine disassociates itself from professor’s views.” The Irish Times. 19 Jun 2020.
Lockerd Maragakis, Lisa. “Coronavirus Disease 2019 vs. the Flu.” Johns Hopkins Medicine. Accessed 19 Oct 2020.
Lovelace Jr., Berkeley. “Coronavirus hospitalizations are growing in 37 states as Fauci the world not ‘on the road’ to ending pandemic yet.” CNBC. 19 Oct 2020.
McDonald, Jessica, et. al. “Trump’s COVID-19 Misinformation Since Testing Positive.” 6 Oct 2020.
Menendez, Elisa. “Coronavirus: Ireland will go back into lockdown for six weeks from Wednesday.” Metro.co.uk. 19 Oct 2020.
Our World in Data. University of Oxford. Accessed 21 Oct 2020.
Surkova, Elena, et. al. “False-positive COVID-19 results: hidden problems and costs.” The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 29 Sep 2020.
The Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Facts and figures flu in the Netherlands. Aug 2019.
World Doctors Alliance. Accessed 20 Oct 2020.
World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Accessed 20 Oct 2020.
World Health Organization. Netherlands Situation. Accessed 20 Oct 2020.
World Health Organization. Netherlands: Influenza and Pneumonia. Accessed 20 Oct 2020.
The post Doctors in Video Falsely Equate COVID-19 With a ‘Normal Flu Virus’ appeared first on FactCheck.org.
Stay informed: https://thecherrycreeknews.com/category/latest/
Description
Due to the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, BRIO has dedicated 100% of their operations to importing critically needed respirator masks. Featuring a 3D comfort design, these KN95 masks provide filtration against particulate pollution, gases, as well as bacteria, viruses, and most odors. It's made with comfortable stretch fabric and has convenient earloops for a tight fit. These masks are perfect for everyday wear. Order your 5-Pack now!
- 3D Comfort mask design
- Convenient earloop design
- Comfortable stretch fabric for tight fit
- Easy to put on & remove
Specs
- Color: white
- Materials: 3-layer melt-blown non-woven PPE
- Product dimensions: 1"H x 8"L x 5"W
- 3D Comfort design
- KN95 PRC Standard (Similar to NIOSH N95)
- CE 0194
- FFP2 - EN149 Filtration Level
https://www.newsbreak.com/topics/guerin-green/?=socialmediaamplification https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reauthorization/reauexit.cfm?link=https://thecherrycreeknews.com
Trump’s Misleading Medicare Boast
In a Florida speech about senior citizens, President Donald Trump made misleading comparisons of Medicare costs under his administration and his predecessor’s.
Trump claimed “premiums for Medicare health plans went up” under the Obama administration, but his administration “lowered Medicare Advantage premiums” by 34%. He is talking about premiums for Medicare Advantage, a private Medicare option, that most Medicare beneficiaries don’t pay. For those who do pay them, the average national Medicare Advantage monthly premium went up by all of 46 cents under then-President Barack Obama.
As for “Medicare health plans,” there are four parts to Medicare and the largest premium — for Part B, physician coverage — has increased under both administrations. Nearly all Medicare enrollees pay the Part B premium, including Medicare Advantage enrollees.
Trump further said that those “Medicare health plan” premiums went up by 25% in Florida under Obama. But he, again, was talking about Medicare Advantage average premiums, which went from $6.85 to $8.60 per month in Florida during Obama’s two terms. The Medicare Advantage premium figures vary considerably by state and territory: For instance, the average monthly premium for 2021 is 77 cents in Puerto Rico but $81.79 in Minnesota, based on projected enrollment.
The average annual growth in the national average Medicare Advantage premium under Obama works out to be 0.39% over his two terms, as the average premium went up in two of his years in office and down in the other six. Under Trump, the average annual decline in the Medicare Advantage premium has been 9.9% under the four years for which he has announced these figures. The total dollar decrease in Trump’s term is $10.90 per month for the average premium.
Further complicating those figures is the fact that many Medicare Advantage enrollees pay zero dollars for their MA premium.
Of the about 68 million people enrolled in Medicare in 2020, 36% of them have Medicare Advantage plans, according to an analysis of government data by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Nearly all Medicare enrollees pay the Part B premium — except for some very low income beneficiaries who also receive Medicaid.
Medicare, the federal health care program that primarily covers those age 65 and older, as well as younger people with disabilities and end-stage renal disease, is made up of four parts, with different costs or premiums for each:
- Part A, hospital coverage, has no premium as long as the beneficiary paid Medicare payroll taxes for at least 40 quarters. (Others pay up to $458 per month in 2020.)
- Part B, physician coverage, has a standard monthly premium that’s adjusted by a formula each year. It’s $144.60 in 2020. But higher-income enrollees — those earning more than $87,000 or $174,000 for couples filing taxes jointly — pay higher amounts.
- Part C, Medicare Advantage, includes a choice of private health plans that cover Part A, B and sometimes D. Enrollees pay the Part B premium and an additional Medicare Advantage premium, if the plan has one. Premiums vary.
- Part D, prescription drug coverage, is a stand-alone drug coverage plan for those with traditional Medicare coverage (not Medicare Advantage). Premiums vary.
Medicare Advantage Premiums
Trump made his comments about Part C on Oct. 16 in Fort Myers, Florida, in a speech about seniors. Florida is a key swing state that Trump won by just 1.2 percentage points in 2016, but Biden currently holds a slight advantage in the polls.
Trump, Oct. 16: Under eight years of the previous administration, premiums for Medicare health plans went up, including a 25% increase right here in Florida. That’s for the previous people. Under my administration, we’ve lowered Medicare Advantage premiums by a number nobody even believes — 34% nationwide. And today it’s the lowest level in 14 years.
He has touted the Medicare Advantage premiums before, but he hasn’t always been clear on which premiums he was describing. On Twitter on Sept. 17, Trump said, “I am lowering, not raising, Medicare Premiums!” But there isn’t one Medicare premium; what people pay depends on their plan choices.
Here’s what has happened to the average monthly national Medicare Advantage premium since 2007, according to figures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Keep in mind, the figures vary considerably by state.
In an analysis of Medicare Advantage enrollees in plans that include prescription drug coverage (excluding certain MA plans, such as special needs plans, that are only available to specific groups), the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 89% of MA enrollees have plans that include drug coverage, and 60% of those enrollees “pay no premium for their plan, other than the Medicare Part B premium ($144.60 in 2020).”
Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, a senior policy analyst for the program on Medicare policy at KFF, told us that works out to 9.3 million people in 2020 in MA plans with drug coverage that have $0 premiums.
But among those who do pay a premium, the amounts are noticeably higher than the nationwide average for all plans. The average premium is $63 per month for those with an MA plan that includes prescription coverage and charges a premium, KFF said.
Medicare Part B Premiums
Medicare Part B premiums have gone up under both the Trump and Obama administrations, according to figures from the Medicare trustees report.
KFF’s Fuglesten Biniek told us the Part B premium is “definitely the more important” element “when you’re talking about magnitude.” Everybody in Medicare pays that, except for some very low-income enrollees who get help with their premiums from Medicaid. (That’s about 20% of Medicare beneficiaries, according to a Congressional Research Service report.)
Part B premiums have gone up under Trump by 7.9%, from 2017 to 2020, the most recent figures available. We start with 2017 because the first Part B premiums announced under the Trump administration would have been 2018 premiums, revealed in late 2017. Premiums for 2017 were announced in November 2016, when Obama was still in office.
Under the comparable time frame for Obama, the Part B premiums went up by 3.6% for 2009 to 2012.
The average annual Part B premium growth was 4.6% per year under Obama’s two terms and 2.6% per year under Trump’s first three years.
Again, those with high incomes pay more than the standard premium. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says that affects about 7% of enrollees.
There are other caveats: A “hold harmless” provision limits Part B premium increases for some to no more than the amount of the annual increase in their Social Security benefits. About 3% of enrollees in 2020 are affected by that provision, the CRS report says. Some Medicare Advantage plans also “may help pay all or part of your Part B premiums,” CMS says.
While the premiums have risen, so, too, have the Part B deductibles, and cost-sharing between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage, and among MA plans, differs.
As for Part D, the prescription drug plan, the base premium, which is based on bids submitted by the stand-alone plans and Medicare Advantage plans, went up under Obama from $30.36 to $35.63 and has gone down under Trump to $33.06. “But actual premiums paid by Part D enrollees vary considerably,” a KFF report published in June says. “For 2021, [prescription drug plan] monthly premiums range from a low of $5.70 for a PDP in Hawaii to a high of $205.30 for a PDP in South Carolina (unweighted by plan enrollment). Even within a state, PDP premiums can vary; for example, in Florida, monthly premiums range from $7.30 to $172.”
And there are low-income subsidies for Part D as well as high-income surcharges.
Overall, what individual Medicare enrollees pay in total varies depending on what plan they choose and their income, and some also will purchase supplemental plans to help with cost-sharing expenses.
The president is correct that Medicare Advantage average national premiums have gone down under his administration, and they went up under Obama — by less than 50 cents. But the larger expense that affects most enrollees is the Part B premium, which has gone up under both administrations. In fact, Part B premiums have gone up faster in Trump’s first three years than they did in Obama’s first three years.
Editor’s note: Swing State Watch is an occasional series about false and misleading political messages in key states that will help decide the 2020 presidential election.
Please consider a donation to FactCheck.org. We do not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, 202 S. 36th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104.
This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here for more.
The post Trump’s Misleading Medicare Boast appeared first on FactCheck.org.
earn more: https://northdenvernews.com/
Description
Due to the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, BRIO has dedicated 100% of their operations to importing critically needed respirator masks. Featuring a 3D comfort design, these KN95 masks provide filtration against particulate pollution, gases, as well as bacteria, viruses, and most odors. It's made with comfortable stretch fabric and has convenient earloops for a tight fit. These masks are perfect for everyday wear. Order your 5-Pack now!
- 3D Comfort mask design
- Convenient earloop design
- Comfortable stretch fabric for tight fit
- Easy to put on & remove
Specs
- Color: white
- Materials: 3-layer melt-blown non-woven PPE
- Product dimensions: 1"H x 8"L x 5"W
- 3D Comfort design
- KN95 PRC Standard (Similar to NIOSH N95)
- CE 0194
- FFP2 - EN149 Filtration Level
https://www.newsbreak.com/topics/guerin-green https://www2.ogs.state.ny.us/help/urlstatusgo.html?url=https://thecherrycreeknews.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)