As Americans are spending more time indoors, a top progressive super PAC is filling the TV airwaves with a hard-hitting ad attacking President Donald Trump’s response to the novel coronavirus. The ad from Priorities USA slams Trump for downplaying the virus that has infected tens of thousands of people in the United States. It juxtaposes […]
There’s confusion — along with some manufactured fear — about the role of the National Guard in the nation’s fight against the coronavirus. Many have posted videos on social media of tanks and Humvees rolling into towns while others have spread false rumors about the Guard leading “COVID-19 quarantine teams” and imposing military law. “Coronavirus […]
The coronavirus relief bill that unanimously passed the Senate on March 26 checks in at 880 pages and more than $2 trillion in expenditures. The bill — which will require the House’s approval and President Donald Trump’s signature before it becomes law — addresses everything from support for the airline industry to support for stressed […]
There is no known treatment or cure for COVID-19, but some people are hitting their pantry to create their own false remedies. Since January, we’ve fact-checked more than 100 claims about the coronavirus pandemic, the majority of which are inaccurate or misleading. From taking large amounts of vitamin C to drinking silver solution, some of the […]
UPDATES: On March 28, New York announced that it would be moving its primary back from April 28 to June 23. (Our chart has been updated.) On March 31, Kansas announced that its primary on May 2 would be held entirely by mail. On April 1, West Virginia said it was delaying its primary. The coronavirus […]
The Inquirer is partnering with PolitiFact, the nonpartisan fact-checking website operated by the nonprofit Poynter Institute for Media Studies. The Inquirer will be PolitiFact’s exclusive partner in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state in the 2020 presidential election. Through the work of an Inquirer reporter dedicated to this effort, and collaborating with other reporters and editors […]
The coronavirus pandemic has already forced more than a half dozen states to delay their Democratic primaries, with more states likely to follow. This has raised an urgent question: Could the pandemic still be dangerous enough in November that the general election will have to be held mostly or entirely by mail? On the federal […]
In the absence of a vaccine or a known antiviral treatment for the disease caused by the coronavirus, unsubstantiated information is popping up on Facebook on what to take or avoid in case of exposure to the virus. PolitiFact decided to look into a March 17 Facebook post flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to […]
A research report showing a possible link between blood type and the likelihood of contracting coronavirus has been written up in various mainstream news publications, and it’s getting some play on social media, too. One Facebook post shows an image of a woman wearing a medical mask alongside a graphic of a virus. “People with […]
Are pregnant women at a higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19? A Facebook post, which appears to be a screenshot from a news article, makes that claim: “Because of changes in their immune system, pregnant women are at a higher risk when it comes to coronavirus.” The story quotes a Michigan doctor who says […]
As the coronavirus spreads across the United States, there’s increasing discussion of how to leverage an existing law to quickly scale up the manufacture of ventilators and other urgently needed medical items. The Defense Production Act, signed by President Harry Truman, allows the federal government to take a stronger role in directing domestic manufacturing capabilities […]
Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed in a letter to President Trump this week that a staggering “56 percent” of Californians “will be infected” with the coronavirus over the next two months. A day later, Newsom ordered all residents to stay at home and avoid all non-essential travel to slow the spread of the virus. While his […]