View this email in your browser ([link removed])
An update from FactCheck.org


** Our Latest 'Biden's Numbers' Update
------------------------------------------------------------

Are gas prices still up since President Joe Biden took office? What's going on with the stock market?

We provide the answers to those questions -- and unvarnished statistics on a host of topics -- in our latest edition of "Biden's Numbers ([link removed]) ."

We launched this feature to provide measures of how the country is faring under the president back when Barack Obama ([link removed]) was in office, and we've continued it under Donald Trump ([link removed]) and now Biden ([link removed]) . We publish updates every three months on various statistical indicators -- on jobs, the economy, immigration, health insurance, oil production and a lot more.

The latest lengthy article is the work of five staffers. As we say in the story, readers can form their own opinions on whether a president deserves credit or blame for these numbers. We take no position on that.

And we noted the starting point for these measurements matters. For instance, Biden has boasted of inflation dropping — and it has trended down over the past year. But we start the clock when Biden took office. The Consumer Price Index over his first 29 months went up 15.7% .

Yes, gas prices are up, too -- and so is the stock market.

Read our full story for more: “Biden’s Numbers, July 2023 Update ([link removed]) .” And feel free to share our chart on social media.
HOW WE KNOW
To find the number and percentage of Americans without health insurance, we turn to the CDC's National Health Interview Survey ([link removed]) , which dates back to 1957. NHIS interviews are conducted face-to-face throughout the year by the Census Bureau, and they measure the uninsured at the time people were interviewed. Once a year, we also get data from a larger annual survey ([link removed]) by the Census Bureau that looks at the number who were uninsured for the entire year.
FEATURED FACT
The median sales price of existing single-family homes in the U.S. was $416,000 in June, the second-highest price since the National Association of Realtors began tracking the statistic in 1999. The highest median price was nearly $5,000 more -- $420,900, recorded in June 2022. After hitting that peak, prices went down through January, but they've been rising every month of 2023 since. The increase is due to limited inventory. Read more ([link removed]) .
WORTHY OF NOTE
This week we posted ([link removed]) our second video collaboration with Factchequeado ([link removed]) , a media outlet that counters Spanish-language misinformation in the U.S. Latino community. We teamed up to debunk a viral post that falsely implied the decrease in flu cases in 2020 and 2021 meant that COVID-19 was a hoax.

Spoiler alert: Flu cases decreased during the first years of the pandemic, likely because of physical distancing and other measures adopted to stop the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, public health experts say.

The short video is available in both English ([link removed]) and Spanish ([link removed]) , and we've sent it out on our social media.
REPLY ALL

Reader: Did Biden say he’d cured cancer or was his speech edited?

FactCheck.org Managing Editor Lori Robertson: In a July 25 speech on increasing access to mental health care, Biden appears to say, "We can end cancer as we know it," as transcripts on Factba.se ([link removed]) and the White House website ([link removed]) say. But he slurs his words at the beginning of the sentence, so some, notably critics of the president, heard "we ended cancer." Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert claimed ([link removed]) that Biden had "lied."

You can watch this video clip ([link removed]) of his remarks on C-Span for yourself.

It is hard to make out the "can" in his remarks, but the larger context shows he was talking about wanting to cure cancer. He also says, "And we can," right before the "We can end cancer as we know it." Biden has an initiative called the Cancer Moonshot, which has a goal ([link removed]) of ending cancer ([link removed]) "as we know it."

Here's the context of his remarks, in which he discusses "four big things" the nation can do together, as part of his so-called "Unity Agenda."

Biden, July 25: "You know, in the last two State of the Union Addresses, I’ve laid out what I call the Unity Agenda. It is made up of four big things to — that we can to do together as a nation.

"One of the things I’m always asked is: You know, why — why Americans have sort of lost faith for a while on being — being able to do big things. 'If you could do anything at all, Joe, what would you do?' I said, 'I’d cure cancer.' And they looked at me like, 'Why cancer?' Because no one thinks we can. That’s why. And we can. We can end cancer as we know it.

"Deliver on our sacred obligations to veterans is the second thing I think is critically important. Thirdly was beat the opioid epidemic, which we’re still fighting very hard. And fourth was to tackle mental health crisis, which is why we’re here today."


** Wrapping Up
------------------------------------------------------------

Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* "Pfizer Facility Damaged in Tornado Didn’t Produce COVID-19 Vaccines ([link removed]) ": No COVID-19 vaccines were affected by the tornado that damaged Pfizer’s North Carolina warehouse, which doesn’t produce the vaccines. But some misinformation spreaders are claiming vaccines were destroyed.
* "Posts Spread False Claim About Luke Bryan After CMT Pulls Jason Aldean Video ([link removed]) ": A video by country singer Jason Aldean was pulled by Country Music Television after critics called it offensive and racist. Some Aldean fans have responded by calling for the “Bud Light treatment” of CMT and falsely claiming that, in solidarity, singer Luke Bryan removed his own videos from the channel. The bogus claim about Bryan originated on a satirical website.
* "Video: Fewer Cases of Flu Due to Pandemic Precautions ([link removed]) ": Influenza cases decreased during the first years of the pandemic, likely because of measures adopted to stop the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. In this video, FactCheck.org teamed up with Factchequeado to debunk a viral post that falsely implied the decrease in flu cases meant that COVID-19 was a hoax.
* "Thermography Is No Substitute for Mammograms, Contrary to Facebook Post’s Advice ([link removed]) ": The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers mammograms “the most effective primary breast cancer screening test” and says there is no evidence to indicate that thermography can replace mammograms. But an article shared on Facebook tells people to “stop getting mammograms” and try thermography instead.
* "False Claim About Cause of Autism Highlighted on Pennsylvania Senate Panel ([link removed]) ": Studies have found the rate of autism is the same in vaccinated and unvaccinated children. But the false claim that vaccines are associated with the disorder persists. A prominent spreader of COVID-19 misinformation wrongly told legislators in Pennsylvania that autism is virtually nonexistent among the unvaccinated, citing the Amish population.
* "Social Media Posts Misrepresent Kamala Harris Error ([link removed]) ": While announcing an investment in clean energy programs, Vice President Kamala Harris mistakenly said “reduce population” when she meant “reduce pollution.” Online posts shared a video of the gaffe and misleadingly claimed “her goal is to reduce population to fight climate change.” The transcript of her remarks shows the mistake and corrects it.

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* "La termografía no reemplaza a las mamografías, al contrario de lo que aconseja una publicación en Facebook ([link removed]) ": La Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de EE. UU. (FDA, por sus siglas en inglés) considera que las mamografías son “la prueba más eficaz para detectar el cáncer de mama” y afirma que no hay evidencia que indique que la termografía puede sustituir a las mamografías. Pero un artículo compartido en Facebook dice a la gente que “deje de hacerse mamografías” y en su lugar prueben la termografía.
* "Video: Disminución de casos de influenza se debe a las precauciones durante la pandemia ([link removed]) ": Los casos de influenza disminuyeron durante los primeros años de la pandemia en EE. UU., probablemente debido a medidas adoptadas para detener la propagación del virus que causa el COVID-19. En este video, FactCheck.org se asoció con Factchequeado para desmentir una publicación viral que sugiere falsamente que la disminución de casos de gripe en 2020 y 2021 significa que el COVID-19 fue un engaño.
* "Casos de malaria en EE. UU. desatan comentarios falsos sobre vínculos con investigación financiada por Gates ([link removed]) ": La Fundación Bill y Melinda Gates apoya la investigación sobre la lucha contra la malaria, incluyendo el financiamiento de una empresa que libera mosquitos modificados genéticamente y que son incapaces de transmitir la enfermedad. Pero informes sobre casos de malaria de transmisión local en EE. UU. han dado lugar a publicaciones sin fundamento en las redes sociales, las cuales sugieren que Gates es responsable del brote reciente.
* "Panel del senado de Pensilvania menciona falsa afirmación sobre la causa del autismo ([link removed]) ": Estudios realizados han encontrado que la tasa de autismo es la misma en niños vacunados y no vacunados. Pero, persiste la falsa afirmación de que las vacunas están asociadas con ese trastorno. Un destacado difusor de información falsa sobre el COVID-19 le dijo erróneamente a los legisladores de Pensilvania que el autismo es prácticamente inexistente entre las personas no vacunadas, citando a la comunidad amish.
* "La planta de Pfizer dañada por un tornado no produce vacunas contra el COVID-19 ([link removed]) ": Ninguna vacuna contra el COVID-19 se vio afectada por el tornado que causó daños en una planta de Pfizer en Carolina del Norte que no produce las vacunas. Pero algunos difusores de información falsa afirman que se destruyeron vacunas.

Do you like FactCheck.Weekly? Share it with a friend! They can subscribe here ([link removed]) .
Donate to Support Our Work ([link removed])

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
We'll show up in your inbox every Friday with this fact-focused rundown. But you can message us any day of the week with questions or comments: [email protected].
Copyright © 2023 FactCheck.org, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
FactCheck.org
Annenberg Public Policy Center
202 S. 36th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3806

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed][UNIQID]&c=ff9a7620f9&utm_source=FactCheck.org&utm_campaign=95ed045e84-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_07_07_04_55_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-78f6ab68f3-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D)
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed][UNIQID]&c=ff9a7620f9&utm_source=FactCheck.org&utm_campaign=95ed045e84-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_07_07_04_55_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-78f6ab68f3-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D)
.

This email was sent to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
why did I get this? ([link removed]) unsubscribe from this list ([link removed]) update subscription preferences ([link removed])
FactCheck.org: A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania . 202 S 36th St. . Philadelphia, Pa 19104 . USA