We fact-checked Republicans' attempts to cast blame for Jan. 6 on Pelosi. Plus: We debunked viral claims about the CDC's PCR test for COVID-19.

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** Pelosi, Capitol Police and Jan. 6
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As a House committee begins investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Republicans have repeatedly tried to cast blame on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for a "breakdown of security" that day.

But their claims have been speculative and devoid of evidence.

FactCheck.org Deputy Managing Editor Rob Farley dissected some of the specific arguments this week ([link removed]) . Here's some of what he found:
* Republican Rep. Jim Banks said that Pelosi, as speaker, “has more control and authority and responsibility over the leadership of the Capitol Police than anyone else in the United States Capitol” and therefore, “is ultimately responsible for the breakdown of security at the Capitol that happened on Jan. 6.” The speaker does not oversee security of the U.S. Capitol. The speaker appoints one member of a four-member board that oversees Capitol security, and who then must be approved by the House.

* House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy suggested Pelosi played a role in denying efforts prior to Jan. 6 to bolster security on the Capitol grounds with members of the National Guard. There is no evidence of that.

* GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik said Pelosi “failed to act” on intelligence reports in December about potential security threats and therefore “Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility as speaker of the House for the tragedy that occurred on Jan. 6.” There is no evidence that Pelosi was privy to those intelligence reports.

Read the full story, "Republicans’ Shaky, No Evidence Attempt to Cast Blame on Pelosi for Jan. 6 ([link removed]) ."
HOW WE KNOW
Viral posts have falsely claimed that the FDA "revoked" the CDC's PCR test for COVID-19. Others erroneously suggested the test was mistaking influenza for the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. We turned to the CDC notice ([link removed]) being referenced and found it was being wildly distorted. Read more ([link removed]) .
FEATURED FACT
The delta variant of the novel coronavirus accounted for 82.2% of all cases in the two-week period ending July 17, according to CDC data ([link removed]) . That variant helped spur new recommendations for mask-wearing in some parts of the country. We explained the new recommendations ([link removed]) .
REPLY ALL

Reader: You people are complete garbage. Understand that there are families whose lives have been destroyed by taking this injection you call a vaccine. You should watch them die, maybe your soul would come back.

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: We have written multiple times that no vaccine is 100% safe ([link removed]) , and that there have been a few very rare adverse events associated ([link removed]) with the COVID-19 vaccines ([link removed]) . The fact is, however, that the COVID-19 vaccines have saved lives, and the CDC has repeatedly said that the benefits far outweigh the risks. As we recently wrote ([link removed]) : According to CDC data ([link removed]) , the seven-day rolling average of daily deaths from COVID-19 has declined by about 94% since the vaccines became available
([link removed]) in the U.S. The seven-day average of daily deaths was 2,779 on Dec. 14; as of July 11, it was down to 176.


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* "Flawed Variant Information Fuels Baseless COVID-19 Theory ([link removed]) ": A conspiracy theory online baselessly suggests that the World Health Organization and other groups preplanned the variants of the novel coronavirus — citing a dubious timeline. But the timeline doesn’t square with the reality of when variants have been identified and designated thus far.

* "A Guide to the CDC’s Updated Mask Recommendations ([link removed]) ": Citing new data on the delta variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that fully vaccinated people wear face masks indoors in some parts of the country. We explained those recommendations.

* "Posts Baselessly Link COVID-19 Tests to Vaccine Conspiracy Theory ([link removed]) ": The COVID-19 vaccines currently in use must be administered via injection. But Instagram posts baselessly suggest that Bill Gates and George Soros will use COVID-19 tests to secretly vaccinate people who haven’t yet received the shots. There is no evidence for that conspiracy theory, and scientists say trying to administer a vaccine with a swab would likely not be effective.

* "Viral Posts Misrepresent CDC Announcement on COVID-19 PCR Test ([link removed]) ": Scientists consider polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests a highly reliable tool for diagnosing COVID-19. But social media posts are misrepresenting a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcement regarding the eventual discontinuation of its own test, falsely claiming the government has conceded that PCR tests aren’t reliable.

* "Video Twists Advice on Delta Variant and Vaccination ([link removed]) ": An epidemiologist recommended that people get the COVID-19 vaccine because some evidence suggests an unvaccinated person who gets the delta variant is “twice as likely to require hospital treatment” than someone infected with the alpha variant. But a Facebook video twists that advice to claim that he said vaccinated people would be twice as likely to be hospitalized.

* "Beds for Olympic Athletes Were Not Designed for COVID-19 Concerns ([link removed]) ": Participants in the 2020 Olympic Games will be subject to many COVID-19 rules. But social media posts and a news report falsely claim athletes will be sleeping on specially made, flimsy “anti-sex beds” to prevent intimacy and COVID-19 infection. The beds were designed before the pandemic and can bear more than 400 pounds, the mattress company said.

Y lo que publicamos en español (English versions are accessible in each story):
* "Las afirmaciones engañosas de Greene sobre vacunaciones forzadas y ‘muertes’ por vacunación contra el COVID-19 ([link removed]) ": No hay evidencia de que una campaña puerta a puerta para incentivar vacunaciones contra el COVID-19 implique que el presidente Joe Biden y los demócratas “están yendo a la puerta de su casa para forzarlo a recibir la vacuna”, como la congresista Marjorie Taylor Greene tuiteó. Greene también citó una cifra de muertes informadas tras vacunaciones, lo que no es lo mismo que muertes causadas por las vacunas.

* "Infundada teoría conspirativa surge tras muertes de presidente de Haití y otros líderes ([link removed]) ": Luego del asesinato del presidente haitiano Jovenel Moïse, surgieron mensajes en medios sociales que insinúan infundadamente que tanto él como otros líderes mundiales fueron asesinados o murieron por oponerse a las vacunas contra el COVID-19 en sus respectivos países. Todos los líderes nombrados en las publicaciones, excepto Moïse, murieron por causas naturales. Al menos uno apoyaba la vacunación.

* "Foto muestra celebración de la Copa Mundial de 2018 en Francia, no una protesta contra las vacunas ([link removed]) ": Mensajes en redes sociales tergiversan una antigua foto tomada en Francia insinuando que el mar de gente en las calles muestra “personas marchando contra la tiranía de las vacunas”. La foto, en realidad, muestra la celebración en París luego de que Francia ganara la Copa Mundial de Fútbol en 2018.

* "Estadísticas preliminares de los CDC muestran que vacunas contra el COVID-19 son seguras durante el embarazo ([link removed]) ": Los sistemas federales para monitorear vacunas no han identificado problemas de seguridad en personas embarazadas vacunadas contra el COVID-19. Estadísticas preliminares de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC, por sus siglas en inglés) muestran que no hay una frecuencia mayor a la esperada de abortos espontáneos en personas vacunadas. Sin embargo, mensajes en internet afirman erróneamente que las estadísticas, reportadas en una publicación de los CDC, muestran una tasa de abortos espontáneos de un 82%.

* "Estadísticas de los CDC contradicen declaraciones de Julián Castro sobre el COVID-19 en Texas ([link removed]) ": Los casos de COVID-19 están aumentando en Texas, pero el estado no tiene “la mayor tasa de positividad y el mayor número de casos del país”, como el demócrata Julián Castro tuiteó recientemente.

* "Mayim Bialik y sus hijos recibieron la vacuna contra el COVID-19 ([link removed]) ": La actriz y neurocientista Mayim Bialik ha expresado escepticismo sobre las vacunas en el pasado, pero dijo que ella y sus dos hijos adolescentes recibieron la vacuna contra el COVID-19. Un mensaje en Facebook dice que Bialik “rechaza ser vacunada”, dejando la falsa impresión de que se opone a las vacunas contra el COVID-19.

Have a question about COVID-19 and the vaccines? Visit our SciCheck page ([link removed]) for answers. It's available in Spanish ([link removed]) , too.
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