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An update from FactCheck.org


** Trump's Voter Fraud Tour
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Former President Donald Trump has been ostensibly campaigning for candidates across the country this election year, but his focus at these events is always on himself.

And, inevitably, he uses these events to make bogus allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

That's what happened on July 22 in Arizona.

In his appearance ([link removed]) , which lasted more than an hour and a half, Trump made yet another unsubstantiated claim of voter fraud, this time relying on a disputed, partisan report to assert that “thousands and thousands and thousands of crooked votes” came out of nursing homes in Wisconsin.

At the heart of the controversy was a decision by the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission to change the rules for collecting ballots at nursing homes because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump suggested something suspicious was afoot because “almost everybody” in Wisconsin’s nursing homes voted, when “historically only a very small portion” vote.

But Trump is wrong on both counts. As Deputy Managing Editor Robert Farley wrote, there is no evidence of fraud, and voting rates in the state’s nursing homes were not out of the ordinary.

For the details, read Rob's report "Unraveling Trump’s Unsubstantiated Claim of ‘Crooked’ Nursing Home Votes ([link removed]) ."
HOW WE KNOW
The Social Security Board of Trustees releases an annual report on the state of Social Security. In the report, the board projects when the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, which pays benefits to retirees and survivors, will be depleted. We frequently turn to these annual reports when researching political ads about the program. Read more ([link removed]) .
FEATURED FACT
Tetanus ([link removed]) affects the nervous system after bacteria called Clostridium tetani enters the body through an open wound. More than 80% of cases occur in mothers and their babies, according to UNICEF ([link removed]) . The fatality rate for infants is between 80% and 100%, according to ([link removed]) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more ([link removed]) .
WORTHY OF NOTE
Our director, Eugene Kiely, and managing editor, Lori Robertson, each spoke this week to a group of Vietnamese journalists about FactCheck.org and our process ([link removed]) for fact-checking.

The presentations, which occurred via Zoom, were arranged by Mark Albert, the chief national investigative correspondent at Hearst Television. Albert has been teaching journalists in Vietnam since 2017.

FactCheck.org and Albert collaborate on fact-checking segments for Hearst TV.
REPLY ALL

Reader: You FC people need to check your facts. It is proven if you get the Covid vaccine you will be more likely to get Covid. Just look at our president, he's had it 2 times and he had all that is requested. The article is correct. I guess it's who you want to believe and you want to believe the people who are making money on all the Covid vaccines. That's been proven also.

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: You say, “It is proven if you get the Covid vaccine you will be more likely to get Covid.” Where is your evidence for that? I’m not aware of any study or data that proves your point. To the contrary, the evidence shows that those who are vaccinated are less likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19. That’s the value of the COVID-19 vaccines; they prevent severe illness and death.

CDC publishes rates of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations by vaccination status on its COVID Data Tracker ([link removed]) . The data are updated monthly. As of May, the hospitalization rate for unvaccinated adults between the ages of 18 and 49 was 2.7 times higher than those who had been vaccinated with a primary series plus one booster shot. The hospitalization rate was 3.4 times higher for unvaccinated adults 50 to 64 years old, and 3.8 times higher for unvaccinated adults ages 65 and older.

The rates of COVID-19 deaths by vaccination status ([link removed]) also show the benefits of vaccination.

In May, unvaccinated people ages 5 and older had a six-times greater risk of dying of COVID-19 compared with people who had at least a primary series of COVID-19 vaccine doses. The risk was nine times greater for unvaccinated people ages 12 and older when compared with people who had been vaccinated with a primary series and received a booster shot.

It’s not a matter of “who you want to believe.” It’s a matter of following and accepting the evidence, which consistently shows that the vaccines are effective at saving lives and preventing severe illness.


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* "Washington GOP House Candidates Attack Each Other on Social Security ([link removed]) ": Two of the Republicans running for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District seat are attacking each other in TV ads about Social Security that could mislead voters.
* "Video Revives Old, Debunked Rumors About Tetanus Vaccines ([link removed]) ": Tetanus vaccines can prevent deadly disease in infants, but a video circulating on social media is spreading old, unfounded rumors that discourage immunization.
* "Posts Mislead About Status of 2021 North Carolina Abortion Bill ([link removed]) ": A bill introduced in the North Carolina House of Representatives last year said anyone getting an abortion should be “held accountable” for murder. The bill received little support and did not advance. But social media posts misleadingly claimed the state is considering a proposal that would “make it legal to murder a pregnant woman” trying to get an abortion.
* "Protect Our Future PAC ([link removed]) ": The latest addition to our Players Guide 2022 feature is a profile of Protect Our Future PAC -- a Democratic PAC backing candidates supporting pandemic prevention.

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.
Donate to Support Our Work ([link removed])

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