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An update from FactCheck.org


** Keystone State a Key to Senate Control
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One of the U.S. Senate races that we are following closely is in the swing state of Pennsylvania, where Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is running against Dr. Mehmet Oz. It could be the race that decides which party controls the Senate.

Deputy Managing Editor Rob Farley, who is assigned to cover that race for us, writes:

The Pennsylvania Senate race between Oz and Democrat John Fetterman to replace Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who is not seeking ([link removed]) reelection, has been the most expensive ([link removed]) race this year, and has attracted by far the most outside spending ([link removed]) , according to Open Secrets.

Outside groups spent over $98.5 million ([link removed]) on the Pennsylvania race from the May 17 primary through Oct. 14, Open Secrets reported.

This week, Rob wrote about three ads from two of those outside groups -- FF PAC and Senate Majority PAC, both Democratic-aligned super PACs. In his latest story, Rob writes that the groups' TV ads distort Oz’s positions on taxes, Social Security and Medicare, and abortion.

Read the full story, "Ads Distort Oz’s Position on Abortion, Taxes and Social Security ([link removed]) ." For all of our stories on the Pennsylvania Senate race click here ([link removed]) . All of our election stories can be found here ([link removed]) .
HOW WE KNOW
A Club for Growth Action TV ad includes a clip of independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin of Utah seemingly saying “the Republican base is racist.” We found his unedited remarks, which aired during a panel discussion on CNN, using Internet Archives TV News. Club for Growth Action misleadingly edited his remarks. He said that “there is an element of the Republican base that is racist, and our leaders are afraid to stand up to them." Internet Archive is a nonprofit that preserves webpages, books, audio recordings and TV news shows. Read more ([link removed]) .
FEATURED FACT
On Sept. 27, the Biden administration set the cap on refugee admissions for fiscal year 2023 at 125,000 – just as it did in fiscal year 2022. But in fiscal year 2022, the administration accepted only 25,465 refugees, according to the State Department. Overall, the U.S. has admitted 35,473 refugees in Biden’s first full 20 months in office, or 1,774 per month, the data show. That’s nearly 4% less than the 1,845 monthly average during Trump’s four years. This is one of many data points you can find in "Biden’s Numbers, October 2022 Update ([link removed]) ."
WORTHY OF NOTE
Philadelphia's local ABC affiliate aired a segment a few days ago on fact-checking political TV ads that featured our own Rob Farley.

"If you're relying on TV ads for your political information, you're going to be very poorly informed," Rob said in his interview.

Rob talked about the types of TV ads we are seeing this cycle, as well as the laws governing the airing of political advertising. As Rob explains, broadcast stations, such as 6ABC in Philadelphia, are prohibited ([link removed]) from rejecting candidate-sponsored ads, even if they contain falsehoods -- but they can decline to run ads by third-party groups, such as super PACs.

A video of 6ABC's segment with Rob can be found on its website ([link removed]) .
REPLY ALL

Subject line: Vaccine transmission

Reader: You are liars. Our so-called President, Vice President. All the news media and almost every politician said that you won’t transmit or get Covid. Get the shot so you won’t kill grandma! Deny and lie is all you can do!

FactCheck.org Science Editor Jessica McDonald: Nobody is lying. As ([link removed]) we’ve ([link removed]) written ([link removed]) , the COVID-19 vaccines were initially quite good at preventing coronavirus infection, which in turn meant they were very good at preventing transmission (since you can’t spread a virus you don’t have!). Over time and against new variants, however, the vaccines have become less able to prevent infection and reduce transmission.

This doesn’t mean they don’t work. The primary goal has always been to prevent severe disease and death -- and the vaccines still do this, particularly after a booster. It does mean that people can’t just rely on vaccination if you don’t want to get COVID-19 or give it to others. This has always been the case, since no vaccine protects 100% of people, but it’s certainly more true now than it was before.

Getting vaccinated is still a good idea to help keep grandma safe. That’s because for a short period, vaccination still helps reduce infection and transmission to some extent. It’s just not a silver bullet, and it’s not the only precaution that someone should take, especially if they want to be around someone who is high-risk for severe COVID-19.


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* "It’s Not News, Nor ‘Scandalous,’ That Pfizer Trial Didn’t Test Transmission ([link removed]) ": The COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials were designed to study the vaccine’s safety and efficacy in preventing symptomatic disease, not transmission. But online publications now misleadingly present the fact that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was not tested for transmission as a “shocking admission” and proof that the company and the government lied.
* "Johnson Ad Omits Barnes' Condemnation of Attack on Police ([link removed]) ": In the Wisconsin Senate race, an ad from Republican Sen. Ron Johnson selectively pulls comments made by his opponent, Democrat Mandela Barnes, from an interview days after a deadly attack on police in Dallas. The ad claims Barnes "rationalized violence" against police, but it ignores that Barnes said the killings were "not justified in any way" and that he "denounced" the attack.
* "Social Media Claims Misrepresent Election Software CEO’s Arrest ([link removed]) ": The arrest of a CEO whose company maintained poll worker data for Los Angeles County has sparked a wave of false voter fraud claims. County District Attorney George Gascón has said that the “alleged conduct had no impact on the tabulation of votes and did not alter election results.”

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* "El análisis de la vacunación contra el COVID-19 de Florida es defectuoso, dicen los expertos ([link removed]) ": El estado de Florida anunció recientemente que ha dejado de recomendar que los varones jóvenes reciban vacunas de ARNm contra el COVID-19, sobre la base de un análisis no publicado que supuestamente encontró un mayor riesgo de muerte relacionada con el corazón después de la vacunación. Pero los expertos que se especializan en el singular método utilizado en el análisis dicen que este no se realizó adecuadamente. E incluso si se hubiese realizado correctamente, los hallazgos no significarían que las personas no deban vacunarse.
* "No es noticia ni ‘escandaloso’ que el ensayo de Pfizer no haya probado transmisión ([link removed]) ": Los ensayos clínicos de la vacuna contra el COVID-19 fueron diseñados para estudiar la seguridad y la eficacia de la vacuna para prevenir la enfermedad con síntomas, no la transmisión. Pero ahora algunas publicaciones digitales presentan engañosamente el hecho de que la vacuna de Pfizer/BioNTech no se probó contra la transmisión como una “impactante admisión” y prueba de que la compañía y el gobierno mintieron.

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