Election 2022: The End is Near

Voters go to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 8. But before you do, check out what our staff has done on some of the major races and issues. 

Since March, we have published more than 60 articles on issues such as crime, which Republicans have made central to their campaigns, and abortion, which the Democrats have put front and center after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.  

Contrary to TV ads, Democrats are not solely, or even primarily, responsible for rising inflation. (For more, see "Stimulus Spending a Factor, But Far From Whole Story on Inflation.") 

And Republicans don't have a plan to "end" Social Security. (For that, see "Democrats Misleadingly Claim ‘Republicans’ Plan’ Would ‘End’ Social Security, Medicare.")

Most importantly, we encourage everyone to vote!

Reader: Is the Influenza Vaccination mandated by employers safe? I’m struggling to find solid information to determine if it’s worth the fight to try and be exempt from the flu shot as I fought against the COVID Vaccination.

FactCheck.org Science Editor Jessica McDonald: Yes, seasonal influenza vaccination is safe. To be clear, no medical product is 100% safe, but the risks from influenza vaccination are very low, and the benefits greatly outweigh those risks. That’s what doctors and scientists mean when they say something is safe.
 
You might have some mild, temporary side effects from the flu shot, such as pain at the injection site, headache, fever or muscle aches. These symptoms are expected and not usually dangerous. Many people, especially people who have had a flu shot or influenza before, do not experience symptoms, or they are extremely mild.
 
(I actually just got my flu shot, and my arm hurts just a tad, but otherwise I'm doing very well. I've also gotten my flu shot every year ever since I can remember and have never had an issue.)
 
Serious side effects of the flu shot can occur, such as a severe allergic reaction, but they are extremely rare. Some -- but not all -- studies suggest that the flu shot could slightly increase the risk of a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome, or GBS, by around one to two cases per million shots. But the syndrome is actually more likely if someone becomes sick with influenza. In that sense, a flu shot protects against GBS.
 
Flu shots vary in their effectiveness year to year, as we recently explained, but they can prevent people from getting sick with flu or reduce the severity of disease if someone does fall ill. On average, for the past decade or so, flu vaccination has prevented more than 5 million illnesses, over 70,000 hospitalizations and 6,000 deaths each season.
 
The CDC recommends the flu shot for everyone 6 months and older, with few exceptions, but notes that the vaccine is particularly important for people at higher risk for severe disease and for health care workers.
 
You should discuss both vaccines with your doctor, but the CDC also recommends everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated against COVID-19. As with the flu shot, the benefits clearly outweigh the risks -- although, just as a heads up, the expected and temporary side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines are more substantial than those after the flu shot. The COVID-19 vaccines have been studied more than perhaps any other vaccine. Time and time again, they have shown to be remarkably safe, with just a few, rare safety concerns. 

It can be scary to read about the possibility of certain side effects, even when they are rare, but as one vaccine expert has told us, “A choice not to get a vaccine is not a risk-free choice. It’s a choice to take a different risk.” And for both of these vaccines, the risk is higher to forgo vaccination.

Wrapping Up

Here's what else we've got for you this week:

• "Kansas State Art Funding Distorted as ‘Drag Shows for Children’ in Governor’s Race": The Kansas state government awarded grants to two nonprofit arts organizations to fund a visiting artist and operating expenses, according to state contracts and one of the groups. Republican efforts to link the funding to all-ages drag shows don’t hold up to scrutiny. 
• "FactChecking Ads’ Claims of ‘Anti-White Bigotry’": Radio and TV ads from a group headed by a former senior adviser to Donald Trump accuse President Joe Biden and the left of “racism against white people” and “anti-white bigotry.” But in context, some of the claims about the alleged “anti-white” policies and statements don’t hold up.
• "FactChecking DSCC’s Abortion Ad in Nevada Senate Race": Adam Laxalt, the Republican candidate for Senate in Nevada, opposes abortion and has called the overturning of Roe v. Wade a “historic victory.” But he has not voiced support for criminalizing abortion for women, as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee suggests in a TV ad that shows a woman being arrested for having an abortion. 
• "Conservative Figures Spread Baseless Claims About Attack on Paul Pelosi": A man armed with a hammer broke into the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and fractured the skull of her husband, Paul. Some conservative figures — including Donald Trump Jr. — have shared social media posts claiming with no evidence and contrary to police reports that the man was a prostitute known to Paul Pelosi. He wasn’t. 
• "What Republican Officials Have Said About the Violent Attack on Paul Pelosi": Many Republicans have condemned or spoken out against the violent assault on Paul Pelosi, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 82-year-old husband, who was knocked unconscious by an intruder at the couple’s San Francisco home the morning of Oct. 28. 
• "Flu Vaccines Given to Prevent Disease, Not Just to Support Pandemic Vaccine Manufacturing": Seasonal influenza vaccines are recommended because they help prevent illness and death. Dr. Robert Malone incorrectly suggested that the annual shots are only given in the U.S. to support vaccine manufacturing in case of an influenza pandemic.
• "Social Media Post Misrepresents Connecticut Ballot Question on Early Voting": A ballot question in Connecticut asks voters if they want to enact early voting. But a social media post falsely claims the proposal would also “remove the requirement of a certified seal from certain ballots.” The measure refers to removing a seal on a list of election results and has nothing do with ballots. 
• "Posts Distort Misleading Analysis of COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Data": A rigorous vaccine safety monitoring system has shown that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and only rarely have serious side effects. But an article shared on social media falsely says that CDC data show more than 18 million people “were injured so badly” by a Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine “that they had to go to the hospital.”
• "Altered Video of Exchange Between White House Press Secretary and Reporter on Gas Prices Goes Viral": In an Oct. 19 press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answered Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy’s question about President Joe Biden’s request for U.S. oil companies to help lower gasoline prices. However, a viral video of that exchange was edited to make it appear that Jean-Pierre ignored Doocy’s question. 
• "Viral Video Spouts Baseless Claim About Early Voting in Arizona": Millions of Arizona voters requested ballots to vote early in the 2022 election. Early voting results cannot be released until after the election, and ballot security measures prevent widespread voter fraud. Yet a viral video advises Republicans not to vote early, making the baseless claim that it could show Democrats how many votes they need “to fake” to win. 
• "Social Security Increase Due to Inflation, Not Presidential Action": A deleted tweet from the White House and remarks by President Joe Biden could leave the false impression that Biden’s policies have something to do with an increase in Social Security payments. But the increase is set by law and is linked to inflation. 
• "Bodybuilder Died from COVID-19, Not the Vaccine as Social Media Posts Claim": A 62-year-old bodybuilder who had heart disease died after contracting COVID-19. But vaccine opponents are falsely suggesting that he died from the COVID-19 vaccine. He didn’t. He’d been vaccinated 18 months before his death.
• "MAGA Inc.": A profile of Make America Great Again Inc. -- one of many political action committees affiliated with former President Donald Trump. The super PAC was established Sept. 23, six weeks before the 2022 midterm elections on Nov. 8, to provide a final push for Trump-backed candidates.

• "Los estados determinan los requisitos de vacunación escolar, no los CDC": El CDC agregará las vacunas COVID-19 a su calendario de vacunación. Pero eso no significa que las vacunas contra el COVID-19 automáticamente serán obligatorias en las escuelas, contrariamente a las afirmaciones de Tucker Carlson.
• "Afirmaciones en redes sociales tergiversan un estudio de la Universidad de Boston sobre las cepas del COVID-19": Para estudiar el papel que juega la proteína de la espícula en la gravedad del COVID-19, investigadores expusieron a 10 ratones propensos a desarrollar una enfermedad grave a una versión híbrida del virus. Ocho ratones murieron. En las redes sociales se dice que los investigadores crearon una nueva y peligrosa variante con una “tasa letal del 80 POR CIENTO”, lo que podría dar la falsa impresión de que esto se refiere a seres humanos. Además, el virus híbrido utilizado en el estudio tenía una tasa de mortalidad inferior a la que tenía el virus original en los ratones. 
• "Las vacunas contra la gripe se administran para prevenir enfermedades, no solo para mantener su fabricación en caso de una pandemia": Las vacunas contra la influenza estacional son recomendadas porque ayudan a prevenir enfermedades y muertes. El Dr. Robert Malone sugirió incorrectamente que se administran solo para mantener su fabricación en caso de una pandemia de influenza.