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FMD2200 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Is the Trump campaign automatically selecting a "Recurring Donation" option that expires in December? Claim summaries: The campaign website, until recently, had been accepting recurring donations up until Election Day.
contextual information: Voting in the 2020 U.S. Election may be over, but misinformation continues to circulate. Never stop fact-checking. Follow our post-election coverage here. On Oct. 31, 2020, The New York Times reported that the Trump Campaign's fundraising landing page was "now automatically checking a box to create recurring weekly donations from supporters until mid-December." This is true, although the "automatically checked box" development is fairly old news. The Trump Campaign's primary fundraising platform, WinRed, changed the landing page to automatically check the monthly recurring donation option in March 2020. The shift to soliciting weekly donations occurred in mid-September 2020, with that option also appearing as pre-checked. The more recent development is the change in when those weekly contributions would stop. Earlier solicitations committed people to donations that would stop automatically on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020. In late October, the text was changed to read "make this a recurring donation until 12/14." It is worth mentioning that well before any returns came in on Nov. 3, the campaign encouraged donations as a way to "keep fighting after election day" because "there will be voter fraud like you've never seen." Speaking to the Times, Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh stated that no one would receive a recurring charge without their knowledge and that donors could opt out at any time. He argued that funds were needed because "this race will be very close, and it is possible that multiple states will require recounts and potential additional spending from our campaign." From a factual standpoint, there is no guarantee that the money goes to fight election-related lawsuits. Some of the money goes to resolving Trump Campaign debt, while much of the rest goes to the Republican National Committee's general operating account. Because the Trump Campaign is indeed accepting recurring donations until Dec. 12, and because that option is auto-checked on the campaign's primary fundraising platform, we rank this claim. | 1 | [
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FMD2201 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: 0
Someone is getting anxious . With the Establishment’s preferred candidate losing the U.S. Election, more anti-Russia propaganda has appeared yet again in attempts to instill another “divide and conquer” type message to the U.S. masses. Before reading any further, note that this article is not to defend or support Donald Trump, but rather to dis-spell myths around Russia.
In what used to be an unbiased media outlet, the Huffington Post, thanks to emails from Wikileaks , has proven yet to only be another puppet outlet of the banking and political cabal.
In the cabal’s latest desperate attempt to smear Russia as the villain, the article labeled Vladimir Putin as a dictator ruling with fear and hate. In reality, the Russian Federation is an established multi-party representative democracy with Putin receiving a nearly 90% approval rating from it’s citizens . This is compared this to the 51% approval rating Barack Obama received from the U.S. in 2016. Vladimir Putin is systematically taking down the banking cabal.
The article goes on to claim that “Brexit, Trump and Putin are in isolation” while also defending NATO, a well-known hostile military tool of the U.S. and political cabal. However though, reason sets in and we see through the lies and spins of the media. Let’s take a look at some established facts and see how the dust settles.
NATO
The North Atlantic Trade Organization has 28 member states and has long been used as another military option by the U.S. to try and provoke Russia and prevent them from gaining more friends throughout Europe. In reality, take a look to see how many NATO bases exist around Russia and in Europe. So, who is actually looking to create war? Russia or NATO? An image mocking the alleged threat of Russian “aggression.”
Brexit
Brexit had very, very little to do with immigration and hate. It had everything to do with Britain reclaiming sovereignty from the EU. While there have indeed been many good things that have come from the creation of the EU, it served as a blueprint for how the globalist cabal wanted to create a one world government, in which all nations belonged to a single world order. Amazingly, this information made it into The Telegraph in late 2015 , which is a mainstream media outlet in the UK that gave detailed evidence that the EU was created and funded by the US State Department and the CIA, as written by Professor Alan Sked. In Alan’s word’s:
“Voters in Britain need to understand that the European Union was about building a federal superstate from day one.”
In fact, Brexit was a direct blow to the cabal’s globalist agenda. This was not an isolated move by “angry Britains.” It was a rejection of fascism from the people of the world and the rejection is only going to continue…and Russia is leading the way.
Alliances
While the U.S. has claimed several times that Russia is “isolated,” let’s ask ourselves a very logical question. Is is possible to isolate a country that exists in 11 different time zones? Is it logical to believe a nation this big, with industry, business and military presence across these times zones to be even possibly isolated? Is it logical to believe that Russia is isolated when over 3,000 German companies do active business Russia? Remember, Germany has the EU’s best economy and is the biggest reason the EU has not financially collapsed yet. Russia exists across 11 time zones. Good luck in attempts at isolation.
Further exposure of the “isolation” lies comes with Russia’s multiple alliances it has made with the BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Eurasion Economic Union, among others. Keep in mind too that the U.S. (who is the figurehead in the cabal’s agenda) was not invited to join the nearly 60 nation alliance of the AIIB, or the BRICS and the SCO. Remember, the West’s Russia bashing is all about finance and gold. “Who owns the gold makes the rules.” With India, China and Russia mining and holding a lot of gold, they have made it no secret as to their intention of resetting the world’s financial system to a gold and asset backed system.
To the cabal, this must be avoided at all costs as The Federal Reserve and European Central Bank continue to print money without it being backed by anything. This fiat currency allows the cabal to control entire nations with paper money that is backed by nothing but words. A gold-backed system on the other hand will allow for more transparency and will eliminate currency manipulation as a means to suppress entire nations and sometimes, entire continents (Africa).
Additionally, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are well aware of the global collateral accounts and their original humanitarian purposes. The banking cabal has been fraudulently abusing those accounts for decades and is the real reason JFK was assassinated. He had issued Executive Order 11110 and signed the Green Hilton Memorial Agreement with President Sukarno of Indonesia, which was to end the Federal Reserve and CIA and replace Federal Reserve Notes with Treasury Notes, and backing those notes with gold from the global collateral accounts. These accounts also relate to the events of 9/11 .
While the U.S. claims Russia is isolated, we see that a few former U.S. allies have turned their backs on the U.S. and are defying the cabal that controls the U.S. In recent weeks, we’ve seen Turkey and the Philippines pivot East. So again, who is isolated?
Syria
Despite the fact that the U.N. has yet to provide undeniable proof that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons on it’s own people (the only proof that has been submitted is that chemical weapons have been used, but no evidence of who used them), the cabal and it’s media outlets continue to blast Russia for being in Syria as well as making claims Russia shouldn’t be in Syria. Keep in mind, Russia was formally invited by Syria and the U.S. was not.
The reason so much energy is focused around toppling Assad is not because he is a “dictator,” but because of oil and gas.
Back in 2009, two middle eastern pipelines were proposed:
One that started in Qatar and went through Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq then on to Turkey [then to Europe]. The second proposed pipeline was to go through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey [then also on to Europe]. Saudi Arabia said no to the first and Syria said no to the second.
This “no” from Assad in Syria was certainly done to protect his Russian ally, as well as to protect himself from being overthrown . The reason that Russia has a strong interest in protecting the Assad regime is that Assad is stopping natural gas from flowing from the Persian Gulf to Europe. And since Europe is dependent on and the biggest customer of Russia’s natural gas (from the Gazprom company which holds the world’s largest supply of natural gas), it is important financially and politically for Europe to remain that way, in the view of Russia.
A year after Assad said no to the Qatar, Saudi Pipeline (which was US and EU backed), he called for a pipeline running from Iran (who has the world’s second largest supply of natural gas, behind Russia) through Iraq and into Syria, which then could begin supplying Europe as well. This move was supported by Russia, Iran and Iraq, which now makes up a growing alliance throughout the Middle East. Syria is once again all about control of oil and resources.
Soon after Assad proposed this new Iran-Iraq-Syrian pipeline, was when the “civil war” broke out and ISIL began creating havoc in the Middle East and more specifically, Syria. Once again, this situation in Syria has nothing to do with chemical weapons, but everything to do with controlling resources and thus, money. It also has nothing to do with Vladimir Putin being a “ dictator.” In reality, Putin is taking a stand against the banking and political cabal who have deep and vested interests in control over Middle Eastern oil and gas.
ISIL
Back in mid-November 2015, Vladimir Putin told the world that Russian intelligence had gathered information that 40 countries were funding ISIL and that some of those countries are G-20 members. To make things more interesting, he made this announcement at the G-20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey. The cabal knows Putin and the growing alliance he is working with has the goods on the U.S./Saudi/Israeli trained and funded terrorist outfit known as ISIL. The charade is quickly coming to an end and international exposure is drawing near.
Monsanto and GMO’s
Last September, Putin made it known that Russia stopped producing genetically modified foods and were set on becoming the world’s largest exporter of organic foods by 2020.
“We are not only able to feed ourselves taking into account our lands, water resources – Russia is able to become the largest world supplier of healthy, ecologically clean and high-quality food which the Western producers have long lost, especially given the fact that demand for such products in the world market is steadily growing.”
Taking a stand against the cabal’s Monsanto was and is a big victory for Russia and for humanity.
With established facts, we can see the desperate attempts to vilify Vladimir Putin are falling short of their desired outcomes. The world is seeing through it. Unfortunately, there are still many Americans believing the lies and unknowingly supporting the agenda of the banking and political cabal. We must seek peace with Russia and all other nations. We must applaud and support any and all genuine attempts to mend ties and cooperate peacefully with Russia and all nations. We can not let emotional ties to political parties or candidates disable our instinctual drive for peace and harmony to be established with other countries. Peace it must be.
With humanity continuing to wake up and the world continuing to reject the cabal’s agenda, we must increasingly sharpen our skills at discernment. Attempts at propaganda will continue to come even quicker now and from more angles, as the lies are being revealed at an ever-increasing rate.
Remember the words of Malcolm X in the days ahead:
“If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people doing the oppressing.”
Lance Schuttler graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Health Science and does health coaching through his website Orgonlight Health . You can follow the Orgonlight Health facebook page or visit the website for more information and other inspiring articles. | 0 | [
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FMD2202 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Obama's stance on the debt limit Claim summaries: In 2006, did Barack Obama speak out against raising the debt limit?
contextual information: Claim: In 2006, U.S. Senator Barack Obama spoke out against raising the U.S. government debt limit. Example: [Collected via e-mail, July 2011] 'The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government can not pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that "the buck stops here." Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.' Origins: In 2006, while serving his first term as a freshman U.S. senator from Illinois, Barack Obama made the remarks attributed to him above during discussion in the U.S. Senate prior to the call for votes on raising the debt limit. The full text of his remarks in the Senate on 16 March 2006 are: The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Over the past 5 years, our federal debt has increased by $3.5 trillion to $8.6 trillion. That is "trillion" with a "T." That is money that we have borrowed from the Social Security trust fund, borrowed from China and Japan, borrowed from American taxpayers. And over the next 5 years, between now and 2011, the President's budget will increase the debt by almost another $3.5 trillion. Numbers that large are sometimes hard to understand. Some people may wonder why they matter. Here is why: This year, the Federal Government will spend $220 billion on interest. That is more money to pay interest on our national debt than we'll spend on Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. That is more money to pay interest on our debt this year than we will spend on education, homeland security, transportation, and veterans benefits combined. It is more money in one year than we are likely to spend to rebuild the devastated gulf coast in a way that honors the best of America. And the cost of our debt is one of the fastest growing expenses in the Federal budget. This rising debt is a hidden domestic enemy, robbing our cities and States of critical investments in infrastructure like bridges, ports, and levees; robbing our families and our children of critical investments in education and health care reform; robbing our seniors of the retirement and health security they have counted on. Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not going to investment in America's priorities. Instead, interest payments are a significant tax on all Americans a debt tax that Washington doesn't want to talk about. If Washington were serious about honest tax relief in this country, we would see an effort to reduce our national debt by returning to responsible fiscal policies. But we are not doing that. Despite repeated efforts by Senators Conrad and Feingold, the Senate continues to reject a return to thecommonsense Pay-go rules that used to apply. Previously, Pay-go rules applied both to increases in mandatory spending and to tax cuts. The Senate had to abide by the commonsense budgeting principle of balancing expenses and revenues. Unfortunately, the principle was abandoned, and now the demands of budget discipline apply only to spending. As a result, tax breaks have not been paid for by reductions in Federal spending, and thus the only way to pay for them has been to increase our deficit to historically high levels and borrow more and more money. Now we have to pay for those tax breaks plus the cost of borrowing for them. Instead of reducing the deficit, as some people claimed, the fiscal policies of this administration and its allies in Congress will add more than $600 million in debt for each of the next 5 years. That is why I will once again cosponsor the Pay-go amendment and continue to hope that my colleagues will return to a smart rule that has worked in the past and can work again. Our debt also matters internationally. My friend, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, likes to remind us that it took 42 Presidents 224 years to run up only $1 trillion of foreign-held debt. This administration did more than that in just 5 years. Now, there is nothing wrong with borrowing from foreign countries. But we must remember that the more we depend on foreign nations to lend us money, the more our economic security is tied to the whims of foreign leaders whose interests might not be aligned with ours. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that "the buck stops here.'' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better. I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt limit. The shortened quote now attributed to him is a verbatim capture of the opening and closing paragraphs of his remarks of 16 March 2006. (The Senate vote held later that day on a resolution to increase the debt limitpassed by a 52-48 margin, with Senator Obama voting against it.) passed President Obama has undergone a change of position regarding raising the debt limit. In a 15 April 2011 Good Morning America interview, President Obama said this of his reasons for doing so: Last updated: 7 October 2013 Congressional Record. "Remarks by Sen. Barack Obama." 16 March 2006. Farley, Robert. "Obama Says Reagan Raised Debt Ceiling 18 Times; George W. Bush 7 Times." St. Petersburg Times. 26 July 2011. Stephanopoulos, George. "President Obama One-on-One." Good Morning America. 15 April 2011. Werner, Erica. "WH: Obama Regrets Vote Against Raising Debt Limit." Associated Press. 11 April 2011. | 1 | [
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FMD2203 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Seth Rich was hired by the Democrat Party as the official voter expansion data director. Although there is no connection yet, he was clearly privy to information that could potentially harm the Democrat Party, and more specifically Hillary Clinton s chances of winning the election in November. He was shot in the back several times but wasn t robbed. He was left to die a short distance from his home in gun-free Washington D.C . Possible Whistle Blower on Democratic Party Voter #Fraud assassinated in Washington DC,not in MsM https://t.co/Cbem0AJvw5 #DNC Egypt Built (@HosamDakhakhni) July 12, 2016Rich s death isn t the only suspicious death with ties to the Clintons. A UN official tied to the Clintons was found in his apartment with his throat crushed by a barbell last month The UN claimed he died of a heart attack. Read HERE.Washington DC police are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers of Seth Rich, the idealistic young DNC employee who was mysteriously shot multiple times in the back on Sunday night in affluent Northwest DC.At the same time, police are still not giving out any more information about the investigation beyond saying that they have not yet connected the killing to a robbery. Officers have been canvassing the once-cheery Bloomingdale neighborhood where Rich lived and died, knocking on doors and asking for information.There is still no suspect, no motive, and no arrests. As a result, conspiracy theories about Rich s murder continue to fly around Washington and around social media worldwide.Rich was shot while walking home after 4 a-m on Sunday morning. He was on the phone with his girlfriend just before the attack. Police say his body bore injuries indicating that Rich fought for his life.Rich s father told the local TV station in his hometown of Omaha that the killers took nothing from his son s body. If it was a robbery-it failed because he still has his watch, he still has his money-he still has his credit cards, still had his phone so it was a wasted effort except we lost a life, Joel Rich told KMTV.At a Tuesday news conference about DC crime statistics, DC Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, stated that overall robberies were down in the city. When asked specifically about Seth Rich s murder, she said it has not been determined whether his death could be linked to a robbery.Conspiracy theories abound over Rich s death. The most controversial theory is that Rich was on his way, in the dead of night, to meet with the FBI and inform on alleged voter fraud by Hillary Clinton and DNC boss Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The theory goes that he was murdered to keep him silent. HeatStreetAnita Moncreif worked for ACORN during Obama sHere are some interesting facts surrounding the Clinton connections with Seth Rich:SETH RICH was a young Washington D.C insider, hired by the Democratic National Committee/Convention, who was assassinated early this morning, July 11th. He was hired by Democratic National Committee Chairwoman (and former co-chair of HILLARY Clinton s 2008 campaign) Debbie Wasserman-Schultz in June 2014 as the official voter expansion data director for this election season.Here is what I personally find suspicious about his very recent death:Debbie Wasserman-Schultz criticized the Bernie Sanders campaign of hacking into the NGP VAN voter database back in December of last year. NGP VAN has previously contributed to the Clinton campaign. In addition, it could have been entirely possible, given the many scandals surrounding Clinton, that the Clinton campaign may have taken crucial information or restricted the Sanders campaign from having stronger momentum in the days leading up to the Iowa primary. This is an entirely different topic though. Certainly Mr. Rich would have been aware of the particular data hacked or taken at this time.Mr. Rich was hired by the DNC in June 2014. Earlier in 2014, the Clintons announced a voter initiative project meant at counteracting voter ID laws & the stripping of provisions in the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Another intention of this collaboration with the DNC was to increase voter turnout. Mrs. Wasserman-Schultz at the time said she wished to make sure that everyone who wants to vote and is eligible has an opportunity to register, has an opportunity to turnout and can have their vote accurately counted. However, it has been noted continuously by progressive media and r/sandersforpresident that Mrs. Wasserman-Schultz has deliberately done everything in her power to discourage voters from having their voices heard/accurately counted, thus creating another shield for Hillary Clinton from potentially losing to an outsider progressive. Could Mr. Rich have expressed a personal conflicting opinion after the NGP VAN leak which would ve made Mrs. Wasserman-Schultz more angry?Another Reddit user on r/politics noticed that Mr. Rich s LinkedIn Page detailed his work for a firm called Greenberg Quinlan Rosner. The CEO of this firm is a man named Stan Greenberg, a man who was a leading political strategist for Bill Clinton during his presidency. This man also re-branded BP as a green petroleum company. Is it possible that Mr. Rich was aware of the public s disdain for oil industry/fracking? Clearly going against the oil industry would mean a significant loss of profits. The U.S, as it is, has been oil dependent for ages, and the fight to change the climate has never been hotter than right now.In the months leading up to the BP oil spill, Mr. Rich was also a legislative affairs consultant for another firm called Kissel E & S Associates. When I happened to google Kissel E&S Associates, Clinton , one of the front page results led to a University of Nebraska paper, and written during Hillary Clinton s tenure as Secretary of State. This paper is titled Conflicts in the Licensing Process for TransCanada s Keystone XL Pipeline. The Keystone XL Pipeline is one of the MANY positions on which Hillary Clinton has flip-flopped on. Could Mr. Rich have dissented with some very powerful oil company interests who were looking to negotiate a backroom deal with the DNC?Mr. Rich also happened to previously work for former Nebraska Senator & Governor Ben Nelson. Former Senator Nelson happens to be a more conservative-leaning Democrat, but he also happened to be on the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittees on Homeland Security/Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and was a member of the International Conservation Caucus. Senator Nelson, in 2010, was the deciding vote to help block a Wall Street reform bill. He also contributed a crucial vote to help pass Obamacare back in 2009. Senator Nelson also suddenly quit his position in 2013, and was at the center of the Obamacare Supreme Court ruling last year. Finally, I don t think that this is related to the conspiracy theory at hand, but last October, his daughter died from an accidental fall.Mr. Rich was murdered in the back by an unknown assailant with a gun. At 4:20 in the morning. Near Howard University. Not exactly the type of person who would be targeted in a nicer area of D.C. (I am aware D.C has lots of impoverished areas/urban decay.) The District of Columbia happens to have a ban on the sale or purchase of handguns, but nearby Virginia has some of the most relaxed gun laws in the country. And although there are many insiders who work for Washington D.C, wouldn t it take someone with intelligence to know and particularly target somebody who happened to have crucial intelligence that could decide this election?The police, as of July 11, don t have any suspects, witnesses, or surveillance footage at this time. They also refused to comment if it was possibly related to recent robberies in the neighborhood. It can be disputed that this was but a botched robbery, however, because nothing was taken from Mr. Rich s dead body. One of the earliest rumored victims of the Clinton body count was Mary Mahoney, who died in a similar fashion as she was about to testify against Bill Clinton (and who had nothing taken from her body at the time of her death.) (In comparison, The Manson family didn t steal anything from Sharon Tate s house when they brutally murdered her and others. The Family was also accused of killing multiple potential dissenters during and after Manson s trial, for a sickening comparison.)The TIMING of this tragedy seems too coincidental /accurately timed. I think/know that:8a. Mr. Rich s sudden death comes the day before Bernie Sanders is set to endorse Hillary Clinton at a party unity rally tomorrow. Chairwoman-elect of the Nebraska Democratic Party (Rich s home state), Jane Kleeb, spoke of Rich as a young Nebraskan who worked on campaigns and stood for progressive issues. 8b. As of Monday the 11th, the Democratic National Convention is set to take place in exactly two weeks, and the Republican National Convention in exactly one. In addition, Bernie Sanders is set to speak at FDR Park on the 24th, about where the political revolution goes from here.8c. Hillary-supporting Governor of Connecticut Dan Malloy is currently under investigation over a Cigna merger. Hillary-supporting U.S Rep Corinne Brown is also currently under investigation over her super-gerrymandered Florida district (Wasserman-Schultz is from Florida).8d. There are currently RICO lawsuits investigating multiple counts of electoral fraud, and surprisingly, these lawsuits are pulling through the courts and gaining traction. Mr. Rich could have been aware of the American people actually standing a chance with these lawsuits, and given his access to crucial voter data, could have decided to be a DNC defector and testify on behalf of the people in charge of these electoral fraud lawsuits. 8e. There is still a possibility that Russia/Julian Assange has DNC information and could be planning to leak it to the public in time for the convention. Mr. Rich could have known of this. | 0 | [
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FMD2204 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The U.S. House of Representatives Republican leadership is confident it has the votes to pass a tax overhaul bill when it comes to the House floor later this week, the chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means committee, Representative Kevin Brady, said Monday. Debate will begin on Thursday, Brady, a Republican, told reporters in a Capitol hallway. “Leadership believes, is very confident, that ... we do and will have the votes for passage.†Brady said including a repeal of the Obamacare individual healthcare mandate in the tax bill “remains under consideration.†He said he had pledged to House members to keep in the bill a deduction for state and local property taxes, up to $10,000. | 1 | [
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FMD2205 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: [Context: Russia's legislation on extremism] Not a single court case has been instituted in Russia for "liking" on social media, said Alexander Kurennoy, the official representative of the Prosecutor General. | 0 | [
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FMD2206 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Prev post Page 1 of 4 Next
When most people make health resolutions, it usually involves their physical health. Most of us make decisions to exercise more, change our diets, lose weight, and lose body fat, but there are few of us that make resolutions to better our mental health.
Preserving your mental health is one of the most important things that you can do to make sure that you are getting the most out of your life. Letting your mental health slide is going to put you under more stress and will limit your ability to enjoy your life and get the most out of your relationships with others.
The good news is, there are some simple habits that you can start using in your life right now to make sure that you are taking care of your mental health, and getting the most out of every day. 1) Set a Sleep Schedule
Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our overall health, and many experts and doctors cite health as more critical to our overall health and survival than food or water. Though, when we get stressed or life gets busy, sleep is the first thing that we start to put off.
Whether stress starts to make it harder for you to go to sleep, or you decide that you can function on less sleep to get more done, eating into your sleep is one of the worst things that you can do for your mental health. Set a strict bedtime and wake up time for yourself. Your body works best when it has a routine for sleeping and waking up in the morning.
Read or journal before you go to bed, and see if you can stay away from your phone, laptop, TV, or tablet. Get yourself into the habit of having a habit to wind down at night. 2) Focus on your strengths
With work or in your personal life, it is so easy to be self critical and focus on only your weaknesses. Our culture in working society has ingrained in us over the years to focus on what we are bad at, and get better at it. To strive for being better in all facets of our lives, and to be well rounded.
Always focusing on what you aren’t good at, is not good for your mental health. Take an inventory of your strengths and find ways to use those daily in work and in your personal life. 3) Exercise
It can be so difficult to make time to exercise when you are exhausted with all of your daily responsibilities and obligations. Between work, home, family, friends, and hobbies or downtime, the last thing that you want to worry about is commuting back to your gym to fight over equipment.
Here’s the thing though, exercise is something that your body needs. Whether you have been burnt out with working 9-5, being a full time student, or being a full time parent, you need to give your body the movement that it craves.
Sitting frequently throughout the day can wreck your posture, deplete your energy, and actually make you sad or depressed. You don’t need to exercise for an hour every day to reap the benefits of exercising for your mental health.
See if you can block out just 15-30 minutes per day to exercise. Whether that be taking a run, lifting weights, yoga, or taking a class, the endorphins and health benefits that you get from exercising will help your mental health. 4) Eat well
Diet is one of the major keys to mental and physical health. Eating crappy foods, synthetic ingredients, tons of sugar, starches, and fast food can dismantle your mental health in more ways than one.
Stick to real food that your body recognizes. Focus on eating fruits, vegetables, protein rich foods, and healthy fats that will digest slowly with your body, and serve more of a purpose than just filling you up. 5) Be thankful
Take time every day to be thankful and start each day with thankfulness. Keep a notepad or a sheet of paper to track all of the things that you are thankful for every day. 6) Take life a day at a time
Leave the worries and stresses of tomorrow for tomorrow, and focus on what you can do today. It is so easy to get stressed out when looking at the next 2-3 years or even the next 2-3 weeks of your life, but taking time to be present in the moments of each day can do a world of good for your mental health. | 0 | [
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FMD2207 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: William F. Buckley, Jr. ran for mayor of New York City in 1965, he was asked, “What will you do if you win?†His reply: “Demand a recount. †Of course, he was being flippant. The young Conservative Party of New York had no chance of winning even a plurality in the liberal bastion of New York. [I would not have been surprised to have heard Paul Ryan or Mitch McConnell utter those words in October of 2016. Not only did they expect Trump to lose to Hillary Clinton in a landslide, they were counting on it. In a divided government, with a Democrat in the White House and Republican majorities in the Senate and House, governing the country was a matter of bipartisan — and they were in the driver’s seat. No one could hold them accountable for actually governing the country — what a deal! What a creepy bunch of establishment swamp denizens the Congressional Republicans have shown themselves to be. Precious days are being wasted by them because every passing news cycle makes it more difficult to advance the President’s agenda. And they know it. And I think they are okay with that because it is not their agenda. They are wallowing in the swamp Trump is trying to drain. Of course, there are a few true believers who would brave the slings and arrows of the irrational ninnies in the media who live only to see Trump and his agenda be sent to the ash heap of history. However far too many of those calling themselves Republicans are no more than Democrats who have perfected their ability to obfuscate. It is clear to me that some Republicans in Congress secretly embrace the “resistance†and are hoping Trump will quit or be impeached. It seems Democrats are always eager to enact the Democrat agenda. What’s so frustrating is that so are many Republicans! Republicans have maintained their House majority since the turnaround election of 2010. In November of 2016, besides sending Donald Trump to the White House, Republicans maintained their majorities in both the Senate and House and also won control of a majority of governorships and state legislatures. The Republican Party now controls 69 of 99 state legislative chambers (Nebraska is unicameral) and 33 governorships, the most it has held since 1922. Republicans will have total control of government (legislative chambers and governorship) in 25 states, the most since 1952. Consider this startling fact: with Donald Trump in the White House, the Republican Party today has more control over Congress than Eisenhower had in 1953, Nixon in 1969, or Ronald Reagan in 1981. Reagan never had a Republican majority in both houses of Congress! These amazing numbers send a clear message: it is now time to govern! If not now, when? But to judge by Republican behavior since November, the Grand Ol’ Party can’t handle success and seems to be working hard to surrender the reins of power. In the last month, we have heard Senator McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan say they don’t think they have the votes for repealing Obamacare, reforming the tax code and securing the borders. Translated, that means they believe they don’t have the Republican votes to pass landmark Republican bills. My 10 years of experience in the Congress tells me that this is total hogwash. When you have both houses of Congress and the White House, there is no excuse for failure — even when you don’t have a 60 votes in the Senate. Besides the various parliamentary rules that can be employed when you have the majority on every committee as well as the floor, the sausage factory model of legislation is always available. A good example is the Republican enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug Act of 2003. That historic expansion of Medicare was a horrible bill and every Republican knew it. But President Bush wanted it and the Republicans held both Houses, albeit by only one vote in the Senate. That 2003 battle is described here. The bill came to the floor for a vote late in the evening, but when the vote was called, what was supposed to be a vote turned into an — because leadership did not have the necessary 218 “Yeas. †Democrats didn’t want to give Bush and the Republican Party the win, and about half the Republicans saw the bill for what it was — the single biggest increase in government since Medicare. It stunk. That was when the real lobbying — that is, the arm twisting — started. The president was calling members about 5 a. m. and badgering them — mainly with yummy carrots but also some big sticks. Every Cabinet member was dispatched to the House to lobby members with whom they had influence. The House Republican leadership team was actually calling the largest donors to the recalcitrant members and asking them to call their reluctant representatives and urge them to change their vote. A colleague of mine who was a subcommittee chair had his chairmanship threatened. Sufficient golden promises and nasty threats were made, and by 6:30 a. m. they had the 218th vote. I was a “No†vote, but I still wanted to throw up. Apparently, keeping Republican promises made in every national election since 2010 by repealing Obamacare is not as important to the Republican Party leadership in 2017 as expanding Medicare by $400 billion was in 2003. And these geniuses wonder why Republican voters chose Donald Trump over Jeb Bush, Lindsay Graham and John Kasich? Gimme a break! If Republicans cannot unite to repeal the single biggest federal power grab of the last 50 years, why should anyone have faith they will have the courage to tackle other looming crises? The message being sent to Republican rank and file voters across the country is pathetic: Elect us and we will slow down the growth of the leviathan state but we lack the courage to reverse course. That, my friends, is a suicide note. Senate Republican leadership is also skeptical they can find the money Trump has requested for the first stage of a border wall. They have put off a decision on the matter until September. The truth is they don’t want a border wall! That leadership and many of their caucus members are happy with the status quo when it comes to immigration. Cheap labor will satisfy the Chamber of Commerce Republicans and thereby keep the donations from big business flowing to their reelection campaigns. But it is not just Trump’s immigration plans that they secretly want derailed, it’s the whole conservative agenda that they speak so glowingly of to their constituents at home but work so hard to avoid implementing when they are back in the swamp. | 1 | [
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FMD2208 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Senators have a constitutional obligation to advice and consent on a nominee to fill this Supreme Court vacancy and, simply put, we have a responsibility to do our jobs as elected officials, Manchin said in a statement Thursday. I will vote to confirm him to be the ninth justice on the Supreme Court. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csE04bREOAEHeitcamp of North Dakota also pledged her vote for Gorsuch and released a statement to confirm: After doing my due diligence by meeting with Judge Gorsuch and reviewing his record and testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I ve decided to vote in favor of his confirmation. He has a record as a balanced, meticulous, and well-respected jurist who understands the rule of law, . | 0 | [
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FMD2209 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Syrian rebel fighters are launching a major military operation backed by Turkish forces into a northwestern area of Syria largely controlled by jihadists, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday. Rebels said they were preparing to start the operation soon in Idlib province and surrounding areas, which represent Syria s most populous rebel-held area, and residents reported Turkish authorities removing sections of a border wall. The incursion is being carried out after Iran and Russia, which back President Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, which supports the rebels, agreed last month to reduce fighting between insurgents and the government in the northwest. It seems aimed at curbing the Tahrir al-Sham alliance, Syria s strongest jihadist group apart from Islamic State, and at securing Turkey s frontier. There s a serious operation in Syria s Idlib today and it will continue, Erdogan said in a speech to his AK Party, adding that Turkey would not allow a terror corridor on its border with Syria. For now the Free Syrian Army is carrying out the operation there, Erdogan said. Russia is supporting the operation from the air, and our armed forces from inside Turkey s borders, he added. Late on Saturday, Turkey deployed tanks and military vehicles on the its Syrian border, building up military presence, a Reuters witness said. Mustafa Sejari, a senior official in the Liwa al-Mutasem Syrian insurgent group taking part in the operation, said Russia would not be backing the rebels in the campaign. As for the Russians, they will not have a role in the areas of our control at all. The role of the Russians is limited to areas under regime control, he said. Ankara, Moscow and Tehran announced a deal last month to establish and patrol a de-escalation zone in the Idlib region, where Erdogan has said Turkey will deploy troops. Turkey s foreign minister said late on Saturday that Turkey aimed to prevent clashes in Idlib. Russian and Iranian observers will be in some regions here, and we will have our observers inside Idlib. Of course they will be in safe places so there will be no risks, Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters. Tahrir al-Sham is spearheaded by the former Nusra Front, which was al Qaeda s Syrian branch until last year, when it changed its name and broke formal allegiance to the global movement founded by Osama bin Laden. It has been a formidable military force since early in the war, when it transitioned from bomb attacks in cities to guerrilla conflict with the Syrian army, fighting alongside many other factions. Since early this year, it has battled other rebel groups in Idlib and other parts of Syria, while the government has mostly focused on the war against Islamic State in the east. In July Tahrir al-Sham seized land around the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Syria and Turkey, bringing much of the frontier area inside Syrian under its control. Tahrir al-Sham is well entrenched in the border area in Idlib and maintains a big military presence in nearby towns, a local rebel and a resident of a town near Bab al-Hawa said. In a statement posted on social media, the jihadist alliance accused the Turkey-backed factions of working with Russia and described them as traitors, but did not mention Turkey. It said in the statement that Idlib would not be a picnic for them and added the lions of jihad and martyrdom are waiting to pounce . Pentagon said the United States was not currently participating in these operations , but backed Turkey s efforts to fight terrorism, reminding that the U.S. stance on Tahrir al-Sham, remains unchanged. We support our NATO ally Turkey s efforts to secure its borders, fight terrorism, and prevent safe havens for terrorist organizations, Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesman, said. Residents near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey in Syria sent Reuters photographs of what they said was a section of the frontier wall being removed by the Turkish authorities. Tahrir al-Sham was also involved in fighting on the southern edge of the rebels northwestern stronghold this week, battling the army north of Hama. Air raids on insurgent-held towns in that area in recent days were intense, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported. Turkey has been one of the biggest supporters of rebels fighting Assad during the six-and-a-half year war, but its focus has evolved from ousting him to securing its border. A year ago it backed Syrian rebels east of Idlib in an incursion known as Euphrates Shield to drive Islamic State and Kurdish groups from its border, sending troops and armor into Syria. Syrian rebel officials from factions which have fought alongside Turkey in Euphrates Shield said they were preparing to enter the area with the backing of Turkish forces. The Free Syrian Army, with support from Turkish troops, is in full readiness to enter the area but until this moment there is no movement, said Sejari, the Liwa al-Mutasem official. Another FSA rebel told Reuters he believed an incursion into northwest Syria was imminent. We expect that the large-scale operation that has been prepared will be launched perhaps within the next 24 hours, the rebel said. The Hamza Brigade, also part of Euphrates Shield, posted a video online of what it said was a convoy of its forces heading for Idlib. Idlib s population has ballooned to at least two million as thousands of civilians and combatants have left areas in other parts of the country seized by the Syrian army with the help of Russian jets and Iran-backed militias. The resident of the town near Bab al-Hawa border crossing said people were worried that fighting would take a big civilian toll because of the increased population there. One bullet kills three, the resident said. Asked how far Turkey might go in deploying troops inside Syria, Erdogan declined to give details. When you enter a boxing match, you don t count how many punches you throw, he said. | 1 | [
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FMD2210 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: It is called the Heimlich maneuver — saving a choking victim with a bear hug and abdominal thrusts to eject a throat obstruction — and since its inception in 1974 it has become a national safety icon, taught in schools, portrayed in movies, displayed on restaurant posters and endorsed by medical authorities. It is also the stuff of breathless, tales, told over the years by Ronald Reagan, Edward I. Koch, Elizabeth Taylor, Goldie Hawn, Cher, Walter Matthau, Carrie Fisher, Jack Lemmon, the sportscaster Dick Vitale, the television newsman John Chancellor and many others. Dr. Henry J. Heimlich, the thoracic surgeon and medical maverick who developed and crusaded for the antichoking technique that has been credited with saving an estimated 100, 000 lives, died on Saturday at a hospital in Cincinnati after suffering a heart attack at his home there last Monday, his family said. He was 96. More than four decades after inventing his maneuver, Dr. Heimlich used it himself on May 23 to save the life of an woman choking on a morsel of meat at Deupree House, their senior residence in Cincinnati. He said it was the first time he had ever used the maneuver in an emergency, although he had made a similar claim in 2003. Patty Ris, who had by chance sat at Dr. Heimlich’s table in a dining hall, began eating a hamburger. “And the next thing I know, I could not breathe I was choking so hard,†she said later. Recognizing her distress, Dr. Heimlich did his thing. “A piece of meat with a little bone attached flew out of her mouth,†he recalled. While best known for his namesake maneuver, Dr. Heimlich developed and held patents on a score of medical innovations and devices, including mechanical aids for chest surgery that were widely used in the Vietnam War, procedures for treating chronic lung disease and methods for helping stroke victims relearn to swallow. He also claimed to have invented a technique for replacing a damaged esophagus, but later acknowledged that a Romanian surgeon had been using it for years. A professor of clinical sciences at Xavier University in Cincinnati and president of the Heimlich Institute, which he founded to research and promote his ideas, Dr. Heimlich was a showman who entered the pantheon of medical history with his maneuver but in later years often found himself at odds with a medical establishment skeptical of his claims and theories. Even the Heimlich maneuver, when he first proposed it, was suspect — an unscientific and possibly unsafe stunt that might be too difficult for laymen to perform and might even cause internal injuries or broken bones in a choking victim. But the stakes were high. In the 1970s, choking on food or foreign objects like toys was the cause of accidental death in America: some 4, 000 fatalities annually, many of them children. A blocked windpipe often left a victim unable to breathe or talk, gesturing wildly to communicate distress that mimicked a heart attack. In four minutes, an brain begins to suffer irreversible damage. Death follows shortly thereafter. Standard first aid for choking victims, advocated by the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association, was a couple of hard slaps on the back or a finger down the throat. But Dr. Heimlich believed those pushed an obstruction farther down in the windpipe, wedging it more tightly. He knew there was a reserve of air in the lungs, and reasoned that sharp upward thrusts on the diaphragm would compress the lungs, push air back up the windpipe and send the obstruction flying out. His solution — wrapping arms around a victim from behind, making a fist just over the victim’s navel and thrusting up sharply — worked on dogs. His ideas, published in The Journal of Emergency Medicine in an informal article headlined “Pop Goes the Cafe Coronary,†were met with skepticism. Anticipating resistance from his peers, Dr. Heimlich sent copies to major newspapers around the country. Days later, a Washington State man who had read about it used the maneuver to save a neighbor. There were other cases and more headlines. A Massachusetts boy saved a playmate after seeing the maneuver demonstrated on television. Testimonials flooded in. Dr. Heimlich was on his way to celebrity. In a profession that frowned on he was regarded as a eccentric, if not a crackpot. But as saved lives accumulated into a mountain of evidence, skeptics were mollified, state and federal health authorities endorsed the technique, and its popularity spread. Today it is known to millions from the internet, television, films, pamphlets, books, newspapers and magazines, talked up in families and taught in schools, often with videos provided by the Heimlich Institute. No one knows how many lives have been saved by the procedure, although reported choking deaths declined after its popularization. The Heimlich Institute claims 50, 000 lives saved in the United States alone. A 2009 article in The New York Times estimated that 100, 000 people had been rescued from choking. The American Medical Association, which endorsed the technique in 1975 and gave it the name Heimlich maneuver, says it saves unknown thousands annually. Some medical authorities have been wary, partly because it can cause injuries. From 1976 to 1985, the Red Cross and the heart association told rescuers to give back slaps first, and only then go to abdominal thrusts. From 1986 to 2005, both recommended Heimlich thrusts exclusively. But in 2006 the guidelines essentially reverted to recommendations, dropped references to the Heimlich maneuver, and replaced it with the phrase “abdominal thrust. †In 1984 Dr. Heimlich, the recipient of many honors, won the Albert Lasker Public Service Award, one of the nation’s most prestigious medical science prizes, for a “simple, practical, solution to a emergency, requiring neither great strength, special equipment or elaborate training. †Henry Judah Heimlich was born on Feb. 3, 1920, in Wilmington, Del. to Philip and Mary Epstein Heimlich. The family soon moved to New Rochelle, N. Y. where he attended public schools. His father was a prison social worker, and Henry sometimes went along on his rounds. He received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in 1941 and a medical degree from Cornell Medical College in New York City in 1943. He interrupted an internship at Boston City Hospital to join the Navy in World War II. He served with Chinese guerrillas in the Gobi Desert and Inner Mongolia. After the war he was a resident at several hospitals in New York City, and in 1950 he joined Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. In 1951 he married Jane Murray, the daughter of the dance studio entrepreneur Arthur Murray. They had twin daughters, Janet and Elisabeth, and two sons, Philip and Peter. Dr. Heimlich is survived by his children and three grandchildren. Jane Heimlich, who a book on homeopathy and wrote “What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You†(1990) about alternative medicine, died in 2012. In 1955, Dr. Heimlich proposed a method of restoring a patient’s lost ability to swallow, a condition called dysphagia, by reconstructing a damaged or diseased esophagus, using a section of the patient’s stomach. While the condition condemned victims to a lifetime of drooling and taking nourishment through an implanted tube into the stomach, his paper in the journal Surgery was virtually ignored in America. But a Romanian surgeon, Dr. Dan Gavriliu, wrote to Dr. Heimlich and said he had been using the procedure for four years. At the invitation of the Romanian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Heimlich visited Bucharest in 1956 to review the procedure. He returned to New York, successfully tried the operation, and it became a standard procedure in America. “Without question, Dr. Dan Gavriliu deserves credit for being the first surgeon to discover and perform the procedure that would come to be known as the Reversed Gastric Tube operation,†Dr. Heimlich wrote in a memoir. In the early 1960s Dr. Heimlich invented a device to drain fluid from an open chest wound. Operating on battlefields in World War II, he had seen a need for something better than a standard drainage bottle with suction to pump air and fluid from an open chest. The key was a valve that would control air and prevent fluids from flowing back into the wound. In a dime store, he found a toy noisemaker with a flutter valve. It worked in his device, and he took out a patent on what he called the Heimlich Chest Drain Valve. Widely used by medics on Vietnam battlefields, it also became common in civilian chest operations. By 1989, manufacturers reported annual sales of 250, 000 worldwide. In 1969 Dr. Heimlich became director of surgery at the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, and in 1977 he became professor of advanced clinical sciences at Xavier University. A longtime Cincinnati colleague, Dr. Edward A. Patrick, claimed in 2003 that he had codeveloped the Heimlich maneuver but had never been properly credited. He never took legal action to challenge Dr. Heimlich, however, and in 2008 he lost a libel suit against a Cleveland weekly newspaper that reported in an article, “Playing Doctor,†that he had misrepresented the extent of his medical training and his professional experience. Dr. Patrick died in 2009. Since the 1980s, Dr. Heimlich had been widely denounced for advocating malariotherapy, the deliberate infection of a person with malaria to treat cancer, Lyme disease and H. I. V. the virus that causes AIDS. He argued that malarial fevers could stimulate the immune system to fight more serious ailments. But health experts and government agencies have said such treatments are useless and dangerous. Human rights groups criticized experimental trials in Africa and China, calling them primitive. Similarly, his promotion of the Heimlich maneuver to clear water from the lungs of drowning victims, and to treat asthma, cystic fibrosis and even heart attacks, was vehemently disputed. The heart association warned especially against it in drowning rescues, saying it endangered lives. Among his fiercest critics was his son, Peter, who campaigned extensively against what he called his father’s “ history of fraud. †In blogs, interviews with newspapers, television networks and other forums, Peter Heimlich alleged that his father’s institute had conducted abusive medical experiments on AIDS, cancer and Lyme disease patients in the United States and countries, and endangered people with maneuvers to rescue choking and drowning victims. Undeterred, Dr. Heimlich advanced his ideas in articles and books, notably “Dr. Heimlich’s Home Guide to Emergency Medical Situations†(1980) and a memoir, “Heimlich’s Maneuvers: My Seventy Years of Lifesaving Innovations†(2014) and in speeches and television appearances. His animated series for children, “Dr. Henry’s Emergency Lessons for People,†won an Emmy in 1980. “I can do more toward saving lives in three minutes on television,†he told Omni magazine in 1983, “than I could do all my life in the operating room. †| 1 | [
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FMD2211 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did Jared Kushner Delete Tweets After News Surfaced About Trump's Taxes? Claim summaries: It's decidedly difficult to remove something that never existed.
contextual information: Voting in the 2020 U.S. Election may be over, but misinformation continues to spread. It is essential to keep fact-checking. Follow our post-election coverage here. On Sept. 27, 2020, The New York Times published a report after obtaining several years of U.S. President Donald Trump's tax returns. As news broke that Trump had paid just $750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017, and had not paid federal income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years, in addition to taking an approximate $70,000 deduction for hairstyling during "The Apprentice," and that he has more than $300 million worth of loans coming due, a rumor began to circulate on social media that White House senior adviser Jared Kushner had quietly deleted all of his tweets from his Twitter account. This rumor is false. Kushner did not delete all of his tweets following the NYT article about Trump's taxes. The tweet displayed above contains a genuine screenshot of the @JaredKushner Twitter account. This account has been online since 2009, but it has been used sparingly by its owner. Archived pages show that this account posted three messages back in March 2011, none of which were related to taxes, but then remained inactive for at least three years. The few messages that were posted to this account were deleted sometime between 2014 and 2016, and no new messages have been posted since then. In other words, Kushner did not wipe his Twitter account clean on the evening of Sept. 27 after the NYT published a story about his father-in-law's taxes. This account rarely posts tweets, and the three tweets that were shared to the account in 2011 (again, none of which were related to taxes) were deleted years ago. This isn't the first time someone has stumbled across Kushner's Twitter account in the aftermath of a controversy, noticed that it was barren, and incorrectly assumed that Kushner had recently scrubbed it clean. In October 2017, shortly after Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III revealed charges against former Trump presidential campaign chair Paul Manafort and two other campaign officials, social media users noted that Kushner's Twitter account was suspiciously void of content and falsely claimed that he had recently deleted all of his tweets. A few months later, when it was reported that Mueller may have interviewed Kushner in the course of his investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election, this false rumor circulated on social media again. The @JaredKushner account has been devoid of content since at least 2016. Claims that he recently deleted his tweets in the wake of breaking news stories are false. | 0 | [
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FMD2212 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: New York Times Reporter Karen Crouse queried 56 PGA players at the Genesis Open last week in Los Angeles, finding a whopping 50 of those players (89. 3%) would play golf with President Trump if invited. [Despite the fact that South African legendary golfer Ernie Els and #3 golfer in the World Rory McIlroy were both trashed on social media for playing with the president, Crouse doesn’t find it surprising that Trump should have such a pull on tour professionals. She writes, “The results were hardly surprising. The clubhouses at PGA Tour stops have long trended Republican, and the sport’s target demographic — rich, mostly white men — is far different from the women, minorities, immigrants and Muslims who have at times been the most offended by the president’s statements and positions. †Yet, despite Crouse’s above conclusion, Els didn’t say he wanted to play with Trump because he agreed with all his policies but that he did so out of respect for the office. “I’m not silly to what’s going on,†said Els, who owns 47 combined PGA and European Tour victories including four major championships. “I know this is probably the most polarizing president of my time. †Els added, “Whether you agree or not, I felt it was a duty to play with the president when you get the call. †golfer Pat Perez isn’t the least bit shy of acknowledging his support for the 45th president, saying that he would play with Trump “in a heartbeat. †So, now he can expect his Twitter and Facebook feeds to be trashed by Trump haters. To his credit, he obviously doesn’t care too much about that. Moreover, Perez commented that he would have turned down an invitation from Hillary Clinton if she had won the election in November. Golf icon Tiger Woods and L. P. G. A. player Lexi Thompson, both have teed it up with The Donald, subjecting themselves to social media scorn as well. Thompson claims Trump hit his driver 250 yards. Trump becomes the fourth president with whom Tiger has played, having joined George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Obama on the golf course during their reign as leader of the free world. Tiger quipped after playing with Trump that he was impressed with how the president took quite a “lash†at the golf ball. He added that his round was “fun,†and “Our discussion topics were . †One particular PGA player, Jim Herman has a strong affinity toward the President. Trump took Herman under his wing as an assistant pro at his course in Bedminster, N. J. Eventually, Trump sponsored Herman early in his career in 2006. Last Year Herman won his first PGA tour event and has captured some $6 million on the tour. The Herman, who has played with Trump hundreds of times, was invited by then Trump to attend his inauguration in January. “It’s still very hard for me to separate ‘President Donald Trump’ from the guy I’ve played with for the last 10 years,†Herman admitted. “I think of how generous Mr. Trump and all of those people were in helping me make it to the PGA Tour. So on that day in Washington, the inauguration was almost surreal in seeing him and his children and some members of his clubs I hadn’t seen in many years, all of us back together to share in that unique moment in American history. †| 1 | [
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FMD2213 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: South Korea is adopting a “wait and see†stance, government officials said on Friday, after U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters he would “renegotiate or terminate†a free trade pact between the two countries. The won KRW= turned lower against the dollar soon after Trump's comments, trading down 0.2 percent at 1,132.5 to the dollar. South Korea's benchmark share index .KS11 fell, wiping out earlier gains, to stand down 0.03 percent at 2,208.73 points by 0207 GMT (10:07 p.m. ET). “Talk and actual policy are different,†a high-ranking official at the finance ministry, who declined to be named, as he was not authorized to speak to the media, told Reuters. “They have not requested anything from us so we’ll have to wait and see.†He reiterated comments by Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho the previous day that South Korea had not yet received any official requests on the renegotiation of the pact, which took effect in 2012. The deal was great for South Korea, but “terrible†for the United States, Trump told Reuters in the interview. A senior trade official also told Reuters the ministry would need to coordinate with Washington on the trade deal, but declined to elaborate further, as he needed time to look into the matter. South Korea’s automobile industry body expressed concern over the possible revision of the trade deal. Shares of Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) extended losses, and were down as much as 2.4 percent after Trump’s comments. | 1 | [
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FMD2214 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Were Schumer and Pelosi involved in aiding Obama to give $150 billion to a nation considered an adversary of the United States? Claim summaries: Two prominent Democratic members of Congress didn't "help" bring about something that never took place.
contextual information: As President Donald Trump prepared on 8 January 2019 to deliver a televised speech to the nation making the case for billions of dollars to construct a wall along the roughly 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico, some social media users circulated an inaccurate meme containing the claim that the preceding Obama administration, with the help of Democratic lawmakers Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, had given Iran $150 billion in cash. President Trump battled Congress over his request for $5.7 billion to fulfill a 2016 campaign promise to "build the wall." The resulting impasse over budget appropriations for the wall's construction led to a protracted shutdown of the federal government. build the wall impasse shutdown As with many memes, the one above paired two topics that were unrelated to each other, along with a generous helping of inaccuracy. The "enemy of the U.S." referred to Iran, which was never given a $150 billion cash payment by President Barack Obama with the help of Pelosi and Schumer. Instead, billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets were unfrozen as a result of the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated with that country, which had nothing to do with the U.S. federal budget or border wall construction. nuclear deal Trump floated the "$150 billion" figure in conjunction with his desired border wall construction in a 12 December 2018 Twitter post: The Democrats and President Obama gave Iran 150 Billion Dollars and got nothing, but they cant give 5 Billion Dollars for National Security and a Wall? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2018 December 12, 2018 The $150 billion figure is an estimate of the value of Iranian assets that were unfrozen as a result of Iran's agreeing to the terms of the nuclear agreement reached with seven nations in 2015, including the U.S., an agreement formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. In other words, Iran gained access to assets that already belonged to them, assets that had been frozen in various financial institutions around the world due to sanctions imposed to curb Irans nuclear program. But Iran didn't get $150 billion in cash, nor did they receive any money at all from U.S. taxpayers -- they only regained access to assets that had been frozen in several different countries (not just the U.S.), and the $150 billion figure was merely an upper estimate. agreement Moreover, that $150 billion figure was the highest estimate of the value of Iran's frozen assets, with multiple sources reporting much lower figures. For example, Adam J. Szubin, Acting Under Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, supplied written testimony to a U.S. Senate committee in August 2015 stating that U.S. assessment of the total liquid assets Iran would regain control of as a result of the nuclear agreement was "a little more than $50 billion": testimony We must also be measured and realistic in understanding what sanctions relief will really mean to Iran. Estimates of total Central Bank of Iran (CBI) foreign exchange assets worldwide are in the range of $100 to $125 billion. Our assessment is that Irans usable liquid assets after sanctions relief will be much lower, at a little more than $50 billion. The other $50-70 billion of total CBI foreign exchange assets are either obligated in illiquid projects (such as over 50 projects with China) that cannot be monetized quickly, if at all, or are composed of outstanding loans to Iranian entities that cannot repay them. These assets would not become accessible following sanctions relief. Nader Habibi, professor of economics of the Middle East at Brandeis University, told us via email his best estimate was that between $30 billion and $50 billion of unfrozen funds were made available to Iran as a result of the deal. On 8 May 2018, President Trump announced that he was pulling the U.S. out of the nuclear deal with Iran, which had been negotiated over the course of two years. Associated Press. "Democrats and Obama Did Not Give $150 Billion to Iran."
14 December 2018. Hirschfeld Davis, Julie. "Schumer and Pelosi Tap Themselves to Respond to Trump Speech."
The New York Times. 8 January 2019. Bozorgmehr, Najmeh. "Iran to Keep Most Unfrozen Overseas Assets in Foreign Banks."
Financial Times. 8 February 2016. Cunningham, Erin, and Bijan Sabbagh. "Iran to Negotiate with Europeans, Russia and China About Remaining in Nuclear Deal."
The Washington Post. 8 May 2018. Dahl, Fredrik. "Iran Has $100 Billion Abroad, Can Draw $4.2 Billion: U.S. Official."
Reuters. 17 January 2014. Habibi, Nader. " Irans Frozen Funds: How Much Is Really There and How Will They Be Used?"
The Conversation. 11 August 2015. | 0 | [
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FMD2215 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: On Sunday, the nation learned that former first lady Nancy Reagan, 94, had passed away at her Los Angeles home from congestive heart failure. Nancy was the wife of Republican hero Ronald Reagan and after his death in 2004, she became an outspoken activist for a cure Alzheimer s disease and huge beacon of support for families whose loved ones suffered from the degenerative illness. While Republican presidential candidates have expressed grief over her passing, her longtime friend, Larry King, said he is relieved that she will not be here to see the end of the GOP s disgusting presidential race.During an interview with CNN s Wolf Blitzer, King said: I ll miss her. I love socializing with her, I love gossiping with her, I love talking with her. If there s one thing glad about this, he added. She isn t around to see the end of this political year. Because she was very upset by it. We can understand why she would be upset. The candidates running for the Republican nomination have constantly tried to equate themselves with her husband. Even though a number of his children have spoken out and said that Reagan would be appalled by the comparisons.While these candidates, like Ted Cruz and (shudder) Donald Trump, name drop the former president during every GOP debate, they behave like schoolyard bullies and pledge to never compromise with Democrats. Reagan may have had faults (A LOT of them) but he knew how to compromise and he never, ever behaved the way the current Republican Party does.As a matter of fact, if Ronald Reagan was a candidate in this race, the others running would probably call him a RINO and a traitor. And they damn sure wouldn t support any amnesty plan for undocumented immigrants (like the one he is well-known for).The current GOP is so gross that when news of Nancy s passing spread, their voters took it as on opportunity to attack the current first lady, Michelle Obama.With all of this, is it really any wonder she was upset?Watch:https://youtu.be/TZUVIbWbT2w Featured image via video screenshot | 0 | [
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FMD2216 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Ohios electricity rates are 10 percent below the national average.
contextual information: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland seems determined to be regarded as your energy governor. In his race for re-election this November, the governor touts his efforts toward energy reform at almost every opportunity.He was at it again during a campaign address on July 6 when he said, The energy reform bill I proposed gave Ohio one of the nations most aggressive renewable energy policies and has pushed our utilities to innovate.And while other states that failed to act saw electricity rates jump 70 percent, Strickland said, Ohios electricity rates are 10 percent below the national average.Stricklands spokeswoman, Allison Kolodziej, acknowledges that Ohios electricity rates were already well below the national average before Strickland took office in January 2007. But she said the governors push for Senate Bill 221 which became law in 2008 and placed tighter reins on utility companies seeking to set market-based pricing prevented Ohios rates from skyrocketing as rates did in other states where wholesale market pricing was unchecked.The question: Are Ohios rates today a full 10 percent below the national average as the governor claimed? The governors campaign staff said it relied on information from the U.S. Department of Energys Energy Information Administration, or EIA, for its figures.According to EIAs most recent average retail price report, released June 16 and updated through March, Ohios average electricity price for all sectors this year was 8.72 cents per kilowatt hour. The national average was 9.5 cents. That means Ohios rate thus for 2010 for all sectors is about 8 percent below the national average not 10 percent.In 2009, however the last full year of available figures Ohios average was 8.63 cents per kilowatt hour and the national average 9.75 cents, meaning a year ago the state was 11 percent below the national average. That means Stricklands statement is not accurate today but was a year ago.Kolodziej said the campaign is relying on 2009 figures because the full 2010 year figures are not yet complete.The premise of Stricklands statement is that Ohio is still trending below the national average when it comes to electricity rates, and thus is better off than many other states in terms of utility costs. The context of his point was accurate.But while the full 2010 figures are not yet available, there were more up to date figures the governor could have relied on during his speech that, while not as flattering as 2009, could have still effectively made his point just more accurately.We rate this statement as Mostly True. Comment on this item. | 1 | [
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FMD2217 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: 'A Country Founded by Geniuses, but Run by Idiots' Quote Claim summaries: Did a list of "A Country Founded by Geniuses but Run by Idiots" entries originate with comedian Jeff Foxworthy?
contextual information: Collected via email, 2013: A Country Founded by Geniuses but Run by Idiots Attributed to Jeff Foxworthy: If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for entering and remaining in the country illegally you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If you have to get your parents permission to go on a field trip or to take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If you MUST show your identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor, or check out a library book and rent a video, but not to vote for who runs the government you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If the government wants to prevent stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds, but gives twenty F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If, in the nations largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not one 24-ounce soda, because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If an 80-year-old woman or a three-year-old girl who is confined to a wheelchair can be strip-searched by the TSA at the airport, but a woman in a burka or a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If a seven-year-old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher is "cute," but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class ingrade school is perfectly acceptable you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government regulation and intrusion, while not working is rewarded with Food Stamps, WIC checks, Medicaid benefits, subsidized housing, and free cell phones you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If the governments plan for getting people back to work is to provide incentives for not working, by granting 99 weeks of unemployment checks, without any requirement to prove that gainful employment was diligently sought, but couldnt be found you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If you pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big-screen TV, while your neighbor buys iPhones, time shares, a wall-sized do-it-all plasma screen TV and new cars, and the government forgives his debt when he defaults on his mortgage you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If being stripped of your Constitutional right to defend yourself makes you more "safe" according to the government you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. What a country! How about we give God a reason to continue blessing America! The above-referenced list of entries detailing "A Country Founded by Geniuses But Run by Idiots" was widely circulated via the internet in early 2013 with an "Attributed to Jeff Foxworthy" tag at its head, leading many to believe it was actually the work of that nationally famous comedian. Jeff Foxworthy However, othen than its basic "If you ... you might be ..." pattern that mimics Jeff Foxworthy's popular "You might be a redneck" routines, this item bears little resemblance to anything produced by Foxworthy: his comedic material is typically affectionate and self-deprecating and involves poking fun at his own milieu; his brand of humor is much more apolitical and non-partisan than the list reproduced above. (Nonetheless, Jeff's name has been falsely attached to other similar political pieces that have little in common with the tenor and substance of his comedy material.) attached Jeff's brother, Jay, confirmed for us that this material was not written by his sibling. The original compiler of this list appears to be Fritz Edmunds, who posted it to his "Politically True" blog back on Feb. 3, 2013 (albeit with a disclaimer noting that "some of the ideas were from an email that did not contain any copyright"). Politically True As usual, the list has seen numerous alterations in the process of being passed around the Internet, and several of the entries appearing in earlier versions have since dropped off: If the only school curriculum allowed to explain how we got here is evolution, but your government stops a $15 million construction project to keep a rare spider from evolving to extinction you might live in a country founded by geniuses and run by idiots. If your government believes that using steroids or other drugs will ruin your life, but throwing you in prison for years will not you might live in a country founded by geniuses and run by idiots. If children are forcibly removed from parents who discipline them with spankings while children of addicts are left in filth and drug infested homes you might live in a country founded by geniuses and run by idiots. If your government believes that the way to make a school of unarmed children safe is to pass another law, this time with the illusion that three 10-round magazines in a rifle is safer than a 30-round magazine you might live in a country founded by geniuses and run by idiots. The phrase "founded by geniuses and run by idiots" appears to be a variant of a similar statement that appeared in Herman Wouk's 1951 novel "The Caine Mutiny": "The Navy is a master plan designed by geniuses for execution by idiots." In the 1954 film of the same name, the line was rendered, "The first thing you've got to learn about this ship is that she was designed by geniuses to be run by idiots." <!-- Sources: Metz, Ken. "It's Never Wise to Insult the Police Officer." The Bath County News-Outlook. 30 August 2007.--> Update [Aug. 2, 2022]: Updated SEO and title. | 0 | [
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FMD2218 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did Obama Foundation Share Pic of George Floyd 9 Days Before He Died? Claim summaries: A May 2020 Obama Foundation tweet became the focus of a new conspiracy theory.
contextual information: Rumors surged in the wake of George Floyd's death and the resulting protests against police violence and racial injustice in the United States. Stay informed. Read our special coverage, contribute to support our mission, and submit any tips or claims you see here. A number of tweets and posts began circulating online in June 2020, unearthing old posts from the Obama Foundation and alleging a conspiracy connecting the foundation to George Floyd. Floyd, an unarmed Black man, died on May 25, 2020, after a Minneapolis police officer held him down and kneeled on his neck. Protests around the country against police brutality followed, with some people carrying posters featuring Floyd's face to commemorate him. In early June, social media users stumbled upon an Obama Foundation tweet dated May 17 that featured a photograph of a poster with Floyd's face on it. They questioned how the photo could have been shared days before Floyd's death and how a Twitter post could allegedly be edited retroactively. The Hal Turner Radio Show, a far-right program, commented on this and other tweets featuring the same image, stating, "Something stinks here." Some social media users speculated that the foundation somehow knew in advance that Floyd would die. This rumor has no truth to it. The Obama Foundation's tweets shared links to its website, Obama.org. The preview image for that page updates dynamically on Twitter when the platform's web crawlers (bots) re-index the preview image for the website every week. In other words, at a certain point following Floyd's death, the foundation changed the Twitter Card image for the website, which retroactively updated the image on past tweets. A Twitter spokesperson told Snopes that the image shown in the card updates when the foundation updates the data used to generate the card. The group did not edit the tweet, according to the spokesperson, but may have changed the data associated with the link. We reached out to the Obama Foundation to ask about the photo on June 8. On June 9, the image from the May 16 post had been changed to the foundation's logo. An Obama Foundation spokesperson confirmed for us that the rumor is false and that the preview image for Obama.org updates dynamically based on information set in the link. The photograph of the poster with Floyd's face on it was taken on May 30, 2020, according to the foundation, and was first used on the site on May 31. | 0 | [
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FMD2219 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Chennai, Nov 16:
The night of Nov 8
On the TV Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding forth. Wife and I sit watching the whole thing with nary an emotion. We are speechless at what we hear. That is because we don’t understand Hindi. But the news scroll below, tells the story: Rs.500 and Rs.1000 demonetised. Wife looks at me quizzically. I look back at her quizzically. That is because we both don’t know what demonetisation means.
Eventually the penny, if that is the word, drops. We understand the two denominations are declared invalid from that midnight. Jee whiz! What do I with all the Rs.500 and Rs.1000 with me? But quickly gathering my wits and immediately taking charge, I ask the wife and daughter to bring all the Rs.500 and Rs.1000 stashed in the house, as if it was the time of reckoning and we had to finally confront our hidden truths. After some merciless minutes, we look at the pile in front of us: A sum total of four Rs.500 notes, and one Rs.1000 note. Of course, a few harmless 100s, 50s and 10s were in too.
Is that what we have in hand? I ask the wife plaintively. “Usually it is a lot less. But we made it a point to look around behind the cot, bureau and sofa. The 10s were picked from there only,” the wife said matter of factly. “You do remember your salary, right? A journalist’s salary and a person who has drank cyanide is difficult to save,” the wife adds in the conversational parenthesis.
The night ends in more unease: The fight against black money, it seems, will have some collateral damage. A journalist’s ego, for starters.
The morning of Nov 13
It is a Sunday. In need of cash for the week. Go to the ATM in the locality Find that the authorities, manfully rising to the emergency of the occasion, have helpfully put an easy to spot ‘out of order’ notice on the door.
Mentally thanking the banking guys for their thoughtful gesture, set out in search of another ATM and find one with only a few queued in front of it. Join the line only to quickly learn that 1) This ATM too is out of order 2) And the queue is actually for an ATM two streets away.
Cursing fate, join the line. Soon enough realise that even if the Indian economy is eventually straightened, it is impossible to literally straighten any queue in India. I mean we Indians just don’t have the ability to fall in a simple straight line. It is a skill that requires military training for Indians to acquire.
The line moves in every conceivable direction in every conceivable geometric formation. Improbable as it may sound, sometimes in the exact opposite direction to where the queue is actually headed towards. The line comprises an impressive motley: Some taciturn with thoughts. Some voluble with opinions. Some glued to their mobiles. Some staring into the distant nothingness. Some taking their troubles in stride. Some cursing their fate. But everyone feeling that they would be somewhere else than spending their time in a queue that seemed to move at the speed of larva turning into butterfly.
Those inclined to chat offer their views to no one in particular. “This is just the start. Modi will next ban gold and diamonds”, one man says with authoritative gusto. No one asks where he got that info from. He talks non-stop and seems to be the human/physical version of the WhatsApp fwds we are wont to receive on the many ‘groups’ we are part of. “Modi’s next target will be corrupt bureaucrats and politicos”. As a journalist, I realise that if I report from ‘Ground Zero’, these would be the ‘credible voices of the public’.
“It seems even the BJP is not happy with Modi,” says another in the silent gap that the previous man probably inadvertently left. “They have goofed up big time. All the new printed money are going to top politicos and industrialists. They all have been alerted before hand itself to exchange the notes,” he says with clinical finality. “An ATM is Ambattur is dispensing only old 500 rupees even today.” Where in Ambattur, I ask out of general curiosity, he replies, “my friend told me this”. I make a mental note that the guy is a very good journalist material.
But amidst differing opinions and moods, there is an easy bonhomie, a chatty friendliness descends on the scene. Every one has some opinion on how to tackle the black money scourge and what the Finance Minister should do. Never knew economics was such a popular subject with the general public.
The queue progresses at the speed of Indian economy, and I am kind of near the ATM, when someone, looking into his mobile, says “this week has to be the worst”. I wonder what is he having in his mind. Trump becoming the US President-elect. Currency crunch and other issues in India. What could get any worse than this?
“Alaistair Cook just scored a century,” I hear him say even as I enter the ATM room. | 0 | [
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FMD2220 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Arab foreign ministers late on Saturday urged the United States to abandon its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital, saying the move would increase violence throughout the region. The announcement by President Donald Trump on Wednesday was a dangerous violation of international law , had no legal impact and was void , the Arab League said in a statement after a session attended by all its members in Cairo. Trump s endorsement of Israel s claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital would reverse long-standing U.S. policy that the city s status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The decision has no legal effect ... it deepens tension, ignites anger and threatens to plunge region into more violence and chaos, the Arab League said at 3 a.m. local time after hours of meetings that began on Saturday evening. It said it would seek a U.N. Security Council resolution rejecting the U.S. move. Lebanon s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said during the emergency meeting that Arab nations should consider imposing economic sanctions against the United States to prevent it moving its Israel embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Pre-emptive measures (must be) taken ... beginning with diplomatic measures, then political, then economic and financial sanctions, he said, without giving specific details. The Arab League statement made no mention of economic sanctions. Arab criticism of Trump s plan contrasted sharply with the praise Washington s traditional Arab allies heaped on him at the beginning of his administration in January. | 1 | [
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FMD2221 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Chart Of The Day: Flows To Passive Funds Booby-Trapping Stock and Bond Markets By David Stockman. Posted On Sunday, October 30th, 2016
David Stockman's Contra Corner is the only place where mainstream delusions and cant about the Warfare State, the Bailout State, Bubble Finance and Beltway Banditry are ripped, refuted and rebuked. Subscribe now to receive David Stockman’s latest posts by email each day as well as his model portfolio, Lee Adler’s Daily Data Dive and David’s personally curated insights and analysis from leading contrarian thinkers. | 0 | [
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FMD2222 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The leadership of the largest group of Republican conservatives in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Thursday it opposed the deal President Donald Trump struck with Democrats to tie together legislation to provide hurricane aid and both raise the debt ceiling and fund the government into December. In a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, first reported by the Axios news outlet, Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker expressed concern the deal could worsen the trajectory on spending without providing for any fiscal reforms. | 1 | [
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FMD2223 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Minnesota Man Arrested, Sentenced to 6-Months in Jail for Having a Windmill On His Property Nov 14, 2016 0 0 Now the State claims the right to tell you what you can and can’t have on your own property.
Orono, MN – For more than a year, we have been following the story of a Minnesota man, Jay Nygard, who is routinely risking jail time because he refuses to remove a wind turbine from his property. Nygard has been in and out of court over the years, and despite a short-lived victory last October, he was recently back in front of a judge facing a contempt of court charge for refusing a court order to remove the turbines from his property.
He did eventually remove the turbines, leaving only the cement bases because removing them would cause structural damage to their house. This was not good enough for the local government, who ignored the advice of three different engineers and demanded that they remove the bases, despite the risk of damaging the home. This is all that remains of the windmill on Nygard’s property, a concrete footing, in the ground.
On Friday, Nygard was arrested and, according to his son, has been given six months in prison for refusing to remove the base.
According to Kahler Nygard, Jay’s son, his father even attempted to make peace with the county and compromise on a number of different issues, but they ignored his appeals.
“The choices for my dad were to potentially destroy our foundation in the house or go to jail, he even offered an olive branch saying he would add an easement to the deed saying when the house is demolished the pad must be removed, but that was ignored also, ” Kahler said in an exclusive interview with The Free Thought Project.
“The base was level with the ground and 4 feet cubed. We removed the top half of the concrete and used a metal cutting tool to remove the top half of the bolt assembly, rendering the structure unusable,” Kahler explained.
“They say that we have to remove to footing 100% and have it inspected by the city, which we have three different engineers all saying we should just leave it , one of them even does contract work for the city, ” he added.
Kahler said that although there are no ordinances against windmills, the county has a personal vendetta against his family.
Nygard has the right to do whatever he wants with his own property, but unfortunately in a democracy such as the United States, the property rights of an individual can be overridden according to the whims of politicians and the demands of uninvolved third parties.
Please share this story with your friends and family in hopes of keeping a good man, whose only “crime” was self-sustainability, out of jail.
John Vibes is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter-culture and the drug war. In addition to his writing and activist work , he organizes a number of large events including the Free Your Mind Conference , which features top caliber speakers and whistle-blowers from all over the world. You can contact him and stay connected to his work at his Facebook page. You can find his 65 chapter Book entitled “Alchemy of the Timeless Renaissance” at bookpatch.com.
This article was originally featured on The Free Thought Project Vote Up | 0 | [
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FMD2224 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Do retailers employ 'vanishing ink' on receipts as a tactic to discourage returns? Claim summaries: A long-circulating rumor claims retailers use "disappearing ink" to inhibit the return of merchandise or use of warranties.
contextual information: The holiday shopping season often spurs rumors that retailers use "disappearing ink" on receipts, making it difficult for consumers to use paid-for warranties or return unserviceable merchandise. Some rumors were more broad, involving anecdotal concerns about "disappearing ink" receipts, addressing retailers: I know you are in business to make money. I know that fraudulent returns cut into your profit margin, so you feel the need to tighten up your return policies. I am totally on board with that. BUT, could you please then stop using disappearing ink on your receipts? I just had my baby shower, and EVERY SINGLE gift receipt from your store was so faded, it was barely legible. Then, you tried to give me a hard time because your computers couldn't read the receipts, therefore making my duplicates off the registry unreturnable (but improper registry maintenance is a whole other issue.) To sum up. You require receipts? Then print legible receipts. Thank you. Others were more specific, claiming very clear timeframes30 to 45 daysand practices governed the legibility of receipt ink. Iterations of that sort asserted companies deliberately sought out to ensure that no receipts past a certain point could be used, presumably rendered void when the ink "disappeared" by design: PLEASE READ: Learned something new tonight...I guess you guys need to be made aware of (if you don't already know)...I was informed this evening after making a purchase with an extended warranty from Wal-Mart that I needed to go home and make a photo copy of the receipt and file with the warranty card. I curiously asked why and the lady told me that Wal-Mart now uses disappearing ink. My jaw dropped. So this means after 30 -45 days moving forward, you will no longer have a legible receipt from Wal-Mart for returns or warranty usage or credit card issues. Heads up guys ! This will be a problem for many ! I understand the reason they gave for this action, but it sure makes for a difficult life for the honest folks in this world. Don't forget to take a picture of your receipts. Disappearing ink is one big snowjob, so be ready for the storm.... 30 days and presto-change o. Although the rumor was rife on Facebook, instances of it far antedated the social network. Forum posts as far back as 2003 referenced the phenomenon. 2003 However, many retailers's return policies stipulate that receipts are not the sole manner in which consumers can prove a purchase. Walmart maintains: maintains Walmart will accept a non-receipted return or exchange provided it meets the following conditions: The refund verification process accepts the return.The government issued ID must not be altered and is accepted by Walmart. To return or exchange items without a receipt, you are required to present a valid government issued photo ID. Information from the customer ID will be stored in a secured database of returns activity that Walmart uses to authorize returns. At Lowe's the policy reads, in part: the policy reads, in part In most instances, your receipt can be retrieved by using the original credit card, checking account number, MyLowe's card or by your phone number. For returns without a valid receipt, in-store credit may be issued for the items current selling price. Lost or stolen gift cards can only be replaced for the remaining balance by presenting the original receipt. Similarly, CVS notes "returns or exchanges are subject to a third-party verification process," suggesting physical paper receipts were not the sole manner in which proof of purchase was retained by the consumer or retailer. The web site CreditCards.com surveyed major retailers and reported that in addition to protections offered by issuers such as American Express and Mastercard, receipts were rarely the only recourse: notes surveyed Our survey of 12 large retailers policies regarding returning items without a receipt shows most allow it within limits. Although a staunch no receipt, no return policy is rare, it does still happen, and there can be individual store quirks that make the return process difficult to predict. Store policies tend to be tiered, with full refunds reserved for those who meet the gold standard: They return the entire item, in its original packaging, quickly, with a receipt. The further you vary from the gold standard, the less you get back. Credit card holders may find that using their cards provides an added avenue to a refund, since some retailers will look up a credit card transaction and let you use that as proof of purchase for a return. As to how youll get your money back, its typical for stores to return it in the same way it was tendered. So if you used a credit card, expect to get the money back in the form of a credit on your cards statement. Retailers' policies stipulating for other verification measures undermined the implication receipt degradation was a deliberate action to discourage store returns. As for why receipts tended to fade (at least under certain conditions), papermaker Panda Paper Roll explained that the effect was a cost-saving measure for different reasons: explained Receipts are typically printed on thermal paper, a chemically coated paper that produces text and image when heat is applied to its surface. Since this kind of paper is susceptible to heat and UV light, extended exposure to these elements will ultimately cause gradual fading. If you are in the mood for experimenting, place a receipt that you dont need under a hot iron for about 10 seconds. The heat from the iron will change the color of paper to black. Oil and humidity are also factors to blame. Now if youre wondering why the use of thermal paper is so widespread despite this massive disadvantage, its because they are very low cost and the equipment used to print it is low maintenance, since it doesnt need ink or ribbon cartridges. That claim was echoed in a since-deleted 2014 WFLA story about "disappearing ink" receipts: story If you keep paper receipts, this could happen to you, too. That's because more retailers are using thermal paper. Heat and light fades the ink. Although it was clearly true that many receipts faded over time, the claim involving "disappearing ink" was a misnomer. Retailers' well-known reliance on thermal paper due to its cost efficient nature led to the generation of fragile receipts, particularly those exposed to heat or light. The phenomenon was real, but the cause was often misinterpreted by concerned consumers. Early iterations of the rumor also antedated the rise of online retail giants, e-receipts, smartphones with storage capabilities, and other technological advances that served effectively as a "receipt" for consumers. Behnken, Shannon. "Sales Receipts Have Ink That Fades, Making Returns Harder."
WFLA. 23 June 2014. Cabrera, Kristen. "Major Retailers' 2016 Return And Receipt Policies."
CreditCards.com. 22 December 2016. Walmart Help Center. "No Receipt Returns In Stores Policy."
Accessed 14 December 2017. Lowe's Service Desk. "Returns and Refunds Policy."
Accessed 14 December 2017. CVS.com. "Returns Policy."
Accessed 14 December 2017. Panda Paper Roll Company. "Thermal Paper: Why It Fades And How To Restore It."
Accessed 14 December 2017. | 0 | [
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FMD2225 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: No Social Security for Illegal Aliens Petition Claim summaries: Petition seeks to overturn vote granting Social Security benefits to illegal aliens.
contextual information: Claim: Signing a petition will help overturn a recent Senate decision to give Social Security benefits to illegal aliens. Example: [Collected via e-mail, February 2009] Subject: Petition to President Obama It is already impossible to live on Social Security alone. If the government gives benefits to 'illegal' aliens who have never contributed, where does that leave those of us who have paid into Social Security all our working lives? As stated below, the Senate voted this week to allow 'illegal' aliens access to Social Security benefits. Attached is an opportunity to sign a petition that requires citizenship for eligibility to that social service. Instructions are below. If you don't forward the petition and just stop it, we will lose all these names. If you do not want to sign it, please just forward it to everyone you know. Thank you! To add your name, click on 'forward'. Address it to all of your email correspondents, add your name to the list and send it on. When the petition hits 1,000, send it to [email protected] PETITION for President Obama: Dear Mr. President: We, the undersigned, protest the bill that the Senate voted on recently which would allow illegal aliens to access our Social Security. We demand that you and all Congressional representatives require citizenship as a pre-requisite for social services in the United States. We further demand that there not be any amnesty given to illegals, NO free services, no funding, no payments to and for illegal immigrants. We are fed up with the lack of action about this matter and are tired of paying for services to illegals. Origins: This item is a textbook example of the worst aspects of Internet petitions: It's an outdated exhortation that suggests dealing with a non-existent issue in a largely ineffective manner, yet it is regularly updated to make it appear as if it is addressing a real and current issue. This petition is an updating of one which first began circulating in mid-2006 (with "President Obama" since substituted for "President Bush"), and thus the referenced Senate action took place not "last week" but back in May 2006. Moreover, the Senate did not vote in May 2006 to "grant Social Security benefits to illegal aliens" as we covered in a separate article, back then the Senate tabled a prospective amendment that would have prohibited former illegals who had since gained legal status from being given credit for payments they had previously made into the Social Security system. Not only has Congress enacted no recent legislation granting Social Security benefits to illegal aliens, but Social Security officials themselves have noted that undocumented immigrants have a positive net effect on the Social Security system: article In its 2008 annual report, Social Security officials said undocumented immigrants actual benefit the Social Security trust fund. One reason is that many of them pay Social Security taxes but never collect benefits. In previously published reports, Social Security officials have said undocumented immigrants paid about $7 billion into the trust fund in 2005, the latest year for which numbers are available. Moreover, regardless of the validity of the issue addressed, the mechanics of this e-petition are rather poor: As with all petitions sent via e-mail, the process of circulating them poses a number of problems. Forwarding a petition through e-mail duplicates the names of hundreds and thousands of earlier signatories as each recipient adds his name and then fans out his copy to multiple acquaintances. Moreover, there is no verification or validation process to ensure that completed copies were actually "signed" by the persons listed (rather than having their names added by someone else). As well, any "break" in one branch of the chain caused by recipients' not forwarding the petition along to others means that all the collected signatures unique to that branch will be permanently lost. The designated target for the receipt of completed petitions in this case the general comments e-mail address for the White House is not a good choice. Petitions seeking legislative changes are best addressed to the legislative branch of government (i.e., the members of Congress who represent the petitioners). The petition's goals are neither clear nor well-articulated. It starts out protesting the notion that the Senate supposedly "allowed illegal aliens to access our Social Security" (a false premise), then demands that citizenship should be required as "prerequisite for social services in the United States." Which is it? Social Security and social services are two very different things. In the case of social services, how should this restriction be enacted? Should abused children be denied state protective services unless they can demonstrate legal residency? Should all emergency medical treatment be withheld from patients until they can provide documentation of their immigration status? And in the absence of a national ID card, what standard would be used for documenting eligibility? A much more effective approach is to start with a legitimate issue; propose a clear, well-defined course of action to address it, and then phone, mail, or fax your Congressional representatives directly about it. Last updated: 7 June 2010 | 1 | [
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FMD2226 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Leave a reply
Mike Adams – My fellow Americans, we are watching history unfold before us with such sound and fury that we are likely to never witness comparable events again in our lifetime. As of today, I am now convinced that the deep state has turned on Hillary Clinton and will unveil damning in the next few days that will end the Clintons’ reign of terror over America and collapse her bid for the presidency.
The mainstream media, of course, will never report this news for the simple reason that they are the propaganda arm of the criminal Clinton cartel. As such, they will lie to the public to the bitter end, even as the Clinton Titanic sinks with all of them on board (in deep, frigid waters, no less, with no more lifeboats to be found).
The so-called “deep state”— the powerful insiders who really run the intelligence services and inner layers of untouchable bureaucracy — has decided Hillary Clinton is too damaged to defend any longer . Even if she were to win by stealing the election, she would be so mired in criminal investigations and political illegitimacy that she would rip the nation to shreds while fighting for her own political survival.
It has now been decided, I believe, that Hillary Clinton will be taken out of power by releasing criminally damaging emails which have long been held by the NSA and FBI. This will likely happen before the coming weekend. Once that is accomplished, the next goal will be to wait for President Trump to take office, then destroy the U.S. economy through a controlled, global debt collapse so that Trump can be blamed for the near collapse of western economies. (Remember: The deep state isn’t pro-Trump. They’re still all about defending the establishment. But Hillary is one bridge too far for even the statists to stomach…)
Instead of allowing Hillary Clinton to take power and destroy America from the top, in other words, deep state power brokers have reverted to “Plan B” which is to let Trump take the White House, then destroy America through the controlled demolition of its currency and economy. This is simpler than it sounds. Bringing down the debt pyramid of a nation carrying nearly $20 trillion in national debt isn’t exactly rocket science. All they have to do is stand back and stop manipulating the markets and stop printing new money for a few months while raising interest rates. Monetary gravity will do the rest…
In the mean time, Hillary Clinton and a long list of her co-conspirators are going to find themselves charged with obstruction of justice , lying under oath, destruction of evidence, conspiracy, corruption and other serious charges that will lead to serious prison time for many.
The criminal racket of the Clintons is about to implode. The participants will be charged under the RICO Act for “racketeering” activities, for which ample evidence already exists. A new video from Steve Pieczenik describes some of this
In this video, intelligence insider Steve Pieczenik lays out how high-level intelligence insiders are now working in concert to “reverse the Clinton coup” that’s attempting to take over America and destroy it from within.
Even if you don’t believe Pieczenik — and I fully realize he’s controversial in his own way — this short video is a very important “must watch” explanation to know what people in the intelligence community are doing…“we’ve initiated a counter-coup…”
The Clintons are going to go “full murder” in a last ditch, desperate effort to save themselves
Beware of what may yet unfold in the coming days. Like a cornered wild animal, the Clintons are extremely dangerous when they realize they have nothing to lose by going “full murder” in an attempt to save themselves.
I will not be surprised the least bit if bodies of people in high places start piling up over the next week. Watch for news reports of mysterious car crashes, swimming pool accidents or “natural” deaths involving people like James Comey, who’d better have armed security personnel around him at all times.
Look for desperate measures such as the Clintons attempting to blackmail Obama, Comey or anyone who they think might serve as leverage to save their own skins. We might also see desperate false flag attacks unfold in the next few days, although that’s increasingly unlikely since it seems the Clintons are now on their own (they would need the assistance of Obama to pull off another Sandy Hook, you see). A deal has already been struck with Obama
Most likely, deep state operatives have already struck a deal with Obama to avoid prosecuting him for his own serious crimes as long as he stays out of the way as Hillary Clinton’s head is served up on a platter. This likely explains why Obama is now publicly saying he trusts Comey (and refuses to go to bat for Hillary). There’s no love lost between Obama and the Clintons (remember 2008?).
As all this is going down, the propaganda ministry of the Clinton regime — CNN, NYT, Washington Post, etc. — is going to explode into an all-out “bat-s##t crazy” conspiracy theory phase where they blame the Russians, extraterrestrials, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster for everything that’s imploding around the Clintons. Mainstream media news reports are going to increasingly sound like sociopathic babble from crazy people grasping at whatever outlandish theories they can invoke. Maybe crop circles were created by the Russians as a secret code to Wikileaks and Donald Trump, eh?
Meanwhile, conspiratorial operatives like George Stephanopoulos fully realize they are probably going to jail for collusion and sedition , so they have nothing left to lose by desperately trying to put Hillary in the White House via any means at their disposal, including totally faking negative news against Donald Trump (which is, of course, the entire news mission of CNN at this point, a disgraced propaganda network run by anti-American traitors). If the vote is stolen for Hillary Clinton, all hell breaks loose
Should the globalist Soros operators manage to steal the vote, bribe the electoral voters or rig the black box voting machines sufficiently to place Hillary Clinton in the White House, all Hell breaks loose across America : • The FBI goes into full indictment mode to push criminal charges for the Clinton criminal regime. • Donald Trump launches a massive legal challenge to the election outcome, dispatching an army of lawyers to level a vast assortment of charges involving coordinated voter fraud, the rigging of voting machines, the attempted bribery of Electoral voters and so on. • The U.S. military revs up its plans for an armed military coup to depose Clinton and restore democracy. This one should be especially entertaining to watch unfold if it gets activated… (and yes, YOU will beg for a short-term military dictatorship as long as they promise to depose Clinton and restore open, fair and free elections). • Armed U.S. citizens prepare for a massive march on Washington to take back their democracy and restore a lawful society where the political elite don’t get away with corruption, fraud and murder. Expect this march to be joined by police officers and federal law enforcement officials of all kinds. • The NSA likely goes into “full dump” mode to unleash every scrap of damning criminal evidence against Hillary Clinton. This will likely be joined by CIA assets who already have the goods on the Clintons and their “Lolita Express” pedo joy rides. • Wikileaks, Anonymous and every former NSA analyst goes into “destroy the Clintons” mode and begins to hack and expose every last shred of email evidence ever possessed by the Clintons and anyone close to them. Anonymous alone has enough technical clout to accomplish this with little or no outside help. (I expect Kim Dotcom to be aiding this entire effort as well, as he rightly holds extreme hatred toward Hillary Clinton… as do we all, come to think of it.) • The establishment Republicans in the U.S. Congress will, as usual, meekly surrender to the democrats, pulls down their britches and bend over to prepare to take it in the rear because that’s what they do best when the going gets tough. Totally useless politicrats like John McCain can’t get their pants around their ankles quickly enough when democrats start accusing them of something. These useless heaps of human baggage will be tossed out of Washington as the revolution unfolds, replaced with individuals who actually honor the U.S. Constitution (like Rep. Louie Gohmert). I root for all groups working to save America and expose the criminal politicians
Bring out the marshmallows and weiners, folks: This is going to be the most bizarre campfire front row seat to U.S. history that anyone has witnessed in over 200 years. Try not to trip and “face plant” into the flames as all this unfolds. It might be a smart idea to have some preparedness supplies at the ready, since no one really knows just how nasty this is all going to get. (And thank God Hillary doesn’t have her fingers on the nuclear launch codes, or she’d probably launch them just to change the narrative…)
As for me, I’m with anybody who’s trying to save America , restore democracy and throw the establishment criminals in prison. Like almost everybody else, I’ve had enough of the lies, the corruption, the media deceptions and the incessant blood sucking parasites in Washington D.C. who are too arrogant and stupid to realize just how much they’re universally despised. The revolution is ON. Anonymous, Wikileaks, Project Veritas, the FBI and the NSA have all been activated. There’s no stopping them now, and all the details of all the crimes of the Clintons are about to spill onto the stage of history, dirty deeds and all.
Be warned, you are probably not psychologically prepared for the truth about what the Clintons really are. You will probably vomit. SF Source Natural News Nov. 2016 Share this: | 0 | [
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FMD2227 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Boston Marathon Bombers Tuition Fees Claim summaries: Did the accused Boston Marathon bombers attend expensive private schools?
contextual information: Claim: The accused Boston Marathon bombers attended expensive private schools. Example: [Collected via e-mail, April 2013] Can you tell me where the Boston bombers and their families got their monies? There is no indication of a job (other than the father at one time being a US gov't employee) and I'm wondering how they got to an exclusive school and higher private education tuitions? Origins: A number of inquiries from our readers like the one reproduced above suggests there is a common perception that accused Boston Marathon bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev attended expensive private schools, a perception which has prompted many to raise the question of where the money to fund their educations came from (since the brothers apparently had no obvious substantial source of income). Although detailed information about the Tsarnaevs' finances (and its sources) has not yet been made public, we can dispel the mistaken notion that they received costly private educations. According to various news accounts, the elder brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan (now deceased), attended high school at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and tookaccounting classes for three semesters between 2006 and 2008 as a part-time student at Bunker Hill Community College. As the school's name indicates, Bunker Hill is a community college (i.e., a Bunker Hill publicly funded two-year institution) with relatively low tuition rates for local residents. The younger brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar, is likewise reported to have attended high school at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and then studied marine biology at UMass Dartmouth. Although the names of these institutions might suggest otherwise, neither of them is a private school: Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) is a public high school (part of the Cambridge Public School District) formed from the 1977 merger of Rindge Technical School and Cambridge High and Latin School, and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (or UMass Dartmouth) is one of the five schools that comprise the University of Massachusetts public university system. Altogether, public high school, community college, and the University of Massachusetts is about the cheapest educational path a resident of Massachusetts could follow. CRLS University of Massachusetts This isn't to say that the Tsarnaevs' educations were either cheap or completely cost-free: the fees at UMass Dartmouth run over $10,000 per year for Massachusetts residents, and even Bunker Hill Community College's tuition costs a local resident $141 per unit. And at least one of the brothers (Tamerlan) is reported to have been receiving welfare benefits at one pointHowever, Dzhokhar won a Cambridge City Scholarship in 2011, and either or both brothers might also have received student loans or other forms of financial aid. fees tuition welfare Last updated: 24 April 2013 CNN.com. "Timeline: A Look at Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Past." 22 April 2013. | 2 | [
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FMD2228 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Are the 'Las Vegas Travel' Facebook Vacation Giveaways Real? Claim summaries: Facebook failed to take action on a number of Las Vegas travel pages that promoted scam vacation giveaways from 2019 through early 2021.
contextual information: In early March 2021, readers alerted us to a Facebook scam that involved a Bora Bora vacation getaway. This led us to revisit Facebook pages like Las Vegas Travel that advertised a Las Vegas vacation giveaway. involved Las Vegas Travel We previously made note of the suspicious Vegas page in July 2020. At the time, we archived a post from a different, though similar one: Las Vegas Vacations. At least one of the pages had a Russian page manager. archived On July 2, we noticed that the Las Vegas Travel page had shared a post from Las Vegas Vacations. It mentioned a purported grand opening celebration for a resort. "We're going to celebrate our grand opening by doing something special for you. We will be rewarding someone who has shared then commented by August 26th with a 7-night stay for up to 5 people in a luxury suite. Don't worry about flights and transfers, it's all included." shared As of March 2021, the above post and likely many other posts like it had been deleted. This appeared to be an effort to cover the tracks of the scammers so they could keep the pages alive for future fake giveaways. Just like with the Bora Bora getaway, the Las Vegas pages were illegitimate. They should be avoided for the possibility of phishing, identity theft, and other potential consequences. We strongly suggest against submitting any personal information to links on these pages. Since July, the Las Vegas Travel page attempted to expand its scheme to Instagram. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Vacations page was still running the "Grand Opening Celebration" scam. expand still running The Las Vegas Vacations Facebook page was created in July 2020. It was purportedly managed from the United Kingdom and Germany. For almost a year and a half, Facebook failed to take action on the illegitimate pages. The Las Vegas Travel Facebook page was created in 2019. As of March 2021, it had around 250,000 followers. Las Vegas Vacations was created in July 2020. It was building toward 50,000 followers. The scam appeared to work in a similar way to the Bora Bora getaway. In fact, the same person or group of people appeared to manage both fake giveaways. We came to this conclusion after noticing similarities in dates and text on the pages. Further, the same .xyz domain website was listed. Bora Bora getaway Here's how the scam worked. First, Facebook users were asked to like, share, and comment with the word: "WIN." This February - We are giving away 10 nights at the The Venetian Las Vegas for 5 people. Includes Flights, Accommodation & Transfers. You will have 2 years to use the holiday! To participate:1. Like2. Share3. Comment: "WIN"Closes 28th February at 9pm. Next, a personal Facebook profile that appeared to be a page responded to each entrant. (A Facebook profile is for an individual person. A page is for companies, bands, personalities, etc.) The response to each entrant read: "You win. Check my profile." The profile named "Las Vegas-Nevanda" had a name in its Facebook URL: facebook.com/titis.ariandini. It read: "Titis Ariandini." "Honey, just a reminder that we're having dinner on Friday with the Vegas-Nevandas." Entrants who clicked to view the "Las Vegas-Nevanda" profile were led to yet another post. It advised Facebook users to visit a link to register for a prize. The post also told readers "this is original and official." How reassuring. One Facebook user named Jason appeared to believe the scam giveaway was real. In the same comment, he also referred to effective measures to reduce the chance of more deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic as a "communist shutdown." The link in the post led to a registration page that mirrored scammy websites we've seen before. Needless to say, this is not a registration page from a real Las Vegas resort. The registration page resulted in affiliate marketing links for streaming movie websites. This was where the Bora Bora getaway pages ended as well. The point of the affiliate marketing was for the scammers to make commissions on signups on the streaming movie websites. Again, it was also possible that the scam involved phishing, identity theft, and other dangerous outcomes. We found a number of other pages that shared the Las Vegas scams. They appeared to be in the same network of Facebook pages. They included: Maldives 2021, Bora Bora Vacations, Cancun Tours, New York Christmas Vacations, Maldives Getaways, Santorini - Greece, Package Holidays 2021, Dominican Republic Vacations 2021, Bali Tourism, Visit Hawaii, Seychelles Holidays, Tourism Bali, Cabo Tourism, Cabo San Lucas 2021, and Bali Holidays. Maldives 2021 Bora Bora Vacations Cancun Tours New York Christmas Vacations Maldives Getaways Santorini - Greece Package Holidays 2021 Dominican Republic Vacations 2021 Bali Tourism Visit Hawaii Seychelles Holidays Tourism Bali Cabo Tourism Cabo San Lucas 2021 Bali Holidays We noticed that some of these pages were scrubbed of their past scam posts. This allowed the page managers to plead innocence and continue running their post-and-delete operations. Further, this list of pages perhaps only scratched the surface of the entire scam empire. In sum, the giveaways that showed up on the Las Vegas Travel and Las Vegas Vacations Facebook pages were not legitimate. Facebook failed to take action on these scams despite their existence dating back to at least 2019. As a rule, it's always good to look for the "verified" badge on Facebook pages. "verified" badge | 0 | [
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FMD2229 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Grand Canyon Skywalk Claim summaries: Illustrations show a proposed Grand Canyon skywalk.
contextual information: Claim: Illustrations show a proposed Grand Canyon skywalk. Example: [Collected via e-mail, 2005] Grand Canyon SkywalkScheduled to open January 1, 2006Hualapai Indian Reservation * Juts out about 70 feet into the canyon, 4000 ft above the Colorado River *Will accommodate 120 people comfortably (How comfortable would YOU be?) * Built with more than a million pounds of steel beams and includes dampeners that minimize the structure's vibration * Designed to hold 72 million pounds, withstand an 8.0 magnitude earthquake 50 miles away, and withstand winds in excess of 100 mph * Has a glass bottom and sides...four inches thick Origins: Strange as it may seem, theabove-displayed illustrations are indeed renderings of a proposed skywalk extending over the south rim of the Grand Canyon, to be built on the Hualapai Indian Reservationadjacent to Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park. Hualapai Indian Reservation The $30 million all-glass Skywalk will hover 3,800 feet above the Colorado River over a rim of the Grand Canyon, allowing tourists to stroll on an 80-yard walk around a semicircular platform jutting beyond the canyon rim, surrounded by Plexiglas that will provide a spectacular view of the canyon floor directly below. (The statement that the structure is designed to hold "72 million pounds" appears to be a copywriter's misparsing of a 72-ton figure.) The Skywalk (initially projected to open in early 2006, before construction delays pushed back the completion date) will be part of a new Grand Canyon West resort on the Hualapai reservation at the western edge of the park, about 120 miles from Las Vegas. As the Arizona Republic noted, the Skywalk is part of an effort by the Hualapai tribe to create a multi-faceted tourist resort and revenue stream not dependent upon casino gaming: Levi Esquerra, program director for Northern Arizona University's Center for American Indian Economic Development, said the Hualapais are one of the few tribes to have a bustling economy without casino gaming as a linchpin. "They've been able to exploit their natural beauty and become a tourist destination," Esquerra said. "What we've normally seen in the past between the tribes and national Park Service is like the Blackfeet in Montana appealing to get free access to Glacier National Park. But the Hualapais have a new and aggressive attitude to develop markets on their own land." The Hualapai's Grand Canyon Resort Corp. already has completed the first phase of an adjoining Indian village, where Navajo, Hopi, Hualapai and Havasupai craftsmen constructed traditional dwellings surrounding an amphitheater that hosts daily Native American dances. The first phase of a nearby Old West village also has been completed, and plans are on the drawing board to construct a tram from the canyon rim to the floor. Ditto for an anticipated high-end resort and a campground, which will house about 50 cabins and be able to accommodate 200 campsites and 200 recreation vehicles. The parts for the Skywalk project were fabricated in other locations and brought to the Grand Canyon site as it was readied for their installation, a process depicted in the photographs shown below: The transparent pathway was installed in place in March 2007, and Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin offically inaugurated the Skywalk on 20 March 2007 by taking a stroll on it in front of a crowd of about 1,000 tourists, dignitaries and tribal members: Grand Canyon West has announced 28 March 2007 as the official public opening date: Grand Canyon West, a destination owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe at the Grand Canyon's western rim, announces March 28, 2007 as the official public opening date of The Skywalk. The Skywalk will be the first-ever cantilever shaped glass walkway to suspend more than 4,000 feet above the canyons floor and extend 70 feet from the canyon's rim. Access to The Skywalk will run from dawn to dusk and will cost $25 per person in addition to the cost of a Grand Canyon West entrance package. One hundred and twenty people will be allowed on the bridge at a time. Admittance is first come, first serve for walk up visitors; however, reservations can be made. Guests will enter and exit the walkway via temporary buildings while the adjacent visitors center is being completed. Grand Canyon West plans to issue numbered shoe covers in in order to avoid scratches and slipping - to each visitor that enters the open-air walkway. Prior to the public opening in March, Grand Canyon West will host a "First Walk" event for media and VIPs. The name of the first public figure to step on The Skywalk will be announced closer to the opening. The historical rollout of The Skywalk structure, with the glass in place, is scheduled for February 27 to March 2. The initial part of the rollout process involves jacking the structure up off of the supports and then subjecting the structure to several days of thorough tests that replicate the conditions of final placement. After the final testing is complete, the multi-million pound steel enforced structure will be rolled out across the canyon's edge, which takes multiple days. Immediately after the structure is in position, it will be seated and attached to the foundation. Details for a media event during the rollout will be revealed closer to the event. Additional information: Destination Grand Canyon West Last updated: 20 March 2007 Sources: Braun, David. "Photo in the News: Grand Canyon to Get Glass Bridge." National Geographic News. 26 August 2005. Clarke, Jay. "Tribe Plans Walkway Over Grand Canyon." The [San Jose] Mercury News. 4 December 2005. Gaynor, Tim. "Astronaut's Small Step Opens Grand Canyon Skywalk." Reuters. 20 March 2007. Mannweiler, David. "Don't Look Down and You'll Be Fine." The Indianapolis Star. 20 November 2005. Shaffer, Mark. "Hualapai Tribe Finds Economy Flows Better with River Plan Than Casino." The Arizona Republic. 13 October 2005. | 1 | [
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FMD2230 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The U.S. government should have publicized the existence of a program that vacuumed up in bulk Americans’ telephone call data before its existence was leaked by former contractor Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency’s deputy director said on Tuesday. Richard Ledgett, who is retiring next month, said in an interview with Reuters that disclosing the secret program would have been difficult. But, he said, doing so might have mitigated the damage done by Snowden. “That’s one where I might have to say, yes,†Ledgett said in his office at NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland. “That’s one where maybe it would have been less shocking when Snowden did what he did.†Ledgett’s comments, which echo the sentiments of some former top U.S. officials, come as the U.S. intelligence community is stepping up efforts to convince Congress to reauthorize other controversial surveillance programs. Those programs allow intelligence agencies to collect vast amounts of digital communications from foreigners living overseas, but incidentally scoops up the communications of an unknown number of Americans. The programs, authorized by Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, expire on Dec. 31 unless Congress takes action. Ledgett said that the NSA, whose mission is to intercept adversaries’ communications while protecting sensitive U.S. government networks, had learned from the Snowden experience. “We’re being very open about the (Section 702) program, and will be,†he said. Privacy advocates have repeatedly demanded that the government share an estimate of how many Americans are ensnared by programs authorized under Section 702. Intelligence officials have declined to do so. But Ledgett, in remarks earlier Tuesday at a forum sponsored by the Aspen Institute, said “yes†when asked if an estimate would be provided before year end. Snowden’s revelation of the bulk telephone data program | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD2231 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The parents of an American woman held by the Islamic State group said in a statement on Tuesday that they have been notified of her death.
The White House said Kayla Jean Mueller's family received a message from her captors over the weekend, which was authenticated by the U.S. intelligence community, the Associated Press reports.
On Friday, the Islamic State group released a statement claiming Mueller had been killed in a Jordanian airstrike in Raqqa, Syria. The Jordanian government said later that it was "highly skeptical" about the extremists' statement.
Mueller, who is from Prescott, Arizona, was captured by militants in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo in August 2013. U.S. officials acknowledged last year that a 26-year-old American woman was being held by the group, but did not identify her out of fears for her safety.
Mueller's family honored her dedication to humanitarian work in their statement on Tuesday, according to The Arizona Republic. "We are so proud of the person Kayla was and the work that she did while she was here with us. She lived with purpose, and we will work every day to honor her legacy," the statement read.
"Our hearts are breaking for our only daughter, but we will continue on in peace, dignity, and love for her," the family said.
The family also released a letter that Mueller wrote while in captivity in 2014, BuzzFeed notes. "I know you would want me to remain strong. That is exactly what I'm doing," Mueller wrote. "[I] have learned that even in prison, one can be free. I am grateful. I have come to see there is good in every situation, sometimes we just have to look for it."
"In how she lived her life, she epitomized all that is good in our world," he said. "No matter how long it takes, the United States will find and bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible for Kayla’s captivity and death."
Mueller had been working in Turkey assisting Syrian refugees, according to a 2013 article in The Daily Courier, her hometown newspaper. She told the paper that she was drawn to help with the situation in Syria.
"For as long as I live, I will not let this suffering be normal," she said. "It's important to stop and realize what we have, why we have it and how privileged we are. And from that place, start caring and get a lot done."
A 2007 article about Mueller from the same newspaper said she was a student at Northern Arizona University and was active in the Save Darfur Coalition. A statement from the office of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Mueller graduated in 2009 and had worked to help people in need in India, Israel, the Palestinian territories and in Arizona.
Mueller is the fourth American to die while being held by Islamic State militants. Three other Americans - journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid worker Peter Kassig - were beheaded by the group.
Journalist Austin Tice, of Houston, Texas, disappeared in August 2012 while covering Syria's civil war. It's not clear what entity is holding him, but it is not believed to be the Islamic State group or the Syrian government, his family has said.
"We are heartbroken to share that we've received confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller, has lost her life. "Kayla was a compassionate and devoted humanitarian. She dedicated the whole of her young life to helping those in need of freedom, justice, and peace. In a letter to her father on his birthday in 2011, Kayla wrote: 'I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine. If this is how you are revealed to me, this is how I will forever seek you.' 'I will always seek God. Some people find God in church. Some people find God in nature. Some people find God in love; I find God in suffering. I've known for some time what my life's work is, using my hands as tools to relieve suffering.' "Kayla was drawn to help those displaced by the Syrian civil war. She first traveled to Turkey in December, 2012 to provide humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees. She told us of the great joy she took in helping Syrian children and their families. "We are so proud of the person Kayla was and the work that she did while she was here with us. She lived with purpose, and we will work every day to honor her legacy. "Our hearts are breaking for our only daughter, but we will continue on in peace, dignity, and love for her. "We remain heartbroken, also, for the families of the other captives who did not make it home safely and who remain in our thoughts and prayers. We pray for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Syria." | 1 | [
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FMD2232 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Since the stimulus package was passed, Ohios lost over 100,000 more jobs.
contextual information: PolitiFact has rapped Rob Portman for certain claims made during his U.S. Senate campaign. Weve credited Portman, too, for truthful statements. Thats the nature of the Truth-O-Meter: We play it as it lays.Which brings us to Portmanslatest television ad.In the 30-second spot, Portman points to out-of-control federal spending, dangerous deficits and an economic stimulus plan that he says isnt working. Since the $800 billion stimulus passed, Ohios lost over 100,000 more jobs, Portman says in the commercial.The claim about the stimulus program not working has been batted about repeatedly. The White House said when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in February 2009, that unemployment would peak at 8 percent. Yet it is now 9.6 percent nationally, and 10.7 percent in Ohio.A number of economists say that even more jobs would have been lost were it not for the government spending to stimulate the economy. TheCongressional Budget Offices last quarterly evaluationsaid the stimulus increased national employment by 1.4 million to 3.3 million jobs. There have been mistakes, missteps and gaffes documented in the spending programs, however, and Portman and other Republicans say the spending was poorly focused. This central question will be for historians and economists in the future to settle.Were merely taking note of Portmans claim because of this: He uses a lower number -- 100,000 jobs lost in Ohio since the stimulus passed -- than he used previously. When he put the figure at 150,000 in June,the Truth-O-Meter ruled it Half True-- because only 127,900 jobs had actually been lost, judging by the most widely accepted measure.That was based on Bureau of Labor Statistics figures through May, the most current at the time. The numbers come from surveys of employers and are adjusted as the data becomes more complete. Using updated data, BLS now shows the post-stimulus job losses in Ohio came to 130,000 for the period Portman claimed in his earlier statement..But now its October and Portman is using a lower figure when he speaks. As he said in his newest ad, and repeated during an Oct. 8 debate at the City Club of Cleveland, since the stimulus bill passed, Ohios lost over 100,000 more jobs.Yet heres the thing: Portmans rhetoric might actually be too cautious now. As measured by the latest BLS figures, which go through August and are preliminary, Ohio has 149,200 fewer jobs now than when the stimulus passed. Thats exquisitely close to 150,000.What happened?The state steadily lost jobs through 2009 but the numbers started improving early in the year, continuing through May. The summer saw a retraction, however, reducing Ohios employment count by a total of 19,200 jobs during June, July and August.So Portman was accurate and then some with his recent, more cautious statement. The Half True ruling nevertheless stands for his June claim, because PolitiFact doesnt believe in fortune-telling and Portmans numbers were in fact off when he made that statement.But we give credit where credit is due. So the Truth-O-Meter takes a turn to the right and rules on Portmans newest claim: True. Comment on this item. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD2233 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: This collection of video snippets of the lefty loony media freaking out over Brexit is alarming yet really funny. They just can t seem to grasp the fact that the British people want their country back. It s almost like it s just too much to ask for according to these angry elves | 0 | [
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FMD2234 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did Dave Ramsey Write This 'Wake Up America' Op-Ed? Claim summaries: A months-old opinion piece was recirculated on social media in January 2021, this time with a famous name (incorrectly) attached to it.
contextual information: On Jan. 7, 2021, a lengthy piece of text urging Americans to "wake up" was widely circulated on social media, accompanied by the claim that it had been penned by radio host Dave Ramsey. Scott Baio, a conservative pundit best known for playing Chachi on the 1970s sitcom "Happy Days," was one social media user who misattributed this text to Ramsey. However, this post was not written by Ramsey. The radio host clarified on Facebook on Jan. 7 that he did not author this post. In addition to Ramsey's denial, we found versions of this text posted on the internet as far back as October 2020, at which time Ramsey was not credited as the author. This text was originally penned by "Bruce Hendry" and published on the right-wing website FrontPageMag.com on Oct. 7, 2020, under the title "Living in the Left's Upside Down World." Here’s an excerpt from the article, which is essentially a list of grievances that Hendry finds confusing or hypocritical: This morning, I realized that everything is about to change. No matter how I vote, no matter what I say, lives are never going to be the same. [...] We see other countries going socialist and collapsing, but it seems like a great plan for us. Somehow it's un-American for the census to count how many Americans are in America. [...] If a dude pretends to be a woman, you are required to pretend with him. It was acceptable for Joe Biden to "blackmail" the President of Ukraine, but it's an impeachable offense if Donald Trump inquires about it. [...] And pointing out all this hypocrisy somehow makes you a "racist." Nothing makes sense anymore. No values, no morals, no civility, and people are dying of a Chinese virus, but it is racist to refer to it as Chinese even though it originated in China. [...] Wake up America, the great unsinkable ship Titanic America has hit an iceberg, is taking on water, and sinking fast. While Hendry prefaced this article with a paragraph insisting that this information was "factual," not "political," many of the items listed above are based on misinformation. For example, President-elect Joe Biden did not blackmail the President of Ukraine, viruses don't have nationalities, transgender people are not "pretending," and the U.S. Census counts "every resident in the United States." So, what does Dave Ramsey have to do with this? One common tactic of purveyors of disinformation is to falsely claim that an extreme view was espoused by a well-known and respected voice. This gives the extreme opinion an air of credibility and makes it more palatable to a mainstream audience. The article above originated on a right-wing website and initially gained traction among a like-minded crowd on conservative forums and social media networks like 4chan. In January 2021, someone attempted to present this article to a larger audience by falsely claiming that this opinion originated with Ramsey, a popular radio host and finance guru with mainstream appeal. By attaching Ramsey's name to these opinions, the article was spread as if it had been "endorsed" by someone in the mainstream, thereby making it more acceptable to people who might have initially balked at this article if they encountered it on a hyperpartisan website. But Ramsey, of course, did not actually write this article. | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD2235 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Yes, Kandiss Taylor's Campaign Slogan is 'JESUS, GUNS, AND BABIES' Claim summaries: The Georgia governor hopeful launched her Paint Georgia Taylor Red Bus Tour in February 2022.
contextual information: Curious about how Snopes' writers verify information and craft their stories for public consumption? We've collected some posts that help explain how we do what we do. Happy reading, and let us know what else you might be interested in knowing. Political hopeful Kandiss Taylor, who is vying to be elected Georgia governor, launched her campaign tour on February 17, 2022, and quickly became a trending Twitter topic after the GOP candidate was pictured alongside the words "Jesus, guns, babies." The campaign slogan appears to have been first made prominent by political analyst Arieh Kovler, who said on Twitter that the phrase was a hell of a campaign slogan. A look at Taylor's official website proved that her campaign slogan indeed read "Jesus, guns, and babies," with the added verbiage "morality over money!" A scroll through the South Georgia native's website also showed that she has served as an educator in the public school system for 19 years as a third-grade teacher, school counselor, testing coordinator, student-services coordinator, and homeless liaison. "The welfare, education, and safety of our children are of utmost importance to me. I want to see the focus of our government move to issues that matter and impact our daily lives. It's time to move away from the manipulation of special interest groups. Money and power have no place in influencing our public servants," wrote Taylor. According to her website, those issues include a pro-life platform centered around gun rights, election reform, immigration, the economy, and education. Her website further states that she is passionate about the working class, mental health, less government overreach, education, small business growth, gun rights, farmers, the economy, the right to life, and election integrity. Put simply, "Jesus, Guns, and Babies!" When asked what made her decide to run, she responded, "I can't complain about what is going on if I'm not willing to do something about it. The Governor's budget is 60% education, and who better to clean things up than a public school educator who knows where and what to cut!" Taylor took to social media on February 17 to announce her three-day campaign launch, "The Paint Georgia Red Bus Tour," which features her "Jesus, guns, babies" slogan painted in bold letters outside of her campaign vehicle. As of this writing, tour dates past February 19 were not made public. Snopes contacted Taylor for further elaboration on her campaign platform. We will update the article accordingly if we hear back. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD2236 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump indicated a tougher U.S. approach to China by speaking to Taiwan’s president last week, but how far he will push a risky test of wills to wring concessions from Beijing on issues from trade to North Korea is unclear. The call between Trump and Tsai Ing-wen was the first by a U.S. president-elect or president with a Taiwanese leader since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan in 1979. It prompted a diplomatic protest from China which the outgoing Obama administration warned could undermine progress in relations with Beijing, which has been carefully built up over decades by both Republican and Democratic administrations. Analysts say it could provoke military confrontation with China if pressed too far. Trump officials and Vice President-elect Mike Pence sought to play down the significance of the 10-minute conversation, saying it was a “courtesy†call and not intended to show a policy shift. However, Trump fueled the fire on Sunday by complaining about Chinese economic and military policy on Twitter, while on Monday an economic adviser to Trump, Stephen Moore, said if Beijing did not like it, “screw ‘em.†Analysts, including senior former U.S. officials, said the call appeared to be at least an initial shot across China’s bow to signal a tougher approach to Beijing, which includes plans for a buildup in the U.S. military, in part in response to China’s growing power in the Asia-Pacific region. Jon Huntsman, reportedly among the candidates to become Trump’s secretary of state, was quoted by The New York Times as saying at the weekend that Taiwan might prove a “useful leverage point†in dealings with China. Trump adviser and China hawk Peter Navarro, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, another in the mix for the top U.S. diplomatic role, have both proposed using degrees of escalation on Taiwan to pressure China to step back from its pursuit of territory in East Asia. Navarro, who has produced books and multipart television documentaries warning of the dangers of China’s rise, has suggested stepped up engagement with Taiwan, including assistance with a submarine development program. He argued that Washington should stop referring to a “one-China†policy, but stopped short of suggesting it should recognize Taipei, saying “there is no need to unnecessarily poke the Panda.†Bolton though, in an article in January, countenanced a “diplomatic ladder of escalation†that could start with receiving Taiwanese diplomats officially at the State Department and lead to restoring full diplomatic recognition. Evan Medeiros, a former official who served as President Barack Obama’s top adviser on East Asia, said this was a highly risky strategy. “Here’s the reality: China let us all know very clearly in the mid-1990s that the Taiwan issue is a war-and-peace issue,†Medeiros said. “Is that a proposition that the U.S. should test? “The Taiwan issue is so politically sensitive and ranks so high in Chinese priorities of interest they are not going to begin trading anything away for it. And if the U.S. decided to establish formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it could easily precipitate a military crisis in Northeast Asia,†he said. Douglas Paal, a White House official under Republican administrations who served as U.S. representative to Taiwan from 2002-2006, said the approach of Trump advisers seemed rooted in the 1990s, when China was much weaker and the United States in a better position to take a tougher line. “The problem is that Beijing decided in 1996 on a 10-year (military) buildup so that it would never have to swallow such stuff again,†Paal said. He said Chinese President Xi Jinping is seeking to cement his position at a congress of the ruling Communist Party next year. “Were he to look soft on something like making the U.S. office in Taipei into an official diplomatic outpost, Xi would be devoured by his rivals, and he won’t let that happen,†Paal said. Chris Murphy, a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said using Taiwan as a way to pressure China to cooperate on North Korea’s nuclear program or on trade could be counterproductive. “Pressing China on Taiwan won’t likely bring them to the table on North Korea and currency,†he wrote on Twitter. “Risks backing them into a dark, nasty corner.†Two sources familiar with the debate on China policy within the Trump camp said Bolton and other hard-liners had encouraged Taiwanese leaders to approach the president-elect. However, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and others advising Trump and his transition team have cautioned against an open break with the four-decade “One China†Policy, they said. As a result, Trump first presented the request for a phone conversation as a personal matter rather than a harbinger of a shift in U.S. policy, which left Japan and other U.S. Asian allies unfazed. However, the sources said that after Trump tweeted about Chinese currency manipulation, import tariffs and the South China Sea, some Asian leaders were asking whether he was deliberately provoking China, potentially leading to a dangerous escalation of tensions. Chas Freeman, a former U.S. diplomat who was then-President Richard Nixon’s interpreter on his historic trip to China in 1972, said he thought Chinese officials were waiting to see what Trump’s intentions were as president. “They (Chinese) don’t want to humiliate Mr. Trump or get into an emotional confrontation with him,†he said. “So the immediate impact of this will be they will give him the benefit of the doubt, that he didn’t know what he was doing, and didn’t understand the significance of this, that perhaps he was manipulated by people around him.†| 1 | [
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FMD2237 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: When Tuesday s earthquake struck Mexico, Martha Mejia watched the tin walls of her tiny shack quiver and remembered the smell of death that hung in the air of shattered apartment blocks 32 years before. I wanted to scream because I had lived this all before. I wanted to run out and scream, said the 64-year-old Mejia, whose home was destroyed in a 1985 quake that devastated Mexico City. Back then, I was strong. But this time I felt it more. The 1985 earthquake, which killed around 5,000 people, was a defining moment for the Mexican capital. Three decades on, hundreds of its victims are still living in hovel encampments across the sprawling city of 20 million, waiting for long-promised government-subsidized homes | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD2238 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did AP Use the Spelling 'Missippi' in a Headline About Literacy? Claim summaries: To learn more, we traveled back to the year 2005.
contextual information: Since at least 2010, a picture of a newspaper headline has been shared on websites and social media. The headline read, "Missippi's [sic] literacy program shows improvement," which referred to the state of Mississippi. The most recent social media post we found was from Oct. 18, 2021. most recent social media post This story might bring to mind Jay Leno's old "Headlines" segment from his late-night show. The weekly bit involved displaying funny newspaper clippings for laughs. We didn't find the misspelled headline in any of the Leno clips that were available on YouTube. segment According to the picture, the article below the headline came from The Associated Press (AP). However, was the headline also written by the AP? This was what we sought to find out. For readers who may not be familiar with what the AP does, stories from the wire service are republished on websites and printed in newspapers across the world, including right here on Snopes.com. including right here on Snopes.com The following words were also visible in the body of the story: "... and his late wife, Sally, put up $100 million of their own money to improve ..." This bit of text helped in the effort to track down when the body of the article was first published. We searched newspaper archives on the handy website Newspapers.com for the words from the body of the story. The earliest date we landed on was June 12, 2005. It was credited to Associated Press journalist Emily Wagster Pettus and printed in The Greenwood Commonwealth, a newspaper in the state of Mississippi. However, it had a different headline: "Barksdale Reading Institute getting results in schools." Newspapers.com printed Following June 12, we found that the same story was printed with different headlines in quite a few newspapers. The most common headline we saw was: "Mogul's literacy investment paying off in poverty-stricken Mississippi schools." We found no newspaper that misspelled the word Mississippi as "Missippi." Further, we found it slightly odd that, according to Google's search results, the headline picture didn't find its way on the internet until five years later in 2010. It's possible that a small newspaper that has not yet made available its archives to Newspapers.com accidentally printed the misspelled headline. It's also possible that the headline was printed as slang, something that has been written about the word "Missippi" before, since some residents in the state pronounce it that way. The picture could also have been doctored by someone looking to make a joke. has been written about One Reddit user provided an interesting possible explanation of why the headline was spelled the way it was, although it could be considered to be a stretch: "They just shortened Mississippi because there are only two columns. "Missippi" is just the phonetic spelling for how they pronounce it down there." provided an interesting possible explanation The "Missippi's literacy program" headline picture has been reposted a seemingly endless number of times on Reddit over the years, perhaps as a way to make light of the state's national education ranking. One of the posts from June 2019 received more than 34,500 points and hundreds of comments. For readers unfamiliar with how significant this is, it meant that the photograph was one of the top submissions on the day that it was posted. a seemingly endless number of times ranking received Quite a few Reddit users assumed the apparent error came from the AP, commenting: "Why would Mississippi be responsible for the AP's inability to spell Mississippi?" We found many more instances where the AP was blamed for spelling it as "Missippi." A search for "Missippi" on Reddit showed lots of reposts with comments that placed blame on the AP. many more instances showed We found no evidence to support the claim that the AP messed up and misspelled Mississippi as "Missippi" in the headline about literacy. After contacting the AP, they confirmed that they did not write the headline. It's not uncommon for newspapers to alter the headlines for stories from wire companies. That may have been what happened here. Sources On Oct. 25, the rating for this claim was updated from "Research In Progress" to We found no evidence that the AP wrote the "Missippi" headline. Further, the AP confirmed that it did not come from them. It's not uncommon for newspapers to change the headlines for stories from wire companies. | 0 | [
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FMD2239 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Jonathan Swan reports that White House Chief Strategist and former Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon is “united by a common enemy†with his more moderate and liberal peers: WH Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Senior Adviser Jared Kushner, respectively. [Bannon, Priebus, and Kushner are fighting back against federal bureaucrats trying to take down President Donald Trump through via damaging leaks and collusion with journalists, the article states. From Axios: The escalating crisis surrounding the Russia investigation (with reports last night on FBI interest in Jared Kushner) looks like good news for somebody in the White House: Steve Bannon. Nine sources in the West Wing and within Trump’s close orbit said the Russia situation is Bannon’s shot at redemption. He’s being described as a “wartime consigliere†relishing a fight against the “deep state,†media, Democrats and investigators. Why it matters: Bannon had been on very rocky footing recently (to the extent that the President has vented to a number of people about him) but the bolstering of the White House team to respond to the outside crises is a joint effort led by Kushner, Bannon and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, two sources said. The senior staff that had been out for each other is now united by a common enemy. … [Among Swan’s reasons “why Bannon allies say he’s made for this crisisâ€:] At Breitbart he ran a war against the mainstream media — one of the two identified enemies for Trump currently (the other is the “deep state,†which the team expects will keep leaking against Trump). Read the rest of the story here. | 1 | [
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FMD2240 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Up to eight villages were burned down on Friday in a part of northwest Myanmar where large numbers of Muslim Rohingya had been sheltering from a wave of violence engulfing the area, a witness and three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters. The fires were blazing in the ethnically mixed Rathedaung township, where populations of Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists live side by side. Today around 4 p.m., I saw the smoke coming from where the villages were burning ...I saw it from the Chin village where I am staying now, said a villager from the area contacted by Reuters by phone. It was unclear who set fire to the villages. Independent journalists are not allowed into the area, where Myanmar says its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against extremist terrorists . Rights monitors and fleeing Rohingya say the army and Rakhine vigilantes have unleashed a campaign of arson aimed at driving out the Muslim population. The burning of more villages is likely to fuel an exodus of Rohingya to neighboring Bangladesh. Nearly 270,000 have fled in less than two weeks, creating a humanitarian crisis. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Thursday her government was doing its best to protect everyone, but she has drawn criticism from around the world for failing to speak out about the violence and the Muslim minority, including calls to revoke her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Rathedaung, the site of the latest fires, is the furthest Rohingya-inhabited area from the border with Bangladesh. Humanitarian workers had been concerned that a large number of the Muslims had been trapped there. The blazes were confirmed by sources including two monitors with a network of informants on the ground, and a local journalist based in the nearby town of Buthidaung. They said that among the torched villages were the hamlets of Ah Htet Nan Yar and Auk Nan Yar, some 65 km (40 miles) north of Sittwe, capital of Rakhine state. One source said a camp for internally displaced people in the area also went up in flames. One of the sources said 300 to 400 Rohingya who had escaped other burnings had been sheltering at Ah Htet Nan Yar until the day before the fire broke out. They had escaped before it started, the source said, quoting an eyewitness. The villagers were now hiding in the forest or attempting a perilous, days-long journey by foot in the monsoon rain toward the Maungdaw region and further west to the River Naf separating Myanmar and Bangladesh. The latest flight of Rohingya from their homes in Myanmar began two weeks ago after Rohingya insurgents attacked several police posts in Rakhine. That triggered an army counter-offensive in which at least 400 people were killed. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD2241 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Fraudulent ALDI Coupons Circulating on Facebook Claim summaries: An offer on Facebook for free ALDI grocery coupons is not legitimate.
contextual information: In July 2019, an $80 coupon began circulating on Facebook for the ALDI grocery store chain. These shared posts were the latest iteration of the common "free coupon" or "free gift card" scams that frequently plague social media and have also targeted shoppers of chains such as Kroger and Target. A different scam coupon offer also circulated with the ALDI logo in December 2015, advertising a "get 40% off all purchases in store" promise. Another displayed what appeared to be a free coupon for "$60 off a minimum $70 purchase," and even one for $75 off: "Aldi has a coupon for $60 off a minimum $70 purchase. Aldi has verified this is a scam, but people are sharing it all over Facebook." These coupons are not legitimate, as ALDI noted on their Facebook page. These coupon offers are a form of survey scams that direct victims to either a survey on a website not owned by ALDI or what looks like a Facebook page for ALDI. The survey pages and the Facebook page have no affiliation with the company, despite being adorned with the ALDI logo. Both instruct people to share the bogus ALDI coupon offer on their Facebook timelines and submit comments about it. This page instructs shoppers to follow these "two simple steps" in order to get their coupons. Once the steps are completed, however, users are not greeted with information explaining how to claim their coupons. Instead, they're asked to take a brief survey that entails providing personal information such as home address, telephone number, email address, and date of birth, and are required to sign up for credit cards or enroll in a number of subscription programs to obtain their "free" gift cards. A version of the scam also surfaced in May 2016, and another later in 2018. ALDI responded to frustrated consumers on Facebook. In June 2017, a version of the scam touting discounts in honor of ALDI's purported anniversary also appeared on Facebook: "HEY FRIENDS CHECK THIS OUT!!!!! Aldi is giving Free $75 Coupon to Everyone to celebrate 103rd Anniversary! Each Person (1)- Go & get yours! ALDI-COM.COM." However, attempting to visit the linked domain (ALDI-COM.com) led to a "deceptive site ahead" warning and not to ALDI's official website. If you frequently use Facebook, there is a good chance that you'll encounter one of these survey scams again. A July 2014 article from the Better Business Bureau lists key factors for identifying fraudulent Facebook posts: " | 0 | [
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FMD2242 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — It is spring that determines how a year turns out, according to an Afghan proverb. And if the Helmand poppy fields this spring are any indication, the Taliban will have a very good year. As the opium harvest winds down across Helmand Province, Afghanistan’s largest in territory and poppy cultivation, farmers and officials are reporting high yields. The skies were generous with heavy rainfall, and the Afghan government with its cancellation of annual eradication campaigns. It had lost much of the territory in Helmand to the Taliban anyway. So it was with peace of mind that farmers, and thousands of seasonal laborers who had traveled to Helmand, scraped the gum from the opium bulbs. Taliban fighters were just around the corner to lend a hand — and to receive their share of wages and taxes, in cash or kind. The crowded fields amounted to an insurgent recruiter’s dream. “We are happy that we had a good harvest this year compared with previous years,†said Abdul Rahim Mutmain, a farmer in Musa Qala district. Mr. Mutmain said his modest plot saw a increase in yield compared with 2015, which was plagued by crop failures and concerted government eradication. “There is no security concern for a single laborer being checked or robbed by the police,†Mr. Mutmain said. “The entire district is under Taliban control and the bulk of the harvesters are Taliban. †He added, “Actually, this is the Taliban regime — you can take your narcotics anywhere or anytime you want to sell them. †The United Nations, which has described the Taliban behavior “more like ‘godfathers’ than a ‘government in waiting,’ †says the insurgency extracts a large share of its expenses from the narcotics trade, which the agency put at roughly $3 billion a year within Afghanistan. The story of just how deeply the Taliban are intertwined in the business even at the farm level can be told by the fluctuations in violence since last year’s poppy harvest. For much of the winter, the insurgents had the Afghan forces on the back foot in Helmand, inflicting heavy casualties, overrunning outposts and even entire districts. The fighting reached the gates of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, drawing American and British special operations forces into the combat. Then, just as harvesting began in late March and early April, officials reported a sudden dip in fighting. Despite the Taliban’s official launch of their annual offensive on April 12, with violence intensifying across other parts of the country, Helmand is still experiencing a relative lull as the last bulbs of poppy are scraped. The period of calm has allowed the Afghan Army in Helmand a rare breather to train and rebuild a force that took a bad beating last year. With men dying at alarming rates and outposts overrun easily, the 215th Afghan Army Corps was forced to abandon certain districts, bringing what remained of the troops to the headquarters for collective retraining. The NATO mission in Afghanistan, which has officially shifted to a limited role of training and assisting the Afghan forces, has said that overall training lagged behind because of the relentless tempo of fighting last year. The army was forced to turn out raw recruits simply to fill the gap caused by casualties and desertion. Now, Afghan military officials and NATO advisers say they are trying to refocus on quality, better logistics and cooperation at the level. During the monthlong harvest season in Helmand, the Taliban have better things to do than fight: They profit in multiple ways from the lush opium fields. Their fighters often lay down their weapons to work as day laborers, farmers say. They also collect the opium tax they impose on the local level, as well as stick around for the additional 10 percent Islamic tax on farm produce, called ushr. Those proceeds are supposed to go to the needy, but often end up going to the Taliban. Above all, the harvest season becomes a Taliban recruitment drive, with thousands of men coming in from all over the country who are already frustrated with their lack of job opportunities. “The poppy harvest is a good time for the Taliban to interact with new faces — best time for new recruitment,†said Bashir Ahmad Shakir, the head of security committee at the Helmand provincial council. Abdul Jabar Qahraman, the Afghan government’s representative in charge of the fighting in Helmand, said the Taliban were campaigning “ †to recruit from the pool of 15, 000 laborers, mostly jobless young people, who arrived in Helmand for the harvest season. He said the government arrested some 700 of the laborers to disrupt the harvesting, but the men were released a few days later except for a small number suspected of being Taliban members. “The war in Afghanistan is not a war of ideology, it is a war of financial benefits,†Mr. Qahraman said. “The poppies support the Taliban financially,†he added. “The commanders of the Taliban stuff their pockets with cash. Once they receive the cash that makes their stomachs oily, they prepare themselves for fighting. †But Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said opium cultivation was a regional and “traditional†issue that brings people the income they need for the rest of the year. “Poppy farming has nothing to do with us, and in such in an environment of conflict we cannot prevent it either,†Mr. Mujahid said. “It’s natural that in some areas the Taliban are residents of that area and have family needs, maybe for meeting those needs they may have participated in the harvesting. But it is not some formal work from our side. †Consider Mr. Mutmain’s roughly four acres in Musa Qala district. This year, he said he collected about 88 pounds of raw opium, compared with about 30 pounds from six acres last year. Among the 25 laborers he hired for the 15 days of gum collection, Mr. Mutmain said 10 were active Taliban members who took a break to work the harvest. The rest were young men from other provinces, mostly neighboring areas. “You know, they become good friends with each other — they spend at least 12 or 15 days, which is enough time to build trust,†Mr. Mutmain said. The Taliban fighters recount “stories of bravery, how they manage to blow up armored vehicles†and overrun checkpoints. “Those kinds of tales really impress the newcomers, and some go to the battlefields with them and join,†Mr. Mutmain said. Since he lives quite a distance from his fields, Mr. Mutmain built makeshift huts for the workers to rest in during the afternoon and sleep in at night. He also hired a cook who served beans, chickpeas and the traditional southern yogurt drink, shrumbai. Soon after the harvesting was over, a Taliban tax collector arrived with a notepad and a witness, Mr. Mutmain said. Sometimes, the farmers need to line up the plastic bags of opium they have collected, each weighing about 10 pounds, for inspection. But most of the time, the Taliban take their word for it. “You either pay them in the current price, or in narcotics,†Mr. Mutmain said about the tax. He paid cash, the equivalent of $400. Mahatabuddin Khan, another farmer in Khanshin district, said he paid his taxes in kind. He had hired 15 people, five of them Taliban and the rest young men from northern districts of Helmand, to work on his two acres, which ultimately yielded about 35 pounds of opium. The tax collector arrived before the harvesting was even over. He estimated how much the plot in front of him would yield, and Mr. Khan paid just under two pounds in raw opium. “He had a notepad to write my name and the amount of narcotic collected from me,†Mr. Khan said of the collector. Many across Helmand fear a difficult year of fighting ahead, now that the insurgent machine is fueled with new cash and fresh fighters. “The Afghan military forces in Helmand are preparing to face the toughest summer season of fighting,†said Mr. Shakir, the provincial council member. | 1 | [
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FMD2243 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Paul Ryan, the top U.S. elected Republican, on Wednesday continued to withhold his support from Donald Trump for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, saying he is not ready to endorse the real estate billionaire, a political neophyte. Ryan, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, brushed aside reports that he was ready to endorse Trump during a meeting with reporters in the Capitol. “I haven’t made a decision,†he said, adding that he had no timetable for doing so. The 46-year-old speaker is the only member of the Republican congressional leadership who has not formally embraced the presumptive Republican nominee. Ryan is expected to chair the party’s nominating convention in July in Cleveland. Ryan and Trump were, however, scheduled to speak by telephone on Wednesday evening, a spokesman for Ryan said. “This is not an endorsement call,†spokesman Zack Roday said. Ryan set up the call with Trump to continue discussing the party’s campaign agenda, a Ryan aide said. Trump’s ascent has shaken the party establishment and raised concerns among some Republicans over whether they can unify behind him, given his harsh rhetoric and shifting policy positions in a brutal primary fight that once had 17 candidates. Ryan was asked Wednesday about Trump’s comment this week that New Mexico Republican Governor Susana Martinez, who had declined to attend a Trump rally, was not doing her job. Ryan said Martinez was a “great governor†and “a friend of mine,†and said he would leave it at that. Ryan said his staff and Trump’s were in contact virtually daily. “I want this to be a sincere deliberative process,†Ryan said. He dismissed suggestions that the Trump campaign was trying to pressure him, saying, “I don’t worry about that stuff.†The speaker faces some pressure from inside his party to smooth things over and form a united front against likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in November. Ryan’s statement earlier this month that he was not ready to support Trump was unusual and seen as an effort to keep some distance from Trump and protect Ryan’s own presidential prospects for 2020. Ryan said his staff and the Trump campaign have been discussing a wide-ranging policy agenda for the campaign, covering issues from healthcare to taxes and national security. Ryan said the policy agenda on poverty will be announced in the first week of June, with more details later in the month. He said the agenda was for 2017 and would feature “the kind of things that you can get done only with a Republican president.†| 1 | [
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FMD2244 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: House Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace Obamacare is the first step of the Trump administration’s effort to revamp the nation’s health care system, U.S. Health Secretary Tom Price said on Tuesday. Price, in a letter to the chairmen of two key House committees, said congressional rules prevented the proposed bill from including certain changes, such as allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines and lowering drug costs. More action would be needed, he added but gave no other detail. | 1 | [
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FMD2245 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Does this seem like a red flag? You visit a company’s website, and when you click the “Executive Team†link, up pops “Oops, this page could not be found!†The photograph at the top of the page is of identical brown chairs around a conference table. All the chairs are empty. Maybe the executives at Global Efficient Energy are really shy. If that is the case, the Haggler strongly recommends that they delete the page. It leaves a impression of a company that describes itself as a “major player in the solar roof marketing since 2011†(Yes, there is either an extraneous or missing word in that description.) Clearly, the Fort G. E. E. could use some help shaping its public image. Especially because in recent months, more than a few of its customers have contacted the Better Business Bureau with complaints like this one sent to the Haggler: Q. Global Efficient Energy promised to cut our energy bill in half with a solar power system that it would install at our house. The system cost $19, 900, which we would pay off in monthly installments over the course of six or seven years. Once we owned the system outright, the company said, we’d pay next to nothing for energy. That sounded great. But after the company installed solar panels on our roof, fans in our attic and a bunch of foam and sealants, our electricity bill barely changed. We saved about $9 a month. I called to vent to the guy who sold us the system, but he had left the company. Now nobody will return my calls or emails. Having read online about other customers with similar problems, I’ve lost all faith in G. E. E. I’d like the system removed and our $19, 900 loan canceled. Can you help? Chad Gregg Forney, Tex. A. Mr. Gregg is right about the negative online chatter about G. E. E. On the website of the Better Business Bureau there are a few dozen complaints from some very customers. Three choice and recent excerpts: “After having the solar panels for two months we have not seen a decrease but rather an increase in our electric bill,†wrote one. “This experience has been the longest and most frustrating nightmare of our lives. †“Company has set my financial goals back years,†wrote another. “This was the worst financial decision I ever made in my lifetime,†wrote a third. “They will only communicate with you when they want to sign you up for a sale. After spending $25, 000 I get on average 20 percent saving in electricity. †Other customers on the B. B. B. site praised the company, and a 2014 Forbes column about home solar power installation companies included some very flattering paragraphs about G. E. E. At the time, the company was in six locations and had plans to open eight more offices, having grown in three years to $40 million in annual revenue from $5 million. What was the secret to G. E. E. ’s success? “It’s all about customers,†Abe Issa, the C. E. O. and founder, told Forbes. “Our sales, installation and customer service personnel are trained to build relationships with customers that will last a lifetime. †A lifetime! Some of your customers, Mr. Issa, would settle for a few months, if those months included a bit of communication. When the Haggler contacted G. E. E. the chief financial officer of the company, David Noyes, quickly returned the call. He acknowledged that the company’s service had suffered because it had expanded too quickly and that it was in the process of closing offices to focus exclusively on Texas. He also said the company was adding customer service representatives. After studying some details, he concluded that Mr. Gregg was actually doing quite nicely with his system and would do even better through the rest of the summer. And thus commenced an extended negotiation. To Mr. Noyes’s credit, he reached out directly to Mr. Gregg, hoping to demonstrate, with a lot of statistics and technical terms, that the system was a money saver. (Note to readers: Don’t get involved with solar power if you dislike math.) When the Haggler asked for an update in early July, the two sounded far apart. Mr. Noyes had offered to add some solar panels at no charge. Mr. Gregg wanted nothing to do with G. E. E. anymore. This one seemed destined for the bin in the Haggler Cave of Justice marked “Permanent Impasse. †But on July 22, Mr. Noyes left a message on the Haggler’s voice mail that heralded a breakthrough. “We’re giving him a full credit for his purchase and in fact buying out his loan,†Mr. Noyes said. “We are removing the solar panels and letting him keep the foam insulation. And he’s happy with it. †When asked what had prompted this turn of events, Mr. Noyes wrote, “Basically, the economics were not working for him. †The final deal was a little different from the one Mr. Noyes described on that voice mail message. G. E. E. later said it ended up leaving the solar panels on Mr. Gregg’s home. The Haggler assumes that Mr. Gregg is pleased, but certitude here is impossible. It turns out that as part of this arrangement, Mr. Gregg signed a confidentiality agreement. So he stopped answering questions. Others will have to speak now. Has G. E. E. improved its service, as promised? Write and let the Haggler know. | 1 | [
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FMD2246 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Yesterday, the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange sent a cryptic tweet that contained a series of number and letters. Someone out there knows what that code means, and they are very likely shaking in their boots today.4767 5774 6a7a 4d6c 6330 666b 314a 3453 0000 0907 84b4 f787 7616 86f7 a737 5707 5736 Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) October 15, 2017On another front, two writers from separate publications were set to publish what Sean Hannity was calling a huge bombshell story that was due to break today.Last night on Fox News Hannity show, Sean Hannity warned that a huge bombshell would be breaking today. Sean told his audience that Circa News Sara Carter and The Hill s John Solomon have HUGE BREAKING NEWS. Hannity told his audience, Let me put it this way, if I m Hillary or fake news, I won t be sleeping well tonight. Watch:.@seanhannity TICK TOCK Tonight Folks Get ready @HillaryClinton pic.twitter.com/PxbRCgyPwm 'GITMO' BAMA (@President1Trump) October 17, 2017Well, John Solomon and Alison Spann s story did indeed break first thing today in The Hill, and it s a doozy. Will justice finally be delivered to these corrupt, anti-American, self-serving and lying players? Not providing information on a corruption scheme before the Russian uranium deal was approved by U.S. regulators and engage appropriate congressional committees has served to undermine U.S. national security interests by the very people charged with protecting them. The Russian efforts to manipulate our American political enterprise is breathtaking. Former House Intelligence Chair Mike Rogers (R-MI)The Hill Before the Obama administration approved a controversial deal in 2010 giving Moscow control of a large swath of American uranium, the FBI had gathered substantial evidence that Russian nuclear industry officials were engaged in bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering designed to grow Vladimir Putin s atomic energy business inside the United States, according to government documents and interviews.Federal agents used a confidential U.S. witness working inside the Russian nuclear industry to gather extensive financial records, make secret recordings and intercept emails as early as 2009 that showed Moscow had compromised an American uranium trucking firm with bribes and kickbacks in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, FBI and court documents show.They also obtained an eyewitness account backed by documents indicating Russian nuclear officials had routed millions of dollars to the U.S. designed to benefit former President Bill Clinton s charitable foundation during the time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served on a government body that provided a favorable decision to Moscow, sources told The Hill.The racketeering scheme was conducted with the consent of higher level officials in Russia who shared the proceeds from the kickbacks, one agent declared in an affidavit years later.Rather than bring immediate charges in 2010, however, the Department of Justice (DOJ) continued investigating the matter for nearly four more years, essentially leaving the American public and Congress in the dark about Russian nuclear corruption on U.S. soil during a period when the Obama administration made two major decisions benefitting Putin s commercial nuclear ambitions.The first decision occurred in October 2010, when the State Department and government agencies on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States unanimously approved the partial sale of Canadian mining company Uranium One to the Russian nuclear giant Rosatom, giving Moscow control of more than 20 percent of America s uranium supply.When this sale was used by Trump on the campaign trail last year, Hillary Clinton s spokesman said she was not involved in the committee review and noted the State Department official who handled it said she never intervened on any [Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] matter. In 2011, the administration gave approval for Rosatom s Tenex subsidiary to sell commercial uranium to U.S. nuclear power plants in a partnership with the United States Enrichment Corp. Before then, Tenex had been limited to selling U.S. nuclear power plants reprocessed uranium recovered from dismantled Soviet nuclear weapons under the 1990s Megatons to Megawatts peace program. The Russians were compromising American contractors in the nuclear industry with kickbacks and extortion threats, all of which raised legitimate national security concerns. And none of that evidence got aired before the Obama administration made those decisions, a person who worked on the case told The Hill, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution by U.S. or Russian officials.The Obama administration s decision to approve Rosatom s purchase of Uranium One has been a source of political controversy since 2015.That s when conservative author Peter Schweitzer and The New York Times documented how Bill Clinton collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in Russian speaking fees and his charitable foundation collected millions in donations from parties interested in the deal while Hillary Clinton presided on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.The Obama administration and the Clintons defended their actions at the time, insisting there was no evidence that any Russians or donors engaged in wrongdoing and there was no national security reason for any member of the committee to oppose the Uranium One deal.But FBI, Energy Department and court documents reviewed by The Hill show the FBI, in fact, had gathered substantial evidence well before the committee s decision that Vadim Mikerin the main Russian overseeing Putin s nuclear expansion inside the United States was engaged in wrongdoing starting in 2009.Then-Attorney General Eric Holder was among the Obama administration officials joining Hillary Clinton on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States at the time the Uranium One deal was approved. Multiple current and former government officials told The Hill they did not know whether the FBI or DOJ ever alerted committee members to the criminal activity they uncovered.Spokesmen for Holder and Clinton did not return calls seeking comment. The Justice Department also didn t comment.Mikerin was a director of Rosatom s Tenex in Moscow since the early 2000s, where he oversaw Rosatom s nuclear collaboration with the United States under the Megatons to Megwatts program and its commercial uranium sales to other countries. In 2010, Mikerin was dispatched to the U.S. on a work visa approved by the Obama administration to open Rosatom s new American arm called Tenam.Between 2009 and January 2012, Mikerin did knowingly and willfully combine, conspire confederate and agree with other persons to obstruct, delay and affect commerce and the movement of an article and commodity (enriched uranium) in commerce by extortion, a November 2014 indictment stated.His illegal conduct was captured with the help of a confidential witness, an American businessman, who began making kickback payments at Mikerin s direction and with the permission of the FBI. The first kickback payment recorded by the FBI through its informant was dated Nov. 27, 2009, the records show. The investigation was ultimately supervised by then-U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, an Obama appointee who now serves as President Trump s deputy attorney general, and then-Assistant FBI Director Andrew McCabe, now the deputy FBI director under Trump, Justice Department documents show.On August 6, 2017, The Washington Times questioned Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein s fishing expedition aimed at digging up dirt on President Trump in his investigation in the Trump-Russia investigation. The special counsel is subject to the rules and regulations of the Department of Justice, and we don t engage in fishing expeditions, Mr. Rosenstein said on Fox News Sunday. In his first Sunday show interview, Mr. Rosenstein added that special counsel Robert Mueller understands and I understand the specific scope of the investigation and so, it s not a fishing expedition. Mr. Rosenstein s comments come amid reports citing unnamed sources that the investigation has expanded into Mr. Trump s finances unrelated to possible Russian interference in last year s election.Mr. Rosenstein played down the reports: That s not anything that I ve said. That s not anything Director Mueller has said. We don t know who s saying it or how credible those sources are. Both men now play a key role in the current investigation into possible, but still unproven collusion between Russia and Donald Trump s campaign during the 2016 election.McCabe is under congressional and Justice Department inspector general investigation in connection with money his wife s Virginia state Senate campaign accepted in 2015 from now-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe at a time when McAuliffe was reportedly under investigation by the FBI.The connections to the current Russia case are many. The Mikerin probe began in 2009 when Robert Mueller, now the special counsel in charge of the Trump case, was still FBI director. And it ended in late 2015 under the direction of then-FBI Director James Comey, who Trump fired earlier this year.Bringing down a major Russian nuclear corruption scheme that had both compromised a sensitive uranium transportation asset inside the U.S. and facilitated international money laundering would seem a major feather in any law enforcement agency s cap.But the Justice Department and FBI took little credit in 2014 when Mikerin, the Russian financier and the trucking firm executives were arrested and charged.The only public statement occurred an entire year later when the Justice Department put out a little-noticed press release in August 2015, just days before Labor Day. The release noted that the various defendants had reached plea deals.The lack of fanfare left many key players in Washington with no inkling that a major Russian nuclear corruption scheme with serious national security implications had been uncovered.On Dec. 15, 2015, the Justice Department put out a release stating that Mikerin, a former Russian official residing in Maryland was sentenced today to 48 months in prison and ordered to forfeit more than $2.1 million.Ronald Hosko, who served as the assistant FBI director in charge of criminal cases when the investigation was underway, told The Hill he did not recall ever being briefed about Mikerin s case by the counterintelligence side of the bureau despite the criminal charges that were being lodged. I had no idea this case was being conducted, a surprised Hosko said in an interview.Meanwhile, Julian Assange is jumping on the bandwagon, as he teases that he has a major announcement of his own that is coming soon Russian nuclear bribery investigation reveals that Russia routed millions to the Clintons https://t.co/ti7ycn7auf Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) October 17, 2017 | 0 | [
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FMD2247 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Malia Obama is taking a party gap year before she begins school at the prestigious Harvard University. Even though it was reported that Barack Obama was furious with the pot smoking, twerking, Malia Obama after she was caught at a rowdy party that was reportedly busted by the police on Martha s Vineyard it doesn t seem to have slowed her down The idea that Malia is embarrassing the family is laughable, given the antics of her father and mother over the past 8 miserable years A picture circulating on social media appears to show Malia Obama near an item that resembles a large bong.The image was taken at a University of Pennsylvania fraternity house on Sunday, according to Radar Online.The 18-year-old is wearing the same distinctive Smoking Kills T-shirt that she was seen sporting at the Budweiser Made in America festival in Philadelphia that day.The teenager, who is taking a gap year and will attend Harvard in 2017, also sported a crimson baseball hat with an H on it a nod to her future alma mater. Daily Mail | 0 | [
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FMD2248 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Donald Trump Supporters Seen Wearing Nazi-Style Armbands Claim summaries: Yes, two men were photographed wearing Nazi-style armbands in conjunction with a Donald Trump political event, but they were well-known political pranksters.
contextual information: On 14 March 2016, a Fox News producer sent a tweet suggesting that supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump were spotted at a Florida rally wearing armbands similar to those associated with the Nazis: .@realDonaldTrump supporters sporting armbands in Florida https://t.co/MoJjuXcVOk @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/MoJjuXcVOk Nick Kalman (@NickKalmanFN) March 14, 2016. The armband rumor was one of many that invoked Nazi imagery in connection with Trump's campaign (earlier quips suggested Godwin's Law was suspended for the duration of the 2016 election cycle). Nazi armbands (cataloged extensively by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) remain a strong visual reminder of Nazi-era German politics, World War II, and the Holocaust, due in part to their enduring presence in pop culture representations of those events. However, it appeared that the initial tweet was sent without much verification as to whether the Trump armbands were legitimate campaign memorabilia sported unironically by dutiful supporters of the GOP presidential hopeful. Not long after the image hit Twitter, users began pointing out that the "Trump supporters" looked awfully familiar: Trump armband guy looks like the "Rubio stole my girlfriend" guy. Maybe everyone wait a min https://t.co/Hx21ucwKO7 pic.twitter.com/7f84UddJLG Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) March 14, 2016. Political pranksters: Guys in Trump armbands appear to be the same guys in "Settle for Hillary" shirts at her rally. pic.twitter.com/8d0TVTWleJ pic.twitter.com/8d0TVTWleJ Matt Viser (@mviser) March 14, 2016. These are the same two guys I saw disrupt a Christie event and a Jeb event on separate days in Iowa https://t.co/F2GthTmuq8 Andrew Johnson (@AndrewE_Johnson) March 14, 2016. Check the tape from Jeb's caucus day event in Des Moines: These two were sitting in the stands behind him and heckled him before security removed them. Andrew Johnson (@AndrewE_Johnson) March 14, 2016. @BecketAdams @aseitzwald They were also present at Iowa events. I saw them at Christie and Jeb causing commotion as well. Andrew Johnson (@AndrewE_Johnson) March 14, 2016. The Washington Post noted that the men pictured were "bipartisan pranksters" who had also "hit" rallies for Democratic candidates: Today the Internet (briefly) went nuts over this photo of two men described as Trump supporters, taken by a Fox News producer at a Trump campaign rally. But those guys looked familiar. And not from Trump rally sightings. Very familiar. Very, very familiar. (They're bipartisan pranksters, who've reportedly also hit Clinton and Sanders rallies.) TL;DR summary: Not everything you see on the Internet is real. So, although this photograph may be real and unaltered, the assumptions commonly made about what it depicts are not. The two men seen here are not Trump partisans genuinely donning armbands as a show of support for the candidate. Rather, the pair are well-known in the media for their ongoing interest in disrupting or otherwise "making it weird" at events for candidates from both parties. | 0 | [
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FMD2249 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Email
Media coverage has recently been saturated with distressing scenes showing the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo, where aerial bombardment has led to a heavy loss of civilian life. The severity of the crisis instinctively makes us want to help – scores of protesters gathered outside the seat of the British prime minister on Saturday holding signs calling on the government to “Save Aleppo” and impose a “No-Bomb Zone Now”. While the anger is understandable, the way it is being channeled reflects a circumscribed policy debate – there are other options than a No-Fly Zone, which should be avoided as it would harm rather than help efforts to alleviate the suffering of Syrian civilians.
In any area of policy, the mainstream debate revolves around policy alternatives that reflect establishment divisions. For example, in economics, ‘there is no alternative’ to neoliberalism, at least there wasn’t until Keynesianism was rediscovered by some elites after the 2008 crisis. The debate over what is to be done over Syria revolves around two policy alternatives: the hawks, including likely next U.S. president, Hillary Clinton, advocate a NFZ and the doves, including the current U.S. administration, maintain that the sanctions regime should be increased. This effectively reflects a division within the establishment on how to proceed. Serious policy alternatives are not discussed. In particular, discussion of increasing aid and support to refugees, surely the most obvious way of directly helping civilians in Syria, and what the UN has called on industrialized countries to do , is curious by its absence.
This circumscribed debate does not logically follow from its supposed pretext – stopping civilian loss of life. In fact, a NFZ is a policy that would unavoidably lead to civilians dying. Enforcing a NFZ means destroying air defenses, which are located to defend cities – i.e. they are located in areas where there are many civilians. Even the flagbearer for the hawks, Hillary Clinton, has admitted privately that with a No-Fly Zone “you’re going to kill a lot of Syrians”; such intervention will “take a lot of civilians”. This realization would seem inconsistent with the often-used humanitarian pretext, but it makes sense given Hillary Clinton’s recent admission that her top priority in Syria is removing Syrian President Assad.
There is a clear parallel with the imposition of a NFZ in Libya, which prolonged the conflict and worsened the situation for civilians. NATO bombing directly led to scores of civilian deaths and facilitated the overthrow of the regime by rebel militias that have killed, and are continuing to kill , thousands. Particularly repugnant was the ethnic cleansing of black people , including through public lynching . In a 2013 paper , Alan Kuperman, a Harvard academic, argued that NATO intervention extended the war by a factor of 6 and increased the death toll 7 to 10 times; given that Libya is now a failed state, torn apart by warlords, we can safely say that these estimates were too conservative. President Obama privately calls the situation in Libya a “ shit show ”. Only last month a report from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British Parliament found that the humanitarian justification was an insufficient pretext and based on falsehoods, the supposedly limited intervention led “ineluctably” to regime change, and that the (British) government, and by implication other participating Western powers, did not seriously consider diplomatic alternatives to military action.
Regardless, the mantra of Western foreign policy is “it will be different this time” – unlike all recent Western military interventions this one will be limited, successful and won’t leave a worse humanitarian situation in its wake. Although, if the dire humanitarian situation in Aleppo necessitates immediate action, then why are there not equally loud calls for action for civilians facing similar situations? U.S. bombing in Manbij and Kobane in Syria and Ramadi and Fallujah in Iraq has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and flattened entire neighbourhoods ; more than a third of US and UK backed Saudi airstrikes in Yemen have hit civilian sites, including schools , hospitals , weddings and funerals .
Talking about this is not meant as a distraction or relativization; the fact that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia are engaged in similar activities does not make the bombing of Aleppo less objectionable. However, it does raise questions about the motives of those pushing so hard for a no-fly zone. If western foreign policy actors, and their allies in press, were motivated by humanitarian concerns, then surely stopping these atrocities should appear on the policy agenda – especially given that the action required is easier and does not risk war with Russia.
If humanitarian considerations were really the important factors in the foreign policy debate, then there would be discussion on the legitimacy of aerial bombardment of cities and towns, given that this invariably leads to civilian deaths. International agreements have been successful in making chemical and biological weapons illegal, a prohibition which is generally followed ( though not always ). The first well-publicized use of aerial bombardment, the Nazi bombing of Guernica in 1937, caused righteous, popular outrage. Tragically, however, its use became normalized during the Second World War and a ban on aerial bombing of cities was not included in the post-war international settlement. The fact that this seems so hopelessly idealistic reflects the fact that it is geopolitics, not humanitarian considerations, that govern international relations and foreign policy discussion; human suffering is nothing more than a useful pretext for whatever actions you want to take in order to secure geopolitical advantage. The U.S. and its allies want to remove Syria from Russia’s orbit, so therefore the dictator there must go, but airstrikes to support the dictator in Yemen are fine, because the dictator there is a friend of close U.S. ally Saudi Arabia.
There is an added complication with the NFZ in Syria in that it marks a return to Cold-War era brinkmanship and possible armed confrontation with Russia. The logic of brinkmanship runs that to make geopolitical gains, one must escalate to a level that will make the other side back down, partly by convincing your enemy you are ready to commit irrational acts. There is an inherent danger in this game: both states are nuclear armed and the consequences of a spiral of escalation could be devastating .
Syria hawks, or what close Obama aide Ben Rhodes called the “ pro-stupid shit ” caucus, argue that a NFZ will lead Russia to effectively back down: for example, Clinton argued that it will “give us leverage in our conversations with Russia”. (Interestingly, in the exchange this quote from Clinton indicated the war goal: a NFZ will make Russia “put the Assad future on the political and diplomatic track” – i.e. Russia will be forced to accept regime change.) After all, despite the panic in the press, Russia is actually a feeble successor state to a superpower, and would come off worse in a direct conflict with the preeminent might of North America, or so the logic runs.
However, ‘dovish’ Western foreign policy actors point to the danger that advanced Russian materiel support to Syria poses to the enforcement of a NFZ. Unlike other recent U.S. military adventures, enforcing a NFZ in Syria could lead to significant, and politically unpalatable, American casualties – pilots will be shot down. This realization means that saner establishment figures are opposed to a NFZ. For example, U.S. Army General Carter Ham, who oversaw the NFZ in Libya, said a NFZ is a “violent combat action that results in lots of casualties and increased risk to our own personnel”.
Instead, relative doves like current Secretary of State John Kerry advocate intensifying the sanctions regime against Syria and Russia. Again, this does not seem to be seriously about helping civilians. A leaked UN report has revealed that the existing Western sanctions regime is preventing humanitarian aid and creating a humanitarian disaster that threatens to rival that caused by the Oil-for-Food program in Iraq during the 1990s. The history of sanctions tends to show that the costs are borne by civilians, and a Petersen Institute study of all sanctions incidents since WWII shows that sanctions failed to achieve their goals in about ⅔ of cases, and are even less successful when applied against enemies and autocrats.
So, what is to be done? What should people in the West and globally push for to help the people of Syria? Unfortunately, there do not seem to be any quick fixes – the situation in Syria is complex and involves diverse actors, with competing interests. Immediate relief to the refugees fleeing the conflict should be a priority. In terms of foreign policy, campaigning for de-escalation and diplomacy against constant militarism remain the best solutions for the Syrian people, and humanity generally. | 0 | [
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FMD2250 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: By Les Visible on October 27, 2016 Visible Origami — Oct 26, 2016 Dog Poet Transmitting……. I would like, within the limitations of my ability, to talk a little about Bhakti Yoga today; which for me is the only legitimate fast track to the divine that exists for the present and the least dangerous of all the options out there. My life keeps going by and I step in and out of it. These days I spend a great deal of my time in reflection, as well as preparation for my ongoing journey. It might be awhile yet and it may be right around the corner, either is fine with me. I have come to understand that loving the divine is so very, very much easier, once all the distractions that the greatest majority of us live with; are in pursuit of, or which predominates over all of the esoteric alternatives are… gone. Without my even being aware of it, at first, nearly all of the usual human attractions and compulsions just slipped out the door and haven’t returned. I find myself watching life behind some kind of glass. It’s a movie that is being screened in the mind but once the film in the projector has been changed, ordinary life becomes irrelevant and one can immerse themselves in more important considerations. One still goes to the supermarket. One still eats and excretes. One sleeps and awakens in the dream. One drives and walks and watches and listens to all of the sounds of the world around them but the effect of all of it has changed. Last night (as happens a couple of times a month) I laid in my bed and did not sleep most of the night. So I did as I usually do and repeated, “I love you.” over and over and over On this night there was an atmosphere of static and confusion and I could not seem to break through it. Images of the past spiraled through to haunt me over mistakes made and opportunities missed. The Voice entered and said, “Do not occupy your mind with thoughts of what is past. These have all been paid for through your suffering. They are not relevant anymore.” Try telling that to the monkey mind. However, the point is that regardless of the static and confusion and the seeming distance between myself and the divine, I did not allow any of these distractions to deter me from the continuous repetition of, “I love you.” I felt the obstacles that hung in the air. I felt all the barriers that occasionally come and go and are sometimes not there at all and I just kept at it. I studiously ignored whatever it was that was interfering with my efforts and I told myself that I would not allow anything to intrude, no matter how much it did intrude; no matter what the difficulty might be I would persevere and I did. I fell asleep at some point. I awoke this AM and said, “Good morning Lord.” It is another day and I do not want to forget that every day given to me is an opportunity to celebrate the almighty, no matter how far away the almighty might ‘seem’ to be and no matter how difficult the effort might become. The path of Love is not an easy cruise to some literal or metaphorical Caribbean island. Though we paint it as the only sure and certain route here, this does not mean it is also an easy route. There is bound to be opposition. In times of material darkness there are agents of that darkness who seek to hinder and hamper our efforts and often- these days- no real efforts are even made. The world seems to be swept away in a tidal waves of garbage and noxious dreams that spin themselves out of perverted daylight. Humanity is there to be found in the midst at all times but it takes a concerted determination to rise and greet it at every turn where it seeks to appear. To me, this is the real work… to move through the murk of this gray-scale existence and reach out to every hungry and troubled heart with some portion of the sunlight we are all given for the purpose of sharing. If we are cheap with our sunlight, the amount of sunlight given will decrease and further decrease until we find ourselves in darkness. I refer you to the parable from Jesus the Christ where he gave the example of the three men to whom a certain amount of talent were given . So it is when you are kept awake in the night and you strive and reach for unity with the ineffable and you get nowhere… you continue and continue as if, at any moment, you will achieve that unity and you will not cease until you do; even if it is a thousand times a thousand nights, even if you are in prison or confined in even greater distress in the houses of the rich. You do not deter. You do not immerse yourself in comforting distractions. One day the sun will rise in your heart and there will be no further static or confusions. The love of God is a consuming fire and fortunate is the one so consumed. It is important to understand that such a Love will demand everything of you and such a Love will try and test you to discover the level of your dedication and sincerity; “Many are called but few are chosen.” I am reminded of that short but powerful poem by Stephen Crane, “The Wayfarer . ” The reality of this great and singular quest is precisely as the poem describes and there have been many souls who have discovered the truth of it as they went surging forward in all their temporary and unchallenged zeal, right up until they saw that every blade of grass was not a blade of grass. Imagine in your own life and in your own mind, how often you forget about the ineffable and how often petty and incidental concerns arise in your thoughts to take you away. Later you can often not remember what these concerns were but you can certainly remember that they were of small importance, since you often cannot even remember what they were. When we look back on our lives we can’t recall how we got where we got at all. Life is filled with things of small importance. For me, it is critical to remember that there are forces that are actively engaged in steering us wrong and placing obstacles in our way and it is even more critical to recall certain clues such as this one from “The Lord’s Prayer.” “Lead us not into temptation.” Every agency that places obstacles and lures upon our path are not entities of the dark side. Lord Ganesha is portrayed with two items. One of them ensnares us and one of them frees us. Regardless of whatever religious schematic you may consider the nature and ruling power of the universe through, the similarities are glaring for the objectively minded. Unfortunately for many we live in a time of punishing subjectivity. It tends to influence the way we think and feel and behave. It takes a strong and inspired heart to break free and a steadfast intention to continue to that point. The rate and intensity of contention between and among us seems to increase by the day, according to the divide and conquer philosophy that guides the game plans of those who serve the Prince of Darkness. In this time of the harvesting of souls, it is of critical importance to both sides of the equation in this truly important time… in what direction we are swayed. I can truthfully say that recent years, until the beginning of this one, have been extremely difficult for me. Strangely enough, during some of the most difficult and inexplicable events, I just moved through it as if it were of no consequence at all, even though they were life and circumstance changing and might have caused me no end of grief …but it all seemed like a passing dream to me. I didn’t get angry. I was filled with wonder that it happened and uninformed as to the meaning of any of it. It passed and I moved on from one situation to another, to the one I find myself in and it’s all behind me there and of no present relevance. I could have gotten angry, or fearful, or despairing or depressed but none of this occurred and I do not chalk this up to any great strength or fortitude on my part. It is as if the ineffable has been slowly but surely slipping ever deeper into my life and every challenge and trauma was just one more act on the part of the ineffable to distract me from the reality of the almighty taking up residence in my life. I realize now that it is not what happens to you that is most meaningful but it is how you react to it. Once you have stilled the reactive mind you are closer to your real home than you might imagine. Loving God will draw the divine to you because the almighty is helpless before the sincere love of any soul. It has been said in many Eastern texts that the ineffable is the slave of Love. We must consider that this implies being a willing slave because the almighty is not subject to anything that the almighty does not choose to be subject to. Love the divine with all your heart and soul and mind and the Lord will return it in kind. This is what I believe and this is what I am inspired to speak of. Let this Love permeate your existence and see every event in your life as a blessing and it will surely prove to be so. Remember that every incident in your life, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is a particular dealing of the ineffable with your soul. End Transmission……. | 0 | [
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FMD2251 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did Michael Cohen Tweet at Hillary Clinton That Room and Board Will Be Free When She Goes to Prison? Claim summaries: President Trump's long-time personal attorney deleted the tweet after pleading guilty to multiple counts relating to fraud and campaign finance violations.
contextual information: On 21 August 2018, comedian Kathy Griffin, a frequent critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, dug up a 2015 tweet composed by Trump's long-time former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to mock the latter on the day he pled guilty to multiple counts relating to fraud and campaign finance violations. dug up Although Cohen has since deleted the tweet, a cached version remains available online: deleted cached version The tweet was cast as ironic in light of the fact that Cohen is now the one facing prison time. On 21 August 2018, he pled guilty to eight counts, including campaign finance violations that involve paying hush money to an adult film actress and Playboy model to buy their silence on alleged affairs with Trump. He is due to be sentenced in December 2018 and faces up to 63 months in prison. Cohen's tweet stems from the fact that Trump supporters often chanted "lock her up" about Hillary Clinton in the run-up to the 2016 election (and continue to do so despite current events), and Trump himself vowed that if elected, he would ensure that Clinton was prosecuted and punished for various alleged crimes. continue Instead, members of Trump's inner circle and campaign have been the ones charged with crimes, as Department of Justice Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues to investigate allegations involving Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. investigate Cohen is not the only person in Trump's political realm to have taunted Clinton during the campaign, only to end up slapped with criminal charges himself. Michael Flynn, Trump's former National Security Advisor, famously led chants of "lock her up" at rallies and later pled guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI. guilty On the same day Cohen pled guilty, Trump's former campaign chair Paul Manafort was found guilty by a jury on eight counts including bank fraud, tax fraud, and failure to disclose a foreign bank account. guilty Horton, Alex. "Michael Cohens Tweet About Hillary Clinton and Prison Came Back to Haunt Him. Now Its Gone."
The Washington Post. 22 August 2018. Orden, Erica et al. "Michael Cohen Implicates Trump in Hush Money Scheme."
CNN. 22 August 2018. LaFraniere, Sharon. "Paul Manafort, Trumps Former Campaign Chairman, Guilty of 8 Counts."
The New York Times. 21 August 2018. Shear, Michael D. and Adam Goldman. "Michael Flynn Pleads Guilty to Lying to the F.B.I. and Will Cooperate with Russia Inquiry."
The New York Times. 1 December 2017. | 1 | [
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FMD2252 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: A record number of local tax and bond measures will fill the California ballot this November, including over $32 billion of proposed funding for education, infrastructure and homeless services. Some 650 local measures will go before voters, including 427 revenue measures. That is considerably more than the number proposed during any of the last five gubernatorial or presidential elections, according to data compiled by the local government finance consulting firm CaliforniaCityFinance.com. Previously, the most measure-packed election was in November 2014, with 268 local revenue measures. California is one of 24 states that allow initiative rights to its citizens. Voter-approved measures are used to raise revenues for specific construction projects, change tax policy, or create new laws. In the Golden State and nationwide, a boom in bond proposals follows years of federal cutbacks to state and local programs, continued low interest rates and years of unmet infrastructure needs. The largest monetary requests by local municipalities in California include $3.5 billion for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), $1.2 billion for Los Angeles homeless housing and services, and $950 million for affordable housing in Santa Clara County. There are 184 local measures to fund public school and community college projects, totaling more than $25 billion. Michael Coleman, head of CaliforniaCityFinance.com, said the surge in education bond measures coincides with statewide Proposition 51, which authorizes $9 billion in general obligation bonds for public school facilities. Proposition 55 aims to increase education funding by extending upper income tax rates. “There’s a lot of folks that think this is the time to go for a new school bond,†said Coleman. “They see it as a synchronous message, and time to get in line for matching funds.†The Nov. 8 election is a focus for statewide propositions as well. There are 17 in total, regarding issues ranging from marijuana legalization to the public cost of prescription drugs, tobacco taxes and the death penalty. The surge of ballot measures comes during an election year in which the presidential race is sure to draw large crowds to voting booths. There is also the lingering effect of low voter turnout during the November 2014 election that reduced the signature threshold for a proposition to qualify. Across the country, 74 citizen-initiated measures fill state ballots, more than double the number certified in 2014, according to Natalie Cohen, senior analyst at Wells Fargo Securities. Growing populist sentiment and frustration with traditional government contributed to the groundswell, Cohen wrote in a recent report about upcoming ballot measures. In California, some local measures are reactive to state propositions. For example, Proposition 64 aims to legalize recreational cannabis, and 37 local measures would create marijuana taxes for local cities and counties. Thirteen countywide measures would fund transportation improvements. “That’s coming from an acknowledged, pent-up demand for badly needed infrastructure repairs,†Coleman said. Eighty-eight measures would increase or extend local sale taxes. Another 39 support parcel taxes for road improvements, fire and emergency services, hospitals and police. Parcel taxes are flat taxes on properties that originated after Proposition 13 severely limited property taxes in 1978. Three Bay Area measures would tax sugary beverages. | 1 | [
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FMD2253 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Another day, another billionaire and/or Republican refuses to endorse the train wreck that is Donald J. Trump. While a slew of influential Republicans elected or not have rescinded or flat out refused to endorse the GOP presidential nominee, others have stubbornly remained by his side even after being stabbed in the back.But as Trump continues to say any outrageous, offensive and grotesque thing that comes to mind, one influential mega donor in the party is saying enough and is endorsing Trump s rival, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton instead. And her endorsement of Clinton isn t a I guess I m with her mentality, either it s a full blown Ready for Hillary sentiment.Meg Whitman, a self made billionaire who didn t have any help from her daddy, posted a stinging denouncement of Trump on her Facebook. Earlier this year, during the primary, Whitman expressed concern that Trump s rhetoric would hurt the party and turn off the electorate. It turns out she was right, as Hillary Clinton has taken the lead (for now) by margins of 7 points to 15 points nationally.Whitman referred to Trump as uninformed, unsteady, authoritarian, and a demogauge. She also praised Clinton for being an experienced, level-headed leader:As a proud Republican, casting my vote for President has usually been a simple matter. This year is different. To vote Republican out of party loyalty alone would be to endorse a candidacy that I believe has exploited anger, grievance, xenophobia and racial division. Donald Trump s demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character.Trump s reckless and uninformed positions on critical issues from immigration to our economy to foreign policy have made it abun dantly clear that he lacks both the policy depth and sound judgment required as President. Trump s unsteady hand would endanger our prosperity and national security. His authoritarian character could threaten much more.Therefore, I have decided to support Hillary Rodham Clinton. It is clear to me that Secretary Clinton s temperament, global experience and commitment to America s bedrock national values make her the far better choice in 2016 for President of the United States. In a tumultuous world, America needs the kind of stable and aspirational leadership Secretary Clinton can provide. I urge all Republicans to reject Donald Trump this November.Whitman, who is seen as a more moderate Republican given her positions of abortion, gay marriage and immigration, did the unthinkable: she put country over party. And for that Republicans are already denouncing her like they did Romney, Kasich, Christie Todd Whitman, and so forth.This also shouldn t come as a huge surprise. Whitman has donated to and aligned herself with California senator Barbara Boxer, considered one of the most liberal members of the Senate.Good for Meg Whitman in denouncing Trump and doing what is right. Hopefully more Republicans will take action.Featured image via Andrew Burton/Getty Images | 0 | [
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FMD2254 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Sharon Jones, a powerhouse soul singer with a gritty voice, fast feet and indomitable energy, died Friday of pancreatic cancer. She was 60. Her death was confirmed by Judy Miller Silverman, her publicist. She said Ms. Jones died at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, N. Y. and was surrounded by members of her band, the and other loved ones when she died. Ms. Jones sang and shouted the kind of soul and funk she had grown up on. Her voice had bite, bluesiness, rhythmic savvy and a lifetime of conviction. She was backed by the the revivalist New York City RB band that supplied her songs as she sparked their career. She was discovered in 1996 by Gabriel Roth, a founder of the Daptone Records and the ’ bassist and main songwriter (under the name Bosco Mann). Ms. Jones had tried decades earlier to get a start in the music business, but was told by record labels that she didn’t have the looks to be a performer. Later, she would recall in the 2016 documentary “Miss Sharon Jones! ,†the refrain became, “too short, too fat, too black and too old. †But with the — who sometimes introduced her as “110 pounds of soul excitement†— she became an unstoppable frontwoman. As she sang about love troubles, hard times and a woman’s strength, she would race across the stage in high heels — and sooner or later kick them off — while shouting and shimmying in fringed, sequined dresses. Ms. Jones and the worked their way up from clubs to theaters and festivals, and drew growing recognition from fellow musicians. At a 2011 concert in Paris, Prince showed up to play some guitar. In 2014, after chemotherapy sent her cancer into remission, Ms. Jones returned to performing with a show of undiminished energy as long as she could. Sharon Lafaye Jones was born on May 4, 1956, in Augusta, Ga. and spent her first years living across the state line in North Augusta, S. C. (Augusta, Ga. also nurtured one of her lifelong influences, James Brown.) She was the youngest of six children, and she is survived by four of them: Dora Jones, Isiah Jones, Henry Jones and Willian Stringer. In 1960, she moved with her family to Brooklyn, growing up in later, she would write a song for a Christmas album called “Ain’t No Chimneys in the Projects. †She sang gospel music in church and soaked up James Brown, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Stax and Motown from the radio. From the 1970s on, she sang with funk bands and wedding bands, sang backup at recording sessions and led church choirs. To support herself, Ms. Jones worked as a prison guard at Rikers Island in the late 1980s and then as an armed security guard for Wells Fargo. At one recording session directly after work, she was still wearing her Wells Fargo uniform, complete with gun. It led to the title of one of her early singles, “Damn It’s Hot. †Mr. Roth heard her at a 1996 session backing the soul singer Lee Fields, and quickly began recording her through various labels he was associated with: Pure Records, Desco and then Daptone. The 2002 album “Dap Dippin’ with Sharon Jones and the †was Ms. Jones’s debut album and Daptone’s first album release. Recording on vintage equipment with vintage instruments, Ms. Jones and the were leaders of a New York soul revival. The band’s sound got vastly more exposure when the producer Mark Ronson hired the as the studio band for Amy Winehouse’s 2006 album “Back to Black. †But Ms. Jones was gaining notice, too. She played a juke joint singer in “The Great Debaters,†a 2007 film by Denzel Washington. When she and the released their 2007 album, “100 Days, 100 Nights,†they performed at the Apollo Theater. Album by album and tour by tour, Ms. Jones’s audience and reputation grew. She toured with Lou Reed and sang with Phish and Michael Bublé. But in 2013, as she prepared to release the album “Give the People What They Want,†she was diagnosed with stage 2 pancreatic cancer. She and the performed on a float in the 2013 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade anyway. The album was postponed for a year while Ms. Jones underwent surgery and chemotherapy — a period documented by the director Barbara Kopple in “Miss Sharon Jones!†When Ms. Jones first returned to performing in 2014, she was bald. Her dancing would have sent any wig flying. “Give The People What They Want†was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best RB Album. By 2015, Ms. Jones and the band were fully back at work. They released a Christmas album, “It’s a Holiday Soul Party. †They toured with Hall Oates and on their own. And they made a new single that’s heard in “Miss Sharon Jones!†called “I’m Still Here,†a bluesy musical autobiography . “I didn’t know if I would live to see another day,†Ms. Jones sang with a triumphal wail. “But I’m still here. †| 1 | [
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FMD2255 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Zelenskyy missed his chance when he came to the polls with a huge margin, and he had the opportunity to appeal to the people, the opportunity to appeal to the army, put up his people, and crush the nationalists. Without this, there will be no decision in Ukraine. | 0 | [
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FMD2256 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Was the individual who created the 'Bernie Mittens' design forced to shut down their business due to taxation? Claim summaries: That would be ironic considering the progressive senator's unabashed proposals to impose new taxes.
contextual information: As memes of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders wearing hand-crafted mittens at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration plastered the Internet in early 2021, rumors surfaced alleging that the creator of the mittens had stopped selling recycled wool products because of high federal taxes. Snopes received numerous inquiries to investigate the validity of the claim, which attempted to expose the hypocrisy of people who support the Vermont senator's goals of imposing new taxes to pay for various proposals, including free universal health care. Here's some background: Jen Ellis, a Vermont elementary school teacher, said she made the mittens out of discarded wool sweaters and gifted them to the senator after he lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race. "I sent him these mittens kind of as a shoutout to who he is, and I put a note in that said something to the effect of, 'I hope you run again,'" she told Slate. The viral image of Sanders wearing Ellis' gift and sitting with his arms and legs crossed made the teacher famous by the viral standards of 2021. She gave multiple interviews to news outlets including NPR and Slate in which she discussed her support for Sanders and her reaction to the memes; social media users and other websites republished those comments, in part to harness the virality of the moment. Among the latter group was The Federalist, an online hub of articles with a conservative bent. Two days after the inauguration, the website published a page with the headline, "Woman Behind Bernie Sanders' Iconic Mittens Quit Making Them Because High Taxes Killed Her Business," reading: "The Vermont school teacher who made Bernie Sanders' mittens, featured in the most recent viral meme, said she had to stop making them after the federal government taxed her too much." To support the claim, The Federalist cited a portion of Ellis' interview with Slate. According to a transcribed version of that conversation, which Slate published on Jan. 21, the elementary school teacher indeed told writer Rachelle Hampton: "Speaking of bittersweet, you supported Bernie. How did you feel about watching Biden be sworn in as president?" Ellis responded, "Oh my gosh, I cried. I'm 42 and I've waited four decades of my life to see a woman be vice president. I wish that she was president, although I think Biden is pretty great. [...] And then there was this little side nagging thing of every five minutes I was getting several hundred more emails about the mittens. A year ago, when Bernie was on the campaign trail, he was wearing those mittens and Twitter buzzed about it then. I'm not really on Twitter—I have an account, but I don't really participate—but a lot of my younger colleagues do, and they were like, 'You've gotta check this out.' [...] So I put it out there that I made the mittens, they were a gift, and they're not knitted, they're sewn from repurposed and up-cycled sweaters. At that time, I had 30 or 40 mittens for sale, and being a little naïve about Twitter, I put my Gmail account on that, which someone picked up yesterday and retweeted. People have been contacting me thinking that they can get mittens, and actually they can't. I don't have any more, and I don't have much of a mitten business anymore because it really wasn't worth it. Independent crafters get really taken for a ride by the federal government. We get taxed to the nth degree, and it wasn't really worth it pursuing that as a business, even as a side hustle. I mostly just make them as gifts." In other words, Ellis said she did not "have much of a mitten business anymore," or that she previously sold the handmade items for a price and then mostly stopped. She implied that federal taxes were a leading factor in her decision to make that change. On Jan. 20, as social media lit up with the memes following the inauguration, she confirmed on Twitter that she was not selling mittens like the senator's. Snopes reached out to Ellis to learn more about her history of trying to sell mittens for profit and paying federal taxes as a self-described independent crafter. We have not yet received a response, but we'll update this report when or if we do. All of that said, the size of Ellis' former business was unknown, as well as how long or via what methods she sold the handmade mittens. U.S. tax code requires all independent contractors—no matter if they use online marketplaces such as Etsy to sell handmade products—to pay local and federal taxes based on net profits. Also, we should note here: Sanders' proposed changes to the country's tax system would repeal aspects of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act so that taxpayers who earn between about $9,500 and $250,000 would pay about 4% more, and taxes on the country's top earners would generate the majority of revenue. Additionally, he wants to impose a new payroll tax on businesses that earn more than $2 million annually, a change that intends to protect ventures like Ellis' from paying more. So while it was true that taxes played a role in Ellis' decision to stop charging people money for mittens prior to her viral fame, it was false to claim that she "quit" making them altogether, as The Federalist headline alleged. Between Jan. 23 and 24, she said in a series of tweets that she made three more pairs of "Bernie mittens," two of which she donated to Passion 4 Paws Vermont and Outright Vermont for fundraising, and one that she was auctioning off to benefit her daughter's college fund. After that, Sanders' official campaign began selling merchandise with the senator's meme-worthy image that Ellis made possible. The so-called "Chairman Sanders" sweatshirts, T-shirts, stickers, etc., helped raise $1.8 million for charitable organizations in Vermont over the course of five days, The Associated Press reported. On Jan. 24, Ellis tweeted that the senator called her to tell her that "the mitten frenzy" had raised "an enormous amount of money" for the charities. Besides that evidence, it was unclear how, or to what extent, the teacher was involved in the making or selling of the campaign-official products featuring her mittens. As further proof to debunk claims that she had ceased all mitten-making, the teacher on Jan. 27 announced that she had partnered with entities including Darn Tough Socks to make socks inspired by the viral mittens, and the following day she said she was in the process of another project "to get Bernie Mittens for ALL." "I'm not opening a mitten factory or quitting my job as a second-grade teacher! However, I am going to choose a new adventure on the side," Ellis said on her official website and GoFundMe page. "Never fear—I will make more mittens, but I won't be selling them for myself. I will be donating them to Vermont charities to help them fundraise and make up for the funds lost due to the pandemic." In sum, while it was true that, prior to her viral fame, Ellis mostly stopped charging people for handmade mittens due to costs including federal taxes, she was still creating the recycled wool products, and people were spending money on them as of this writing. For those reasons, we rate this claim a "Mixture" of truthful and misleading information. | 2 | [
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] | 2 |
FMD2257 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Nancy Sinatra sent out an absolutely vile tweet today, that suggested 5 million NRA members should be killed by a firing squad. The tweet didn t mention the Las Vegas massacre, but the timing of her tweet seems to be in line with the 100 s of celebrities who are using this horrific massacre as an opportunity to push gun-control in America. Here is a screenshot of the tweet she sent out on Twitter today. Sinatra has since removed her disgusting tweet, but the screenshot of her horrific suggestion is here to stay.Another day, another liberal entertainer wishing harm, or in the case of Nancy Sinatra, death on millions of Americans. When do American citizens, who are sick and tired of being abused, berated, and slapped around by celebrities who have no respect our God-given rights, stop supporting their industry? When will we cut the cord, and turn off the NFL, and turn off shows like Will and Grace who admittedly are making a return to TV so they can promote an anti-Trump message to their viewers? When will Americans find something better to do with their time than watching a TV show or movie featuring an actor or actress who boldly stands against our First and Second Amendment Rights, and regularly spews hate against our President because he bravely defends those inalienable rights?If you want to see a man who faces a firing squad each and every day, while celebrities sit comfortably in their Malibu mansions, acting as keyboard warriors for the left, attacking him and anyone who supports him, you don t have to look too far:Celebrity Sheryl Crow joined the hate fest against gun owners and called out politicians who support our Second Amendment Right by saying: Any politician who takes money from the NRA has blood on their hands. Really? Politicians, who support an organization who does so much to promote safe and responsible gun ownership, have blood on their hands ?Any politician who takes money from the NRA has blood on their hands. Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) October 4, 2017Our friend, Marie Tweets had a brilliant response to Sheryl Crow s tweet:Any politician who funds abortion clinics has Blood on their hands. MarieTweets (@mkues65) October 5, 2017Here is our reply to Nancy Sinatra s tweet:You are a sick and vile human being. While America mourns the lives of 58 innocent people who could've just as easily been killed by a bomb, you call for the death of 5 million Americans by gunfire? You should be ashamed of yourself! Nice legacy 100% FED UP! (@100PercFEDUP) October 5, 2017Here are a few great replies to Nancy s follow up tweet, where she used a Nelson Mandela quote in an attempt to make her look like a victim (after she deleted a tweet calling for the murder of 5 million Americans):If you are so against gun violence then why does Hollywood glorify it every day for every kid to see? pic.twitter.com/tr5LVsF0Dc BAN TH L FT (@EarthsPig) October 5, 2017Deplorable Vol. 4 tweeted a great quote from the great quote from former NRA president, Charlton Heston, in response to Sinatra s tweet: pic.twitter.com/8ubU2EbMCM Deplorable Vol. 4 (@C_R_Russo) October 5, 2017Nancy people who send death threats are a danger to society crazygator (@thecajun8) October 5, 2017And finally, a direct response to Sinatra using a person who many people believe to be one of the most violent leaders of a social justice movement:Great quote. But it's kind of hard to stand up after you've been necklaced like many of Mandela's political opponents were pic.twitter.com/a6zELaBbNm Rex Vallachorum (@RexValachorum) October 5, 2017 | 0 | [
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FMD2258 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Brazilian President Michel Temer will shuffle his cabinet in March and likely exclude members of his main allied party after many of its lawmakers turned against him this week, a senior government source said on Friday. The source, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said he did not expect the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) to be part of the future government. The reshuffle follows the biggest revolt yet against Temer s 13-month government when the majority of PSDB lower-house deputies on Wednesday voted to put him on trial over corruption charges. The PSDB plans to field its own presidential candidate next year and may well quit Temer s coalition of its own accord as the elections draw closer, the source said. Though the lower house voted to shelve a corruption case against Temer, the upheaval in his ruling coalition is likely to derail Temer s plans to plug a budget deficit to help Brazil recover from its worst ever recession. The planned cabinet changes will take place as ministers have to leave the cabinet by April to run in October elections. Smaller allied parties have asked Temer to eject the PSDB from his government. It currently holds four cabinet posts. The source said Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes, a member of the PSDB, might stay on even if his party leaves the government. Temer, whose popularity is at rock bottom, has no plans to run for re-election. His centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Brazil s largest, has generally entered governments through coalitions with other parties and rarely fielded its own presidential candidate. Government officials expect the economy to pick up and grow at 3 percent by mid-2018, which would improve the PDMB s chances should it choose to do so. Such a candidate would likely be someone from outside the party and have to be untarnished by the corruption scandals battering Brazil s political class, the source said. | 1 | [
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FMD2259 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The world is about to change drastically . Will you be ready for it?
The Future Doesn’t Need Us… Or So We’ve Been Told.
With the rise of technology and the real-time pressures of an online, global economy, humans will have to be very clever – and very careful – not to be left behind by the future.
From the perspective of those in charge, human labor is losing its value, and people are becoming a liability.
This documentary reveals the real motivation behind the secretive effort to reduce the population and bring resource use into strict, centralized control.
Could it be that the biggest threat we face isn’t just automation and robots destroying jobs, but the larger sense that humans could become obsolete altogether? | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD2260 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Speaking of the financial crisis that gained traction in 2007, I talked about it to anyone who would listen, a crisis is coming.
contextual information: Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren warned about the financial crisis of the 2000s before it happened, she claimed during a CNN town hall where she pitched herself as the best option for president in the 2020 election. Warren, a former Harvard Law School professor, told an audience of college students that her whole lifes work has been about what's happening to working families. And starting in the early 2000s, the crisis was coming. I was waving my arms, ringing the bell, doing everything I could. I said families are getting cheated all over this country,Warren said April 22 in Manchester, N.H.It started when the mortgage companies targeted communities of color. They targeted seniors. They targeted Latinos. They came in and sold the worst possible mortgages and stripped wealth out of those communities, and then took those products across the nation. I went everywhere I could. I talked about it to anyone who would listen, a crisis is coming. But nobody wanted to listen, Warren said, so the crisis hit in 2007, 2008, and just took us down. We confirmed that Warren did raise the alarm about the looming housing and financial crisis. She spoke about debt, financial lending practices and other factors affecting families and the economy years before the financial crisis peaked in 2008. Millions of peoplelost their jobs and homes during the recent Great Recession, generally regarded as happening from late 2007 to mid 2009. Experts say the financial crisis resulted from a number ofcolliding factors, including an unsustainable housing boom partly driven by an easy availability of mortgages, banks taking on too much risk, government policies and lax regulation. Subprime loans loans at higher interest rates made to people perceived to be at greater risk for defaulting on loans (including families with low and moderate income and poor credit histories) played a key role in the housing crisis. Warrens presidential campaigncitedseveralblogpostsand comments to media outlets in 2005 and 2006, and Warrens 2003 book, The Two-Income Trap, co-authored with her daughter, Amelia Warren Tyagi, as examples of Warren warning about subprime lending and an imminent housing crisis. Warren has represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate since 2013. Before going to Congress, she taught law at the university level for more than 30 years, most recently at Harvard, specializing in commercial law, contracts, and bankruptcy. Subprime lenders defended their business practices by saying they were helping more families own homes, Warrens book said, but thats little more than public relations hot air. In the overwhelming majority of cases, subprime lenders prey on families that already own their own homes, rather than expanding access to new homeowners. Fully 80 percent of subprime mortgages involve refinancing loans for families that already own their homes,Warren said in the book. For these families, subprime lending does nothing more than increase the family's housing costs, taking resources away from other investments and increasing the chances that the family will lose its home if anything goes wrong. In aJune 2004 interviewwith PBSs NOW host David Brancaccio, Warren spoke about growing household debt, against risky mortgage lending practices and what she regarded as bad advice to Americans by then-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. Warren said Greenspan encouraged families to borrow against their house to pay for basic expenses. I think what the landscape shows is the middle class is under assault in a way that has not happened before in our history, Warren said. Stagnant wages, rising costs, wildly rising debt. It's in everyone's interest to turn that back around. Warrens campaign noted that The New York Times quoted Warren in an October 2005articlethat said homeowners in suburbs were taking on more and more home-equity debt to stay out of bankruptcy. The article said: Professor Warren of Harvard believes that disaster lurks as homeowners borrow against their homes to forestall bankruptcy. When the stock market tumbled five years ago, people in trouble could sell stocks to stay afloat, she said. But home equity doesn't work the same way. As she put it, You can't sell a part of your home like you could a stock in the stock market bubble. Warren told the newspaper that after a new bankruptcy law went into effect that month, filing for bankruptcy would become more difficult: And that means more families are set up to lose their homes. Warren was substantially correct in herassessmentthat home prices were going up rapidly relative to incomes (particularly for households with a one wage earner), said Ed Pinto, co-director of the Housing Center at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. But Pinto disagrees with Warren about what caused the crisis. Warren blames banks and lenders, when in fact Congress andgovernment policiesaimed at making homes more affordable are the root cause, Pinto said. (Check out our2008 in-depth analysison the causes of the financial crisis and how that issue was debated in the 2008 presidential campaign. Then, both Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama said they sounded warnings, and both blamed the other for helping cause the crisis.) Warren was also a vocal opponent of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, because she thought the law would hurt consumers, said Deborah Goldstein, an executive vice president at the Center for Responsible Lending, which advocates for consumer financial protections. Risingcredit card debthurt Americans already struggling with mortgage payments. I remember (Warren) talking about credit card abuses and how they were harming families, Goldstein said. People were using credit to manage basic daily expenses. Goldstein said that her group, also concerned about the imminent financial crisis, in the early 2000s communicated with Warren on what could be done about it. I'd give then-professor Warren the credit for banging the drum and ringing the bell early on unfair financial practices, said Ed Mierzwinski, senior director of the Federal Consumer Program at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Warren was the No. 1 go-to academic expert in the mid-to-late '90s and 2000s in the debate over changes to the bankruptcy code, he said. Warren in January 2007testifiedbefore the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, saying that the credit card market was broken and hurt consumers. Warren was chosen in 2008 to lead theCongressional Oversight Panel, established by Congress to review the state of the financial markets and the regulatory system. Warren also helped create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The bureau emerged from the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, designed to enforce federal consumer financial laws and protect consumers. In 2013 and 2014, Goldstein's groupcollaborated with the CFPBin drafting payday lending rules. Speaking of the financial crisis that gained traction in 2007, Warren said, I talked about it to anyone who would listen, a crisis is coming. There is documented evidence that Warren spoke against risky mortgage lending practices, rising debt and other factors that contributed to the financial and housing crisis years before it materialized. We rate Warren's claim True. | 1 | [
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"1",
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] | 1 |
FMD2261 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Facebook Appeal for Baby Born with Heart Outside Body Claim summaries: Rumor: Facebook is donating $1 per share to a medical fund for a baby born with his heart outside his body.
contextual information: Claim: Facebook is donating $1 per share to a medical fund for a baby born with his heart outside his body. Example: [Collected via e-mail, April 2015] The photo looks unreal, stating that "Fb" will donate $1 for each share of the photo showing a baby born with his heart outside of its body. Origins: In April 2015, an image urging viewers to share a photograph of a baby born with his heart outside his body in order to raise funds for his medical care was circulated widely via Facebook. However, neither the image nor its claim was new; the tandem was simply a reiteration of a hoax that had circulated more than a year earlier involving the same photograph and plea. This "raise money for a child's medical care by sharing this photo on Facebook" format of hoax is common. Previous variations include a child purportedly shot by a family member, a toddler who needed a heart transplant, and a little girl from Poland in desperate need of money for burn treatment. As is often the case with these popular social media hoaxes, the image used was of a real child suffering from a real medical condition, and that image was deliberately selected with the intent of tugging at the heartstrings of Facebook users for purposes unconnected to the depicted child's recovery or well-being. The photograph used in this case is one that was widely reproduced in conjunction with 2012 news coverage about the case of Hayes Davis, who was born with omphalocele, a birth defect in which the fetus's intestines and other abdominal organs stick out from the belly button. After a pregnancy filled with seemingly endless appointments and ultrasounds, [Kelly] Davis gave birth to Hayes on March 25, 2011, via Cesarean section at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX. "I was so excited to meet him, but the anxiety was almost overwhelming," the new mom said. "I didn't know if he would breathe on his own or eat on his own or whether the omphalocele would stay intact." In January 2012, doctors successfully corrected Davis's condition. After his mom spent months treating the condition and even documenting her world on her blog, "O Baby," Hayes underwent surgery to correct the organs. "The surgery went perfectly," Davis said. "Both surgeons were incredibly pleased. We're looking forward to a simpler way of life." Images such as the one of the "baby born with his heart outside his body" are carefully selected by Facebook scammers preying on the sympathies of social media users. Many people believe that sharing the image is harmless: If the claim is true, the baby is helped; and if it's false, only a small amount of their time was wasted. However, these types of hoaxes are typically lures for the distribution of malware as well as clickjacking, clickbaiting, and like-farming activities, made all the more reprehensible for their dishonest and unauthorized use of such photographs. In any case, Facebook does not directly donate money based on likes or shares generated for any purpose. Facebook's advice for charitable giving on the social network can be found here. Last updated: 21 April 2015. | 0 | [
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FMD2262 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Poor GOPers looking forward to participating in conversations about the Republican National Convention are going to be disappointed that their only option is to live stream and watch. Thanks to Donald Trump s supporters, the RNC was forced to close its live chat when the conversation became bombarded with hateful anti-Semitic messages.This hatefest happened when former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle took the stage to talk about the inroads the GOP has created with Jewish voters and to criticize the Democratic party for its supposed hostility toward Israel. It didn t take long for Trump s moronic followers to take things a step further and bombard the chat with disrespectful phrases such as Press H for Hitler , JOOS, BAN JEWS , OY GEVALT, and KIKE . There were also a few N-bombs dropped in the chat before it was shut down.Here are some screenshots that show what was being said online before the chat was closed down:RNCRNCRNCRNCAs shown in the screenshots, the Star of David made many appearances, as did references to Adolf Hitler.Clearly, Trump s supporters are only following in their beloved presidential candidate s footsteps, as it wasn t too long ago that Trump landed himself in hot water for tweeting an anti-Hillary Clinton meme that included the Star of David. Even while he was being accused of anti-Semitism, Trump expressed disappointment that his social media manager had chosen to take the tweet down and replace it with something less offensive.Things like this can only be expected as Trump continues to run his convention this week. His fans are known racists, white supremacists and misogynists, so I m sure we re going to see much more of these hateful messages in the near future. If the RNC was trying to get people to take it seriously this election, they seriously underestimated the stupidity of Trump and his supporters.Featured image via screen capture | 0 | [
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FMD2263 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Says his state budget will provide an increase in state funding
for the 2011-12 school year.
contextual information: Before Gov. John Kitzhaber released his budget proposal for the next two-year cycle, he gave a few hints at how hed budget some of the biggest pieces of state government. In an e-mail sent out before the Feb. 1, 2011, budget announcement, he says hell allocate some $5.56 billion for the states K-12 public school system.But thats not all. He gets even more specific. Kitzhaber plans to make 52 percent of the total (about $2.89 billion) available in the first year of the cycle.This, he says, is the equivalent to a $5.78 billion budget for school funding. The effect is to provide an increase in state funding for the 2011-12 school year.That, naturally, piqued our curiosity given that most of what you hear down in Salem is worrying comments about how education will have to take a cut going forward. And yet, heres Kitzhaber talking about increased spending.Could he really be offering the schools more money next year? We decided to find out.To start off, its helpful to have a clear understanding of where funding is currently. The thing is, the budget for public education has fluctuated several times over the past couple of years. The state revenue forecast is consistently down, which has led to reductions in the budget. Meanwhile, theres been movement on the federal level to kick funds to states, which have helped balance, in part, some of those earlier cuts. But not all of them.To get the most recent number, we called Oregon's Legislative Fiscal Office. According to the offices most recent calculations, K-12 education is operating on a budget of $5.756 billion. Thatincludes the promise of $35.5 million from a state education stability fund, which may or may not come through. But, for the purpose of this article, well keep it in the total.Of that $5.75 billion, $342 million has come from the federal government in various forms and $5.41 billion has come from the state. To parse it even more (who doesnt love lots of numbers? ), $2.94 billion went to schools during the 2009-10 school year, while the remaining $2.82 billion went to schools for the current year.So, lets compare these numbers to what Kitzhaber is proposing. According to the e-mail statement, Kitzhaber is suggesting a K-12 budget of $5.56 billion for the next two-year period. But for next year in particular, he is suggesting $2.89 billion go to schools. Thats a clear increase in funding (not just state funding, but overall funding) this year over next, by about $70 million.Still, its important to note here, that funding, overall, will take a hit. Sure, the state is throwing in more cash for the upcoming biennium than it did the current -- about an extra $150 million. And yes, the school system will have more cash to work with next year than it did this year. But overall the bienniums budget is down, $5.756 billion to $5.56 billion. Thats because the states increase in funding still doesn't offset lost federal dollars.Whats more, under Kitzhabers proposal, that reduction will be felt strongest come the 2012-13 school year. Whereas there will be a $70 million more to work with next year, as compared to the current school year, there will be a $150 million decrease the following year, if you use the current year as the baseline.By front-loading 2012, you necessarily leave 2013 with a smaller slice of the funds.Kitzhaber explains his logic in the e-mail: Front-loading the funding also provides a year to find cost savings through consolidation and other efficiencies to maintain this level of classroom support during the 2012-13 school year.Whether those cost savings will be realized, nobody can say, so well stick the initial statement, which is that this proposed budget represents an increase in state funding for the upcoming 2011-12 school year. Kitzhaber is right, it does. That said, its important to recognize that even with the increase in state funds, the school system will have to make do with less sooner or later. Kitzhaber seems to have chosen later.Since we think that bit of context is important, we rate this claim Mostly True. Comment on this item. | 1 | [
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FMD2264 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Clock Boy Part II. When you peel back the rotten Clinton onion, you usually find the scary truth. In the case of the poor believed parents Hillary and the DNC held up as model immigrants, the truth could not be any more damning. We published a letter from a US Marine and Navy veteran earlier today. If you want to know how military members feel about this fraud, check out the letter HERE.Khizr Muazzam Kahn moved from Pakistan to the United Arab Emirates prior to emigrating into the U.S. Kahn is directly affiliated with the advancement of Muslim immigration into the United States.Mr. Kahn runs a law firm in New York called KM Kahn Law Office:Kahn s primary area of expertise -as advertised- is legal aide and legal services for Muslim immigration assistance.Attorney Khizr Kahn also used to work for Hogan, Hartson and Lovells law firm within Washington DC which has direct ties to the Clinton Foundation.Hogan, Hartson, Lovells are one of the lobbying entities for Saudi affairs in Washington DC.[ ] Hogan Lovells LLP, another U.S. firm hired by the Saudis, is registered to work for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia through 2016, disclosures show. Robert Kyle, a lobbyist from the firm, has bundled $50,850 for Clinton s campaign Many lawyers at Hogan Lovells remember the week in 2004 when U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan lost his life to a suicide bomber. Then-Hogan & Hartson attorneys mourned the death because the soldier s father, Khizr Khan, a Muslim American immigrant, was among their beloved colleagues Mr. Khizr Kahn is not some arbitrary Muslim voice called upon randomly to speak at the Democrat National Convention on behalf of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.Attorney Kahn is a well documented, and well compensated, conscript and activist for the advancement of Islamic interests into the United States. So it should come as no surprise to see the Clinton Machine use Kahn to serve both of their interests in this political election season. The Conservative TreehouseWell, will you look at that! What a coincidence Loretta Lynch was also employed by Hogan and Hartson:It s well known that if the FBI recommends prosecution in the Hillary Clinton email case, the decision will be put in the hands of Attorney General Loretta Lynch.But little known is the fact that Lynch was a litigation partner for eight years at a major Washington law firm that served the Clintons. Lynch was with the Washington-headquartered international law firm Hogan & Hartson LLP from March 2002 through April 2010.According to documents Hillary Clinton s first presidential campaign made public in 2008, Hogan & Harrison s New York-based partner Howard Topaz was the tax lawyer who filed income tax returns for Bill and Hillary Clinton beginning in 2004. GRThe Muslim who attacked Donald Trump, Khizr Muazzam Khan, is a Muslim Brotherhood agent, working to bring Muslims into the United States. After reading what we discovered so far, it becomes obvious that Khan wanted to trump Trump s Muslim immigration policy of limiting Muslim immigration into the U.S.Khizr Muazzam Khan graduated in Punjab University Law College, as the New York Times confirms. He specialized in International Trade Law in Saudi Arabia. An interest lawyer for Islamic oil companies Khan wrote a paper, called In Defense of OPEC to defend the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), an intergovernmental oil company consisting of mainly Islamic countries.But more than this, Khan is a promoter of Islamic Sharia Law in the U.S. He was a co-founder of the Journal of Contemporary Issues in Muslim Law (Islamic Sharia). Khan s fascination with Islamic Sharia stems from his life in Saudi Arabia. During the eighties Khan wrote a paper titled Juristic Classification of Islamic [Sharia] Law. In it he elucidated on the system of Sharia law expressing his reverence for The Sunnah [the works of Muhammad] authentic tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). A snapshot of his essay can be seen here:But Khan s fascination with Islam isn t the only issue. What is more worrisome is that at the bottom of the intro, Khan shows his appreciation and the source of his work and gives credit to an icon of the Muslim Brotherhood: The contribution to this article of S. Ramadan s writing is greatly acknowledged. This alone speaks volumes. Khan used the works of S. Ramadan to lay his foundation for his inspiration regarding the promotion of Sharia. S. Ramadan is Said Ramadan, head of the Islamic Center in Geneva and a major icon of the Muslim Brotherhood, the grandson of Hassan Al-Banna the founder and hero of the Muslim Brotherhood which spread terrorism throughout the world.In regards to his son and his sacrifice, on the other side of the coin, many were the Muslim martyrs who joined the US military. Ali Abdul Saoud Mohamed, for example, enlisted in the Special Forces of the US Army; he was a double agent for Al-Qaeda. How about Hasan K. Akbar, a Muslim American soldier who murdered and injured fifteen soldiers. There was Bowe Bergdahl, an American Muslim soldier who deserted his men to join the Taliban, a desertion which led to six American being ambushed and killed while they were on the search looking for him. And of course the example of Nidal Malik Hassan, who murdered fourteen Americans in cold blood in Fort Hood. What about infiltration into the U.S. military like Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, a major Muslim thinker for the Muslim Minority Affairs, an icon of the Abedin family (Hillary s aid Human) who, while he served in U.S. military, called on arming Muslims to fight the U.S? Al-Alwani is an IMMA (Institute of Muslims Minority Affairs) favorite, Taha Jaber al-Alwani, whom the Abedins say is the source for their doctrine (see Abedins-Meii-Kampf) is an ardent anti-Semite who by the way, runs the United States Department of Defense program (out of all places) for training Muslim military chaplains in the U.S. military. Via: Shoebat.com | 0 | [
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FMD2265 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: John Roberts and the Decision Regarding the Affordable Care Act Claim summaries: Opinion piece expresses Charles Krauthammer's thoughts on Chief Justice John Roberts and the Supreme Court's decision on Obamacare?
contextual information: I would like to know if the following email attributed to Charles Krauthammer has been correctly attributed. Circulated under the subject line: Health Care Decision: From Charles Krauthammer. To all my friends, particularly those conservatives who are despondent over the searing betrayal by Chief Justice John Roberts and the pending demise of our beloved country, I offer this perspective to convey some profound hope and evidence of the Almighty's hand in the affairs of men in relation to the Supreme Court's decision on Obamacare. I initially thought we had cause for despondency when I only heard the results of the decision and not the reasoning or the makeup of the sides. I have now read a large portion of the decision, and I believe that it was precisely the result that Scalia, Alito, Thomas, Roberts, and even Kennedy wanted, and not a defeat for conservatism or the rule of law. I believe the conservatives on the court have outmaneuvered the liberals and demonstrated that the liberals are patently unqualified to be on the Supreme Court. Let me explain. First, let me assure you that John Roberts is a conservative, and he is not dumb, mentally unstable, diabolical, a turncoat, a Souter, or even just trying to be too nice. He is a genius, along with the members of the Court in the dissent. The more of the decision I read, the more remarkable it became. It is not obvious, and it requires a passable understanding of constitutional law, but if it is explained, anyone can see the beauty of it. The decision was going to be a 5-4 decision no matter what, so the allegation that the decision was a partisan political decision was going to be made by the losing side and their supporters. If the bill had been struck down completely with Roberts on the other side, there would have been a national and media backlash against conservatives and probably strong motivation for Obama supporters to come out and vote in November. With today's decision, that dynamic is reversed, and there is a groundswell of support for Romney and Republicans, even among people who were formerly lukewarm toward Romney before today; additionally, Romney raised more than 3 million dollars today. Next, merely striking the law without the support of Democrats and liberals would have left the fight over the commerce clause and the "necessary and proper" clause and the federal government's role in general festering and heading the wrong way, as it has since 1942. As a result of the decision, the liberals are saying great things about Roberts; how wise, fair, and reasonable he is. They would never have said that without this decision, even after the Arizona immigration decision on Monday. In the future, when Roberts rules conservatively, it will be harder for the left and the media to complain about the Roberts Court's fairness. That's why he, as Chief Justice, went to the other side for this decision, not Scalia, Alito, Thomas, or Kennedy, all of whom I believe would have been willing to do it. Next, let's look at the decision itself. Thankfully, Roberts got to write it as Chief Justice, and it is a masterpiece. (As I write this, the liberals don't even know what has happened; they just think Roberts is great and that they won, and we are all going to have free, unlimited healthcare services, and we are all going to live happily ever after.) He first emphatically states that Obamacare is unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause, saying you cannot make people buy stuff. Then he emphatically states that it is unconstitutional under the "necessary and proper" clause, which only applies to "enumerated powers" in the U.S. Constitution. Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan all went along with these statements. They never would have agreed with that sentiment if that had been the basis for striking the law in total. This is huge because it means that the Court ruled 9-0 that Obamacare was unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause, which was Obama's whole defense of the bill. They also ruled 9-0 on the "necessary and proper" clause. Even better, both of these rulings were unnecessary to the decision, so it is a bonus that we got the liberals to concede this, and it will make it easier to pare away at both theories in the future, which we must do. Well done. Roberts, through very tortured reasoning, goes on to find that the taxing law provides the constitutionality for the law. Virtually everyone agrees that the federal government has the power to do this, as it does with the mortgage deduction for federal income taxes. This too is huge because Obama assiduously avoided using the term "tax," and now he has to admit this law is a tax, and it is on everyone, even the poor. That will hurt him significantly in the polls and will help Romney. More importantly, though, is the fact that this makes it a budgetary issue that can be voted on in the Senate by a mere majority instead of the 60 votes needed to stop a filibuster. That means that if the Republicans can gain a majority in the Senate, they can vote to repeal Obamacare in total. Finally, the Court voted 7-2 to strike down the punitive rules that take away money from states that do not expand Medicaid as required in Obamacare. This too is huge because we got Kagan and Breyer to join this decision, and it can easily be applied to many other cases of extortion the federal government uses to force states to do things they don't want to. This is also amazing because Obamacare has no severability clause, so by striking the Medicaid mandate portion as unconstitutional, the whole bill should have been struck. If that had happened, none of these other benefits would have been accomplished. I haven't read far enough to know how he did it, but I am sure it is brilliant. So to recap, the Roberts Court, through a brilliant tactical maneuver, has: strengthened the limitations of the Commerce Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause by a unanimous decision, made Obama raise taxes on the poor and middle classes, converted Obamacare into a tax program repealable with 51 votes in the Senate, enhanced Romney's and Republicans' fundraising and likelihood of being elected in November, weakened federal extortion, and got the left to love Roberts and sing his praises, all without anyone even noticing. Even Obama is now espousing the rule of law just two weeks after violating it with his deportation executive order. What a day. | 2 | [
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FMD2266 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: WASHINGTON — Questions raised by the F. B. I. about the State Department’s handling of Hillary Clinton’s emails have cast a cloud of doubt over the political futures of a number of her top advisers, including some expected to hold jobs in her administration if she is elected president. Though Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch formally affirmed on Wednesday that the Justice Department would not seek criminal charges against anyone in the email case, fallout from the matter is sure to affect several dozen State Department advisers who, records show, facilitated Mrs. Clinton’s unorthodox email arrangement or used it to send her classified documents. Among those drawing the most intense scrutiny are Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin and Jake Sullivan, onetime aides who could face difficult questions in pursuing security clearances for diplomatic or national security posts because of their involvement with Mrs. Clinton’s emails. The State Department said it would restart an internal review into the handling of Mrs. Clinton’s emails now that Justice’s investigation is formally closed, and that review could threaten the security clearances of several dozen other career officials and political appointees who knew of Mrs. Clinton’s private email server. As for Mrs. Clinton, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Wednesday that in light of the F. B. I. ’s findings, intelligence officials should deny her the classified briefings normally given the major nominees. “I’ve never seen anything quite like this,†Bill Savarino, a Washington lawyer specializing in security clearances, said on Wednesday. “You’ve got a situation here where the woman who would be in charge of setting national security policy as president has been deemed by the F. B. I. unsuitable to safeguard and handle classified information. †In a briefing Tuesday on the F. B. I. ’s findings, the agency’s director, James B. Comey Jr. said that in situations similar to Mrs. Clinton’s, people found to have mishandled classified information “are often subject to security or administrative sanctions. †He also criticized what he said were inadequate security measures at the State Department in the handling of classified material, a characterization the department has strongly disputed. While Mr. Comey’s criticism of Mrs. Clinton attracted the most attention on Tuesday, his comments included other unnamed colleagues. “Although we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of the classified information,†Mr. Comey said, “there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information. †Indeed, a review of thousands of pages of emails and depositions that have been made public over the last two months shows that State Department officials ignored numerous red flags about the problems created by Mrs. Clinton’s use of a private server, both in the handling of classified information and the preservation of public records. Those few employees who raised questions about the email arrangement were told to keep quiet about it, the State Department inspector general found. Mrs. Clinton herself seemed glib at times about the risks posed by her private email system. In one email exchange in 2011, she was puzzled about how emails from her private account to a State Department employee ended up in the aide’s Gmail account, and jokingly blamed foreign hackers. “Maybe the Chinese hacked it and focused on you!†she wrote. A federal court ordered a number of State Department aides to give lengthy depositions about their knowledge of Mrs. Clinton’s email system as part of a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, a conservative advocacy group. Her top aides said they gave little thought to the problems that the private server might create. Both Ms. Mills and Ms. Abedin said they now regretted the lack of attention they had given to the system, while other officials said they simply did not remember much about how it was set up and used. In a deposition last week, Patrick F. Kennedy, the under secretary of state for management and operations, said repeatedly that he could not recall details about Mrs. Clinton’s email use, even though he responded to emails from her. Asked if her use of a personal email address raised any questions in his mind, he said that “it did not strike any bells in my mind, no. †“Why not?†the lawyer for Judicial Watch asked. “Because it did not,†Mr. Kennedy said. The State Department has continued to defend its handling of classified material, and it challenged Mr. Comey’s assertions about a small number of the Clinton emails that were marked as classified. John Kirby, the department’s spokesman, said Wednesday that because of “human error,†one of Mrs. Clinton’s aides at the time, Monica R. Hanley, had mistakenly marked as classified two emails involving routine diplomatic phone calls to foreign leaders. Those appeared to be ones that Mr. Comey singled out as bearing classified markings, in this case designating them as “confidential,†but Mr. Kirby said that information that was initially considered classified was not by the time Mrs. Clinton decided to make the calls. It was not clear if Mr. Comey also referred to other emails with such markings. Sean M. Bigley, a Los Angeles lawyer who specializes in security clearances, said the handling of classified information could be “a major issue†for officials who sent emails that ended up on Mrs. Clinton’s server. He said his firm has routinely defended clients who have lost their security clearances — often a requirement for employment — because of violations “much less egregious†than what Mr. Comey described. “The folks who were involved with this, even on a peripheral basis, at least are going to be facing administrative action, or should be, based on the historical cases we’ve dealt with,†he said. Mr. Savarino, the Washington lawyer, shared that assessment. He said that if any of Mrs. Clinton’s former aides involved in the email controversy were to approach him for help in seeking a future clearance, “I’d tell them that ‘you’ve got a fight on your hands. ’†Decisions on security clearances rest with the hiring agencies. At the White House, the Executive Office of the President makes these decisions based on background checks conducted or overseen by the F. B. I. sometimes with the help of outside contractors. But even if a clearance is rejected, the president has the power to overturn that decision and order the clearance. The rules for security clearances — including challenging decisions to strip them — were signed by President Clinton in 1995 in the wake of the Aldrich Ames spy scandal. Mr. Bigley said that contrary to Mr. Comey’s characterization, the State Department practiced strict enforcement on matters that could affect security clearances, which include not only the mishandling of classified information, but also financial problems, exposure to foreign influences, drug and alcohol abuse and other personal misconduct that could expose an official to blackmail by a foreign intelligence agency. He said the threshold for administrative punishment — including suspension of a clearance — was much lower than for criminal prosecution. Without disclosing specific clients, he cited cases involving government employees penalized for bringing their cellphones into secured areas or making Skype calls from a specially designated room, known as a SCIF: Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility. “Ten, careers we’ve had completely ruined because of mistakes like that,†he said. Cases are routine, but often shrouded in secrecy. Only two agencies — the Pentagon and the Department of Energy — publish records of decisions. The Pentagon’s, which covers private military contractors, showed that 1, 657 cases were adjudicated in 2015. In a letter in May to the State Department, Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Iowa Republican who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, tried to find out whether a number of former Clinton aides, including Ms. Abedin, Mr. Sullivan and Philippe Reines, have kept their security clearances, “in light of the fact that classified information has been discovered†on Mrs. Clinton’s private server. The State Department declined to tell him, saying it would not discuss the status of individuals’ security clearance. Mr. Grassley pushed the issue again Wednesday, asking Mr. Comey in a letter whether the F. B. I. had recommended that Mrs. Clinton or any of her senior aides lose their security clearances. “If not,†the senator asked, “why not?†| 1 | [
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FMD2267 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: WASHINGTON — A Democratic protest demanding votes on legislation led to pandemonium in the House chamber that did not end until early Thursday, when Speaker Paul D. Ryan and his fellow Republicans reclaimed control long enough to force through a major spending bill. They then abruptly adjourned and left the Capitol. Furious Democrats remained on the House floor, where they huddled around their leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, who praised their stand as a “discussion heard around the world. †Ms. Pelosi expressed bewilderment at the Republican position. “What could they be thinking?†she asked. “Whatever it is, they don’t want to tell anybody about it. That’s why they left in the dead of night. †The standoff, which began with a Democratic on the House floor just before noon on Wednesday, did not end until about 3 a. m. Thursday when Mr. Ryan — barreling over Democrats’ objections — took the rare and provocative step of calling a vote on a major appropriations bill in the wee hours and without any debate. He then adjourned the House, with no legislative votes scheduled until July 5. The House approved the bill, which includes $1. 1 billion in emergency financing to fight the Zika virus — and more than $80 billion in other government spending — by a vote of 239 to 171 shortly after 3 a. m. Republicans dashed from the chamber into the sticky heat gripping Washington and were met by protesters who jeered, with some shouting, “Do your job!†Earlier, as Democrats fought for control of the floor, they pressed against the speaker’s dais, waving signs with the names of gun victims and chanting “No bill! No break!†as Mr. Ryan repeatedly banged his gavel in an attempt to restore order. When Mr. Ryan left the speaker’s chair, Democrats shouted: “Shame! Shame! Shame!†There were scenes of chaos across the floor as Republicans tried to resume regular business. At one point, Democrats began singing “We Shall Overcome†— altering the lyrics to say “We shall pass a bill some day†— as Republicans shouted in outrage. And when Representative Don Young, Republican of Alaska, tried to confront the chanting Democrats, he was restrained by aides and colleagues. The unusual events were set off with the before noon when Democrats insisted on taking votes on gun measures before Congress began its weeklong recess for the Fourth of July. “We will not leave the floor of this House until this Congress takes action!†Representative Kathy D. Castor, Democrat of Florida, declared. Democrats — who do not have enough strength in either the House or Senate to pass legislation on their own — have resorted to spectacle to highlight their anger over Congress not taking action to tighten the nation’s laws. The House Democrats’ anger, and their willingness to disrupt the proceedings, seemed to take some Republicans by surprise as they stood on the sidelines. Ms. Pelosi arrived on the floor with an air of calm, surveying her rank and file’s protest as it gathered steam. Mr. Ryan, in an interview on CNN, dismissed the as a publicity stunt. The Democrats began their latest push, including a filibuster last week by Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, after the June 12 massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla. They have repeatedly accused Republicans of siding with the National Rifle Association rather than with the victims of gun violence. Democrats’ exasperation has grown since Monday, when four measures — two favored by Democrats and two by Republicans — were defeated in the Senate. The turmoil on Wednesday and Thursday in the House illustrated the differences in partisan relations in the House and Senate. Typical of the more restrained and decorous Senate, Mr. Murphy’s speeches last week were derided by Republicans as a pointless “talkathon,†but there were no confrontations and no shouting. Under Senate rules, any one senator who is recognized to speak can hold the floor until relinquishing it. The House gives the minority no such rights, and the Democrats resorted to an insurrection. Shortly after the began on Wednesday, Republicans quickly declared a recess, cutting off regular business — as well as the live television feed of floor proceedings, which operates only when the House is in session. The Democrats were left in control of the chamber, where they gave a series of impassioned speeches and skirted the television blackout by using Twitter’s Periscope service to broadcast their efforts. That was a violation of House rules, which bans cameras or other electronic devices on the floor. picked up the Periscope feed and broadcast as if the House was in session, albeit with the unavoidably shaky camerawork by lawmakers using their cellphones. Even by the hyperpartisan standards of modern Washington, it was a brazen disruption that underscored the outrage many lawmakers have expressed about the failure of Congress to act on gun legislation in the aftermath of numerous mass shootings. In 2008, House Republicans, then in the minority, held a “quasi session†during summer recess to protest the Democrats’ refusal to hold votes on energy policy amid sharply rising gasoline prices. The Republicans met in a darkened chamber, a point they recalled with no small amount of outrage amid Democrats’ complaints on Wednesday. A key difference, though, was that the House was in recess then and no business was interrupted as the protest continued for several days. On Wednesday, Democrats an active legislative session, for which Republicans had scheduled votes on a number of measures, including amendments to the annual financial services and general government appropriations bill. By late afternoon, Republicans said they still intended to conduct business, but the Democrats showed no sign of relenting. Representative Maxine Waters of California seemed to sum up their collective resolve when she said, “I’m prepared to stand here until hell freezes over. †Ms. Pelosi said her caucus was seeking votes on measures similar to two Democratic proposals that failed to advance in the Senate. One of those sought to ban gun sales to people on the government’s terrorism watch list, while the second would expand and toughen background checks for gun buyers. Representative John Lewis of Georgia, a hero to many Democrats because of his role in the civil rights movement, initiated the protest on Wednesday. “We have to occupy the floor of the House until there’s action,†he said. Congress has long been deadlocked over tightening the nation’s gun laws. But outrage and frustration have grown since the massacre in Orlando and a number of other mass shootings in recent years. Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, has drafted a narrower compromise measure. But despite some bipartisan backing, that proposal also seems in danger of failing for lack of sufficient Republican support. Even if all Senate Democrats and the independents who caucus with them voted in favor, which is hardly assured, at least 14 Republicans would need to agree to reach the threshold for advancing the measure. Ms. Collins still seemed far short of that number on Wednesday. Democrats also pushed the gun issue at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee, putting forward an amendment to the annual Homeland Security spending bill that would bar individuals suspected of terrorist activities from purchasing firearms, similar to a Democratic measure that failed in the Senate on Monday. “I just want to make it very clear that I’d rather my child be inconvenienced than dead,†said Representative Nita M. Lowey of New York, the committee’s top Democrat. The amendment failed, with every Republican and two Democrats voting against it. | 1 | [
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FMD2268 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Hawker Beechcraft can be rephrased as Beechcraft aircraft manufacturer. Claim summaries: Did the U.S. government unfairly exclude Hawker Beechcraft from bidding to supply military aircraft for Afghanistan?
contextual information: Claim: The U.S. government unfairly excluded Hawker Beechcraft from bidding to supply military aircraft for Afghanistan. Examples: [Collected via e-mail, December 2011] "Any president whose actions so consistently refute his own words must have deep contempt for the intelligence of the American public." The obama administration told U.S. owned Hawker Beechcraft earlier this week they are being excluded from bidding on the US Air Force contract for a light attack aircraft. That leaves Brazilian owned Embraer as the likely recipient of the lucrative deal. I found this one hard to believe so I did a little research. It was tough because this was completely ignored by the main stream media. This is a double slap in the face of the United States. At a time when jobs, the economy, and security are the most critical priorities for our country, the Obama administration decides to send a defense contract to a foreign owned company. This has to be the stupidest thing this administration has done to date. This is not just a dumb decision, it is a perfect example of why this president is such a poor leader. He talks about wanting jobs. He says we need to force companies to repatriate billions of dollars that Americans keep overseas. He wants to raise taxes so he can spend billions on stimulus that does nothing to stimulate anything. And when it's time to act, he sends our tax dollars overseas at the expense of American jobs and income for an American company. This is nothing more than a Chicago-style political pay back; but this time it is at the expense of our national security. How much more damage will obama be allowed to do in the next 14 months? One of the lead stories in the media this week blasted congress for insider trading. If this contract goes to Embraer it will be a huge pay off to another George Soros company. When will the 4th estate do it's constitutionally protected job and expose the real obama to the American people? Origins: On 30 December 2011, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that it had awarded a $355 million contract to Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) for 20 light air-support/single-engine turboprop aircraft that will serve as both trainers and ground-attack planes for Afghanistan's air force. Wichita-based aircraft manufacturer Hawker Beechcraft (HBDC) had hoped that their AT-6 aircraft, an armed version of their T-6 trainer which is currently used by the U.S. military, would be chosen for the contract, but the U.S. Air Force (USAF) excluded the AT-6 from the running, leaving the A-29 Super Tucano built by Sierra Nevada Corp. in partnership with Brazil-based Embraer as the lone eligible supplier. Hawker Beechcraft Corp. has since filed suit against the U.S. government over the exclusion, maintaining that the Air Force had not provided them with sufficient detail about the reasons behind their exclusion and that Embraer had been unfairly favored: The suit alleges the exclusion was "arbitrary and capricious" and seeks to prevent the government from awarding a contract until Beechcraft can make its case in court. "This is yet another example of the Air Force's lack of transparency throughout this competition," said Bill Boisture, Hawker Beechcraft chairman and CEO, in a statement. "With this development, it now seems even clearer that the Air Force intended to award the contract to Embraer from early in this process." "We think we were wrongfully excluded from the competition," Boisture said. "We don't understand the basis for the exclusion, and frankly, we think we've got the best airplane. "So we're going to take every avenue available to us to make sure our product is fully evaluated and recognized for what it is. There are several issues here that just, frankly, don't make sense." The Air Force maintains that the process was fair, that Hawker Beechcraft was excluded because "multiple deficiencies and significant weaknesses found in HBDC's proposal make it technically unacceptable and results in unacceptable mission capability risk," and that the company failed to respond to its notice of exclusion in time to request a debriefing or file a protest: respond Lt. Col. Wesley Miller, an Air Force spokesman, said the contest "was conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations" and that the evaluation of the aircraft "was fair, open and transparent." In dismissing Hawker Beechcraft Corp from the competition, the Air Force found Hawker Beechcraft's bid "technically unacceptable," one that would result in an "unacceptable mission capability risk." The Air Force said the company missed a three-day deadline to file a request for a debriefing and a 10-day deadline to file a protest. It is not possible at this point to definitively determine why the USAF excluded Hawker Beechcraft from the Light Aircraft Support (LAS) bidding, as ongoing litigation prevents the Air Force from releasing information regarding the competition, but according to industry observers the primary issue behind Hawker Beechcraft's disqualification was that the LAS contract called for a non-developmental, production-ready aircraft, and Hawker Beechcraft's AT-6 was still a developmental aircraft. observers According to SNC's own statement on the issue: statement In its Request for Proposal, the Air Force specifically sought a non-developmental, in-production aircraft so that warfighters in-theater could have an advanced solution quickly and so that American taxpayers would not have to pay development costs. The plane proposed by SNC's competitor is a developmental aircraft that is not in production and has never been used for light air support or any other purpose. The AT-6 is a developmental aircraft. With only two prototypes in existence, it has never been in production. In contrast, the aircraft selected by the Air Force and to be provided by SNC, Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano, is a light air support aircraft that is currently in use with six air forces around the world. Unlike the AT-6, the A-29 Super Tucano has more than seven years of real-world combat and training experience behind it. This means that its operational costs are known and that all costly development issues related to weapons load, maneuverability and operations have already been worked out. Only the A-29 Super Tucano has actually flown in combat. More significantly, only the A-29 was built from the ground up to perform counterinsurgency and light air support operations. The A-29 is larger in size allowing it to make full use of the 1,600-hp engine without power limitations due to torque. It sits higher off the ground and has a broader stance, increasing stability on unprepared airfields. The A-29's longer tail section increases longitudinal stability and provides exceptional accuracy for the delivery of weapons. Only the A-29 delivery system is specifically designed with the five NATO hard points for external stores, translating into maximum operational flexibility for the war fighters in the theater. The AT-6 carries no munitions in its native configuration. This is a critical difference. The A-29 also is munitions-certified with over 130 operational external load configurations. The AT-6 is not yet munitions-certified. In February 2012, the Air Force announced it was canceling the contract with Sierra Nevada Corp. pending an investigation of the award: General Donald Hoffman, commander of the Air Force Materiel Command, has started an investigation, Jennifer Cassidy, an Air Force Spokeswoman, said. She said she didn't know whether the contract would be re-opened for competition and didn't elaborate on the reason for the cancellation. "While we pursue perfection, we sometimes fall short, and when we do we will take corrective action," Michael B. Donley, the Air Force secretary, said in a statement. "Since the acquisition is still in litigation, I can only say that the Air Force Senior Acquisition Executive, David Van Buren, is not satisfied with the quality of the documentation supporting the award decision." The awarding of the Air Force contract to a partner of Brazil-based Embraer did not necessarily mean that all the jobs connected with the contract would be sent overseas, as Embraer said that its partner, Nevada-based Sierra Nevada Corp., would build the turboprops in Jacksonville, Florida, if it won the contract: The A-29 Super Tucano will be built in America. Embraer will make the plane at a new production facility in Jacksonville, Fla. Over 88 percent of the dollar value of the A-29 Super Tucano comes from components supplied by U.S. companies or countries that qualify under the Buy America Act. No new jobs are being created in Brazil as a result of this contract. Despite the claim made in the example text reproduced above that the subject of Hawker Beechcraft's exclusion was "completely ignored by the mainstream media," it has in fact received widespread news coverage in a variety of media sources, including at least five of the nine highest-circulation newspapers in the U.S. (The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the San Jose Mercury News, the New York Post, and the Chicago Tribune). widespread Also, we found no evidence to support the claim that "If this contract goes to Embraer it will be a huge pay off to another George Soros company," as we turned up no information indicating that George Soros holds an ownership stake in Embraer. The closest connection we found between George Soros and Embraer seems to be that the former is one of the leading shareholders in China's Hainan Airlines Group (HNA), and HNA bought ERJ-145 jets from Harbin Embraer, a partnership between Embraer and the Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation of Harbin, China. However, that connection makes Soros a customer of Embraer, not an owner, and therefore does not put him in a position to profit from the awarding of an Air Force contact to Embraer. shareholders Last updated: 5 March 2012 Hodge, Nathan. "Hawker Beechcraft Sues Over Air Force Bidding." The Wall Street Journal. 28 December 2011. Hodge, Nathan. "Embraer Hits Defense Barrier." The Wall Street Journal. 11 January 2012. Ivory, Danielle. "Air Force Cancels Contract to Sierra After Hawker Protest." San Francisco Chronicle. 1 March 2012. McMillin, Molly. "Hawker Requests GAO Review of Air Force Deal." The Wichita Eagle. 22 November 2011. McMillin, Molly. "Hawker Beechcraft Files Suit Over Air Force Contract." The Wichita Eagle. 28 December 2011. Associated Press. "Hawker Beechcraft Sues Over Air Force Contract." 28 December 2011. Associated Press. "Air Force Temporarily Halts Work After Hawker Beechcraft Lawsuit." The Washington Post. 5 January 2012. | 2 | [
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FMD2269 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: SAN FRANCISCO — When Amazon introduced its Echo device in late 2014, Google executives were caught off guard. For years, they had predicted the creation of a virtual assistant that would answer questions or help accomplish tasks, and they focused on building that capability into smartphones and tablets. Amazon took a different approach and created the Echo, a device with the sole purpose of showcasing the company’s artificially intelligent assistant software, called Alexa. Since then, the Echo has become a surprise hit, vaulting Amazon ahead of Google in a race to build technology that interacts as humans do. Users can ask Alexa to play music, dim the lights or call for a ride. For Google, whose name is synonymous with finding answers on the internet, Amazon’s success with Alexa exposed a vulnerability. Google, along with its parent company, Alphabet, has invested heavily to solve the technology world’s toughest problems, but it often trails competitors in turning those advancements into products and businesses. On Tuesday, Google is expected to finally unveil its answer to the Echo, alongside new smartphones and tablets. The Google Home device, which looks a little like an air freshener, is expected to go on sale later this month. Google Home is powered by what Google calls the Assistant, which uses artificial intelligence to understand what users are saying and respond conversationally with the best answers. Google introduced a messaging app last month that incorporates the Assistant, and the company plans to add the feature to its latest smartphones and tablets. Given the newness of the market for artificially intelligent home gadgets, Google has plenty of time to close the gap. The company believes it can win over consumers with a smarter digital assistant that builds on its stronghold in search and years of research in artificial intelligence. But the fact that Google was outmaneuvered by Amazon — not Apple, which builds its own digital assistant technology, called Siri, into its mobile products — has caused throughout the technology industry. Amazon has a notoriously uneven track record in making hardware, with some hits, like the Kindle and spectacular whiffs, like the Fire Phone. “Amazon is the accidental winner here,†said Scott Galloway, a professor of marketing at the Stern School of Business at New York University. “Amazon got there first, which is superimpressive, and it has been a huge hit. †Google is a leader in natural language processing — the ability to turn spoken words into terms that computers can digest — and its search engine is the starting point for how most people get answers on the internet. In fact, the company says 20 percent of Google searches on mobile phones are done by voice. So why didn’t Google create an device before Amazon? In part, Google was hindered by a balkanized structure that prevented different groups within the company from working together, according to four current and former employees. Google, based in Mountain View, Calif. had a large team working on voice search but its focus was on an app for smartphones. The company had a separate team working on the Android operating system, which runs on smartphones, tablets and home devices, and they were building virtual assistant technology into mobile devices. Google bought Nest Labs, a manufacturer of thermostats and smoke detectors, for $3. 2 billion in 2014 as an entree into the home. But the unit seldom collaborated with the rest of the company. And other Google hardware divisions responsible for building smartphones, tablets, Chromebook computers, routers and Chromecast devices to stream video were focused on updating products. A competitor for the Echo, it seems, fell through the cracks. This is not the first time Amazon has jumped ahead of Google, despite the search company’s considerable technological edge. From its inception, Google has devoted enormous resources to operating efficient data centers to power its many services. But it was Amazon that identified an opportunity in renting out its technology infrastructure to companies in need of computing power, storage and data analysis. That business, called Amazon Web Services, is now on pace to generate more than $10 billion in revenue this year, while Google is playing . A lack of focus can at times compound these issues. Google encourages its employees to spend 20 percent of their time pursuing new ideas beyond their usual responsibilities. Products like Gmail emerged from this policy, but it also fosters a that, according to one former employee, leads Google to chase too many ideas. “Part of the problem is that it has a scattershot approach to things,†said Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research. When pursuing new ideas, he said, “they don’t always make big bets strategically. †Google has spent seven years working on cars, for example, and it is still not clear how the company plans to cash in on its work. By contrast, Uber, which started as a company around the time that Google started work on autonomous vehicles, is already testing cars to pick up customers in Pittsburgh. Despite its many successes, Google has a spotty history of creating devices. In 2012, Google introduced an speaker called the Nexus Q. The vision was for the device to plug into a home entertainment system for streaming music or video, a sort of hybrid of an Apple TV and a Sonos speaker. But Google killed the product before it even started shipping it to consumers. Also in 2012, Google bought the phone manufacturer Motorola for $12. 5 billion. The next year, it introduced the Moto X, the first smartphone equipped with a listening chip so users could bring the phone to life by uttering the words “O. K. Google. †It has pushed this feature into the latest phones running its Android operating system. Apple’s more recent iPhones and iPads have a similar feature, activated by the words “Hey Siri. †But what makes the Amazon Echo stand out is a technology called a microphone that can make out someone’s voice from across a room, even when there is background clatter. And the Echo is always in position to listen for the wake word — Alexa — whereas phones are often tucked away in pockets and bags. According to a former employee, Google has tinkered with audio, but its focus was on the car, not a home device. Amazon invested in artificial intelligence and speech technologies in the years before unveiling Echo, but its most crucial asset was its strength in the cloud computing market, which it dominates with Amazon Web Services, or A. W. S. The vast majority of Echo’s intelligence is contained in A. W. S. and most of the apps that developers have built for Alexa run on the cloud service. “The most important architectural vision is that it’s all in the cloud,†Dave Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president for devices and services, said in an interview this year. Amazon says tens of thousands of developers are creating skills for Alexa, more than 3, 000 of which have been released so far. And thousands of developers are working to incorporate Alexa’s voice capabilities into their hardware products. Last month, GE Appliances announced an Alexa app that lets people preheat a connected oven with voice commands. Chris Herbert, chief executive of a called TrackR that makes wireless beacons for finding misplaced keys and wallets, recently released an app for Alexa that allows people to find their items with voice commands. Mr. Herbert said he had looked at the voice offerings from both Google and Apple, but neither company yet offered the same range of capabilities as Amazon, because they viewed it as an feature to phones as opposed to a computer. “It’s kind of to me,†he said. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD2270 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Kid Rock, Jason Aldean Removed NY From Tour Over Trump Civil Fraud Ruling? Claim summaries: In the verdict released February 2024, a New York judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties.
contextual information: In February 2024, a rumor went viral allegingKid Rock and Jason Aldean removed New York stops on a concert tour in protest of a judge's decision in a civil fraud case to make former U.S. President Donald Trump pay $355 million in penalties. judge's decision For instance, on Feb. 18, 2024, a Facebook post by America's Last Line of Defense went viral with side-by-side photos of Aldean and Kid Rock and the text, "Kid Rock and Jason Aldean Remove New York From the 'You Can't Cancel America' Tour: 'We Support 45'," referring to Trump's ranking as America's 45th president. post The claim spread on other social media platforms, as well, including X (formerly Twitter), where someusersappeared to show support for the singers. Days earlier, a New York judge ordered Trump to pay the penalties in a sweeping civil fraud verdict, finding he had lied for years about his wealth on financial statements for loans and to make real-estate deals, The Associated Press reported. other social media platforms users The Associated Press reported Conservative pundit Brigitte Gabriel wrote, for example: "Kid Rock and Jason Aldean have responded to New York's extreme attack on President Trump by REMOVING the state from their 'You Can't Cancel America Tour.' This is a BIG DEAL and a sign of the silent majority rising again!" wrote (Screenshot via X) However, the claim about Aldean and Kid Rock was fictional. While they have indeed headlined concerts together before, there appeared to be no evidence of a "You Can't Cancel America Tour," like the posts claimed. Since the tour was made up, so was the notion they had removed New York dates due to their feelings on Trump. headlined concerts no evidence The rumor stemmed from an articleby The Dunning-Kruger Times, a site that is part of a network of websites and social media accounts operated by America's Last Line of Defense's (ALLOD). The article stated: article stated 'We support 45 [referring to Trump],' the tour's website announced, 'Therefore, we won't be bringing the tour to the state that has treated him so poorly.' The tour was set to play more than a dozen dates in New York, adding untold millions to local economies and giving patriotic Americans living in a liberal nightmare the chance to have a night to themselves. The Dunning-Kruger Times describes its output as satirical. The website's "About Us" section states: About Us Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you're still having an issue with that satire thing. The website's creators callpeople who believe its stories "taters." The website states: call 'Taters' are the conservative fans of America's Last Line of Defense. They are fragile, frightened, mostly older caucasian Americans. They believe nearly anything. While we go out of our way to educate them that not everything they agree with is true, they are still old, typically ignorant, and again very afraid of everything. Kid Rock has been a vocal supporter of Trump. Also, Trump oncedefendedAldean amid accusations of racist imagery in his "Try That In A Small Town" music video. vocal defended We've fact-checked numerous satirical claims stemming from Dunning-Kruger Times, including one about Aldean supposedly saying Garth Brooks was not welcome at Toby Keith's candlelight vigil and another about Mark Wahlberg supposedly joining Kid Rock and Aldean on tour. about supposedly For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor. why "About Us." Dunning-Kruger-Times.Com, 1 Aug. 2022, https://dunning-kruger-times.com/about-us/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024. "Here's a Look inside Donald Trump's $355 Million Civil Fraud Verdict." AP News, 17 Feb. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/trump-fraud-letitia-james-new-york-engoron-38bc3a7f2ccb22555c026e9bf70fd5bb.Accessed 20 Feb. 2024. "Kid Rock and Jason Aldean Remove New York from the 'You Can't Cancel America' Tour: 'We Support 45.'" Dunning-Kruger-Times.Com, 18 Feb. 2024, https://dunning-kruger-times.com/kid-rock-and-jason-aldean-removes-new-york-from-the-you-cant-cancel-america-tour-we-support-45/.Accessed 20 Feb. 2024. PerryCook, Taija. "Is Mark Wahlberg Joining Jason Aldean and Kid Rock on Tour?" Snopes, 12 Dec. 2023, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/is-mark-wahlberg-joining-jason-aldean-and-kid-rock-on-tour/.Accessed 20 Feb. 2024. PerryCook, Taija. "Jason Aldean Said Garth Brooks Was 'Absolutely Not Welcome' at Toby Keith's Vigil?" Snopes, 13 Feb. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/aldean-brooks-keiths-vigil/.Accessed 20 Feb. 2024. Sforza, Lauren. "Trump Defends Jason Aldean amid Song Controversy." The Hill, 20 July 2023, https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/4107561-trump-defends-jason-aldean-amid-song-controversy/.Accessed 20 Feb. 2024. Walker, Jackson. "Kid Rock Doubles down on Trump Support: 'Toughest Son of a B**** on Earth.'" WPDE, 12 Dec. 2023, https://wpde.com/news/nation-world/kid-rock-doubles-down-on-trump-support-toughest-son-of-a-b-on-earth-president-2024-race-biden-trump-tucker-carlson-presidential-election-republican-gop-race-haley-desantis-nashville-music.Accessed 20 Feb. 2024. | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD2271 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Is Oakland Offering "Guaranteed Income" Only to People of Color? Claim summaries: The experimental program originally described itself as solely for families who are Black, indigenous, and people of color, but that has since changed.
contextual information: On March 23, 2021, The Associated Press reported on an initiative in Oakland, California, named Oakland Resilient Families, "that will give low-income families of color $500 per month with no rules on how they can spend it." This "demonstration project," as Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf described it, is a test of what is known as a "guaranteed income." Projects like this one are part of a larger effort by a coalition of mayors to convince Congress to pass a national guaranteed income program. The Oakland program is not taxpayer-funded; all of the funding comes from charitable donations, most of which are from a philanthropic nonprofit group named Blue Meridian Partners, according to San Francisco-based NPR station KQED. Half of the program's 600 participants will be families earning below 50% of the city's median income, while the other half will come from families earning below 138% of the federal poverty level. These cut-offs were selected based on data provided by Oakland's Equality Index, which is an effort "to develop a baseline quantitative framework that can be used by City staff and community members alike to better understand the impacts of race, measure inequities, and track changes in the disparities for different groups over time." In their coverage, The Associated Press described the project as "the first program to limit participation strictly to Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities." At the time of the reporting, this was a fair representation of Oakland Resilient Families' goals, as the program's website, as well as the mayor, explicitly stated that the program was intended for "Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) families." That reporting led to tabloid headlines and angry tweets. Following this latter coverage, Oakland Resilient Families changed its website's answer to the "Who is this for?" question to "families with the greatest wealth disparities per the Oakland Equity Index, with low incomes and at least one child under 18, regardless of documentation status." Explaining the change to KQED, Rae Oglesby, the vice president of membership and communications at the Family Independence Initiative, a partner with the Oakland Resilient Families program, said the program is targeting racial groups experiencing the largest disparities, but that "it is open to all residents." Justin Berton, the communications director for Mayor Schaaf, told KQED, "We have not changed the program. We have had to clarify that while no family is prohibited from applying, this pilot is intentionally designed to serve and support BIPOC families, who evidence shows suffer the greatest and most disproportionate impacts of poverty." According to Oakland's Equality Index, the median income for white households in Oakland was almost three times the median income of African American households. The median income for white households was highest ($110,000), while the median income for African American households was lowest ($37,500). The median income for Asian households ($76,000) was similar to the citywide median income ($73,200), while Latino households fell below the citywide median with a median income of $65,000. The program is still in its earliest phases. At the moment, sign-ups for the program are not yet available. "The goal," Oakland Resilient Families' website states, "is to begin payments to families this spring after incorporating more community feedback and to have the entire program up and running this summer." Because the program is "targeted" toward BIPOC families, but at least after some clarification on the part of Oakland Resilient Families, any family meeting the financial requirements can apply, we rate this claim a "Mixture" of truth. | 2 | [
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"1",
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] | 2 |
FMD2272 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: National Park Service Twitter Account Shut Down After Anti-Trump Retweets Claim summaries: The Department of Interior took action after a tweet was shared via the National Park Service account unfavorably comparing the attendance at Trump's inauguration with that at Obama's.
contextual information: On 20 January 2017, the day Donald J. Trump took office as President of the United States, news outlets posted photospurporting to compare the size of the crowd attending Trump's inauguration to that attending Barack Obama's first inaugural ceremony in 2009. Although there was not yet an official count of how many people actually showed up atthe Trump event, so an accurate numerical comparison couldn't be made, the photos did appear to show a significantdisparity between the sizes of the crowds, with far fewer in attendance at Trump's inauguration than Obama's. photos For obvious reasons, the side-by-side images were relished byanti-Trump factions, whoshared and retweeted them all day long. There wasone instance in particular wherein a retweet of the photos caught the attention of incoming Trump officials, who deemed them inappropriate so inappropriate, in fact, that the Department of Interior promptlydeactivated every oneof its Twitter accounts in response. The offending retweet (since deleted) appeared on the National Park Service (@NatlParkService) Twitter feed: This was followed by another retweet (since deleted) of a text suggesting that the Trump administration had scrubbed information from the White House web site for ideological reasons: scrubbed All of which caused a smalluproar on Twitter, where some users jokedthat the National Park Service had "gone rogue," others wondered about the legality of the retweets, and still others defended their content as "factual, not anti-Trump." Later that day, the NPS Twitter account, along with all the other Department of Interior accounts, went silent. According to a report by CNN, the order came down from a "career staffer" at the department: gone rogue report In statements to The Washington Post, a National Park Service spokesperson explained why the action was taken and saidit would only be temporary: Thomas Crosson, a spokesmanfor the National Park Service, the Interior agency whose employee retweeted the offending tweets,said the action was inconsistent with the agencys approach to engaging the public through social media. The Department of Interiors communications team determined that it was important to stand down Twitter activity across the Department temporarily, except in the case of public safety, Crosson said in an email. Now that social media guidance has been clarified, the Department and its bureaus should resume Twitter engagement as normal this weekend. With one exception, Crosson said: No social media posts on the policy priorities of the new Interior secretary, because Trump nominee Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) has not yet been confirmed. Indeed, by the next morning, U.S.Department of Interior Twitter accounts went online again, commencing with a note of contritiontweeted by @NatlParkService: note We regret the mistaken RTs from our account yesterday and look forward to continuing to share the beauty and history of our parks with you pic.twitter.com/mctNNvlrmv pic.twitter.com/mctNNvlrmv NationalParkService (@NatlParkService) January 21, 2017 January 21, 2017 There has been no announcement regarding who may have been responsible for the retweets, or whether disciplinary action would be taken. Klein, Betsy. "Comparing Donald Trump and Barack Obama's Inaugural Crowd Sizes."
CNN. 21 January 2017. Merica, Dan."Trump Admin Tells National Park Service to Halt Tweets."
CNN.20 January 2017. Rein, Lisa."Interior Department Reactivates Twitter Accounts Ffter Shutdown Following Inauguration."
The Washington Post.21 January 2017. | 1 | [
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FMD2273 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: An ambitious Asia-Pacific trade pact linking the United States and 11 countries lay in tatters on Tuesday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he would kill the deal on his first day in office on Jan. 20. Trump’s statement appeared to open the way for China to assume the United States’ leadership mantle on trade and diplomacy in Asia. The Republican termed the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) “a potential disaster for our country.†China, Japan and South Korea are already in the initial stages of discussing a trilateral trade deal, and Beijing has been pushing its own limited Asian regional trade pact that excludes Washington for the past five years. Japan and Australia, Washington’s closest allies in Asia, pledged after Trump’s announcement to push ahead without the United States, although removing the largest market for goods and services would shrink it dramatically. “Pushing them forward is the idea that, if they don’t act, it will look like China’s very weak trade deals are the only game in town,†said Derek Scissors, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on Asian economies and trade. Trump has pledged to redraw trade deals to win back American jobs, and has threatened Mexico and China with punitive tariffs in a move that some economists have warned could spark a trade war that threatens to roll back decades of liberalization. Ending the TPP was a key election pledge of Trump’s and was also the policy of his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. The deal died in Congress after Trump’s Nov. 8 election victory. The Trans Pacific Partnership, a signature diplomatic initiative of Democratic President Barack Obama, was intended to lower tariff barriers in countries that accounted for 40 percent of the world economy, as well as providing a bulwark against China. A major trade deal between the United States and Europe is also now close to collapse after Britain’s plans to withdraw from the European Union prompted Washington to demand better terms and opposition in France and Germany has also all but scuppered it. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said “the TPP would be meaningless without the United States,†even as parliament continued debating ratification and his government vowed to lobby other members to approve it. “It (the pact) just continues in a state of not being in effect,†said Shinpei Sasaki of the Cabinet Office’s TPP headquarters. Australian Trade Minister Steven Ciobo told reporters in Canberra that countries could push ahead with the TPP without the United States by amending the agreement and possibly adding new members. “We could look at, for example, if China or Indonesia or another country wanted to join, saying, ‘Yes, we open the door for them signing up to the agreement as well.’†But Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said reopening negotiations would not be easy. “If you sign a fresh agreement, you have to go through it again. We haven’t crossed that bridge yet. We’ll cross it if and when we come to that.†China has pushed its own Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which notably excludes the United States. It is a more traditional trade agreement, involving cutting tariffs rather than opening up economies and setting labor and environmental standards as TPP would. The RCEP was a focus of attention at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru over the weekend. Tan Jian, a senior member of China’s delegation at the summit, said more countries are now seeking to join its 16-member bloc, including Peru and Chile, and current members want to reach a deal as soon as possible to counter rising protectionism. China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Beijing has an “open attitude†toward any arrangements that promote free trade in the region as long they don’t become “fragmented and politicized.†Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the RCEP was an initiative led by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which China has been promoting. “We are willing to keep pushing the (RCEP) talks process with all sides to achieve positive progress at an early date,†he said. Vietnam last week shelved its own ratification of TPP, after Obama abandoned efforts to push it through a lame-duck Congress, while Malaysia has shifted its attention to the RCEP. At a U.S.-China agricultural trade seminar in Washington, senior Obama administration officials and their Chinese counterparts appeared to ignore the elephant in the room: the collapse of TPP and Trump’s tough trade talk against China. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he was focused in a U.S.-China trade negotiators meeting in Washington this week on reducing China’s regulatory and food safety barriers to American beef, poultry and genetically modified crops out of China. “There hasn’t been a discussion about the future, there’s really a focus on the present,†Vilsack said when asked about what he was telling his Chinese counterparts about the risks posed by an incoming Trump administration. Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang did not address Trump’s trade rhetoric at the discussion in Washington, but warned that a closing of agricultural trade would be “unacceptable to our farmers.†“China is one of the most important markets for agricultural exports, accounting for nearly a fifth of U.S. agricultural exports. ... On average, every U.S. farmer exports about $12,000 of agricultural products to China†every year, Wang said. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD2274 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Obama Slams Stay at Home Moms Claim summaries: Did President Obama say women should not choose to be stay-at-home-moms?
contextual information: Claim: President Obama said women should not choose to be stay-at-home moms. Example: [Collected via email, November 2014] Obama wants stay-at-home moms back in the workforce. Many sites are reporting that Obama doesn't want women to be stay-at-home moms based on this speech. Obama's speech on Stay-at-Home Moms Aren't Worth a Hill of Beans... also, it's a choice we don't want Americans to make. Video with a comment by President Obama on Stay-at-Home Moms: 'That's Not a Choice We Want Americans to Make.' I'm just seeing this posted on Facebook and wondering if it's true or taken out of context. Origins: On 31 October 2014, President Obama delivered a speech titled "Remarks by the President on Women and the Economy" at Rhode Island College in Providence. Plucked from the context of a broader speech about paid leave for parents and general household costs such as daycare, one snippet of the President's words grabbed the attention of political blogs and social media users. A short portion of the President's remarks became a story unto itself following the speech, with a common claim attached to those words holding that President Obama had "slammed stay-at-home moms" in the cited portion of his speech. One widely circulated extract from his remarks read that way to some who hadn't caught the entire speech: Sometimes, someone... usually mom... leaves the workplace to stay home with the kids, which then leaves her earning a lower wage for the rest of her life as a result. That's not a choice we want Americans to make. So let's make this happen. By the end of this decade, let's enroll 6 million children in high-quality preschool... Taken out of context, it appeared to some that President Obama was advocating that all stay-at-home moms should return to the workforce without question and place their children in government-run preschools (presumably ones of questionable quality, or, at the very least, schools chosen by the government and not by the families themselves). What President Obama actually said, however, did not pertain to the worth of stay-at-home moms versus that of working parents. Explaining his recent experiences in discussing the challenges that mothers in the workforce face, President Obama said: I kept on hearing about my mom struggling to put herself through school, or my grandmother hitting that glass ceiling. And I thought about Michelle, and I told some stories about when Michelle and I were younger and getting started, and we were struggling to balance two careers while raising a family. And my job forced me to travel a lot, which made it harder on Michelle, and we would feel some of the guilt that so many people feel: we're working, we're thinking about the kids, we're wondering whether we're bad parents, we're wondering whether we were doing what we need to do on the job. And as the catch-22 of working parents, we wanted to spend time with our kids, but we also wanted to make sure that we gave them the opportunities that our hard work was providing. And then, of course, I think about my daughters. And the idea that my daughters wouldn't have the same opportunities as somebody's sons—well, that's unacceptable. That's not acceptable. President Obama then addressed the advances women have made in education and in graduating college and continued by explaining that females are disproportionately affected by a lack of protective policy pertaining to sick leave and paid family leave: But here's the challenge—that's all good news—the challenge is, our economy and some of the laws and rules governing our workplaces haven't caught up with that reality. A lot of workplaces haven't caught up with that reality. So while many women are working hard to support themselves and their families, they're still facing unfair choices and outdated workplace policies. That holds them back, but it also holds all of us back. We have to do better because women deserve better. And, by the way, when women do well, everybody does well. So women deserve a day off to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into hardship. And Rhode Island has got the right idea. You're one of just three states where paid family leave is the law of the land. (Applause.) More states should choose to follow your lead. The quoted bit came soon thereafter. President Obama made a case for paid leave and for the economic gains to be had if daycare and preschool were affordable to all mothers. He said: THE PRESIDENT: Without paid leave, when a baby arrives or an aging parent needs help, workers have to make painful decisions about whether they can afford to be there when their families need them most. Many women can't even get a paid day off to give birth to their child. I mean, there are a lot of companies that still don't provide maternity leave. Of course, dads should be there, too. So let's make this happen for women and for men, and make our economy stronger. (Applause.) We've got to broaden our laws for family leave. Moms and dads deserve a great place to drop their kids off every day that doesn't cost them an arm and a leg. We need better childcare, daycare, and early childhood education policies. (Applause.) In many states, sending your child to daycare costs more than sending them to a public university. AUDIENCE MEMBER: True! THE PRESIDENT: True. (Laughter.) And too often, parents have no choice but to put their kids in cheaper daycare that maybe doesn't have the kinds of programming that makes a big difference in a child's development. And sometimes there may just not be any slots, or the best programs may be too far away. And sometimes, someone, usually mom, leaves the workplace to stay home with the kids, which then leaves her earning a lower wage for the rest of her life as a result. And that's not a choice we want Americans to make. It's clear from the context of President Obama's full remarks on 31 October 2014 that his view wasn't one that "slammed" stay-at-home moms and stated "we" don't want anyone to choose to be a stay-at-home mom; rather, the choice to which he referred was for women to fairly have the option of deciding whether to remain in the workforce or to stay at home with their children, without (in the latter case) having to lose their place on the employment ladder and thus be relegated to earning lower wages for the rest of their working lives. In short, President Obama did not "slam" stay-at-home moms; he instead argued that current policies affecting mothers are unfair and should be changed to allow, among other things, expanded maternity leave and affordable daycare and preschool options to ensure women have more choice in deciding how to balance their economic and family lives. Remarks Last updated: 3 November 2014. | 0 | [
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FMD2275 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: On the City College of New York’s handsome Gothic campus, leaking ceilings have turned hallways into obstacle courses of buckets. The bathrooms sometimes run out of toilet paper. The lectures are becoming uncomfortably overcrowded, and course selections are dwindling, because of steep budget cuts. The faculty of the college’s engineering school is so “disengaged and beaten,†an assessment last year warned, that if “serious shortcomings†were not rectified, the school could fail to earn reaccreditation. On Friday, Michelle Obama will deliver a commencement address at the college, the flagship school of the City University of New York system, which is the largest urban public university in the country. She is likely to celebrate its proud legacy of creating opportunity for New York’s striving class. Established in 1847 as the Free Academy of New York to educate “the children of the whole people,†as its founder Townsend Harris said, City College has been called “the poor man’s Harvard. †until 1976, it has produced 10 Nobel Prize winners. It was a hotbed of Jewish intellectuals in the 1930s, and today it welcomes the ambitious children of families from around the world, many of them poor and working class. But any evocation of the past by Ms. Obama will mask a troubled present. “We have gone backwards,†said Frederick R. Brodzinski, a senior administrator and adjunct professor in computer science who plans to retire in September after 30 years at the university. “Morale is horrible on campus. There are too many highly paid administrators, and there’s a lack of clear leadership. We have stepped down on the ladder that we were climbing for about 10 years. †The troubles at City College, and throughout the entire CUNY system, are representative of a funding crisis that has been building at public universities across the country. Even as the role of higher education as an engine of economic mobility has become increasingly vital, governments have been pulling back their support. Since the 2008 recession, states have reduced spending on public higher education by 17 percent per student, while tuition has risen by 33 percent, according to a recent report by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Arizona is spending 56 percent less, while students are paying 88 percent more. In Louisiana, students are spending 80 percent more on tuition, while state funding has been cut by 39 percent. The University of California system relied on state funding for almost a quarter of its budget as recently as 2002, according to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Now, that figure is 9 percent, after $1 billion in cuts. CUNY, a collection of 24 community, undergraduate and graduate schools, where 45, 000 employees help to educate 274, 000 students annually, has been caught in the political feud between Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, both Democrats. The governor proposed shifting some $485 million in costs to New York City from the state, which has paid for the bulk of the senior colleges since a fiscal crisis in the 1970s. The city eventually won, but the governor’s $1. 6 billion appropriation did little to stem the chronic underfunding of the system. While enrollment has climbed by more than 12 percent over the last eight years, Albany’s funding of operating costs — the main source of public money for the 11 colleges, where of students are enrolled — has dropped by 17 percent adjusted for inflation, according to Stephen Brier, a CUNY professor of urban education and of the forthcoming book “Austerity Blues: Fighting for the Soul of Public Higher Education. †The 25, 000 faculty and staff members represented by CUNY’s biggest union, the Professional Staff Congress, have not had a raise in six years. They have vowed to walk out in the fall if the contract dispute is not resolved — knowing that a strike could lead to arrests and fines. And students are paying more. The share of CUNY’s $3. 2 billion budget that comes from tuition has climbed to 45 percent from 20 percent in 1989. In the last five years, tuition at its colleges has risen by $300 per year, to $6, 330 for New York State residents. Undergraduates must also pay an extra $280 a year, at least, in fees. It is a daunting burden to students, more than half of whom report family incomes below $30, 000, according to school data. “This is the kind of crisis that’s been brewing for a while,†said Mr. Brier. “We were a tad complacent in New York getting by, and now we’re not. But this is also part of a much larger set of developments nationally where public universities are in severe crisis. †State officials have argued that support from Albany, when including items such as debt service, employee benefits and tuition assistance, has risen by 20 percent since 2011. They also contend that CUNY has too much administrative bloat. Yet the system’s overhead costs have increased at a slower pace since 2007 than other area public institutions, according to Howard J. Bunsis, a professor of accounting at Eastern Michigan University, who has researched government and nonprofit accounting. More than anything, though, it has been the compounding nature of the fiscal pressures, year after year, with this year being the worst, that has eaten away at the experience of CUNY’s students and faculty, from canceled electives to instructors improvising in the face of shortages. Some even fret that the university may lose the momentum it has gained in the last two decades, after it ended an policy for its colleges, and successfully raised academic standards and launched new programs. Joseph Awadjie, an immigrant from Ghana, earned a bachelor’s degree at Brooklyn College in 2007. After working for a while at a physical therapy practice, he returned to the college in 2013 to pursue a master’s degree in kinesiology. He said he was struck by a rapidly deteriorating campus — some call it “Brokelyn College†— where students were often unable to get into the courses they needed to meet requirements. One of his courses, cardiac rehabilitation, lacked essential materials such as inhalers and carbon dioxide masks. “It’s like two different worlds,†he said. Mr. Awadjie has become even more aware of the systemwide problems from his perch as chairman of the CUNY University Student Senate. He fielded no more than five complaints a month when his term began in 2014, but this year, he said, he has gotten more than 60 a month, many about overcrowded classes. At City College, Anais McAllister, 22, a senior from Yonkers, said she had planned to major in English with a concentration in education, which would have allowed her to become a teacher after graduation. When some of her required education classes were canceled, she realized she would need another year — and another $6, 000, at least — to graduate with the education credential. With her scholarship expiring at the end of this academic year, and a younger brother entering trade school in the fall to obtain his plumber certification, she dropped the education concentration. “The fact that this can happen, where your department can be cut financially where you have to think about dropping it, is ridiculous,†she said. Technical problems are common, with elevators, escalators and copy machines frequently out of order. Computers and other equipment often do not work in classrooms. signals are a tease. At Lehman College in the Bronx, Robert Farrell, an associate professor in the library department, said the library’s entire book budget this academic year was $13, 000, down from about $60, 000 a decade ago. Because the roof has been chronically leaky, about 200 books were damaged during a rainstorm three years ago a tarp still covers some volumes. Mr. Farrell also said that the library has had to reduce its spending on academic journals and database subscriptions. “We can’t be a serious institution of higher learning without providing our faculty and students with access to these kinds of things,†he said. Senior professors said CUNY’s woes have hampered its ability to retain and recruit faculty. So the university has relied increasingly on adjuncts: while the number of faculty at CUNY’s colleges has been flat since 2009, the number of adjuncts has climbed by 23 percent. The bigger class sizes have made it harder to grade papers. papers are now more common, students and instructors said, versus the five or six pages. Classes, overstuffed, have become more impersonal. Michael Batson, an adjunct lecturer who has taught history at the College of Staten Island since 2000, said that he traditionally gave his freshmen, many from immigrant families, “ assignments†at first, in order to offer intensive instruction. But his classes have steadily increased in size, while staying in the same cramped classrooms. Group projects — which he favors, as a way to get small clusters of students to work together — have also become impossible. “It’s a workload issue, and it does affect the kind of things you can do,†he said. Nowhere has the frustration been more keenly felt than at City College, which has had five provosts in the last six years, since the arrival of Lisa S. Coico, the first CUNY alumna to serve as college president. A former provost at Temple University with a background in microbiology and immunology, she was chosen to lead an ambitious expansion of the college’s science programs. She has also polarized the campus. Last fall, with Albany’s budget uncertain, the CUNY administration asked its colleges to cut their budgets by at least 3 percent. City College, citing increased personnel costs and declining enrollment, particularly in graduate programs, imposed a 10 percent cut, or $14. 6 million. Programs with the steepest enrollment declines suffered the most, with the humanities and education departments cut by more than 40 percent each. “It is a good budget model, and it’s better than the way we used to do it for the past 40 years, which was arbitrary, very political and you had to go and beg for everything,†said Gordon A. Gebert, the interim dean of the architecture school. Many others disagreed. In October, nearly two dozen department leaders and faculty members active in governance, in a letter to CUNY’s chancellor, James B. Milliken, warned that “these cuts could mean the closing of programs for undergraduate majors and graduate students, forcing students to transfer in order to complete their degrees and producing a consequent decline in City College’s graduation rate. †Not long after, a group of senior staff members urged the chancellor to investigate “generous bonuses, unusually high starting salaries and disproportionate salary increases†to unnamed employees, according to a letter obtained by The Times. According to public data analyzed by The Times, the college paid administrators classified as “executives†a total of $7. 25 million in the last year, up 45 percent from 2009. Eleven of the 18 biggest salary increases, by percentage, came in 2015, even as the college was slashing its budget. The provost’s office and government relations operations, in particular, have expanded. When asked about the personnel moves, the college, in a statement, said it had “invested in hiring new faculty and staff as well as moving existing staff to the executive level consistent with increased responsibilities for these areas. †The school’s use of foundation money has also been questioned. Documents obtained by The Times indicated that the college’s 21st Century Foundation paid for some of Ms. Coico’s personal expenses, such as fruit baskets, housekeeping services and rugs, when she took office in 2010. The foundation was then reimbursed for more than $150, 000 from CUNY’s Research Foundation. That has raised eyebrows among governance experts, because such funds are typically earmarked for research. The college did not make Ms. Coico available for an interview. In response to written questions, the college said that Ms. Coico “does not owe monies†to either foundation. One thing that Ms. Coico has accomplished, according to the college, is repairing campus facilities and starting new projects, such as a 200, 000 Center for Discovery and Innovation, which was finished in 2015, to facilitate research in fields such as nanotechnology, neuroscience and photonics. Still, during a recent visit to the college’s North Academic Center, water tumbled from the ceiling, because of an apparent plumbing leak, into 10 buckets on the first floor. Christine Li, a biology professor, recalled a genetics class in a lecture hall notorious for water leaks, where she has been “worried about plugging my computer†when it rains. One day, she was surprised when she heard students gasp. “All these enormous water bugs were coming at me,†she said. “Another professor sitting in on the lecture got up on stage and started stomping on them. Not a very conducive learning environment. †Even as enrollments in the college’s more technical programs grow, they have endured problems. The engineering school is set to have its accreditation renewed this fall. To get an assessment, the school in October invited in national experts in various engineering fields. While the experts praised the students, they found “poor†and unsafe lab conditions “not conducive to good learning,†according to reports obtained by The Times. Computers used outdated technologies, such as floppy disks and archaic operating systems. Public places teemed with “rodents, roaches, bedbugs and other vermin,†and the computer science department reported “experiencing a water leak for over 18 years. †In its response, the college said it welcomed “constructive and valuable suggestions,†such as “upgrades for laboratory, computer and equipment and renovation of teaching spaces. †It also said that “the curriculum remains strong and many aspects have been strengthened since the last visit. †But just a few weeks ago, the college proposed — then scrapped, after student protests — a new $300 “excellence†fee for engineering undergraduates to help defray lab costs. “It is not possible to meet the needs of the undergraduate program,†the proposal read, “without a reliable new income stream as a means to address the shortfall. †| 1 | [
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FMD2276 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Iraqi forces and Shi ite paramilitaries captured an air base from Islamic State on Monday, the army said, gaining a strategic foothold in the north of the country as they push toward the town of Hawija. Iraq launched an offensive on September 21 to dislodge Islamic State from Hawija, which lies west of the oil city of Kirkuk and is one of two areas of the country still under the control of the militant group. Iraqi army commanders said the Rashad air base, which is around 30 km (20 miles) south of Hawija, was used by the militants as a training camp and logistic base. Militants took control of the air base after the Iraqi army collapsed in 2014 in the face of the Islamic State offensive. After quick rehabilitation works, the air base will play a key role for Iraqi forces by allowing helicopters to transport soldiers and arms in any future operation to maintain security in the north, said army Lieutenant Colonel Salih Yaseen. The air base will help to put an end to the terrorists pockets hiding in mountainous areas near Kirkuk and remove any possible threat to the energy facilities and oilfields. Hawija, north of Baghdad, and a stretch of land along the Syrian border, west of the Iraqi capital, are the last stretches of territory in Iraq still in the hands of Islamic State. Islamic State s self-declared caliphate effectively collapsed in July, when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces captured Mosul, the group s de facto capital in Iraq, after a grueling nine-month battle. | 1 | [
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FMD2277 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Amazon.com and Intifada.com Claim summaries: Is the web site Intifada.com partnered with Amazon.com?
contextual information: Claim: On-line bookseller Amazon.com is partnered with the web site Intifada.com. Not any more. Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2001] A good friend of mine, while searching the Internet, ran across Intifada.com. OK. Then he sees a promotion right on their web page by Amazon.Com advising the readers that: "You can buy books about the Intifada and Palestine from Amazon.Com. All profits from the referral will go to developing Intifada.com." How great! I would assume that this pretty well eliminates Amazon.Com as a book seller, for those of us that understand that the Intifada is about killing Israeli civilians and driving Israel out of the land of their forefathers. And obviously Amazon.Com is not planning on receiving any more of our business! It would also be nice for us to notify Amazon.Com of our decision and how shocked we were at their evident lack of knowledge of the conflict and the terrorist activities and suicide bombings of civilians that have been the paramount focus of this Intifada. Origins: Like many other web retailers, Amazon.com operates an associates program under which operators of qualifying web sites can earn commissions by directing visitors to purchase books and other products through Amazon.com's own site. (We here at snopes.com participate in this program, offering links on our site to various urban legend-related books which can be purchased through Amazon.com.) associates books An inquiry to Amazon.com about this issue drew the following terse response: Greetings from the Amazon.com Associates Program. Thank you for taking the time to write to us regarding the Web site www.intifada.com. Please note, this account has been suspended pending further investigation, and we have requested they remove all links to Amazon.com immediately. Thanks again for contacting us regarding this matter. posted policy states that sites which may be found unsuitable for acceptance into their associates program include those that promote sexually explicit materials; promote violence; promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age; promote illegal activities; include "amazon" or variations or misspellings thereof in their domain names; or otherwise violate intellectual property rights. Intifada.com did have Amazon.com associate links on their site at one time (as confirmed by Amazon.com's statement that their account has been "suspended"), but we have no way of knowing whether Amazon.com took them on as an associate site because they didn't feel the site unsuitable under their guidelines, or because they simply didn't screen the site's application as thoroughly as they ordinarily do. Either way, Intifada.com no longer has any links to Amazon.com that we can find. Last updated: 7 March 2008 | 2 | [
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FMD2278 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: The revised lifestyle in America Claim summaries:
contextual information: FACT CHECK: Are the claims made in an e-mail titled "New American Way of Life" accurate? Claim: An e-mail titled "New American Way of Life" accurately describes a generous safety net available to Americans who opt not to work. Examples: [Collected via Facebook and e-mail, August 2015] Do you have any info on this article? I find a lot of it to be wrong, and no sources are cited. From what I understand less than 5% of the population abuses welfare, Pell grants barely cover college tuition and books. Who gets free cell phones? Does a mother of 2 really get $600 a month in food stamps? I've seen this posted 3 times today in my FB feed and feel it needs to be dispelled ------------------------ The Key to Success for Those Who Are Inheriting America in 13 Easy Steps! How to get $75,000 in benefits every year from the US Government for you and your girlfriend? Follow these proven and simple steps. First ... get a girlfriend 1. Don't marry her. 2. Use your mom's address to receive your mail. 3. The guy buys a house. 4. Guy rents out house to his girl girlfriend who has 2 of his kids. 5. Section 8 will pay $900 a month for a 3 bedroom home. 6. Girlfriend signs up for Obamacare so guy doesn't have to pay for family insurance. 7. Being a single mother, Girlfriend gets to go to college for free! 8. Girlfriend gets $600 a month for food stamps 9. Girlfriend gets free cell phone from US Government 10. Girlfriend get free utilities. 11. Guy moves into home but still uses mom's house to receive mail. 12. Girlfriend claims one kid and guy claims one kid on taxes. Now you both get to claim head of household at $1,800 credit. 13. Girlfriend gets disability for being "crazy" or having a "bad back" at $1,800 a month and never has to work again. This plan is perfectly legal and is being executed now by millions of people. A married couple with a stay at home mom yields $0 dollars. An unmarried couple with stay at home mom nets $21,600 disability + $10,800 free housing + $6,000 free obamacare + $6,000 free food + $4,800 free utilities + $6,000 Pell Grant money to spend + $12,000 a year in college tuition free from Pell Grant + $8,800 tax benefit for being a single mother = $75,000 a year in benefits. Any idea why the country is 18 + trillion in debt? Welcome to the new multicultural diverse, fundamentally changed America, thanks to the ever popular and exciting, everyone is entitled to everything world. Origins: The item reproduced above has been circulating online since at least April 2015, and after it was published the Miller County Liberal of to Colquitt, Georgia, on 19 August 2015 it received a boost in popularity due to the implied authority of appearing in print. (Although it was attributed to "John Tabb," an earlier version was credited to "Jeffery Rightmire.") published credited As is often the case with e-mail polemics focused on purported welfare abuse and taxpayer outrage, the "New American Way of Life" offers an implausible, far-fetched scenario to condemn those who use public assistance to make ends meet: polemics welfare abuse taxpayer assistance 1. Don't marry (your girlfriend). 2. Use your mom's address to receive your mail. 3. The guy buys a house. 4. Guy rents out house to his girlfriend who has 2 of his kids. 5. Section 8 will pay $900 a month for a 3 bedroom home. Points 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the forward pertain to the imagined generosity of the housing program colloquially called "Section 8," the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) assistance program that provides very low-income families with subsidized vouchers they can use towards paying a portion of their monthly rent. Section 8 HUD While Section 8 is frequently derided in the fashion referenced above, it's very difficult to play the system in the manner described due to the low supply versus tremendous demand for housing and vouchers among those in need of it. Applicants typically have to spend years on waiting lists before Section 8 housing becomes available, and in many cases it takes years to even get one's name on a waiting list in the first place. Waiting lists for the program close to new applicants for years at a time on a not-infrequent basis, as a 24 August 2015 article in the Albuquerque Journal reported: close years The waiting list for Section 8 subsidized housing will re-open on Sept. 1, after closing 28 months ago, the Bernalillo County Housing Department announced Friday. But getting onto that waiting list is no assurance that a person will move into Section 8 housing anytime soon. According to Housing Department senior administrative assistant, Craig Smith, the waiting list will re-open with 600 people still on the list, and we expect to add thousands by the time the list is closed back down, though there is no tentative date when that will happen. The wait list was shut down on May 1, 2013, because of sequestering of funds and budget cuts from the federal government, in particular the federal department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. So it's extremely unlikely the baby daddy landlord in this hypothetical scenario could simply make a residence available for the Section 8 program and then immediately rent it to the tenant of his choosing. He'd typically have to wait years for his preferred renter (i.e., his girlfriend) to get on a Section 8 waiting list, then more years for her to work her way to the top of the list, before he could double-dip by getting the government to subsidize his girlfriend's paying him rent to live in a house he owns. The baby daddy in this scenario (one who can afford to buy his own house) would probably be far better off financially if he simply lived in the house with his girlfriend, or rented it out to someone other than his girlfriend. 6. Girlfriend signs up for Obamacare so guy doesn't have to pay for family insurance. There is a persistent misperception that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as PPACA, the ACA, or "Obamacare") somehow allows low-income Americans to "sign up" for free medical care and/or free health insurance. It doesn't. It does provide lower-income households with tax credits/subsidies for the purchase of health insurance, but one would generally have to be at the very lower end of the ACA income scale and select the least expensive type of health insurance plan available to avoid paying anything at all for insurance. (And even then, the family would still have to pay out of pocket for all the costs not necessarily covered by insurance, such as copays for office visits, diagnostic tests, lab work, prescriptions, hospital stays, etc.) PPACA 7. Being a single mother, Girlfriend gets to go to college for free! If there is any guaranteed way for a "single mother" to obtain a college education for free, we've yet to locate it. Yes, federal Pell Grants can provide qualifying students with up to almost $6,000 per year towards the cost of attending college (depending upon financial need), but they aren't tied to one's status as a single mother. There are some grants and scholarships available for single parents to both help them afford school while they are in and and help them pay it off once they have graduated, but those types of programs are scant, and very, very few unpartnered mothers could get a free ride to any college on the basis of their status as single parents alone. Pell Grants single parents scant 8. Girlfriend gets $600 a month for food stamps The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as "food stamps") is an often criticized assistance program aimed at combating hunger by financially struggling families. Eligibility for SNAP varies based on household size, but the maximum monthly allotment ranges from $194 for a family of one to $1,169 for a family of eight. Each additional family member after that can qualify a household for up to $146 more each month in benefits, or just under $5 per person per day. The household size posited here (a single mother with two children) wouldn't qualify for $600 per month in SNAP benefits. food stamps criticized Eligibility The Department of Agriculture (under which the program operates) estimates a total annual program "loss" of about four percent. Despite widespread belief that the SNAP program is rampantly abused with little oversight, fraud in the program is aggressively investigated and prosecuted where applicable. estimates investigated 9. Girlfriend gets free cell phone from US Government The Lifeline program (commonly known as "Obamaphones," even though the program was actually initiated long before the Barack Obama took office) requires phone service providers to offer monthly discounts on landline or wireless telephone service to eligible low-income consumers. The program does not require those providers to issue "free cell phones" to anyone (although some cellular providers choose to do so at their own expense). Obamaphones 10. Girlfriend get free utilities. Various programs administered at the state level provide low-income families with financial assistance to offset the costs of essential utilities, but often only in emergency situations. utilities emergency 11. Guy moves into home but still uses mom's house to receive mail. One might theoretically do this, but the person who deliberately falsified his residence address in order to live in self-owned housing that he was being paid to rent to another party under the Section 8 program would be committing a crime, not simply taking legitimate and legal advantage of government assistance programs. 12. Girlfriend claims one kid and guy claims one kid on taxes. Now you both get to claim head of household at $1,800 credit. Whether or not taxpayers are setting out to craftily claim tax deductions to which they are not entitled, the IRS's head of household tax filing status indeed entitles the person filing to a higher deduction ($9,250 in 2015 versus $6,300 for taxpayers filing as Single or Married Filing Separately). It's important to bear in mind that that dollar amount is what taxpayers may deduct from their taxable income, and not necessarily an amount that they will receive back in the form of a tax refund. head of household status entitles And of course, if each parent is claiming one of the two children as a dependent, than the mother can't be legally collecting benefits (such as SNAP) for both children. Girlfriend gets disability for being "crazy" or having a "bad back" at $1,800 a month and never has to work again. For starters, one cannot simply declare herself to be mentally ill or have back problems, then sit back and collect disability payments for the rest of her (working) life. Such claims have to be documented by medical professionals as genuinely disabling conditions, and even then those living with disabilities find that securing benefits isn't quite so easy. Presuming the woman in this anecdote is fairly young, she would have to have accrued sufficient work credits to qualify for lifelong disability payments (an unlikely scenario), and then she would still have to meet separate criteria for a qualifying condition (which precludes having earned more than $1,090 per month in that year). The condition under which a person qualifies also must be one that limits ability to do any other work: easy accrued work credits criteria If you cannot do the work you did in the past, we see if you are able to adjust to other work. We consider your medical conditions and your age, education, past work experience and any transferable skills you may have. If you cannot adjust to other work, your claim will be approved. If you can adjust to other work, your claim will be denied. According to data from the agency, more than half of disability claims are denied, and the wait for hearings has increased (partly due to an aging pool of applicants). The anecdotal claimant's purported plundering of disability benefits also conflicts with her concurrent sponging of educational grants, as the usefulness of the latter is negated by the former: A full-time student wouldn't qualify for lifelong disability payments, and college would be unnecessary for the matriarch of a household who intended to remain home for life collecting benefits for her fabricated disability. denied aging This plan is perfectly legal and is being executed now by millions of people. A married couple with a stay at home mom yields $0 dollars. An unmarried couple with stay at home mom nets. $21.600 disability + $10,800 free housing + $6,000 free obamacare +$6,000 free food + $4,800 free utilities + $6,000 Pell Grant money to spend + $12,000 a year in college tuition free from Pell Grant + $8,800 tax benefit for being a single mother = $75,000 a year in benefits. Any idea why the country is 18 + trillion in debt? As the excerpt above concludes, the figures bandied about in the e-mail encompass virtually all programs available to low-income Americans and extrapolates the fictional family described routinely accesses all of them. Some of the benefits described (such as free college for single mothers or free utility programs) don't seem to exist, and several of forms of assistance (such as Section 8 or disability) are not administered in the simplistic manner suggested by this item. Furthermore, while this item asserts that the complex welfare hustling plan described here is "perfectly legal," several aspects of it involve defrauding the system in an expressly prohibited (and largely criminal) fashion. Were any family to hide assets or lie about household income on application forms, they would be subject to severe penalties and prosecution should their perfidy be unraveled. The scheme also rests upon the (fallacious) notion that access to assistance programs is easy to both maintain and retain. fallacious Finally, the causes of the national debt are fairly complex. However, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, and Defense broadly account for most government spending. account Last updated: 31 August 2015 Originally published: 31 August 2015 | 2 | [
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FMD2279 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: By Allison Vincent Election 2016 , News , Politics , Videos November 5, 2016 In Interview With Bill Maher, Obama Warns America: Sitting Out This Election Is A Vote For Trump (VIDEO) Google Pinterest Digg Linkedin Reddit Stumbleupon Print Delicious Pocket Tumblr
Bill Maher finally got his interview with President Obama and it’s a must see!
After hundreds of thousands of petition signatures and months of “begging” on his show, Bill Maher finally managed to get President Obama to agree to a sit-down interview, and it aired on Real Time Friday night.
During the interview, the two discussed a wide variety of subjects based on questions Maher compiled from what he thought his viewers “would want to know,” including Socialism, global warming, the agriculture industry and the military. They also discussed elitism and religion. President Obama answered every question candidly and without hesitation. He even joked around with Maher when the subject of marijuana legalization came up.
At the end of the interview, Maher brought up the election and the president had this to say to people who are still on the fence, or are choosing not to vote at all:
“Anybody sitting on the sidelines right now, or deciding to engage in a protest vote — that’s a vote for Trump, and that would be badly damaging to this country, and very damaging to the world. “
Bill Maher may have scored one of the most in-depth interviews with President Obama ever, and you won’t want to miss it.
Watch the full interview here:
Featured image via video screenshot Share this Article! | 0 | [
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FMD2280 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The jobs report met expectations for once, and that's good news for stock and bond investors.
The U.S. economy added 223,000 jobs in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists missed by just a whisker: The consensus from Action Economics was 225,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate, at 5.4%, would be the lowest since May 2008.
For once, there wasn't much to hate about the jobs report. Stock investors liked the signs of a growing economy. For example, construction added 45,000 jobs, and those are good jobs that pay well.
"That's a very good sign for things to come," says Joanie Courtney, senior vice president, market development at Monster.com.
And the bond market, which is usually only happy when it rains, rallied on the report as well. The bellwether 10-year Treasury note yield fell to 2.19% in early trading.
It wasn't all puppies and unicorns.The March report was revised down strongly, to 85,000 jobs from 126,000. Manufacturing added just 1,000 jobs, and the oil sector lost 3,000 jobs.
Because all investment questions these days seem to revolve around when the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates, the April report didn't add much pressure to the Fed to nudge its key fed funds rate higher. You need strong wage increases to create a wage/price spiral, and the 0.1% increase in hourly wages wasn't strong.
"I'm surprised we're not seeing more movement in wages," Courtney says. "Usually in a recovery, you start to see more movement." But the April report looks only at hourly wages, and not the wages of salaried workers.
For investors, then, the April jobs report was the best of all possible worlds. It showed decent hiring, but nothing so exuberant that would push the Fed to tap the brakes. | 1 | [
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FMD2281 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: It s official. Donald Trump is literally trying to murder the American people.As humans, we need clean air and clean water to survive as a species. Without them, we would suffocate or die of thirst. Crops and livestock also require clean water and clean air to produce our food supply.This is basic stuff, but Donald Trump doesn t care about the needs of human beings. He only cares about corporate greed and that greed is going to kill millions.Trump has already launched an all-out assault on the Environmental Protection Agency, which works every day fighting for clean water and clean air for the American people.The agency has been ordered to freeze grants and contracts which has halted air and water quality tests.But now Trump is looking to chip away at the bedrock of what the EPA exists to do.According to Vox,Jonathan Swan of Axios got a look at an agency action plan that Trump s advisers have written up for the EPA. Among the initiatives they plan to target: Clean Air Act greenhouse gas regulations for new (NSPS) and existing (ESPS or the Clean Power Plan) coal and natural gas power plants [CAFE] Standards Clean Water Section 404: Waters of the U.S. Rule (wetlands) TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) for Chesapeake Bay. By attacking the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, Trump would be sentencing America to a deadly polluted future the likes of which have not been seen since the EPA was created.Americans look at Beijing in horror as China allows the air in that city to be so thick and poisonous that people need to wear gas masks every day if they go outside.Here s an image of New York in 1973 before the EPA aggressively fought for air standards via the National Archives.And here s one of Los Angeles.If Trump has his way, American cities will once again be choked by smog and our air quality with significantly decrease. One wonders if Trump has investments in gas mask companies.Fresh water has also been a worry among millions of Americans over the years as Republicans continue to make decisions that allow companies like Koch Industries to pollute our waterways. Trump s executive order to let the Keystone XL pipeline move forward is a direct threat to the Ogallala Aquifer, which provides water to millions of Americans in the Midwest and is responsible for creating what is now called America s Breadbasket. The Washington Post reports,In some places the aquifer is buried 1,200 feet deep, but in many places it is at or very close to the surface, often less than five feet below ground That s where concerns about the Keystone XL came in. Its original route traversed 92 miles of the Sand Hills and the Ogallala. TransCanada, which said it would bury the pipeline at least four feet underground, could in many places be putting it in water TransCanada submitted a revised route to the State Department, bypassing the Sand Hills but still passing over some parts of the aquifer.Should a massive oil spill occur, it could seep into the aquifer and poison it. And that would be a disaster even bigger than the lead poisoned water in Flint, Michigan because it would literally affect every American across the country.And these spills can contaminate water for decades. The reason why Flint s water supply was tainted with lead is because Republicans decided to save money by switching the city s water from Lake Huron to the Flint River, which was contaminated by lead decades ago, which is why Flint got it s water from Lake Huron. This is public knowledge, but Republicans ignored that and switched anyway.Trump also wants to expedite oil and gas permits and open up pristine natural lands to fracking and mining, which threatens habitats and our water supply. As we should all know, fracking has already poisoned water supplies in places around the country. Some people can even light their water on fire because of the chemicals fracking companies use. That will increase under Trump.Republicans now control Congress, so they will likely help Trump weaken the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts no matter how much the American people protest.So by letting Trump and the Republicans remain in office we are letting them kill us. Literally.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 0 | [
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FMD2282 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Republicans on a U.S. House of Representatives panel said they were making progress on a Puerto Rico debt relief bill that will take the same basic approach as an earlier failed version, despite cancelling plans to unveil new legislation on Wednesday. The House Natural Resources Committee said more time was needed to refine the bill’s language. House Democratic leadership now expects legislation from the committee before the end of the week. Competing forces have fought over the bill and raised concerns that creditor rights and long-established municipal bond market hierarchy would be set aside in a broader plan to fix Puerto Rico’s festering debt problems that have resulted in a breakdown in the island’s social services. “The new bill itself already protects existing lawful creditor priorities and liens. The integrity of creditor hierarchy will be preserved,†said Parish Braden, spokesman for the Natural Resources Committee said on Wednesday. HNRC Chairman Rob Bishop told Reuters on Monday the bill is still expected to include the installation of an independent oversight board to lead the restructuring of the U.S. commonwealth’s credit and work with the local government to develop an economic reform plan. “The introduction (of the bill) is not being delayed due to the underlying foundation of the board,†Braden said, adding: “There aren’t hang ups. There are a number of refinements to the bill being made to ensure internal consistency among the titles (of the bill).†One source familiar with the delay said it was due to a need to refine language related to the minimum wage and land-use issues over the island of Vieques. U.S. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday her party could not support the latest legislative effort but still hopes for an agreement within a few days. “We were disappointed that the bill we saw yesterday wasn’t something we could support, and so another few days of back and forth I think will produce something that we can take to the floor,†Pelosi told reporters. “I’m hoping maybe by Friday, so that we can have something for next week,†she added. Puerto Rico has already defaulted on some of its debt and faces an overall bill of $70 billion it cannot pay. A staggering 45 percent poverty rate and increased migration among its 3.5 million citizens to the U.S. mainland drains economic activity. The ranking Democrat on the HNRC issued a statement that said the families on the island needed relief from cuts to public services but remained hopeful a deal is close at hand. “We are making progress, but we are not there yet. The situation in Puerto Rico is dire, but a bill that doesn’t solve the problem, or doesn’t pass, won’t help anyone,†Raúl Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona said. Puerto Rico defaulted on May 1 for a third time on some of its debt, missing a roughly $400 million payment owed by the Government Development Bank, the island’s main fiscal agent. The May 1 default and the nearly $2 billion July 1 debt payments have spurred congressional activity. “(Senator Chuck) Schumer from the Senate is pushing to get something done. But the problem here is that Democrats are going to push for protections for unions and for pensioners and we feel like they should be at the bottom of the heap because that’s the way the law states,†Republican Representative John Fleming of Louisiana, a Tea Party favorite and member of the HNRC, told Reuters on Wednesday. “I think there’s just big divisions on how this goes. But I think the way it was previously set up, it’s not going to fly,†Fleming said. | 1 | [
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FMD2283 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Eric Trump Tweets (Illegal) Ballot Selfie Claim summaries: Donald Trump's son, Eric, posted -- and then deleted -- a possibly illegal photograph of his ballot on Twitter.
contextual information: On 8 November 2016, a screenshot purportedly showing a deleted tweet from Donald Trump's son, Eric, featuring an image of his marked ballot, was widely circulated via social media: "Eric Trump deleted his violation of New York state law, so here it is for posterity" pic.twitter.com/Y0ss1Ew5Wc pic.twitter.com/Y0ss1Ew5Wc, noah kulwin (@nkulw) November 8, 2016. The above-displayed screenshot is real. The tweet was posted by Eric Trump on 8 November 2016 but was deleted shortly afterward. Although the tweet's URL currently leads to Twitter's "Sorry, that page doesn't exist" page, we managed to archive a cached version of the tweet. Taking a "ballot selfie" or posting a photograph showing the inside of your voting booth may or may not be illegal, depending on the state in which you're voting. Unfortunately, Eric Trump posted his ballot picture from New York, a state where "ballot selfies" are still against the law, as a federal judge had affirmed just a few days earlier. A federal judge stated he would not overturn a New York state ban against ballot selfies or the showing of a marked election ballot to others. Manhattan Judge P. Kevin Castel said in a written ruling that people who want to publicize their ballot choices can do so through "other powerful means." The ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought on behalf of voters. The lawsuit contended that voters had a First Amendment right to share a photograph of their ballot with others, even through social media. Lawyers for the state and New York City argued against it. The state contended that a law more than a century old banned people from showing their marked ballot to others. U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan said it would "wreak havoc on election-day logistics" to issue a preliminary injunction against the law, which prohibits the display of "ballot selfies." Under the law, which dates from the 19th century, it is a misdemeanor for voters to share the contents of completed ballots. Violators could face up to one year in prison. Three voters sued on Oct. 26 to block enforcement of the law, saying that sharing ballot selfies was a form of speech protected by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. However, the judge stated that because of the imminence of the election, the voters needed to show a "clear or substantial likelihood" that their lawsuit would succeed before he could issue an injunction, and that they had not done so. "The public's interest in orderly elections outweighs the plaintiffs' interest in taking and posting ballot selfies," though they remained free to express their political message through "other powerful means," Castel wrote. It should be noted that Eric Trump's ballot photograph does not include his name or his picture. While it is assumed that the tweet pictured the real ballot Trump used to cast his vote, that element has not been verified. Ohlheiser, Abby. "Yes, Your Ballot Selfie Still Might Be Illegal. Sorry." Washington Post. 8 November 2016. Stempel, Jonathan. "Judge Refuses to Block New York 'Ballot Selfie' Law." Reuters. 3 November 2016. | 1 | [
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FMD2284 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: 0 Add Comment
IT HAS come to our attention that there is quite a lot of tension building up between the world superpowers with many reputable news publications like the Daily Mail, Irish Mirror and the World Weekly News hinting at a third instalment of the planet’s World War series. In lieu of this fact, we have carefully compiled a handy guide for world leaders to follow in a bid to prevent such a sequel:
First thing a world superpower should do if they want to avoid such a mess, is spend half the country’s entire annual revenue on ‘military stuff’. After all, you can’t prevent a world war unless you have your cards in the game, right? Sure, there maybe millions of people starving in your country, rising racial tensions you need to address, and health care that needs supporting, but none of that makes any sense if you don’t spend that 600 billion dollars on war preventing things, like nuclear warheads and helmets.
To end any possible conflict, every good leader knows that strategically placing missile bases on the perimeter of your rival nation is the first step to peace. Run drill after drill along their border to show them that you too are also willing to solve this crisis in a reasonable and mature manner. This is key to abating any World War. NOTE: Best done in a former country owned by your rival.
As a spokesperson of a large country full of millions of people, communication between your nation and the other is key. Daily news publications should by now be your best bet as you try and reason with the other side. Let thousands of sensible journalists do the negotiating for you with a series of well written and researched articles outlining why it is that war is a terrible idea. Put your absolute trust in their foresight and ability to word certain scenarios correctly. Never question the editors of such publications as they know better than you, and most of all, never ever hold a journalist responsible for the pieces they write. These people are your greatest ally when preventing war. Just leave them to it.
If things get really heated, send a flotilla of naval vessels past your oppositions coastline. They’ll get your sense of humour and will love you more for it. Invade one of the old countries you used to own. Show them that you think just like them. Fly some bombers into their airspace. After all, aren’t we all the same at the end of the day?
The final and most important thing in preventing a war is to showcase your military muscle on a proxy nation that has nothing to do with anything you, or your rival nation is doing. Use the moment to show them, and the entire world, the sophisticated products of your military spend. Try and entice your foe into doing the same. Call it: a practice run, dick measuring contest, fighting ISIS, whatever the fuck you like. Just make sure to stack up those innocent dead and mutilated bodies like they did in the good old days of WW I & WWII, and blame it on the other side. That should stop this whole bloody mess. | 0 | [
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FMD2285 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The remarkable recovery of a woman with advanced colon cancer, after treatment with cells from her own immune system, may lead to new options for thousands of other patients with colon or pancreatic cancer, researchers are reporting. Her treatment was the first to successfully target a common cancer mutation that scientists have tried to attack for decades. Until now, that mutation has been bulletproof, so resistant to every attempt at treatment that scientists have described it as “undruggable. †An article about the case, from a team led by Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg, chief of surgery at the National Cancer Institute, was published on Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine. The patient, Celine Ryan, 50, an engineer, database programmer and the mother of five, has an unusual genetic makeup that allowed the treatment to work. She is now though not considered cured. The treatment was a form of immunotherapy, which enlists a patient’s immune system to fight disease. The field is revolutionizing cancer treatment. An experiment on one patient cannot determine whether a treatment will be effective in others, but doctors said the results had the potential to help more people. “It has huge implications,†Dr. Carl H. June, from the University of Pennsylvania, said in an interview. He was not part of the study, but wrote an editorial accompanying it in the journal. Dr. June said the research was the first successful targeting of a defect in a gene called KRAS, and is important because mutations in the gene are so common. “Every single pancreatic cancer patient has KRAS,†Dr. June said, adding that the pharmaceutical industry has spent billions trying unsuccessfully to target KRAS. Still, he said, the big question is whether this case is “one in a million, or something that can be replicated and built upon?†About 53, 000 cases of pancreatic cancer are expected in the United States this year, and nearly 42, 000 deaths. It is one of the deadliest cancers fewer than 10 percent of patients survive five years. Worldwide, it killed about 330, 000 people in 2012, the most recent year with global statistics available. From 30 to 50 percent of colorectal cancers have KRAS mutations, too, and about 13 percent have the same mutation that Ms. Ryan has. In the United States, about 95, 000 cases of colon cancer and 39, 000 cases of rectal cancer are expected in 2016, and 49, 000 deaths from the two forms combined. Globally, there were 1. 4 million cases and 694, 000 deaths in 2012. The new discovery might not have been made — at least, not now — without Ms. Ryan’s persistence. Researchers twice denied her request to enter the clinical trial, saying her tumors were not large enough, she said. But she refused to give up and was finally let in. The research involves immune cells called lymphocytes, or TILs. These are white blood cells that swarm around tumors, a sign that the immune system is trying to attack the cancer. Dr. Rosenberg has been studying TILs for decades, with the goal of enhancing their ability to fight the disease and using them as a treatment. An attempt to treat another patient with tumors much like Ms. Ryan’s did not work, almost certainly because the researchers could not produce enough highly targeted TILs, Dr. Rosenberg said. So far, the cells have worked best against advanced melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. By extracting TILs from tumors, multiplying them in the lab and then returning them to the patient, Dr. Rosenberg’s team has produced long remissions in 20 to 25 percent of patients with that disease. More recently, the team has focused on an even tougher problem: tumors in the digestive system, including the colon and pancreas, and in ovaries, breasts and other organs, which cause more than 80 percent of the 596, 000 cancer deaths in the United States each year. The researchers analyze tumors for mutations — genetic flaws that set the cancer cells apart from normal ones. They also study TILs, looking for immune cells that can recognize mutations and therefore attack cancerous cells but leave healthy ones alone. Ms. Ryan, from Rochester Hills, Mich. had colon cancer that spread to her lungs despite surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. With few options, she began looking into research programs and came across the TILs research at the National Cancer Institute. In December 2014, she called the institute, hoping to join the study. But she was told, based on her scans and records, that she did not have a tumor big enough to yield TILs. A research nurse suggested she send her next set of scans maybe, in the interim, the tumors would grow. Ms. Ryan took that advice — and was devastated to be turned down again. “I felt sure I’d get in,†Ms. Ryan said. “My heart sank. †The rejection left her sobbing. But then she and her husband pulled up images of her scans on their home computer, took screen shots and measurements of a lung tumor that seemed to match the study criteria, and sent them to the cancer institute. She included a polite note asking that, if her tumor was not eligible, she be told why. “I was trying not to sound like a desperate maniac, but I was a desperate maniac,†she said. In March 2015, she got in. Whether the screen shots were a deciding factor is not clear. Dr. Rosenberg said the team had been watching her progress and brought her in as soon as they identified operable tumors. A month later, the researchers performed surgery, removing several lung tumors to search for TILs. Ms. Ryan’s tissue turned out to be a medical gold mine. She had a KRAS mutation and her TILs included killer that locked onto the mutation like guided missiles. Her were able to recognize the mutation because she has an uncommon tissue type, which is a genetically determined trait. As a result, she carries a certain protein on the surface of her cells that plays an essential role in displaying the KRAS mutation so that cells can find it and attack. Best of all, from a scientific standpoint, was that Ms. Ryan’s KRAS mutation is shared by many other patients with colon and pancreatic cancers. Those who share her tissue type may also be good candidates for treatment with TILs. Researchers say they now have a blueprint that may enable them to develop cell treatments for other patients as well. The killer have surface molecules called receptors that lock onto mutated cells, and it may be possible to genetically engineer patients’ to give them those receptors and their ability. To treat Ms. Ryan, the team selected a culture of TILs with high levels of immune cells that specifically attacked her mutation. They multiplied those cells in the laboratory to produce huge numbers. Ms. Ryan was first given chemotherapy to wipe out most of her white blood cells and allow the TILs to flourish. Then, more than 100 billion TILs were dripped into her bloodstream through an intravenous line it took about 20 minutes, she said. About 75 percent were the killer that targeted her mutation. She was also given a substance that stimulates killer . Before being treated, Ms. Ryan had seven tumors in her lungs. Over the next nine months, six shrank and then disappeared. The seventh shrank at first, but then progressed. To remove it, surgeons took out the lower lobe of her left lung. Tests of the excised tumor explained why it had resisted treatment: It had mutated and no longer carried the marker that had enabled the to attack it. The tumor’s ability to escape the reveals a potential weak spot in the approach of targeting a single mutation, said Dr. Drew M. Pardoll, the director of the Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Calling cancer “versatile,†he said, “The tumor always seems to come up with a workaround. †Even so, he said the research was “a real and solid step forward. †Today, Ms. Ryan has no signs of cancer. “I feel great,†she said. But recently, two friends died of colon cancer, she said, adding, “I so hope they can get this treatment to everybody who needs it, and that it works. †| 1 | [
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FMD2286 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: At the entrance to the United Nations building in New York a sign advertises an upcoming party to celebrate the end of the annual gathering of world leaders. Next to it a weathered box with crumpled papers urges people to donate for Syrian refugees. The contrast is striking a year after nations jousted verbally for a week in the same halls attempting to strike a ceasefire deal as Russia and Iran backed Syrian government troops in a brutal advance on the then rebel bastion of Aleppo. But tensions in the Korean Peninsula and a growing crisis over the fate of a nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers has relegated talk of resolving the six-year-old Syrian civil war to back rooms and bilateral chitchat as international diplomacy struggles to find a strategy to end the crisis. On the ground, violence between government forces and rebels has been drastically reduced after the creation of de-escalation zones in the west of the country negotiated between Russia, Turkey and Iran in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. A separate effort between Russia, Jordan and the United States has also helped in the south. Its backers say the zones have restored some security to Syrians and open the way for local reconciliation. Its detractors warn that they will fragment the country and lead to a more radicalised opposition. You don t have the U.S. and the Europeans around the table and that is a huge defeat for all of us. This Astana process is just a military de-escalation process and it must be supplemented with a political process, French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country supports rebels and urges the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, told reporters this week. But there appears little momentum for that. While all actors in the conflict agree on the common goal of defeating Islamic State and al-Qaeda-backed militants, an objective that is well on course, there is no consensus on how to breathe fresh life into the political process. That has been compounded by the arrival of the Trump administration whose priority in Syria is focused on destroying Islamist groups and curbing Iran s influence. Meanwhile, they have reduced support for some opposition groups. The American withdrawal has left Russia dominating the entire process, Riad Hijab, the head of the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC), told Reuters in New York. The last major international attempt to resolve the crisis ended in failure when the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) was cast aside after Syrian government forces retook Aleppo in 2016. U.N.-brokered peace talks in Geneva that have pitted a government delegation against a divided opposition for several years with the ultimate aim of implementing an existing U.N. roadmap have been kept on life-support as sponsors of the warring parties fail to pressure them to engage in dialogue. The question is, are these de-escalation areas going to be limited for six months or do they risk becoming a de facto partition of Syria? U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura told a sparsely attended meeting on the crisis. It s time for Geneva to ensure sustainability of de-escalation, he said. If we miss this we will be regretting it once again. Those talks are tentatively scheduled to resume at the end October. There is growing pressure on the Riyadh-based opposition, which has suffered repeated reversals since the start of the year, to restructure by including groups that have closer ties to Russia, but also shaking up its top leadership. Western and Arab diplomats argue that it aims to merely strengthen Moscow s hand in any future negotiating process. Now that the opposition no longer has the hope to win the war, things can be different, but if we put up a fragmented, demoralized and radicalised opposition in Geneva versus a regime that, while weak, believes it can win, then nothing will happen in Geneva, a senior European diplomat said. It s time for the sponsors to blow the final whistle. But after a week at the United Nations, there was little sign of progress. A French effort to get the five permanent members of the Security Council | 1 | [
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FMD2287 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: ROME — Matteo Renzi officially stepped down as prime minister on Wednesday, three days after his stinging defeat in a critical referendum, formally ending Italy’s 63rd government in 70 years. Mr. Renzi had already tendered his resignation early Monday, after Italians overwhelmingly rejected a series of proposed changes to the Constitution on which he had staked his seat. On Monday, President Sergio Mattarella asked the prime minister to stay on to approve the budget for the coming year. The budget was passed on Wednesday, and Mr. Renzi formalized his resignation soon after. This time, Mr. Mattarella accepted, but he asked the government to stay on in a caretaker capacity to handle affairs. The ball now falls into Mr. Mattarella’s court. On Thursday, he will begin consulting with the leaders of Italy’s political parties to verify the various options open to him. The Italian president could call for new elections, but he has made clear that he will not consider returning to the polls before a new electoral law has been passed. The current electoral law for the lower house is under review by Italy’s constitutional court. The court announced on Tuesday that it would issue a decision on the constitutionality of the law, known as the Italicum, on Jan. 24. Another electoral law applies to the Senate, and Mr. Mattarella says he will not call new elections until a single electoral system covers both houses of Parliament, the Italian news media reported. The government crisis did not appear to rattle the Italian stock market on Wednesday, which closed up 2. 1 percent. Even Italy’s banks, saddled with bad loans, closed higher. Political stability has always been elusive in Italy. A combination of a multiparty system and its electoral laws make it difficult for any one party to have a strong majority. The changes Mr. Renzi asked Italians to approve were meant to streamline the legislative process and shrink the Senate by making it easier to pass necessary, if unpopular, overhauls to the moribund Italian economy. Mr. Renzi had campaigned vigorously in favor of the changes to the Constitution, but 59. 1 percent of the voters rejected them. Mr. Renzi’s government was one of only four governments to last more than 1, 000 days. He came to power in 2014 after staging an internal party coup, alienating his Democratic Party’s more factions. The referendum and subsequent fall of Mr. Renzi further aggravated this fissure, and speculation was rife in the news media this week over Mr. Renzi’s role at the helm of the party. “There’s an internal discussion that must be held that I think will be difficult,†Mr. Renzi told members of his party on Wednesday afternoon. But he asked that the showdown not take place until after the Italian president resolves the government crisis. Mr. Renzi also said he would not be part of the delegation that is to meet with Mr. Matterella in coming days. The failure of the measures on the referendum call for “ample considerations,†he said during a relaxed, speech at the party’s headquarters. He was warmly applauded. The problems that he, and the Parliament, had hoped to resolve through the proposed changes to the Constitution still have to be dealt with, he said. In a nod to the populist pull of the Five Star Movement, the party set to pose the biggest threat in the next elections, Mr. Renzi took a page from their playbook and said that his party’s discussions in coming days would be streamed online. “We want to be transparent to all citizens, and to our people,†Mr. Renzi said. Various people have been discussed as possible successors to Mr. Renzi, Among them are Pietro Grasso, president of the Senate, and Pier Carlo Padoan, Italy’s finance minister, who is respected in Europe. The president could also ask Mr. Renzi’s party to try to form another government. In a newsletter published on his website on Wednesday, Mr. Renzi said he was not in a position to decide on Italy’s future anymore. “The parties — all the parties — must accept their responsibilities,†he wrote. | 1 | [
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FMD2288 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Objetivos: El tema catalán, que intentará resolver contando chistes de mariquitas.
De él han dicho: “A veces, la belleza no está en el Interior”.
Experiencia previa: Exalcalde de Sevilla. Consiguió reparar la reputación de la ciudad después de que se adoptara a Curro como mascota en la Expo del 92. Polémicas: Investigado por la adjudicación a dedo de la empresa que pintó Sevilla de un color especial.
Ministro de Economía, Industria y Competitividad
Alias: ‘El Buque’, ‘Don Parné’, ‘Fermín Panoja’.
Edad a la que se quedó calvo: 11 años.
Trauma: Estuvo a punto de rescatar España pero al final no pudo. Después de aquello, se dio a la bebida y a la vida nocturna. Sus compañeros le dicen reiteradamente que no se fustigue, pues no fue su culpa, pero Luis no puede olvidar los ojos de España, cuando falló en su misión y él la vio caer.
Ministra de Defensa
Alias : Boeing AH-64 Apache.
Precedentes : Antes que ella ya hubo una mujer en Defensa, Carme Chacón. Podría decirse que es la primera mujer de derechas en el cargo pero, de nuevo, ya lo fue Carme Chacón.
Primera medida en el cargo : Cambiar la cartera ministerial por un macuto militar.
Archienemigos : El Daesh y Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría.
Ministra de Empleo y Seguridad Social
Número de nuevos empleos creados : 6.
Reformas laborales llevadas a cabo : Creación del concepto “juernes” e impulsora del hashtag #FelizLunes.
Otras facetas menos conocidas : Sus videotutoriales para aprender a maquillar las imperfecciones de los datos del paro.
ETT favorita : Explotalia. Íñigo Méndez de Vigo Ministro de Educación, Cultura y Deporte
De él han dicho : “Sí, claro, va a venir el gordito este a hablarnos de deporte”.
Hitos al frente del Ministerio : No se le escapó la risa en una exposición de Yoko Ono.
Objetivos : Recuperar el nivel de educación, recortando el sueldo a los profesores tratándolos de usted.
Ministro de Hacienda y Función Pública
Sistema Operativo : Linux.
Súperpoder : Es capaz de oír la frase “No hace falta factura” a 200 km a la redonda.
Perfume : Brummel con unas gotitas de sangre de autónomo. Isabel García Tejerina Ministra de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación y Medio Ambiente
Tamaño de su tarjeta de visita : Din-A3.
Objetivo : Unir los departamentos de Alimentación y Medio Ambiente comiéndose los presupuestos con patatas.
Crisis durante la anterior legislatura : Se bañó en una playa nudista para demostrar que no te puedes quedar embarazada.
Puntuación máxima en el Candy Crush : 2.000.000 puntos.
Ministro de Justicia
Alias : “Ah, sí, sí, creo que ahora le pongo cara…”
Experiencia previa : Juez de Miss Camiseta Mojada en la disco pub Glamour en los años 2001, 2002 y 2004.
Fracasos : Su mala posición en el certamen Miss Camiseta Mojada en el disco pub Glamour, en el año 2003.
Propuesta estrella : Poner WiFi en las mazas de todos los jueces de España.
Ministro de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación
Previsión de Puntos Iberia a final de la legislatura : 4829482911.
Experiencia previa : Excelente diplomático europeo, le dijo a Merkel que aquellos pantalones le hacían tipín.
Porros fumados en su etapa de embajador en los Países Bajos : 1, para poder decir que los ha probado.
Curiosidades : Fue el 50% del dúo de música bakalao Dastis & Buenri. | 0 | [
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FMD2289 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Beverly Emers strode through campus with assurance, her son, Jabari, a few paces behind, as she gave the history of each monument at Bronx Community College this fall. Although decades older than most students there, Ms. Emers, 43, cannot walk between the buildings without someone waving, calling her name or inviting her to a party. It was not always this way. About fourteen years ago, Ms. Emers was too consumed with getting high to even consider college. It was winter 2003, and she was with friends strung out on drugs, her mind in a crazed disorientation. They had a word for the feeling: monos, Spanish for monkeys. By this time, Ms. Emers, who had been dealing drugs since she was 13, had lost track of the number of times she had been arrested. She dropped out of high school in 9th grade and spent six years in jail, usually on charges of selling or possessing drugs, according to police records. Ms. Emers knew the consequences, serving nine stints at the Rikers Island jail complex under three different aliases, according to records from the Department of Correction. Every time she walked out of jail, Ms. Emers swore she would never return. But each time she went back to the streets, only to start dealing again. But high on drugs that winter night, with her friends appearing like ghosts all around her, she found clarity. “I thought, ‘What am I doing here? ’†she recalled. “I saw the ugliness of my lifestyle for what it was. I knew where I was going wasn’t where I was supposed to be. And I just walked out. †For a year, she had eluded officers on a parole violation charge, but no more. She went to the parole office in Midtown Manhattan to turn herself in. The office was closed, but she still banged on the back door. “You’re late,†she recalled an officer as saying. She replied: “You’re right. I’m more than a year late. †Ms. Emers spent the next few months at Rikers. In a court hearing, she requested treatment for her drug addiction. She sought help from the Dreitzer House for Women and Children in East Harlem, which offers drug treatment and affordable housing. Ms. Emers moved into a shelter, where she was pregnant with Jabari and lived for the next year and a half, she said. But she struggled to disconnect from the toxic yet accepting community that had taken her in after an unhappy childhood. After kicking her drug habit, Ms. Emers said, she spent years “in limbo. †“Not doing what I’d been doing before,†she said, “but not doing anything else instead. †She cloistered herself in her Bronx apartment to avoid the temptations outside, but was depressed that her criminal record limited her job prospects. And when Jabari started school, his homework became another stressor for her, prompting verbal abuse. “He bore the brunt of that,†she said. Ms. Emers said she realized she needed to end the abuse, so she turned to Community School 61, an elementary school in the Bronx that partners with the Children’s Aid Society, one of eight organizations supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund. There she volunteered and joined the association. She also signed up for parenting classes at the Children’s Aid Society’s East Harlem Center and became more engaged at home. School administrators suggested she enroll in college, but Ms. Emers dismissed the idea until shortly after Jabari’s fifth grade graduation, when the mother and son were discussing his future. Jabari asked her, “When are you graduating?†“It wasn’t planned,†Jabari recalled. “It just came out. †“And that was an aha! moment for me,†Ms. Emers said. “Because here I was telling him to read and study, and I don’t even have a high school diploma. †So Ms. Emers “surrendered,†took college prep classes and enrolled in Bronx Community College in spring 2015. Ms. Emers, who is majoring in human services, hopes to work with South Bronx Rising Together, a partner of the Children’s Aid Society, which provides opportunities and educational resources to impoverished children and youth in the South Bronx. She is now on the dean’s list, serves as the executive secretary in student government and has received leadership and service awards from the college. She was also awarded the Kalief Browder Memorial Scholarship, given to students who served time in jail it is named after a man who was sent to Rikers at 16 and spent three years there without trial. In 2015 at the age of 22, Mr. Browder, who had been a student at the college, committed suicide, after struggling to rebuild his life following incarceration. Ms. Emers is the first recipient of the scholarship — $5, 000 for this academic year — which covers most of her costs. But an invitation to the scholarship gala held at the event space Tribeca Rooftop in June posed a problem. “I didn’t have a dress to go to a gala in,†she said. To help, the Children’s Aid Society withdrew $640 from the Neediest Cases Fund for gift cards to pay for Ms. Emers’s and Jabari’s attire for the event, as well as expenses for school uniforms and household items. The family also received $550 from the fund to help with clothing and household goods in 2012. The family receives $194 in cash assistance and $376 in food stamps each month. Dressed for the occasion, they arrived at the industrial penthouse with large windows overlooking Manhattan and the Hudson River. Feeling out of place, Ms. Emers found comfort in her son. “Jabari was the guy in the room,†she said, smiling. “And I’m not just saying that because he’s my son. †Waiters passed hors d’oeuvres, and she encouraged Jabari, who wants to become a chef, to try a little of everything. “Just getting exposed to certain things could motivate him to work hard, and maybe he won’t make the same choices I did,†she said. Now, Ms. Emers is helping to plan a discussion in the spring on the importance of mental health and suicide prevention at her college. She also wants to develop resources to ease the transition between jail and civilian life for other formerly incarcerated students. Ms. Emers has not forgotten how far she has come, she said. More than a decade after leaving the treatment center, she still attends monthly meetings and visits her caseworker. “It’s an act of gratitude,†she said. “I want people to know we’re doing well, because they invested in me before I was doing well. This is our victory. †| 1 | [
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FMD2290 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Is McDonald's the World's Largest Purchaser of Cow Eyeballs? Claim summaries: Some versions of this rumor posit that the cow eyes are used as hamburger filler, or to make beef patties stick together better.
contextual information: The claim that McDonalds is the worlds largest purchaser of cow eyeballs shares roots with many other beware of fast food legends. In this particular case, the sentiment is of the huge fast food corporations only care about profits, so theyll put anything they can (legally) get away with in their food to save money variety.Snopes came across the below-displayed message online in 1999: legends A few weeks ago I was watching Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher on TV and one of the guests made a remark in a quite serious voice that the Billion dollar fast food chain McDonalds, is the largest purchaser of cow eyeballs. Now Ive hear about Burger King using camel meat and stuff, but this one was new to me. And the fact that Mcdonalds doesnt have an email address to contact them nor a toll free number doesnt give me much reassurance on the matter. Similar expressions of this anxiety have resulted in widespread tales about McDonalds making hamburgers fromworm meat, usingchicken feathersin their shakes, and even purchasing food supplies from a company named 100% Beef so that they can put any old dreck in their burgers while still legitimately advertising that they use 100% Beef products. worm meat chicken feathers We dont know what the going rate for cow eyeballs is, but we suspect that just like worms theyre too expensive to be practical as an alternative to real beef for a restaurant chain looking to save on their food costs. Youd think theyd be dirt cheap, because after all,who the heck would wantcow eyeballs? They actuallydohave other uses, however many schools purchase them for students to dissect in biology labs, for example. Whatever the market price of cow eyeballs, the idea of using them as filler in beef (or even in place of beef) just isnt practical. The wholesale price of beef for companies who purchase as much of it as McDonalds does is already very low, and the amount of eyeball meat available per cow is miniscule compared to the amount of real beef produced per animal. McDonalds If you really have your doubts about this one, check out theingredientlists on the McDonalds website. All of their hamburgers are made from 100% beef patties; furthermore, they define beef patty as being 100% pure USDA inspected beef; no additives, no fillers, no extenders. This means exactly what it says. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture(USDA)grades beef, it gradesbeef; it doesnt allow beef marketers to use the word as if it merely meant cow parts. ingredient USDA Some versions of this rumor posit that the cow eyes are used only as hamburger filler, or to make beef patties stick together better, or as tenderizer, or as thickener in milk shakes. Still, one has to wonder what the (presumably more expensive) alternative to cow eyeballs is, and what all the other fast food chains who cant get cow eyes (because McDonalds has cornered the market) use instead, and why competitors products dont cost significantly more (or are noticeably inferior) as a result. If you really dont want to eat at McDonalds, its not hard to come up with a few legitimate reasons not to. The lack of beef in their beef isnt one of them, though. dont want to eat at McDonalds This post was updated to meet Snopes' current formatting standards on Oct. 13, 2022. | 0 | [
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FMD2291 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did Barack Obama Mock President Trump's 'IDs for Groceries' Speech on Twitter? Claim summaries: A seeming tweet circulated online was designed to mimic the former president's social media account.
contextual information: Fans of former president Barack Obama -- or at least critics who like seeing current President Donald Trump get roasted online -- might have gotten their hopes up at what appeared to be a Twitter jab aimed at Trump by his predecessor. But the truth is, the tweet was manufactured. On 1 August 2018, an image began circulating online designed to look like it issued from Obama's Twitter account, with wording that read, "What type of ID do we need to buy groceries I'm at the store and all I have on me is my birth certificate": Actually, Barack Obama only posted two tweets that day one of them listed the Democratic Party candidates he was endorsing in the 2018 midterm elections, and the other promoted those candidates: listed other I'm confident that, together, they'll strengthen this country we love by restoring opportunity, repairing our alliances and standing in the world, and upholding our fundamental commitment to justice, fairness, responsibility, and the rule of law. But first, they need our votes. The fake tweet contained two barbs aimed at the current president. It made light of Trump's already widely-derided argument for voter identification cards offered during a 31 July 2018 speech, when the President said, "If you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID. You go out, you want to buy anything, you need ID, you need your picture." widely-derided In reality, shoppers only need to produce identification when purchasing age-restricted items such as cigarettes or alcohol, or picking up prescriptions from grocery stores that include pharmacies. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said a day later that Trump was referring to alcohol purchases when he made the remark. said The "birth certificate" reference in the fake Obama tweet was also a callback to Trump's longtime promotion of the "birther" conspiracy theory, which claimed that Obama was not born in the U.S. and consequently ineligible to be president. In 2011, Trump claimed credit for the fact that Obama released his long-form birth certificate. But unidentified advisers reportedly said in 2017 that even after being elected president, Trump "used closed-door conversations to question the authenticity" of his predecessor's birth certificate. claimed released reportedly Snider, Mike. "ID for Groceries? Trump Trolled on Twitter for His Shopping Comment at Florida Rally."
USA Today. 2 August 2018. Levy, Pema. "Sanders Defends Trump on Needing an ID to Buy Groceries."
Mother Jones. 1 August 2018. Scherer, Michael. "Birtherism Is Dead, But the Birther Industry Continues."
nbsp; TIME. 27 April 2011. Haberman, Maggie and Jonathan Martin. "Trump Once Said the 'Access Hollywood' Tape Was Real. Now He's Not Sure."
The New York Times. 28 November 2017. | 0 | [
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FMD2292 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Is This Bernie Sanders' 1978 New Year's Resolution? Claim summaries: The 1970s version of Sanders sounds very familiar to modern audiences.
contextual information: An image circulated via social media purported to offer a 1978 New Year's resolution offered by future U.S. Sen. and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, as solicited by a newspaper in his home state of Vermont: Bernie Sanders, erstwhile leader of the Liberty Union, Vermont's much-weakened third party: "In 1978, as in other years, I hope to be able to play some role in making working people aware that the present day reality of poverty, wage slavery and mind-destroying media and schools is not the only reality -- but simply a pathetic presentation brought to us by a handful of power-hungry individuals who own and control our economy." Sanders began his electoral political career with the newly formed Liberty Union Party in 1971, serving (unsuccessfully) as the party's gubernatorial candidate for Vermont in 1972 and 1976 and as its U.S. Senate candidate in 1972 and 1974. The circumstance that Liberty Union candidates never had any realistic chance of winning office provided them, in Sander's words, with the chance "to get up and say exactly what they meant with no compromise." Sanders left the Liberty Union Party in October 1977, however, citing the party's failure to "remain active, on a year-round basis, in the struggles of working people against the banks and corporations that own and control Vermont." Liberty Union Party words October 1977 It was around the time Sanders resigned from the Liberty Union Party that the Daily Herald newspaper of Rutland, Vermont, solicited him as one of the "politicians, people in the news, [and] people in the street" to answer the question "What do you want to accomplish in 1978?" Sanders' answer was, as reproduced above, published in the paper's Jan. 1, 1978 edition: Jaffe, Harry. "For the New Year, I Resolve ..."
Rutland Daily Herald. 1 January 1978. Associated Press. "Liberty Union Party Chief in Vermont Quits Position."
Nashua Telegraph. 12 October 1977 (p.10). | 1 | [
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FMD2293 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: #DraftOurDaughters: Feminist Hillary Supporters Vow To Fight War With Russia For Us
Eric Striker October 28, 2016 Liberated af
Women have come a long way since the sexual revolution. Through subsidization and affirmative action that makes up centuries of mean-spirited discrimination, they’ve shown their grit in a number of fields the Old Boys Club never thought possible. They’ve blown past the fitness tests which lives hinge on as firefighters , they demonstrate amazing coolness and discipline as police officers , and have become billionaires revolutionizing blood work as we know it.
Anything you can do, women can do better! I don’t know why men even exist anymore!
A majority of women are, according to most polls, hopeful that they will be able to push new frontiers by electing the first female president of the United States. And while the Patriarchy has in the past asserted that a world run by women would essentially mean world peace, sexist bigots will be proven wrong if Hillary takes office and makes good on her promise to start a nuclear war with Russia over Syria for no coherent reason. Gen X and single women, who are too confident and smart for any man to want to marry, are the biggest Hil fanatics.
Rawwrrr, come turn off this Pussy Riot, Putin!
Yet, even with all this progress, there’s still one last He-Man Woman-Hater’s club that looks down on women from their glass ceiling, hogging up all the glory for themselves. Did I say glass ceiling? I meant grass floor: Mmmm , Man Tears
The only place in modern American culture where you will see a white male portrayed with dignity, honor and pride is in military recruitment ads. In these ads, the black man is shown at best as a white man’s equal, rather than as a smarter, better-looking, more masculine superior, in contrast to many movies, TV shows and most commercials. In the last Iraq War, white privilege and racism meant that in our very diverse country, non-Jewish white males were overrepresented among fatalities, and are heavily over represented in frontline and infantry roles.
While Neo-conservative (((Jennifer Rubin))) and others of her (((ilk))) dedicate their columns to mocking, attacking and threatening white males based on nothing but who you are, the mange-inflicted yentl buckles at the knees when you put on that uniform and die in one of the many wars she pushes for.
Get it through your thick skull you racist, privileged, baby-dicked white boy goyim: the only thing you’re good for is to fight for Israel!
In light of this institutional patriarchy and privilege, #DraftOurDaughters has emerged to raise consciousness. This social media campaign is composed of Hillary Clinton’s coalition of non-whites and women – shut out of military combat roles by worthless racist rednecks – eager to make her dream of a World War with an emerging and more advanced superpower come true.
We need women, blacks, Mexicans, and especially Jews (.02% of the US military while 2% of the US population) to come on in. Women especially, who have been shut out of Selective Service for the draft, should be given priority over men when the draft comes in order to mitigate decades of discrimination.
Here are some of the memes already floating around. #DraftOurDaughters is grassroots progress Martin Luther King Jr. (Peace Be Upon Him) would be proud of. I encourage you to make your own and put them up on Twitter, we’ll show that rude bigot Vladimir Putin what the New America can do: | 0 | [
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FMD2294 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Every time Donald Trump lashes out at Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, he gets his ass handed to him.For instance, when Trump threw a petty temper tantrum because Corker criticized him, Corker responded thusly:It s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning. Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 8, 2017Corker didn t even have to say another word. He just sat back and watched as the world laughed at Trump. Trump even continued throwing a hissy fit by relentlessly attacking and insulting Corker, but to avail. Corker had already kicked his ass.On Tuesday morning, Trump took aim at Corker once again for criticizing Trump s massive tax cuts for the wealthy.Bob Corker, who helped President O give us the bad Iran Deal & couldn t get elected dog catcher in Tennessee, is now fighting Tax Cuts . Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017 Corker dropped out of the race in Tennesse when I refused to endorse him, and now is only negative on anything Trump. Look at his record! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017Isn t it sad that lightweight Senator Bob Corker, who couldn t get re-elected in the Great State of Tennessee, will now fight Tax Cuts plus! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017Corker could probably get re-elected in Tennessee. It s just that he has decided to retire rather than run again.But while Trump required three tweets to attack Corker, Corker only needed one.Same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #AlertTheDaycareStaff Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 24, 2017Indeed, where is the adult day care staff? Clearly, General John Kelly has utterly failed to regulate Trump s social media usage. Like a child, Trump needs serious supervision. Every time he rage tweets he embarrasses himself and the nation.If Trump thinks he is winning this little feud with Corker he should think again. Because Corker has zero f*cks left and he ll burn Trump s tiny-handed ass to the ground every single time.Featured Image: Ron Sachs Pool/Getty Images | 0 | [
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FMD2295 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Jeff Sessions just got busted for lying about his ties to Russia during the campaign and Donald Trump was quick to whine about it.When Sessions was being grilled in the Senate during his confirmation hearing, Senator Al Franken asked him directly if he had been in contact with the Russians during the election. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians, Sessions said.Sessions statement was made under oath, which means he committed perjury. Perjury is illegal and that means the United States currently has an Attorney General who broke the law to gain his position.Several lawmakers have demanded that Sessions resign and recuse himself from any investigations into Donald trump s ties to Russia.So far, Sessions has refused to resign, which is rather hypocritical since Michael Flynn lied to Mike Pence and had to resign. And Flynn was not under oath when he lied. Sessions WAS under oath.Despite getting caught lying, Trump issued an official White House hissy fit calling the whole scandal a witch hunt against an honest man while also once again bringing up the election results and the leaks. Jeff Sessions is an honest man, Trump began. He did not say anything wrong. He could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional. This whole narrative is a way of saving face for Democrats losing an election that everyone thought they were supposed to win. They lost the election and now, they have lost their grip on reality. The real story is all of the illegal leaks of classified and other information. It is a total witch hunt! JUST IN: President Trump releases a statement on Attorney General Jeff Sessions, says It is a total witch hunt! pic.twitter.com/Jogoc25Ggt CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) March 3, 2017But Sessions DID say something wrong when he lied in response to a question he received during his confirmation hearing. He directly insisted that he did not have any communications with the Russians during the campaign. But, in fact, he DID meet with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice during the election, which means he LIED to Congress.Sessions violated U.S. Code 1621 by committing perjury and is subject to a fine or a maximum five years behind bars. Congress has a duty to punish Sessions for lying under oath and he should be forced to resign as Attorney General. The Russia scandal just keeps getting worse for Trump, and it is time for Republicans to appoint a special prosecutor and independent commission to investigate.Featured image via Getty Images | 0 | [
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FMD2296 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Print Saeed Toosi, right, and Ayatollah Khamenei
After failed attempts by top Iran officials to cover up the scandal, the nation’s leading reciter of the Quran and close friend of Ayatollah Khamenei has been accused of raping 19 of his students and charged with “advocating corruption.”
Saeed Toosi, 46, winner of the first prize for reading the Quran, both internationally and locally, fell under suspicion after a broadcast by Persian Voice of America – banned for viewing by Tehran – in which three alleged rape victims came forward with written and audio evidence and described sexual assaults by Toosi, reported Al Arabiya.
In an audio recording, Toosi said that Khamenei knew of the sexual assaults and, together with the head of Iran’s judicial authority, had agreed to a cover-up to protect the reputation of the nation’s quranic institution and the regime.
It’s time to stop tiptoeing around the facts. “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades” is a much-needed dose of truth about the “religion of peace.”
One document has Toosi admitting that his actions with his students had been a “mistake.” One of the victims – a recent first-place winner in a quranic competition – claimed he was raped when he was 12 while traveling abroad with Toosi to attend a competition. The mentor, according to the charge, booked the pair in a single hotel room where the attack took place.
All victims who have filed statements were between 12 and 14 at the time of the alleged attacks. The incidents took place over the past seven years during “quranic trips to more than 20 countries in the world aimed at ‘spreading the quranic culture’ and to participate in quranic competitions.”
Toosi is highly respected as Iran’s most celebrated reader of the Quran and was previously called an “exemplary model to be followed” by Khamenei, current supreme leader of Iran. He is a permanent guest of Khamenei in the annual quranic councils celebrated during Ramadan. Last May, Toosi was asked to recite verses from the Quran at the opening session of the Shura council, with many of Iran’s top officials in attendance.
The students told Persian VOA they had filed charges with the House of Leadership, but officials dismissed their claims, citing a “repentance letter” from Toosi admitting his actions and claiming to be a “changed man.”
While Iran officially imposes the death penalty for homosexuality, sex between men and boys is viewed with some toleration in the culture, causing confusion as to whether the resulting relationships are consensual or forced. The case is further complicated by the fact allegations of sexual misconduct against powerful officials are unheard of in the Islamic Republic.
According to the reformist Amad News, officials held a two-hour emergency meeting with the judiciary following outcries over the broadcast. The initial intent to bury the story failed after it reached the national press and resulted in Toosi now being charged.
Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, whom the victims’ audio showed conspiring with Khamenei to cover up the incidents, defended the regime’s handling of the case, London Guardian reported. Larijani called for punishment of those who cooperated with “hostile media” in the VOA story, “so we know who is [loyal] to the revolution and who is not.”
The case has been given to a judge for a ruling, though there will be no public trial. Awad News reports members of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution are planning to “assassinate” Toosi to end the scandal and save the regime’s reputation.
Toosi, who has denied the charges against him – calling them “total lies” meant to discredit Iran’s religious institutions and the ayatollah – is reportedly threatening to release the names of 100 of Iran’s top officials he claims are implicated in the rape and molestation of children, if the prosecution proceeds. | 0 | [
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FMD2297 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: When John Kasich became governor of Ohio, there was an $8 billion budget deficit and now theres a $2 billion surplus.
contextual information: Hoping to add some political muscle to Republican John Kasichs bid for the White House, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed the Ohio governor for president during a rally in Columbus this week. But did Schwarzenegger, a fellow Republican, bend the truth when he described Ohios financial turnaround under Kasich? In hisendorsement speech, Schwarzenegger called Kasich an action hero, saying that when Kasich became governor in 2011, there was an $8 billion budget deficit and now theres a $2 billion surplus. We decided to check that claim. Kasich has made similar statements throughout his campaign for president, and highlighted thisfiscal transformationon his website. I took the state of Ohio from an $8 billion hole to a $2 billion surplus, Kasich said during the Republican presidential debate in Cleveland last year. The national PolitiFact team took adeeper lookat Kasichs claim last August. Its very similar to Schwarzeneggers claim. Heres what it found: An $8 billion hole? Theres an argument for $8 billion, but theres also an argument for something closer to $6 billion, according to adeep diveby the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2011. The $8 billion figure is rounded up from a $7.7 billion gap between spending and expected revenues. It was an initial estimate from January 2011, based on the assumption made several months earlier that there would be no new revenue growth. However, revenues did grow as the economy rebounded that year, reducing the gap to between $5.9 billion to $6.1 billion -- a calculation that Kasichs budget director, Tim Keen, agreed with conceptually in a 2011 interview, though he took issue with some of the methodological details. Whatever the number, Kasich avoided a potential misstep when he spoke of this as a hole rather than a deficit. Ohio, like most states, cannot run an actual budget deficit. The $8 billion gap is more accurately described as a projected shortfall rather than a deficit. Schwarzenegger used the term deficit, which we interpreted as a minor misstatement rather than an attempt to deceive. A $2 billion surplus? This figure is clearer. Ohios Office of Budget and Managementreportedin July 2015 that the states rainy day fund had a little more than $2 billion in it, up from effectively zero when Kasich took office in 2011. The surplus remained above $2 billion this week, said a spokesman for the budget office. Does Kasich deserve credit? Its not unreasonable to give Kasich some credit for the states improving economic fortunes -- he is a governor, after all, and he forged the states fiscal policy in concert with the Legislature. Schwarzeneggers claim strongly implies Kasich played a central role in the turnaround, though it doesnt explicitly link the two together. But its important to remember that Kasich took office at the very beginning of the national economic recovery, and as the national economy has improved, so has Ohios. When Kasich was inaugurated in January 2011, the unemployment rate in Ohio was 9.2 percent -- exactly the same as the national rate.As of December, the national unemployment rate was 5 percent and the rate in Ohio was 4.8 percent. So Kasichs timing has been fortunate. Our ruling In his endorsement speech, Schwarzenegger said that when Kasich became governor, there was an $8 billion budget deficit and now theres a $2 billion surplus. Kasich said, I took the state of Ohio from an $8 billion hole to a $2 billion surplus. Its possible to argue over whether the starting point should be $6 billion rather than $8 billion. But Kasich and Schwarzenegger didnt pull that figure out of thin air, though it certainly was high by historical standards. Kasich also used the term hole, which is more appropriate than deficit. Meanwhile, the $2 billion figure seems solid. Still, its worth noting that Kasich spoke a little grandly when he said that I did it, since the states fiscal improvement got a big assist from the national economic recovery. The statements are accurate but need additional information, so we rate them Mostly True. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD2298 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Was it O.J. Simpson who posted on Twitter that he intended to participate in the SAG-AFTRA strike? Claim summaries: The former football player has acted and produced professionally in the past.
contextual information: In mid-July 2023, the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the union representing Hollywood actors and performers, voted to go on strike against major studios after negotiations broke down. A tweet by @KeatonPatti went viral on July 13, 2023, purporting to show a screenshot of a tweet and video in which O.J. Simpson appeared to show his support for the strike. The screenshot shows Simpson wearing a green shirt while standing in front of flowers. An overlaid caption quotes him as saying, "As a proud SAG member, I can't wait to join you all on the picket line." The screenshot also indicates that Simpson tweeted from his official Twitter account, adding the words, "Union strong. #SAGStrike." However, the screenshot is fake. There is no evidence that Simpson issued such a tweet, nor that he made a video in which he expressed support for the guild strike. The writer Keaton Patti, who has previously written stories for humor sites like The Onion, likely shared this screenshot as a joke. Indeed, the replies to the tweet are largely joking about the impact the spectacle of the controversial figure joining the strikes would have. We went to Simpson's Twitter account, which primarily consists of videos of him sharing his views on a range of topics, but found no tweets in which he expressed support for the strike. The screenshot was likely created by editing a real screenshot from a July 11, 2023, tweet from Simpson titled, "Sports should be equal and fair," in which he shared his views on the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports. In that video, Simpson was shown sitting in front of the same flowers, wearing the same shirt, with the camera at the same angle as the one in the manipulated screenshot, and the same reflection in his glasses. Simpson, a former professional football player, gained notoriety in the 1990s after a sensational trial in which he was acquitted of the murder of his estranged wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. In 2008, he was found guilty in a botched robbery and sentenced to more than three decades in prison, of which he served nine years. Simpson also produced and acted professionally, appearing in "The Naked Gun" movie series, among others. His finances fell under scrutiny upon his 2017 release from prison. Tom Scotto, his friend, told USA Today that Simpson received money from a SAG pension, in addition to his National Football League pension and his personal investments in a retirement fund. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Simpson's SAG pension was protected from the millions of dollars he owed to the families of Brown Simpson and Goldman after they won a wrongful death lawsuit against him in 1997. Simpson's acting and producing credits entitled him to SAG membership, and he appears to have a SAG pension as well, but the extent of his active participation in union activities and current status is unknown. Regardless, the above screenshot clearly does not show Simpson supporting the actor's strike; rather, it was manufactured by altering a separate video and adding a fictional caption. | 0 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 0 |
FMD2299 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: In Wisconsin, unions can essentially give unlimited contributions to political parties, but business can't give any.
contextual information: Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos sounded euphoric on Milwaukee radio on Nov. 5, 2014, the morning after the mid-term elections. How are you? he was asked by conservative talk show host Charlie Sykes. Charlie, I literally could not be better, Vos replied. Not only had Republican Gov. Scott Walker won re-election, but gains in the Assembly meant Republicans would enjoy their largest majority in that chambersince 1957. In theinterview, Vos laid out a number of his priorities for the next legislative session, which starts in January 2015. One proposal would allow business contributions to the political parties. Right now, if you are the Democratic Party, you can take unlimited union money, in many ways, but there's a prohibition on business being able to give to a political party, Vos claimed. Id like to get rid of that and create a level playing field. Vos presumably was singling out the Democratic Party because it typically gets more support from unions than the GOP does. Well check both parts of his claim -- that in Wisconsin, unions can essentially make unlimited contributions to political parties, while businesses cant make any. Unions State law allows unions to contribute directly to political parties (and to candidates, for that matter). But since at least 2008, no union has used its treasury funds to directly make a contribution to a political party, according to the state Government Accountability Board, which oversees state elections. There is a strong disincentive to contribute that way. If they did, unions would have to register with the state as a political committee and would have to disclose all their sources of revenue and all their disbursements. Instead, what unions typically do is create political action committees, which in turn make contributions to political parties (and candidates). A union can give a PAC the equivalent of $20 per union member per year without having to disclose the names of the union members. Or, the union can give unlimited amounts to PACs, as long as the union members names are disclosed. PACs, though, are limited to contributing $6,000 per year to a political party. So, unions are allowed to contribute directly to political parties -- but, in practice, they dont. They are allowed to give unlimited amounts of money to a political action committee, but a PAC is limited to how much it can give to a party. Business The second part of Vos claim is that there's a prohibition on business being able to give to a political party. In Wisconsin, campaign contributionsmust originate from individuals. That means business owners -- those who own sole proprietorships or partnerships -- can make contributions to political parties (as well as to candidates and political action committees). That is, as long as the source is personal funds and not funds from the business -- and as long as they follow the limit for a particular race. ButWisconsin prohibitscorporations, including limited liability companies, from making contributions to parties, candidates or PACs. Like unions, corporations can form political action committees to solicit campaign contributions from individuals. But as weve noted, unlike unions, corporations cant make contributions to PACs. Vos told us hed like to see state law changed so that it treats corporations like unions -- in other words, allowing corporations to make the same kind of political contributions as unions do. Our rating Vos said that in Wisconsin, unions can essentially give unlimited contributions to political parties, but business can't give any. The law allows unions to make unlimited contributions to the parties, but in practice, they make no such direct contributions at all. Rather, they give to political action committees, which in turn are limited in what they can give to parties. Business owners using their personal funds can contribute to political parties, within limits, but corporations can't make any such contributions. We rate the claim Mostly True. To comment on this item, go to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinelwebsite. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
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