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FMD3300 | 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 Zelenskyy and Soros Cousins? Claim summaries: If you want to smear a politician in the eyes of some far-right circles, just allege some sort of relationship to billionaire George Soros.
contextual information: One common tactic to smear politicians is to claim they are related to George Soros, a billionaire philanthropist who serves as a sort of right-wing boogeyman due to his large investments in "liberal" causes. For example, Chelsea Clinton is not married to Soros' nephew, Adam Schiff's sister is not married to Soros' son, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is not Soros' niece. In April 2022, as Russia continued its assault on Ukraine, another version of this rumor was circulated on social media, this time falsely claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was Soros' cousin. This false rumor was shared on social media along with a claim that this information came directly from the Pentagon; however, the Pentagon has released no such statement. We searched the Pentagon's website and social media accounts and found no remarks about Soros and Zelenskyy being cousins. A spokesperson for the Pentagon told Lead Stories that no such statement was released, and a spokesperson for Soros' Open Society Foundation told Politifact that the rumor was "entirely false." The Pentagon did not release a statement identifying Zelenskyy and Soros as cousins, and Soros' foundation has denied these rumors. Furthermore, Zelenskyy was once asked about a similarly baseless rumor, the claim that the Ukrainian government was "installed" by Soros. In 2020, Zelenskyy laughed at the notion, saying: "I am not familiar with a person named Soros. I have never met him. I'm definitely not one of those 'followers of Soros.' There are probably people who studied at the expense of various donor funds and worked for companies that were founded by such funds. And one of these funds is the Soros Foundation. I understand that in fact they received money from the fund of this person for which they studied abroad. The question of the influence of Mr. Soros on Ukraine, I do not feel it. I think this is all an exaggeration." | 0 | [
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FMD3301 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Recipient Email =>
No doubt because of the impending presidential election, we’ve had some musings on the past and future of conservatism in the pages of the New York Times this past few days.
Ross Douthat [ ] was first up with a column titled What The Right’s Intellectuals Did Wron g In the October 26th edition.
His very short answer, in three parts: The follies of President George W. Bush delegitimized him, and the conservative intellectuals who supported him, in the eyes of conservative voters, leaving them susceptible to coarse populist appeals. Conservative intellectuals looked too kindly on the new populist-conservative media outlets that have come up the past 25 years: talk radio, Fox News, the Drudge Report, Breitbart.com. These outlets, says Douthat, are “fact-averse and irresponsible.” Our intellectuals should have taken charge and disciplined them, instead of smiling indulgently at their populist caperings, says Douthat. Conservative intellectuals, powered by populist energy, should have conducted a Long March through the institutions of the managerial state: the academy, the Main Stream Media, the courts, the bureaucracy. They failed to do this.
Result, according to Douthat:
So it is that today, three generations after Buckley and Burnham, the academy and the mass media are arguably more hostile to conservative ideas than ever, and the courts and the bureaucracy are trending in a similar direction.
Two days later, October 28th, David Brooks [ ] took up the issue in a column headed The Conservative Intellectual Crisis .
Again, he fingers three causes of the crisis. We’re really in the realm of Threeness here. I refer interested listeners to the last segment of my October Diary here at VDARE.com for more explorations of that realm. Talk radio, cable TV and the internet have taken conservatism down-market, coarsening it so it no longer appeals to thoughtful, educated people. Conservatives have put too much faith in politics: “Recently conservatism has become more the talking arm of the Republican Party.” Conservatives have been too hostile to the idea of government as a tool for social good. It has offered nothing to hard-pressed working- and middle-class Americans.
That’s David Brooks’ three-part diagnosis.
If you got a whiff of snobbery in all that, especially from Brooks’ piece, your sense of smell is working just fine. What a shame that the genteel, cultured salons of the intellectual Right got invaded by tobacco-chewing hillbillies with mud on their boots!
But that’s not my main problem with Douthat and Brooks. I don’t mind intellectual elites, and I don’t in fact believe you can have rational politics without them. I just don’t think the elites we actually have right now are any good.
The liberal elites are in fact terrible: dishonest, corrupt, and in thrall to magical superstitions about human nature and society. The conservative elites Douthat and Brooks are writing about are not that bad, but they need seriously to revise some of their premises.
Buckleyite conservatism was a stool with three legs. (See, I can do the threes business with the best of them!) The Cold War. A good large cohort of believing Christians in the educated class. The unquestioned assumption that public affairs, both national and international, were a game played among white Europeans.
None of those three things is any longer the case. The Cold War is a whole generation in the past. Religious devotion among educated Americans is fast draining away, for reasons I explained at length in Chapter Eight of We Are Doomed . And in one more generation, give or take a year or two, white Europeans will be a minority in the U.S.A., and quite possibly in large parts of Europe itself, too.
America’s conservative intellectuals have not made the necessary adjustments. That’s what accounts for their irrelevance and impotence.
They have, I’ll allow, acknowledged the end of the Cold War. They’re in denial, though, about the weakening of Christianity in our hedonistic welfare state. As for what a much earlier American writer called “The Rising Tide of Color,” conservative intellectuals like Douthat and Brooks are terrified to speak about it because they have internalized the social taboos about race talk imposed by the Liberal Establishment.
With no more Cold War as a unifying principle, no more consensus on the centrality of religious faith to their program, and no courage to stand up to the race bullies, our conservative intellectuals are reduced to ineffectual arm-flapping–leaving citizens of a conservative temperament with nowhere to turn but to populism. And so, that’s where we turn.
Unless, of course, ineffectual arm-flapping is your thing; in which case I recommend the efforts of Ross Douthat and David Brooks.
For example: How are things going in Europe with that mass Third World immigration Enoch Powell warned about in such alarmist phrases 48 years ago? Britain
The current talking point: a report out of Open Democracy , a Left-liberal think-tank, about racial segregation in Britain. Sample headline : Call for action to tackle growing ethnic segregation across UK . By Anushka Asthana and Nazia Parveen , The Guardian, November 1, 2016.
The segregation, which is of course voluntary, is massive. Muslims want to live among Muslims, blacks want to live among blacks, and white British people don’t want to live among either.
White flight has been dramatic. In last week’s podcast, I mentioned my uncle Fred, who lived in the Aston district of Birmingham until he died last year. When I stayed there with them in my childhood sixty years ago, there was nobody in Aston but working-class white English people, with a few Irish Catholics for variety. This new report lists Aston as still 45 percent white in 1991. In 2011, twenty years later, it was down to 14 percent white.
The London borough of Newham , where I bought my first house (right) in 1970, was 34 percent white in 2001. Ten years later it was half that, 17 percent. In the Northern town of Blackburn, billed as one of the most segregated towns in Britain, one newspaper reporter found a butcher who declared he had never served a white person in the entire year he’s been in business. ORDER IT NOW
Not that there is no contact at all across the race lines. Every couple of years there is another news story about Muslim men raping and prostituting white British teenage girls: “grooming” is the newspaper euphemism. Quote from one such story , the men in this case being Somalis , quote:
Several of the girls … believed the sexual abuse was part of loving relationships they were having with the defendants, and that having sex with their “boyfriend’s” friends was part of their “culture and tradition.”
Multiculturalism, you see?
In short, a complete failure of integration and assimilation–just as Enoch Powell predicted.
The authors of the report recommend unspecified measures to encourage white Britons to stay put when minorities colonize a district. The rationale here is presumably Contact Theory , which says that prejudice arises from isolation and ignorance, and that when people get to know each other prejudice melts away.
Contact Theory was launched by American psychologist Gordon Allport back in 1954. Subsequent events, and indeed subsequent research in the human sciences , have shredded it. We now know that familiarity mostly breeds not harmony and understanding but rancor and conflict. France
Crossing the English Channel, we find ourselves in France, whose capital city, once a favorite with tourists for its elegance, beauty, and civilized life, is now a dogpit of warring African and Middle Eastern street gangs.
It got worse this week after French authorities demolished a huge camp of illegal aliens near Calais. A big group of the illegals headed for Paris, where they got into running street battles with illegals from Afghanistan and Eritrea already camped there–right there in the streets of Paris:
A mass brawl broke out as migrants in Paris attacked each other with sticks —hours after authorities moved in to smash up an illegal city centre camp. Pictures show men lunging at each other with makeshift clubs last night next to a row of tents in the Stalingrad district of the French capital.
Amid chaotic scenes, gangs of men were seen brandishing pieces of wood and squaring up for a street battle. Germany
From the UK Express :
During the first six months of 2016, migrants committed 142,500 crimes, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office.[ ‘We are losing control of the streets’ Merkel’s Germany descends into lawlessness , by Siobhan McFadyen , November 2, 2016]
And Germany has been hit by a spate of horrendous violent crime including rapes, sexual and physical assaults, stabbings, home invasions, robberies, burglaries and drug trafficking.
German police say they are losing control of the streets to the foreign invaders. In Leipzig, a ten-year-old girl was raped by an illegal. In the town of Bautzen, in the far east of Germany, there are regular street battles between local Germans and illegals. [ GERMANY AT BOILING POINT: Furious mob takes to streets hunting and attacking migrants , By Allan Hall, UK Express , November 3, 2016] Denmark
Denmark has its own report on white flight .[ MP blasts ‘soft-touch’ migrant policy as Denmark struggles with 31 ghettos , B y Lizzie Stromme, UK Express , November 2, 2016 ] That nation now has 31 ghettos, says the government, defined as areas with more than 50 percent minority residents. Sweden
Swedish police are struggling to cope with a massive crime wave caused by immigrants. There are now 52 areas where police officers can’t cope with the levels of crime being committed, according to the government. [ Sweden on the brink? Police force pushed to breaking point by violence amid migrant influx , By Lizzie Stromme, UK Express , November 2, 2016] Arson against automobiles is especially popular. The city of Västerås, in central Sweden, population 110,000 has seen 88 cars set alight so far this year. Sweden’s police forces are seeing mass resignations of officers.[ Arson attacks carried out by migrants are fault of ‘racist Swedes’ – says refugee , Lizzie Stromme, UK Express , October 31, 2016] And so on. This is the great catastrophe of our time: The willed self-destruction of Western civilization by nations that have disarmed themselves before the enemy, disarmed themselves with sentimentality and guilt and crazy economic fantasies. ORDER IT NOW
We all thought the Third World War would be fought between Russia and the West, in mighty tank battles on the plains of Eastern Europe; or else between China and the U.S.A. in the Western Pacific, with carrier groups and submarines chasing each other around the sea and Marines storming up the beaches of tropical islands.
No: This is World War Three, the First World vs . the Third World. To date, the First World is losing. Losing? It’s barely even fighting.
An admirable outfit named the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation released a report in October on American attitudes to communism and socialism . It makes depressing reading, especially those parts dealing with knowledge and opinions among millennials —that’s people born from the early 1980s to the mid 1990s.
Sample: Of those millennials familiar with Vladimir Lenin, 25 percent have a favorable view of him.
And oh —did you know? —the American Communist Party is backing Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy . Mrs Clinton has of course loudly repudiated their support when challenged about it by interviewers. Oh, wait …
In related news, here’s a chap named Duke Pesta, currently an associate professor of English at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. Every year at the beginning of the school year Prof Pesta gives quizzes to his students to test their knowledge on basic facts about American history and Western culture.
He declares that students overwhelmingly believe that slavery was a phenomenon exclusive to the United States: “Most of my students could not tell me anything meaningful about slavery outside of America.“
It goes without saying that they know nothing about the history of communism, either.
These are the fruits of decades of utterly corrupted education, the corruption seeping down from our universities, to the schools of education, to the high schools and elementary schools. We now have a whole generation raised with a radically false view of the past. History has been rewritten, and the rewritten version prevails.
The triumph of Cultural Marxism could not be more plain–nor could the ineffectuality of the “conservatism” that Ross Douthat and David Brooks are waxing nostalgic over. (Reprinted from VDare.com by permission of author or representative) | 0 | [
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FMD3302 | 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: Bernie Sanders: A Loser's Life? Claim summaries: A meme about Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders displayed questionable accuracy and relevance.
contextual information: In February 2016, a meme about the lack of business acumen and experience exhibited by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a Democratic presidential candidate, began circulating online. The criticisms offered in the meme were a mixture of true, false, irrelevant, and misleading statements. To wit: Never owned a business. Right off, this meme begins with a rather nebulous criticism. Although having owned a business is an experience many voters would like to see on the résumé of a potential chief executive, a literal application of that term isn't of much relevance. Technically, a person who once operated a roadside lemonade stand has "owned a business," while a person who has spent his career serving as the CEO of a public multinational, multibillion-dollar corporation has not—even though everyone would agree the latter has vastly more business experience than the former. Certainly, a number of highly regarded U.S. presidents in the modern era (e.g., Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan) never owned their own businesses. Moreover, one might validly say that Sanders started and operated his own business (whether he "owned" it is somewhat arguable, as it was a non-profit), the American People's Historical Society, which was created in 1978 to produce educational film strips about the history of Vermont. The University of Vermont has archived several of the brochures produced by the American People's Historical Society, one of which includes a statement from Sanders outlining the purpose of his film strips. Director Bernard Sanders explained, "It is our belief that state and regional history has too long been neglected by the audio-visual industry, and we are happy to begin the process of rectifying that situation. We believe that students have the right to learn about the state and region in which they are living." While the financials of the American People's Historical Society are not available, Sanders wrote in his memoir, Outsider in the House, that the business was reasonably successful and "a lot of fun." A friend of Sanders told Politico that the film strip business "wasn't just a way to make money ... He made film strips about people he admired and believed in. He just thought kids should know the truth of how things really were." Never invented anything. Once again, this is a rather nebulous criticism. The concept of "inventing" something could range from simply thinking up a novel idea (but doing nothing more about it) to creating and building a device for personal use (but not marketing it) to actually obtaining a patent for a new product. Bernie Sanders is certainly no inventor and holds no patents, but it's hard to see how that fact is of any relevance, as the same is true of nearly every U.S. president. Thomas Jefferson might legitimately be considered an inventor for having conceptualized various devices (including a macaroni machine, a swivel chair, a spherical sundial, a moldboard plow, and a cipher wheel), although he held no patents because he believed them to be a form of monopoly. Abraham Lincoln was the only U.S. president who ever held a patent, having been issued Patent #6,469 for "A Device for Buoying Vessels Over Shoals" on May 22, 1849. Beyond that, "inventing" has historically had nothing to do with the qualifications or success of candidates for the White House. Never had a 9 to 5 job. This criticism is too vaguely worded to allow for much cogent analysis. What does holding a "9 to 5 job" mean? That one literally works from 9 AM to 5 PM (and not some other period of the day)? That one holds full-time employment? That one is paid on an hourly basis? That one toils at what is commonly referred to as a "blue-collar" job? That one works for someone else rather than being self-employed? If we assume the most seemingly relevant application of the term—that it refers to holding steady, full-time employment—then one might fairly say it applies to Bernie Sanders. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Chicago in 1964, Sanders primarily worked a series of odd jobs while attempting to get his political career off the ground, and a Politico article observed that he "didn't collect his first steady paycheck until he was an elected official pushing 40 years old." However, that same article did list a variety of jobs Sanders held (even if they weren't steady or didn't provide a livable wage) before he finally reached public office upon being elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont, at age 39—working as an aide at a psychiatric hospital, as a Head Start preschool teacher, as a carpenter, and as a freelance writer for local publications. Sanders rented a small brick duplex at 295 1/2 Maple Street that was filled with not much furniture and not much food in the fridge but stacks of checked-out library books and scribbled-on legal pads. "Pretty sparse," Gene Bergman, an old friend, said about the apartment. "Stark and dark," said Darcy Troville, a fellow Liberty Unionite who lived around the corner and shared with Sanders homemade jellies and jams. "The electricity was turned off a lot," Barnett said. "I remember him running an extension cord down to the basement. He couldn't pay his bills." He worked some as a carpenter, although "he was a shitty carpenter," [Liberty Union party member John] Bloch told me. "His carpentry," [Liberty Union member Danny] Morrisseau said, "was not going to support him, and didn't." He worked as a freelance writer, putting intermittent pieces in the low-budget Vermont Freeman, a Burlington alternative weekly called the Vanguard Press, and a glossy, state-supported magazine called Vermont Life. His writing wasn't a living. The Vanguard paid as little as the rest. "It would've been not more than 50 bucks," said Greg Guma, a former editor. Vermont Life? "Our rate was 10 cents a word," said Brian Vachon, a former editor. "He was always poor," Sandy Baird, another old friend, told me in Burlington. "Virtually unemployed," said Nelson, the political science professor at the University of Vermont. "Just one step above hand to mouth," said Terry Bouricius, who was involved with Liberty Union, served at times as a de facto campaign manager for Sanders, and at one point crashed for a couple of months on his couch. Liberty Union "people found it difficult to support themselves while engaging in full-time political work," Michael Parenti, one of those people, wrote in the Massachusetts Review in the summer of 1975. "Some held jobs that allowed free time for campaign activities, while others lived off unemployment insurance." "His work was to be a politician," Guma said. "He put everything into what he was doing." We would also note that by the standard used here, holding elective office (as Sanders has done for most of the last 35 years as a mayor, a U.S. representative, and a U.S. senator) is as much a "9 to 5" job as any other. Never proposed a bill that has passed. This statement is not literally true, as during his tenure in Congress, Sanders has sponsored three bills that were enacted, two of which were rather slight matters involving the naming of USPS facilities, and one of which was the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2013 (which provided "for an increase in the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans"). Although that might seem like a slight achievement for someone who has spent 25 years as both a U.S. representative and a U.S. senator, we would note that only a scant handful of bills submitted in Congress (about 4 to 6 percent) are ever brought to a vote, and even fewer (about 2 to 4 percent) end up being enacted. We would also note that sponsoring original legislation is but one small part of Congress members' duties: they also co-sponsor legislation submitted by colleagues (which Sanders has done for more than 200 successful bills), muster support (or opposition) among colleagues and the public for proposed legislation, review and vote on proposed bills, serve on various committees (Sanders holds six Senate committee appointments), meet with constituents, and participate in oversight and investigation of governmental affairs. First and foremost, the Member is a decision-maker. Members are faced with hundreds of decisions in both recorded and unrecorded votes on matters major and minor. Many decisions must be made quickly. Each decision, whether spontaneous or studied, balances the conflicting perspectives received from private citizens, public officials, and party leaders. Decisions are often second-guessed by constituents, campaign opponents, colleagues, lobbyists, and media critics. Meetings are continual, in committee rooms, in private offices, in corridors, and in gatherings on the floor. Daily, sacks of mail are delivered. Faxes flow in a steady stream. Electronic mail jams congressional computers. Correspondence must be written and press releases issued. Highly visible issues are debated on the House or Senate floor, fully televised, and the absence or presence of a Member is duly noted. Scandals require investigation. Programs require oversight. Requests for information, both basic and complex, are received daily. Journalists seek comment. Constituents seek assistance obtaining federal grants, government jobs, and help in overcoming bureaucratic obstacles. Over time, these daily tasks and the always-changing expectations of the electorate have come together to establish a multi-faceted job. Lived off welfare before elected to public office. As noted above, various acquaintances who knew Sanders in the years before he achieved public office have reported that he was "always poor," and he likely received public assistance at some point during that time, although what form of (and how much) assistance he received is difficult to determine at this remove. A contemporaneous newspaper account from the Bennington Banner reported that in 1974, when Sanders ran for the U.S. Senate on the Liberty Union Party ticket, he was collecting unemployment benefits: Sanders, 32, cares little what 'image' he conveys—and that's part of his image of being a bit rumpled and unshorn. He's on unemployment compensation right now, having worked for the Bread & Law Task Force, as a freelance writer, and as a carpenter in the Burlington area. But the thing he likes best, and excels at, is 'talking the issues,' and he doesn't mind repeating himself sometimes." 74-year-old personal net worth of $300,000. As 247 Wall St. reported, determining the precise net worth of candidates is difficult for a number of reasons: net worth reporting exact values is not required. Instead, candidates may disclose their assets and income in a range. Further, candidates do not necessarily report all their assets. For instance, candidates do not need to disclose their personal real estate and property values. Jeb Bush opted to omit assets generated by several holding companies, for example. In addition, while some candidates choose to include their spouses in their disclosures, some do not. Carly Fiorina's net worth of $59 million, for example, includes that of her husband, Frank. Hillary Clinton's reported net worth, on the other hand, does not include assets jointly owned by her and former President Bill Clinton, who is worth by some estimates more than $50 million. 247 Wall St. attempted to determine each presidential candidate's net worth in an article published on August 24, 2015. They estimated that Sanders was one of the "poorest presidential candidates" running for office in 2016, with a likely net worth somewhere around $330,000: estimated Bernie Sanders' net worth: $194,026-$741,030. In 2013, Bernie Sanders had an average estimated net worth of $330,507, well below other prospective presidential nominees and among the lowest compared with other members of Congress. As of late 2019, Open Secrets, the website of the Center for Responsive Politics, estimated Sanders' net worth at between $729,000 and $1.8 million, making him neither the richest nor the poorest presidential hopeful in the 2020 field. In any case, the meme's characterization of Sanders as a "loser" based on his net worth evinces a rather skewed perspective. Although many people view financial rewards as a tangible measure of one's success, it is far from the only factor by which accomplishment can be measured. (In fact, highly regarded President Harry S. Truman had virtually no net worth even after leaving the White House in 1953 and afterwards was largely dependent upon Congress finally establishing a pension for former presidents.) Bernie Sanders might equally be considered a "winner" for persevering at his goal of achieving a political career long after others might have given up, and for succeeding at that effort despite prolonged financial hardship. Unlike many others, Sanders might also be lauded for maintaining a rather plain life and not having enriched himself in public service (especially since candidates at the other end of the financial spectrum are frequently criticized for being "out of touch with the common man"). As 247 Wall St. wrote of Sanders: The Vermont senator, who is the longest-serving independent in U.S. history, is a self-identified socialist. He is seeking the Democratic nomination and is the most popular Democratic candidate after Hillary Clinton. In keeping with Sanders' stated intention of starting a grassroots movement, more than 90% of his campaign contributions have come from individual donors. Sanders' campaign speeches have drawn record numbers of attendees. Most recently, 19,000 people watched Sanders speak at an NBA arena in Portland, Oregon, the largest political event compared with all other candidates so far this election season. All in all, that sounds like quite an impressive career achievement for anyone—regardless of net worth. | 2 | [
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FMD3303 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The speech he gave to a sold out crowd on Saturday is epic. We often listen to it to get fired up about bringing down the commies currently trying to destroy America. It s truly epic! THE SPEECH THAT BREITBART IS BEST KNOWN FOR IS HIS CPAC SPEECH:The complaint, filed Friday in federal court in California, says that Leopold filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI for all records related to Andrew Breitbart on Aug. 7, 2012, a few months after Breitbart died at age 43.According to the suit, the FBI responded to the request on Sept. 4, but said that the bureau only searched it main file records, claiming that no records were located.The complaint says that Leopold appealed the FBI s response but was denied by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Information in 2013. In its appeal decision, OIP claimed that the FBI is not required to perform cross-reference searches unless the requester provides information sufficient to enable the FBI to determine with certainty that any cross-references it locates are identifiable to the subject of [the] request, including, for example, the dates and locations of contacts between the subject of the request and the FBI, the subject s social security number, or other such information, the suit reads.However, BuzzFeed and Leopold contend in the complaint, Nothing in the FOIA statute requires a requester to provide this information before a cross-reference search must be conducted. As FBI and OIP are certainly aware, Andrew Breitbart was a well-known public figure and is easily identifiable by the FBI in conducting a cross-reference search, the suit reads. As the FBI and OIP are also aware, cross-reference searches frequently turn up records not located in main file searches. Via: THE WRAP | 0 | [
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FMD3304 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: In House Speaker Paul Ryan s Ayn Randish views, the way to fix the economy is by starving the poor to death. It s also totally going to help the poor somehow. Ryan, a Catholic, was challenged by a nun during his first town hall in two years on Monday evening. After angry constituents filled the room, Sister Erica Jordan, a Dominican nun and retired school principal took Ryan s faith and his actions toward the poor to task. I know that you re a Catholic, as am I. And it seems to me that most of the Republicans in the Congress are not willing to stand with the poor and working class, as evidenced in the recent debates about health care and the anticipated tax reform, Sister Jordan said. So I d like to ask how you see yourself upholding the Church s social teaching that has the idea that God is always on the side of the poor and dispossessed, as should we be. In response, Ryan said, Sister, you may this may come as a surprise to you, but I completely agree with you. Where we may disagree is on how to achieve that goal. As you know, we all exercise prudential judgment in practicing our faith. And for me, the preferential option for the poor, which is something that s a key tenet of the Catholic faith, that means upward mobility, that means economic growth, that means equality of opportunity, he continued. That to me means working with this guy over here at Gateway Tech to make sure that we can close the skills gap, to make sure that every person who wants a career and job can get the benefits. Except that Ryan is wrong but at least he s consistent. Republicans do not want to make higher education affordable so the skills gap claim doesn t hold water. The poor are being marginalized and misaligned, in many ways, because a lot of the programs that we have, well-intentioned as they may be, are discouraging and disincentivizing work, he continued. I think we need to change our approach on fighting poverty, he said without one bit of irony. Instead of measuring success on how much money we spend or how many programs we create or how many people on those programs, let s measure success and poverty on outcomes. Watch:The budget produced by Ryan s House Of Representatives would cut education and job training programs by 25 percent.Math still matters, Mr. Ryan.Featured image via screen capture | 0 | [
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FMD3305 | 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: What was the reason for the FBI search in Trump's lawyer's office, as opposed to Bill Clinton's office? Claim summaries: A meme presents a false equivalency between presidential payoffs to women made in completely different cases 20 years apart.
contextual information: A popular meme in March 2019 questioned why Bill Clinton had "paid Paula Jones $850K to go away" yet the FBI hadn't raided his lawyer's office. The meme was an obvious reference to two completely unrelated issues separated by decades: a 1994 lawsuit involving Clinton and a search warrant executed by the FBI in April 2018 at the office of President Donald Trump's attorney, Michael Cohen. In short, the major differences in the cases referenced by the meme one of which involved an FBI raid on a lawyer's office and the other not were as follows: Clinton openly paid Jones $850,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit well after he became president and well after Jones had had a chance to air her allegations to the public, press, and court system, while Trump secretly used an intermediary to pay hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels just ahead of a presidential election in order to keep her allegations that she had an affair with him from reaching the public and influencing the election results against him. Nothing Clinton did in settling Jones' civil lawsuit was illegal (or even potentially illegal), but Trump's payment of hush money to Daniels through his lawyer was possibly an illegal act on the part of Trump and/or Cohen, hence the raid on the latter's office but not the office of Clinton's lawyer. On 6 May 1994, Jones, a former Arkansas state employee, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton just days before the statute of limitations would have expired. In her lawsuit, she maintained that on 8 May 1991, she was working the registration desk at Excelsior Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas, where the Third Annual Governor's Quality Management Conference was being held, an event Bill Clinton (then governor of Arkansas) attended to deliver a speech. Jones alleged that an Arkansas state trooper, Danny Ferguson, approached her at the registration desk, told her that Clinton would like to meet with her, and escorted her to a business suite in the hotel where Clinton was staying. lawsuit According to Jones, once she entered Clinton's hotel suite he complimented her on her physical appearance, put his hand on her leg, attempted to kiss her on the neck, asked her if she was married, and finally lowered his trousers to expose his erect penis and asked Jones to "kiss it." When Jones rebuffed Clinton's advances, she said, he told her to "keep this between ourselves" and suggested that, in her words, he "could damage her in her job and even jeopardize her employment." Jones did not publicly discuss the incident until The American Spectator referenced it in a January 1994 article, apparently based on information provided by Trooper Ferguson: The American Spectator account asserts that a woman by the name of "Paula" told an unnamed trooper (obviously Defendant Ferguson), who had escorted "Paula" to Clinton's hotel room, that "she was available to be Clinton's regular girlfriend if he so desired," thus implying a consummated and satisfying sexual encounter with Clinton, as well as a willingness to continue a sexual relationship with him. These assertions are untrue. The American Spectator account also asserted that the troopers' 'official' duties included facilitating Clinton's cheating on his wife ... Since Jones ("Paula") was one of the women preyed upon by Clinton and his troopers, including by Defendant Ferguson, in the manner described above, those who read this magazine account could conclude falsely that Jones ("Paula") had a sexual relationship and affair with Clinton. Jones' reputation within her community was thus seriously damaged. Several months later, Jones filed her lawsuit against Clinton and Ferguson, seeking a total of $750,000 in compensation for damages and attorneys' fees on counts of sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and defamation. The issue of whether Jones could sue a sitting president went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, who upheld an appellate court decision that "the President, like all other government officials, is subject to the same laws that apply to all other members of our society," and allowed Jones' case to proceed. However, Judge Susan Webber Wright of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas dismissed the lawsuit on 1 April 1998, holding that "the governor's alleged conduct does not constitute sexual assault," that "plaintiff's allegations fall far short of the rigorous standards for establishing a claim of outrage under Arkansas law," that "plaintiff has failed to demonstrate that she has a case worthy of submitting to a jury," and that "there are no genuine issues for trial in this case." dismissed When it came to light a few months later that Clinton had lied under oath about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky during proceedings in Jones' lawsuit, Jones filed an appeal to reverse the dismissal and have her claims reinstated. On 13 November 1998, Clinton settled the matter by offering to pay Jones $850,000 in exchange for her agreement to drop her appeal, without admitting to or apologizing for the conduct alleged by Jones. appeal Porn actress Daniels (the stage name of Stephanie Clifford) said she first met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada in July 2006. The two engaged in sex in Trump's hotel room, she claimed, and continued an "intimate relationship" into the following year. Daniels discussed her relationship with Trump in a 2011 interview for In Touch magazine, but the interview was not published at that time, reportedly because Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, threatened to sue over it when the magazine reached out to ask for comment. threatened In January 2018, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump's personal attorney, Cohen, had arranged to pay Daniels $130,000 just weeks before the 2016 U.S. presidential election in exchange for her signing a nondisclosure agreement related to her alleged 2006 affair with Trump. reported The following month, Cohen confirmed that $130,000 had been paid to Daniels, but he maintained that he had used his personal funds for the payment, and that "Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly." On 5 April 2018, Trump denied to reporters that he knew about the payment to Daniels. When pressed about why the payment had been made, Trump replied, "You'll have to ask Michael Cohen" and asserted he didn't know where the $130,000 had come from. Four days later, acting on a warrant from federal prosecutors in New York's Southern District obtained in part on a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller's office, FBI agents seized a variety of material from Cohen's New York City office, home, and hotel room, including documents related to Cohen's payment to Daniels and to Karen McDougal, another woman who had alleged an affair with Trump. denied A month later, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, now a member of Trump's legal team, said that Trump had personally repaid Cohen for the $130,000 payment to Daniels, and that the reimbursement had been "funneled through a law firm." The following day, Trump contradicted his earlier claim that he didn't know about the payment by acknowledging that he had repaid Cohen, but he asserted the money "had nothing to do with the campaign." Rudy Giuliani contradicted In August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight charges, including five counts of tax evasion, one count of making a false statement to a financial institution, one count of being a "willful cause" of an unlawful corporate contribution, and one count of making an excessive campaign contribution, the latter two stemming from the "hush money" payments made to Daniels and McDougal. Prosecutors held that the payments made by Cohen violated federal campaign finance laws because they were meant to benefit the campaign but did not come from campaign contributions and were not reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The payments therefore constituted illegal in-kind contributions to the Trump campaign that violated laws limiting such donations to $2,700 and requiring their disclosure to the FEC. Whether Trump himself could be charged with engaging in a criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws for his involvement in the hush money payments is still a matter of legal debate, but the issue took a dramatic turn in February 2019 when Cohen revealed before Congress that he was paid reimbursement for the hush money directly from Trump's personal bank account after Trump became president. legal debate revealed "Cohen's public testimony directly implicates Trump in serious campaign finance violations," former FECGeneral Counsel Lawrence Noble told the Washington Post. "Assuming Cohen is telling the truth about the purpose of the checks, the checks are documentary evidence supporting the allegation that Trump had Cohen pay Daniels $135,000 in hush money and then reimbursed Cohen." Washington Post All in all, events proved the FBI had good reason to raid Cohen's office, as they gathered evidence of multiple federal crimes (beyond just campaign finance violations) to which Cohen pleaded guilty. Bill Clinton's payment to Paula Jones was a settlement of a civil lawsuit that did not involve any criminal matter or criminal wrongdoing, and thus it was of no legitimate interest to law enforcement. The only commonality between the two cases was that they involved payments by politicians to women, but for very different reasons and circumstances. federal crimes Dowd, Katie. "Are These the Checks Donald Trump Gave Michael Cohen for the Stormy Daniels Payment?" San Francisco Chronicle. 27 February 2019. Goodman, Ryan and Andy Wright. "Mueller's Roadmap: Major Takeaways from Cohen and Manafort Filings." Just Security. December 8, 2018 Rupar, Aaron. "What's illegal About Trump's Hush Payments to Women, Briefly Explained." Vox. 12 December 2018. Kelly, Matthew. "In-Kind Contributions Are Boring ... Until Stormy Daniels Gets Involved." OpenSecrets.org. 3 April 2018. Lord, Debbie. "Michael Cohen Plea Deal: How Were Campaign Finance Laws Broken?" The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 22 August 2018. Associated Press. "A Timeline of Key Moments in Trump-Stormy Daniels Saga." 4 May 2018. Kirby, Jen. "A Timeline of Trumpworld's Changing Story on Stormy Daniels." Vox. 4 May 2018. Samuels, Brett. "Timeline: Trump, Cohen, Stormy Daniels and $130,000." The Hill. 4 May 2018. Theobald, Bill. "Why Hush Money Michael Cohen Paid Stormy Daniels Was an Illegal Campaign Donation." USA Today. 14 December 2018. Kirby, Jen and Andrew Prokop. "Michael Cohen Pleads Guilty to 8 Federal Crimes." Vox. 21 August 2018. Stewart, Emily and Dylan Matthews. "The Michael Cohen-Stormy Daniels Subplot, Explained." Vox. 27 February 2019. Chalfant, Morgan. "Prosecutors Submit Redacted Cohen Raid Documents Under Seal, Teeing Up Public Release." The Hill. 28 February 2019. Reuters. "Trump Says He Did Not Know About $130,000 Payment to Stormy Daniels." 5 April 2018. | 0 | [
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FMD3306 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The world is reeling today as Britain just made the shocking decision to leave the European Union (EU). Yes, Americans and others around the world should care about this decision, as it affects us all. The world economy is already feeling the effects of it, and this vote could even have effects on the upcoming elections here in the States. Well, one person who really should keep her mouth shut on this and other world affairs has nevertheless weighed in: Sarah Palin.Palin showed her ignorance of foreign affairs during her infamously embarrassing run for the Vice President in 2008, so it should be no surprise that her response to Brexit is absolutely batshit insane. Palin posted to her Facebook (emphasis mine):When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another The UK knew it was that time. And now is that time in the USA.The Brexit referendum is akin to our own Declaration of Independence. May that refreshed spirit of sovereignty spread over the pond to America s shores!Congratulations, smart Brits. Good on you for ignoring all the fear mongering from special interest globalists who tend to aim for that apocalyptic One World Government that dissolves a nation s self-determination and sovereignty the EU being a One World Government mini-me.America can learn an encouraging lesson from this.It is time to dissolve political bands that connect us to agendas not in our best interest. May UN shackles be next on the chopping block. Sarah PalinThe thing is, the people who voted in favor of Brexit didn t ignore the fear mongering. Quite the opposite in fact they fell for it. They fell for squeals of nationalism, and taking their country back from the immigrants (one of the main parts of being a member of the EU is being able to travel freely across borders to other EU countries without Visas being required). You know, the same kind of right-wing fear mongering that we see here in America from conspiracy theorists warning that people like President Obama and Hillary Clinton are looking to build some kind of New World Order. Or something.This woman really needs to just be quiet. She s not a politician anymore, and she never should have been one in the first place. Go back under your bridge where you belong, Sarah, and let the grown-ups talk public policy. You re clearly not qualified to do so.Featured image via Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images | 0 | [
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FMD3307 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: President Trump and his daughter Ivanka are getting some much welcomed positive press thanks to a social media craze that has slowly been growing over the past few months.A number of women have begun posting images online which show them modelling clothing from Ivanka s eponymous fashion label or Trump-branded wears while voicing their support for the commander-in-chief.It is a diverse array of clothes, and the most popular choice by far this summer is a one-piece women s swimsuit in metallic blue that reads: Make America Great Again. There is even a fan-run Instagram page that gathers all the images featuring ladies in Trump-branded swimwear these days, along with those who are scantily clad while also wearing his trademark hat, Babes For Trump.More women jump in to join the trend to support President Trump with Trump gear and bumper stickers adorning their beach coolers. #MAGA And finally, these young women post an image of themselves pretending to build a wall on the Mexico border: These posts have no official hashtag yet, with the women using a variety of words and phrases, including #womenfortrump, #ivankatrump, and #hillaryforprison to name a few.This surge in popularity for Trump brand clothing comes a little over nine months after women across the country began a boycott of Ivanka s fashions with the #GrabYourWallet campaign.These women are ignoring the left and posting pictures of themselves wearing Ivanka s line of clothing.This woman is dresses as a secret service agent who s wearing Ivanka s line of clothing:This Instagram user posted a picture of herself sporting Ivanka s jewelry:Select retail shops and national department stores also began to drop Ivanka s line around that time, and in some cases were very publicly attacked by Trump supporters.Nordstrom was forced to weather the worst of the storms after the passed on picking up Ivanka s latest collection, with President Trump going after the retailer on Twitter. Daily MailKeep up the great work ladies! #MAGA | 0 | [
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FMD3308 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Several thousand people marched through central Kiev on Sunday to protest against the detention of Ukrainian opposition figure Mikheil Saakashvili and call for the impeachment of President Petro Poroshenko. Saakashvili, president of his native Georgia for nine years until 2013, moved to Ukraine after a popular uprising there and served under Poroshenko as a regional governor from 2015-2016, before falling out with the Ukrainian leader. He was detained in Kiev on Friday, following a dramatic standoff earlier in the week where he clambered on a roof to avoid law enforcement and was freed from a police van by his supporters. He accuses the Ukrainian authorities of widespread corruption. Prosecutors accuse him of assisting a criminal organization, charges he says were trumped up to undermine his political campaign against Poroshenko. A large number of police in riot gear guarded Sunday s rally, which was peaceful in contrast with protests last week that resulted in clashes between Saakashvili s supporters and law enforcement. A lot of people are looking for the changes. It is more difficult when Mikheil is not with us, his wife, Sandra Roelofs, said in a speech at the rally. We remember his words: When they catch me, you continue despite anything, because Ukraine wants changes, Ukraine has to become a better country , she said. Protesters shouted Shame and Impeachment as they marched to Maidan square, the scene of the 2013-14 pro-European protests that ousted a Moscow-backed president and installed a new leadership that promised to eliminate entrenched corruption. A few snowballs were thrown at the windows of a branch of Roshen, the confectionary business owned by Poroshenko, who was a wealthy chocolatier before he went into politics. Saakashvili has launched a hunger strike to protest against his detention, which will last until a court rules on whether to release him under house arrest. The saga has attracted international attention to Ukraine at a time when the authorities face a chorus of criticism from reformers and foreign donors over perceived backtracking on reforms and attacks on anti-corruption institutions. While Saakashvili has a core base of supporters, he enjoys limited support across Ukraine. Only 1.7 percent of voters would support his party, the Movement of New Forces, in elections, according to an October survey by the Kiev-based Razumkov Centre think-tank. | 1 | [
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FMD3309 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The role of the US and Nato in EU relations with China by Manlio Dinucci Participating in an international conference, the Italian geographer Manlio Dinucci ties together the various strands of his analysis of the weapons that the US has at its disposal to dominate the entire world. Yet the importance of this article goes beyond that. For it is on account of this domination, this unipolar global order, that Syria, Russia and China, challenge today the use of force.
Voltaire Network | Rome (Italy) | 28 October 2016 français Español I will get straight to the heart of the issue. I do not think it possible to speak of relations between the European Union (the EU) and China independently of the influence the United States wields over the EU directly and [indirectly], through Nato.
Today 22 of the 28 (27 once Great Britain has left the EU), EU member states with more than 90% of the EU population, are members of Nato, recognized as the “foundation for collective defence”. And Nato is under US command: the US Supreme Allied Command in Europe is always appointed by the US President and all the other key commands are in the US’s hands. Accordingly, the EU’s foreign and military policy is fundamentally subordinated to the US strategy to which the major European powers have aligned themselves.
Such a strategy, clearly announced in official documents, is sketched out at that moment in history when, following the dissolution of the URSS, the world situation changes. In 1991, the White House declares in the National Security Strategy of the United States :
“The United States remains the only State with the force, capability and influence in every dimension – political, economic and military – that is effectively global. Nothing can substitute for US leadership”.
In 1992, in the Defense Planning Guidance , the Pentagon emphasizes:
“Our primary objective is to prevent any hostile power dominating a region whose resources would be sufficient to generate a global power. These regions include Western Europe, Eastern Asia, the territory of the former Soviet Union and South-West Asia”.
In 2001, in the report Quadrennial Defense Review – published a week before the US/Nato war in Afghanistan, an area of primary geostrategic importance in relation to Russia and China - the Pentagon announces:
“It is possible that a military rival may emerge in Asia with a formidable resource base. US armed forces must maintain their capabilities to impose the US’s will on any adversary, so as to change the regime of an enemy state or to occupy a foreign territory so that US strategic objectives can be realized”.
On the basis of this strategy, US-led Nato, has launched an offensive on the Eastern front: after demolishing by war the Federation of Yugoslavia, from 1999 to date, it has subsumed all the countries of the former Warsaw Pact, three of the former Yugoslavia, three of the former URSS and very soon will incorporate others (starting from Georgia and Ukraine – the latter a de facto Nato member), moving bases and forces, nuclear included, ever closer to the Russian borders.
At the same time, on the Southern front, closely connected to the Eastern front, the war waged by the US-led Nato has demolished the Libyan State and has tried to do the same thing with the Syrian State.
USA and Nato have tried to make the Ukraine crisis explode and, accusing Russia of “destabilizing European security”, have dragged Europe into a new Cold War, intended particularly by Washington (at the cost of European economies damaged by sanctions and counter-sanctions) to fracture EU–Russian political and economic relations damaged by US interests. This same strategy also includes an increasing deployment of US military forces in the Asia/Pacific region for anti-Chinese reasons. The U.S. Navy has announced that in 2020 it will concentrate 60% of its naval and air forces in this region.
The US strategy is focused on the South China Sea and Admiral Harris, head of the US Command for the Pacific, emphasizes the importance of this: through this sea passes maritime trade with an annual value of more than 5,000 billion dollars, including 25% from global export of oil and 50% of natural gas. The US wants to control these routes in the name of which Admiral Harris defines “the freedom of navigation fundamental for our way of life here in the US”, accusing China, in his very words of “aggressive actions in the South China Sea, similar to Russian action in the Crimea”. For this, the US Navy “is patrolling” the South China Sea. Riding on the back of the US, the biggest European powers arrive: last July, France has requested the European Union to “coordinate the naval surveillance of the South China Sea to ensure a regular and visible presence in these waters over which China has illegally asserted title”. And while the US established in South Korea anti-missile systems which are also capable of launching nuclear missiles, similar to those installed against Russia in Romania and very shortly in Poland, as well as on board the war ships in the Mediterranean, on 6 October, the Nato Secretary General Stoltenberg receives South Korea’s Minister for Foreign Affairs at Brussels, to “strengthen Nato’s partnership with Seoul”.
These and other facts demonstrate that the same strategy is implemented in Europe and Asia. It is the extreme attempt of the United States and other Western Powers to maintain their economic, political and military supremacy in a world, radically transformed, where new states and social subjects are emerging. The Shanghai Organization for Co-operation, born out of a strategic Chinese-Russian agreement, provides resources and working capacities, making it the biggest integrated economic area in the world. The Shanghai and BRICS organizations are capable, with their financial organizations, of largely displacing the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund that, for more than 70 years, have allowed the USA and major western powers to dominate the global economy through loans that fetter the economic sovereignty of indebted countries and other financial instruments. The new organizations can, at the same time, achieve a de-dollarization of their trade agreements, depriving the US of its capacity to off-load its debt on the other countries, by printing dollar notes used as the dominant international currency.
To maintain its supremacy, increasingly wavering, the US relies not only on the strength of its weapons, but also weapons more efficient than “weapons” in the strict sense of the word.
The first weapon: the so-called “Free Trade Agreements” such as the “Transatlantic Partnership on Trade and Investment” (TTIP) between the USA and the EU and the “Transpacific Partnership” (TPP), both of which have economic, geopolitical and geostrategic objectives. This is why, Hillary Clinton defines the EU-US partnership “the biggest strategic aim of our transatlantic alliance”, proposing an “Economic Nato” that integrates that the political with the military. The plan is clear: to form a political, economic and military US-EU block, increasingly under US command which acts as a countervailing force to the following:
• the Eurasiatic area, now on the rise and based on cooperation between China and Russia;
• the Brics; and
• Iran and any other country that manages to escape Western domination.
The TTIP negotiations are struggling to make headway due to a conflict of interests and vast opposition in Europe. But that obstacle is now circumvented through the “Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement” (CETA) between Canada and the EU: a TTIP in disguise, given that Canada is already party to NAFTA which also binds the USA. The EU will probably sign off CETA when the Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau visits Brussels this 27 October.
The second weapon: penetrating the target countries from within. Leverage is drawn from the weak points that each country has to varying extents: corruption, a greed for money, political ascent, secessionary movements fed by local power groups, religious fanaticism, the vulnerability of the great masses for political demagogy. Playing as well, in certain cases, on a justified popular dissatisfaction with the actions of their own government. The instruments used to penetrate? The so-called “non-governmental organizations”. These are, in actual fact, the long hand of the Department of State and the CIA. These NGOs, endowed with deep pools of financial resources, have organized the Eastern European “colour revolutions” and replicated the same operation with the so-called “Umbrella Revolution” in Hong Kong, aiming at developing similar movements in other parts of China where the national minorities live. The same organizations operate in Latin America, with the primary objective of subverting Brazil’s democratic institutions, thereby threatening Brics from within. Instruments to achieve the strategy are terrorist groups, such as those armed and infiltrated in Libya and Syria to sow seeds of chaos, contributing to destruction of whole States attacked at the same time from outside.
The third arm: “Psyops” (Psychological operations), launched through the global media chains, defined as follows by the Pentagon: “Planned Operations to influence, through specific information, the emotions and mindset, and thus the conduct of public opinion, organizations and foreign governments, so as to induce or strengthen conduct favourable to pre-established objectives”.
Such operations, prepare public opinion for warlike escalation and create the impression that Russia is responsible for tensions in Europe just as China is for the tensions in Asia, as well as accusing them at the same time of “violating human rights”.
1965: Manlio Dinucci, and his wife, Carla, before the ancestral home of Mao Tse Toung. A final consideration: during the sixties, my wife and I worked in Peking, contributing, inter alia, to the publication of the first Chinese journal in the Italian language. I experienced a life-changing learning experience when China – liberated from the colonial, semi-colonial and semi-feudal conditions for at least 15 years – was completely isolated. Neither the West nor the United Nations recognized it as a sovereign state. This period imprinted on my mind, the ability of the Chinese people (at the time totalling 600 million), to resist, their consciousness and commitment under the guide of the Communist party to constructing a society with a brand new economic and cultural foundation. I think that this capacity is today still needed so that today’s China, that is developing its enormous potential, can resist new plans for imperial domination and contribute to the decisive struggle for the future of humanity: a world free of wars; where peace, inextricably linked to social justice, prevails.
Manlio Dinucci Translation
Anoosha Boralessa | 0 | [
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FMD3310 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Kenyan refugee kills co-worker, self 3 others shot by 'hard worker' fired from job Published: 6 mins ago
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — A refugee from Kenya killed one former co-worker, wounded three others and then killed himself Tuesday in a workplace shooting that authorities are still trying to unravel in Virginia, police said.
Getachew Fekede, 53, had entered the U.S. through a refugee immigration program and worked for the railcar manufacturer FreightCar America before being fired in March when he stopped showing up for work, Roanoke Police Chief Tim Jones told reporters.
A neighbor told the Associated Press that Fekede quit his job over being harassed by a co-worker. Clarence Jones said Fedeke would send money to his mother back in Kenya and had grown concerned about his finances. | 0 | [
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FMD3311 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: A CNBC editor said members of the press need to remind themselves that their readers are not as ignorant, as stupid as we think they are during a discussion Wednesday on media in the Donald Trump era. Unbelievable arrogance!In a panel moderated by Katie Couric at the Aspen Ideas Festival, a CNBC Editor and Wall Street Journal editor Gerard Baker, The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg, Time editor Nancy Gibbs and USA Today editor Joanne Lipman delved into the challenges of covering Trump and declining trust in the news media.In one portion, Couric brought up the problem of confirmation bias in the media. She s all wrong on this point this just shows how out of touch the media is with Americans. Americans want the TRUTH and DO NOT want to be spoon-fed information. Couric is making assumptions that Americans are idiiots SHE S VERY WRONG! Consumers are increasingly gravitating toward outlets that basically tell them what they want to hear, reinforce their beliefs, she said. A friend of mine said they re seeking affirmation, not information. So given that, how do you restore trust in the media writ large if people are so divided about which media outlets are actually fair and accurate? KATIE COURIC: Let s move on and talk about sort of the bifurcated nature of the media these days. Consumers are increasingly gravitating toward outlets that basically tell them what they want to hear, reinforce their beliefs. A friend of mine said they re seeking affirmation, not information. So given that, how do you restore trust in the media writ large if people are so divided about which media outlets are actually fair and accurate? Anybody. Nik, you want to take that?NIKHIL DEOGUN: Sure, and I would say that the I think Gerry [Baker] made a very eloquent argument on the previous point, and it leads to what you re asking about, which is, I think there is a tendency we should not fall under the trap of just holding one person to one standard and everyone else to a different standard. I do think it s interesting. Three of us have all worked at the Wall Street Journal or work at the Wall Street Journal GERARD BAKER: I did before I left the office this morning.DEOGUN: Yes. Exactly. And our former Gerry s predecessor, a couple predecessors ago, Paul Steiger, used to always remind us, saying, Look, I could argue something round or I could argue it flat. But in the end, stick to the facts. I think sometimes there s too much of a tendency to interpret a fact to a degree that it goes into opinion. And I think part of our job is to, again, remind ourselves that our readers are not as readers, viewers, users, are not as ignorant, as stupid as we think they are, and I think part of that is to be more transparent. Part of that is to be more forthcoming about what we know and what we don t know. First rule we all learned is don t just tell your readers what you know, please tell them what you do not know.THE MAIN STREAM MEDIA JUST DOESN T GET IT! The American people want the truth NO SPIN! | 0 | [
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FMD3312 | 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, Sean Connery's family did not become emotional over his net worth. Claim summaries: We recently saw the same misleading advertising network "arbitrage" ploy about a celebrity's net worth used on "Jeopardy" game show host Alex Trebek.
contextual information: Known as a famous Hollywood actor and one of the original men to portray the iconic character James Bond, Sean Connery died on October 31, 2020. According to TMZ, he passed away at 1:30 a.m. "at his home in the Bahamas." TMZ reported that Connery died in his sleep from pneumonia, heart failure, and old age, according to his death certificate. The certificate shows he died from respiratory failure as a result of pneumonia, old age, and atrial fibrillation—an irregular heart rate that can increase the risk of strokes, heart failure, and other heart-related complications. Entertainment Tonight contacted the family, reporting that "Connery's wife, Micheline Roquebrune, and his two sons, Jason and Stephane, told ET that he died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by family." Following his death, at least one advertiser purchased ad space on the social media platform Reddit or on a mobile app that displays Reddit content. The ad read: "sean connery's Net Worth Left His Family In Tears." Connery's name was in lowercase, likely because the "Net Worth Left His Family In Tears" part is a template. It's not true; it's fabricated and completely baseless. Sean Connery's family was not left "in tears" because of his net worth. The advertisement in question appeared to lead to Life Exact, a viral content website. It was first documented by Reddit user JezCon. It's unclear if the advertisement is still active on the website. We were unable to locate the ad, but it likely led to a slideshow with multiple pages, where the idea was to make more money on the advertisements displayed during the slideshow than it cost to run the original ad alongside Reddit content. This is known as advertising "arbitrage." Business and technology blog Margins is managed by Ranjan Roy and Can Duruk, and Roy defined "arbitrage" as "leveraging an inefficient set of systems to make a riskless profit, usually by buying and selling the same asset." He also called it "the mythical free lunch that economics tells us does not exist." Snopes debunks a wide range of content, and online advertisements are no exception. Misleading ads often lead to obscure websites that host lengthy slideshow articles with many pages. The advertiser's goal is to make more money on ads displayed on the slideshow's pages than it cost to show the initial ad that lured them to it. Feel free to submit ads to us, and be sure to include a screenshot of the ad and the link to where the ad leads. | 0 | [
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FMD3313 | 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: Nicotine in Tim Hortons Coffee Claim summaries: Tim Hortons doesn't secretly add nicotine to their coffee to make it addictive to customers, and neither does any other coffee chain in Canada or the United States.
contextual information: Although Canada has its share of Starbucks outlets, the local Tim Hortons is the destination of choice for the average Canadian in search of a quick pick-me-up. The coffee vended there is exceptional, but just as important, most of these shops are open 24 hours a day, making a stop at these donut emporiums a personal ritual that can fit into anyone's daily routine no matter what shift he might work. Tim Hortons is Canada's best-known coffee and fresh baked goods chain, established in 1964 and now boasting more than 3,400 stores across Canada and over 800 additional locations within the United States. The chain's reputation rests just as much upon its coffee as its baked goods, so coffee not sold within twenty minutes of its first being offered for sale is thrown out to ensure that patrons always get a fresh cup of java for their money. According to the President and C.O.O. of Tim Hortons, Paul House, the coffee's special appeal to consumers is the result of a superior blend and careful quality control: The Tim Hortons special blend of coffee has been closely guarded from the beginnings of the chain, and is subject to stringent quality assurance measures by a team of coffee experts located at the Tim Hortons head office in Oakville, Ontario. "We do extensive testing and cupping of our coffee to ensure the highest quality standards are met, and now our people can extend that quality right into the roasting process here in Rochester," said [Paul] House. "We start with the best possible arabica beans from various countries of the world to create our special blend, and can follow those beans right through the roasting and packaging processes." Because folks are willing to line up to purchase Tim Hortons coffee rather than secure their daily cup from another source, some people have begun looking for a more sinister explanation beyond the obvious one of "The coffee is really good, the donuts are fresh, and they're always open." The combination of reasonable prices, tasty product, and numerous convenient locations appears to have spawned a particular rumor that attempts to explain the popularity of Tim Hortons' coffee: according to the whispers, the beverage has been made so alluring through the addition of nicotine, MSG, or "the maximum amount of caffeine allowed by law." In one elaborate version of the rumor, a Tim Hortons patron suffers a puzzling and severe allergic reaction after drinking some of the chain's coffee; only under duress (and an insistence on absolute secrecy) does a Tim Hortons executive disclose to the treating doctor a list of the ingredients in their "special blend" a list that reveals the presence of nicotine. Variants of the basic rumor assert it's not the coffee itself that's loaded with nicotine, but the chain's coffee filters or that nicotine has been sprayed on the inside of its disposable cups. MSG But Tim Hortons coffee does not include nicotine, MSG, an usually high level of caffeine, or any similar additives. Just as the USA has its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to oversee the safety of commercially-sold ingestibles, so Canada has its Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Neither agency would permit the knowing inclusion of dangerous substances in a foodstuff vended to an unwary public. CFIA Nicotine is one of the most powerful poisons known. Though we normally think in terms of arsenic and strychnine when the term 'poison' comes up, the truth is that nicotine is far more deadly. The lethal dose of arsenic for a 150 pound adult is 200 mg., for strychnine 75 mg., but for nicotine only 60 mg. Nicotine can and does kill even in relatively small amounts. Those who wear nicotine patches must exercise great care about the disposal of their used patches lest children or pets come in contact with the seemingly "spent" aids and become deeply sickened or even possibly die. Not surprisingly, nicotine is not permitted as a food additive in either Canada or the U.S. As for MSG, although the FDA has designated the additive "generally recognized as safe," many people claim to experience adverse effects (such as headaches) after ingesting it, so all consumables containing the substance have to be clearly labelled to indicate its presence. The "nicotine additive" rumor does not adhere solely to Tim Hortons; it has been kited about other business concerns whose products have proved to be highly (and some would say inexplicably) popular: A friend mentioned that since 1987, McDonalds was putting nicotine into hamburgers to make them addictive. I heard that McDonald's experimented with putting nicotine in their fries to create an addictive property. I just received an email from a friend which claims that Pokemon cards are coated with nicotine, so children will become addicted. The letter claims that Philip Morris company is behind this. In another form the rumor has been known to take, evil-intentioned companies or heartless universities are said to be slipping laxatives into their food to lessen the effects of food poisoning: While at lunch with some friends yesterday, i heard what to me, sounds like a classic urban legend. Apparently there is a tale making the rounds that claims all fast food restaurants inject laxatives into their food so that people will pass the food on quickly, thereby reducing the risk of patrons getting food poisoning. Some of my students have told me something that sounds like an urban legend. They say that the dining service here (Lafayette College) is "required" to put a certain amount of laxatives in the food so that in case people get food poisoning the food will get out of people's systems. In yet another form of the basic rumor, conscienceless fast food companies have been incorporating anti-emetics into their offerings to help patrons keep their food down: In a recent debate with some friends of mine, we started talking about McDonald's and my friends kept telling me that McDonald's add an ingredient that prevents people from throwing up after eating there. A blow to the heart of the rumor in all its manifestations is that extraneous chemicals could not be surreptitiously slipped into any company's ingestible products without leaving that concern open to a stream of customer lawsuits. In the case of nicotine, the number of wrongful death suits filed would be unimaginable, given that it wouldn't take much of that particular poison to kill someone. As for MSG, caffeine, laxatives, or anti-emetics, there is no substance so innocuous that it won't provoke allergic or violent physical reactions in some people. Whatever small advantage a company might gain by adding a little extra something that would addict clients to its offerings would be quickly offset by multi-million dollar losses in civil court and a loss of consumer confidence in the even higher court of public opinion. Folks ain't going to patronize a place known for killing or sickening its customers, no matter how good the coffee. The Tim Hortons rumors reached such prominence that in February 2004 the CBC news program Disclosure conducted its own investigation, one which included having samples of coffee from Tim Hortons (and a couple of competing chains) sent to a laboratory for analysis. The results: Tim Hortons coffee contained no measurable amount of nicotine and had, on average, less caffeine than coffee from either Starbucks or Second Cup. nicotine caffeine Tim Hortons' loyal customer base was built the old-fashioned way: good product served fresh in easily-accessible locations. Additional information: Tim Hortons web site CBC Disclosure investigation Tim Hortons statement | 0 | [
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FMD3314 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Republican leaders are aiming to send their tax bill to President Donald Trump for his signature by the end of the year. To do that, negotiators from the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate will need to iron out differences between their two versions of the legislation. Here are some of the main points they will need to address. The Senate bill repeals a provision of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, that levies a penalty on taxpayers who do not purchase health insurance. The House bill did not repeal the mandate’s penalty but leaders there have indicated they would be open to doing so it if the Senate could pass it. The House bill consolidates seven individual income tax rates into four but keeps the top rate at 39.6 percent. The Senate version keeps seven brackets and sets the top rate at 38.5 percent. PASS-THROUGH BUSINESSES The House legislation capped at 25 percent the tax rate on 30 percent of pass-through business income, with the remaining 70 percent taxed at individual wage rates. The House excluded taxpayers in professional services, who would continue paying individual tax rates on all income. The Senate bill leaves all pass-through income in the individual system but establishes a deduction for 23 percent of pass-through income. The Senate version allows those in services professions to use the deduction if their income is less than $250,000 per year, or $500,000 for a married couple. Pass-through businesses include partnerships and other companies not organized as public corporations, encompassing most American business enterprises from mom-and-pop concerns to large financial and real estate organizations. The House bill repeals the deduction for medical expenses that exceed 10 percent of a taxpayer’s annual income. The Senate version retains the deduction for two years and drops the threshold to 7.5 percent of income. The House bill repeals the individual and corporate alternative minimum taxes, or AMT, which are intended to make sure high-income taxpayers do not unduly lower their tax liabilities by combining numerous credits and deductions. The Senate bill repeals the individual AMT but keeps the 20 percent corporate AMT. By also cutting the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent, some corporations have said this means they would not be able to use popular tax breaks such as the research-and-development credit. The House bill limited a popular individual tax deduction to interest on home mortgages of $500,000 or less. The Senate bill would allow taxpayers to deduct interest on mortgages of $1,000,000 or less. The House bill would allow companies to fully deduct the value of machinery and equipment and other costs for five years. The Senate bill allows businesses to do the same but then phases it out over five years. | 1 | [
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FMD3315 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Hillary pretends to care about the Black community. If she cared so much, why is she so willing to carry out the legacy of black genocide by Planned Parenthood founder and white supremacist Margaret Sanger? If she really cared about the Black community, why is she not fighting taxpayer funded Planned Parenthood abortion clinics on every inner-city corner in America? Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in America. 78% of their clinics are in minority communities. Blacks make up 12% of the population, but 35% of the abortions in America. Colored people are like human weeds and are to be exterminated. Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood founderDonald Trump made a bold move today that proves his commitment to the Black community. Trump issued a call to make permanent the Hyde Amendment that bans almost all federal taxpayer funding of abortions and is credited with saving the lives of over 1 million Americans from abortion. Trump- s call comes as Hillary Clinton is campaigning in reversing Hyde and forcing Americans to fund free abortions for women with their tax dollars.Every year, Congress is forced to fight the battle to protect Americans from being forced to pay for abortions with their tax dollars. Democrats annually fight the pro-life budget provision and hope they can eventually reverse it should they take control of both the White House and Congress.That has led to pro-life groups calling to the adoption of a permanent law putting Hyde in place long-term and making it more difficult for pro-abortion forces to reverse. Today, Trump announced his support for such a law.The call for banning taxpayer funding of abortions comes in a new letter from Trump. Trump commits to a new policy: Making the Hyde Amendment permanent law to protect taxpayers from having to pay for abortions. Hillary Clinton s unwavering commitment to advancing taxpayer-funded abortion on-demand stands in stark contrast to the commitments I ve made, Trump writes, to advance the rights of unborn children and their mothers when elected president. Via: Life News | 0 | [
"0",
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"2"
] | 0 |
FMD3316 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Ukraine is expecting multi-billion dollar budget losses and problems in its cooperation with countries in the post-Soviet space. Such a grim future awaits Ukraine after a break in international treaties signed within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). After the break in relations with the CIS countries, even the Ukrainian military sphere is waiting for the collapse. | 0 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 0 |
FMD3317 | 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: Texas charter schools receive full state funding per pupil, while district schools, which have 95% of the student population, receive approximately one-third of their funding from the state, with the remainder coming from local property taxes, leading to high tax rates. Districts are receiving reduced funds because a significant portion is being directed to charter schools.
contextual information: A Democratic legislator declared that state aid fully fuels Texas charter schools while schools serving the vast bulk of students field less money. State Rep.Donna Howardof Austin said in her July 18, 2018tweet: Here's the thing. In Tx, charters get 100% state $/pupil funding while district schools (95% students) get about 1/3 funding from state w/ rest coming from local prop taxes (which is why those taxes are so high). Districts getting less b/c scarce $ going to charters. Howard was reacting to a national Associated Pressnews storyon billionaires championing charter schools. Since 2006, the story says, philanthropists and their private foundations and charities--topped by the Walton Family Foundation, run by heirs to the Walmart fortune--gave almost half a billion dollars to 52 state-level charter support organizations to sustain, defend and expand the charter schools movement. Texas charter schools--public schools with charters run most often by private nonprofit entities--have boomed since the 1995 Legislature authorized them by law. Such schools must meet state-set academic accountability standards, but theyre exempted from other laws affecting districts such as teacher certification and elementary school class-size limits. To our inquiry, Bruce Marchand of theTexas Charter Schools Associationcalled Howards jam-packed claim factually squishy solid. The squishy part, Marchand said by email, is the implication that 100% funded charters have something to do with high property taxes and that districts get less money because that money is going to charters. Districts get less, Marchand said, because state dollars follow students based on where theyre enrolled. Lets break down Howards tweet by its factual elements. Howard said charter schools get all their funding from the state: Charter schools get nearly all their funding from state aid, Marchand agreed by phone, drawing 3 percent from grants and federal sources. That heavy state reliance is logical, Marchand and others said, because unlike districts, charter schools lack the authority to levy property taxes. According to a December 2017 Texas Education Agencydocument summarizing charter school funding, state aid to charter schools escalated from nearly $417 million for 2005-06 to about $2 billion in 2015-16. Howard said school districts serve 95 percent of students: Charter schools serve a growing handful of pupils--5.5 percent of Texas public school students in 2017, according to figures we fielded by email from the TEAs DeEtta Culbertson. That year, she said, 705 charter campuses enrolled 296,323 students--a doubling since 2011, according to an August 2018agency presentationnoted by Marchand. (The state caps the number of state-issued charters, but a charter-holder may open more than one school.) An implication: Districts in 2017 served 94.5 percent of public school students. Howard said districts get one-third of their aid from the state:Earlier this year, we reviewed Legislative Budget Board figures to conclude that in the 1980s, lawmakers voted for the state to cover 70 percent of theFoundation School Program, which is the states primary way of funding schools. State aid, we found, ended up covering a little more than half of related state-local costs. State aid covered 44 percent of such costs in 2016; its expected to cover 38 percent of such costs in 2019. Thats more than a third. When we sought Howards factual backup, Jacob Cottingham in her office responded with materials including aJanuary 2018 LBB chartdelivering percentages like what we previously reported. Cottingham also emailed us a spreadsheet isolating state aid going to districts alone.According to the sheet, which Cottingham said he built based on LBB data, in 2016, more than $17.8 billion in state aid sent to districts accounted for 39 percent of state spending on public education. The sheet says that in 2019, more than $15.7 billion in state funds projected to go to districts will account for 32 percent of state school aid. Howard said the states one-third share of what schools spend is why school property taxes are so high: To the contrary, we asked Howard, isnt it changes in the value of local property tax bases that drive how much state aid a district is entitled to receive? Howard replied with a statement noting that a districts per-pupil tax wealth is key to how much state aid flows. When students leave a district for a charter (or private school or drop out), the (districts) property wealth per student increases as there are fewer students, and the state's required minimum share to the district is decreased, Howard said. The TEAs Culbertson separately responded by email: One of the primary drivers of the Texas school finance system is student attendance. If a student leaves a school district for any reason, including moving out of state, enrolling in another school district, public charter school, or private school (including home school), the original school district would no longer incur the costs of educating that student, and the original school districts total funding entitlement would be reduced. Howard said districts get less money because dollars go to charter schools: Cottingham told us Howard reached that conclusion by reviewing changes in per-student state spending on charter schools and districts. Cottingham emailed us anLBB chartshowing Foundation School Program state aid per student enrolled in districts compared with charter schools from fiscal 2010 through fiscal 2016 plus estimated and projected aid for fiscal 2017 through fiscal 2019. The chart shows charter schools consistently getting thousands of dollars more per student in average daily attendance: SOURCE: Chart,Foundation School Program State Aid and Average Daily Attendance for School Districts and Charter Schools, Fiscal Years 2010-19,Legislative Budget Board, 2018 (confirmed by email, R.J. DeSilva, communications officer, Legislative Budget Board, July 31, 2018) According to the chart, charter schools in 2016 fielded $8,956 in state aid per ADA and school districts on average drew $3,800--meaning charter schools got 136 percent of what districts drew.By our calculations, the chart shows charter schools getting 149 percent of what districts would have gotten in 2017 and 167 percent of what districts would get in 2018 and 190 percent of what districts would get in 2019. Cottingham told us the fact that state aid to districts goes up or down based on the value of local tax bases helps explain why districts are projected to get increasingly less in state aid than charter schools. Charter schools, he said, can count by law on getting each years full average adjusted state-aid allotment in contrast to districts whose allocations are affected by how much theyre expected to reap in property taxes. By phone, Amanda Brownson of the Texas Association of School Business Officials offered a similar analysis. Another facet noted by Cottingham: The state ponies up the full per-student entitlement cost of each student--costing the state more than each per-student payment sent to districts. Of late, the August 2018 TEA presentation says, charter schools draw an adjusted state allotment of $6,540--equivalent, the agency says, to what a small district receives. Meantime, the presentation says, more than 95 percent of students enrolled in districts are in districts getting less than $6,540 in state allotments. We also heard back from Greg Worthington, a University of Texas doctoral student. By email, Worthington saidlegislation revising the school finance system that passed into law in a summer 2017 special sessionwould result in numerous districts losing chunks of per-student aid as charter schools draw more. Asked how funding of charter schools results in less money for districts, Worthington offered adetailed replycentered on reductions in aid to districts caused by students transferring to charter schools. This shouldnt surprise, Worthington indicated, in that the concept of school choicepromulgatedby the late economist Milton Friedman relies on schools competing for funding tied to enrollment. Friedman said government might be responsible for funding schools, Worthington wrote, but he maintained it isnt supposed to administer education. School choice policies embraced by many ruling Republicans ultimately work to replace the public school system with a market-based education system, Worthington said. Our ruling Howard said Texas charter schools get all their per-student aid from the state while school districts, which serve 95 percent of students, get a third of their funding that way with the rest drawn from property taxes. Also, Howard said, districts get less because scarce dollars go to charter schools. Howards points about student enrollment and state funding going to charter schools and school districts hold up. Its also true that a student who leaves a district school to attend a charter school costs the district state aid while that student brings the charter school thousands of dollars more in per-pupil state aid than what the district would get. This dense tweet lacks the clarification that upticks or slides in local property values greatly affect whether a district faces ups or downs in state aid. We rate this claim Mostly True. MOSTLY TRUE The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information. Click here formoreon the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. | 1 | [
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"1",
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] | 1 |
FMD3318 | 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: It is stated that Texas charter schools receive full state funding per student, whereas district schools, which educate 95% of students, receive approximately one-third of their funding from the state with the remainder coming from local property taxes, leading to the high taxes. Districts receive less funding due to limited resources being directed towards charter schools.
contextual information: A Democratic legislator declared that state aid fully fuels Texas charter schools while schools serving the vast bulk of students field less money. State Rep.Donna Howardof Austin said in her July 18, 2018tweet: Here's the thing. In Tx, charters get 100% state $/pupil funding while district schools (95% students) get about 1/3 funding from state w/ rest coming from local prop taxes (which is why those taxes are so high). Districts getting less b/c scarce $ going to charters. Howard was reacting to a national Associated Pressnews storyon billionaires championing charter schools. Since 2006, the story says, philanthropists and their private foundations and charities--topped by the Walton Family Foundation, run by heirs to the Walmart fortune--gave almost half a billion dollars to 52 state-level charter support organizations to sustain, defend and expand the charter schools movement. Texas charter schools--public schools with charters run most often by private nonprofit entities--have boomed since the 1995 Legislature authorized them by law. Such schools must meet state-set academic accountability standards, but theyre exempted from other laws affecting districts such as teacher certification and elementary school class-size limits. To our inquiry, Bruce Marchand of theTexas Charter Schools Associationcalled Howards jam-packed claim factually squishy solid. The squishy part, Marchand said by email, is the implication that 100% funded charters have something to do with high property taxes and that districts get less money because that money is going to charters. Districts get less, Marchand said, because state dollars follow students based on where theyre enrolled. Lets break down Howards tweet by its factual elements. Howard said charter schools get all their funding from the state: Charter schools get nearly all their funding from state aid, Marchand agreed by phone, drawing 3 percent from grants and federal sources. That heavy state reliance is logical, Marchand and others said, because unlike districts, charter schools lack the authority to levy property taxes. According to a December 2017 Texas Education Agencydocument summarizing charter school funding, state aid to charter schools escalated from nearly $417 million for 2005-06 to about $2 billion in 2015-16. Howard said school districts serve 95 percent of students: Charter schools serve a growing handful of pupils--5.5 percent of Texas public school students in 2017, according to figures we fielded by email from the TEAs DeEtta Culbertson. That year, she said, 705 charter campuses enrolled 296,323 students--a doubling since 2011, according to an August 2018agency presentationnoted by Marchand. (The state caps the number of state-issued charters, but a charter-holder may open more than one school.) An implication: Districts in 2017 served 94.5 percent of public school students. Howard said districts get one-third of their aid from the state:Earlier this year, we reviewed Legislative Budget Board figures to conclude that in the 1980s, lawmakers voted for the state to cover 70 percent of theFoundation School Program, which is the states primary way of funding schools. State aid, we found, ended up covering a little more than half of related state-local costs. State aid covered 44 percent of such costs in 2016; its expected to cover 38 percent of such costs in 2019. Thats more than a third. When we sought Howards factual backup, Jacob Cottingham in her office responded with materials including aJanuary 2018 LBB chartdelivering percentages like what we previously reported. Cottingham also emailed us a spreadsheet isolating state aid going to districts alone.According to the sheet, which Cottingham said he built based on LBB data, in 2016, more than $17.8 billion in state aid sent to districts accounted for 39 percent of state spending on public education. The sheet says that in 2019, more than $15.7 billion in state funds projected to go to districts will account for 32 percent of state school aid. Howard said the states one-third share of what schools spend is why school property taxes are so high: To the contrary, we asked Howard, isnt it changes in the value of local property tax bases that drive how much state aid a district is entitled to receive? Howard replied with a statement noting that a districts per-pupil tax wealth is key to how much state aid flows. When students leave a district for a charter (or private school or drop out), the (districts) property wealth per student increases as there are fewer students, and the state's required minimum share to the district is decreased, Howard said. The TEAs Culbertson separately responded by email: One of the primary drivers of the Texas school finance system is student attendance. If a student leaves a school district for any reason, including moving out of state, enrolling in another school district, public charter school, or private school (including home school), the original school district would no longer incur the costs of educating that student, and the original school districts total funding entitlement would be reduced. Howard said districts get less money because dollars go to charter schools: Cottingham told us Howard reached that conclusion by reviewing changes in per-student state spending on charter schools and districts. Cottingham emailed us anLBB chartshowing Foundation School Program state aid per student enrolled in districts compared with charter schools from fiscal 2010 through fiscal 2016 plus estimated and projected aid for fiscal 2017 through fiscal 2019. The chart shows charter schools consistently getting thousands of dollars more per student in average daily attendance: SOURCE: Chart,Foundation School Program State Aid and Average Daily Attendance for School Districts and Charter Schools, Fiscal Years 2010-19,Legislative Budget Board, 2018 (confirmed by email, R.J. DeSilva, communications officer, Legislative Budget Board, July 31, 2018) According to the chart, charter schools in 2016 fielded $8,956 in state aid per ADA and school districts on average drew $3,800--meaning charter schools got 136 percent of what districts drew.By our calculations, the chart shows charter schools getting 149 percent of what districts would have gotten in 2017 and 167 percent of what districts would get in 2018 and 190 percent of what districts would get in 2019. Cottingham told us the fact that state aid to districts goes up or down based on the value of local tax bases helps explain why districts are projected to get increasingly less in state aid than charter schools. Charter schools, he said, can count by law on getting each years full average adjusted state-aid allotment in contrast to districts whose allocations are affected by how much theyre expected to reap in property taxes. By phone, Amanda Brownson of the Texas Association of School Business Officials offered a similar analysis. Another facet noted by Cottingham: The state ponies up the full per-student entitlement cost of each student--costing the state more than each per-student payment sent to districts. Of late, the August 2018 TEA presentation says, charter schools draw an adjusted state allotment of $6,540--equivalent, the agency says, to what a small district receives. Meantime, the presentation says, more than 95 percent of students enrolled in districts are in districts getting less than $6,540 in state allotments. We also heard back from Greg Worthington, a University of Texas doctoral student. By email, Worthington saidlegislation revising the school finance system that passed into law in a summer 2017 special sessionwould result in numerous districts losing chunks of per-student aid as charter schools draw more. Asked how funding of charter schools results in less money for districts, Worthington offered adetailed replycentered on reductions in aid to districts caused by students transferring to charter schools. This shouldnt surprise, Worthington indicated, in that the concept of school choicepromulgatedby the late economist Milton Friedman relies on schools competing for funding tied to enrollment. Friedman said government might be responsible for funding schools, Worthington wrote, but he maintained it isnt supposed to administer education. School choice policies embraced by many ruling Republicans ultimately work to replace the public school system with a market-based education system, Worthington said. Our ruling Howard said Texas charter schools get all their per-student aid from the state while school districts, which serve 95 percent of students, get a third of their funding that way with the rest drawn from property taxes. Also, Howard said, districts get less because scarce dollars go to charter schools. Howards points about student enrollment and state funding going to charter schools and school districts hold up. Its also true that a student who leaves a district school to attend a charter school costs the district state aid while that student brings the charter school thousands of dollars more in per-pupil state aid than what the district would get. This dense tweet lacks the clarification that upticks or slides in local property values greatly affect whether a district faces ups or downs in state aid. We rate this claim Mostly True. MOSTLY TRUE The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information. Click here formoreon the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. | 1 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 1 |
FMD3319 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Bill Still’s 5-minute report :
No colleague I know of, nor I, have objectively verifiable factual information on a possible “white hat” recapture of lawful government. That said, what is easy to document and prove: When Americans are told an election is defined by touching a computer screen without a countable receipt that can be verified, they are being told a criminal lie to allow election fraud . This is self-evident, but Princeton , Stanford , and the President of the American Statistical Association are among the leaders pointing to the obvious (and here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here ). Again, no professional would/can argue an election is legitimate when there is nothing for anyone to count. President Kennedy , Martin King , Robert Kennedy (and here ), and dozens of others were assassinated by the .01% “Deep State.” The evidence is overwhelming in each case. The US is a literal rogue state empire led by neocolonial looting liars. The history is uncontested and taught to anyone taking comprehensive courses. If anyone has any refutations of this professional academic factual claim for any of this easy-to-read and documented content , please provide it. US ongoing lie-started and Orwellian-illegal Wars of Aggression require all US military and government to refuse all war orders because there are no lawful orders for obviously unlawful wars. Officers are required to arrest those who issue obviously unlawful orders. And again, those of us working for this area of justice are aware of zero attempts to refute this with, “War law states (a, b, c), so the wars are legal because (d, e, f).” All we receive is easy-to-reveal bullshit . And, duh, corporate media are criminally complicit through constant lies of omission and commission to “cover” all these crimes. Historic tragic-comic empire is only possible through such straight-face lying, making our Emperor’s New Clothes analogy perfectly chosen. The top three benefits each of monetary reform and public banking total ~$1,000,000 for the average American household, and would be received nearly instantly. Please read that twice. Now look to verify for yourself . More on the $2 billion Clinton Foundation giving just 10% of their money to charity. The categories of crime include: Wars of Aggression (the worst crime a nation can commit). Likely treason for lying to US military, ordering unlawful attack and invasions of foreign lands, and causing thousands of US military deaths. Crimes Against Humanity for ongoing intentional policy of poverty that’s killed over 400 million human beings just since 1995 (~75% children; more deaths than from all wars in Earth’s recorded history).
US military, law enforcement, and all with Oaths to support and defend the US Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, face an endgame choice: Demand arrests , with those with lawful authority to enact it. An arrest is the lawful action to stop apparent crimes , with the most serious crimes documented here meaning the most serious need for arrests. Watch the US escalate its rogue state crimes that annually kill millions, harm billions, and loot trillions.
In just 90 seconds , former US Marine Ken O’Keefe powerfully states how you may choose to voice “very obvious solutions”: arrest the criminal leaders (video starts at 20:51, then finishes this episode of Cross Talk ): Solutions worth literal tens of trillions to ‘We the People’:
Again: The top three benefits each of monetary reform and public banking total ~$1,000,000 for the average American household, and would be received nearly instantly. Please read that twice. Now look to verify for yourself . We can quantify the end of the lie-started and illegal Wars of Aggression quickly into the trillions, and that said, it’s worth a lot more than what we quantify. Truth : a world in which education is expressed in its full potential to only and always begin with good-faith effort for objective, comprehensive, and verifiable data.
**
Note: I make all factual assertions as a National Board Certified Teacher of US Government, Economics, and History, with all economics factual claims receiving zero refutation since I began writing in 2008 among Advanced Placement Macroeconomics teachers on our discussion board , public audiences of these articles , and international conferences (and here ). I invite readers to empower their civic voices with the strongest comprehensive facts most important to building a brighter future. I challenge professionals, academics, and citizens to add their voices for the benefit of all Earth’s inhabitants.
**
Carl Herman is a National Board Certified Teacher of US Government, Economics, and History; also credentialed in Mathematics. He worked with both US political parties over 18 years and two UN Summits with the citizen’s lobby, RESULTS , for US domestic and foreign policy to end poverty. He can be reached at
Note: Examiner.com has blocked public access to my articles on their site (and from other whistleblowers), so some links in my previous work are blocked. If you’d like to search for those articles other sites may have republished, use words from the article title within the blocked link. Or, go to http://archive.org/web/ , p aste the expired link into the box, click “Browse history,” then click onto the screenshots of that page for each time it was screen-shot and uploaded to webarchive. I’ll update as “hobby time” allows; including my earliest work from 2009 to 2011 (blocked author pages: here , here ).
This entry was posted in General . Bookmark the permalink . Not Guilty: The Power of Nullification to Counteract Government Tyranny → MyWikiDisQus
If Mr.Trump is elected president, he must purge the federal government of the militarists who have usurped the federal republic in the “soft coup d’etat” that was perpetrated by them on September 11, 2001. He must be aggressive, firm, and not deterred by any rancor that may rise from legal challenges, the corporate media, civil rights groups and foreign State lobbyists who have a vested interest in the neoconservative polity. He must do what Recep Erdogan did in Turkey but on a larger scale, with the panache that only the “Donald” can pull off, American style. He must charge them all with endangering the national and economic security of the United States.
He must open a federal investigation of the coverup of the 9/11 commission perpetrated by the Clinton and Bush (Bush 41 and Bush 43) regimes and restore the U.S.Department of Justice’s reputation as the standard bearer for equal justice under the rule of law. No person is exempt, not a member of the U.S. Congress former or incumbent, member of the United States Military active or retired, Wall Street financier, corporate CEO including the national media or lobbyists for a foreign State. The pursuit of these persons will be ongoing, thorough, and not be restricted by any statute of limitations.
All the illegal wars in foreign lands made in the name of the American people will be reconciled by trial and recompense made to the victims from the assets confiscated by all the accused and their conspirators who are found guilty.
Trump must claim the title of American Paladin, a council member of the new global trust that lays the foundation for peace and well being in the 21st century. Donate | 0 | [
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FMD3320 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Based Stickman, aka Kyle Chapman became famous on social media after he was one of the first Trump supporters to fight back at a California Trump rally after violent Antifa thugs randomly began cracking skulls and stabbing people who dared to openly supporting our President. Americans were fed up with watching innocent Americans being physically harmed and threatened while police officers stood down and watched the violence unfold. Once Kyle Chapman took the lead and started fighting back, other Trump supporters joined him. It wasn t long before the Antifa cowards stopped attacking innocent Trump supporters.Here s a short video showing Base Stick Man in action, as he takes the lead in defending his fellow Trump supporters who were being attack by a large mob of violent Democrats:Communists/Anarchists start a fight they cant finish @ UC Berkeley #March4Trump pic.twitter.com/OoZJrzkxXG Andrew Quackson (@AndrewQuackson) March 5, 2017Today, Kyle Chapman (Based Stickman) and conservative Latino activist Robert Herrera were on the streets of New York showing their support for President Trump when Chapman noticed a 15-yr. old girl proudly displaying a communist poster her mother allegedly purchased for her. Chapman questioned the young girl about her knowledge of communism and asked her if she s aware of the millions of people who have been murdered throughout history at the hands of communist dictators? The 15-yr. old girl s mother can be seen videotaping the exchange until she realizes that her daughter is actually getting an education about the ugly truth about Communism, at which time she asks Chapman to stop engaging her daughter while videotaping her. As the mother-daughter duo walk away, the New York City police officer who witnessed the entire exchange can be seen stepping up to congratulate Chapman on a job well done. The unidentified police officer remarks about how he appreciated the way in which Chapman conducted himself with civility. As the officer begins to move away, he can be heard remarking, Facts hurt people s feelings .Watch:Although Based Stickman was arrested and charged with assault for defending himself and other Trump supporters from Antifa thugs, it hasn t slowed down his enthusiasm for defending President Trump or innocent Americans who are simply exercising their First Amendment Right. America could use a thousand more Kyle Chapman s and Robert Herrera s | 0 | [
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FMD3321 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: MONTICELLO, Iowa — The Table of Knowledge was delving into Donald J. Trump’s plans to upend government, and marveling at how he had forced his fellow Republicans in the House to reverse themselves on gutting the Office of Congressional Ethics. “He’s getting responses things are happening,†Jerry Retzlaff, a retiree, said. “He got Congress to turn themselves around with one tweet. †“There’s no secret the press doesn’t like him, and neither does a lot of the leadership,†he added. “And that’s because he’s planning on making a lot of changes. †The eight men around a rectangular table, sipping coffee from a hodgepodge of mugs donated by customers, meet daily for breakfasts of French toast, eggs and bacon at Darrell’s diner, all while solving the world’s problems, hence their gathering’s nickname. Washington may be veering from one Trump controversy to another: unproved reports of Russia’s holding embarrassing information against him, possible ethical conflicts, the donors and billionaires of his cabinet, his pushback against intelligence findings on Russian hacking in the election. But there does not seem to be much angst in Iowa among those who voted for Mr. Trump, including some Democrats and independents. Monticello, in rural eastern Iowa, is as close as any place to the epicenter of the political quake that made Mr. Trump president. The state’s longstanding reputation as a political bellwether had led The New York Times to move me to Iowa for a full year ahead of its presidential caucuses in early 2016. I had not returned since. In the intervening year, Iowa gave Mr. Trump his largest triumph of any battleground state: a reversal over President Obama’s easy victory here in 2012. Al Ameling, 58, a technical analyst who lives in Marble Rock, near the Minnesota border, is representative of the profound demographic shift among white rural voters in the northern Midwest that helped produce Mr. Trump’s stunning upset. Mr. Ameling voted for Mr. Obama in 2008, sat out in 2012 and enthusiastically backed Mr. Trump. Nothing he has heard since Election Day has shaken his support, including reports this week that American intelligence agencies are investigating unverified accounts of meetings between Trump aides and Russian officials, as well as sex tapes purportedly made of Mr. Trump in Moscow. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump called the allegations completely false. “The way it is nowadays, unless I see positive proof, it’s all a lie,†Mr. Ameling said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. He added he was more concerned that government officials might have leaked the material to the news media. “I don’t know if it was classified, but if it was, whoever leaked it needs to go to jail,†he said. “We need law and order back in this country. †I headed to Monticello because it was the site of Hillary Clinton’s first campaign stop after declaring her candidacy for the Democratic nomination in 2015. When she rolled up in her black van, a pack of journalists took off at a run, myself included, an enduringly silly image. Mrs. Clinton rarely returned to the state in the general election campaign, giving it up as all but lost. Jones County, which includes Monticello, is the birthplace of the painter Grant Wood, and where older men still wear the style of pinstriped overalls in his “American Gothic. †It is a beautiful place, with bald eagles soaring over wintry farm fields. Mr. Trump carried the county by 20 percentage points Mr. Obama easily won there four years earlier. At Darrell’s, there are actually two Tables of Knowledge, one favored by Democrats and the other by Republicans. Among them are an optometrist, farmers and former employees of a utility company. I asked if there was anyone who had voted for Mr. Trump after having previously supported Mr. Obama. “Yeah, there is, but they won’t tell you,†said Mr. Retzlaff, an outspoken conservative who usually chooses to sit with the liberals. Mel Manternach, a retired farmer, said many farmers who had once voted for Mr. Obama switched to Mr. Trump, which he found perplexing. “Trump was against T. P. P. which would help exports of ag commodities,†he said, referring to the Partnership, a deal. “They voted against their own . †The Iowans I interviewed largely went about their lives outside the political hothouse of social media. They did not follow developments of the presidential transition. Indeed, on Wednesday, several were unfamiliar with the reports that Russia was holding compromising information on the which Mr. Trump addressed in a news conference. Many were hazy on specific policy details about how, say, House Republicans were seeking to replace Medicare with a voucher system. These voters feared an outbreak of terrorist attacks by Muslims in the United States, maybe in their own communities. And overwhelmingly, Trump supporters did not want their money redistributed to people they regarded as undeserving. A year ago, I shadowed a Clinton in Newton, a small city in central Iowa that has struggled since Maytag closed a washing machine plant. Jeff McKibben, one of the workers, traded down for work at a prison. Once a “straight Democrat,†as he called himself, he refused to commit at the time to support Mrs. Clinton. Contacted recently, he did not want to say how he voted, although Jasper County, which includes Newton, was one of the more than 30 Iowa counties that swung to Mr. Trump from Mr. Obama. “Maybe it’s time to have some change,†Mr. McKibben allowed. “I saw neighbors I knew were strong union people with Trump signs in their yards. †The story was the same in Des Moines County, in southeastern Iowa. The local Democratic Party chairwoman, Sandy Dockendorff, knew there was trouble when she saw a Trump sign in the yard of an electrician who had always supported Democrats. “When I called him,†Ms. Dockendorff explained last month to a group of demoralized activists at a United Steelworkers union hall, “he said, ‘You stopped talking my language you don’t care about jobs.’ †In an interview, Ms. Dockendorff, who is running for chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, said rural Iowans were critical of Democrats for opposing projects like oil pipelines while running a presidential campaign focused narrowly on Mr. Trump’s shortcomings. “It was all about making fun of Donald Trump — he would never be president and how horrible it would be,†she said. But “the only one talking about jobs was Trump,†Ms. Dockendorff added. At a Des Moines County diner in Burlington, a small city on the Mississippi River, Melissa Ell, a waitress, said she had voted for Mr. Obama in 2012. But this Election Day, she stayed home. “I didn’t want to vote for either one of them, to be honest,†she said. Ms. Ell, 46, earns a base wage of $6. 50 an hour at Jerry’s Main Lunch, a restaurant across from the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks. As she bused a table, Ms. Ell commiserated with Jackie Furman about those who take advantage of government aid. “I think they should be if they’re on welfare,†Ms. Ell said. “The welfare system needs to be reorganized,†agreed Ms. Furman, a retired commercial bakery manager, complaining that “Chicago people†were moving to Burlington to receive higher benefits and bringing crime. Ms. Furman, 70, said, “I’m ashamed to say we caucused for Obama†in 2008. “My view is he purposely got into the presidency so he could ruin America. †There are contrary views. On Washington Street in Burlington, I expected Post 10102 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars to be a bastion of support for the who had promised repeatedly to “take care of the vets. †But there was deep skepticism. “Forget about me,†Dan Meade, a Navy veteran, said. “What’s going to happen to our kids, our grandkids? I think the guy’s nuts. †He and three others sipped $1. 50 draft beers from plastic cups. They sarcastically echoed notable Trump lines from the campaign trail. “He knows more than the generals he doesn’t like prisoners of war,†Dan Warren, an Army veteran, said. “When Trump was running for office he said he’d run the country like he runs his companies,†Fran Boyle, who served in the Navy, chimed in. “Which one of his bankrupt companies is he going to run it like?†Still, Trump voters in the state say they are hoping for the best. Mike Staudt, a retired farmer from Marble Rock, voted for Mr. Obama in 2012, but called the Affordable Care Act a form of socialism. He said he had no problem with a candidate who had run as the voice of the working people but was stocking his cabinet with the ultrawealthy. “I know these guys are really rich,†he said. “They may have pulled off a few plays that weren’t exactly on the but they all had to be pretty smart to be billionaires. If they replace their own concerns with the concerns of the country, they can make things really move forward. That’s what I’m excited about. †| 1 | [
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FMD3322 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Donald Trump’s chances of winning the Republican nomination for the White House shot to a record high at online betting sites around the world on Wednesday after his latest victory in voting in Nevada. Betting venues in Britain, Ireland and New Zealand show the online wagering community coalescing around Trump, once considered a rank outsider attracting long-shot odds of 200/1. Following his double-digit margin win in Nevada’s Republican caucuses on Tuesday, his third victory in the first four early nominating contests, odds have tightened all the way to 1/2 in some cases. “Mr Trump has triumphed yet again, despite political analysts almost unanimously writing him off as a serious presidential contender,†said Graham Sharpe from William Hill, adding one customer stood to collect at least $100,000 if Trump was elected to the White House on Nov. 8. William Hill and Betway make Trump 1/2 favorite to get the Republican nod, while Ladbrokes cut his odds to 4/9, the same as those shown on Ireland’s PaddyPower. His nearest rival, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio from Florida, featured odds of 6/1 on Ladbrokes. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who has been battling with Rubio for the No. 2 spot in the early voting states, has sunk to a deep longshot. Paddy Power gives Cruz odds of 33/1, its site shows. Bettors also markedly cut the odds on Trump becoming president, although he still trails Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who won Nevada’s Democratic caucuses on Saturday. Jessica Bridge from Ladbrokes said Trump was on a roll heading into Super Tuesday on March 1, when several U.S. states hold nominating contests. On PredictIt, a site operated by Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, Trump’s chances of winning the Republican nod were the highest since it started tracking the race in October 2015. A Trump bet there, on a scale of $0.00 to $1, stood at 72 cents, up 4 cents, while Rubio tumbled 7 cents to 24 cents and Cruz sank a penny to 4 cents, matching a record low. (Reporting by Michael Holden in London and Dan Burns in New York; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Howard Goller) This article was funded in part by SAP. It was independently created by the Reuters editorial staff. SAP had no editorial involvement in its creation or production. | 1 | [
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FMD3323 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: American warplanes in Afghanistan are dropping bombs in numbers not seen since the height of the U.S. troop surge in 2010, after President Donald Trump announced a new strategy in August to ease attack curbs and widen the range of militant targets. In September, for example, the U.S. Air Force dropped 751 bombs, an increase of nearly 50 percent from the August figure of 503, to reach its highest single-month total in seven years, military data showed. The increase can be attributed to the president s strategy to more proactively target extremist groups that threaten the stability and security of the Afghan people, the Air Force said in a monthly report. Six more F-16 fighter bombers have been deployed to Bagram air field north of the Afghan capital of Kabul, and additional massive B-52 bombers have been assigned to strike Afghanistan from bases in the Persian Gulf, it added. The Air Force numbers exclude strikes by the U.S. Army, which maintains armed helicopters and other aircraft in Afghanistan. Trump s South Asia strategy included promises to expand authority for U.S. forces to target militants in Afghanistan. These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide; that no place is beyond the reach of American might and Americans arms, Trump said in his August speech unveiling the strategy. Retribution will be fast and powerful. Former President Barack Obama s plans to drawdown the U.S. mission in Afghanistan often limited U.S. troops to attacking the Taliban only in certain circumstances, such as self-defense. This month, Defense Secretary James Mattis confirmed to Congress that those restrictions would be lifted under Trump s plan. | 1 | [
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FMD3324 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Three policemen, one security guard and a civilian were killed and a number of other people injured in an attack by militants in Egypt s North Sinai province on Monday, the interior ministry said. The militants attacked a security post securing a National Bank of Egypt branch in Arish, the provincial capital, with explosives and guns, a statement said. Egypt is fighting an insurgency against militants affiliated with Islamic State in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula where hundreds of security forces have been killed since 2013. Attacks on security forces have been common since Islamist president Mohamed Mursi was ousted in 2013 following mass protests against his rule. The militants raided the bank branch and stole an amount that had yet to be valued, the statement said. Forces were searching the area for the perpetrators and had defused some explosives. Security sources told Reuters that three Egyptian policemen, one security guard and three civilians were killed and 22 others were injured in the attack. Witnesses said armed militants in five cars fired on security forces near a church and the NBE branch before fleeing the scene. The militants fired shots randomly in the street as if they were celebrating, with some of them raising their black flags (of Islamic State). They roamed the streets for about 20 minutes then disappeared, said Alaa Lotfy, a shop owner in the area who witnessed the clashes. At least 24 militants and six soldiers were killed on Sunday in attacks on military outposts in North Sinai. | 1 | [
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FMD3325 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: United States Reformation or Fracture?
By Thierry Meyssan Observing the US presidential electoral campaign, Thierry Meyssan analyses the resurgence of an old and weighty conflict of civilisation. Hillary Clinton has just declared that this election is not about programmes, but about the question ŤWho are the Americans?ť. It was not for reasons of his political prgramme that the Republican leaders have withdrawn their support from their candidate, Donald Trump, but because of his personal behaviour. According to Thierry Meyssan, until now, the United States was composed of migrants from different horizons who accepted to submit to the ideology of a particular community . This is the model which is in the process of breaking down, at the risk of shattering the country itself. " Voltaire " - During the year of the US electoral campaign that we have just weathered, the rhetoric has profoundly changed, and an unexpected rift has appeared between the two camps. If, in the beginning, the candidates spoke about subjects which were genuinely political (such as the sharing of wealth or national security), today they are mostly talking about sex and money. It is this dialogue, and not the political questions, which has caused the explosion of the Republican party whose main leaders have withdrawn their support from their candidate - and which is recomposing the political chess-board, awakening an ancient cleavage of civilisation. On one side, Mrs. Clinton is working to appear politically correct, while on the other, ŤThe Donaldť is blowing the hypocrisy of the ex-ŤFirst Ladyť to smithereens.
On one side, Hillary Clinton promises male / female equality - although she has never hesitated to attack and defile the women who revealed that they had slept with her husband and that she is presenting herself not for her personal qualities, but as the wife of an ex-President, and that she accuses Donald Trump of misogyny because he does not hide his appreciation of the female gender. On the other, Donald Trump denounces the privatisation of the State and the racketing of foreign personalities by the Clinton Foundation to obtain appointments with the State Department the creation of ObamaCare not in the interest of citizens, but for the profit of medical insurance companies - and goes as far as to question the honesty of the electoral system.
I am perfectly aware that the way in which Donald Trump expresses himself may encourage racism, but I do not believe for a second that this question is at the heart of the electoral debate, despite the hype from the pro-Clinton medias. It is not without interest that, during the Lewinsky affair, President Bill Clinton apologised to the Nation and convened a number of preachers to pray for his salvation. But when he was accused of similar misconduct by an audio recording, Donald Trump simply apologised to the people he had upset without making any appeal to members of the clergy. The currrent divide re-awakens the revolt of Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran values against those of the Calvinists, mainly represented in the USA by the Presbyterians, the Baptists and the Methodists.
While the two candidates were raised in the Puritan tradition (Clinton as a Methodist and Trump as a Presbyterian), Mrs. Clinton has returned to the religion of her father, and participates today in a prayer group composed of the army chiefs of staff, The Family, while Mr. Trump practises a more interior form of spirituality and rarely goes to church. Of course, no-one is locked into the systems in which they were raised, but when people act without thinking, they unconsciously reproduce these systems. The question of the religious environment of the candidates may therefore be important.
In order to understand the stakes of this game, we have to go back and look at 17th century England. Oliver Cromwell instigated a military coup detat which overthrew King Charles 1st. He wanted to install a Republic, purify the soul of the country, and ordered the decapitation of the ex-sovereign. He created a sectarian régime inspired by the ideas of Calvin, massacred thousands of Irish Papists, and imposed a Puritan way of life. He also created Zionism he invited the Jews back to England, and was the first head of state in the world to demand the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. This bloody episode is known by the name of the ŤFirst British Civil Warť.
After the monarchy had been reinstated, Cromwells Puritans fled from England. They set up in Holland, from where some of them left for the Americas aboard the Mayflower (the ŤPilgrim Fathersť), while others founded the Afrikaneer community in South Africa. During the War of Independence in the 18th century United States, we saw a resurgence of the struggle of the Calvinists against the British monarchy, so that in current manuals of British History, it is known as the ŤSecond Civil Warť.
In the 19th century, the American Civil War opposed the Southern States (mainly inhabited by Catholic colonists) to the North (mostly inhabited by Protestant colonists). The History of the winning side presents this confrontation as a fight for freedom in the face of slavery, which is pure propaganda. The Southern states abolished slavery during the war when they concluded an agreement with the British monarchy). As a result, we once again saw the revolt of the Puritans against the Brititsh throne, which is why some historians speak of the ŤThird British Civil Warť.
During the 20th century, this interior confrontation of British civilisation seemed over and done with, apart from the re-appearance of the Puritans in the United Kingdom with the Ťnon-conformist Christiansť of Prime Minister David Lloyd George. It was they who divided Ireland and agreed to create the Ť Jewish national homelandť in Palestine.
In any case, one of Richard Nixons advisors, Kevin Philipps, dedicated a voluminous thesis to these civil wars, in which he noted that none of the problems had been solved, and announced a fourth confrontation [ 1 ].
I have no doubt that Mrs. Clinton will be the next President of the United States, or that if Mr. Trump were to be elected, he would be rapidly eliminated. But over the last few months, we have witnessed a large electoral redistribution within an irreversible demographic evolution. The Puritan-based churches now account for only a quarter of the population, and are swinging towards the Democrat camp. Their model looks like a historical accident. It disappeared in South Africa, and will not be able to survive much longer, either in the United States or in Israël. Beyond the Presidential election, US society will have to evolve rapidly or split once again. In a country where the youth massively rejects the influence of the Puritan preachers, it is no longer possible to displace the question of equality. The Puritans envisage a society where all men are equal, but not equivalent. Lord Cromwell wanted a Republic for the English, but only after he had massacred the Irish Papists. This is how it is at the moment in the United States all citizens are equal before the law, but in the name of the same texts, black people are systematically condemned, while attenuating circumstances are found for white people who have committed equivalent crimes. And in the majority of states, a penal condemnation, even for a speeding ticket, is enough to cancel the right to vote. Consequently, white and black people are equal, but in most states, the majority of black people has been legally deprived of its right to vote. The paradigm of this thought, in terms of foreign policy, is the Ťtwo-stateť solution in Palestine equal, but above all, not equivalent.
It is Puritan thinking that led the administrations of preacher Carter, Reagan, Bush (Sr. and Jr. are direct descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers), Clinton and Obama to support Wahhabism, in contradiction to the declared ideals of their countries, and today, to support Daesh.
A long time ago, the Founding Fathers built communities in Plymouth and Boston which were idealised in the US collective memory. And yet the historians are formal they claimed to be creating the ŤNew Israëlť, and chose the ŤLaw of Mosesť. They did not place the Cross in their temples, but the Tables of the Law. Although they are Christians, they attach more importance to the Jewish scriptures than the Gospel. They oblige their women to veil their faces and re-established corporaI punishment. Thierry Meyssan , French intellectual, founder and chairman of Voltaire Network and the Axis for Peace Conference. His columns specializing in international relations feature in daily newspapers and weekly magazines in Arabic, Spanish and Russian. His last two books published in English : 9/11 the Big Lie and Pentagate . Translation - Pete Kimberley
[ 1 ] The Cousins Wars , Kevin Philipps, Basic Books, 1999. | 0 | [
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FMD3326 | 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: Campbell's Soup Tackling Hunger Claim summaries: Donate soup to the hungry by clicking on a special Campbell's Soup web page.
contextual information: Claim: Campbell's Soup will donate a can of soup to the hungry for every click received on a special web page. . Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2000] Here is an easy way to make a difference this holiday season. Campbell's is donating a can of soup to the needy for every person that goes to their site and votes for their favorite NFL team. Go to the site and it is right there, very easy to do. It will only take a few seconds of your time to fill some empty tummies with warm soup this winter. Please forward this message to everyone in your address book too. Thanks. https://chunky.nfl.com/click_for_cans.html https://chunky.nfl.com/click_for_cans.html Origins: The above program to attract visitors to the Campbell's Soup web site through the promise of donating cans of soup to the hungry began in 2000. Akin to the Hunger Site's "click to donate" program, Campbell's Soup ties its beneficence to clicks made on a special page on chunky.com, its Campbell's Chunky web site (which is separate from its main site at campbellsoup.com). Hunger Site chunky.com campbellsoup.com The 2000 promotion target of 5 million cans was reached in mid-December 2000. This on-again, off-again program was restarted in the fall of 2001 with a target of another 5 million cans of soup; it was wrapped up after Campbell's announced that the goal of 5 million cans had been met, then was relaunched with the goal of donating an additional 500,000 cans. During the 2002 campaign Campbell's was just shy of the halfway mark on 23 October 2002 and had reached their target of 5 million cans by 7 November 2002. Fall 2003 saw yet another interation of the program with the usual 5 million-can goal. As to what the promotion is about, chunky.com's page provides this information regarding the charity: Our Tackling Hunger campaign will result in donations of up to a total of 5 million cans of a variety of Campbell's soups on behalf of all 32 NFL teams. Click for Cans donations are made over the course of the year to a variety of hunger relief charities across the country, in NFL cities and in many other communities. However, Campbell's has been oddly reluctant to release information about the mechanics of their "Tackling Hunger" program. When we asked them back in 2000 for some details such as whom the food went to they refused to answer, claiming such information was "proprietary." Even when we reframed our question to remove any suggestion that we were seeking actual names of organizations or individuals (e.g., "Does it go to group homes, or hospitals, or directly to the homes of needy people?"), they stonewalled us again with a claim that such information was "proprietary." We made additional inquiries to Campbell's Soups concerning these matters because we believe those who participate in donation programs should know whom they're donating to. Campbell's never answered them, not during the 2000 promotion nor during the year to follow. The promotion ended with our having no better idea whose hunger was being relieved by this program than what we started out with. And that's disturbing. Perhaps what Campbell's is reluctant to disclose is that the promotion doesn't involve their shipping hundreds of thousands of cans of soup directly from their plant(s) to food pantries and homeless shelters in the represented NFL cities, nor does it allow those cities to determine who gets the soup: Campbell's handles the 'Tackling Hunger' payoff by collecting store returns of dented and otherwise unsaleable cans of soup and sending them to redistribution centers of their choosing. The (store-returned) cans of soup do eventually reach the needy, but any food pantry or other charity group that doesn't work directly with a redistribution outlet can't claim them, and the NFL teams and cities have no say in where the cans end up. An article in the newsletter for the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, chronicled the disappointment one team's fans experienced with the program's administration in 2001. Green Bay Barbara "this tomato is not too chicken to use her noodle" Mikkelson Last updated: 1 October 2007 | 1 | [
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FMD3327 | 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 Donald Trump Fined for 'Stealing' Money Intended for Veterans? Claim summaries: Social media posts and memes badly misrepresented the facts surrounding the November 2019 resolution of a high-profile lawsuit against the president.
contextual information: In November 2019, we received multiple inquiries about the accuracy of claims that U.S. President Donald Trump had been fined $2 million by a New York court because he was found to have "stolen" charitable donations intended for military veterans. For example, former Democratic Virginia State Senate candidate Qasim Rashid tweeted on several occasions in November 2019 that Trump had "stolen" $2.8 million in charitable donations from veterans and that he had admitted as much in court: "The President stole $2.8M in charity from Veterans & spent it on himself & admits to his crime in court documents. As you speak of honor & service, where is your accountability of a President who trampled on both? Why are you silent, Rep @RobWittman? #VeteransDay" One of Rashid's tweets was later reposted in the form of a meme by the Facebook page Act.tv. Another widely shared meme claimed, "It is a fact that draft dodger Trump stole charitable cash donations that were meant for our veterans." These social media posts and memes grossly misrepresented the facts surrounding a November 2019 settlement agreement between the New York Attorney General and the Donald J. Trump Foundation, Trump himself, and his children Ivanka and Eric. Trump did not "steal" charitable donations intended for veterans, nor did he admit as much in court. All the donations intended for veterans' charities ended up going to veterans' charities. However, Trump's 2016 presidential campaign did direct and benefit from the manner in which many of those donations were distributed to the charities. The claims were related to a lawsuit brought by the New York Attorney General's office in June 2018 against the Trump Foundation, the president, and Ivanka and Eric Trump in their capacity as board directors of the charity. In her June 2018 petition to the state's Supreme Court, then-New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood wrote: "For more than a decade, the Donald J. Trump Foundation has operated in persistent violation of state and federal law governing New York State charities. This pattern of illegal conduct by the Foundation and its board members includes improper and extensive political activity, repeated and willful self-dealing transactions, and failure to follow basic fiduciary obligations or to implement even elementary corporate formalities required by law." One of the examples of "improper political activity" cited in the lawsuit related to a January 2016 fundraiser that the Trump Foundation and Trump's presidential election campaign jointly operated. In January 2016, days before the Iowa caucuses, Trump complained of unfair treatment by Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and announced he would be boycotting the next Republican primary debate and instead host a fundraiser for veterans' charities in Iowa. The event raised around $5.6 million, with roughly half going to the Trump Foundation and half going directly to specific veterans' charities. The Trump campaign directed the distribution of funds to recipient charities, and Trump himself repeatedly presented checks at campaign rallies and more broadly used the distribution of funds to boost his presidential campaign. On the basis of those allegations, Underwood requested several outcomes, including asking the court to "dissolve the Foundation for its persistently illegal conduct, enjoin its board members from future service as a director of any not-for-profit authorized by New York law, obtain restitution and penalties, and direct the Foundation to cooperate with the Attorney General in the lawful distribution of its remaining assets to qualified charitable entities." The parties to the lawsuit spent around a year negotiating a settlement. In December 2018, for example, all sides agreed that the Foundation would be dissolved and its assets distributed to a list of mutually agreed charities. In November 2019, the New York Supreme Court published the final settlement. As part of that settlement, Trump, his children, and the Foundation stipulated to a set of facts, among them the following section related to the Iowa veterans fundraiser: The website for the Iowa Fundraiser, DonaldTrumpForVets.com, was developed by campaign personnel and, with the agreement of the Foundation, featured the name of the Foundation at the top of the home page and informed visitors that "the Donald J. Trump Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization"; The campaign planned, organized, and paid for the Iowa Fundraiser, with administrative assistance from the Foundation; and the campaign directed the timing, amounts, and recipients of the Foundation's grants to charitable organizations supporting military veterans. The Iowa Fundraiser raised approximately $5.6 million in donations for veterans' groups, of which $2.823 million was contributed to the Foundation; the balance was contributed by donors directly to various veterans' groups. At campaign events in Iowa on January 30, January 31, and February 1, 2016, Mr. Trump personally displayed presentation copies of Foundation checks to Iowa veterans' groups. On May 31, 2016, at a campaign press conference, Mr. Trump announced the grants the Foundation made to veterans' groups with the proceeds of the Iowa Fundraiser and, on or about the same day, the campaign posted on its website a chart identifying the grant recipients. The New York Attorney General's office objected to the way in which the Trump Foundation had been used to advance the interests of the Trump campaign, and especially the way in which the campaign dictated how more than half of the funds were to be distributed, with Trump at times personally handing out checks at campaign rallies. The Attorney General's Office did not object on the grounds that Trump, his children, or his foundation had stolen or kept the money. Indeed, in an order accompanying the November 2019 settlement, New York Supreme Court Justice Saliann Scarpulla wrote that: "The Attorney General has argued that I should award damages for waste of the entire $2,823,000 that was donated directly to the Foundation at the Fundraiser. In opposition, Mr. Trump notes that the Foundation ultimately disbursed all of the funds to charitable organizations and that he has sought to resolve consensually this proceeding. As stated above, I find that the $2,823,000 raised at the Fundraiser was used for Mr. Trump's political campaign and disbursed by Mr. Trump's campaign staff, rather than by the Foundation, in violation of [New York law]. However, taking into consideration that the funds did ultimately reach their intended destinations, i.e., charitable organizations supporting veterans, I award damages on the breach of fiduciary duty/waste claim against Mr. Trump in the amount of $2,000,000, without interest, rather than the entire $2,823,000 sought by the Attorney General." Trump was ordered to pay $2 million to a list of agreed-upon charities as damages for the waste incurred by the fact that his political campaign orchestrated and benefited from distributing around $2.8 million in donations to veterans' groups. (That $2 million in damages was separate from the roughly $1.7 million the Trump Foundation had already agreed to distribute to various charities as part of the resolution dissolving the Foundation.) Neither Trump, nor his children, nor his charity were found to have "stolen" or kept the funds, and so none "admitted" to such actions. The New York Supreme Court explicitly acknowledged that all the funds raised from the January 2016 Iowa event did ultimately end up with veterans' groups. The irony in those claims was that it was, in fact, the manner in which the Trump Foundation and Trump campaign colluded in distributing the donations to veterans' charities that landed the president in hot water, not his having "stolen" the donations. | 2 | [
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] | 2 |
FMD3328 | 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 $30 million donated by Planned Parenthood to Democrats in an effort to sway the outcome of the Midterm Elections? Claim summaries: Social media memes misleadingly conflated Planned Parenthood itself with a coalition of organizations and PACs.
contextual information: On 18 April 2018, the Facebook page The Newly Press shared a text-based meme asserting that taxpayer-subsidized Planned Parenthood was spending upwards of $30 million to influence the outcome of the upcoming midterm elections. A later similar meme claimed specifically that all $30 million was going to Democratic candidates. However, a 16 April 2018 Roll Call piece made clear a distinction absent from Internet memes, namely that the $30 million figure represented funds to be provided by a coalition of organizations, of which Planned Parenthood Votes was but one member. A coalition of liberal organizations that includes the political arm of Planned Parenthood rolled out a $30 million program to mobilize infrequent voters to cast ballots for progressive candidates in the midterm elections. Targeting people of color, young people, and women is a time-worn strategy, but it has not worked in previous midterm cycles mostly because efforts often engage too close to election day and do not build real relationships, the coalition said in its release. The other organizations funneling money and resources to the initiative, which the coalition is calling Win Justice, are the Center for Community Change Action, Color Of Change PAC, and the Service Employees International Union. The organizations are targeting 1.25 million voters in Florida, a million in Michigan, and 250,000 in Nevada through door-knocking and text messaging with volunteers. Roll Call also noted that the multiple-group initiative included Planned Parenthood Votes, which is "the political arm of Planned Parenthood" (i.e., a super PAC branch), an entity separate from the main Planned Parenthood Federation of America organization. Memes such as the one referenced above suggest it should be "highly illegal" for Planned Parenthood to receive taxpayer subsidies yet expend funds on political activities. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations such as Planned Parenthood are indeed "prohibited" from funding such endeavors. Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes. However, Planned Parenthood is affiliated with two offshoot political entities that are separate from the main organization and thus can be involved with funding midterm elections. Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF) is a 501(c)(4), which the IRS stipulates "may further its exempt purposes through lobbying as its primary activity without jeopardizing its exempt status." The second organization, Planned Parenthood Votes, is a Super PAC. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) defines Super PACs such as Planned Parenthood Votes as "committees that may receive unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, labor unions, and other political action committees for the purpose of financing independent expenditures and other independent political activity." In short, Planned Parenthood itself is not "dishing out $30 million on midterm elections" in violation of the law. Rather, a separate political arm of Planned Parenthood (which is donor-funded and may legally engage in such activities) is one part of a coalition of several groups that is expending an aggregate of $30 million on mobilizing infrequent voters for the 2018 midterm elections. | 2 | [
"0",
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] | 2 |
FMD3329 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Four months after a heavy electoral defeat, France s National Front is on the verge of a split between its leader and her chief deputy that could open the way to a policy change on the euro as the far-right party seeks to rebrand itself. Marine Le Pen s relationship with Florian Philippot, for years her closest aide, has become so strained since she lost the presidential election to centrist Emmanuel Macron that far-right experts say it has reached the point of no-return. A rupture would mark an important change for the FN and Le Pen because she has for years defended Philippot s anti-euro, protectionist line against critics in the party, and built her 2012 and 2017 presidential campaigns on his advice. Philippot has been under fire in the party over its setbacks in this year s presidential and parliamentary elections, with many blaming the anti-euro line he has backed so strongly. Le Pen, whose leadership is also under scrutiny, has increasingly distanced herself from Philippot, focusing on the party s anti-immigration, identitarian roots in speeches rather than the party s stance on the euro. Philippot has stood firm, maintaining that opposing the euro is a vote winner. Le Pen has now issued him an ultimatum, saying he must decide between his party role and a think-tank group known as the Patriots that he has set up focused on an anti-euro policy. I don t intend to abandon the Patriots nor my convictions nor my ideals, a visibly shaken Philippot said in an interview on CNews. If they want to get rid of me and prevent me from working on the relaunch of the National Front, then let it be done, he added. Minutes later Le Pen issued a terse statement saying she had decide to revoke his responsibilities for strategy and communications, but stopped short of firing him as vice president | 1 | [
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"1",
"2"
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FMD3330 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: This news is heartbreaking because it s the unnecessary delay in treatment that ultimately determined the fate of this little baby: The window of opportunity has been lost Chris Gard and Connie Yates announced their decision as a high court judge was preparing to oversee the latest round of a five-month legal battle.The parents have said they want to withdraw their application for him to receive experimental treatment in the US because it was too late for it to work.In a move that would appear to bring an end to a protracted, emotional legal case in which Great Ormond Street hospital (Gosh) argued his life support should be switched off to prevent him suffering further, their lawyer said on Monday that delays meant it was no longer in Charlie s interests to keep him on a ventilator.Mr Justice Francis had been scheduled to analyse what the couple said was fresh evidence at a hearing in the family division of the high court in London.Grant Armstrong, representing Charlie s parents, told the high court in London: For Charlie, it s too late, time has run out, irreversible muscular damage has been done and the treatment can no longer be a success. He said the parents had made the most painful of decisions, that only parents can make. Armstrong said: Charlie has waited patiently for treatment. Due to delay, that window of opportunity has been lost. Baby Charlie Gard was born has a rare genetic condition from his parents and is blind, deaf and can only breathe through a ventilator.OUR PREVIOUS REPORT ON BABY CHARLIE GARD:The horrible result of socialized medicine may be seen in the plight of Charlie Gard. The brain-damaged British baby whose parents recently lost a legal battle to keep him on life support has now tugged at heart strings as far away as the Oval Office.President Trump tweeted out his willingness to lend a hand and in doing so exposed the debate over who should make life-and-death decisions for Charlie to a massive audience. If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so, Trump wrote.The tweet, which noted a similar call for compassion from Pope Francis on Sunday night, comes just ahead of Trump s second international trip later this week, during which he ll meet with world leaders at the G-20 summit it Germany a conference at which Trump could cross paths with British Prime Minister Theresa May.Trump s tweet also implicitly highlights perceived pitfalls in the British health care system a publicly funded system at a time the U.S. is undergoing yet another debate about medical coverage.Gard s parents have fought the courts to keep their son on life support. Chris Gard and Connie Yates want to bring Charlie to the U.S. for experimental therapy. But doctors at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, who have been caring for Charlie, were granted permission by a court to turn off his life support. Though it was expected Charlie could be removed from the essential devices as soon as Friday, the hospital said in a statement it was putting together unspecified plans to give the 11 month old and his parents more time together as a family. Read more: The Guardian | 0 | [
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FMD3331 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: This is not some small obscure community college. Disallowing our law enforcement to attend a school sponsored event in favor of protecting lawbreakers is a BIG deal! This school with over 30,000 students has managed to marginalize these brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect and defend our borders!U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reversed its decision to participate in a career fair at the University of California-Irvine in response to a petition signed by hundreds of students.According to the New University student newspaper, CBP s withdrawal represents an unexpected victory for student activists, whose claims that the Border Patrol s involvement in the Fall Career Fair this Thursday would be insensitive to undocumented students had previously failed to convince the university to rescind the agency s invitation. Organizations like the US Customs and Border Patrol are the organizations that are tasked with various roles including targeting Undocumented Communities, which is against the nature of our campus s values for welcoming communities regarding their background, Associated Students of UC Irvine (ASUCI) President Parshan Khosravi wrote in an email to the Career Center Sunday night. This message right now is saying that undocumented students are not welcome, he asserted, adding, That s the type of message that I do not want to see as someone who is a student on this campus, as someone who is a student leader on this campus, and [as] someone who believes in [sic] the values of our campus are inclusivity and a safe space. The next day, Monday morning, student Amy Yu and another individual visited the Career Center in person to voice their concerns directly to administrators. Despite their warnings that undocumented students might experience trauma and discomfort from such close proximity to law enforcement, though, the Center refused to disinvite CBP, explaining that the purpose of the fair is to provide job opportunities for all students. We care about and value all students. We have a diverse student body made up of individuals with many wonderful talents and personal values, Career Center Director Suzanne Helbig told New University. To serve all students, we bring employers to campus and let students use their own judgement to decide which ones fit their skills, interests, and values. Undeterred by the Career Center s response, Yu proceeded to create a Change.org petition in the hope of effecting CBP s removal by appealing to a higher authority. We, as students from UC Irvine, are demanding that the CBP be removed as participants [sic] for the upcoming Fall Career Fair, the petition states. The undocumented community is directly affected by deportation and detention policies that are carried out by Border Patrol, and having Border Patrol agents on campus is a blatant disregard to undocumented students safety and well-being. Prior to being closed amidst declarations of victory Wednesday, the petition had garnered 659 signatures in roughly two days, which was apparently enough for CBP to decide that participating in the jobs fair was not worth enduring a potentially hostile reception from UC-Irvine students. As of this morning, U.S. Customs & Border Patrol has decided not to attend the campus Career Fair on Thursday, Oct. 22, UC-Irvine senior director of communications Cathy Lawhon told The College Fix Wednesday. However, the agency will continue to utilize UCI s Career Center on-line job postings system to list available positions for those students interested in working with CBP. While undocumented students may rejoice, though, others are less thrilled about losing the chance to engage with the largest law enforcement agency in the world. I feel that these efforts are an attempt to politicize a jobs fair that is supposed to help college students find much needed work once they graduate, UC Irvine s College Republicans President Rob Petrosyan told The College Fix. If you don t approve of U.S. Customs, don t apply to work for them, it s that simple. Via: Campus Reform | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD3332 | 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 Donald Trump approve of flag burning? Claim summaries: In response to a controversial 2016 remark made by Donald Trump opposing flag burning, someone faked a 2011 tweet from him expressing the opposite view.
contextual information: On 29 November 2016, President-elect Donald Trump issued a controversial tweet about imposing strict consequences for flag burning: "Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag - if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or a year in jail!" Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016. Shortly thereafter, people began to circulate a tweet purportedly sent by Trump five years earlier that expressed the opposite view and condoned that form of protest. Determining that the 2011 tweet had been faked was simple enough using Twitter's advanced search tool, which pulled up the entirety of Trump's February 2011 remarks on Twitter and turned up no such post. Also, Donald Trump's tweets garnered far less engagement back in 2011 than they would several years later, after he began his run for the presidency. Rather than the tens of thousands of likes and retweets displayed in the purported February 2011 Trump pro-flag burning tweet, his Twitter posts from that period typically prompted fewer than a hundred of each: "Check out today's video blog https://bit.ly/g75Jiu I want to answer more of your questions, tweet me....." Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2011. "Also coming up: The Celebrity Apprentice returns. Sunday night March 6 at 9 pm EST https://www.nbc.com/the-apprentice/" Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2011. Although it is possible to delete tweets, most of Trump's deleted tweets have been archived by third-party services. | 0 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 0 |
FMD3333 | 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: About 230,000 people that were on unemployment when I took office are not on unemployment now.
contextual information: A radio host recently asked Gov. Rick Scott for an update on his trademark 7-7-7 plan -- creating 700,000 jobs in seven years in seven steps. (We're trackingthat promise on the Scott-O-Meter. )Scott said Floridas economy is getting better in a lot of ways.Were doing well. Were at a three-year low on our unemployment in this state... We generated around 100,000 net jobs so far, if you look at the federal numbers, he said in the April 18, 2012,interviewwith Orlando-based station WDBO. But if you look at the state numbers, about 230,000 people that were on unemployment when I took office are not on unemployment now.When you look around the state, tourism is up, the home markets up, home sales are up, home prices are up. So good things are happening, but we still have 900,000 people out of work, he said.What stuck out to us is his claim that 230,000 fewer people receive unemployment benefits than when he took office 15 months ago. That sounds like a drastic decrease, which Scott is taking credit for and in turn using as evidence that the states economy is improving.A spokeswoman with the states Department of Economic Opportunity, the agency that manages the unemployment compensation program, responded to our request about Scotts claim. Spokeswoman Nancy Blum said the number of people receiving unemployment compensation dropped from 561,736 on Jan. 31, 2011, to 345,052 on March 31, 2012. Thats a total decline of 216,684.Thats pretty close to about 230,000, which is the number Scott offered.Whether Scott is right to take credit for the decline -- and whether that is translating to a better Florida economy -- is more complicated.In 2011 and 2012, Scott and Florida lawmakers made a series of changes to the states unemployment compensation program that generally make it harder for people to receive benefits.Among them: Meanwhile, businesses got tax breaks. A 2012 bill reduces unemployment compensation taxes for businesses by at least $50 per employee, with savings of $276 million the first year.The Miami Workers Center asked the U.S. Department of Labors civil rights division to investigate Floridas unemployment compensation system over allegations that these changes act as barriers to people who deserve checks but cant get them for lack of computer access or reading skills. A Labor department spokesman told us the investigation is ongoing.The governors number in and of itself does not demonstrate any kind of economic recovery in Florida, said Valory Greenfield, staff attorney for Florida Legal Services, which represents the workers center. What it tells me based on our experience working with claimants is that fewer people who are potentially eligible are getting into the program.In fact, since August 2011 the department has denied 131,115 applicants for failing to comply with the new law, mostly for failing to fulfill the work search or the initial skills assessment.Those denials resulted in a $30.3 million savings. Economists said Scott's number, while accurate, isn't necessarily a great economic measure on its own. They also said it's too soon to tell if Florida's more stringent eligibility requirements play a big role in the declining number of recipients. Part of the drop-off could be attributed to people whose benefits have expired. Since December 2011, 30,600 people have exhausted all state and federal unemployment benefits, according to the department.So far I havent been able to see any hard data or evidence to quantify (either) effect, said Mekael Teshome, PNC Financial Services Group economist.Whats more relevant, Teshome said, is that jobless claims have been coming down since their peak in mid 2009, well before Scott took office. That somewhat undermines the idea that the drop is thanks to Scott. In fact, if you started counting in 2010 instead of 2011 when Scott took office, even fewer people -- 300,770 -- are receiving unemployment benefits. Some experts also pointed to the contracting size of the labor force, which helps to lower the unemployment rate but also indicates some people are no longer looking for work. About 15,000 people left the labor force from February, according to the statesMarch 2012 labor report. The 15,000-person drop in the labor force was part of the reason why the unemployment rate fall from 9.4 percent in February to 9 percent in March.Some of those are people whose benefits ran out and are now not looking for work, said Chris McCarty, director of the University of Floridas Bureau of Economic and Business Research. Some of those are retirees who have left the labor force permanently.Our rulingScotts claim that 230,000 fewer people are receiving unemployment benefits than when he entered office is pretty close to the actual drop (216,684). A couple of caveats here. The figure is not completely an indicator that the economy is improving, as Scott suggests, and is somewhat the result of a strict new state law. Also, the trend of jobless claims started falling in mid 2009, more than a year before Scott took office. That undercuts, to a point, the suggestion Scott should get the credit. Scotts statement is accurate but can use some additional information. Thats our definition of Mostly True. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD3334 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Politics FBI Director James Comey (AFP file photo)
Hillary Clinton’s top advisers blame FBI Director James Comey for the Democrat’s bruising loss to President-elect Donald Trump.
Navin Nayak, the head of the Clinton campaign’s opinion research division, sent an email to senior staffers Thursday, outlining “early signals” as to why the candidate lost the November 8 presidential election, POLITICO reported on Friday.
“We believe that we lost this election in the last week,” said Nayak’s email, which was published by POLITICO. “ Comey’s letter in the last 11 days of the election both helped depress our turnout and also drove away some of our critical support among college-educated white voters — particularly in the suburbs.”
“We also think Comey’s 2nd letter, which was intended to absolve Sec. Clinton, actually helped to bolster Trump’s turnout,” he continued.
The letter also highlighted several other challenges the Clinton team faced throughout the campaign, including a desire for change after two terms by a Democratic president and the reluctance of some Americans to vote for a female candidate. Hillary Clinton makes a concession speech after being defeated by Donald Trump in New York on November 9, 2016. (Photo by AFP)
Despite those challenges, Nayak said, Clinton was on course to win until the last week, when “everything changed" and the momentum began to shift in favor of Trump.
“Voters who decided in the last week broke for Trump by a larger margin (42-47). These numbers were even more exaggerated in the key battleground states,” he said.
The FBI director angered Democrats late in October by announcing in a letter to Congress that the agency had uncovered new emails connected to the Clinton email investigation.
Just over a week later, Comey notified Congress that Clinton would not face charges over the newly discovered messages.
Nayak said Comey’s letters encouraged Trump supporters and depressed the turnout for Clinton on Election Day.
“There is no question that a week from Election Day, Sec. Clinton was poised for a historic win. In the end, less than 110K votes out of tens of millions cast on Election Day made the difference in this race,” he wrote.
“In the end,” Nayak concluded, “late breaking developments in the race proved one hurdle too many for us to overcome.”
Clinton had been leading Trump throughout the campaign in most of the polls except for the last week of the election when she lost ground to Trump. | 0 | [
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"1",
"2"
] | 0 |
FMD3335 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: US-led airstrike kills at least 30 Afghan civilians 11/03/2016
PRESS TV
At least 30 Afghan civilians, including women and children, have lost their lives in Afghanistan in an airstrike carried out by the so-called US-led military alliance in the country’s volatile north.
Local Afghan officials said more than two dozen civilians were also injured in the aerial assault which took place in the northern province of Kunduz on Thursday.
“Afghan forces and coalition troops conducted a joint operation against the Taliban insurgents. In the bombardment, 30 Afghan civilians were martyred and 25 others were wounded,” media outlets quoted provincial spokesman, Mahmood Danish, as saying.
Airstrike sparks anti-US protest rally
Following the deadly airstrike, dozens of the relatives of those killed in the US-led raid staged a demonstration outside the governor’s office in Kunduz to condemn the attack as they were carrying the bodies of the victims.
“I am heartbroken. I have lost seven members of my family. I want to know, why these innocent children were killed? Were they Taliban?” said Taza Gul, a 55-year-old laborer, adding, “No, they were innocent children.”
Afghan government forces are engaged in fierce fighting against the militants in and around Kunduz. Relatives and members of civilians sit next the dead body of a man who was killed during clashes between Afghan security forces and the Taliban in Kunduz, Afghanistan November 3, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)
Taliban militants briefly overran the city of Kunduz, the provincial capital with the same name, in early October. They had briefly seized control of the city a year earlier but they were pushed out of Kunduz weeks later. They now seek to gain full control over the city.
Taliban militants were removed from power following the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, but they have stepped up their activities in recent months, attempting to overrun several provinces.
Afghan forces have been engaged in fierce clashes with Taliban to contain the ongoing insurgency across various parts of the violence-wrecked country.
The rising violence in Afghanistan comes despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops in the country. | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD3336 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: A U.S. federal judge on Monday issued a stern warning to President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort to refrain from making statements to the media that could harm his right to a fair trial. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson chided Manafort for ghost-writing an opinion piece that was published last week in the Kyiv Post, an English-language newspaper in Ukraine, lauding Manafort’s political work for Ukraine. Jackson said she would consider any similar future behavior to be a violation of her Nov. 8 gag order not to discuss the case with the media or make public statements in ways that could affect the case’s outcome. Jackson stopped short of granting a request from Special Counsel Robert Mueller to deny Manafort’s proposal for more lenient bail terms, saying she would take Manafort’s proposal to lift his house arrest in exchange for posting four real estate properties as collateral under advisement and rule at a later date. Prosecutors had previously asked her to deny Manafort’s request, saying his behind-the-scenes ghost-writing violated her order and raised issues of trust. “Mr. Manafort, that order applies to you, and not just your lawyer,†Jackson said. She added that the op-ed, while not published in a United States newspaper, could potentially taint a local jury pool because of the global nature of media. “All that has to happen is for that favorable article, which is going to ... look on its face to be entirely independent, but is actually in part a message crafted and shaped by you ... is to have somebody you know post it on Facebook, Twitter or a blog, and you have accomplished your goal, given the power of retweeting,†she said. Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates are facing charges including conspiracy to launder money and failing to register as a foreign agent working on behalf of former pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s government. Jackson set the next status conference hearing for Jan. 16. Jackson said she has some outstanding concerns about Manafort’s proposed bail package, including his reliance on the real estate website Zillow to come up with some of the property value estimates. Manafort earlier this month pledged about $8 million in real estate assets in New York City and elsewhere, as well as life insurance worth about $4.5 million as security for bond. In a court filing on Monday, Manafort provided information including real estate tax assessments, appraised market values and comparable sales data for the properties in New York, Virginia and Florida. Many items cited Zillow. Jackson also expressed frustration that the defendants were not always giving pre-trial services ample notice about their whereabouts, saying, “It has to be more than an hour in advance.†She added that Gates has repeatedly filed requests to get out of house arrest on the weekends to go to his children’s’ sporting events, and she urged his lawyers to reach a bail agreement with the government so the court could “get out of the business of monitoring soccer practice.†| 1 | [
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"1",
"2"
] | 1 |
FMD3337 | 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: Data that has been altered in a dishonest or unethical way. Claim summaries:
contextual information: FACT CHECK: Is President Obama compiling a "secret race database" comprised of "sensitive personal data"? Claim: President Obama is compiling a secret race database comprising Americans' sensitive personal data. MOSTLY WHAT'S : Extant data collection methods used by agencies such as HUD track demographic patterns, including race and integration trends. WHAT'S /CONJECTURE: The Obama administration is collecting demographic data for a broader racial purpose, the practice is new, and the openly-compiled data comprises a "secret race database." Example: [Collected via e-mail and Twitter, July 2015] According to an article in the New York Post, President Obama is collecting a nefarious "secret race database." How much of this is true, and how much is misleading hype? So who are the racists again? Obama collecting personal data for a secret race database https://t.co/63VmYIXqNE via @nypost https://t.co/63VmYIXqNE @nypost Yes, Nick $earcy! (@yesnicksearcy) July 19, 2015 July 19, 2015 This is movie level horror material yet it's happening. It's real life. https://t.co/LxxvA7EpyE https://t.co/LxxvA7EpyE Anthony Cumia (@AnthonyCumia) July 19, 2015 July 19, 2015 I favor equal opportunity, not govt forcing equal results. This is Affirmative Action on steroids: https://t.co/N3snUnie67 #WakeUpAmerica https://t.co/N3snUnie67 #WakeUpAmerica Senator Dick Black (@SenRichardBlack) July 19, 2015 July 19, 2015 Obama collecting Americans' personal info for a secret race database https://t.co/1VNJqRsqQf This makes my skin crawl @RandPaul https://t.co/1VNJqRsqQf @RandPaul Alexis In NH (@AlexisinNH) July 18, 2015 July 18, 2015 Origins: On 18 July 2015, the New York Post published an article titled "Obama Collecting Personal Data for a Secret Race Database." The article made vague claims that President Obama (or agents of the government working on his behalf, described as "racial bean counters") had been quietly collecting sensitive, personal data about American citizens for purposes of racial justice: Unbeknown to most Americans, Obama's racial bean counters are furiously mining data on their health, home loans, credit cards, places of work, neighborhoods, even how their kids are disciplined in school all to document "inequalities" between minorities and whites. This Orwellian-style stockpile of statistics includes a vast and permanent network of discrimination databases, which Obama already is using to make "disparate impact" cases against: banks that don't make enough prime loans to minorities; schools that suspend too many blacks; cities that don't offer enough Section 8 and other low-income housing for minorities; and employers who turn down African-Americans for jobs due to criminal backgrounds. The paper offered up one example of the purported secret racial database's reach, pertaining to Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) data collection practices: The granddaddy of them all is the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing database, which the Department of Housing and Urban Development rolled out earlier this month to racially balance the nation, ZIP code by ZIP code. It will map every US neighborhood by four racial groups white, Asian, black or African-American, and Hispanic/Latino and publish geospatial data pinpointing racial imbalances. No explanatory links to this nefarious database were provided, but we managed to hack our way into the program to get the full scoop. Actually, we entered "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing" into Google's search box and immediately found HUD's page explaining the program and its purposes. program So secretive is this database that HUD has made numerous documents available describing its overall progress, including links to the Federal Register [PDF] and its most current Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing policy. (They even tried to bury it by issuing a press release about it.) A portion of that openly published, available for all to view documentation is described by HUD as "[updated data use methods] on affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) [aim] to provide all HUD grantees with clear guidelines and the data that will help them to achieve those goals": PDF current press release HUDs rule clarifies and simplifies existing fair housing obligations for HUD grantees to analyze their fair housing landscape and set locally-determined fair housing priorities and goals through an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH). To aid communities in this work, HUD will provide open data to grantees and the public on patterns of integration and segregation, racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, disproportionate housing needs, and disparities in access to opportunity. This improved approach provides a better mechanism for HUD grantees to build fair housing goals into their existing community development and housing planning processes. In addition to providing data and maps, HUD will also provide technical assistance to aid grantees as they adopt this approach. In short, HUD will be using extant data to identify areas in which fair housing laws may not be functionally applied. Similarly, the Federal Register's lengthy (public, easy to find) summary stated: Through this rule, HUD commits to provide states, local governments, public housing agencies (PHAs), the communities they serve, and the general public, to the fullest extent possible, with local and regional data on integrated and segregated living patterns, racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, the location of certain publicly supported housing, access to opportunity afforded by key community assets, and disproportionate housing needs based on classes protected by the Fair Housing Act. Through the availability of such data and available local data an knowledge, the approach provided by this rule is intended to make program participants better able to evaluate their present environment to assess fair housing issues such as segregation, conditions that restrict fair housing choice, and disparities in access to housing and opportunity, identify the factors that primarily contribute to the creation or perpetuation of fair housing issues, and establish fair housing priorities and goals. The New York Post cited another shadowy instance of "racial bean counting": Meanwhile, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, headed by former Congressional Black Caucus leader Mel Watt, is building its own database for racially balancing home loans. The so-called National Mortgage Database Project will compile 16 years of lending data, broken down by race, and hold everything from individual credit scores and employment records. Again, the National Mortgage Database was hidden in plain sight. In seconds on Google, intrepid searchers could locate the Federal Housing Finance Agency's page devoted to the National Mortgage Database (upon which no mentions of race or racial equality appeared): page In 2012, FHFA began a major initiative to build a national mortgage database on first-lien single-family mortgages in existence any time from January 1998 forward. This project is being jointly funded and managed by FHFA and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The information will primarily be used to support the agencies' policy making and research efforts and help regulators better understand emerging mortgage and housing market trends in this evolving and changing finance market. Like the AFFH, the National Mortgage Database was also buried deep in the annals of the publicly accessible and searchable Federal Register. Federal Register From that point on, the Post's article primarily focused on purportedly nefarious and racially motivated actions by "Obama's brainchild," the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). (In actuality, the CFPB was primarily the "brainchild" of Elizabeth Warren and came into existence as part of Dodd-Frank related financial reforms.) The article claimed the CFPB was compiling separate databases for credit profiles and employment. We were able to locate a Government Accountability Office (GAO) document dated September 2014 [PDF] concerning collection of credit data. However, no portion of that document mentioned race, and we were unable to locate any documents, articles, or other information relating to race-based initiatives and employment efforts undertaken by the CFPB as suggested by the New York Post's article. Elizabeth Warren PDF A final portion of the article claimed that the Department of Education was enforcing segregation by way of race-based data collection (implicitly, at the behest of President Obama). However, a (not secret) page on the U.S. Department of Education's web site indicated that data collection of that description had been ongoing since at least 2000 (eight years before the election of Barack Obama to the presidency). page Last updated: 22July 2015 Originally published: 22July 2015 | 0 | [
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FMD3338 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The United States will stand by Britain as it exits the European Union, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday after a meeting with British foreign minister Boris Johnson in London. While Brexit does present unique challenges to the British people, please know that you have a steadfast ally in the United States, Tillerson said at a news conference. We will stand by our ally as Brexit continues to take shape. We look forward to continuing this long relationship. | 1 | [
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FMD3339 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: DICK DURBIN: Well Andrea, you ve just completed this interview with Susan Rice where she said that didn t happen. What she was doing was her job, trying to make certain that she understood the Russian involvement in our election, making certain that Americans who might have been tangentially part of any recording or any surveillance were protected unless they were a relevant part of the investigation. What I find interesting here is this fascination which the Republicans seem to have on leaks instead of substance. The substance is obvious, the intelligence community tells us the Russian government hacked into our election with an effort to try to change the results. We know that for a fact, and we know it from the open testimony of Jim Comey, the head of the FBI. WATCH VIDEO HERE: DICK DURBIN NEEDS A CIVICS LESSONAt her direction, the Obama White House violated the public trust. On Tuesday, in a National Review Online column, I contended that the reported involvement of former national-security adviser Susan Rice in the unmasking of Trump officials appears to be a major scandal it suggests that the Obama White House, of which she was a high-ranking staffer, abused the power to collect intelligence on foreign targets, by using it to spy on the opposition party and its presidential candidate.It should come as no surprise that the defense Ms. Rice and Obama apologists are mounting is heavily reliant on a fact that is not in dispute: viz., that the intelligence collection at issue was legal. I anticipated that line of argument a week ago. The issue is not technical legality, it is monumental abuse of power. To analogize, if a judge imposed a 20-year jail term on a man for passing a marijuana cigarette to a second man, the sentence would be perfectly legal a distribution of a Schedule I narcotic drug controlled substance calls for a sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment, see 21 U.S.C. 841(b)(1)(C).Nevertheless, the sentence would also be an outrageous abuse of judicial power. A judge who did such a thing would be unfit worthy of condemnation, if not impeachment. Abuses of power are offenses against the public trust. They often overlap with a criminal offense, but they are not the same thing as a criminal offense. For example, a politician who accepts money in exchange for political favors commits both the crime of bribery and an impeachable offense of corruption.The jurors in the bribery case need not find that the politician breached his public trust; they need only find an intentional quid pro quo payoff in exchange for favor. By contrast, the breach of public trust is central to the impeachment case: To remove the pol from office, there would be no need to prove the legal elements of a criminal bribery charge beyond a reasonable doubt, but it would have to be demonstrated that the politician is unfit for office. If it is a petty bribe, a prosecutor might ignore it, but the public should want to throw the bum out. This is why a high crime and misdemeanor the constitutional standard for impeachment need not be an indictable criminal offense. It may be a chargeable crime, but it need not be one. A famous example (though one not much remarked on during the last several years) is the second article of impeachment against President Richard M. Nixon.It alleged (my italics): Using the powers of the office of President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has repeatedly engaged in conduct violating the constitutional rights of citizens, impairing the due and proper administration of justice and the conduct of lawful inquiries, or contravening the laws governing agencies of the executive branch and the purpose[s] of these agencies. The impeachment allegation went on to describe how Nixon had, among other things, directed the FBI, CIA, and IRS to investigate innocent Americans for reasons unrelated to national security or law enforcement.For the most part, these directives were not violations of penal statutes. But they were, individually and collectively, heinous abuses of presidential power warranting impeachment. If the new reporting is to be believed, Rice orchestrated the unmasking of communications involving the Democrats political rivals the Trump campaign.Her current stress on the lawfulness of the intelligence collection is a straw man. No credible commentator is claiming (based on what we currently know) that the intelligence-collection activities of the FBI, CIA, and NSA were illegal. As I explained yesterday in my aforementioned column, the surveillance and collection operations were undertaken pursuant to statute (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) as well as to the president s constitutional authority to collect foreign intelligence (the exercise of which authority is laid out in a longstanding executive order, EO 12,333).The allegation against Rice and the Obama administration is that the unmasking of Trump-campaign and transition officials appears cumulatively, and probably in many specific instances of it to have run afoul of minimization instructions. These instructions are proposed by the Justice Department and ordered by the FISA court. To discuss non-compliance with minimization instructions in the context of crime is a fool s errand. Violating minimization instructions applicable to electronic surveillance is not a crime. Nothing unusual about that. Not every offense against laws, court orders, regulations, guidelines, etc., is a crime.Most law violations, in fact, are not crimes. Moreover, the standard articulated in the minimization instructions is too vague to predicate criminal liability. It requires the masking (or concealment) of the identity of any American incidentally intercepted unless the intelligence value of an intercepted communication cannot be understood without knowing the American s identity.Within reasonable parameters, that is a subjective judgment call. The criminal law is not for judgment calls. Its provisions must be precise, putting people on clear notice of exactly what is proscribed. Reasonable minds can differ on how much identifying information about an incidentally intercepted American is necessary before the intelligence value of a lawfully intercepted communication can be fully understood. That s not the stuff of crime. But the technical legality of any particular instance of unmasking is beside the point. The question is abuse of power.Here, it is critical to bear in mind something that can easily be forgotten. The sole purpose of foreign intelligence collection is to understand the actions and intentions of foreign powers and their operatives. If the government s purpose is to understand the actions and intentions of American citizens, there are two proper ways to go about that: (a) conduct a criminal investigation in which the American citizens can be targeted for court-authorized surveillance based on probable cause of a crime, or (b) conduct a FISA investigation in which the American citizens can be targeted for court-authorized surveillance based on probable cause that they are acting as agents of a foreign power. If neither of those two alternatives is chosen, then the American citizens are not supposed to be the subject of the intelligence collection effort they are supposed to be protected. The snooping to which they are subjected is an incidental byproduct (i.e., an unintentional albeit inevitable consequence) of snooping on foreign powers. The incidental snooping deprives them of privacy protections rooted in law the requirement that the government obtain a judicial warrant before seizing and eavesdropping on their communications.The law allows this to happen, but only if post hoc safeguards are applied. That is why, as Director James Comey testified before Congress, the FBI is obsessive about concealing the identities of Americans. That is why unmasking is a big deal. When an American is intercepted, the collecting agencies (FBI, CIA, and NSA) don t shrug their shoulders and say, Well, we could provide a marginally better understanding of the meaning of this communication if we revealed the name of the American. Their practice is more along the lines of: We don t reveal the names unless it is absolutely necessary to understanding the communication, and even then, we prefer to use some substitute (e.g. American Diplomat No. 1 ) rather than the actual name. The agencies take this position not because they are good, honorable people (though most of them are).They take it because it is in the interest of successfully carrying out their national-security mission. They know that if they fail to protect the identities and privacy of Americans, and the inevitable scandal arises, an irate public will demand that Congress curtail their spying powers. On the other hand, anyone can make a mistake. A failure to unmask an American s identity when knowing it would be essential to an understanding of some crucial bit of foreign intelligence could have disastrous consequences. That is why consumers of intelligence sometimes very rarely, but sometimes ask the collectors to unmask. Even though the collecting officials know more about their investigations than do consumers (e.g., White House staffers on the National Security Council) of their intelligence reports, it is always possible that the consumers could notice something the collectors missed. Or they could think of an intelligence angle that didn t occur to the collectors.So with all this gray area, how do we know whether unmasking is a massive abuse of power or a perfectly appropriate exercise of discretion? We apply common sense. Was the questionable unmasking a single, isolated instance, or was it part of a pattern? Did the communications in question have real foreign intelligence value, or were they just blather in which Americans participated or were mentioned such that it might appear that unmasking the Americans was the objective of the collection effort, not something that was incidental ?Was there a series of unmaskings of a particular American or group of Americans? After all, it would not seem very incidental to collect and unmask the very same people again and again that would look more like targeting. Were standards applied consistently: Was the same unmasking protocol applied to all Americans with equal rigor, or does it appear that some Americans like maybe . . . Americans connected to Trump were given less protection than others? While the unmasking was going on, was an unprecedented presidential decision made to disseminate intelligence information very widely across the community of 17 intelligence agencies, including to officials with no obvious need to know? And while that was going on, were administration officials (including some former ones, like Evelyn Farkas, who left the administration to join the Clinton campaign), pressuring Congress to seek as much disclosure from intelligence community as possible regarding Trump?Whether we are dealing with a major abuse-of-power scandal or not depends on the answers to those questions. Contrary to Susan Rice s latest version of events, it has little or nothing to do with whether laws were broken. Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior policy fellow at the National Review Institute and a contributing editor of National Review.Read more at: National Review | 0 | [
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FMD3340 | 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: Financial conflict-of-interest laws don't apply to the president, right? So, the president doesn't have to have a blind trust.
contextual information: How President-elect Donald Trump will handle his extensive businesses and financial holdings and the potential conflict of interest that comes with them when he gets into the Oval Office remains an open question. Trump has said his children will manage his business dealings. Many presidents in the past have put their assets in ablind trust, which is when an independent trustee manages another persons assets without the persons input. But Trump doesnt actually have to do any of this because the financial conflict-of-interest laws dont apply to him as president, said former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who is reportedly on the short list for a seat on Trumps cabinet. Well, first of all, you realize that those laws don't apply to the president, right? Giuliani toldCNNs Jake Tapper Nov. 13. So, the president doesn't have to have a blind trust. For some reason, when the law was written, the president was exempt. Giuliani has the law pretty much right. Trump, as president, has no legal obligation to detach himself from his businesses and financial interests. The law at issue isTitle 18 Section 208of the U.S. code. Itsaysfederal executive branch employees cant participate in government matters in which they or their immediate family has a financial interest. Because of this law, some federal employees put their investments in a blind trust. This allows them to sidestep the regulation and participate in a matter that might otherwise pose a conflict of interest. But the president and the vice president, despite being executive branch employees, are exempt. According tothe laws definitions, Title 18 Section 208 does not apply to them, nor does it apply to members of Congress or federal judges. It appears that presidents have mostly escaped the normal web of ethics and conflict-of-interest laws, said Scott Amey, general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan government accountability watchdog. Amey added that presidents are allowed to accept gifts in many cases, too. Its been this way since at least 1974, when theJustice Department issued a lettersaying Title 18 Section 208 did not apply to the president. Congress expressly codified the exemptions in 1989. In the 1974 letter, the Justice Department said the legislative history of this conflict-of-interest provision indicated that it was never intended to apply to the president. Additionally, the Justice Department said placing conflict-of-interest laws on the president could constrain him in a potentially unconstitutional manner, though it did not give specific examples. As the head of the executive branch, the president may not be able to and arguably under the Constitution it might not be possible to require the president to recuse from government decisions, said Richard Briffault, a professor of legislation at Columbia Law School. While Title 18 Section 208 is the primary conflict-of-interest provision, there are other relevant rules, including a couple that dont exempt the president. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will have to disclose their finances, which is required of all high-level federal employees, Briffault said. But the disclosures are not as detailed as federal tax returns, which Trump has not released. Then theres the Constitutions Emoluments Clause, which bans U.S. government employees from accepting presents or compensation from foreign governments, noted Kathleen Clark, an expert on legal ethics and a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis. The Trump Organization has numerous foreign ties, includingseveral overseasreal estate deals with possible foreign government connections.In 2012, for example, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a ribbon cutting ceremony for Trump Towers Mall in Istanbul. If any of Trumps business arrangements involve the receipt of payments from foreign governments, I believe that he, or his entities from which he receives money, would have to forgo those payments, or he would have to detach from those entities, Clark said. But it's not fully clear that presidents are bound by the Emoluments Clause, and no court has weighed into answer this question. The way the clause is constructred that it doesn't specify the president, unlike other provisions in the Constitution, for example and the fact that President George Washington himself took gifts from the French government without asking Congress for permission, together make a good case that it doesn't apply to presidents, saidSeth Barrett Tillman, a professor at Maynooth University in Ireland who has studied the clause. Our ruling Giuliani said financial conflict-of-interest laws don't apply to the president, right? So, the president doesn't have to have a blind trust. The president is, in fact, exempt from the primary conflict-of-interest provision in the U.S. code. So presidents do not have any legal obligation to put their financial holdings in a blind trust or to detach themselves from their financial interests in any way. As president, Trump will have to comply with financial disclosure requirements, however, and it's possible he is constrained by a clause in the Constitution regarding income from foreign governments. We rate Giulianis claim True. Update Jan. 12, 2017: We have updated this story to add more information about the Emoluments Clause. Our rating remains unchanged. | 1 | [
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FMD3341 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Saturday, 12 November 2016 Pundits are surprised Packer and Carey Split - after all they had such a good body image match
Packers luck is going from bad to worse, just after his dodgy Whale Hunting got all his Chinese staff arrested now Carey has dumped him and is demanding $50M for a Back-out relocation fee.
Huge controversy surrounds who is the dumper and who is the dumpee and Emperor OctoTrumpus has vowed to put the full weight of his administration into big issues like this.
"I have the greatest respect for women of any man in the world", he was quoted as saying and "would put several of his personal security agencies like the NSA, CIA and FBI onto the case with the highest urgency".
Womens movements are stunned claiming his presidential election campaign was the most denigrating display against women recorded in the annals of US public governance, though they did award Bill Clinton a special mention.
Apparently the pre-nup agreement ran into 346 pages with some weird clauses like not showing her breasts unless he authorised the outing.
Her claim of $50M as a relocation fee will be hotly contested through the courts his lawyer said Make Jung in the Jungle's day - give this story five thumbs-up (there's no need to register , the thumbs are just down there!) | 0 | [
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FMD3342 | 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 stated by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene that California wildfires were caused by 'Jewish Space Lasers'? Claim summaries: The Republican representative from Georgia has endorsed QAnon conspiracy theories, among others.
contextual information: Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia has courted controversy on various issues by promoting QAnon conspiracy theories, alongside a history of anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic remarks. Years-old views, including a Facebook interaction in which she agreed with a comment that the Parkland shooting was a "false flag" staged event, and a video in which she pushed 9/11 conspiracy theories, have been unearthed. Marjorie Taylor Greene courted controversy interaction 9/11 conspiracy theories One post from 2018 in particular was reported on by Media Matters for America, a watchdog group, where she speculated about a conspiracy surrounding the November 2018 wildfires in California. In the now-deleted post, Greene theorized that a space-based solar generator, used in a clean-energy experiment with the goal of replacing coal and oil, could have beamed the sun's energy back to Earth and started the fires. We have covered similar claims surrounding the wildfires before. reported now-deleted theorized similar claims She said, "there are too many coincidences to ignore" and "oddly there are all these people who have said they saw what looked like lasers or blue beams of light causing the fires." Greene also speculated that a range of people or groups were involved in this fire, including former California Gov. Jerry Brown, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and Rothschild Inc., an investment firm. She said that Roger Kimmel, who was on the board of PG&E, was also "Vice Chairman of Rothschild Inc," and "If they are beaming the suns energy back to Earth, I'm sure they wouldn't ever miss a transmitter receiving station right??!! I mean mistakes are never made when anything new is invented. What would that look like anyway? A laser beam or light beam coming down to Earth I guess. Could that cause a fire? Hmmm, I don't know. I hope not! That wouldn't look so good for PG&E, Rothschild Inc, Solaren or Jerry Brown who sure does seem fond of PG&E." The Rothschilds, a Jewish banking family, have long been the targets of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories claiming that Jewish people are in control of the entire world. While Greene specifically did not use the words "Jewish space laser," she heavily implied that the Rothschilds were involved in the laser conspiracy. targets An investigation showed that the California wildfires of 2018 were ignited by PG&E power lines, and then spread with the help of warm temperatures, dry vegetation, and strong winds. showed In late January 2021, CNN reported that dozens of posts from 2018 and 2019 had been removed from Greene's Facebook page. removed Given that Greene did not directly state that "Jewish lasers" caused the fires, but did speculate that laser beams somehow connected to the Rothschild investment firm were a cause, we rate this claim as "Mixture." | 2 | [
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FMD3343 | 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 Fannie Mae Economic Advisors Claim summaries: Did three former Fannie Mae executives serve the Obama campaign as economic advisors?
contextual information: Here is a quick look at three former Fannie Mae executives who have brought down Wall Street. Franklin Raines was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Fannie Mae. Raines was forced to retire from his position when an audit discovered severe irregularities in Fannie Mae's accounting activities. At the time of his departure, The Wall Street Journal noted, "Raines, who long defended the company's accounting despite mounting evidence that it wasn't proper, issued a statement late Tuesday conceding that 'mistakes were made' and saying he would assume responsibility as he had earlier promised. News reports indicate the company was under growing pressure from regulators to shake up its management in the wake of findings that the company's books ran afoul of generally accepted accounting principles for four years." Fannie Mae had to reduce its surplus by $9 billion. Raines left with a golden parachute valued at $240 million in benefits. The government filed suit against Raines when the depth of the accounting scandal became clear. The government noted, "The 101 charges reveal how the individuals improperly manipulated earnings to maximize their bonuses while knowingly neglecting accounting systems and internal controls, misapplying over twenty accounting principles and misleading the regulator and the public. The notice explains how they submitted six years of misleading and inaccurate accounting statements and inaccurate capital reports that enabled them to grow Fannie Mae in an unsafe and unsound manner." These charges were made in 2006. The court ordered Raines to return $50 million he received in bonuses based on the misstated Fannie Mae profits. Tim Howard was the Chief Financial Officer of Fannie Mae. Howard was a strong internal proponent of using accounting strategies that would ensure a "stable pattern of earnings" at Fannie. In everyday English, he was cooking the books. The government investigation determined that "Chief Financial Officer Tim Howard failed to provide adequate oversight to key control and reporting functions within Fannie Mae." On June 16, 2006, Rep. Richard Baker, R-La., asked the Justice Department to investigate his allegations that two former Fannie Mae executives lied to Congress in October 2004 when they denied manipulating the mortgage-finance giant's income statement to achieve management pay bonuses. Investigations by federal regulators and the company's board of directors concluded that management did manipulate 1998 earnings to trigger bonuses. Raines and Howard resigned under pressure in late 2004. Howard's golden parachute was estimated at $20 million. Jim Johnson, a former executive at Lehman Brothers, was later forced from his position as Fannie Mae CEO. A look at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's May 2006 report on mismanagement and corruption inside Fannie Mae reveals some interesting things about Johnson. Investigators found that Fannie Mae had hidden a substantial amount of Johnson's 1998 compensation from the public, reporting that it was between $6 million and $7 million when, in fact, it was $21 million. Johnson is currently under investigation for taking illegal loans from Countrywide while serving as CEO of Fannie Mae. Johnson's golden parachute was estimated at $28 million. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? FRANKLIN RAINES? Raines works for the Obama Campaign as Chief Economic Advisor. TIM HOWARD? Howard is also a Chief Economic Advisor to Obama. JIM JOHNSON? Johnson was hired as a Senior Obama Finance Advisor and was selected to run Obama's Vice Presidential Search Committee. If Obama plans on cleaning up the mess, his advisors have the expertise; they made the mess in the first place. Would you trust the men who tore Wall Street down to build the New Wall Street? Origins: When one of the hottest issues of a presidential campaign is the meltdown of the mortgage lending industry and the collapse of the economy, a candidate's having economic advisors on his staff who are strongly associated with the system and practices that helped create the current mess likely wouldn't sit well with the public. That's the premise of the above-quoted e-mail, which claimed that three men formerly associated with the Federal National Mortgage Association (commonly known as "Fannie Mae") were serving as "chief economic advisors" with the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama. However, although some of these men had at least tangential connections to the Obama campaign at one time or another, none of them had ongoing roles with that campaign as chief economic advisors. Franklin Raines, who formerly headed the budget office for the Clinton administration, became the first black CEO of a Fortune 500 company when he took over at Fannie Mae in 1999. Raines, who had earned $20 million in salary and bonuses from Fannie Mae in 2003, resigned from his CEO position in 2004 after regulators determined that the company had violated accounting rules and created an illusory $9 billion in past profit. Raines had some dealings with the Obama campaign, but he never held any actual position within the campaign (much less as its "chief economic advisor"), and his involvement with it was not nearly as substantial as implied above. As the Washington Post reported when a McCain campaign commercial attempted to link Raines with the Democratic candidate, the whole substance of the connection between the two men was that Raines "had gotten a couple of calls from the Obama campaign" in which they talked about "general housing and economy issues." Franklin Raines' predecessor, James A. Johnson, former chief of staff to Vice President Walter F. Mondale, was CEO of Fannie Mae from 1991 to 1998. After Johnson left the company, regulators later discovered that Fannie Mae had engaged in fraudulent accounting practices in 1998, which manipulated its earnings so that executives could earn performance bonuses (up to $1.9 million in Johnson's case) they would not otherwise have been entitled to. In May 2008, Senator Obama tapped James Johnson to be one member of a three-person panel tasked with vetting potential vice-presidential running mates. Johnson, who was not serving as an economic advisor to the Obama campaign, resigned from that position shortly afterward when news accounts reported that he had received more than $2 million in home loans at below-average market rates from Countrywide Financial, a partner of Fannie Mae. Tim Howard, the former CFO of Fannie Mae, was caught up in the same accounting scandal that undid Franklin Raines and, like Raines, resigned from the company in 2004. We found no substantive connection between Tim Howard and the Obama campaign, however, much less any information supporting the claim that Howard was ever a "Chief Economic Advisor to Obama." Last updated: 3 January 2012. Smith, Elliot Blair. "Former Fannie Mae Execs May Face Investigation." USA Today. 14 June 2006. Superville, Darlene. "Rise and Fall of Fannie Mae Chairman and CEO Franklin Raines." San Diego Union-Tribune. 30 December 2004. Weisman, Jonathan and David S. Hilzenrath. "Obama's Choice of Insider Draws Fire." The Washington Post. 11 June 2008 (p. A1). The Washington Post. "Linking Obama to Ex-Fannie Mae Chief Is a Stretch." 20 September 2008. | 0 | [
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"1",
"2"
] | 0 |
FMD3344 | 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 Pelosi Say Congress Would Not Return 'Unless There Is an Emergency'? Claim summaries: Both the U. S. House and Senate extended their recesses until May 4 due to the dangers of coronavirus.
contextual information: In April 2020, as much of the U.S. economy was at a standstill while the federal and state governments scrambled to deal with the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic, a meme circulated via social media held that U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had declared Congress would be out of session until the following month unless an "emergency" arose: This meme was a gross distortion of what actually took place, which was not that Pelosi took it upon herself to decide no current emergency required lawmakers' attention and to adjourn Congress until the following month (a power she does not possess). Rather, bipartisan statements from the majority leaders of both houses of Congress Republican Mitch McConnell for the Senate and Democrat Steny Hoyer for the House of Representatives announced that Congress would be extending its current recess by an additional two weeks due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but legislators would continue to work remotely until May 4 unless they needed to return to Washington, D.C., earlier than that to pass emergency measures related to the pandemic. For example, CNBC reported the following of the House Majority Leader's statement on scheduling: reported scheduling The House will not come back to Washington until at least May 4 unless it needs to pass emergency measures to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, Majority Leader Steny Hoyers office told representatives. The chamber previously expected lawmakers to return on April 20 after an extended absence. House members, most of whom have been in their districts for all of April as Covid-19 spreads, will not have to travel to Washington before May 4 absent an emergency, the Maryland Democrats office said. It added that lawmakers would get sufficient notice if they have to travel to Washington to vote on coronavirus legislation. Similarly, NPR reported the following of the Senate Majority Leader's statement on scheduling: reported Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the full Senate will not plan to return to the Capitol before May 4 -- a delay from a planned return [on April 20]. McConnell said the decision to change the schedule was made "following the advice of health experts" and in consultation with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. McConnell, R-Ky., stressed that Congress continues to work remotely to respond to the economic impact of the coronavirus. "As Senators continue working together from our home states, we must stay totally focused on fighting this pandemic and strengthening our nation. The coronavirus does not take days off and the United States Senate must not either, wherever we are," McConnell said in a written statement. The move follows a similar announcement a day earlier from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., informing members the House would not return until May 4. Both leaders indicated that if Congress needed to act quickly on something, members would be given at least 24 hours' notice. Here is the full announcement issued by U.S. Senate Majority Leader McConnell on April 14, 2020, regarding scheduling: announcement Since the Senate passed the historic CARES Act in late March, Senators have been working around the country to monitor its implementation and help our states and nation attack this pandemic. As the country continues working together to flatten the curve, following the advice of health experts, the full Senate is not expected to travel back to Washington D.C. sooner than Monday, May 4th. All members will receive at least 24 hours notice if this changes. This bipartisan decision reflects consultation with Leader Schumer and my colleagues in Senate leadership. As Senators continue working together from our home states, we must stay totally focused on fighting this pandemic and strengthening our nation. The coronavirus does not take days off and the United States Senate must not either, wherever we are. For example, the crucial Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which is literally saving millions of American jobs, will run dry this week if we do not pass more funding. While other CARES Act programs such as hospital funding and assistance for state governments are just beginning to push out money, 70% of the PPPs funding has been already allotted in just a week and a half. President Trump, Secretary Mnuchin, and Senate and House Republicans simply want to add more funding for this job-saving program that both parties designed together. There is no time to insist on sweeping renegotiations or ultimatums about other policies that passed both houses unanimously. Clean funding for worker pay in a crisis should not be controversial. I hope our Democratic colleagues will let Congress act this week. American workers deserve paychecks, not pink slips caused by political games. And here is the scheduling announcement issued by U.S. House Majority Leader Hoyer: announcement Members are advised that absent an emergency, the House is not expected to meet prior to Monday, May 4, 2020. Members are further advised that if the House is required to take action on critical legislation related to the coronavirus response or other legislative priorities, Members will be given sufficient notice to return to Washington, DC. Further information will be provided as it becomes available. Congressional leaders also left open the possibility that members might return sooner than May 4 if pandemic-related legislation was ready to be voted upon: Pramuk, Jacob. "House Will Not Return to Washington Until May 4 Unless It Has to Pass Emergency Bill."
CNBC. 13 April 2020. Walsh, Deirdre. "Congress Won't Return Until May, As Talks Appear yo Stall on Small Business Aid."
NPR. 13 April 2020. | 0 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 0 |
FMD3345 | 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: Beto O'Rourke's 'Reality Check' Claim summaries: A widely-shared Facebook meme offered allegations about a rising Democratic politician in Texas.
contextual information: Democratic congressman Beto O'Rourke of Texas came to national prominence in 2018 through his high-profile campaign to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. senator Ted Cruz. During the course of his campaign, the Democratic candidate has been confronted with various claims and allegations about himself and his family. One such meme, entitled "'Beto' Reality Check," was shared widely on Facebook in August 2018:A spokesperson for O'Rourke's campaign described the meme as "factually incorrect in countless ways" and largely referred us to several existing news reports about the allegations. The following is our breakdown of the five sections contained in the meme.O'Rourke adopted the name "Beto" to appeal to Latino voters: The meme claimed:NOT HISPANIC"Robert O'Rourke" became "Beto" for his political campaigns and on the ballot, a tactic that gives the false impression he's Latino, misleading voters in a state with many Hispanics.In fact, O'Rourke was known as "Beto" long before he entered political life, although his birth name is Robert and he appears to use both first names interchangeably. (For example, his July 2018 Federal Election Commission "Statement of Candidacy" lists his name as "Robert Beto O'Rourke.")O'Rourke told CNN that his parents referred to him as Beto "from day one," and that it "just stuck." Others have noted that the name is likely derived from a pronunciation of the Spanish "Roberto," and O'Rourke himself described it as "a nickname for Robert in El Paso." (According to the U.S. Census Bureau, around 78 percent of El Paso county residents listed themselves as being of Mexican heritage in 2016.)O'Rourke's family is of Irish heritage. According to the New York Times, his family "came over from Ireland four generations ago to work on the railroad." His father Pat O'Rourke was a prominent El Paso County official during the 1980s.A 1986 article about Pat O'Rourke in the El Paso Times referred to his then 14-year-old son as "Beto O'Rourke." In 1999, six years before O'Rourke ran for El Paso city council, the same newspaper referred to "web site designer Beto O'Rourke" in a short article about his I.T. business Stanton Street Design.After checking the archives of the El Paso Times, we found multiple references to "Beto O'Rourke" between 1986 and 2004, when O'Rourk was either a child or a businessman and had never run for political office.In March, the campaign of O'Rourke's Republican opponent, Ted Cruz, launched a radio jingle that poked fun at the name "Beto" and included the following lyrics: "I remember reading stories/Liberal Robert wanted to fit in/So he changed his name to 'Beto'/And hid it with a grin ...":FIRST LISTEN: our new 60-second statewide radio ad introducing our liberal opponent, Congressman Robert ORourke, to Texas voters.Help #KeepTexasRed: https://t.co/PVsiCtbbyL #CruzCrew #TXSen pic.twitter.com/OxK61gZ0ek Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 7, 2018The next day, O'Rourke posted a photograph of himself as a young boy, wearing a sweater with the nickname "Beto" stitched into it, establishing that, contrary to false accusation, he did not "change his name" for political reasons:pic.twitter.com/1IO1dgmCkv Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 7, 2018O'Rourke used his father's connections to avoid trial for two felonies: UNPROVENThe meme claimed:FELONY ARREST RECORDAs an adult in his mid-20s, O'Rourke was caught breaking into the University of Texas El Paso. Charged with breaking and entering and burglary, he mysteriously avoided trial. A few years later, arrested for drunk driving, he again walked with a "deal." Being the song of a powerful, politically connected County Judge apparently has benefits. O'Rourke dismisses his felony convictions as "youthful pranks" and "mistakes"; it's old news, move along, nothing to see here.O'Rourke has indeed been arrested for burglary and drunk driving, a history which he has discussed several times over the course of his political career, as his spokesperson told us: "While charges were dismissed, this is something that Beto has always publicly addressed -- during his initial run for the city council, his run for Congress, in profiles written about him, during dozens of interviews, and at town halls across the state during this campaign."In a 27 August 2018 op-ed for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News, O'Rourke himself wrote:Twenty-three years ago I was arrested for attempted forcible entry after jumping a fence at the University of Texas at El Paso. I spent a night in the El Paso County Jail, was able to make bail the next day, and was released. Three years later, I was arrested for drunk driving -- a far more serious mistake for which there is no excuse.According to El Paso county jail records, O'Rourke was arrested for attempted burglary on 19 May 1995, when he was 22 years old. He was released from custody the same day. Court records show that the prosecutor dropped the charge in February 1996.O'Rourke was also arrested for driving while intoxicated on 27 September 1998, the day after his 26th birthday. He completed a "misdemeanor diversion program" (namely "DWI school") in October 1999, and the charge was dropped.In August 2018, the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News cited police reports, including a witness account, which suggested that the incident leading to O'Rourke's DWI arrest was relatively serious and involved a collision with another vehicle and a possible attempt by O'Rourke to leave the scene:State and local police reports obtained by the Chronicle and Express-News show that ORourke was driving drunk at what a witness called a high rate of speed in a 75 mph zone on Interstate 10 about a mile from the New Mexico border. He lost control and hit a truck, sending his car careening across the center median into oncoming lanes. The witness, who stopped at the scene, later told police that ORourke had tried to drive away from the scene. O'Rourke recorded a 0.136 and 0.134 on police breathalyzers, above a blood-alcohol level of 0.10, the state legal limit at the time.In the case of his DWI arrest, O'Rourke did not face prison time because he completed an alternative adjudication program. It's not clear why the attempted burglary charge was dropped in 1996 (we asked the O'Rourke campaign about this but didn't receive a response to that particular question in time for publication). However, we could find no evidence that O'Rourke's father had any role in either case, nor did the meme offer any evidence.Congressman O'Rourke's father Pat was the El Paso County judge until 1986 -- a kind of chief executive of the county's governing body, the Commissioners Court -- so he had not held office for nine years by the time of his son's attempted burglary arrest.O'Rourke violated 'insider trading' laws: The meme claimed:INSIDER TRADING VIOLATIONSAfter being sent a memo specifically prohibiting investment in Twitter's IPO [initial public offering], O'Rourke made a tidy one-day profit on it. When uncovered by a government watchdog, he quickly turned himself in. This violation of the STOCK Act (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) is apparently a habit, as there are several other instances of this behavior; he characterizes them as mistakes.Despite the meme's claim, O'Rourke has never been charged with, or convicted of, violating any laws related to insider trading, including the STOCK Act, which bars members of the U.S. Congress from benefiting from financial transactions made on the basis of information they received in their capacity as members of Congress.But this section of the meme does contain elements of truth in that -- after the matter was brought to light by a third party -- O'Rourke reported his potential violation of rules to the House Ethics Committee (for stock transactions he maintained were executed by his broker without his knowledge), and the matter was resolved without any charges being brought against him:U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke alerted the House Ethics Committee that he might have violated a new law restricting members of Congress from engaging in certain stock transactions.It is the first case to come before the committee involving a 2012 law that prohibits members of Congress from participating in initial public offerings, or IPOs, other than what is available to members of the public generally, said Melanie Sloan, executive director of the Committee for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington, a watchdog group.ORourke, a Democrat whose district covers a portion of western Texas, reported the possible violation after Legistorm, an online news site that tracks congressional issues, informed him that his Nov. 15 disclosure saying he participated in the Twitter IPO earlier in the month might indicate a violation of a 2012 law called the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, or STOCK Act.The freshman congressman also reported that, through his stockbroker, he participated in six other initial public offerings this year. In an interview, ORourke said he didnt see a Nov. 5 memo from the House Ethics Committee warning members of Congress about participating in IPOs.On 27 November 2013, O'Rourke wrote on Facebook that the ethics committee had informed him they would consider the issue resolved once he sold off any remaining shares that he bought during any IPOs, and sent the U.S. Treasury a check equal to the amount he earned in profits from those IPO-related shares:Upon receiving the letter from the Committee today I instructed my broker to sell all remaining shares, which he did. I then sent a check for the full amount of the profit from all IPO trades this year to the U.S. Treasury by overnight mail. Copies of the trades and the check have been sent to the Ethics Committee.I apologize to the House of Representatives and to the people I represent for not exercising due diligence. I will be much more thorough in the future concerning financial transactions and do my best to ensure that I am in full compliance with all rules covering members of Congress.Records filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives show that O'Rourke bought between $1,000 and $15,000 worth of shares in Twitter on 7 November 2013 (the first day the company was traded on the stock market), before selling off between $1,000 and $15,000 in shares later that day.Records also indicate that on 27 November 2013, O'Rourke again sold off between $1,000 and $15,000 worth of Twitter shares "pursuant to the recommendations made by House Ethics Committee in a letter from 11/27/13."A condom full of "white powder" was found in O'Rourke's father's car: trueThe meme claimed:FATHER'S DRUG SCANDALO'Rourke's father, while county judge, had a 2-way radio installed in his Jeep. Installers discovered a condom packed with a "white powder" concealed in his vehicle and called police. Much to the dismay of investigating officers, the Captain on duty, a friend and political ally of O'Rourke, flushed the evidence down the toilet and dropped the charges. The Captain was subsequently suspended and tried for tampering with evidence.This section of the meme relates to incidents which took place in 1983, when Beto O'Rourke was 10 years old, and which had absolutely nothing to do with him.Nevertheless, it's true that in February 1983, El Paso County Sheriff's Captain Willie Hill told two police officers to get rid of a condom full of white powder which they had found in Pat O'Rourke's car while they were installing a radio in it. The officers suspected the powder to be heroin or cocaine, but the substance was never tested to determine its true nature.Hill was temporarily suspended but was reinstated after being acquitted on a misdemeanor charge of evidence tampering. (The prosecutor had earlier dropped a charge of misconduct against him.) Hill testified that he made a snap decision about the discovery of the powder, which he strongly suspected had been planted there to embarrass or undermine either O'Rourke or one of the officers installing the radio.O'Rourke and Hill were friends, as O'Rourke (then county judge) told the El Paso Times: "Because he's a good man, it would be an injustice if Willie were to suffer grievous consequences from this whole episode. You have an honest and honorable man implicated by pure fluke. And that's just damn right not fair."O'Rourke was involved in a family business that was prosecuted for tax violations: The meme claimed:FAMILY BUSINESS FEDERALLY PROSECUTEDO'Rourke's family business "Charlotte's Furniture," a store "Beto," his mother and sister are involved with, was charged in 2010 with altering records to avoid IRS reporting. Investigators found they accepted cash payments, in one instance over $630,000 from an unnamed individual (that's a LOT of furniture)! Found guilty on 15 counts, the sentence was a $250,000 fine and 5 years' probation. Around the time O'Rourke announced as a senate candidate, the business was shuttered and its records became unavailable. O'Rourke passes the prosecution off as a "mistake"; it's been covered, move along, nothing to see here.The meme got the basic facts right about the federal tax case against Charlotte's, but it falsely claimed that Congressman O'Rourke was personally "involved" in the company. He was not.In 2010, Charlotte's Inc., an El Paso furniture store company started by O'Rourke's grandmother in 1951, was convicted of "structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements, a tax-related felony. The company was charged as a corporate entity, but the Congressman's mother, Melissa O'Rourke, acted as its authorized representative.The company pled guilty to accusations that it had restructured transactions in order to present relatively large cash payments as having been made in installments of less than $10,000. Anti-money laundering provisions of U.S. law require that a business reveal the identity of any individual who makes a cash payment above that threshold.In total, Charlotte's and its employees illegally restructured $630,000 in payments, all from one customer, in this way between May 2005 and October 2006. The identity of that customer is not known. U.S. District Court judge Kathleen Cardone gave a sentence of five years' probation and a $500,000 fine, with $250,000 of that suspended.In 2017, Melissa O'Rourke announced that she intended to close down the business but denied the decision was connected to her son's U.S. Senate campaign or the 2010 conviction.According to Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts records for 2017, Congressman O'Rourke had no formal role with Charlotte's Inc., whose directors were Melissa O'Rourke and the Congressman's sister Charlotte O'Rourke.Records for 2005 and 2006 (when the I.R.S. reporting violations took place) as well as 2010 (when the conviction happened) show that Congressman O'Rourke had no formal role with the company at those times, either.The Congressman is part owner of the property where Charlotte's was located. According to O'Rourke's 2013 congressional financial disclosure, his mother gifted him an ownership stake worth between $1 million and $5 million in Peppertree Square, a shopping center on North Mesa St. in El Paso.However, his part ownership of the Peppertree Square property (which does not appear to entail any management function in any of the businesses located there) did not accrue until 31 December 2012, more than six years after the conclusion of the I.R.S. reporting violations at Charlotte's. One such meme, entitled "'Beto' Reality Check," was shared widely on Facebook in August 2018: meme A spokesperson for O'Rourke's campaign described the meme as "factually incorrect in countless ways" and largely referred us to several existing news reports about the allegations. The following is our breakdown of the five sections contained in the meme. The meme claimed: NOT HISPANIC "Robert O'Rourke" became "Beto" for his political campaigns and on the ballot, a tactic that gives the false impression he's Latino, misleading voters in a state with many Hispanics. In fact, O'Rourke was known as "Beto" long before he entered political life, although his birth name is Robert and he appears to use both first names interchangeably. (For example, his July 2018 Federal Election Commission "Statement of Candidacy" lists his name as "Robert Beto O'Rourke.") Statement O'Rourke told CNN that his parents referred to him as Beto "from day one," and that it "just stuck." Others have noted that the name is likely derived from a pronunciation of the Spanish "Roberto," and O'Rourke himself described it as "a nickname for Robert in El Paso." (According to the U.S. Census Bureau, around 78 percent of El Paso county residents listed themselves as being of Mexican heritage in 2016.) CNN noted listed O'Rourke's family is of Irish heritage. According to the New York Times, his family "came over from Ireland four generations ago to work on the railroad." His father Pat O'Rourke was a prominent El Paso County official during the 1980s. New York Times A 1986 article about Pat O'Rourke in the El Paso Times referred to his then 14-year-old son as "Beto O'Rourke." In 1999, six years before O'Rourke ran for El Paso city council, the same newspaper referred to "web site designer Beto O'Rourke" in a short article about his I.T. business Stanton Street Design. article article After checking the archives of the El Paso Times, we found multiple references to "Beto O'Rourke" between 1986 and 2004, when O'Rourk was either a child or a businessman and had never run for political office. In March, the campaign of O'Rourke's Republican opponent, Ted Cruz, launched a radio jingle that poked fun at the name "Beto" and included the following lyrics: "I remember reading stories/Liberal Robert wanted to fit in/So he changed his name to 'Beto'/And hid it with a grin ...": FIRST LISTEN: our new 60-second statewide radio ad introducing our liberal opponent, Congressman Robert ORourke, to Texas voters. Help #KeepTexasRed: https://t.co/PVsiCtbbyL #CruzCrew #TXSen pic.twitter.com/OxK61gZ0ek #KeepTexasRed https://t.co/PVsiCtbbyL #CruzCrew #TXSen pic.twitter.com/OxK61gZ0ek Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 7, 2018 March 7, 2018 The next day, O'Rourke posted a photograph of himself as a young boy, wearing a sweater with the nickname "Beto" stitched into it, establishing that, contrary to false accusation, he did not "change his name" for political reasons: pic.twitter.com/1IO1dgmCkv pic.twitter.com/1IO1dgmCkv Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 7, 2018 March 7, 2018 The meme claimed: FELONY ARREST RECORD As an adult in his mid-20s, O'Rourke was caught breaking into the University of Texas El Paso. Charged with breaking and entering and burglary, he mysteriously avoided trial. A few years later, arrested for drunk driving, he again walked with a "deal." Being the song of a powerful, politically connected County Judge apparently has benefits. O'Rourke dismisses his felony convictions as "youthful pranks" and "mistakes"; it's old news, move along, nothing to see here. O'Rourke has indeed been arrested for burglary and drunk driving, a history which he has discussed several times over the course of his political career, as his spokesperson told us: "While charges were dismissed, this is something that Beto has always publicly addressed -- during his initial run for the city council, his run for Congress, in profiles written about him, during dozens of interviews, and at town halls across the state during this campaign." In a 27 August 2018 op-ed for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News, O'Rourke himself wrote: op-ed Twenty-three years ago I was arrested for attempted forcible entry after jumping a fence at the University of Texas at El Paso. I spent a night in the El Paso County Jail, was able to make bail the next day, and was released. Three years later, I was arrested for drunk driving -- a far more serious mistake for which there is no excuse. According to El Paso county jail records, O'Rourke was arrested for attempted burglary on 19 May 1995, when he was 22 years old. He was released from custody the same day. Court records show that the prosecutor dropped the charge in February 1996. records records O'Rourke was also arrested for driving while intoxicated on 27 September 1998, the day after his 26th birthday. He completed a "misdemeanor diversion program" (namely "DWI school") in October 1999, and the charge was dropped. arrested In August 2018, the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News cited police reports, including a witness account, which suggested that the incident leading to O'Rourke's DWI arrest was relatively serious and involved a collision with another vehicle and a possible attempt by O'Rourke to leave the scene: cited State and local police reports obtained by the Chronicle and Express-News show that ORourke was driving drunk at what a witness called a high rate of speed in a 75 mph zone on Interstate 10 about a mile from the New Mexico border. He lost control and hit a truck, sending his car careening across the center median into oncoming lanes. The witness, who stopped at the scene, later told police that ORourke had tried to drive away from the scene. O'Rourke recorded a 0.136 and 0.134 on police breathalyzers, above a blood-alcohol level of 0.10, the state legal limit at the time. In the case of his DWI arrest, O'Rourke did not face prison time because he completed an alternative adjudication program. It's not clear why the attempted burglary charge was dropped in 1996 (we asked the O'Rourke campaign about this but didn't receive a response to that particular question in time for publication). However, we could find no evidence that O'Rourke's father had any role in either case, nor did the meme offer any evidence. Congressman O'Rourke's father Pat was the El Paso County judge until 1986 -- a kind of chief executive of the county's governing body, the Commissioners Court -- so he had not held office for nine years by the time of his son's attempted burglary arrest. judge governing body The meme claimed: INSIDER TRADING VIOLATIONS After being sent a memo specifically prohibiting investment in Twitter's IPO [initial public offering], O'Rourke made a tidy one-day profit on it. When uncovered by a government watchdog, he quickly turned himself in. This violation of the STOCK Act (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) is apparently a habit, as there are several other instances of this behavior; he characterizes them as mistakes. Despite the meme's claim, O'Rourke has never been charged with, or convicted of, violating any laws related to insider trading, including the STOCK Act, which bars members of the U.S. Congress from benefiting from financial transactions made on the basis of information they received in their capacity as members of Congress. STOCK Act But this section of the meme does contain elements of truth in that -- after the matter was brought to light by a third party -- O'Rourke reported his potential violation of rules to the House Ethics Committee (for stock transactions he maintained were executed by his broker without his knowledge), and the matter was resolved without any charges being brought against him: violation U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke alerted the House Ethics Committee that he might have violated a new law restricting members of Congress from engaging in certain stock transactions. It is the first case to come before the committee involving a 2012 law that prohibits members of Congress from participating in initial public offerings, or IPOs, other than what is available to members of the public generally, said Melanie Sloan, executive director of the Committee for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington, a watchdog group. ORourke, a Democrat whose district covers a portion of western Texas, reported the possible violation after Legistorm, an online news site that tracks congressional issues, informed him that his Nov. 15 disclosure saying he participated in the Twitter IPO earlier in the month might indicate a violation of a 2012 law called the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, or STOCK Act. The freshman congressman also reported that, through his stockbroker, he participated in six other initial public offerings this year. In an interview, ORourke said he didnt see a Nov. 5 memo from the House Ethics Committee warning members of Congress about participating in IPOs. On 27 November 2013, O'Rourke wrote on Facebook that the ethics committee had informed him they would consider the issue resolved once he sold off any remaining shares that he bought during any IPOs, and sent the U.S. Treasury a check equal to the amount he earned in profits from those IPO-related shares: wrote Upon receiving the letter from the Committee today I instructed my broker to sell all remaining shares, which he did. I then sent a check for the full amount of the profit from all IPO trades this year to the U.S. Treasury by overnight mail. Copies of the trades and the check have been sent to the Ethics Committee. I apologize to the House of Representatives and to the people I represent for not exercising due diligence. I will be much more thorough in the future concerning financial transactions and do my best to ensure that I am in full compliance with all rules covering members of Congress. Records filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives show that O'Rourke bought between $1,000 and $15,000 worth of shares in Twitter on 7 November 2013 (the first day the company was traded on the stock market), before selling off between $1,000 and $15,000 in shares later that day. filed Records also indicate that on 27 November 2013, O'Rourke again sold off between $1,000 and $15,000 worth of Twitter shares "pursuant to the recommendations made by House Ethics Committee in a letter from 11/27/13." indicate The meme claimed: FATHER'S DRUG SCANDAL O'Rourke's father, while county judge, had a 2-way radio installed in his Jeep. Installers discovered a condom packed with a "white powder" concealed in his vehicle and called police. Much to the dismay of investigating officers, the Captain on duty, a friend and political ally of O'Rourke, flushed the evidence down the toilet and dropped the charges. The Captain was subsequently suspended and tried for tampering with evidence. This section of the meme relates to incidents which took place in 1983, when Beto O'Rourke was 10 years old, and which had absolutely nothing to do with him. Nevertheless, it's true that in February 1983, El Paso County Sheriff's Captain Willie Hill told two police officers to get rid of a condom full of white powder which they had found in Pat O'Rourke's car while they were installing a radio in it. The officers suspected the powder to be heroin or cocaine, but the substance was never tested to determine its true nature. Hill was temporarily suspended but was reinstated after being acquitted on a misdemeanor charge of evidence tampering. (The prosecutor had earlier dropped a charge of misconduct against him.) Hill testified that he made a snap decision about the discovery of the powder, which he strongly suspected had been planted there to embarrass or undermine either O'Rourke or one of the officers installing the radio. being acquitted O'Rourke and Hill were friends, as O'Rourke (then county judge) told the El Paso Times: "Because he's a good man, it would be an injustice if Willie were to suffer grievous consequences from this whole episode. You have an honest and honorable man implicated by pure fluke. And that's just damn right not fair." El Paso Times The meme claimed: FAMILY BUSINESS FEDERALLY PROSECUTED O'Rourke's family business "Charlotte's Furniture," a store "Beto," his mother and sister are involved with, was charged in 2010 with altering records to avoid IRS reporting. Investigators found they accepted cash payments, in one instance over $630,000 from an unnamed individual (that's a LOT of furniture)! Found guilty on 15 counts, the sentence was a $250,000 fine and 5 years' probation. Around the time O'Rourke announced as a senate candidate, the business was shuttered and its records became unavailable. O'Rourke passes the prosecution off as a "mistake"; it's been covered, move along, nothing to see here. The meme got the basic facts right about the federal tax case against Charlotte's, but it falsely claimed that Congressman O'Rourke was personally "involved" in the company. He was not. In 2010, Charlotte's Inc., an El Paso furniture store company started by O'Rourke's grandmother in 1951, was convicted of "structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements, a tax-related felony. The company was charged as a corporate entity, but the Congressman's mother, Melissa O'Rourke, acted as its authorized representative. felony The company pled guilty to accusations that it had restructured transactions in order to present relatively large cash payments as having been made in installments of less than $10,000. Anti-money laundering provisions of U.S. law require that a business reveal the identity of any individual who makes a cash payment above that threshold. restructured provisions In total, Charlotte's and its employees illegally restructured $630,000 in payments, all from one customer, in this way between May 2005 and October 2006. The identity of that customer is not known. U.S. District Court judge Kathleen Cardone gave a sentence of five years' probation and a $500,000 fine, with $250,000 of that suspended. sentence In 2017, Melissa O'Rourke announced that she intended to close down the business but denied the decision was connected to her son's U.S. Senate campaign or the 2010 conviction. announced According to Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts records for 2017, Congressman O'Rourke had no formal role with Charlotte's Inc., whose directors were Melissa O'Rourke and the Congressman's sister Charlotte O'Rourke. records Records for 2005 and 2006 (when the I.R.S. reporting violations took place) as well as 2010 (when the conviction happened) show that Congressman O'Rourke had no formal role with the company at those times, either. Records The Congressman is part owner of the property where Charlotte's was located. According to O'Rourke's 2013 congressional financial disclosure, his mother gifted him an ownership stake worth between $1 million and $5 million in Peppertree Square, a shopping center on North Mesa St. in El Paso. disclosure However, his part ownership of the Peppertree Square property (which does not appear to entail any management function in any of the businesses located there) did not accrue until 31 December 2012, more than six years after the conclusion of the I.R.S. reporting violations at Charlotte's. O'Rourke, Robert Beto. "Statement of Candidacy."
Federal Election Commission. 9 July 2018. Bradner, Eric. "With Primary Ending, Cruz Takes Opening Shot at Beto O'Rourke's Name."
CNN. 7 March 2018. Stanton, John. "Juarez's Biggest Booster Is an Irish-American Congressman."
BuzzFeed News. 14 October 2014. Draper, Robert. "Texas, Three Ways."
The New York Times. 14 November 2014. Scharrer, Gary. "O'Rourke Goes Out Talking."
The El Paso Times. 8 December 1986. The El Paso Times. "Consumers Dial Up Web Site."
16 June 1999. O'Rourke, Beto. "Texas Should Lead the Way on True Criminal Justice Reform."
The Houston Chronicle. 27 August 2018. Diaz, Kevin. "Police Reports Detail Beto O'Rourke's 1998 DWI Arrest."
The Houston Chronicle. 31 August 2018. Cruz, Laura. "Friends, Family Say Goodbye to O'Rourke."
The El Paso Times. 7 July 2001. The White House. "Fact Sheet: The STOCK Act -- Bans Members of Congress from Insider Trading."
4 April 2012. The El Paso Times. "Congressman May Have Broken Ethics Rules with Twitter Stock Purchase."
26 November 2013. Landis, David. "Jurors Decided Hill Negligent, Not Criminal."
The El Paso Times. 23 December 1983. Scharrer, Gary. "O'Rourke Expresses Sorrow Over Charge."
The El Paso Times. 29 October 1983. Legal Information Institute. "U.S. Code, Title 31, Subtitle IV, Chapter 53, Subchapter II, Section 5324 -- Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirement Prohibite."
Cornell Law School. Accessed 31 August 2018. U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, El Paso Division. "U.S.A. vs Charlotte's Inc. -- Information."
4 May 2010. U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, El Paso Division. "U.S.A. vs Charlotte's Inc. -- Amended Judgment."
8 June 2010. Villa, Pablo. "Charlotte's Furniture Store to Close This Year, Owner Says."
The El Paso Times. 4 August 2017. Correction [4 September 2018]: This article has been updated to more accurately describe the role of El Paso County judge. | 2 | [
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FMD3346 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday minimized tensions with his boss, President Donald Trump, and brushed aside comments from an influential lawmaker, who compared Trump’s undermining of his top diplomat to a public castration. “I am fully committed to his objectives. I agree with his objectives. I agree with what he is trying to do,†Tillerson said of Trump on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ program. Tillerson’s tenure as secretary of state has been dogged by rumors about rifts with Trump over policy. Earlier this month, Trump undercut Tillerson in a Twitter message, saying the secretary of state was wasting his time trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said Trump’s comments were the equivalent of castrating the secretary in public. “I checked. I’m fully intact,†Tillerson said when asked about Corker’s comments on CNN. Tillerson repeatedly declined to answer a question about a report by NBC News that said the secretary of state had called Trump a “moron†during a private meeting in July with U.S. officials. The secretary of state accused CNN moderator Jake Tapper of trying “make a game†out of pressing him on the “moron†comment. “I’m not playing,†Tillerson said. Tillerson has often found himself at odds with the president on a range of issues, from withdrawing from the Paris agreement on climate change to North Korea and, at times, Iran, according to current and former U.S. officials and news media reports. Signs of tensions between Trump and Tillerson have raised questions among in foreign capitals about whether the secretary of state speaks for the administration. Tillerson has batted away rumors that he might resign. Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, has been mentioned as a possible replacement to Tillerson should he step down. She said she was happy being in New York, where the United Nations is based, and said that from what she has observed Trump and Tillerson have a constructive relationship. “The secretary puts out as many options for the president as he can. He makes a decision, there’s a mutual respect, and they go forward. And so everything that I have witnessed, all was fine,†she said. Tillerson acknowledged in a separate appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation†on Sunday that he and the president “don’t agree on everything.†“Sometimes he changes his mind,†Tillerson said. “I will work as hard as I can to implement his decisions successfully.†| 1 | [
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FMD3347 | 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: Car Stalk Claim summaries: Social media rumors claimed ISIS operatives visited multiple car dealerships in Virginia, but the claims were not credible and came from a friend of a friend.
contextual information: Claim: Three suspicious Middle Eastern men (later found to be likely ISIS operatives)attemptedto purchase vehicles in Virginia. [dot-mfalse]PROBABLY [/dot-mfalse] Example: [Collected via e-mail and Facebook, November2015]Friend posted this. Seems fake. Just passing it along to be checked. Beware sellers, 3 muslims tried to buy car from frederick dealer and one of them was identified as know ISIS member per FBI. They did not want to show any ID or do paper work for the car so please screen the people wanting to by your vehicles. Origins: A series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris on 13 November 2015 understandably intensified extant concerns about the risk posed by ISIS; on 22November 2015, a Twitter user published an unsourced rumor pertaining to suspicious Middle Eastern men in the area of Frederick:HOLD UP pic.twitter.com/ISlJQ9jYVw $B$ (@brookelyles_) November 23, 2015 The tweet contained a screenshot of a (presumably already circulating) text message. Its sender was identified only as "Gianella," and the text described a purported interaction at a car dealership. The rumor lacked a large number of key details such as the date of the incident, the city in which it occurred, and the name of the dealership in question. (The original tweet appeared to occur on 20 November 2015, and was subsequently deleted after screenshots circulated.) Absentbasic information about the claims aside, the rumor didn't make very much logical sense. According to the individual who sent the text, the three men oddly asserted that they wished to buy a vehicle "whether it passed inspection or not" (apparently unaware of the higher likelihood of such a transaction being private party). Without ostensible reason, the men then informed the dealership they planned only to use the vehicle for twodays a tidbit of information that served only to raise possible red flags obstructing the purchase should the dealer opt not to engage in a sketchy, possibly illegallow-profit transaction. The unnamed dealership's manager then purportedly dialed 911 in earshot of the suspicious men (rather than surreptitiously), alerting them to the imminent arrival of police and causing them to flee. At this point, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrived and dusted for prints, the results of which appeared to be immediately available, with information disclosed to low-level car dealership employees for unclear reasons. Finally, the FBI opted to inform the car salespeople that the men were in fact likely on a small list of suspected ISIS operatives, despite there being no good reason for federal agents to do so (as it served only to compromise any investigation). The amount of time elapsed between the (still undated) visit and the FBI's disclosure of this information was also not included in the screenshot. Details in the text message weren't the only urban legend hallmarks attached to the tale. Just before the 22 November 2015 tweet went locally viral, the claim popped up at separate dealerships in the vicinity of Frederick and Gaithersburg, Virginia (tweets in the conversation cited the "friend of a friend" involved with the original rumor):@A_Roshayy @ForeverrMel I had these guys as my customers too. I was at one of the dealerships they went to. MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@A_Roshayy @ListenToMyEyes @Errrunnn wait, your friend works in Frederick? This happened to me in Gaithersburg. MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@A_Roshayy wow that's unusual. I had spoken to the police about it. I made a copy of one of their drivers licenses. It was issued 2 wks ago MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@A_Roshayy and didn't match their description at all.... MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@A_Roshayy I know ???? but this is actually scary. I didn't understand why they were looking for something so cheap. But they didn't look MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy related at all and seemed like they were on a hunt for a specifically cheap car, and it didn't really hit me til the police came MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@A_Roshayy me neither... I don't know what to do or what to say. How are we supposed to protect ourselves at this point? MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@A_Roshayy I don't think they've been found yet. I called the FBI but they said they couldn't tell me what's happening right now MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@ListenToMyEyes the same thing that happened in the screenshot she just posted. I didn't even know they went all they way up to frederick MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@mg11thirty he's my friend's friend but yeah she said he works in Fredrick! I guess they're traveling around.. Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 21, 2015 That conversation included screenshots of subsequent texts from "Gianella," who claimed that the men were spotted at a Subaru dealership in Frederick (she believed):@__CoachDave pic.twitter.com/qEofJ06bPI Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015The individual who sent the 20 November 2015 tweet later lamented a lack of action on the part of law enforcement before backpedaling to indicate she was unsure of the rumor's veracity; the user never explained why she deleted the original warning:@Marshy_Lillypad dude that's what I'm saying.. Like how come it hasn't been on the news why haven't they been arrested yet? Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015@MindOfAPSYCHO_ from what I know it's true and a girl mentioned me saying it happened at her dealership in Gaithersburg, so it's happening???? Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015@Meregod oh well I doubt someone would lie about it cause that's messed up but they're apparently not being cautious at all Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015 The rumors appeared to stem from social media-driven panics in the wake of the Paris attacks and were spread largely by Twitter users (not party to additional information) in Gaithersburg and Frederick. No one from any of the purportedly affected dealerships officially stepped forward to clarify the claims, nor did any of the rumors make logisticalsense from the perspective of a prospective terrorist. Surely, if the plot were rattled at the car dealership level, ISIS operatives would shift to a less-risky private transaction rather than continue flirting with capture. Moreover, there was no reason to suspect that if the FBI believed the men were truly wanted ISIS operatives they wouldn't take the threat seriously. Similarly, there's no reason that information about any related information would be released to the public unless an arrest had been made and a plot thwarted.Last updated: 30November 2015Originally published: 30November 2015 HOLD UP pic.twitter.com/ISlJQ9jYVw pic.twitter.com/ISlJQ9jYVw $B$ (@brookelyles_) November 23, 2015 November 23, 2015 The tweet contained a screenshot of a (presumably already circulating) text message. Its sender was identified only as "Gianella," and the text described a purported interaction at a car dealership. The rumor lacked a large number of key details such as the date of the incident, the city in which it occurred, and the name of the dealership in question. (The original tweet appeared to occur on 20 November 2015, and was subsequently deleted after screenshots circulated.) Absentbasic information about the claims aside, the rumor didn't make very much logical sense. According to the individual who sent the text, the three men oddly asserted that they wished to buy a vehicle "whether it passed inspection or not" (apparently unaware of the higher likelihood of such a transaction being private party). Without ostensible reason, the men then informed the dealership they planned only to use the vehicle for twodays a tidbit of information that served only to raise possible red flags obstructing the purchase should the dealer opt not to engage in a sketchy, possibly illegallow-profit transaction. The unnamed dealership's manager then purportedly dialed 911 in earshot of the suspicious men (rather than surreptitiously), alerting them to the imminent arrival of police and causing them to flee. At this point, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrived and dusted for prints, the results of which appeared to be immediately available, with information disclosed to low-level car dealership employees for unclear reasons. Finally, the FBI opted to inform the car salespeople that the men were in fact likely on a small list of suspected ISIS operatives, despite there being no good reason for federal agents to do so (as it served only to compromise any investigation). The amount of time elapsed between the (still undated) visit and the FBI's disclosure of this information was also not included in the screenshot. Details in the text message weren't the only urban legend hallmarks attached to the tale. Just before the 22 November 2015 tweet went locally viral, the claim popped up at separate dealerships in the vicinity of Frederick and Gaithersburg, Virginia (tweets in the conversation cited the "friend of a friend" involved with the original rumor): @A_Roshayy @ForeverrMel I had these guys as my customers too. I was at one of the dealerships they went to. MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy @ForeverrMel November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy @ListenToMyEyes @Errrunnn wait, your friend works in Frederick? This happened to me in Gaithersburg. MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@A_Roshayy wow that's unusual. I had spoken to the police about it. I made a copy of one of their drivers licenses. It was issued 2 wks ago MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@A_Roshayy and didn't match their description at all.... MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@A_Roshayy I know ???? but this is actually scary. I didn't understand why they were looking for something so cheap. But they didn't look MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy related at all and seemed like they were on a hunt for a specifically cheap car, and it didn't really hit me til the police came MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@A_Roshayy me neither... I don't know what to do or what to say. How are we supposed to protect ourselves at this point? MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@A_Roshayy I don't think they've been found yet. I called the FBI but they said they couldn't tell me what's happening right now MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@ListenToMyEyes the same thing that happened in the screenshot she just posted. I didn't even know they went all they way up to frederick MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015@mg11thirty he's my friend's friend but yeah she said he works in Fredrick! I guess they're traveling around.. Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 21, 2015 That conversation included screenshots of subsequent texts from "Gianella," who claimed that the men were spotted at a Subaru dealership in Frederick (she believed):@__CoachDave pic.twitter.com/qEofJ06bPI Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015The individual who sent the 20 November 2015 tweet later lamented a lack of action on the part of law enforcement before backpedaling to indicate she was unsure of the rumor's veracity; the user never explained why she deleted the original warning:@Marshy_Lillypad dude that's what I'm saying.. Like how come it hasn't been on the news why haven't they been arrested yet? Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015@MindOfAPSYCHO_ from what I know it's true and a girl mentioned me saying it happened at her dealership in Gaithersburg, so it's happening???? Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015@Meregod oh well I doubt someone would lie about it cause that's messed up but they're apparently not being cautious at all Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015 The rumors appeared to stem from social media-driven panics in the wake of the Paris attacks and were spread largely by Twitter users (not party to additional information) in Gaithersburg and Frederick. No one from any of the purportedly affected dealerships officially stepped forward to clarify the claims, nor did any of the rumors make logisticalsense from the perspective of a prospective terrorist. Surely, if the plot were rattled at the car dealership level, ISIS operatives would shift to a less-risky private transaction rather than continue flirting with capture. Moreover, there was no reason to suspect that if the FBI believed the men were truly wanted ISIS operatives they wouldn't take the threat seriously. Similarly, there's no reason that information about any related information would be released to the public unless an arrest had been made and a plot thwarted.Last updated: 30November 2015Originally published: 30November 2015 @A_Roshayy @ListenToMyEyes @Errrunnn wait, your friend works in Frederick? This happened to me in Gaithersburg. @A_Roshayy @ListenToMyEyes @Errrunnn MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015 November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy wow that's unusual. I had spoken to the police about it. I made a copy of one of their drivers licenses. It was issued 2 wks ago MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy and didn't match their description at all.... MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy I know ???? but this is actually scary. I didn't understand why they were looking for something so cheap. But they didn't look MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy related at all and seemed like they were on a hunt for a specifically cheap car, and it didn't really hit me til the police came MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy me neither... I don't know what to do or what to say. How are we supposed to protect ourselves at this point? MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy I don't think they've been found yet. I called the FBI but they said they couldn't tell me what's happening right now MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015 @A_Roshayy November 21, 2015 @ListenToMyEyes the same thing that happened in the screenshot she just posted. I didn't even know they went all they way up to frederick MG (@mg11thirty) November 21, 2015 @ListenToMyEyes November 21, 2015 @mg11thirty he's my friend's friend but yeah she said he works in Fredrick! I guess they're traveling around.. Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 21, 2015 That conversation included screenshots of subsequent texts from "Gianella," who claimed that the men were spotted at a Subaru dealership in Frederick (she believed):@__CoachDave pic.twitter.com/qEofJ06bPI Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015The individual who sent the 20 November 2015 tweet later lamented a lack of action on the part of law enforcement before backpedaling to indicate she was unsure of the rumor's veracity; the user never explained why she deleted the original warning:@Marshy_Lillypad dude that's what I'm saying.. Like how come it hasn't been on the news why haven't they been arrested yet? Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015@MindOfAPSYCHO_ from what I know it's true and a girl mentioned me saying it happened at her dealership in Gaithersburg, so it's happening???? Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015@Meregod oh well I doubt someone would lie about it cause that's messed up but they're apparently not being cautious at all Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015 The rumors appeared to stem from social media-driven panics in the wake of the Paris attacks and were spread largely by Twitter users (not party to additional information) in Gaithersburg and Frederick. No one from any of the purportedly affected dealerships officially stepped forward to clarify the claims, nor did any of the rumors make logisticalsense from the perspective of a prospective terrorist. Surely, if the plot were rattled at the car dealership level, ISIS operatives would shift to a less-risky private transaction rather than continue flirting with capture. Moreover, there was no reason to suspect that if the FBI believed the men were truly wanted ISIS operatives they wouldn't take the threat seriously. Similarly, there's no reason that information about any related information would be released to the public unless an arrest had been made and a plot thwarted.Last updated: 30November 2015Originally published: 30November 2015 @mg11thirty he's my friend's friend but yeah she said he works in Fredrick! I guess they're traveling around.. @mg11thirty Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 21, 2015 November 21, 2015 That conversation included screenshots of subsequent texts from "Gianella," who claimed that the men were spotted at a Subaru dealership in Frederick (she believed): @__CoachDave pic.twitter.com/qEofJ06bPI Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015 @__CoachDave pic.twitter.com/qEofJ06bPI November 24, 2015 The individual who sent the 20 November 2015 tweet later lamented a lack of action on the part of law enforcement before backpedaling to indicate she was unsure of the rumor's veracity; the user never explained why she deleted the original warning:@Marshy_Lillypad dude that's what I'm saying.. Like how come it hasn't been on the news why haven't they been arrested yet? Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015@MindOfAPSYCHO_ from what I know it's true and a girl mentioned me saying it happened at her dealership in Gaithersburg, so it's happening???? Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015@Meregod oh well I doubt someone would lie about it cause that's messed up but they're apparently not being cautious at all Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015 The rumors appeared to stem from social media-driven panics in the wake of the Paris attacks and were spread largely by Twitter users (not party to additional information) in Gaithersburg and Frederick. No one from any of the purportedly affected dealerships officially stepped forward to clarify the claims, nor did any of the rumors make logisticalsense from the perspective of a prospective terrorist. Surely, if the plot were rattled at the car dealership level, ISIS operatives would shift to a less-risky private transaction rather than continue flirting with capture. Moreover, there was no reason to suspect that if the FBI believed the men were truly wanted ISIS operatives they wouldn't take the threat seriously. Similarly, there's no reason that information about any related information would be released to the public unless an arrest had been made and a plot thwarted.Last updated: 30November 2015Originally published: 30November 2015 @Marshy_Lillypad dude that's what I'm saying.. Like how come it hasn't been on the news why haven't they been arrested yet? @Marshy_Lillypad Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015 November 24, 2015 @MindOfAPSYCHO_ from what I know it's true and a girl mentioned me saying it happened at her dealership in Gaithersburg, so it's happening???? Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015 @MindOfAPSYCHO_ November 24, 2015 @Meregod oh well I doubt someone would lie about it cause that's messed up but they're apparently not being cautious at all Alex Roch (@A_Roshayy) November 24, 2015 @Meregod November 24, 2015 The rumors appeared to stem from social media-driven panics in the wake of the Paris attacks and were spread largely by Twitter users (not party to additional information) in Gaithersburg and Frederick. No one from any of the purportedly affected dealerships officially stepped forward to clarify the claims, nor did any of the rumors make logisticalsense from the perspective of a prospective terrorist. Surely, if the plot were rattled at the car dealership level, ISIS operatives would shift to a less-risky private transaction rather than continue flirting with capture. Moreover, there was no reason to suspect that if the FBI believed the men were truly wanted ISIS operatives they wouldn't take the threat seriously. Similarly, there's no reason that information about any related information would be released to the public unless an arrest had been made and a plot thwarted. Last updated: 30November 2015 Originally published: 30November 2015 | 0 | [
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FMD3348 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: U.S. stocks rallied for a second day on Thursday, boosted by expectations the U.S. economy will continue to improve and by hopes for more aggressive action from the European Central Bank.
The S&P 500 added 3 percent over the last two sessions, retracing most of its 4.2 percent loss in the previous five trading days, leaving the index in positive territory for 2015. The Dow and Nasdaq also turned up for the year so far.
The advance was broad, with the S&P materials, energy and technology sectors each rising more than 2 percent, leading the day's gains.
Though slightly above expectations, initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped from the prior week, pointing to a firming labor market ahead of Friday's key monthly payrolls report.
"We're at the point where the jobs reports have been coming in consistently in the 200,000 or 200,000-plus range. I think that just keeps the Fed on track for everything we're expecting," said Michael O'Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Also boosting sentiment, continued weak euro zone data has been lifting optimism that the European Central Bank will take more aggressive action.
U.S. crude oil, whose free-fall was among the catalysts for the recent selloff in stocks, gained for a second day, settling at $48.79 per barrel. The S&P energy index rose 2.2 percent.
Signs that oil prices may be stabilizing have boosted investor sentiment, although market analysts were still not ready to say prices had found a floor.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 323.35 points, or 1.84 percent, to 17,907.87, the S&P 500 gained 36.24 points, or 1.79 percent, to 2,062.14 and the Nasdaq Composite added 85.72 points, or 1.84 percent, to 4,736.19.
The S&P 500's two-day gains were its biggest since the Dec. 17-18 Federal Reserve-fueled rally of 4.5 percent. Minutes from that December Fed meeting released Wednesday reassured investors the central bank was in no hurry to start raising interest rates.
The S&P also snapped back above its 50-day average, a technical support level it fell below on Monday.
"Weak hands are being forced to chase. There's a fear of missing out on the rally," O'Rourke said.
About 7.1 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges, above the 6.7 billion average for the last five sessions, according to BATS Global Markets.
Biotechs were among the most active shares. Bind Therapeutics shares surged 37.1 percent to $7.06, a day after the company said it enrolled its first patient in a mid-stage trial for its lung cancer drug.
Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by 2,396 to 718, for a 3.34-to-1 ratio; on the Nasdaq, 2,048 issues rose and 702 fell, for a 2.92-to-1 ratio.
The S&P 500 posted 60 new 52-week highs and 8 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 88 new highs and 32 new lows. | 1 | [
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FMD3349 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room tonight 6:00 PM PST | 8:00 PM CST | 9:00 PM EST for this special broadcast. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for bar fly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher and Spore along side Andy Nowicki (The Nameless One) for the hundred and thirtieth episode of BOILER ROOM. Turn it up, tune in and hang with the ACR Brain-Trust for this weeks boil downs and analysis and the usual gnashing of the teeth of the political animals in the social reject club.Hesher, Spore, Jay Dyer and Andy Nowicki representing the ACR Brain-Trust with their continuing analysis of the Mandalay Bay Massacre. The details, the anomalies, opinions, hypotheses and the questions we came up with in the days after the event.Direct Download Episode #130 Please like and share the program and visit our donate page to get involved! Reference Links, for your consideration and research: | 0 | [
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FMD3350 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: RICHMOND, VA. — Here in the onetime capital of the Confederacy, at the end of the city’s Slave Trail, stands the latest repository for the dream of L. Douglas Wilder. The building, with Greek Doric columns flanking the entrance, was once the home of Richmond’s first Baptist church. For the trailblazing Mr. Wilder, the nation’s first elected governor, it represents the ideal setting for the United States National Slavery Museum, an institution he has struggled to create for nearly two and a half decades. The building is only an hour’s drive from the Fredericksburg site where Mr. Wilder’s first vision for the project, a $100 million museum designed by one of the world’s leading architecture firms, collapsed amid a welter of debt and recriminations. Two years ago, Mr. Wilder announced his latest plan at a news conference at the state Capitol, a more modest proposal, in an existing building in a town he’s long called home and where his government service and star power can still draw admirers. But this museum project appears no closer to reality than the last. The organization’s most recent tax filing, for 2014, reveals contributions of $0. His new site, the former First African Baptist Church, is still owned by Virginia Commonwealth University and houses its department of clinical laboratory services. And just over a away, where a notorious compound known as “The Devil’s Half Acre†stood, a competing slavery museum proposal — championed by this city’s mayor and seeded with $18 million in state and city funding — is barreling toward groundbreaking in the fall of 2017. As the $540 million National Museum of African American History and Culture on the Mall in Washington prepares to open this fall, more attention than ever will be paid to the story of slavery and emancipation that Mr. Wilder has sought to recount and memorialize. But his institution will not be a part of that conversation, its artifacts in storage, its allies dwindling and its prospects approaching quixotic. Mr. Wilder, still prickly and proud at 85, remains undaunted. He declined to comment for this article, but in a memoir published last year, he said he’s optimistic his museum could be ready by 2019, the 400th anniversary of the first African slaves arriving in Jamestown. “My struggle has constantly been referred to as a ‘personal crusade,’ implying that it is something I would benefit from in some way,†Mr. Wilder wrote in “Son of Virginia: A Life in America’s Political Arena. †“Combating that assumption is one reason I have persisted. This is not a personal crusade but a national necessity. †And the grit of this grandson of slaves, who served in Korea but still had to leave Virginia to find a law school that would admit him, has long been acknowledged. “Governor Wilder has always struck me as a man of great determination and persistence,†said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg. “For him to accomplish what he did, starting in the days of Jim Crow, is an extraordinary accomplishment. And sometimes persistent, determined politicians need to remain persistent and determined to get their initiatives to come to fruition. †The inspiration for a slavery museum came to Mr. Wilder during a trade mission to Africa he took as governor of Virginia in the early 1990s. In Senegal, he toured the slave houses and, as he recounts in his memoir, “saw how human beings were stuffed into bins, inspected and priced like products, branded like cattle, and packed into the holds of ships. †“I returned from Africa,†he added, “with a single thought burning in my mind: We had to tell the story and keep our history alive as a charge of eternal vigilance. †Last decade, he appeared close to realizing his vision. The museum project was given 38 acres by a developer to use as part of a “Celebrate Virginia†tourism and shopping complex in Fredericksburg. The architect C. C. Pei, a son of I. M. Pei, designed a modernist building, its two halves connected by an atrium in which a replica of a slave ship was to be hung. Bill Cosby donated $1. 2 million. Companies like Philip Morris USA and the Wachovia Corporation pledged sums. By 2011, though, the museum, strapped for funds to pay city real estate taxes, filed for bankruptcy. Some people who had donated their treasured artifacts demanded them back. The land where the museum was supposed to rise was sold last year. A mix of bafflement and bad feelings still resides in Fredericksburg. “The first inkling I had that something wasn’t right was when Wilder came and met with the Fredericksburg City Council in a closed session,†in 2001, said the city’s mayor at the time, Bill Beck. “He was obviously sincere about the issue and the subject matter. But it struck me that for a guy who’d been talking about a museum at that point for a number of years he really hadn’t given much thought to how a museum operates and what a museum is. †Mr. Wilder first told the council his museum would cover a period of history that ended with the Civil War, Mr. Beck said. Then, a few minutes later, he suggested that the museum should take the story through the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. Mr. Beck said that he was frustrated by the lack of transparency and professionalism surrounding the project. He said the council, for example, learned the museum might be coming to Fredericksburg only when Mr. Wilder broke the news at a gathering of slave descendants at Montpelier, the estate of James Madison. “He never did any of the things you would do in terms of starting a museum,†he said. Mr. Beck, an antiques dealer, said he was not impressed by items from the collection displayed at a local university in 2004 and didn’t think the museum had hired enough professionals to staff such an ambitious venture. “He never did anything practical,†he said. “It was all show. †In his memoir, Mr. Wilder writes that he’s at a loss “to fully explain why the project got so badly bogged down. †Several possible culprits are cited: the city’s refusal to grant the museum status competition from other museums, including the Smithsonian’s museum a deep recession. But foremost, Mr. Wilder said he felt the location was all wrong. Fredericksburg, he wrote in his memoir, was “off the beaten track for tourism. †Mr. Beck, told of that explanation, tried, but failed, to suppress a chuckle. A significant Civil War battle was fought in Fredericksburg, and George Washington’s boyhood home is just across the river. “We’re not Rockefeller Center,†he said, “but that’s really kind of silly. †Mr. Wilder has maintained that Richmond was always his first choice for the museum and that he’s learned from previous missteps. “The vision that we had in Fredericksburg was grandiose,†Mr. Wilder said in 2014. “That’s not going to be the case here. The building is built, and it would fit the needs of the museum. †Except that some of the problems from Fredericksburg — communication breakdowns with local officials, for example — have resurfaced in Richmond. The building, the former First African Baptist Church, holds deep significance for Mr. Wilder. As a child, he attended Sunday school there, and both his father and grandfather were deacons and trustees. Yet its owner, V. C. U. — where the School of Government and Public Affairs is named after Mr. Wilder and where he teaches — was caught off guard by his formal announcement. Although Mr. Wilder had casually mentioned the idea to the university’s president over lunch a week before the news conference, the university said no commitment was given. More than two years later, little has changed. In a statement, V. C. U. acknowledged Mr. Wilder’s interest and noted that state funding had come through for a new building for the School of Allied Health Professions that would allow the school to vacate the former church. But, the statement continued, “a number of details about construction of the new building and relocation of the offices will need to be worked out before we can continue the conversation about the slavery museum proposal. †Talks with the city — which controls the state funding for a heritage site — have been nonexistent. “I have not heard from anyone about any new ideas for another museum,†Mayor Dwight C. Jones said. Mr. Jones talks emotionally about the historical imperative of building a slavery museum in a city replete with Confederate monuments. But he and others favor not the church but a new museum and pavilion on the site of what was once Lumpkin’s Jail, where slaves were held in horrific conditions before being sold at auction. During the height of the interstate slave trade, when Richmond trailed only New Orleans in sales, Lumpkin’s was arguably the most infamous slave jail in the center of the city’s chattel business. After the Civil War, Robert Lumpkin’s widow, a former slave named Mary, leased the property to a Baptist minister seeking to build a seminary for freed slaves. It eventually became Virginia Union University. What had been known as “The Devil’s Half Acre†had become “God’s Half Acre. †“You had enslavement you had emancipation then education and enlightenment,†said Delores L. McQuinn, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and chairwoman of the Richmond Slave Trail Commission. Ms. McQuinn, a champion of the jail site, recalled bumping into Mr. Wilder several years ago during a ceremony to unveil plaques honoring who served Virginia during Reconstruction. “I said to him at the time: ‘You’re looking for a museum, and we’re working toward that. Is it something we could join forces to do? ’†Ms. McQuinn said. “He said he’d get back with me. I have not heard anything from him. †And it’s difficult to imagine much good will between those behind the two projects since Mr. Wilder, who served as mayor before Mr. Jones, publicly lambasted his successor and his administration earlier this year. Mr. Jones did not answer directly when asked if Mr. Wilder’s criticism made cooperation more difficult, saying only, “We have the money, we have the site, and what we’re doing is going to happen. †The city’s plans for the jail site are underway. Architectural and engineering contracts will be awarded soon, and the groundbreaking is projected for next year. Mr. Jones controls $10 million committed by the state and another $8 million from the city for the project. It’s unclear how much money Mr. Wilder’s museum organization has at this point. The museum was able to sell the land in Fredericksburg last year for $400, 000. The math and the politics do not look promising for Mr. Wilder. “The city’s project seems to be on a firmer financial footing, and that will be decisive in all likelihood,†said Mr. Farnsworth, the professor. “And I’m not sure that two separate visions for the same project can both be constructed. †Still, Mr. Farnsworth doesn’t count out the tenacious Mr. Wilder from securing a role in whatever slavery museum does get built in Richmond. A rambunctious mayoral election is underway. The incumbent, Mr. Jones, is bumping up against term limits. Eight candidates are vying to succeed him. At least one is considered an ally of Mr. Wilder, who recently helped organize and moderate a mayoral forum. Yes, L. Douglas Wilder’s embrace may not carry as much weight as it did when he was governor or Richmond mayor. But he is still L. Douglas Wilder, still a Virginia institution, and he does not go down easy. | 1 | [
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FMD3351 | 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 President Obama took office, we were losing 700,000 jobs a month. Now we've had job growth, I think, for 24 consecutive months.
contextual information: In the contest for the hearts and minds of voters, Democrats have been claiming that the economy is truly improving, while Republicans assert that they can make the anemic recovery even more robust. During the online-only portion of the Aug. 28 Providence Journal-WPRI debate among Democrats David Cicilline and Anthony Gemma, both running in the 1st Congressional District, incumbent Cicilline was asked how he would tackle the massive national debt. Cicilline stated that, in addition to cutting spending and closing loopholes in the tax system, the pace of job creation needs to increase. "When President Obama took office, we were losing 700,000 jobs a month. Now we've had job growth, I think, for 24 consecutive months," he said. We've heard a lot of chatter about the job numbers and whether they truly indicate a recovery, so we decided to look further. First, let's examine what the employment situation was like when Obama took office. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that in January 2009, when the president was sworn in, the country lost 818,000 jobs. (The numbers do not include farm workers and are adjusted for seasonal shifts in employment, but that's the standard way of calculating employment and unemployment rates.) That's 17 percent more than the 700,000 jobs Cicilline cited. (To put the numbers in perspective, the losses for the first three full months that Obama was in office averaged 738,000 per month. The average job loss for the last three full months of the Bush administration was 651,000.) When it comes to the number of months in which the United States has had job growth, Cicilline's timeframe was also somewhat off. BLS data show that the last time the United States lost jobs was in September 2010, when 27,000 jobs were lost. That's 22 months ago, not 24. How significant have the increases been? Gary Burtless, a labor economist at the Brookings Institution, told PolitiFact National in May that the economy needs to create 90,000 to 100,000 jobs each month just to keep pace with the number of people entering the workforce. During 7 of those 22 months, including as recently as April, May, and June of this year, job growth was below 100,000. In 8 of the 22 months, it was over 200,000. When we asked his campaign for the source of Cicilline's statement, spokeswoman Nicole Kayner sent us a White House blog item from Aug. 3 reporting: "The economy has now added private sector jobs for 29 straight months." We confirmed that with the BLS database, but this is for non-government jobs, and Cicilline didn't make that distinction in his debate comment. Our ruling: In the debate, U.S. Rep. David Cicilline said, "When President Obama took office, we were losing 700,000 jobs a month. Now we've had job growth, I think, for 24 consecutive months." We want to note, as we have repeatedly, that even though there's been improvement in the job numbers during the Obama administration, a president's ability to influence the economy is severely limited. As for Cicilline's comment, he understated the job losses occurring when President Obama took office and, by the most commonly used measure, he overstated by two months the timespan of continued job growth. However, his main point—that there has been growth for nearly two years—is sound. Because the statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information, we rule it Mostly True. (Get updates from PolitiFact Rhode Island on Twitter: @politifactri. To comment or offer your ruling, visit us on our PolitiFact Rhode Island Facebook page.) | 1 | [
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FMD3352 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein appeared on MSNBC to discuss the North Korean crisis. Did anyone really expect her to have anything of value to say on the subject, or is Stein being used by the media so viewers will play clips of the incredibly ignorant and hilarious comments Stein during the MSNBC interview over and over again. You know, kind of like a cheap marketing campaign.Crazy Lil Kim, and before him, his father, have been flexing their nuclear muscle for years. There is clearly a dominant crazy gene in that family and to ignore it or pretend they are somehow victims of the US, now that they appear to have nuclear missiles capable of hitting Chicago, Los Angeles or Denver would be almost as stupid as Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.Watch:WATCH: @DrJillStein: North Korea has been demonized by US, forced to attain Nukes. Russian interference based on circumstantial evidence pic.twitter.com/S3BMtodjuf Yashar Ali (@yashar) July 31, 2017The only victims here are the 200 people who watched this insane interview on MSNBC tonight. | 0 | [
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FMD3353 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: A lawyer for two Myanmar journalists detained in Bangladesh while reporting on the influx of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar said on Monday he had been denied access to them amid concern over their well-being. The journalists, Minzayar Oo and Hkun Lat, were detained more than a week ago in the Cox s Bazar border district in Bangladesh, where refugees are arriving from Myanmar to escape a military offensive against insurgents that the United Nations has described as ethnic cleansing. Bangladesh police said the pair were detained for engaging in journalistic work for a German magazine while on tourist visas. On Thursday, a court refused them bail. Jyotirmoy Barua, their lawyer, said he had gone to the prison to meet them about a petition he planned to file in a higher court seeking their release. But prison authorities refused him permission and did not say why, he said, adding that he had asked for court and police documents to prepare an appeal on behalf of the two. Myanmar has said it is seeking information about the two through diplomatic channels. More than 410,000 refugees from Myanmar have poured into Bangladesh since Aug. 25, when attacks by Rohingya militants on security posts triggered a Myanmar army operation in response. Myanmar denies ethnic cleansing, saying its forces are conducting a legitimate campaign against terrorists. Germany s GEO magazine, which had assigned Minzayar Oo to cover the Rohingya crisis, said he had traveled to Bangladesh on Sept. 6, along with Hkun Lat, and was detained the next day. We are very concerned that the lawyer is being denied access, Christoph Kucklick, editor-in-chief of GEO, said in a joint statement with Adrian Evans, director of Panos Pictures, of which Minzayar Oo is a member. Even more disconcerting is that the authorities are stating that Minzayar Oo and Hkun Lat were detained on September 13 whereas in reality they have been in police custody since September 7, the magazine said. We need to know that they are well treated and physically unharmed. Minzayar Oo is one of Myanmar s most prominent photographers and has worked for various media outlets, covering the country s emergence from military rule. Hkun Lat is also a well-known photographer in Myanmar and has won prizes for his coverage of conflict in frontier regions. | 1 | [
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FMD3354 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: This story is for everyone who believes hundreds of thousands of Muslim Syrian refugees will assimilate once they re dumped in America. Here s a newsflash these mostly Muslim men are not going to come to America and assimilate. The body of a 20-year-old Syrian woman, Rokstan M., was unearthed from a shallow grave in the small Saxon town of Dessau last week. Her father and brothers stabbed her to death on her mother s orders, after she was gang-raped by three men. The rape left her unclean and the mother allegedly demanded the killing to restore the family s honor. German police are seeking the father and brothers. That by itself is not newsworthy; what is newsworthy is the news itself, which appeared in not one of Germany s major daily newspapers or websites. The tabloid Bild-Zeitung ran the story, along with the regional press, while the arbiters of enlightened opinion buried it. Der Spiegel, the country s biggest news site, and the Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung, the newspaper of record, made no mention.The case of Rokstan M. is heart-rending. She had found work in Germany as a translator for the government, but she knew her family would track her down and kill her. I am awaiting death. But I am too young to die, she had written on a social media profile. Her story deserves a line or two in the quality press. But it s one of many that German leaders want to ignore.Political leaders in Germany which may absorb 1.5 million migrants this year are struggling to respond to reports of a sex crime epidemic among newly-arrived Muslims. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere urged Germans not to believe rumors of widespread rape at refugee centers, while Germany s police union chief Rainer Wendt warned, There is a lot of glossing over going on. But this doesn t represent reality. Wendt added, It is understandable that there is the desire to calm things down politically. Germany s elite knows perfectly well that the migrants bring social pathologies, because they have already seen the world s worst sex crime epidemic unfold in Scandinavia. Sweden now has the highest incidence of reported rape outside of a few African countries, and nearly ten times the rate of its European peers and all this has happened in the past ten years. Sweden ranks near the top of the World Economic Forum s Gender Gap Index, yet it has become the most dangerous country for women outside of Africa, with an incidence of rape ten times that of its European peers. Sweden s political leaders not only refuse to take action, but have made it a criminal offense to talk about it.Even in liberated, feminist, gender-neutral Sweden, there is something more horrible than rape, something horrible enough to persuade the political elite to sacrifice the physical and mental health of tens of thousands of Swedish women. That is the horror of social disintegration in the Muslim world. Sweden opened its borders to refugees twenty years before the migrant flood arrived on Germany s doorstep, and the foreign born rose from 9% of the population in 1990 to 15.4% in 2012. Foreigners have a higher birth rate, so the percentage is higher including second-generation immigrants.There have been protests, to be sure, and nationalist parties like the Sweden Democrats have gained support on an anti-immigration platform, but Sweden will remain supine as its social fabric unravels. So, I expect, will Germany. Europe is transfixed by the horror unfolding from Libya to Afghanistan, as one of the world s major civilizations unravels in real time. In its moment of agony, the Muslim world s most potent weapon is its own weakness. The human cost of the collapse of Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria is horrendous, but it is small thus far compared to the horrors that would attend instability in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The West can t bear to look at it. Via: Asia TimesUnfortunately, stories like these are not uncommon in predominately Muslim countries.Here is an 18 year old female who was left for dead after her family failed in their attempt to kill her crime of marrying a man for love: | 0 | [
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FMD3355 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Calling himself a proud saboteur of the Brexit process, Britain s Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable on Tuesday appealed to opponents in all parties to put aside differences and fight a divorce from the European Union. The fourth-largest party with 12 representatives in the 650-seat parliament, the Liberal Democrats are hoping to become the lightning rod for any rise in anti-Brexit sentiment as Prime Minister Theresa May s government edges closer to leaving the EU in March 2019. Cable, an economist who was business minister in the 2010 to 2015 Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, has redoubled his party s criticism of the decision to leave the EU since becoming party leader in July. I want our party to lead the fight against Brexit, Cable said in his address to the party s autumn conference. He called for a new referendum, describing Brexit as a looming disaster. In the real world, we have yet to experience the full impact of leaving Europe. But we ve had a taste of what is to come in the fall of the value of the pound, Cable said. Sterling fell by as much as 20 percent against the dollar in the months after the June 2016 EU referendum. It has recovered around half those losses, in part thanks to increasing expectations of an interest rate hike to ease inflation, but the pound is still 9 percent down on pre-Brexit levels. Foreign exchange dealers are not point-scoring politicians, they make cool, hard, unsentimental judgments. Quite simply, that Brexit Britain will be poorer and weaker than if we had decided to stay in Europe, Cable said. He also said the government was relying too heavily on its relationship with the United States to help it adjust to life after Brexit, criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump as volatile, and dangerous and an apologist for religious and racial hatred. Opposition to Brexit has been emboldened after May failed to win a clear mandate for her exit strategy at a snap election in June. She lost her majority in parliament but kept power thanks to a deal with a small Northern Irish party. Cable said Britons had a democratic right to a second referendum once the final terms of the Brexit deal become clear. At the end of these tortuous divorce negotiations, the British public must be given a vote on the outcome, he said. But polls show little sign of a radical shift in public opinion against Brexit. Polling firm YouGov said a significant proportion of the 48 percent who voted against Brexit now thought the government had a duty to leave. Only 27 percent of Britons want to reverse the decision, they said. Cable, whose centrist party went from junior coalition partner to near extinction in the 2015 election, made only small gains in the June election having set out the party s stall as the most pro-EU party in British politics. Cable has previously said he expects dissatisfaction with Brexit to grow as the negotiations develop, and called for opponents from all parties to come together to oppose the divorce. We have got to put aside tribal differences and work alongside like-minded people to keep the Single Market and Customs Union, so essential for trade and jobs, he said. | 1 | [
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FMD3356 | 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 a Doctor Mourning a Woman Who Died During Childbirth? Claim summaries: A photograph reportedly depicts a crying doctor mourning for a patient who died in childbirth after she had struggled with fertility.
contextual information: On 5 September 2017, the Facebook page "Babies Are Beautiful" (@babofficial) posted a story accompanied by a photograph of a crying doctor. The narrative, purportedly penned by the unnamed doctor, told of a woman who gave birth under highly implausible medical circumstances, only to die after her child was delivered: @babofficial posted Today is the saddest day of my life. As a Doctor, I have handled so many pregnant women in Labour and every time am in the delivery room I always pray to God to bless all mothers. The pain women go through in the delivery room is undescribable and this does not include the 9 months they spent carrying the baby. They go through a lot just to bring forth new life. Today I cried bitterly because I lost a woman, we don't pray for things like this to happen but sometimes God may have other plans. Why is this woman's case so painful? She has been barren for 14 years! We have tried IVF & so many method known to man, the woman went through a lot. Finally God blessed her, it was way beyond science and human knowledge. She just got pregnant despite the fact she has ovarian cyst and huge load of fibroids, brethren she got pregnant. Her fibroid started melting and everything was OK, I know that's God, he will do things just to show off his glory and awesomeness. After 9 months, it was time, her husband rushed her to the hospital and quickly I left everything that I was doing and attended to her. She laboured for hours, after 7 hours, it was so painful so we decided to open her up. We lost her but the baby was alive,. Before her death, she held the baby in her arms and smiled "God is great" and then she gave up the ghost. I was devastated and sad, I went to broke the news to her husband myself, upon hearing the news, her husband fainted, their happy day just turned sour. We lost a live just to deliver a new life today. Please respect women because they pass through the valley of death to bring life. Respect your wife! Carrying your baby for 9 months is no jokes and labouring for hours to give birth to your children is a huge sacrifice. I pray to God to please protect everyone reading this, especially pregnant women, please put them in your prayers. Dear husband, I repeat respect your wife because she is truly the giver of life. May God strengthen all pregnant women, you will all deliver your babies like the women of Hebrew. Don't ignore this post, share to others it is very important because the women in our lives should be worshipped. Please if you are having problems with your mother and you refused to call her, I beg you to CALL HER NOW! she went through hell to give birth to you. Show some love to women, they are super. Please share. GOD BLESS WOMEN ? In just over 24 hours, the post was shared more than half a million times. The Facebook page that posted the tale, "Babies Are Beautiful," appeared to be affiliated with an online baby supply shop (babbyy.com) which listed a California phone number and Delaware address as its contact information. However, the babbyy.com domain was registered by an owner in Nigeria. address registered The nature of the story suggested that the tale was fabricated to rack up Facebook likes and shares. (The majority of recent posts on the page were similar "likebait" photographs, sometimes directing users to "type amen.") No details were provided about the name of the doctor or location of the hospital, and commenters who identified themselves as medical professionals were quick to point out weak spots in the story: likes type amen Those commenters noted that, among other things, the purported patient would have been treated as high-risk and obtained a C-section, that uterine fibroids are not typically fatal, and that details of the account did not align with the actual origins of the photograph. zge Metin Photography was credited for the photograph of the crying doctor (which bears a watermark in Turkish) and posted it to Instagram on 6 September 2017. In the post's comment thread, photographer zge Metin confirmed the "Babies Are Beautiful" post was a hoax, as the father captured in the image was crying tears of joy after the birth of his healthy baby: Instagram confirmed kole.photography [link] Another stolen post. What a beautiful photo! You should get credit. elia_79 Hi is this a sad story or it is just a hoax on internet ozgemetinphotography @elia_79 This Crying Father is photo of mine, i took it. The Father was crying because his baby was born as a healthy baby. Not because his wife died, his wife did not die. This story is not true. elia_79 @ozgemetinphotography ughh thank you so much. Yes I saw that it had your picture on it that's why I looked you up in Instagram thank you so much. Great pictureozgemetinphotography@elia_79 We contacted babbyy.com and reached the owner, Alex Onyia, who told us that the photograph was not meant to depict the events in the story, which he said had been sent in by a fan of the Facebook page. He claimed that the company had reached out to photographer zge Metin on Instagram and had secured permission to use her photographs, but given the Metin's comments on Instagram, we doubt that this is the case. Onyia also maintained that the story was genuine, although he had not verified that the person who wrote it was an actual doctor: "We have featured so many similar stories over the years and all are genuine." Although sharing the false story and misused photograph posed little danger to Facebook users, it did bolster the reach of a dubious Facebook page attached to a retail outlet of unknown reliability. | 0 | [
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FMD3357 | 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 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez unsuccessful in voting for her own bill? Claim summaries: Some people might benefit from acquiring an understanding of how the U.S. Congress actually works.
contextual information: On 7 February 2019, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, both Democrats, introduced a five-page nonbinding resolution to the U.S. House of Representatives for the federal government to recognize its duty to establish a "Green New Deal." The controversial proposal incorporated seven goals previously articulated by Ocasio-Cortez for the U.S. to realize within ten years: dramatically expanding existing renewable power sources and deploying new production capacity with the goal of meeting 100% of national power demand through renewable sources; building a national, energy-efficient smart grid; upgrading every residential and industrial building for state-of-the-art energy efficiency, comfort, and safety; eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing, agriculture, and other industries, including by investing in local-scale agriculture in communities across the country; repairing and improving transportation and other infrastructure, and upgrading water infrastructure to ensure universal access to clean water; funding massive investments in the drawdown of greenhouse gases; and making green technology, industry, expertise, products, and services a major export of the United States, with the aim of becoming the undisputed international leader in helping other countries transition to completely greenhouse gas-neutral economies and bringing about a global Green New Deal. The broader proposal also called for sweeping social measures such as "a job guarantee program to assure a living wage job to every person who wants one," "basic income programs," and "universal health care programs." On 26 March 2019, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell forced a preemptive vote in the U.S. Senate on a procedural motion to take up a binding form of the resolution, deriding the Green New Deal as a plan for "basically outlawing the only sources of energy that working-class and middle-class families can actually afford," which would kill off entire domestic industries and eliminate millions of jobs. Democrats criticized McConnell's move as a "sham" intended to "quash debate by blocking public hearings and expert testimony about the consequences of inaction on climate change" and to hasten a vote in order to force Senate Democrats to commit to either supporting or rejecting the proposal at a very early stage. The criticism suggested that Republicans set up this vote to highlight potential splits in the Democratic caucus and force lawmakers to splinter from a high-profile, progressive idea. As the thinking goes, if only part of the Democratic caucus wound up backing the idea, Republicans could argue that it didn't actually have enough support from the party. Additionally, the move aimed to put Democrats from more moderate states in a tough position, forcing them to choose between backing a popular liberal idea and potentially turning off some of their constituents. "The Senate vote is a perfect example of that kind of superficial approach to government," Ocasio-Cortez said. "What McConnell's doing is trying to rush this bill to the floor without a hearing, without any markups, without working through committee because he doesn't want to save our planet. He thinks we can drink oil in 30 years when all our water is poisoned." In the end, most Democrats didn't bite. All 53 Republicans in the Senate voted against the plan, but they were joined by just three Democrats and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine (who caucuses with Democrats). The remaining 43 Democratic senators all declined to commit and merely voted present in protest of the GOP's action. The procedural motion was thus voted down by a 57-0 margin. A meme circulated online afterward, offensively portraying Rep. Ocasio-Cortez as a "100% retard" for failing to "even vote for [her] own bill." The implications of that meme were wrong on two counts: 1) The Senate was not voting on whether to accept or reject Ocasio-Cortez's "Green New Deal" resolution. What the Senate voted on was a different form of the resolution, and what they voted against was not the resolution itself but a motion for cloture, the step of agreeing to end debate on a bill so that Senate consideration of it can move forward. This was not the non-binding Green New Deal resolution introduced by Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Feb. 7. Instead, this was a version that McConnell himself introduced, and it was a binding resolution. Instead of voting on whether "it is the sense of the Senate" that the government has a duty to create a Green New Deal, senators would have been skipping ahead to vote on whether the Green New Deal should become "the policy of the United States," without so much as a hearing. Under Senate rules, making it binding was the only way McConnell could hold a show vote without the usual process of assigning the legislation to the appropriate committees for discussion and debate. That would put a public spotlight on experts testifying and debate over climate solutions, something McConnell sought to avoid. Technically, the Senate voted on whether to end debate on McConnell's motion to proceed to consideration of his version of a Green New Deal resolution. This "cloture" vote wasn't on the substance of the Green New Deal. McConnell's aim was not to actually consider the Green New Deal, which he describes as a "socialist" plan that would "uproot life as we know it." He was hoping the vote would kill talk of a Green New Deal in its infancy while putting Democrats on the spot. 2) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, not a member of the U.S. Senate, and thus she had no opportunity to vote on the cloture motion at all. In short, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez didn't "neglect" or "forget" to participate in the referenced Green New Deal vote; she wasn't eligible to take part in it because she isn't a member of the Senate. Nor was the vote that took place in the Senate one that directly addressed the merits or deficiencies of her Green New Deal resolution. | 0 | [
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FMD3358 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Hungary could face financial consequences if it defies a European court ruling ordering it to accept its allocated share of refugees arriving in Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a newspaper interview. The remarks suggest a hardening of Germany s line on the right-wing Hungarian government of Viktor Orban, who has been outspoken in his opposition to an agreement that each European Union country should agree to take in a quota of refugees. Anyone who rejects this solidarity must accept that this will not be without consequences, including for negotiations over future financial support, Merkel said in the interview with Nordwest Zeitung published on Friday. Merkel s tougher line, which comes a week before parliamentary elections in which the conservative is running for a fourth term as Chancellor, mirrors the position of Martin Schulz, her Social Democratic rival, who has long been a fierce critic of Orban s nativist style. More than 1.5 million migrants and refugees have arrived in Europe since 2015, many fleeing war in the Middle East. The EU s highest court ruled on Sept. 6 that member states must take in a share of the refugees, dismissing complaints by Slovakia and Hungary and reigniting an east-west row that has shaken the Union s cohesion. A suspension of financial support could have serious fiscal consequences for Hungary, which has prospered on the back of large claims on EU cohesion and development funds. Hungary has been allocated 25 billion euros ($30 billion) in European Structural and Investment funds via a range of programs over the period 2014-2020, according to the European Union website. Orban, who has built border fences and made keeping out migrants a key plank of his re-election campaign for next year, this week announced plans for a national consultation on Brussels plans to distribute asylum-seekers in the EU. | 1 | [
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FMD3359 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Paul Ryan nervously giggled during the Republican announcement of the budget and Obamacare replacement this morning. It s interesting to watch all of the Republicans in the video below skip over the elephant in the room by redirecting everyone to other items THEY consider to be positive. Ryan emphasized the funding for border patrol but skipped right over the border wall funding.Why does the left bother with Resistance theatrics when the Republican Congress funds their entire wish list anyway?Is funding the NIH (National Institutes for Health) with 2 BILLION dollars a good thing? That bloated and very wasteful item needs to be looked at more closely. Remember shrimp on a treadmill? Drunk monkeys? Yes, this is the organization that gives out YOUR tax dollars to people to do crazy experiments that are honestly wasteful.The other things like funding Sanctuary Cities? Is anyone else puzzled by this?Why are the Republicans constantly trying to appease the Democrats?Please skip to the 5:15 mark in the video:This is a loser spending bill for the American people! | 0 | [
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FMD3360 | 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: Tax rates were significantly higher in the '40s, the '50s, and the '60s.
contextual information: In a free-wheeling interview on the Fox News Network, Bill O'Reilly and Hillary Clinton mixed it up over gas prices, health care, and taxes. On taxes, Clinton and O'Reilly argued about what tax rates were like when their fathers were working. Clinton: You were growing up on Long Island. I was growing up outside of Chicago. You know, my dad got up every day. He was a small business man. He worked his head off, but he didn't feel like the deck was stacked against him. He thought, OK, I'm going to be treated fairly if I do my part. O'Reilly: Here's where you're wrong. In my neighborhood, Levittown, there was no income distribution at all. There was earning money. And you kept most of it because taxes were really low. Clinton: That is not true. Look at the tax rates in the '40s, the '50s, and the '60s. O'Reilly: For the wealthy they were high, but not for my dad. Clinton: Well, so why don't we go back to what we had in the '50s and the '60s then? Go back to 70 percent... O'Reilly: Because there were no wealthy people then. There were very, very few. Clinton: When President Kennedy made that dramatic announcement he was going to cut the top rate from 90 percent to 70 percent, people stood up and cheered. All I want to do is get back to what worked in the '90s. We wondered who was right in this exchange and what the tax rates were when Clinton and O'Reilly were young. Today, tax rates range from 10 percent for lower incomes to 35 percent for the highest incomes. (See a chart of tax rates over timefrom the Tax Foundation here.) Kennedy urged tax cuts that went into effect in 1964. Prior to that, tax rates started at 20 percent for the lowest bracket and went up to 91 percent for the highest bracket. The rates were similar throughout the 1940s and 1950s. We looked at incomes and tax rates in 1963, then adjusted for inflation and looked at today's tax rates. We found: * A person making $2,500 a year in 1963 was taxed at 22 percent. Today that would be $17,445, taxed at 15 percent. * A person making $5,000 a year in 1963 was taxed at 26 percent. Today that would be $34,890, taxed at 25 percent. * A person making $10,000 a year in 1963 was taxed at 34 percent. Today that would be $69,780, taxed at 25 percent. * A person making $15,000 a year in 1963 was taxed at 47 percent. Today that would be $104,670, taxed at 28 percent. * A person making $25,000 a year in 1963 was taxed at 59 percent. Today that would be $174,450, taxed at 33 percent. The 1963 rates are higher than today's rates. It's true that the tax code is substantially different today, with many credits and rules that didn't exist then. But on the question of income tax rates, we find that Hillary Clinton has her history right. We rate her statement True. | 1 | [
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FMD3361 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: ... The (Donbas) problem arose after the coup in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in 2014 when the residents of the region, mostly Russian-speaking, supported the establishment of two popular republics to confront the new Ukrainian regime that they rejected.
The response of the revolutionaries was to launch a military campaign against their opponents in the Donbas region. | 0 | [
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FMD3362 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former business executive Carly Fiorina ended their presidential campaigns on Wednesday, narrowing the field challenging front-runner Donald Trump in the race for the 2016 Republican nomination. Christie, 53, said in a Facebook post he was leaving the race “without an ounce of regret,†a day after the combative Republican’s sixth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary raised doubts about his viability as a candidate. Fiorina, 61, a former Hewlett-Packard chief executive, said in a Facebook post she would suspend her campaign. The only woman in the Republican field placed seventh in New Hampshire, one of a series of state-by-state nominating contests for the Nov. 8 election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama. Trump’s remaining opponents, most of them mainstream Republicans, will likely benefit from their departures, which leave seven Republicans from a field that once had 17 candidates. Trump won the New Hampshire Republican primary by almost 20 points. The fifth-place finish of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who had hoped to emerge as Trump’s main rival after a surprise third-place showing in Iowa last week, leaves Trump without a clear challenger among the so-called establishment candidates. On the Democratic side, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a democratic socialist, easily defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary. The victories in both parties by candidates considered outsiders, testified to the sizable share of American voters upset over the slow economic recovery, immigration and America’s place in the world and who are willing to shake up Washington. Trump, 69, a billionaire businessman, has a double-digit lead over conservative Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in opinion polls for the next Republican contest, the South Carolina primary on Feb. 20, according to a Real Clear Politics average of opinion polls. Christie poured much of his campaign’s resources into New Hampshire and had considered a good showing there critical. He won only about 7 percent of votes on Tuesday, despite a pugnacious performance at a Republican debate last weekend. “Christie needed to drop out. In short, he does not have the money or organization to be viable in South Carolina and beyond,†said Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray. “Christie was certainly hurt by Trump stealing his ‘telling it like it is thunder,’ but Christie was also out-organized in the ultimate retail politics state,†Murray said. SANDERS COURTS AFRICAN-AMERICANS Trump’s victory in New Hampshire showed pundits were wrong to think he would quickly self-destruct based on his penchant for insults and imprecise plans for the presidency. He had lost last week to Cruz in the first nominating contest, the Iowa caucuses. Ohio’s Republican governor, John Kasich, finished second in New Hampshire, followed by Cruz, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Rubio. The odds of Trump winning the White House, once seen as an extremely long shot, improved significantly after his victory in New Hampshire, online betting site Ladbrokes PLC said. Trump is now at 9/2, compared with 7/1 last week, meaning his chances of victory in November are now 18 percent. Clinton still had the best odds of becoming president at 50/50, Ladbrokes said. On the Democratic side, Sanders, 74, courted the African-American vote on Wednesday, having breakfast with civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton at a restaurant in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. Clinton, 68, currently has strong support from black voters, who will be crucial in the Democratic primary in South Carolina on Feb. 27. Sharpton and Obama met at the same restaurant during Obama’s successful 2008 presidential campaign | 1 | [
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FMD3363 | 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 fact, theres more state funding for education today than any other time.
contextual information: Chris Christie heard the complaints often. He cut education funding and supports charter schools. He is hard on teachers, and his quest for tenure and other reforms is excessive. However, the governor continues to respond to those complaints with various versions of this refrain: New Jersey has the most funding allocated to education in state history. Christie reiterated this on November 2 during a gubernatorial campaign stop in Somers Point, when he and a public school teacher got into an argument. Christie was re-elected on Tuesday. In fact, there is more state funding for education today than at any other time, Christie said when the teacher cited the governor's education funding cuts as the reason he referred to New Jersey schools as "failure factories." Technically, Christie is correct about the level of education funding in New Jersey, but as we have pointed out in the past, there is more to this story that he does not address. First, let's return to that remark about "failure factories." Christie used it during a speech he gave on October 6 to the Orthodox Union in Teaneck, where he promoted his education policies. "I would be happy to take as many dollars as possible away from failure factories that send children on a nonstop route to prison and to failed dreams, if we could take that money and put it into a place where those families have hope," Christie said. Now, regarding the governor's point about education funding, Christie's proposed fiscal year 2014 budget called for nearly $9 billion in education funding, about $1 billion more than the previous year. Under that spending plan, state aid to schools increased by $97 million. While no district saw a decrease in state aid, many either received an increase of $1 or their funding remained the same as the previous year. At the time, Christie released a statement through the state Department of Education in which he touted the funding level while also emphasizing fiscal restraint. "However, even as we continue to fund education at the highest levels in state history, we must remain willing to reflect on how we are spending our money and work towards solutions that make every dollar we invest count," he said in the statement. We have previously run Christie's claim past Steve Wollmer, a spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union. Wollmer agreed that in terms of dollars, it is correct that the state has its highest-ever level of education funding. However, that does not mean there hasn't been a long-lasting downside to the cuts that Christie made during his first year as governor. He took office in January 2010. What he does not mention is that he cut $1.3 billion from state aid in his first year, withholding $475 million in aid in January, which was the amount that the state's nearly 600 districts had in total surpluses for unanticipated expenses (a new roof, a bus that needed replacing, an unanticipated special education placement), and another $820 million in the FY11 budget (which began for schools in September 2010), Wollmer said previously in a statement to PolitiFact New Jersey. Districts cut back dramatically, resulting in the layoff of 10,000 teachers and staff, cuts to programs, and increased class sizes. Those cuts continue to have a lasting impact, Wollmer said. In addition to the cuts, the New Jersey Supreme Court in 2011 ordered Christie to increase aid to the now-former Abbott districts by about $500 million. Our ruling: Christie last week said during an argument with a teacher, "In fact, there is more state funding for education today than at any other time." Critics frequently call the governor out for the massive funding cuts he has made to education since taking office and for either increasing state aid by a minimal amount or not at all. However, the fact of the matter is that despite the cuts, New Jersey's education funding level is the highest it has ever been. For that reason, we rate Christie's statement as true. To comment on this story, go to NJ.com. | 1 | [
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FMD3364 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The U.S. Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed South Carolina congressman Mick Mulvaney to serve as White House budget director in a 51-49 vote that largely followed party lines. Underscoring the rocky reception that President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees have had on Capitol Hill, the vote came as Republican Senator John McCain opposed Mulvaney along with 46 Democrats and two independents. McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Wednesday he was concerned about Mulvaney’s opposition to defense spending. An outspoken budget hawk who has been branded by Democrats as a threat to popular social programs including Social Security and Medicare, Mulvaney entered the House of Representatives as a Tea Party candidate in 2011 and is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Democrats have also criticized him for failing to pay more than $15,000 in taxes related to a household employee until after he was nominated. Mulvaney was narrowly approved earlier this month by both the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Homeland Security Committee, where McCain provided a crucial ‘yes’ vote to move the nomination forward. | 1 | [
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FMD3365 | 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 U.S. Government Found Guilty of Assassinating Martin Luther King, Jr.? Claim summaries: Conspiracy theorists hold that the United States government was sued and found culpable for the murder of the civil rights icon, but the news media refused to report it.
contextual information: Intermittently, rumors have circulated on social media holding that the United States government was found guilty in 1999 of conspiring to assassinate Martin Luther King, Jr. Furthermore, according to these rumors, the reason this relatively new information (King was murdered on 4 April 1968) comes as a surprise to many is the "mainstream media" intentionally suppressed it after the government's role in King's death was exposed: It's common for exaggerated claims to contain a few elements of truth, and that factor comes into play in this conspiracy theory rumor for a few reasons. One is rudimentary research would confirm the claim's basics (i.e., the verdict in a wrongful death civil action did allow that "government agencies" participated in a conspiracy to assassinate Dr. King), leading readers to believe the entirety of the rumor was factual. Another is the shaky foundation on which the conspiracy theory rests is a matter of some nuance. As well, the gravity of the trial's supposed conclusion, when contrasted with the relatively little public discussion of that addendum to King's life, has lent credence to the belief the trial in question and its outcome were deliberately omitted from the news. Historical figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. tend to be the subject of complicated conspiracy theories, particularly when they are vectors for widespread societal change. The man who was charged with King's murder, James Earl Ray, confessed to the crime and pled guilty; he then recanted his confession, hinted at a conspiracy, and sought to withdraw his guilty plea and secure a trial. However, any claim made by Ray about his guilt or innocence should be weighed against his strong incentive to be freed from prison (where he died in 1998). Also at issue is the difference between Ray's guilty plea in 1969, which avoided his undergoing a criminal trial, and the case cited by the rumors, which was a civil trial heard in 1999. The latter (King vs. Jowers) was a civil suit brought by agents of King's estate (including his widow, Coretta Scott King) against a man named Loyd Jowers, who claimed to have taken part in a conspiracy to assassinate King. In a criminal trial the guilt of the defendant must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, but in a civil suit the plaintiff need only support his claim with a preponderance of evidence to prevail. Loyd Jowers was a Memphis restaurant owner who inserted himself into the narrative about King's death in the course of a 1993 television interview during which he claimed to have been party to a larger conspiracy to assassinate King. However, Jowers had long asserted he had no involvement in the event before suddenly and bizarrely claiming, twenty-five years after the fact, he had been paid to hire a hit man to kill Martin Luther King. He then repudiated his claims when required to testify to them under oath: claiming At the time of the assassination, Loyd Jowers owned and operated Jim's Grill, a tavern below the rooming house where James Earl Ray rented a room on April 4, 1968. Until 1993, Jowers maintained in several public statements that he was merely serving customers in his tavern when Dr. King was shot. He did not claim any involvement in the assassination or significant knowledge about it. In December 1993, Jowers appeared on ABC's Prime Time Live and radically changed his story, claiming he participated in a plot to assassinate Dr. King. According to Jowers, a Memphis produce dealer, who was involved with the Mafia, gave him $100,000 to hire an assassin and assured him that the police would not be at the scene of the shooting. Jowers also reported that he hired a hit man to shoot Dr. King from behind Jim's Grill and received the murder weapon prior to the killing from someone with a name sounding like Raoul. Jowers further maintained that Ray did not shoot Dr. King and that he did not believe Ray knowingly participated in the conspiracy. Since his television appearance, Jowers and his attorney have given additional statements about the assassination to the media, the King family, Ray's defenders, law enforcement personnel, relatives, friends, and courts. Jowers, however, has never made his conspiracy claims under oath. In fact, he did not testify in King v. Jowers, despite the fact that he was the party being sued. The one time Jowers did testify under oath about his allegations in an earlier civil suit, Ray v. Jowers, he repudiated them. Further, he has also renounced his confessions in certain private conversations without his attorney. For example, in an impromptu, recorded conversation with a state investigator, Jowers characterized a central feature of his story that someone besides Ray shot Dr. King with a rifle other than the one recovered at the crime scene as "bullshit." Consequently, Jowers has only confessed in circumstances where candor has not been required by law or where he has not been required to reconcile his prior inconsistencies. The U.S. Department of Justice found Jowers' claims were without merit and explained that he'd never been able to provide any support for later assertions about his involvement in King's death: When Jowers has confessed, he has contradicted himself on virtually every key point about the alleged conspiracy. For example, he not only identified two different people as the assassin, but also most recently claimed that he saw the assassin and did not recognize him. Jowers also abandoned his initial allegation that he received $100,000 with which he hired a hit man to kill Dr. King, claiming instead that he merely held the money for the conspirators. Additionally, Jowers has been inconsistent about other aspects of the alleged conspiracy, including his role in it, Raoul's responsibilities, whether and how Memphis police officers were involved, and the disposal of the alleged murder weapon. Furthermore, the Justice Department's investigation determined no physical evidence whatsoever supported Jowers' multiple and conflicting accounts of his involvement in King's assassination, and Jowers stood to profit from his assertions: investigation It was not until 1993, during a meeting with the producer of a televised mock trial of James Earl Ray, that Jowers first publicly disclosed the details of the alleged plot, including the names of the purported assassin and other co-conspirators. He also initially sought compensation for his story, and his friends and relatives acknowledge that he hoped to make money from his account. In summary, we have determined that Jowers' claims about an alleged conspiracy are materially contradictory and unsubstantiated. Moreover, Jowers' repudiations, even under oath, his failure to testify during King v. Jowers, his refusal to cooperate with our investigation, his reported motive to make money from his claims, and his efforts along with his friends to promote his story all suggest a lack of credibility. We do not believe that Jowers, or those he accuses, participated in the assassination of Dr. King. Unfortunately, the jury who heard the case of King vs. Jowers (in which the King family was represented by James Earl Ray's former lawyer, William Pepper) returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff, holding that Loyd Jowers had participated in a conspiracy to kill King, and that "governmental agencies" were party to the conspiracy: verdict THE COURT: In answer to the question did Loyd Jowers participate in a conspiracy to do harm to Dr. Martin Luther King, your answer is yes. Do you also find that others, including governmental agencies, were parties to this conspiracy as alleged by the defendant? Your answer to that one is also yes. And the total amount of damages you find for the plaintiffs entitled to is one hundred dollars. Is that your verdict? THE JURY: Yes (In unison). However, the verdict was of no real significance given that virtually nothing was at stake (this was not a criminal trial, and the defendant was only being sued for a mere $100 and thus had little motivation for vigorously defending himself), allowing the King family to present a mostly unopposed version of events and guide the jury to return the verdict they desired. As noted in the New York Times' report of the verdict, the one-sided presentation of the case allowed for no other result: report John Campbell, an assistant district attorney in Memphis, who was not part of the civil proceedings but was part of the criminal case against Mr. Ray, said, "I'm not surprised by the verdict. This case overlooked so much contradictory evidence that never was presented, what other option did the jury have but to accept Mr. Pepper's version?" And Gerald Posner, whose recent book, "Killing the Dream" made the case that Mr. Ray was the killer, said, "It distresses me greatly that the legal system was used in such a callous and farcical manner in Memphis. If the King family wanted a rubber stamp of their own view of the facts, they got it." The Justice Department also found the evidence presented in the civil trial to be lacking in credibility: The evidence introduced in King v. Jowers to support various conspiracy allegations consisted of either inaccurate and incomplete information or unsubstantiated conjecture, supplied most often by sources, many unnamed, who did not testify. Important information from the historical record and our investigation contradicts and undermines it. When considered in light of all other available relevant facts, the trial's evidence fails to establish the existence of any conspiracy to kill Dr. King. The verdict presented by the parties and adopted by the jury is incompatible with the weight of all relevant information, much of which the jury never heard. All of this is therefore a very slender thread on which to hang the claim that the "U.S. government was proved responsible for King's assassination." (In the event, the verdict referred only to "governmental agencies" rather than the U.S. government specifically, a term that could include anything from local police to the CIA.) And contrary to the rumor's assertion, the 1999 civil case involving Jowers was widely reported by major news outlets at the time (including, as referenced above, the New York Times). More to the point, however, Jowers (who didn't even testify) was the only named party in the civil suit brought by the King family, and the judgment awarded in that case was a paltry $100, widely described as a token award to mark the trial's outcome. No other parties (including any branches or agents of the United States Government) were named as defendants in King v. Jowers, and no identification was provided by Jowers of the purported other parties with whom he colluded to assassinate King. By all accounts, the two main parties involved, the King family and Jowers, had disparate goals served by the civil suit's outcome; and no substantive evidence was presented to establish any of the claims made by Jowers had any merit. In a statement about the 1999 civil suit, Coretta Scott King cited several unrelated and unspecified agents in her description of the parties she believed were responsible for her husband's murder: statement There is abundant evidence of a major high level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband, Martin Luther King, Jr. And the civil court's unanimous verdict has validated our belief. I wholeheartedly applaud the verdict of the jury and I feel that justice has been well served in their deliberations. This verdict is not only a great victory for my family, but also a great victory for America. It is a great victory for truth itself. It is important to know that this was a SWIFT verdict, delivered after about an hour of jury deliberation. The jury was clearly convinced by the extensive evidence that was presented during the trial that, in addition to Mr. Jowers, the conspiracy of the Mafia, local, state and federal government agencies, were deeply involved in the assassination of my husband. The jury also affirmed overwhelming evidence that identified someone else, not James Earl Ray, as the shooter, and that Mr. Ray was set up to take the blame. I want to make it clear that my family has no interest in retribution. Instead, our sole concern has been that the full truth of the assassination has been revealed and adjudicated in a court of law. The one thing the conspiracy rumor correctly states is a 1999 civil trial reached a verdict that cited the existence of a conspiracy to assassinate Martin Luther King, Jr. What it neglects to mention is the relative worth of such a judgment: The verdict in question was civil rather than criminal, the sole named defendant was someone who stood to gain both publicity and money from repeating his claims, and the King family's motivation in bringing the suit was to validate their long-held suspicions a larger conspiracy was at play in the death of the civil rights leader. Given the minor sum of money awarded, a jury would have little incentive to not find in favor of an account supported by both sides of a flawed case. The U.S. Justice Department concluded in June 2000 the "allegations originating with Loyd Jowers ... are not credible": After reviewing all available materials from prior official investigations and other sources, including the evidence from King v. Jowers, and after conducting a year and a half of original investigation, we have concluded that the allegations originating with Loyd Jowers and Donald Wilson are not credible. We found no reliable evidence to support Jowers' allegations that he conspired with others to shoot Dr. King from behind Jim's Grill. In fact, credible evidence contradicting his allegations, as well as material inconsistencies among his accounts and his own repudiations of them, demonstrate that Jowers has not been truthful. Rather, it appears that Jowers contrived and promoted a sensational story of a plot to kill Dr. King. Questions and speculation may always surround the assassination of Dr. King and other national tragedies. Our investigation of these most recent allegations, as well as several exhaustive previous official investigations, found no reliable evidence that Dr. King was killed by conspirators who framed James Earl Ray. Nor have any of the conspiracy theories advanced in the last 30 years, including the Jowers and the Wilson allegations, survived critical examination. Yellin, Emily. "Memphis Jury Sees Conspiracy in Martin Luther King's Killing"
The New York Times. 9 December 1999. | 0 | [
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FMD3366 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: We reported about Beyonce s half-time Super Bowl appearance, where she ll be performing her anti-cop, anti-White song. For a preview of the song she ll be performing, click HERE to see the video. The latest, and equally disturbing news is that her race-baiting husband, Jay Z has just dumped a huge sum of money into the #BlackLivesMatter terror groups coffers. Anyone who believes in racial harmony and healing the racial divide that Barack Obama and his racist wife have caused, should never give this power couple another cent of their hard earned money. Jay Z s global music and entertainment platform Tidal in association with Roc Nation is donating $1.5 million to Black Lives Matter and several other local and national social justice organizations, Tidal announced exclusively to Mic on Friday the same day Trayvon Martin would have turned 21-years-old. The streaming service raised the $1.5 million at the first Tidal X: 10/20 charity concert in Brooklyn, New York, featuring Beyonc , Nicki Minaj, Jay Z, Lil Wayne and Nick Jonas.Tidal s group of artist owners, which includes several of the musicians who performed in October s sold-out show including Beyonc , Nicki Minaj and Jay Z, took part in deciding which organizations would receive funding, the streaming service told Mic. The majority of the groups to benefit are social justice activist groups and organizations, with a large portion of these specifically committed to ensuring the nation understands that black lives matter.Tidal s grants will be administered through the New World Foundation, which funds several civil rights groups and social movements. The nonprofits Tidal will fund include Opportunity Agenda, Hands Up United, Sankofa.Org, as well as local organizing groups in California: Community Coalition; Florida: Dream Defenders; Illinois: Black Youth Project; Maryland: Baltimore Justice Fund; Empowerment Development Corporation; New York: Million Hoodies; NY Justice League and Ohio: Ohio Students Association/Organizing Collaborative.According to Tidal, donations will also be given to organizations created by the families of victims of police brutality, including the Trayvon Martin Foundation, the Michael O.D. Brown We Love Ours Sons and Daughters Foundation and the Oscar Grant Foundation.Via: Music.Mic | 0 | [
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FMD3367 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Pop singer Katy Perry is once against facing fierce backlash online after jokingly comparing her “old black hair†to former President Barack Obama. [“Oh, someone says, ‘I miss your old black hair,’†the “Firework†singer said in an Instagram video over the weekend. “Oh, really? Do you miss Barack Obama as well? Oh, Okay. Times change. Bye! See you guys later. †Perry has since deleted the Instagram video. The joke, however, did not go over well, with many social media users taking offense to Perry likening her old hairstyle to the first black U. S. president. I’m sure we can all do without @katyperry right ? ?? #Loser pic. twitter. — DJ SCREAM (@DJSCREAM) April 30, 2017, Katy Perry joke was just very tasteless. What does black hair have to do with Barack Obama … … … … … . .just bad. — Nia (@faggerella) April 30, 2017, @katyperry 😒 that was very disrespectful what you said about Obama I’m very disappointed smh, — TrE (@dat_leo_mYcAh) May 1, 2017, Wow Katy Perry. The reference to former Pres. Obama was offensive a poor, tasteless attempt at humor. Your privilege is showing. — Paris C. (@pariscarerra) April 30, 2017, Katy Perry really fucking tried it with that white ass joke. What does Barack Obama have to do with your dry ass white hair? — á°ecca🕊 (@MJStarLover) April 30, 2017, people are not reaching with this Katy Perry â€jokeâ€it wasn’t outwardly racist but it was a microagression with racial undertones, — Kadevin. (@SupaastarJones) April 30, 2017, @katyperry look at this bald headed scalawag ass bitch. . Your lame ass haircut had nothing to do with Obama. Even ur friends didn’t laugh🙄 https: . — 🌹Muva moon 🌙 (@_zolarmoon) April 30, 2017, katy perry is such a mess first she copied daft punk now she’s got an ugly haircut and is dissing obama omg, — miggy (@sehunfat) April 30, 2017, Wow Katy Perry. The reference to former Pres. Obama was offensive a poor, tasteless attempt at humor. Your privilege is showing. — Paris C. (@pariscarerra) April 30, 2017, What does black hair have to do with Barack Obama? You’re cancelled @katyperry. — Tonio The Divo ♕ (@_JayAntonio) April 30, 2017, One Twitter user pointed out that President Obama has more Grammy Awards than Perry, who has been nominated 13 times. Sometimes when I think that the world is an awful place, I remember that Barack Obama has more Grammys than Katy Perry, and I feel better. — Steph (@stphfrndz) April 30, 2017, Perry supported Obama’s reelection in 2012. To be sure, not everyone was offended by her joke. @PerezHilton @katyperry y’all twisted this up. she wants Obama back but can’t have him back … the same way people want her old hair won’t get it back its gone, — Jessica (@Jes00sica) May 1, 2017, Katy Perry meant she wants Obama back and can’t have him same way ppl want her black hair and won’t get it back … Christ ppl lol, — Wally Szczerbiak (@findingwhitney) April 30, 2017, Perry has increasingly found herself on the receiving end of online fury for what appear to be innocuous social media posts. Last month, the star came under fire after posting an image of a Hindu goddess on her Instagram page, captioning the photo “current mood. †Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson | 1 | [
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FMD3368 | 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: I'm also the only lieutenant governor to not take a security detail.
contextual information: Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera operates without a security detail, a fact he frequently mentions as he campaigns to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. It serves as an example of his frugality, distinguishing him from the five Republicans vying for Rubio's seat, as well as from some predecessors who drew scrutiny over transportation spending. "I've actually cut the budget of the office by more than half and reduced the staff," he said in an interview with Fox 13's "Money, Power, Politics" show in Tampa, which aired on April 30. "I'm also the only lieutenant governor to have never taken a security detail." Lopez-Cantera shared this information during a speech earlier that month with the Hillsborough County GOP, explaining, "It's a waste of your money, and I'm protected by the Second Amendment." (He has a concealed weapons permit.) With Lopez-Cantera emphasizing this fact as an accomplishment, we wanted to know if he was truly the first lieutenant governor to decline taxpayer-funded protection. According to state law, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall assign one patrol officer to the Office of the Governor; it does not mention the lieutenant governor. In practice, the right to a security detail for protection and transportation has been extended to recent lieutenant governors. However, after Gov. Rick Scott appointed him to the office in 2014, Lopez-Cantera verbally declined that protection. In March, the Legislature approved a budget that added language stating that the security patrol is at the discretion of the lieutenant governor. It seems that Lopez-Cantera had that discretion anyway, but the new language in law clarifies it. The Legislature also added language to grant the right to security for the attorney general, chief financial officer, and agriculture commissioner. This appears to stem from a credible threat against Attorney General Pam Bondi in 2015, which prompted law enforcement to provide around-the-clock security for her for six weeks at a cost of $216,000. Scott's press office re-emphasized that it was Lopez-Cantera's choice and not, as rumor had it, the decision of former Scott chief of staff Adam Hollingsworth to downplay the role in response to our inquiry. Still, there seemed to be a push to reduce expenses in that position after multiple news reports cited the amount of money spent on security and travel for Jeff Kottkamp under Gov. Charlie Crist and Jennifer Carroll, Scott's first lieutenant governor. The state spent $1.1 million over four years for security and transportation for Kottkamp. In Carroll's first year in office, the Florida Highway Patrol spent $288,000 on travel and security. However, after spending restrictions were put in place, that total dropped to $89,000 in 2012. Lopez-Cantera garners even less attention as lieutenant governor than Carroll, rarely appearing alongside Scott at public events and maintaining a sparse public calendar of events, as noted by the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee bureau in July 2015. Lopez-Cantera had six days of security at a cost of $27,000 in May 2014 following a threat against him, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report. The lieutenant governor role was revived in 1968 after a century without one. We tried to contact Lopez-Cantera's predecessors (who are still alive today) for their insights. The Florida Highway Patrol stated that the following lieutenant governors had a security detail: Wayne Mixson (1979-87), Bobby Brantley (1987-1991), Buddy MacKay (1991-1998), Frank Brogan (1999-2003), Toni Jennings (2003-07), Kottkamp (2007-11), and Carroll (2011-13). We attempted to reach all of those former lieutenant governors and were able to interview all but Brogan, Jennings, and MacKay. Four confirmed they used the security detail. The only one who said he didn't use a security detail was Jim Williams, who served as lieutenant governor from 1975-79. "I didn't have security," Williams, 93, told PolitiFact Florida. Anita Oneida Darley, his aide at the time, also stated he didn't have a security detail. The Florida Highway Patrol could not confirm this. Mixson mentioned that he used a security detail when he traveled within Florida, but not when he was in the office or when he traveled to foreign countries. "The Florida Highway Patrol had traditionally supplied a security individual, and they did," Mixson said. Brantley noted that he had a state trooper who traveled with him sometimes, including on a trip to Canada. He said the trooper primarily served as a driver. "He had a desk inside my office," Brantley said. "If I didn't have a need for him, I'd have him go and do patrol duty. He would actually go on the street and stop speeders." Brantley recalled that Brogan was the first lieutenant governor he remembered having an actual plainclothes security detail. Kottkamp, now a lawyer in Tallahassee, stated that the security detail came with the job. "On the night Gov. Crist and I were elected, they showed up at the hotel," he said. "Someone was with me and the governor from that point on. It was a responsibility the FHP took very seriously." FHP leadership viewed it as a legal obligation to ensure continuity of government. Carroll mentioned that troopers would pick her up to provide security when she traveled to other parts of the state. Lopez-Cantera stated, "I'm also the only lieutenant governor to not take a security detail." He went without a security detail when he started in 2014, a break from most lieutenant governors in recent memory who have used state security. The only one we could find who said he did not have a security detail was Jim Williams, lieutenant governor from 1975-79. The state could not confirm one way or another. That was about 40 years ago, so to us, Lopez-Cantera's point still holds water. We rate this claim Mostly True. | 1 | [
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FMD3369 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Jamie Dimon told a hostile crowd of shareholders Tuesday morning that he supports President Donald Trump out of a sense of patriotic duty. [“He is the president of the United States, he is the pilot flying the airplane. I’d try to help any president of the US because I’m a patriot. That does not mean I agree with every policy he is trying to implement,†the chairman and chief executive of J. P. Morgan Chase said at the bank’s annual meeting Tuesday in Wilmington, Delaware. Dimon has compared the president to an airplane pilot in the past. “When you get on the airplane, you better be rooting for the success of the pilot,†Dimon said at a townhall event hosted by Yahoo Finance in April. During the question and answer portion of the annual meeting, a number of shareholders called on Dimon to publicly disavow Trump and his policies, particularly Trump’s immigration stance. Dimon listened to several speeches from shareholders before he responded. Dimon said that he agreed with Trump’s plans to reform the corporate tax system. “Our corporate tax system is driving capital and brains overseas and excessive regulation is reducing growth and business formation particularly for small businesses,†he said. The chief executive also commented on bank regulation, saying that some of the rules put in place after the financial crisis went too far and should be pulled back. “We are not looking to throw out the entirety of or other rules. It is, however, appropriate to open up the rulebook in the light of day and rework the rules and regulations that don’t work well or are unnecessary,†Dimon said. | 1 | [
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FMD3370 | 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: Rhode Island has the highest percentage of uninsured adults of any state in New England.
contextual information: The cost of health care is a huge issue for everyone.If you have health insurance, the chances are excellent that you've seen your costs, along with co-payments and deductibles, go up significantly.If you don't have health insurance, the bill you get from your doctor or hospital is strikingly higher than what people with health insurance are charged. That's because insurance companies negotiate deep discounts that uninsured people never see.And because people who don't have insurance areseven times more likelyto skip the care they need, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that typically makes your care more expensive when you do seek it. If, on top of everything else, you can't pay for that care and a hospital provides it for free, as a hospital is obligated to do, those costs are passed on to everyone else.So it caught our attention when Marie Ghazal, chief executive officer of theRhode Island Free Clinic, the Providence nonprofit organization that treats the uninsured, beganan opinion columnin The Providence Journal by asserting that Rhode Island has the highest percentage of uninsured adults of any state in New England.She stated that between 13.9 percent and 21.4 percent of residents are not insured, which translates to 139,000 to 214,000 Rhode Islanders.We wondered if our ranking was really that poor, and why the range was so large.When we contacted Ghazal, she said she got the information froma story in the Providence Business News. The article gives no specific numbers for Rhode Island or most other states. It wasbased on a mapdeveloped by the CDC that breaks the states into three categories: those having the highest proportion of people with health insurance, those having the lowest and those in between.Rhode Island -- like New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia and most of the states in the Midwest -- is in the in-between category. Ghazal said our rate of uninsured adults was 13.9 percent to 21.4 percent because, as it turns out, that's how the CDC defined the in-between group.We asked if she had specific numbers. She said she didn't. So we went searching.When we contacted CDC, they directed us tostate-by-state numbers, as collected by Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a telephone survey that counts how many people are without health insurance at the time of the call.According to the BRFSS statistics, which served as the basis for the map cited by Ghazal, the 2009 telephone survey of4,318 Rhode Islands found that the percentage of uninsured adults in Rhode Island was 14.2 percent, below the national average of 16.9 percent. Thirty-two states had a lower rate of health insurance coverage than Rhode Island. The worst rate was in Texas, where 29.1 percent of the population was not covered. In 15 states, at least 20 percent of the adult population younger than 65 was without health insurance.But we found something else while digging into the numbers. The margin of error in the survey was plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.If you ignore the margin of error, it is true that Rhode Island had the highest rate of uninsured adults in New England. Maine, where 13.7 percent were uninsured, was closest to Rhode Island. But that's a difference of only 0.5 percentage points. Massachusetts, in contrast, had the lowest rate of uninsured -- 6.2 percent -- because the Bay State has mandatory health insurance.However, if you consider the margin of error in the poll, we could rank ahead of New Hampshire (where 13.1 were uninsured) and Maine.For additional context, we looked at thepercentages going back to 1995(excluding 2001 and 2002, two years when the survey results are not on the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion website).It turns out that in 2004, the level of uninsured in Rhode Island was a bit higher -- 14.4 percent; 15 years ago it was at about 13 percent. The rate did dip to 11.7 percent in the 1998 survey but, in general, the numbers have stayed consistent.By any measure, that's still a lot of people walking around without health insurance.Ultimately, if you ignore the margin of error, Ghazal is correct about our ranking compared with other New England states. But if you take that into account, its possible that her statement could be inaccurate.More importantly, she's making a selective comparison. When you compare us with the rest of the country, we're better than average.Because of those omissions, we rate her statement Mostly True. | 1 | [
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FMD3371 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: 6 ‘miracle’ drugs Big Pharma now regrets With Big Pharma, first they promote it, then they discover the risks. By Martha Rosenberg Posted on November 1, 2016 by Martha Rosenberg
Are you depressed? It may have less to do with your mood than your birth control pills, high blood pressure pills, antibiotics or even anti-hair-loss drug, according to new research. New risks have also emerged with popular gastroesophageal reflux disease medicines and even the top-selling painkiller, Tylenol.
There are two reasons the risks associated with popular drugs seem to trail their aggressive promotion. Certainly, as millions use brand name drugs, dangerous side effects and adverse events are seen that did not emerge in much smaller clinical trials. Who knew? But also, as Intrepid Report has noted before, dangerous side effects that might be considered major drawbacks to prescribing the drugs often emerge only when drugs have gone “off patent” and all their profit potential is realized. For both reasons, drug safety activists recommend waiting five years before taking a “new” drug—until it is not “new” anymore.
Here are drugs and drug classes that have raised new concerns.
1. Proton Pump Inhibitors
One of Pharma’s most successful gambits has been its proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Nexium (the “Purple Pill”) and Prilosec that reduce stomach acid. To sell the drugs, Pharma aggressively raised “awareness” of gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD a rare condition which, over time, can change the lining of the esophagus and lead to cancer. Actually, most PPI users have simple heartburn. Even babies are now given PPIs for “baby reflux” because they spit up 71 times a day—a normal occurrence that has been pathologized.
are addictive. “Once a patient has taken a PPI for longer than a few weeks, acid hypersecretion can occur on discontinuation,” says a recent article in Pharmaceutical Journal. “This causes rebound symptoms, and frequently establishes a vicious cycle of drug reinitiation and long-term continuation.”
Clostridium difficile (“C Diff”), bone thinning and fractures and vitamin and mineral deficiencies to chronic kidney disease and heart attacks. Now there is a new reported risk: dementia.
JAMA Neurology of 73, 679 people 75 or older with no dementia and taking PPIs found the patients “had a significantly increased risk of incident dementia compared with the patients not receiving PPI.” Other studies have also found a link.
fluoroquinolone class which includes Cipro and Levaquin. Even as the FDA tries to curtail use of antibiotics on the nation’s farms to make animals grow faster (a use which accounts for most U.S. antibiotic sales) drug use on the farm is actually increasing. The FDA’s 2014 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food Producing Animals reveals that cephalosporin sales increased by 57 percent between 2009 through 2014, sales of antibiotics like clindamycin increased by 150 percent and sales of antibiotics like gentamicin, a dangerous drug class, increased by 36 percent.
1974, Navy recruits were given antibiotics to see if they would gain weight, and after only seven weeks, they did. Similar results were seen in children in Guatemala and in babies . But making people fat or encouraging antibiotic resistant microbes like MRSA are the least of the risks, it turns out.
the bacteria in our gut, the microbiome, which antibiotics compromise as they kill the “bad” bacteria, are responsible for much more than good digestion. Antibiotics also affect the brain and “influence our mood and temperament,” says food expert Michael Pollan. “If you transplant the gut microbiota of relaxed and adventurous mice into the guts of timid and anxious mice they become less stressed and more adventurous.” Antibiotic-affected microbiomes may also be behind asthma and autoimmune diseases, acn published reports.
The Doctors’ Case Against the Pill by Barbara Seaman was published, Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson held hearings about clear links between the Pill and depression, blood clots and decrease in libido cited nowhere on the label. No women were asked to speak at the hearings, moving Alice Wolfson, a co-founder of the National Women’s Health Network, to say, “It must be admitted that women make superb guinea pigs. They don’t cost anything, they feed themselves, they clean their own cages, pay for their own pills, and remunerate the clinical observer. We will no longer tolerate intimidation by white-coated gods antiseptically directing our lives.”
Fast-forward to this year, when medical studies again c links between birth control pills and depression, especially in young women, and corresponding higher use of antidepressant drugs.
“The risk of depression has been recognized since women were able to get their hands on oral contraceptives,” says Cindy Pearson of the National Women’s Health Network. “It’s been reported by women for 50 years.”
Sweetening the Pill: or How We Got Hooked on Hormonal Birth Control might also be vindicated, writes Lara Prendergast. The book was called “a dishonest anti-Pill treatise” because the author “dared to point out that hormonal contraceptives are ranked by the World Health Organization as a class-one carcinogen alongside tobacco and asbestos,” she writes.
about Propecia, a popular treatment for male pattern baldness linked to disturbing side effects in men including sexual dysfunction and actual reduction in penis size. At the time, Propecia’s label assured users that sexual side effects “went away in men who stopped taking Propecia”; however, the current label warns about sexual dysfunction like “erectile dysfunction, libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, and orgasm disorders; male infertility and/or poor seminal quality” that continues after discontinuation of treatment.
BMJ found “the risk of erectile dysfunction was not increased for users of finasteride 1mg compared with unexposed men with alopecia [hair loss],” but reports of the disturbing side effects abound in medical j ournals and popular magazines.
Men’s Journal last year.
Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation .
& Johnson to increase warnings in 2014. Unintentional acetaminophen overdoses cause as many as 26,000 hospitalizations and 458 deaths per year reported the FDA.
Soon after the increased warnings, medical journals linked acetaminophen to birth defects in the children of women the drug such as poor motor development, behavior problems and language delays. A study in JAMA Pediatrics identified an increased occurrence of ADHD by the age of seven in children whose mothers took acetaminophen. A study in the International Journal of Epidemiology found children more likely to have behavior problems and slow motor development by the age of three if their mothers had taken acetaminophen. Not all medical voices concur. Some said the studies were poorly designed or that fevers , for which the mother presumably took acetaminophen, are responsible for the birth defects.
In recent years, acetaminophen has been found to have psychological and mental effects not before described. The pain reliever may “blunt individuals’ reactivity to a range of negative stimuli in addition to physical pain,” says study. Another study found acetaminophen reduced the psychological pain caused by social rejection.
6. Beta Blockers
One out of Americans has high blood pressure and beta-blockers like atenolol (Tenormin), carvedilol (Coreg), metoprolol, propranolol (Inderal), sotalol (Betapace) and timolol (Timoptic) which treat the condition have been linked to depression for many years.
early as 1967, the British Medical Journal reported that hypertensive patients treated with propranolol for cardiac arrhythmias experienced a rise in the incidence of depression. Still, it has not been known if patients’ depressions were caused by the actual actions of beta blockers (like blocking the effects of epinephrine/adrenaline and slowing heart rate) or mood conditions associated with the diseases for which beta blockers are prescribed such as hypertension and congestive heart failure.
Hypertension found that beta blockers “may have a role in the pathogenesis or course of mood disorders” and increased hospital admissions for mood disorders. A “bidirectional relationship between depression and cardiovascular disease” exists, says the study , “because of the overlapping pathophysiological processes that underlie both conditions.”
There is a lot of data that depression and cardiovascular disease are related . . . but current hypertensive practices do not consider depression,” said the study’s lead author Sandosh Padmanabhan. “There could be some people who are predisposed to depression who we should not be giving these drugs.”
Martha Rosenberg is a freelance journalist and the author of the highly acclaim Facebook page. | 0 | [
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FMD3372 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Britain is less likely to leave the European Union without an agreed exit deal after last week s decision by the European Commission to recommend that talks move on to the next phase, Brexit minister David Davis said on Thursday. I think no deal has become massively less probable after the decisions of last Friday | 1 | [
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FMD3373 | 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 state gets back less from Washington than New York state. Claim summaries: Cuomos assertion aligns with a widely cited study by the Rockefeller Institute of Government that looked at every states balance of payments with the federal government between 2015 and 2018., However, that same study notes a slightly different result over the same four-year period when population is taken into account.
contextual information: Does New York get the short end of the stick when it comes to federal funding? Governor Andrew Cuomo said so in a tweet on January 14. New Yorkers are tired of subsidizing other states with our tax dollars. New York subsidizes 42 other states. No state receives less back from Washington than New York. The federal government must stop shortchanging New York, Cuomo tweeted. Is Cuomo correct that no state gets back less from Washington than New York? We looked at a comprehensive independent analysis and found that Cuomo's assertion was close to accurate. Freeman Klopott, a spokesman for the New York State Division of Budget, told PolitiFact that Cuomo was referencing a widely cited analysis from the Rockefeller Institute of Government, a public policy arm of the State University of New York. The report, published in January 2020, shows four-year totals of funding flows from fiscal year 2015 to fiscal year 2018. The report found that New Yorkers cumulatively sent $116 billion more to the federal government during that period than New York received from the federal government. The four major categories of federal spending analyzed by the report are direct payments for individuals under programs such as Social Security and Medicare, federal grants to state and local governments, federal contracts and procurement, and wages paid to federal workers. The institute found that during that period, only 11 states received fewer dollars in funding than they sent to the federal government in tax payments, and of these, New York's cumulative shortfall was easily the largest. The other 10 states with negative balances with the federal government during that four-year period were, in descending order, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, Illinois, Colorado, Nebraska, Washington, Utah, and New Hampshire. In the most recent year studied in the report, 2018, New York sent almost $22 billion more to the federal government than it received. That's a larger sum than the combined shortfalls of the next two states, New Jersey and Massachusetts. However, when adjusted for population, New York isn't the biggest loser; it ranks fourth, after three of its smaller neighbors: Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Cuomo's mention of 42 states stems from the 2018 figures in the report, which states, "Forty-two states had a positive balance of payments with the federal government in 2018." Broadly speaking, federal money flows from high-income states to low-income states through spending by programs such as Medicaid. The system isn't designed to return each state the equivalent of what its residents and businesses paid. Because New York is home to a large critical mass of very high-income households, as well as a considerable number of merely affluent (mid-six-figure) residents, the Empire State's residents generate a disproportionately large share of federal revenues through a tax system that is, after all, based on a progressive income tax, said E.J. McMahon, founder and research director of the Empire Center for Public Policy, a free-market think tank. New York's balance of payments with the federal government could worsen in the coming years unless a change made to the tax code in 2017 is reversed. In the Republican-backed tax bill signed that year by President Donald Trump, lawmakers limited the size of the federal deduction for state and local taxes paid. This change to the state and local tax deduction meant that some taxpayers in high-tax states like New York would pay more in federal taxes. Cuomo stated that no state gets back less from Washington than New York. This aligns with a widely cited study by the Rockefeller Institute of Government that looked at every state's balance of payments with the federal government from 2015 to 2018. However, that same study notes a slightly different result when population is taken into account. On a per-capita basis, New York ranked fourth, after Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. We rate the statement Mostly True. | 1 | [
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FMD3374 | 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, the Make-A-Wish Foundation Isn't Denying Wishes to Unvaccinated Children Claim summaries: A copypasta meme spread misinformation about critically ill children.
contextual information: Snopes is still fighting an infodemic of rumors and misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and you can help. Find out what we've learned and how to inoculate yourself against COVID-19 misinformation. Read the latest fact checks about the vaccines. Submit any questionable rumors and advice you encounter. Become a Founding Member to help us hire more fact-checkers. And, please, follow the CDC or WHO for guidance on protecting your community from the disease. fighting Find out Read Submit Become a Founding Member CDC WHO In August 2021, readers searched the Snopes website and sent emailed questions in regards to a false internet rumor that the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a non-profit organization that grants wishes to critically ill children, would only grant wishes to children who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The rumor was spread via a copypasta meme that circulated on social media. Here is an example of a misleading post on Facebook that went viral: "This is literally a new low for humanity," the text of the above meme reads. "Terminally ill children will not be granted a wish.. from the make a wish foundation unless.. you guessed it.. theyre fully vaccinated." The source for this rumor is the misrepresentation of a video announcement posted on June 9, 2021, by Make-A-Wish, in which the organization's CEO, Richard Davis, announced that it was loosening some of the safety measures undertaken amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This included resuming, as of Sept. 15, 2021, the fulfillment of wishes that require air travel and large gatherings, in consultation with public health and medical professionals. video The resumption of these activities, for the time being, includes requiring those participating to be vaccinated against COVID-19. "All wish participants, including your wish kid and any siblings, will need to be two weeks past completion of either a one-dose or a two-dose vaccine," Davis stated. "While we won't ask for proof of vaccination, we'll ask that any adult participant to sign a letter of understanding that certifies that they and any minors participating in the wish are vaccinated and understand the risks of traveling at this time." Davis acknowledged that the situation isn't ideal. As of this writing, only children aged 12 years and older are eligible for the vaccine. eligible "We understand that this change affects many families whose children aren't eligible for the vaccine yet, and also know that there are families who aren't ready to get the vaccine, and we'll respect everyone's freedom of choice," Davis said in the video. Davis also said that the steps being taken "represent the start of our return to normal, and that because of the pandemic, international travel and cruises are still on hold. In other words, Davis said that in the midst of the pandemic, the foundation, which serves critically ill children, has been taking safety measures to protect those children. While that means some children won't be able to travel or participate in events or activities that involve crowds, that doesn't mean unvaccinated children won't be granted wishes. The Make-A-Wish Foundation published a statement countering viral rumors. The key portion of the statement reads: statement Make-A-Wish has not, does not and will not deny wishes to children who are not vaccinated. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Make-A-Wish has safely granted over 6,500 wishes to children and families regardless of vaccination status. Make-A-Wish will continue to grant wishes to children who are not vaccinated. It is important to note that Make-A-Wish serves children with critical illnesses. Children do not need to have an end-of-life diagnosis to be eligible for a wish. In fact, most children we serve are able to manage, and even overcome, their illnesses and view the wish as an important part of the healing process. Spreading misinformation around the types of children who are eligible for a wish is harmful and hurtful to wish children and families. The vaccination policy does not apply to any child who has received an end-of-life prognosis. Make-A-Wish will not require anyone to get vaccinated to get a wish. We respect everyone's freedom of choice. We understand that there are many families whose children aren't eligible for the vaccine yet, and we also know that there are families who are choosing not to get the vaccine. There are many other wish options for children who do not currently meet the requirements for air travel and events involving large gatherings. The list of wish possibilities is as expansive as a creative child's imagination, and it includes road trips to national parks, spending time with celebrities, outdoor playhouses, shopping sprees, staycations, wishes for pets, computers, and room redecorations. CDC. COVID-19 Vaccination. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11 Feb. 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/adolescents.html. COVID-19 Wish Updates: Air, Train, Bus Travel & Large Gatherings. www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T8eCqsgzxs. Accessed 31 Aug. 2021. Make-A-Wish Counters Misinformation: Vaccine Policy. https://wish.org/news-releases/vaccine-policy. Accessed 31 Aug. 2021. | 0 | [
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FMD3375 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Jay Dyer 21st Century WireThe popular 80s pastiche series Stranger Things begins with a familiar scene of E.T. nostalgia, centering around Dungeons & Dragons. The scene is particularly familiar to me, since I played D&D back in the day, but learned very quickly this nefarious practice was like kryptonite to all things female. Oddly enough, the series appears to reflect a new trend amongst Hollywood A-listers, where nerd culture has revived the ancient 80s practice of playing D&D. The Hollywood Reporter explains the trend and its connection to acting and role-playing: Vin Diesel plays it. So do Dwayne Johnson, Drew Barrymore, Stephen Colbert, Mike Myers and Jon Favreau, among other bold-face names. Some even built their careers by playing it The decades-old role-playing game in which participants roll multisided dice while pretending to be mystical creatures such as elves and dwarves finally is coming out of the closet (or, in this case, Mom s basement). There s a huge resurgence of nerd culture, especially with the tech boom, says Silicon Valley s Martin Starr, a longtime D&D enthusiast. If nerds were still poor and living at their mothers , nobody would be paying any attention to Dungeons & Dragons. But nerds rule the world, and D&D is making a big comeback and I m excited about it. While this certainly relates to a furtherance of one s improv skills, it also relates to the occult side of Hollywood, though I don t take the ridiculous evangelical view that D&D is inherently evil. Rather, the notion of role-playing is synonymous with the ancient view of acting as dramaturgy, or ritual invocation of the gods. Comparative religion scholar Dudley Young writes: The earliest gods were invoked by ritual act (dromenon = the thing done) such as a sacrificial dance, commemorating the fact that our life begins and ends when they call upon us. Subsequently the thing was said (legomenon) as well as done, and the dromenon was on its way to becoming the drama. Once speech within the temple precincts has been endowed with the power of word-magic, we have the invocation properly so called. (Dudley Young, Origins of the Sacred: The Ecstasies of Love and War, pg. 413)Set in the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana in 1983, we will see the accidental dramaturgical invocation where the D&D simulacrum appears to actually be related on a deeper level to the occult phenomena that begin to occur. The disappearance of young Will Byers sparks a series of events that take Hawkins down a black rabbit hole of every conspiracy theory ever, melded with the opening of the inter-dimensional gates from every John Carpenter film. Originally slated to be titled Montauk, the series echoes the dubious accounts of Project Montauk, where purportedly time and space were altered in government-sponsored PsyOps and time travel experiments with famed UFO researcher Jacques Vallee commenting the experiments were related to the Philadelphia Experiment. For more information and speculation on this topic, I interviewed Dr. Farrell on his views here.D & D invokes the entities in E.T.. The stories of Montauk appear to originate in a book series by Preston Nichols, who claims to have discovered repressed memories of the event. This laughable scenario immediately smacks of PsyOps, making the original connection to large-scale deception all the more appropriate. Even Vallee alleges the experiment is a hoax, suggesting an experiment in seeing what you can get people to believe, as opposed to some real space-time warping experiment. Vallee writes: I hypothesized that the experiments had to do with a radar countermeasures test. Indeed a Raytheon advertisement published thirteen years ago suggested that the corresponding technology was now out in the open (Raytheon, 1980). This hypothesis, however, failed to explain a few of the facts that highlighted the story. In particular it did not account for the observed disappearance of the destroyer from the harbor, for the mysterious devices brought on board under extreme security precautions, or for the alleged disappearance of two sailors from a nearby tavern. While it may be the case that the Navy altered space-time, does Vallee not consider the possibility this is all bullshit, as so many military whistleblowers and generals so often leak ? Rather, as is so often the case, all the evidence for these events relies on some retired Navy man with all the credentials of the Navy man from the Village People. This is also why the Montauk tale mixes aliens and other nonsense in with the notion of the Apollo Mission being staged disinformation. Vallee himself was a high up government operator with an interest in occultism and Rosicrucianism, and is represented in Spielberg s Close Encounters by the character of Claude Lacombe (played by Francois Truffaut).Through the dimensional gate: the Demogorgon saps energy and hatches incubus style demon-babies in Ridley Scott form. .Thus, all of this functions as the spirit behind Stranger Things, as well as myriad other influences, such as Star Wars, Alien, Goonies, H.P. Lovecraft, Evil Dead, X-Men, Stephen King, and John Carpenter. That said, I consider the series as accurately showing some aspects of the spiritual realm, couched in scientistic mysticism, where our initial suspicion of extra-terrestrial alien manipulation is revealed to be both terrestrial and demonic. The Demogorgon inhabits a realm that is the upside down, the negative or demonic dark side of our world, which matches up to the Kabbalistic notion of the Qilphoth or the Abyss of Da at at times, as Crowley claims: This doctrine is extremely difficult to explain; but it corresponds more or less to the gap in thought between the Real, which is ideal, and the Unreal, which is actual. In the Abyss all things exist, indeed, at least in posse, but are without any possible meaning; for they lack the substratum of spiritual Reality. They are appearances without Law. They are thus Insane Delusions Now the Abyss being thus the great storehouse of Phenomena, it is the source of all impressions. Spoiler alert, but the missing children are not only part of MK Ultra, but are being used in top-secret testing that includes LSD, sensory deprivation and the development of Men Who Stare at Goats (or Kids Who Stare at Kittens)-type mental powers. Interestingly, the abducted super-soldier kid named 11 and El is specifically told to kill a kitten which is rumored to be an aspect of trauma-based mind control. Basically, all the rumors of hardcore child abuse and mind control are rolled into the series with the character El, who is able to remote view the spiritual realm and spy on Soviets (as well as Demogorgons).Like the simulacrum in Spielberg films, the spirits communicate across the void through the Kabbalistic principle of esoteric symbology and linguistics, as I showed in my Close Encounters analysis.. Oblivious to the dangers of such programs, Mr. Man in Black Shadow Government from the Dept. of Energy persists in hunting down his escaped daughter El (hinting at sexual abuse), who finds her way into the Goonies gang of Mike, Will and Lucas (I m assuming you ve seen it). Most interesting is the biblical and occult notion of the opening of gates through such scientific experiments, which are in fact occult rituals involving child adduction and sacrifice under the guise of cancer research (MK Ultra). Could this be a hint at what the cancer complex is really involved in? Genetic and psychological experimentation with children for the greater good ? Certainly there have been numerous cases of missing children in the US, as well as small towns experimented on by the shadow government. It would seem that Stanger Things is obliquely referencing these themes, as well as the possibility of actual murders and abductions, as author William Ramsey argues here.Given blood and sacrifice bring the demon and open the gate, we can assume the references are to the goetia, where demons are invoked through sigils. . Two notions that occurred to me I have not seen tacked yet in the series is the strange reference to the loss of father and God, as we see no strong male figures. Hop the cop, like a horny rabbit, hops from girl to girl having lost his daughter, while Will s father is a deadbeat. In Mike and Nancy s household, the ineffectual, sterile father character of Mr. Wheeler remains ever clueless while arguing to Mrs. Wheeler the government is on our side, and would never lie.Set in the Cold War, the fear and panic of the ridiculous Russian Threat in the background of the series allows the shadow state to develop the explicitly-named Star Wars Defense Program, where lasers and space weapons are being made to destroy the Russkies. Amazingly accurate in this insight, this is a point JaysAnalysis has been highlighting the last few years with the hype of the Cold War deception allowing for the rise of the dark military industrial complex which seems to have a penchant for human sacrifice. Note that I have argued many times that Mk Ultra was not merely a mind control experiment, but was about the entire biosphere, under the Department of Energy.Cop Hop discovers the advanced weapons lab facility is involved in MK Ultra something I have discussed many times. . The sacrifice of the youth for the dark designs of the shadow government is the ultimate conspiracy in the series, but what is more remarkable than this is the explanation by the Man in Black Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) that the sacrifice of sons and daughters for the gorgodemon is for the good of America. In other words, we are given the impression our villain knows the real source of the dark power in Hawkins, the demonic, and that the sacrifice of humans and blood draws it nearer and nearer. Foolishly assuming this dark energy can be harnessed for U.S. supremacy, Dr. Brenner is behind both MK Ultra and the SDI program that requires the sacrifice of America s sons and daughters ! This spiritual dimension is the accurate and insightful aspect of the series, but the message is not all good.Dr. Brenner demands more demonic channeling from El. Note her similarity of appearance to the Princess in The Never Ending Story.. The flip side, as mentioned, is that El as an androgynous, yet dominantly feminine archetype, is a form of the incarnation of the goddess. We have seen this of late in pop fiction more times than I can count, in examples like Hanna, Hunger Games, Lucy, Ex Machina and Jupiter Ascending, where the gnostic perspective of exalting the opposing force to the male is assumed to bring a cosmically needed balance to the war hawk patriarchy. A perennial myth of liberal fantasies, the feminist archetype will in no way bring peace and balance, only more destruction as gender roles continue to be confused. Feminism is part of that very destruction, and the fact that El shouts out in the aether God, Dad and Gone, suggests her association with Dr. Brenner as her dad and Father God s lack of answer to her call, means the solution to the spiritual problems of man can be found in a Luciferian evolution of humans beyond the traps of gender and evil patriarchal deities. In occultist Edmund Spenser s Faerie Queen, we read:Downe in the bottome of the deepe Abysse Where Demogorgon in dull darknesse pent, Farre from the view of Gods and heauens blis, The hideous Chaos keepes, their dreadfull dwelling is. (Book IV, Canto ii, stanza 47)In the process of becoming cruciform, the sacred feminine pistis Sophia incarnate destroys the patriarchal non-God. . Indeed, El annihilates the cruciform Demogorgon as if it were a demiurge that has imprisoned the town spiritually. This is precisely the Luciferian view Jesus and/or God the Father are demiurges who have imprisoned humans in this dimension and sap their energy as vampires, requiring blood sacrifice. Of course, none of that is true, as the Logos is the salvation of the human race, reconciling them to God by becoming Incarnate and destroying Death. In the gnostic scheme the roles are reversed, where El becomes the Luciferian dark hero rescuing the town through her sacrifice to destroy the cruciform demon-god. And, as you probably guessed, that is why her name is El, recalling the old Canaanite term for the gods who warred against Jehovah in the Bible. In fact, the Demogorgon is generally traced back to the demiurge.The series also uses numerology frequently, such as 11 and 77 suggesting the demonology of Crowley and references to 9/11 as a ritual initiation. Interestingly, light is mentioned several times in the series as both a means of communication and symbol of enlightenment. As you can see in the above image, photosynthesis is placed behind El as she dissolves the Demogorgon, suggesting the dissolution of Traditional Religion by enlightenment, perfectly consonant with the message of Gnosticism and Luciferianism.The gateways have been opened through mass human sacrifice of America s sons and daughters the new man is a dark, half-androgynous goddess who will destroy the genocidal patriarchal religions and bring a new Amerikan aeon of the crowned and conquering girl-child, a Luciferian world order.READ MORE HOLLYWOOD NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Hollywood FilesTo hear Jay s full podcasts, see more information and learn how you can become a subscriber to JaysAnalysis.Jay Dyer is the author of the forthcoming title, Esoteric Hollywood: Sex, Cults and Symbols in Film from Trine Day. Focusing on film, philosophy, geopolitics and all things esoteric,JaysAnalysis and his podcast, Esoteric Hollywood, investigates the deeper meanings between the headlines, exploring the hidden aspects of our sinister synthetic mass media matrix. | 0 | [
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FMD3376 | 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 Trump Watch 'The Gorilla Channel' in the White House? Claim summaries: An excerpt purportedly from the book "Fire and Fury" convinced more than a few readers that the president spends much of his days watching a channel created to placate him.
contextual information: Michael Wolff's bombshell bookFire and Fury: Inside the Trump White Houseis full of salacious stories from President Donald Trump's first year in office. As media outlets published excerpts from the book in early January 2018, Twitter user PixelatedBoat took advantage of the frenzy to share a fake passage in which White House aides purportedly confessed that they had created a "Gorilla Channel" in order to placate a furious Trump: book share (@pixelatedboat/Twitter) This fake excerpt ended up getting mixed in with real excerpts from the book, effectively fooling some readers into believing (in not such an unlikely turn of events, given how improbable much of 2016 and 2017 were) that the White House had actually created a "Gorilla Channel" to entertain the President of the United States. Twitter user @PixelatedBoat is best known for creating the internet phrase"Milkshake Duck," which refers to a beloved entity that the Internet quickly turns on and devours after damaging information about it is revealed; they frequently post humorous and obviously satirically content on their feed. After the Gorilla Channel joke was mistaken for a genuine excerpt, they changed their handle to "the gorilla channel thing is a joke" and posted a message expressing remorse: @PixelatedBoat phrase Milkshake Duck tfw you parody a guy making up shit about Trump but people believe it so you become part of the problem PixelatedBoat's "Gorilla Channel" joke is reminiscent of the fake transcripts between President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair that were created by comedian Michael Spicer. In case you were curious, Bill Clinton never said that he punchesslabs of ham to work through his frustrations. punches | 0 | [
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FMD3377 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: In case you missed it Sen. Harry Reid (R-NV), who announced last week that he will retire after his current term expires in early 2017, said he does not regret taking to the Senate floor in 2012 to accuse then-GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney of not paying his taxes. No, I don t regret that at all, he told CNN s Dana Bash. The Koch brothers no one would help me. They were afraid the Koch brothers would go after them, so I did it on my own. Bash said some viewed the charge as McCarthy-ite, but Reid didn t buy that explanation. He shrugged, saying, they can call it whatever they want. Romney didn t win, did he? Reid said somewhat amusingly. | 0 | [
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FMD3378 | 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: Does US Rank No. 1 in Incarceration, Gas Consumption, Military Spending? Claim summaries: "We're number one" isn't always a point of pride.
contextual information: In April 2021, users of the online forum Reddit discussed, shared, and analyzed a striking meme that purported to contrast the perception Americans hold about their country's superlative status among the nations of the world with the supposedly much more sobering reality. The meme was posted to the "/facepalm" subreddit, a discussion board dedicated to displays of stupidity, on April 12. It read as follows: "What the USA thinks it's #1 in: - Healthcare 30th - Happiness 19th - Education 26th - Life Expectancy 46th - Free Press 42nd - Freedom Index 17th - Climate Change Performance 59/60 What it IS #1 in: - Incarceration - Gas consumption - Oil consumption - Military spending." The meme originated in a widely shared tweet posted back in October 2020 and was also reposted on Facebook at that time. This fact check will focus specifically on the second half of the meme, "What the U.S. is #1 in"—the potentially surprising and arguably dubious superlatives attached to the United States.
On the whole, the meme contained a mixture of accuracy and inaccuracy, much of which depended on the way in which certain rankings were viewed. For example, the U.S. spends by far the most of any country on its military in absolute terms, but not when overall government spending or the size of the American economy is taken into account. The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world, according to two reliable sources. In 2018, the Prison Policy Initiative, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization that gathers data on imprisonment and advocates against mass incarceration, reported that the U.S. has an incarceration rate of 698 per 100,000 people. This was significantly higher than that of the second-ranked nation, El Salvador, which had an incarceration rate of 614, or Turkmenistan, where the rate was 583 per 100,000 people. Similarly, the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research at Birkbeck, University of London, also ranked the U.S. first in 2018, with an incarceration rate of 639 per 100,000 people, with El Salvador and Turkmenistan again ranked second and third, respectively. The U.S. also had the highest outright number of incarcerated persons in the world, regardless of overall population, at just over two million people.
The underlying data is now three years old, so this assessment comes with a health warning. However, given the gap between the United States and other nations in 2018, the ranking is unlikely to have changed significantly since then. It's not made clear in the meme, but it is reasonable to assume this claim refers to vehicle gas—that is, automobile gasoline—consumption. On that premise, the claim is true. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, a federal agency, the U.S. consumed 9.3 million barrels of automobile gasoline per day in 2018, the greatest amount of any country. That's the equivalent of 1.2 gallons per person per day, which is also the world's second-highest rate of consumption, even after population is taken into account. Canada, with 1 gallon per person per day, and the United Arab Emirates, with 0.9 gallons per person per day, were the third- and fourth-ranked nations, respectively. The place with the highest per capita consumption of automobile gasoline in 2018 was Gibraltar, a British territory located on the southern tip of Spain, with nearly 1.3 gallons per person per day. Since Gibraltar has such a small population (only 33,718 people lived there in 2018), it's quite possible that the per capita consumption figures are skewed. Gibraltar is also not a sovereign nation, so a further argument exists for placing the U.S. at the top of the per capita consumption rankings. Again, the underlying data is a few years old and comes with a health warning, but the gap between the U.S. and other nations is unlikely to have been bridged since 2018.
This claim is supported by the same disclaimer that the most recent reliable figures available date from 2018. The best source available here is, again, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which reported that, in 2018, the U.S. consumed 20.5 million barrels (861.5 million gallons) of oil per day. That's 20% of the entire world's consumption and comfortably the highest volume of any nation. However, when population is taken into account, the U.S. is not the world's most voracious consumer of oil, which is defined by the Energy Information Administration as including crude oil, all other petroleum liquids, and biofuels. Those 20.5 million barrels equate to 2.6 gallons of oil per person per day. Several other countries had higher rates of consumption than that, including Singapore (11 gallons per person per day), Kuwait (4.3 gallons per person per day), Saudi Arabia (3.8 gallons per person per day), and Canada (2.9 gallons per person per day). A handful of very small countries rounded out the top 10, suggesting that statistical outliers in small populations might again be playing a role.
According to figures collected by the Stockholm International Peace Institute, a leading think tank based in Sweden, the U.S. had by far the world's highest military expenditure in 2019, the most recent year for which figures are available, spending close to $732 billion. China was ranked a distant second, with $261 billion, while India and Russia spent $71 billion and $65 billion, respectively. However, the U.S. ranked second to Israel when population is taken into account, spending $2,224 per person on its military, in comparison with Israel's $2,402 per person. The U.S. also ranked outside the top 20 for military spending as a percentage of total government spending (at 9.4%) and outside the top 10 for military spending as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of the overall size of the economy, with 3.4%. | 2 | [
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FMD3379 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Venezuela s Supreme Court has progressively dismantled the rule of law, becoming an instrument of President Nicolas Maduro s government in what amounts to a coup against the constitutional order, an international human rights group said on Tuesday. The collapse of the judiciary has left victims of torture, killings and disappearances and their families without recourse to justice after months of violent street protests, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said. It called on the U.N. Human Rights Council to take action. We have seen a judiciary that has essentially lost its independence and become a tool of a very authoritarian executive branch, Sam Zarifi, ICJ Secretary-General, told a news briefing. This breakdown of the rule of law has also severely obstructed accountability (and) essentially made it impossible to bring to justice those responsible for gross violations of human rights, he said. The Venezuelan government did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Foreign minister Jorge Arreaza on Monday rejected as baseless a U.N. report that found excessive use of force by its security forces and other violations. Four months of demonstrations in which at least 125 people were killed have all but stopped due to fatigue among protesters and disillusionment at seeing the ruling Socialist Party cement vast powers despite the concerted opposition push. The ICJ said the top court had undermined human rights and infringed the Constitution through a series of rulings since December 2015. In two rulings in March 2017, the Supreme Court of Justice effectively claimed legislative powers for itself, depriving the National Assembly of its Constitutional powers and granting sweeping arbitrary powers to the executive, it said. These decisions amount to a coup d tat against the Constitutional order and have ushered in a new reign of arbitrary rule, Zarifi said. Judges on the Supreme Court are mainly from the Socialist Party or former officials of the government of Maduro or both, the Geneva-based jurists group said. Judges who have demonstrated independence and ruled against the executive branch have faced retaliation and punishment, Zarifi said. Maduro denies accusations of a power grab, saying his actions, which include the creation of an alternative Constituent Assembly that has granted itself law-making powers, aim to restore peace after months of protests and violence. The new Constituent Assembly at this point acts as a body outside of the rule of law. It is able to legislate and create law and new regulations in the country without accountability, Zarifi said. The ICJ report, The Supreme Court of Justice: an instrument of executive power , was issued on the sidelines of the U.N. Human Rights Council. U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra ad al-Hussein said on Monday that Venezuelan security forces may have committed crimes against humanity against protesters and called for an international investigation. The evidence that s there, of course it is not adjudicated, but certainly suggests room for investigating crimes against humanity, Zarifi said. Such crimes are defined as grave and systematic violations including torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings that are part of a state s policy, he said, adding: Those indicators are all there in Venezuela. Carlos Ayala, a Venezuelan lawyer and ICJ commissioner based in Caracas, told the briefing: The situation is worsening on a daily basis because of hyper-inflation (and) the lack of access for the majority of the population to medicines and health care. More than 600 civilian students are currently being tried before military courts in Venezuela, more than 1,000 young persons, students, are in jail because of the demonstrations. | 1 | [
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FMD3380 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Today, an ever increasing number of earthquakes in the United States may soon bring the country to ruin, as geologists, journalists and politicians say.
Via UsualRoutine
The University of Washington has already presented seismological charts showing a gigantic geological rift that stretches across the central states of the US from north to south, and marks the region of a possible split of the North America continent in two. As it has been reported by geologists, for the first time this anomaly was discovered in 1960’s, when scientists found a strange underground rupture along the Lake Superior that would run south. The discovery surprised American scientists back then since there were no mountains in that area. Following studies showed that this anomaly was stretching across the whole continent, resembling in its form and shape the giant cracks in the east of Africa.
It’s been reported that the tectonic plate beneath the southeastern regions of the United States is being fragmented by the layers of earth above it, which may be the cause of future earthquakes in the Washington area and other cities on the east coast, where basically no preconditions for the emergence of aftershocks, according to Live Science.
According to Berk Biryol from the University of North Carolina, in recent years the Washington area and the areas around other large cities in the east of the country faced a pretty intense seismic activity, which at first puzzled seismologists since the east of the country is residing on a stable continental crust that must prevent any earthquake from occurring.
In recent years, the relationship between fracturing and the mounting number of earthquakes has been brought to light by the US Geological Survey (USGS), that would note that the number of earthquakes in the US has increased drastically over the last six years. In fact, it expects an abrupt increase in the number of seismic events in some regions of the country where fracturing is being used including Oklahoma, California, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Ohio, Alabama and New Mexico.
But the split in the United States is not being predicted by the USGS alone, since the recent seismic political events aggravated the growing discord within the US society in the wake of the US presidential campaign.
Western journalists are sounding the alarm – America’s youth is now fascinated with the concepts of socialism and communism. According to the poll conducted by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC), a half of all Americans under 35 years would love to be represented by a socialist president. Politicians who profess capitalist views doonly receive the support of 42% of the younger American generation. This explains the spectacular rise of DNC’s Bernie Sanders which would most certainly become the next president, if Hillary didn’t use her wealth and connections to replace him as the sole Democratic candidate.
The German newspaper Tagesspiegel points out that this election campaign “undermines the belief that most Americans share the idea about living in a democratic and constitutional state.” The newspaper notes that there’s been a lot of speculations about the possible armed resistance to the “US corrupt government system” lately, no matter how unlikely the future post-election violence may look now.
The latest poll conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University shows that only 40% of potential voters strongly believe in the peaceful transfer of power after the US presidential elections. With six in ten viewing the candidates unfavorably, Clinton andTrump are the two most unpopular presidential candidates in ABC/Post polls dating to the 1984 election. This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by landline and cellular telephone in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 1,165 likely voters.
The level of antipathy towards the two main presidential candidates in terms of party affiliation has also been at staggering level, with 97% of Trump supporters despising Hillary Clinton and 95% of Hillary’s loathing the Republican presidential candidate.
It’s no wonder that there’s been a rapidly increasing number of petitions on the separation of various states, which refer to the Declaration of Independence, where the Founding Fathers explicitly stated that “any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it” To date, the petitions on the separation from the US have been filled by a total of 40 states. Texas that is viewed as the last bastion of conservatism has already gathered more than 100 thousand signatures under its petition for obtaining the status of an independent state. Behind it are Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.
Therefore, aside from the major geological rift that may soon hit the US, there’s a deep social and political rift to be observed, which may, in case of loss of all confidence in the existing political system result in a major outbreak of violence.
Earth has already witnessed the existence of two supercontinent – Rodinia and Pangaea. First, the former continent formed about 800 million years ago, until the latter one appeared some 600 million years later. Scientists expect that in the future a new supercontinent will be formed that has it own name already – Amasia. This continent will be formed out of the modern North America and Asia, notes the Nature.
Who knows, maybe before Amasia even emerges we will witness a new state or even two that would replace the US? | 0 | [
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FMD3381 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: ORLANDO, Fla. — The corner of Kaley Street and South Orange Avenue offers a tableau of American déjà vu, a sprawl of Subways and so common in communities across the continent. This one just happens to include a gay nightclub popular with Latinos called Pulse, where gaping holes in the exterior now reflect the infliction of a national traumatic injury. It’s easy to see Orlando as a place apart, our sanctuary of fantasy and escape, where fun trumps work and mouse ears are an accepted fashion accessory. But when a deeply aggrieved, heavily armed man burst into this unremarkable nightclub planted beside a carwash, the ensuing mayhem did not seem to occur in some distant, disconnected place. Instead, it became a sobering of so much that is contentious in American life. Guns. Gay rights. Islamic extremism. Immigration. Latinos. Guns. Playing out just 20 miles from where George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin, in a state slowly receding into the rising seas, it felt like Disney Dystopia — just in time for Election 2016. Orlando is more than our preferred family vacation destination. Orlando is these fractured United States. Orlando is us. Past tragedies tended to unify Americans, said Gary R. Mormino, a retired historian at the University of South Florida with a particular expertise in his state’s experience. Here in Florida — “where roots are as shallow as Australian pines,†he wrote in an email — some people will recall how, after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s calm but assertive radio talks bonded the country, elevating hopes. Many more will remember the feeling of shared grief as the television broadcaster Walter Cronkite wiped a tear while reporting the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. “But 2016 brings together the toxic elements of an election year, presidential candidates who polarize the electorate, voters who are afraid and angry, and a press eager to exploit the spectacle of division and disaster,†Mr. Mormino wrote. “Alas,†he added, “we live in a balkanized state and nation. †On some level, there’s a chaotic, quality to the calamity at Pulse. On the previous Friday night, a young singer named Christina Grimmie — famous for having appeared on “The Voice†— was shot dead by a stalker as she signed autographs. And on the following Tuesday, an alligator killed a toddler at a Disney resort. But when Omar Seddique Mateen, 29, a security guard with thwarted law enforcement ambitions, entered the nightclub with a handgun and a rifle — both legally and swiftly purchased — he was not coming from some foreign land. He was a American, born to Afghan Muslim parents in Queens and educated in the public schools of Florida. And the community he was about to devastate was not some foreign place — not some stereotypical city of rednecks, snowbirds and hordes. It was Tomorrowland today, a booming and diverse city of 250, 000, in which the Hispanic share of the population has grown to 25 percent. “I don’t even know that I’d characterize it as a Southern city anymore,†said State Senator Darren M. Soto, a Democrat who was born to and Puerto Rican parents in New Jersey. “It’s much more of a transplant, Hispanic kind of vibe in the city. †“We’re an town, but we’re the new America,†he said. “We have people from all backgrounds and walks of life. †That diversity includes gay men like Eric Rollings, 47, the chairman of the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District. He recalled moving to Orlando from Michigan in 1989 and finding a small, L. G. B. T. community still reeling from the AIDS epidemic. At the city’s first gay pride parade, a ago, he said, Ku Klux Klan members gathered at the corner of Magnolia and Pine to “greet†the marchers. Now, he said, the gay pride festival is a popular signature event in the city. And on the January day that marriage became legal in Florida last year, he noted, Mayor Buddy Dyer of Orlando officiated the marriages of dozens of couples on the steps of City Hall. Mr. Rollings recalled much of this while decompressing in a local restaurant called Santiago’s Bodega. He wore a adorned with slogans of determination — #OneOrlando, #OneHeart, #OnePulse — and an expression that changed by the minute. Now grief, now exhaustion, now disbelief, now hope, now grief again. The nightmare unleashed by Mr. Mateen is a continuation of the shared nightmare we keep reliving — from Virginia Tech to Newtown to Aurora to Charleston. The names of the victims may change, but the Greek Chorus reaction is all too familiar. Shock and grief, candlelight vigils and calls for unity, vows for change and legislative paralysis, and vitriol, and, in the end, nothing much different — other than, say, South Carolina’s vote to remove the Confederate flag from State House grounds after the Charleston shooting. It took a filibuster by Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut with searing memories of the slaughter of 26 schoolchildren and educators in Newtown, to get modest measures to the Senate floor. Yet it had no more success Monday than similar proposals did after Newtown, with the Senate, largely along party lines, failing to advance measures that called for an expansion of background checks for all gun sales and a delay in selling guns to suspected terrorists (consider that phrase, by the way). Add to that the profound displays of support for the grieving L. G. B. T. community here, offset by flashes of intolerance — a pastor in Sacramento lamenting that more hadn’t died — and statements by more than a few politicians that somehow managed not to mention that many of the victims were gay, or Latino, or both. Finally, the Pulse massacre provided more rhetorical fodder for Donald J. Trump. He suggested that President Obama was to blame. He trumpeted the positive aspects of racial profiling and reiterated his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Mr. Trump also said the massacre highlighted the need for more guns, not fewer, and imagined a scene in which some in the nightclub had been armed. “And this son of a bitch comes out and starts shooting, and one of the people in that room happened to have it, and goes boom, boom — you know what, that would have been a beautiful, beautiful sight, folks,†said Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate for the presidency. It was too much, all this death and grief and discord, as if the horrors unleashed at the club were just another excuse to display our grievances and divisions. So respite was sought at one of the many theme parks: Epcot. The $121. 41 cost of admission was paid, as well as the $20 for parking. Then began a slog in heat through this permanent world’s fair. Past the margarita stands of fake Mexico, the pastries of fake Norway, the orange chicken with rice of fake China, the bratwurst of fake Germany, the tiramisù of fake Italy. On to the comfort of a colonial building featuring the “American Adventure†attraction. An a cappella group called the Voices of Liberty serenaded visitors with a song that gave a to every American state. Then guests were directed to some closed white doors and instructed to remain on the blue carpeting and off the gold — at least until these doors opened to the auditorium. Soon, an animatronic Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain were leading a tour of American history, beginning with the Mayflower and ending with a montage of famous American faces and moments: Marilyn Monroe and Magic Johnson, Elvis Presley and Albert Einstein, Walt Disney and Sally Ride, the “I Have a Dream†speech of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the image of firefighters raising the American flag at ground zero. The music swelled, a singer urged America to “spread your golden wings,†and the lights came on. With the show over, the audience was directed to exit to the left, past white doors and into the hot glare of what seemed like another country entirely. | 1 | [
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FMD3382 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Indiana stands alone Tuesday, the only state holding a presidential primary, but the presidential race in both parties could look very different Wednesday morning.
Two weeks ago, Cruz told an Indiana crowd, "The state of Indiana is going to play a pivotal role in this election ... Indiana’s voice, Indiana’s megaphone to the country, will decide which path this party goes down, which path this country goes down.â€
That statement was a few days before Cruz had his clock cleaned in the "Amtrak primaries," five northeastern states that Donald Trump swept. Cruz won only two delegates while Trump won more than 100.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich took the extraordinary step of dropping his campaign in Indiana so that Cruz could consolidate the "anti-Trump" vote, and Cruz took the extraordinary step of naming his running mate — former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina — despite trailing in the delegate race. But it is not clear those efforts have helped much. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released Sunday gave Trump a lead of 49%-34% over Cruz.
Indiana offers 57 Republican delegates, 30 statewide and three each in nine congressional districts. All of those delegates are distributed on a winner-take-all basis. If Trump wins all or most of them, the requiems for the Cruz campaign will begin to roll in.
Hillary Clinton has a lead of nearly 350 "pledged" delegates, and nearly 500 "superdelegates." Combined, she is a little more than 200 delegates short of clinching the nomination; Sanders is about 1,000 delegates short. So Indiana can't clinch the nomination for Clinton, but a win there can help her make the case that the race for the Democratic nomination is basically over.
A Sanders victory in the Hoosier state would be a bit of an embarrassment to Clinton, but it would do nothing to change the fundamental math of the race. Indiana has 83 Democratic delegates at stake Tuesday, but since they are distributed proportionately, Sanders cannot make a significant dent in Clinton's delegate lead even with a win.
Nevertheless, Sanders said Sunday, "It is virtually impossible for Secretary Clinton to reach the majority of convention delegates ... with pledged delegates alone. She will need superdelegates to take her over the top at the convention in Philadelphia." Sanders says he will continue to campaign through the remaining dozen states, and "We believe that we are in a very strong position to win many of these remaining contests."
Clinton has led Sanders in all public polls in the state, with a lead ranging from 5 to 13 percentage points, but Indiana is an open primary — independents can vote in the Democratic primary — which has been helpful for Sanders in other states where he has drawn support from new voters and non-Democrats.
Indiana polls close early — 6 p.m. — but 6 p.m comes an hour later in the dozen western counties that are in the central time zone. Nevertheless, it means we should have results before the 11 o'clock news. | 1 | [
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FMD3383 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday he would nominate retired Marine Corps General James Mattis for defense secretary, the latest of about a dozen picks he has announced for high-level positions since winning the Nov. 8 presidential election. Below are people mentioned as contenders for senior roles as Trump works to form his administration before taking office on Jan. 20, according to Reuters sources and media reports. See the end of list for posts already filled. * Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor * Rudy Giuliani, Republican former mayor of New York City * John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Republican President George W. Bush * Bob Corker, Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee * Retired Marine Corps General John Kelly, former leader of Southern Command * David Petraeus, retired general and former CIA director who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information he shared with his biographer, with whom he was having an affair * Michael McCaul, Republican U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee * David Clarke, Milwaukee County sheriff and vocal Trump supporter * Retired Marine Corps General John Kelly, former leader of Southern Command * Joe Arpaio, outgoing Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff who campaigned for Trump * Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state * Frances Townsend, homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to Republican former President George W. Bush * Jeff Holmstead, energy lawyer, former EPA official during George W. Bush administration * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Leslie Rutledge, Republican Arkansas attorney general * Carol Comer, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management * Scott Pruitt, Republican Oklahoma attorney general * Kevin Cramer, Republican U.S. representative from North Dakota * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Heidi Heitkamp, Democratic U.S. senator from North Dakota * Joe Manchin, Democratic senator from West Virginia * Gary Cohn, president of Goldman Sachs Group Inc * Larry Nichols, co-founder of Devon Energy Corp * James Connaughton, chief executive of Nautilus Data Technologies and a former environmental adviser to President George W. Bush * Rick Perry, former Republican Texas governor * Forrest Lucas, founder of oil products company Lucas Oil * Heidi Heitkamp, Democratic U.S. senator from North Dakota * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. representative from Washington state and House Republican Conference chair * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee * Jan Brewer, former Republican Arizona governor * Mary Fallin, Republican Oklahoma governor * Ray Washburne, chief executive of investment company Charter Holdings * U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency * Ronald Burgess, retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and former Defense Intelligence Agency chief * Robert Cardillo, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency * Pete Hoekstra, former Republican U.S. representative from Michigan * Rudy Giuliani, former Republican mayor of New York City * Dan DiMicco, former chief executive of steel producer Nucor Corp * Andrew Puzder, chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants * Lou Barletta, Republican U.S. representative from Pennsylvania * Victoria Lipnic, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission member and former Labor Department official during the George W. Bush administration * Dr. Ben Carson, former 2016 Republican presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon * Gary Cohn, president of Goldman Sachs Group Inc * Scott Brown, former Republican U.S. senator from Massachusetts * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee * Jeff Miller, former Republican U.S. representative from Florida who was chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee The Trump transition team confirmed he would choose from a list of 21 names he drew up during his campaign, including Republican U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah and William Pryor, a federal judge with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. * Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus * Steve Bannon, former head of the conservative website Breitbart News * Jeff Sessions, Republican U.S. senator from Alabama and senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee (subject to Senate confirmation) * Republican U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo from Kansas (subject to Senate confirmation) * Michael Flynn, retired Army lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency * Nikki Haley, Republican South Carolina governor (subject to Senate confirmation) * Betsy DeVos, Republican donor and former chair of the Michigan Republican Party (subject to Senate confirmation) * Tom Price, Republican U.S. representative from Georgia, orthopedic surgeon (subject to Senate confirmation) * Elaine Chao, former labor secretary and deputy transportation secretary under Republican Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, respectively. (subject to Senate confirmation). Chao is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell * Steven Mnuchin, former Goldman Sachs Group Inc executive and Trump’s campaign finance chairman (subject to Senate confirmation) * Wilbur Ross, billionaire investor, chairman of Invesco Ltd subsidiary WL Ross & Co (subject to Senate confirmation) * James Mattis, retired Marine Corps general (subject to Senate confirmation) | 1 | [
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FMD3384 | 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 Target experience a significant drop in their stock value as a result of their transgender bathroom policy? Claim summaries: The big box retailer gave investors lower-than-expected forecasts due to increasing online sales, news that affected the company's stock price.
contextual information: On 28 February 2017, Breitbart.com reported that big box retailer Target's stock had "crashed," losing a combined total of $15 billion in investor wealth due to the chain's announcement in 2016 that it would allow transgender customers and employees to use bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity. Reported Target's stock value is now down by 30 percent since it sparked a consumer boycott by embracing the transgender political agenda. That 30 percent drop has slashed investors' wealth by roughly $15 billion. On Tuesday, the stock fell to $58.78, down from its April 19 high of $83.98. In contrast, Walmart is up 3 percent since April, and Kohl's is down less than one percent. Company officials indirectly acknowledged the consumer boycott. "Our fourth-quarter results reflect the impact of rapidly changing consumer behavior, which drove very strong digital growth but unexpected softness in our stores," Target CEO Brian Cornell said in a company statement. The company also admitted that it would likely continue to experience losses throughout the year. On 19 April 2016, Target announced that transgender customers and employees were free to use the restroom that corresponded to their gender identity amid a national debate on the subject during the 2016 election cycle. The announcement came after North Carolina enacted the controversial HB 2 in March 2016, a law that became colloquially known as the "bathroom bill," requiring public single-sex restrooms to be used only by people of the corresponding biological sex. The controversy and Target's definitive stance prompted conservative groups like the American Family Association (AFA) to launch a boycott. Nearly 1.5 million people had signed the AFA's petition as of 1 March 2017. Target shares did plunge on 28 February 2017, but it wasn't due to its nearly year-old bathroom policy. The drop was due to 2017 guidance announced during an investor day event. Projections were far lower than expected by Wall Street analysts (the term "guidance" refers to projected earnings). The drop in Target's stock corresponds to the announcement made at their investor event. According to Edward Jones analyst Brian Yarbough, Wall Street was expecting Target to project earnings of $5.30 per share, but the company instead provided guidance of $3.80 to $4.20 per share, which was "well below" expectations, prompting the drop in share value. According to Reuters, Target's decline dragged others down with it: Target's plunge prompted declines across the retail sector. Walmart Stores Inc was down 2.0 percent, with Kroger Co down 1.2 percent and Macy's Inc off 1.7 percent. Dollar General Corp fell 4.2 percent. What is affecting Target and other retailers has been competition with all-online retailers like Amazon, which do not have the overhead costs of brick-and-mortar locations. Target, for example, has 1,803 stores. "Online players don't have a huge network of stores, and since they don't have that cost, they can offer lower prices," Yarbough said. Customers also have the immediate ability to do price comparisons with smartphones. These changing patterns are reflected in a statement given by Target CEO Brian Cornell: "Our fourth-quarter results reflect the impact of rapidly changing consumer behavior, which drove very strong digital growth but unexpected softness in our stores. At our meeting with the financial community this morning, we will provide details on the meaningful investments we're making in our business and financial model, which will position Target for long-term, sustainable growth in this new era of retail. We will accelerate our investments in a smart network of physical and digital assets, as well as our exclusive and differentiated assortment, including the launch of more than 12 new brands, representing more than $10 billion of our sales over the next two years. In addition, we will invest in lower gross margins to ensure we are clearly and competitively priced every day. While the transition to this new model will present headwinds to our sales and profit performance in the short term, we are confident that these changes will best position Target for continued success over the long term." Although Target offers online shopping, profits there tend to be lower due to associated costs like shipping and price competition from the likes of Amazon. Retailers are struggling to survive, with more profitable in-store sales lagging and lower profit margins due to a growing number of online shoppers. Although its e-commerce operation is growing quickly, Target reported its third straight quarter of lower sales from existing stores, citing "unexpected softness" and raising new questions about the health of large national retailers in the United States. Target also forecast first-quarter profit well below Wall Street estimates. Shares sank 13 percent, on track for their biggest one-day percentage drop in more than 18 years. Target's stock has lost a quarter of its value since the 2016 holiday season started in November and is now trading at its lowest level since August 2014. Target maintains that the bathroom policy has had no effects on its business, with company spokeswoman Erika Winkels telling us in an email, "We have made it clear over time that we've seen no material impact on the business based on the bathroom policy. We don't have anything new or different to share." A poor performance in the 2016 holiday season was also attributed to online sales outpacing foot traffic, but Target is, again, not the only chain feeling the effects: Department stores across the country are paying the price for underestimating Amazon this holiday season. Macy's and Kohl's both reported lower-than-expected sales during the all-important end-of-year retail period and announced a spate of store closures that will lead to thousands of lost jobs. Sears has even been reduced to selling off one of its iconic brands after a double-digit sales slide. Industry observers blame online competition, as well as department store brands' own shortfalls in adapting to a fundamental shift in consumer behavior. Nevertheless, Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, told us that Target could be worse off than it is: "It's in a much better position than some retailers because its balance sheet is still robust, whereas Sears and Macy's are in a very difficult position. With Target, it's much more about tweaking and reinvention at the edges. [The guidance] wasn't great, but not as bad as other people." Saunders told Reuters that while Walmart has been buoyed by successfully offering groceries, Target has not been able to keep up on that front, calling its grocery offerings "confusing." "Target is neither a full-line grocer nor a player with lots of niche specialty products; it is neither a high-end player nor a price-focused discounter," he said. It is difficult to say with certainty whether Target's commerce overall has been negatively affected by its policy on transgender people. Although company representatives have maintained it has not, shortly after Cornell made the announcement, USA Today reported a study that showed the percentage of people who would consider shopping there the next time they needed something dropped from 42 to 38 percent. But the retail industry as a whole is facing a dramatic shift in consumer behavior, and retailers have struggled to keep pace with it. Target's late February 2017 stock drop, however, was the result of announcements made during an investor day event and cannot be attributed to their policy on bathroom use. | 0 | [
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FMD3385 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis travels to the Middle East and eastern Europe next week to play the increasingly familiar role of reassuring allies that the United States is committed to them despite mixed messages from President Donald Trump. Mattis will visit Jordan, Turkey, and Ukraine to address concerns about the fight against Islamic State and give a message that Washington will not tolerate Russia’s annexation of eastern Ukraine. The informal portfolio of soothing traditional U.S. friends upset by Trump’s often sharp comments and tweets on foreign policy is one that the retired Marine general is becoming used to. “There is no-one in the administration, maybe with the exception of Vice President Mike Pence, that has to shoulder the responsibility of Trump’s rhetoric more than Mattis,†said Joshua Walker, a former U.S. diplomat and current fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a think tank. Earlier this month, Trump said that a U.S. military option was being considered for Venezuela as the country is torn by political and economic upheaval. Within a few hours, the Pentagon publicly announced that it had not received any orders on Venezuela, lowering the temperature slightly. Mattis, along with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, sent a conciliatory message to North Korea last weekend in an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal after Trump had threatened “fire and fury†if Pyongyang tried to attack the United States. The two officials wrote that the United States “has no interest in regime change or accelerated reunification of Korea,†addressing some of North Korea’s fears that Washington ultimately intends to replace its leadership. “It is certainly true that to some extent if you look at both Mattis and Tillerson, who travel a lot, they are both explainers and people who both manage to moderate and reassure,†said Anthony Cordesman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. Mattis served as the head of U.S. military’s Central Command from 2010 to 2013, and foreign leaders, especially in the Middle East, trust him, said Cordesman. On a trip to Iraq earlier this year, Mattis grabbed headlines when he said the U.S. military was not there to “seize anybody’s oil.†That was an attempt to calm Iraqi worries after Trump had told CIA staff in January, when referring to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003: “We should have kept the oil. But okay. Maybe you’ll have another chance.†Trump has also upset NATO allies by demanding they increase their defense spending and by seeking better relations with Russia. “I do think that Secretary Mattis finds himself spending time, putting President Trump’s statements into a broader context... in some cases that does mean defining them more narrowly, or more precisely as to what they mean,†Christine Wormuth, a former number three at the Pentagon, said. On the trip that starts this weekend, Mattis will make the first visit to Ukraine by a U.S. secretary of defense since 2007. He will try to reassure Kiev that the United States remains committed to restoring Ukraine’s sovereignty after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Questions were raised when Tillerson said in June that the Trump administration did not wish to be “handcuffed†by the 2015 Minsk accord to end fighting in Ukraine. That agreement, signed by Russia and Ukraine, calls for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line and constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy. While it is not a close U.S. ally, Ukraine has counted on American support against Russia since a pro-Western government took power following street protests in 2014 that ousted a Kremlin-backed president. Trump’s comments during the election campaign last year, from praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin to appearing to recognize Crimea as part of Russia and contemplating an end to U.S. sanctions on Moscow, stoked fears in Kiev that Trump would mend ties with Russia at Ukraine’s expense. The Pentagon is awaiting White House approval for a proposal to send “defensive†weapons to Ukraine, including anti-tank missiles, a U.S. official said. Michael Carpenter, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the region, said the trip would be important because it would send a signal to Kiev that the United States remained committed and the approval of the lethal weapons would be a tangible sign of that. “Mattis believes that this is a security issue that goes beyond Europe, that this is about international norms, sovereignty and territorial integrity,†Carpenter said. The Pentagon says Mattis will also emphasize the commitment of the United States to Turkey and help Ankara “address its legitimate security concerns- including the fight against the (Kurdistan Workers Party).†However, Mattis will have to address a number of differences, including the Pentagon’s decision to arm Kurdish YPG fighters to support an operation to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State. Ankara views the YPG, fighting within a larger U.S.-backed coalition, as the Syrian extension of the Kurdish PKK militant group, which it is fighting in southeastern Turkey. | 1 | [
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FMD3386 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Noah Wall, the national director of campaigns for FreedomWorks, joined Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM host Alex Marlow on Tuesday to discuss the FreedomWorks Day of Action rally scheduled for Wednesday in opposition to the Republican Obamacare replacement plan. [Concerning a full repeal of Obamacare, Wall said, “We’ve been promised this in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016, and these were not lighthearted promises. These were very powerful promises from members of Congress and the U. S. Senate across the political spectrum of Republicans. †“Lo and behold,†added Wall, “the voters give Republicans Congress, they give them the Senate, and they give them the White House, and all of a sudden, the establishment comes up with a whole lot of reasons why we can’t do what we’ve been promising the American people. †Expressing disappointment at years of promises from Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare only to now produce a bill that falls short of that, Wall said, “I’m deeply disappointed. Republicans in 2015 voted to pretty much fully repeal Obamacare. And I don’t understand why they couldn’t. †Citing years of Obamacare GOP repeal votes, Wall continued, “They voted for this [repeal] when they knew it had no chance of actually getting signed into law. All of a sudden, we get a chance to get this signed into law, and they back down. †Concluded Wall, “It’s, unfortunately, very typical of Republican leadership, but we need to hold them to a higher standard. †More information on the FreedomWorks Day of Action is available here. Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a. m. to 9:00 a. m. Eastern. | 1 | [
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FMD3387 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Edmondo Burr in Weird // 0 Comments A male Chinese boss has come under fire for ordering his female workers to perform a daily kissing ritual.
The female workers of a Beijing company are forced to line up every morning and give their boss a kiss.
The creepy Chinese boss forces his female employees to kiss him every morning, claiming that it fosters good relationships among colleagues.
Daily Trends reports:
Women working at a company that sells home brewery machinery, in Tongzhou District, Beijing, are required to line up between 9:00 and 9:30 each morning to kiss their boss. And we’re not talking about a little, innocent smooch on the cheek, although that would be pretty weird as well, but a kiss on the lips. China Press reports that while the women were initially reluctant to accept the bizarre daily ritual, they eventually gave in to the boss’ demands in order to keep their jobs. Only two of the company’s female workers refused to kiss their boss on the mouth and chose to resign instead. According to Chinese media reports, over half the unnamed company’s staff members are women.
Facing increasing pressure from both the media and the general public, the boss explained that he picked up the idea for the daily morning kiss while visiting a company in the United States, and claimed that the disgusting daily ceremony helps “foster good relationships among colleagues”, allowing him and his female staff to get along “like fish and water”. Not only that, but he says that some of his women worker genuinely miss him when he is away, and send him messages on WeChat.
Needless to say that the boss’ explanation didn’t really satisfy the millions of social media users outraged by the viral video of him kissing his female staff.
“How can these female workers accept this? Do their boyfriends or husbands know?” one person commented on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter. “I want to ask these female workers: Do you have no money? Would you starve if you changed jobs?” another added.
And while all of them condemned the man for his sleazy rule, some said that the women carried some of the blame as well, just for putting up with the situation. “The boss is a perv, but the workers are foolish,” someone wrote. | 0 | [
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FMD3388 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Home / #Solutions / Crisis of Conscience? Obama Frees Scores of Drug Offenders from Prison, Including 42 Lifers, Days Before Election Crisis of Conscience? Obama Frees Scores of Drug Offenders from Prison, Including 42 Lifers, Days Before Election Matt Agorist October 28, 2016 1 Comment
“Prison is for rapists, thieves, and murderers. If you lock someone up for smoking a plant that makes them happy, you’re the fucking criminal.” – Joe Rogan
Washington D.C. — The timeless words of Joe Rogan seem to be taking their toll on the consciences of American politicians. To kidnap and lock people in a cage for a personal choice and action that harms no one, is an evil act. Some politicians are figuring this out — or at least pandering to public demand. Either way, the result is the same.
Despite largely continuing the drug war and drastically increasing raids on medical marijuana facilities as compared to his predecessor, Barack Obama has somehow managed to dupe people into thinking he was pro legalized pot. And now, as his reign comes to an end, he seems to be reversing course.
Over the years, Obama has blown a lot of smoke (pun intended) when it came to his views on the war on drugs. He’s played Mr. Nice Guy while his heavily militarized government task forces have laid waste to the rights and property of peaceful people trying to help their fellow man by growing medical marijuana.
Under Obama, police in America, through the federal 1033 program , have acquired MRAP’s, grenade launchers, and even Apache attack choppers; most of which have been used enforcing immoral and unethical drug laws. However, no one, not even the almighty Barack Obama, can stop an idea whose time has come.
The people have spoken, and politicians who continue to call for the imprisonment of non-violent individuals for their personal choices are being exposed for the vile and obstinate tyrants they are.
Apparently this notion has made it to the ear of his majesty, Barack Obama. In a recent show of humanity, he’s freed several dozen more non-violent drug offenders.
According to Reason Magazine , this latest batch of commutations raises Obama’s total so far to 872, nearly all of them involving nonviolent drug offenders. That is more commutations than were issued by his 11 most recent predecessors combined. According to the White House , the 688 commutations since the beginning of 2016 are “the most ever done by a president in a single year”—not surprising, since Obama’s commutations have been strikingly backloaded, with 79 percent coming during his last year in office and 98 percent in the second half of his second term. He shortened just one sentence during his first term.
As the chart shows below, either Obama’s conscience is weighing on him or political pressure is is winning.
According to a report from Reason:
Obama clearly is trying hard to make up for lost time. In a speech on Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates said there will be “many more [commutations] to come.” Wednesday White House Counsel Neil Eggleston said Obama is committed to “using his clemency authority through the remainder of his time in office.” If he maintains this month’s rate in November, December, and January, his total will be around 1,500. If he picks up the pace, he could still reach the “thousands” predicted in 2014.
Even 2,000 commutations would represent just 6.9 percent of the 29,000 or so petitions Obama has received , making him slightly more merciful than Richard Nixon by that measure. That nevertheless would represent a huge improvement from where Obama stood just six months ago.
Any time the state admits it was wrong, and innocent people are freed from their cages of oppression; it’s a win for freedom. If one life is spared the horrid fate of being caged like an animal for possessing or ingesting a plant that grows from the ground, this is good news.
However, there are tens of thousands of non-violent drug offenders locked in steel cages across this country, many of them are in for possession alone. The slow and rusty cogs of the bureaucratic leviathan can’t turn fast enough. For every non-violent drug offender the president frees, five more are thrown in. Why? Locking up drug users has proven to be quite the profitable venture.
It is much easier to walk out on the street corner and shakedown a teenager who may have an illegal plant in his pocket than it is to examine the evidence in a rape or murder case. The so-called “Private” Prisons know this and have subsequently found their niche in this immoral war on drugs.
The term Private Prison is a farce from the get-go.
A truly Private prison would not be solely funded by taxpayer dollars. These Private prisons are nothing more than a fascist mixture of state and corporate, completely dependent upon the extortion factor of the state, i.e., taxation, as a means of their corporate sustenance.
A truly Private prison would have a negative incentive to boost its population for the simple fact that it is particularly expensive to house inmates. On the contrary, these fascist, or more aptly, corporatist prisons contractually require occupancy rates of 95%-100%.
The requirement for a 95% occupancy rate creates a de facto demand for criminals. Think about that for a second; a need or demand for people to commit crimes is created by this corporatist arrangement. The implications associated with demanding people commit crimes are horrifying.
Creating a completely immoral demand for “criminals” leads to the situation in which we find ourselves today. People, who are otherwise entirely innocent, are labeled as criminals for their personal choices and thrown in cages. We are now witnessing a vicious cycle between law enforcement, who must create and arrest criminals, and the corporatist prison system that constantly demands more prisoners. The police and prison corporations know that without the war on drugs, this windfall of money, cars, and houses — ceases to exist.
If you want to know who profits from ruining lives and throwing marijuana users in cages, we need only look at who bribes (also known as lobbies) the politicians to keep the war on drugs alive.
Below is a list of the top five industries who need you locked in a cage for possessing a plant in order to ensure their job security. Police Unions: Coming in as the number one contributor to politicians for their votes to lock you in a cage for a plant are the police themselves. They risk taking massive pay cuts and losing all their expensive militarized toys without the war on drugs. Private Prison Corporations: No surprise here . The corporatist prison lobby is constantly pushing for stricter laws to keep their stream of tax dollars flowing. Alcohol and Beer Companies: These giant corporations hate competition, so why not pay millions to keep a cheaper and far safer alcohol alternative off the market? Pharmaceutical Corporations: The hypocrisy of marijuana remaining a Schedule 1 drug, “No Medical Use Whatsoever,” seems criminal when considering that pharmaceutical companies reproduce a chemical version of THC and are able to market and sell it as such. Ever hear of Marinol? Big pharma simply uses the force of the state to legislate out their competition ; which happens to be nature. Prison Guard Unions: The prison guard union s are another group, so scared of losing their jobs, that they would rather see thousands of non-violent and morally innocent people thrown into cages, than look for another job.
What does it say about a society who’s resolute in enacting violence against their fellow human so they can have a job to go to in the morning?
The person who wants to ingest a substance for medical or recreational reasons is not the criminal. However, the person that would kidnap, cage, or kill someone because they have a different lifestyle is a villain on many fronts. When does this vicious cycle end?
The good news is that the drug war’s days are numbered, especially seeing that it’s reached the White House, and they are taking action, even if it is symbolic. Evidence of this is everywhere. States are defying the federal government and refusing to lock people in cages for marijuana. Colorado and Washington served as a catalyst in a seemingly exponential awakening to the government’s immoral war.
Following suit were Oregon, D.C., and Alaska. Medical marijuana initiatives are becoming a constant part of legislative debates nationwide. We’ve even seen bills that would not only completely legalize marijuana but deregulate it entirely, like corn.
As more and more states refuse to kidnap and cage marijuana users, the drug war will continue to implode. We must be resilient in this fight.
If doing drugs bothers you, don’t do drugs. When you transition from holding an opinion — to using government violence to enforce your personal preference, you become the bad guy. Don’t be the bad guy. Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter and now on Steemit Share geneww1938
The best way to stop illegal dealers and drug use is to stop trafficking by the criminal cartel behind our government. When was the last time we heard of a drug bust that disrupted street consumption ! The elitist’s cartel derive billions from international trafficking to wit: Google “Bush, Clinton drugs Mena Airport AK”. Social Trending | 0 | [
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FMD3389 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Anyone who s paying attention to the stunning final acts by this President should not be shocked by this potential threat to the world s freedom of speech. He is anything but a lame duck The United States could give control of one of the internet s underlying systems to the United Nations after pledging not to, it has been claimed.The government has announced plans to relinquish control of the online addressing and numbering system, turning it over to a private international organization.For years, the US Department Of Commerce has been responsible for managing URLs and ensuring they lead to the proper web pages.It has subcontracted the task to a private nonprofit, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann).But the US government, which funded much of the internet s early development, has so far retained veto power.Although the US role has been minimal over the years, many foreign governments have complained that the internet can never be truly international if the US retains veto power.They have sought instead to shift responsibility to an inter-governmental body such as the UN International Telecommunication Union.But business, academic and civil-society leaders balked, worried that UN involvement would threaten the openness that has allowed the internet to flourish.Concerns were also raised that UN control would give authoritarian states like China and Iran equal votes among other countries in influencing policies that affect free speech.Lawrence E. Strickling, assistant secretary for communications and information at the Commerce Department, said the endorsed plan won t replace Commerce s role with a government-led or inter-governmental solution.But the UN could end up managing the addressing system after all, according to Wall Street Journal columnist L Gordon Crovitz. He based his theory on an inquiry by Americans For Limited Government, an advocacy group that sent a Freedom Of Information Act request related to Icann s future.Icann had asked for all records relating to legal and policy analysis concerning antitrust issues for Icann, Crovitz reported. Icann currently benefits from an antitrust exemption because it operates under government control, he said.The contract between Icann and the US government is expected to expire on September 30. Via: Daily Mail | 0 | [
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FMD3390 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: China s graft-busters will be required to do more to protect detained suspects, such as informing families and employers within a day of their detention, state media said on Friday, as part of efforts to revise a secret interrogation system. President Xi Jinping has vowed that his war against graft in the ruling Communist Party will not ease until officials at all levels dare not, cannot and do not want to be corrupt. Xi told top party leaders in October revision of the anti-graft architecture would include the scrapping of a controversial shuanggui system of secret interrogations, and the introduction of a new detention system. Protection for detained suspects have been added to a draft national supervision law under review by the National People s Congress, China s legislature, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The latest version of the legislation says both families and employers of suspects must by notified within 24 hours of their detention, unless that might result in witness interference or evidence tampering, Xinhua reported. Previously, either families or employers needed to be contacted and inspectors could keep a detention a secret if they feared any kind of interference, such as with witnesses or evidence. Xinhua said physical checks of female suspects would be carried out by female workers under the new rules. Rights groups have welcomed the proposed changes saying the old system allowed abuses and torture, but urged that the new system not simply repackage old ways. The legislation is expected to be passed in March. It will also legally empower a State Supervision Commission to oversee various anti-graft agencies and all civil servants. Under the proposed new rules, assets frozen or seized from suspects and later found to be unrelated to the investigation should be unfrozen or returned within three days, Xinhua said. Cases should be thrown out if no evidence of a crime is found, Xinhua said. | 1 | [
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FMD3391 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe told senators that there has been “no effort†to impede the bureau’s investigation of Russian interference in the election and any Trump campaign collusion. [“There has been no effort to impede our investigation to date,†McCabe said. His comment came in response to a question by Sen. Marco Rubio ( ) about whether President Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey has impacted the investigation in any way. McCabe added, “Simply put, sir, you cannot stop the men and women of the FBI from doing the right thing, protecting the American people, and upholding the Constitution,†he said. Democrats have accused Trump of firing Comey to stymie the investigation. The Wall Street Journal reported that the FBI’s investigation had begun to pick up steam in the last few weeks, and Comey had asked for more resources from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores told the WSJ that Comey last met with Rosenstein on May 1 and “there was no discussion of resources or funds related to the Russia investigation at that meeting. †Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe told senators on Thursday that he could not confirm that such a request was made, but said such a request would have been made to Congress, not through the Justice Department. “It’s not consistent with my understanding of how we request additional resources,†he said. | 1 | [
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FMD3392 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Maine Governor Paul LePage said on Wednesday he would not resign and was seeking spiritual advice after unleashing an obscenity-laden voicemail message on a political rival, as state lawmakers mulled whether to vote to censure the Republican. The famously combative two-term governor apologized for the second day straight to the people of Maine and to state Representative Drew Gattine after calling the Democrat a “little son-of-a-bitch, socialist cocksucker†in a voicemail message that has been widely circulated. “I will not resign,†LePage told reporters in his office in the state capital, Augusta, a day after discussing the possibility in a radio appearance. LePage’s angry voicemail followed an exchange with a newspaper reporter who asked about comments the governor had made blaming black and Hispanic people for the heroin trade in the Northeastern state. The reporter named Gattine as someone who had raised concerns about the comments, although both agree the Democrat never called the governor a racist. The voicemail ended with LePage urging Gattine to share it widely “because I am after you.†After meeting with Gattine on Wednesday, LePage said: “He never called me racist. He said I made racially comments. Maybe in my mind it is semantics but in his mind after talking to him it was clear that there was a real difference.†LePage, whose term runs through 2018, said he “will be seeking spiritual guidance with my wife and my children.†The Republican-led state Senate is still deliberating whether to call a special session to vote to censure LePage, said Majority Leader Michael Thibodeau. “We can’t continue to have the explosiveness that we’ve seen and so we’re in hopes that he’s going to find a way to correct that,†said Thibodeau, who would take over as governor if LePage stepped down. “We live in a time in America when racial tensions are high and we don’t need to be throwing gasoline on that fire.†Republicans in the state’s Democratic-led House of Representatives said they accepted LePage’s apology and were ready to move on. But House Speaker Mark Eves, a Democrat, called for a meeting of lawmakers to discuss LePage’s resignation or removal from office. “The governor’s comments today do nothing to address his increasingly erratic behavior that demonstrates he is unfit to lead,†Eves said in a statement. LePage on Tuesday morning mused on stepping down, saying he was not necessarily committed to finishing his term and adding: “It’s one thing not to have one party behind you, it’s another thing not to have any party behind you.†Hours later, he changed his tune, paraphrasing Mark Twain as he tweeted: “The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated,†before trying to change the subject with messages on a visit to a tissue factory. “Maybe my temperament for the poor and the underdog is over the top but I’ll live my life that way. I’m comfortable fighting for the underdog,†LePage said. “I’m just not a very good politician.†| 1 | [
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FMD3393 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: By Gordon Duff, Senior Editor on November 1, 2016 By Gordon Duff, Senior Editor and Ian Greenhalgh, Managing Editor
John F. Kennedy memorably stated that he was going to smash the CIA into ‘a thousand pieces’, he had very good reasons for doing so; half a century later, it can reasonably be assumed that similar phrases are being darkly muttered within the corridors of power about the FBI.
President George W. Bush “lost” 22 million emails, many involving criminal investigations, and the FBI has said nothing, though the emails involved the White House used an illegal private server owned by the Republican Party for official government business.
The FBI is out to get Hillary Clinton, it’s not Director Comey, Obama put him in there to clean up the mess, they’ve been after Obama for 8 years. The ‘birther’ hoax began, no we aren’t kidding, inside the FBI – it was the FBI that originated the wild rumour that Hillary Clinton murdered Vince Foster and that President Obama is not only a Muslim but many in the FBI actually say he’s the anti-christ.
Legal Analyst Paul Callan of CNN just published the following:
Lately, the FBI, while acting without the customary supervision of the Justice Department, appears to be a runaway train on a collision course with the concept of fairness in next week’s presidential election. Democratic Senator Harry Reid and former White House ethics counsel Richard Painter have accused FBI Director James Comey of violating the Hatch Act by illegally using his office to influence the election. While the claim of a Hatch Act violation is a stretch, the appointment of an independent prosecutor and the replacement of Comey are nonetheless urgently required, if not outright overdue. The tangled relationship between the Clintons and Attorney General Loretta Lynch should have prompted appointment of an independent special prosecutor long ago..
Here’s what Callan knew but wasn’t able to write. The same informants that went to Callan also came to us and what they had to say was frightening. Here is how it began; an FBI insurrection and this is the exact term used by sources deep inside the FBI cabal, an FBI insurrection against, Comey, Hillary Clinton and Obama can no longer be safely ignored. This is why Senator Harry Reid has called for a criminal investigation of the FBI for violation of the Hatch Act.
The FBI, and this isn’t Comey, it is the rank and file, the insurrectionist rank and file, a very powerful organisation that includes case managers, deputy directors that run not only counter-terrorism but financial crimes as well have not only targeted what they see to be dangerous liberal and progressive leaders, including of course the American president, but have continually protected criminals from prosecution as well. Those they have protected, possibly including names like Adelson, Trump and Romney, are funding moves against the US government, moves against American foreign policy and may well actually be funding recognised terror organisations as well, we have been specifically told this by sources within the FBI.
This insurrectional group within the FBI, which we are told includes the majority of FBI agents, has little idea what they have gotten into, some are aware they are taking orders from the shadowy Federalist Society, that ‘right-wing conspiracy’ Hillary Clinton referred to so many years ago as trying to bring down her husband’s presidency, but it goes deeper, it gets scarier; it isn’t just ‘birthers’.
The public face of this is blocked court appointments and a government in paralysis, but it’s far deeper and far more threatening, it all became possible when two branches of government fell under the control of organised crime. It took a five/four rigged Supreme Court and a rigged election in 2000, covered up by the FBI, to subvert for all times the independence of America’s legislature. Rigged by Richard Mellon Scaife, funded by Sheldon Adelson, a cabal calling themselves ‘Neocons’, in reality a front for organised crime, reapportioned Congressional districts across the US in clear violation of equal protection provisions of the constitution and backed by five mob-controlled members of the Supreme Court, bolstered by vote flipping software from the CIA, control of the legislative/investigative branch of government was permanently placed in the hands of a minority, destroying any hope of separation of powers and undermining all constitutional protections. Any hope of Americans influencing their own destiny disappeared with a rigged legislature running endless witch hunts and a mob-controlled Supreme Court backing them up.
Making it worse, so much worse, was the creation of a massive security bureaucracy, the Department of Homeland Security, laws authorising torture and illegal surveillance and the destruction of the FBI.
No public scandal can be investigated, no regulation enforced, no-one is left to speak up, no-one is safe from illegal arrest and imprisonment, a nightmare from the pages of Kafka become reality, all this has become clear in the last few days.
When a prominent US senator calls for the prosecution of America’s national police force, is it perhaps time to take note?
There was a reason the constitution prohibited the creation of the national police force, just as the constitution prohibited the creation of a central bank; there is no mechanism capable of controlling a central bank, as the failures of the Federal Reserve board and a cursory study of American history since 1913 will establish.
Similarly, no provision was established within the constitution to regulate or oversee a national police force, it didn’t take long for the FBI to become the Cheka within a short period after it’s creation, J. Edgar Hoover, turned ‘the bureau’ into a monstrosity blackmailing politicians and cosying up to crime figures while Hoover’s FBI chased ‘commies’ both real and imaginary, it protected not only the mafia but powerful international crime cartels as well, becoming the real ‘Murder Inc.’ Taxpayer financed strong-arm thugs supported by a disinformation campaign.
Hoover gained control of the press almost immediately, keeping files on his press enemies, threatening and blackmailing; some of this was to protect his own secrets – mob ties and his notorious penchant for sexual deviance, now long in the public domain, but it went further – it was all about power.
‘Mary’ Hoover liked to dress as a woman and was infamously covertly photographed along with his longtime companion and lover Clyde Tolson in flagrante delicto; those photographs came into the possession of mob kingpin Meyer Lansky, thus ensnaring Hoover, and by extension the entire FBI in a dangerous marriage with the mob. There is no evidence they ever got divorced, though from time to time the relationship may have been somewhat rocky.
Simply put, given these facts, any sense of surprise at FBI misconduct or calls for investigating or even disbanding the FBI, should be no surprise to anyone. Nearly every current television series that features scenarios involving the FBI invariably focuses on FBI corruption, the FBI’s illegal involvement in politics and gross incompetence.
Sit at a table and have lunch with the FBI, it can go one of two ways – you can have brilliant, dedicated and relentless law enforcement officers who complain about being shackled by a corrupt bureaucracy, or like as not, a pack of delusional nutcases mouthing wild conspiracy theories and ranting about dangerous liberals; neither group, though widely divergent, make a case for the survival of the FBI. Then when you realise the Dept. of Homeland Security is entirely composed of conspiracy nutcases and other agencies are worse, it becomes clear that Harry Reid’s demand to clean up the FBI is far from enough. | 0 | [
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FMD3394 | 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 individuals involved in sex trafficking labeling vehicles as potential victims? Claim summaries: Human trafficking is a real problem in the world, but the schemes outlined in many viral rumors like this one are not.
contextual information: In August 2020, a photograph showing the figures "1f1b" written on the back window of a vehicle began circulating on social media, accompanied by a warning about an alleged tactic used by sex traffickers to flag potential targets. Those sharing this meme claimed that this term stood for either "1 female 1 boy" or "1 female 1 baby," asserting that cars were being tagged with these codes by sex traffickers. The meme gained viral traction when it was posted on actor James Woods' Twitter account. The text read: "A very close friend of mine was out today shopping with her child at the Bricktown Walmart. When she left the store, a lady stopped her and made her aware of what was written on her back window (1f1b). I'm just going to assume that it stands for 1 female 1 baby. She was then informed that this is how sex traffickers are tagging cars. Please, please, mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, be AWARE! Feel free to share! I won't be tagging my friend for personal reasons." The claims made in this viral social media post are unfounded. Police in Bricktown, New Jersey, have stated that they are unaware of any such activity. Before we delve into the police statement regarding this matter, let's examine the game of telephone that helped this rumor spread. The text of this post indicates that this incident happened to a "friend of mine." As we read further, we discover that this "friend" was warned about this new criminal tactic by a random stranger—not a police officer, a news reporter, or even a Walmart employee, just an anonymous "lady." The original post received a few thousand shares, but this version garnered far wider circulation. As we moved further away from the rumor's origins, the details became increasingly muddled. One poster, for instance, claimed that this incident took place in Bricktown, Oklahoma City, despite the fact that there is no Walmart in that location. When we attempt to trace this rumor back to its origins, we find that the claim is based on something someone saw on Facebook, written by a person asserting that their friend had heard from a stranger that the code "1f1b" was being used by sex traffickers to flag future targets. In other words, this rumor lacks credible origins. The local Patch website reported that Brick Township Sgt. Jim Kelly said the department had not been notified. "We have no reports of anything like this," Kelly stated. He also mentioned that the department has not been alerted by state or federal authorities about any information indicating that criminals are marking vehicles "as a method for anything." It's simply another Facebook rumor without any facts, Kelly said. A new variant of this rumor emerged on social media in July 2021. "AND THIS, THIS IS WHY I CARRY! Not only do I carry, but I'm educated in how to defend myself if ever put in a circumstance like this! Please be aware of your surroundings AT ALL TIMES!" On July 27, 2021, a post described an incident that occurred around 3:30 PM between Prairie Grove and Hogeye, where a truck was stopped by a black Tahoe. A man exited the vehicle and began asking the female driver for directions. She rolled down her window but kept her seatbelt on and doors locked. As the man approached, he punched her in the left eye and cut her arm. Thankfully, she was armed and managed to grab her gun. He fled the scene. She called the police, who advised her that the mark "1FW" on her back window is a human trafficking mark. She had been marked somewhere, and the man followed her, making a move to take her when she was on a road alone. Thankfully, she returned home to her family that night. We are told they often mark mailboxes and trash cans too. This particular marking stands for one female white. This is not the first time that such baseless warnings have gone viral on social media. In July 2019, for example, we reported on the false claim that sex traffickers were flagging targets by placing zip ties on houses, mailboxes, or vehicles. In December of that year, a false rumor circulated that sex traffickers were lying down in front of vehicles to trick them into stopping. That same month saw the spread of another false rumor claiming that roses were being placed on cars to mark potential targets. Human trafficking is a real problem in the world, but the schemes described above are not based on any real-world threats. In fact, The Polaris Project, a non-profit that operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, states that the forced kidnapping aspect of the aforementioned rumors is one of the most prevalent myths surrounding trafficking: "The most pervasive myth about human trafficking is that it often involves kidnapping or physically forcing someone into a situation. In reality, most traffickers use psychological means such as tricking, defrauding, manipulating, or threatening victims into providing commercial sex or exploitative labor." | 0 | [
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FMD3395 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: WASHINGTON — Democrats pilloried Republicans for irresponsibly shutting down the government when Barack Obama was president, but as a minority party struggling to show resistance in the era of President Trump, they are now ready to let the lights of government go dark. A group of prominent Senate Democrats on Monday raised the specter of a shutdown over the funding of President Trump’s proposed wall along the border with Mexico. They also signaled a series of protracted budget battles in Congress over a larger force of immigration officers, what they call a deportation force, and funding for Planned Parenthood. They warned that these would also be “poison pills†that could kill any potential deals to keep the gears of government running normally this year. In a letter to Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, Senator Chuck Schumer and four other Democratic leaders made clear how far they were prepared to go: “We believe it would be inappropriate to insist on the inclusion of such funding in a appropriations bill that is needed for the Republican majority in control of the Congress to avert a government shutdown so early in President Trump’s administration. †Democrats have said little up to now about the possibility of employing the brinkmanship that Republicans used in the fights over the budget and the debt ceiling during the Obama administration. But with Mr. Trump expected to formally outline his 2018 budget priorities for the first time on Thursday and an April 28 deadline looming to fund the government for the rest of this fiscal year, the stakes of failing to reach an agreement are ratcheting up higher. “Most government shutdowns occur not because of specific funding issues but because of emotions around them,†said Stan Collender, who has worked for Democrats on the House and Senate budget committees. A border wall, he said, “is one of the issues that has the potential for creating those kinds of emotions. †After promising repeatedly during the presidential campaign that Mexico would pay for the construction of a border wall, Mr. Trump has remained vague since taking office about the actual mechanics of funding it through the budget. A border wall could cost $25 billion to construct, some experts say. Mr. Trump still insists that Mexico will pay for it eventually, but Mick Mulvaney, his budget director, suggested in an interview last week that he would make a supplemental request to get construction started in 2017 and ask for more funding in 2018 and 2019. Despite Mr. Trump’s other promises to make the wall big and beautiful, the details remained rough. “It just depends on the kind of wall that you want to build, and I don’t think we’ve settled yet on the actual construction,†Mr. Mulvaney said on the Hugh Hewitt radio show. “So it’s a complicated program. I don’t know what the answer is on the cost, but we will have one shortly. †Mr. Mulvaney orchestrated a government shutdown in 2013 as a Republican member of Congress. Last month, the Trump administration indicated that it would increase military spending by $54 billion while cutting nonmilitary spending by the same amount. The plan deeply slashes money for the State Department, foreign aid, the Internal Revenue Service and the National Endowment for the Arts. A draft budget request that surfaced last week also showed that the Trump administration was considering making cuts to the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Much of those funds would go toward paying for the wall. Still, none of this will happen without the assistance of some Democrats. Republicans, who have 52 seats in the Senate, will need 60 votes to pass a budget. Resistance to military spending increases from Republican fiscal hawks in the House could mean that some Democrats will be needed there, too. And Democrats have been steadfast in their insistence that they will not lift the caps on military spending imposed by the Budget Control Act sequester unless spending on domestic programs is allowed to increase by the same amount. Democrats flirted with a government shutdown over health benefits to retired miners last year before backing down at the last minute. Members of the party point out that their approach is different from the one taken by Republicans during the Obama years because they are merely seeking a clean budget bill, not using the threat of a shutdown to extract policy concessions from the party in power. Mr. Schumer said that he would not rule out approving funding for a wall in 2018, but that Mr. Trump must first explain how he plans to use eminent domain to acquire land along the border, the effects of the construction on the Native Americans and how he plans to persuade Mexico to reimburse the United States for the costs. In the meantime, Mr. Schumer rejected the idea that Democrats were being hypocritical for hinting at a shutdown and said it was up to Republicans to keep the government open. “The onus for shutting down government falls on the governing party, which is them,†he said in an interview. “They will have to face down some of the ideologues in their caucus and, on things like the wall, face down the president. †| 1 | [
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FMD3396 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The great Robert Reich posted a new whiteboard video this week in which he makes a case in support of Bernie Sanders by reacting to claims made by Bernie Sanders skeptics Democratic voters who aren t convinced Bernie is The Guy. I hasten to underline that while I m a Bernie skeptic, I m not a Hillary Clinton supporter either, though I do intend to vote for either Bernie or Hillary in June s California primary, as well as for the Dem nominee in the general election. Obviously. I d also like to repeat that I think Reich is one of the great left-wing political thinkers of our time. Now that the obligatory qualifiers are out of the way, Reich is off base with several of his counterpoints to Bernie skeptics.Let s take a look.1) He d never beat Trump or Cruz. Reich s response suggests that Bernie does indeed have a polling advantage over the Republicans in the general election, more so than Clinton. Unfortunately, Politifact determined that Bernie s version of this assessment is flatly False. While Sanders and Clinton each lead Trump, specifically, in the general election according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Sanders trails both Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, while Clinton performs slightly better. PPP, meanwhile, shows Sanders losing to Trump, Cruz and Rubio while Clinton defeats all three. Additionally, and this is crucial to understanding the general election differences between the Democratic hopefuls, voters have been following Hillary Clinton for 35 years and yet she still performs better, scandals and all, than Sanders against the GOP in most polls. Sanders, meanwhile, is a relative unknown, so it s too early to tell how he ll do after the GOP begins to relentlessly attack him.2) Congress would reject his ideas. Reich reminds us that if Congress remains in the hands of the Republicans, Hillary Clinton wouldn t be able to do much legislatively either. Actually, that s not necessarily true. Clinton s agenda is decidedly more moderate, so while she s sure to run up against significant GOP opposition, it ll be easier for her to shake loose centrist and center-right Republicans, as well as blue dog Democrats who would otherwise oppose Sanders significantly more leftist ideas.Reich goes on to say that Bernie could bring about a Democratic majority in Congress if! his political revolution works out. That s a super-colossal if. First of all, no revolution this year will change any gerrymandered districts. Secondly, let s suppose Sanders rides a massive wave of support into the White House with very long coattails. He d need a roughly 70-seat Democratic majority in the Senate to pass his single-payer proposal, for example.Why 70 and not 60? Blue dog Democrats. The blue dogs successfully killed the public option in 2009 and would surely join the Republicans in filibustering Bernie s single-payer legislation, hence the extra 10 votes above and beyond the 60 required to break the filibuster. Realistically, the only thing that might be able to spark a 70-seat majority (the House is totally different story, by the way) is another major financial crisis or another groundbreaking event that d compel voters to choose Democratic candidates across the board.3) America would never elect a socialist. Reich makes the off-the-shelf argument that there are many popular socialist programs in the United States, therefore Americans love socialism. Wrong. American voters love socialism, yes, but they don t know they do. And this argument about public schools and roads has been used since forever without successfully nudging very many voters leftward. Trust me, I ve tried it many, many times.Socialism, as we observed when Obama was falsely accused of pushing it in 2009, is still intensely demonized as being the same as communism (it s not) and, in some cases, Republicans have erroneously conflated it with the Nazis, aka National Socialists. (Just because socialism is in the name of the party founded by Hitler doesn t mean it s really socialist. Likewise, hot dogs don t contain actual dogs.)When the Republicans launch their relentless attack on Sanders democratic-socialist platform, it ll be another swift-boating like we observed in 2004, only it ll be more relentless. Some undecided moderate voters in swing states the people who decide elections in the polarized modern era might be convinced to vote Sanders, but it s a long shot. These are picky, old-fashioned voters in states like Pennsylvania and Missouri. Bottom line: Softening the American voters negative attitudes about socialism will take much longer than nine months.4) His single-payer proposal would require raising taxes on the middle class. I m with Reich and Sanders on this one. It s a bogus argument, pushed by skeptics and Hillary supporters alike. According to Sanders numbers, middle class families would pay less per year for healthcare and therefore end up saving money in spite of a modest tax hike. The trouble, however, is getting Congress to support a tax hike on the middle class. See also #2.5) His plan for free college tuition would mean colleges would be run by government rules. I haven t heard any Democratic skeptics saying this, but I might ve just missed them. Nevertheless, I again agree with Sanders and Reich here. There s nothing in Sanders proposal, or Obama s two-year-college plan, for that matter, showing that colleges would have to kowtow to the federal government.6) He s too old. Reich believes 74 is the new 64 and, honestly, I m not concerned about Bernie s age at all. As long as his would-be vice presidential nominee is strong, it s a non-issue. However, this will be an area the Republicans will use to attack Sanders, but it won t matter all that much. John McCain s age was only modestly relevant due to his battle with skin cancer. Sanders, on the other hand, seems quite energetic and healthy.So, all told, three of Reich s counterpoints to skeptics aren t particularly strong, while one counterpoint against middle class tax hikes is directed at hardline pro-Hillary people (not mere skeptics) as well as Republicans, and the final two are counterpoints to arguments I haven t really heard coming from Bernie skeptics.All in all, it still seems like a Sanders victory and a subsequent Sanders presidency would be a long shot. Not impossible, but risky from the standpoint of overcoming significant electoral and political hurdles, as well as the current status of the (obscenely gerrymandered) Congress. Democrats ultimately have to decide whether Sanders agenda is worth risking a possible Republican victory in November.// < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); // ]]>Bernie skepticsHow to respond to Bernie skeptics? Watch our latest video to find out.Posted by Robert Reich on Tuesday, January 26, 2016Featured image via video screen grab | 0 | [
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FMD3397 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Stunning doesn t even come close to describing the Department of Labor s waste of the American taxpayer s money!WE VE BLOWN $113 BILLION (YES, THAT S BILLION WITH A B) TO REBUILD THE ISLAMIC COUNTRY OF AFGHANISTAN! Among the federal agencies that have disbursed huge sums to famously corrupt Afghanistan reconstruction causes is the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), which has spent more than $11 million with the single biggest chunk of money going to a leftist charity whose president earns a stunning $600,000 a year.It s a tiny snippet of the $113 billion Uncle Sam has blown on wasteful projects presented to American taxpayers as necessary to rebuild the Islamic country renowned as a hotbed of terrorism.In the DOL s case, the cash is supposed to fund programs that provide Afghans with an education, work and life skills as well as well as job training. The biggest single portion of the DOL investment has gone to the New York-based International Rescue Committee (IRC) to provide vocational training for vulnerable Afghans and programs that increase wages and self-employment. The IRC claims that it responds to the world s worst humanitarian crises and helps restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Last year a British newspaper reported that the head of IRC, former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, earns a staggering $600,000 per year at the nonprofit. That s nearly four times the salary of the nation s prime minister, the newspaper pointed out, and several hundred thousand more than the president of the United States.Americans have given the IRC $3.4 million, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) and the watchdog wants to know how the money is being spent and if program goals have been met. In a report issued this month SIGAR notes that, besides IRC, several other groups received lots of money without revealing how it was spent. UNICEF got $3 million to demobilize child soldiers and provide them with reintegration, psycho-social and medical support. The rest of the DOL money supposedly funded activities that included training Afghan women to produce school uniforms for Afghan girls, assisting the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled to improve protection of workers rights and reforming labor laws and regulations in the country. Raising awareness of child labor is another popular cause that got generous funding.While the U.S. keeps the flood of cash flowing, there s no follow up to determine if the huge investment has been effective. As of the end of 2015, the U.S. has appropriated about $113 billion for relief and reconstruction in Afghanistan, the watchdog writes in its latest DOL report. The largest portion $96 billion has been managed by the Department of Defense (DOD), the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).Judicial Watch has reported extensively on this in the last few years and the fact that there s virtually no oversight once the money has been doled out. The government does a pathetic job tracking programs successes of failures and SIGAR has faced huge obstacles in the course of its probes even though it s supposed to be an independent watchdog with unlimited access to information necessary to expose government fraud or wrongdoing. When the watchdog launched an investigation into how Afghanistan reconstruction money is being spent agencies provided disparate information, the report states, which required additional follow-up. READ MORE: JUDICIAL WATCH | 0 | [
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FMD3398 | 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: Reginald VelJohnson Death Hoax Claim summaries: 'Family Matters' star Reginald VelJohnson is alive and tweeting.
contextual information: On 13 February 2017, the web site HeadlinenNews.comreportedthat Reginald VelJohnson (best known for his role as Carl Winslow on"Family Matters") had died of a heart attack: reported Reginald Vel Johnson, the actor best known as Family Matters Carl Winslow, has died after suffering a heart attack. He was 64. He was loved by the world and he will be missed profoundly, says Jenkins, 24. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers. Rumors claim that Vel Johnson was flying from London to Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 12, when he went into cardiac arrest. According to the story, paramedics removed him from the flight and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for a heart attack. The rumor was given traction by VelJohnson's appearance in a meme mocking the non-existent "Bowling Green Massacre": meme Bowling Green Massacre VelJohnson personally debunked the claims on Twitter: Twitter literally trying to kill me! ??? https://t.co/OdRTRJVi7f https://t.co/OdRTRJVi7f Reginald VelJohnson (@rveljohnson) February 15, 2017 February 15, 2017 Even when I finally pass you can still contact me thru this clock. Photo credit: some weirdo lol pic.twitter.com/ktLhkH83VF pic.twitter.com/ktLhkH83VF Reginald VelJohnson (@rveljohnson) February 15, 2017 February 15, 2017 Although VelJohnson's Twitter account isnot verified, it was registered in 2009 and was not likely to be operating as a separate hoax. Even if it were a hoax Twitter account, however, the difficult-to-find "About" page on HeadlinenNews.com has the following disclaimer: About Headlinen News is a satire site. We use real people to make real funny stories. Chill folks, its all for fun. | 0 | [
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FMD3399 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The state of Israel has been able to cover up its racism to the world quite effectively over the years through the use of propaganda and a pretense to peace with the Palestinians. Some apologists for today s crazy right-wing government even argue that if only the current prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, would be replaced by a dove, then peace could be achieved with the Palestinians. However, the lack of peace and the fascism in Israel today is not rooted in its prime minister; rather, it is rooted in the ideology of Zionism that drives him and most Israelis. Zionists believe in an exclusively Jewish state and they always have. The only difference these days is that under the current right wing government, psychotic Israelis are the official main-stream of society and they burn babies and execute Palestinians without hesitation and they know that the government will protect them.This was all on display in Tel Aviv as thousands of Israelis came out in solidarity for the Israeli soldier who executed a Palestinian lying incapacitated on the ground a month ago. The soldier, Elor Azarya, who was filmed shooting the Palestinian last month in the occupied Palestinian town Al-Khalil (Hebron), is facing manslaughter charges. However, Israelis who injure or murder Palestinians rarely face consequences.Watch video of soldier executing Palestinian here: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Bl9zAM5A4]Thousands of Israelis rally in support of soldier who executed wounded Palestinian https://t.co/EagsGN9gem by @RobertMackey The Intercept (@theintercept) April 20, 2016Protestors chanted and held signs reading Kill Them All. In Tel Aviv at the rally for Elor Azraya, Israel's executioner-soldier and national hero. 1000s in attendance pic.twitter.com/IB1hjmqT9i Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) April 19, 2016 Post-doctoral trolling ? Or ? Israelis adopt Nazi SS motto My honor is loyalty at Tel Aviv Death to Arabs rally pic.twitter.com/V8xb35Ktk8 David Sheen (@davidsheen) April 20, 2016Independent journalist @davidsheen beaten by Israeli mob because they thought he was a @Btselem human rights worker https://t.co/DpWduQsiZb Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) April 19, 2016The United States continues to give support to this racist state with billions of dollars and as every major presidential candidate except Bernie Sanders has given their cult like pledge of loyalty to Israel, things do not appear to be changing. It is time for Americans to rise up and say no to our support for Israel.Featured image via Twitter | 0 | [
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