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FMD3700 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Donald Trump s new pick for Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci, is apparently so enamored with Trump that it s come between him and his wife, at least according to the New York Post s Page Six.Scaramucci s wife, Deidre Ball, was a Vice President in investor relations for Scaramucci s former company, SkyBridge Capital. According to Page Six, Ball is filing for divorce because of Scaramucci s ambition and his desire to get close to Trump, who she can t stand. They have been married for three years and have two children together.One source told Page Six, Deidre has left him and has filed for divorce. She liked the nice Wall Street life and their home on Long Island, not the insane world of D.C. She is tired of his naked ambition, which is so enormous that it left her at her wits end. She has left him even though they have two children together. A second source close to Scaramucci who has alternately not been wearing his wedding ring, or has been sporting it on his right hand said the former couple had fought over his loyalty to Trump. This was his second marriage and Ball was noticeably not present at his recent SALT conference in mid-May.The New York Post is traditionally one of the few media outlets that refuses to report on everything negative about the Trump administration and ,maybe the reason this story made the papers is that it s all about Scaramucci s swooning love affair with Trump. The Mooch, as Scaramucci refers to himself, admires Trump s alleged athletic abilities: I ve seen this guy throw a dead spiral through a tire. I ve seen him at Madison Square Garden with a topcoat on. He s standing in the key and he s hitting foul shots and swishing them, OK? He sinks 3-foot putts. Source: NewsweekIn fact, during his initial press briefing, the Mooch used the word love 21 times, and most of them were about Trump. I love the President, and I m very, very loyal to the President. And I love the mission that the President has, okay? Since the early days of the campaign when I went to these rallies and I saw the love that the people had for the President, and I grew up in the middle class, and so there s a struggle out there. The President saw that before I did. I wish I could tell you I saw it before him, but he taught it to me. And I feel that struggle and have empathy for that struggle, and I want to be here to help him make things better for the American people.What do you want to bet that his wife doesn t receive the same sort of adulation. Brava to Ball, though, for standing up for her principles and for her perfectly normal hatred of Donald Trump.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images. | 0 | [
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FMD3701 | 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: 90% of individuals born in the 1940s surpassed their parents' financial status, whereas only around half of those born in the 1980s, known as Millennials, are expected to achieve greater financial success than their parents. This outcome is despite Millennials being recognized as the most educated generation to date.
contextual information: Candidate for California governorDelaine Eastinsays she wants to create an economy that works for everyone. But with the states affordable housing crisis and deep poverty, Eastin believes thats not happening now, especially for young people. People become cynical, she wrote in an Oct. 11, 2017op-edin theSan Francisco Chroniclebecause the path to a brighter future is becoming more remote. Eastin continued: Ninety percent of people born in the 1940s ended up doing better financially than their parents. But those born in the 1980s, the much-maligned Millennials, have only a 50-50 chance of doing better (financially) than their parents, despite being the best-educated generation in our history. Millennialsare typically considered the children of the Baby Boomers and older Gen Xers. They were born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s. We wanted to know whether Eastin was right about this dramatic decline in children doing better than their parents. We set out on a fact check. Eastins background Eastin is one of several Democrats vying to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018. She served in the State Assembly from 1986 to 1994 and then as State Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1995 to 2003. She was the first, and remains, the only woman to hold that position. In addition to her desire to create a more equitable economy, Eastin has advocated for greater investment in education, the adoption of universal health care and continued work on climate change during her run for governor. Our research We asked Eastins campaign for evidence supporting her claim about millennials and their financial prospects. Jon Murchinson, her campaign spokesman, told us the statement is based on conclusions in aDecember 2016 studyby the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. The study is called The Fading American Dream: Trends in Absolute Income Mobility since 1940. Its findings, indeed, show that the fraction of children earning more than their parents has plummeted -- from 90 percent for children born in the 1940s to 50 percent for those born in the 1980s. The study accounted for inflation, taxes and other changes between the generations. Its basically a coin flip as to whether youll do better than your parents, Stanford economistRaj Chetty, one of the studys authors, said in anews releaseannouncing the studys publication in December 2016. SOURCE:The Equality of Opportunity Project Reached by email this week, Chetty told us Eastins characterization of this trend appears accurate. David Grusky, the studys co-author and director of Stanfords Center on Poverty and Inequality, added that Eastins statement is a fair summary of our headline conclusion. The Stanford study doesnt examine whether millennials are the best-educated generation in our history. That part of Eastins statement, however, was substantiated in a recentsurveyby the Pew Research Center. It found 27 percent of millennial women and 21 percent of millennial men had completed at least a bachelors degree by age 33. That was slightly higher than the percentages for men and women at the same age from Baby Boomer to Generation X populations. Inside the study While Eastin appears to have correctly represented the reports findings, we wanted to know how the Stanford researchers came to their conclusions and whether other researchers agreed with them. Grusky told us the report used millions of Internal Revenue Service records and Census data to compare income between parents and children. The report specifically looked at people born between 1940 and 1984 and measured household income for parents and children when both were 30 years old. Even after accounting for changes between the generations, such as millennials entering the workforce at an older age than their parents, Grusky said the findings on upward mobility did not change significantly. Only slightly more than 50 percent of children at age 40 had higher income compared with their parents income when their parents were 30 years old. Unequal growth The Stanford study also accounted for the rapid economic growth experienced during the Baby Boomer generation, when the nations post-World War II economy created a surge of new jobs and industries. Assuming both generations had experienced the same economic growth rates, Grusky said only 62 percent of millennials would do better than their parents. The key factor holding back broader financial success of this younger generation, the report concluded, was todays inequality of growth. Financial success, Grusky said, has become concentrated among a smaller share of families compared with the recent past. Ensuring that financial success is distributed more widely would make a lot of headway toward millennials doing better than their parents in future years, the researcher added. The report found declines in upward mobility for millennials across all 50 states. The biggest drops took place in Rust Belt states such as Ohio, Illinois and Michigan, Grusky said. Millennials in states such as California, New York and Massachusetts saw, on average, less substantial declines. SOURCE:The Equality of Opportunity Project For this study, Grusky said, researchers were not able to factor in student debt or address how people of different races and ethnicities are affected by the mobility trends. Behind the starting line Tom Allison, deputy policy and research director atYoung Invincibles, said the Stanford research is right in line with theconclusions reachedby his Washington D.C.-based group. Young Invincibles advocates for expanding economic opportunities for young adults and encouraging them to get involved in the political process. Allison said the Stanford study is both transparent and relies on credible public data. Factors from the Great Recession to student debt to globalization have all put millennials behind the starting line compared with their parents, he said. That is a cornerstone of the American Dream, Allison continued, that if you work hard and play by the rules, then you can exceed the living standards of your parents. And weve seen a precipitous decline in that. Our ruling Delaine Eastin recently claimed millennials have only a 50-50 chance of doing better financially than their parents, while those born in the 1940s had a 90 percent chance of doing better than their parents. Her claim is supported by a 2016 Stanford study, The Fading American Dream: Trends in Absolute Income Mobility since 1940. Stanford researchers found stronger economic growth combined with a broader distribution of that growth during the Baby Boomer generation drove greater upward mobility for people born in the 1940s. They said financial success has become more concentrated in recent decades, leaving millennials with much lower odds of doing better than their parents. Even after accounting for changes, such as inflation and millennials starting work at older ages, they found todays younger generation faces comparatively smaller odds of earning more than their parents. Other research, notably by the advocacy group Young Invincibles, agreed with the Stanford findings. We rate her claim True. TRUE The statement is accurate and theres nothing significant missing. Click here formoreon the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD3702 | 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 there a federal study that was prohibited indicating that refugees generate more government revenues than they consume? Claim summaries: A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study compared the tax revenues generated by refugees to the overall cost of resettlement.
contextual information: One of the arguments made by the Trump administration for lowering the cap on the number of refugees allowed into the United States is that the costs of refugee resettlement outweigh its benefits. lowering Estimates vary on the total annual cost of processing and resettling refugees in the U.S., but a rough breakdown by the National Conference of State Legislatures put the total expenditures for accepting approximately 70,000 refugees in 2014 at $582 million.These cost estimates rarely attempt to take into account any economic benefits refugees might provide to the countries that take them in. According to a Facebook meme making the rounds since mid-2018, just such an analysis was undertaken by the Trump administration, but the results were suppressed because they undercut the official position:A recently leaked federal study found that refugees to America brought in $63 billion in government revenues than they cost in the last 10 years. Trump chief policy adviser Stephen Miller banned the release of the study, because it contradicts his claim that refugees are too costly. Pass it on!A leaked document fitting that description was indeed published by the New York Times in September 2017. It was an early draft of a report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) detailing, at the president's request, the estimated long-term costs of the United States Refugee Admissions Program. The Times noted that:The internal study, which was completed in late July but never publicly released, found that refugees contributed an estimated $269.1 billion in revenues to all levels of government between 2005 and 2014 through the payment of federal, state and local taxes. Overall, this report estimated that the net fiscal impact of refugees was positive over the 10-year period, at $63 billion.All in all, the report said, the net fiscal impact of refugees over the 10-year period was positive, not negative, to the tune of $63 billion at all levels of government:The study concluded that refugees on average had a net fiscal impact "comparable" to that of the general population:The per capita annual net fiscal benefit was $2,205 for refugees and $1,848 for the general U.S. population, a difference not likely to be significant given margins of error and other limitations of this study. Expenditures for the general U.S. population were on average higher than expenditures for refugees, while revenues were more comparable.However, none of this information was contained in the final report delivered to the President, the Times reported, noting that some of the refugee program's proponents believed the results of the study were "suppressed" internally. Administration officials characterized those results as illegitimate:This leak was delivered by someone with an ideological agenda, not someone looking at hard data, said Raj Shah, a White House spokesman. The actual report pursuant to the presidential memorandum shows that refugees with few skills coming from war-torn countries take more government benefits from the Department of Health and Human Services than the average population, and are not a net benefit to the U.S. economy.John Graham, the acting assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the health department, said: We do not comment on allegedly leaked documents and that no report had been finalized. He noted that Mr. Trumps memorandum seeks an analysis related to the cost of refugee programs. Therefore, the only analysis in the scope of H.H.S.s response to the memo would be on refugee-related expenditures from data within H.H.S. programs.The three-page report the agency ultimately submitted, dated Sept. 5, does just that, using government data to compare the costs of refugees to Americans and making no mention of revenues contributed by refugees.The Times also said that according to White House sources, Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who is reputed to be the chief architect of the administration's immigration policies, "personally intervened" to ensure that only the costs of admitting refugees, and not the fiscal benefits thereof, were enumerated in the final report. (According to the New Yorker, the White House denied that Miller was involved in producing the report.)The Facebook meme is largely accurate, then, although it somewhat mischaracterizes what became of the original draft report. It wasn't "banned" from release, in that it doesn't appear the report was ever intended to be made public. It was allegedly suppressed, however, in that it never reached President Trump's desk, and all discussion of the fiscal benefits of admitting refugees into the United States was excised from the final document. Estimates vary on the total annual cost of processing and resettling refugees in the U.S., but a rough breakdown by the National Conference of State Legislatures put the total expenditures for accepting approximately 70,000 refugees in 2014 at $582 million. breakdown These cost estimates rarely attempt to take into account any economic benefits refugees might provide to the countries that take them in. According to a Facebook meme making the rounds since mid-2018, just such an analysis was undertaken by the Trump administration, but the results were suppressed because they undercut the official position: A recently leaked federal study found that refugees to America brought in $63 billion in government revenues than they cost in the last 10 years. Trump chief policy adviser Stephen Miller banned the release of the study, because it contradicts his claim that refugees are too costly. Pass it on! A leaked document fitting that description was indeed published by the New York Times in September 2017. It was an early draft of a report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) detailing, at the president's request, the estimated long-term costs of the United States Refugee Admissions Program. The Times noted that: document The internal study, which was completed in late July but never publicly released, found that refugees contributed an estimated $269.1 billion in revenues to all levels of government between 2005 and 2014 through the payment of federal, state and local taxes. Overall, this report estimated that the net fiscal impact of refugees was positive over the 10-year period, at $63 billion. All in all, the report said, the net fiscal impact of refugees over the 10-year period was positive, not negative, to the tune of $63 billion at all levels of government: The study concluded that refugees on average had a net fiscal impact "comparable" to that of the general population: The per capita annual net fiscal benefit was $2,205 for refugees and $1,848 for the general U.S. population, a difference not likely to be significant given margins of error and other limitations of this study. Expenditures for the general U.S. population were on average higher than expenditures for refugees, while revenues were more comparable. However, none of this information was contained in the final report delivered to the President, the Times reported, noting that some of the refugee program's proponents believed the results of the study were "suppressed" internally. Administration officials characterized those results as illegitimate: This leak was delivered by someone with an ideological agenda, not someone looking at hard data, said Raj Shah, a White House spokesman. The actual report pursuant to the presidential memorandum shows that refugees with few skills coming from war-torn countries take more government benefits from the Department of Health and Human Services than the average population, and are not a net benefit to the U.S. economy. John Graham, the acting assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the health department, said: We do not comment on allegedly leaked documents and that no report had been finalized. He noted that Mr. Trumps memorandum seeks an analysis related to the cost of refugee programs. Therefore, the only analysis in the scope of H.H.S.s response to the memo would be on refugee-related expenditures from data within H.H.S. programs. The three-page report the agency ultimately submitted, dated Sept. 5, does just that, using government data to compare the costs of refugees to Americans and making no mention of revenues contributed by refugees. The Times also said that according to White House sources, Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who is reputed to be the chief architect of the administration's immigration policies, "personally intervened" to ensure that only the costs of admitting refugees, and not the fiscal benefits thereof, were enumerated in the final report. (According to the New Yorker, the White House denied that Miller was involved in producing the report.) denied The Facebook meme is largely accurate, then, although it somewhat mischaracterizes what became of the original draft report. It wasn't "banned" from release, in that it doesn't appear the report was ever intended to be made public. It was allegedly suppressed, however, in that it never reached President Trump's desk, and all discussion of the fiscal benefits of admitting refugees into the United States was excised from the final document. Blitzer, Jonathan. "How Stephen Miller Single-Handedly Got the U.S. to Accept Fewer Refugees."
The New Yorker. 13 October 2017. Davis, Julie Hirschfeld. "Trump to Cap Refugees Allowed into U.S. at 30,000, a Record Low."
The New York Times. 17 September 2018. Davis, Julie Hirschfeld and Somini Sengupta. "Trump Administration Rejects Study Showing Positive Impact of Refugees."
The New York Times. 18 September 2017. Phillips, Amber. "Here's How Much the United States Spends on Refugees."
The Washington Post. 20 November 2015. The New York Times. "Rejected Report Shows Revenue Brought in by Refugees."
19 September 2017. | 1 | [
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FMD3703 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: A recent economic uptick appears to coincide with the expectation of a new Republican Congress.
contextual information: In remarks from the Senate floor, newly elevated Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., suggested that his partys takeover of Senate control appears to coincide with recent good economic news. After so many years of sluggish growth, were finally starting to see some economic data that can provide a glimmer of hope, McConnell said. The uptick appears to coincide with the biggest political change of the Obama administrations long tenure in Washington: the expectation of a new Republican Congress. McConnell stopped short of saying the Republican Senate takeover actuallycausedan economic improvement, though manymediaobserversassumedthat was what he was trying to imply. In the liberalNew Republic, Brian Beutlerjoked,It absolutelydoescoincide with the expectation of a new Republican Congress. Relatedly, things that coincide are called coincidences. But is McConnell even right that the economic data and the political expectations coincided? We focused on two questions. First, when did the expectation of a new Republican Congress actually solidify? And second, was there an uptick in economic data that actually coincided with that time frame? Well also briefly address the question of causation, even though McConnell didnt explicitly claim that. The data we found suggest McConnell is engaging in some wishful thinking. When did the expectation of a new Republican Congress actually emerge? To answer this question, we checked with political analysts who handicapped the 2014 battle for the Senate and also looked at poll-based forecasting models. McConnell said expectation, a stronger word than possibility and one that requires a reasonable degree of consensus. Going into the 2014 Senate elections, most observers expected the GOP to gain seats, due primarily to a favorable map for the GOP (far more Democrats were up for re-election, especially in conservative states) combined with the longstanding history of six-year-itch midterm elections bedeviling second-term presidents, in this case Democrat Barack Obama. But whether the GOP would actually manage to win enough seats to seize control of the chamber -- six -- was less certain. Going into the election, the Democrats held a 55-45 edge (counting two Democratic-caucusing Independents as Democrats). With many individual races rated as highly competitive right through Election Day, winning a net six seats was no slam dunk. Jennifer Duffy, who handicaps Senate races for the Cook Political Report, said different political experts settled on a Republican takeover at different times but added that she felt pretty comfortable with a gain of six seats around Labor Day, which was on Sept. 1 last year. Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, agreed that Labor Day was a turning point, though he added that there were slivers of doubt right up until the end. We formally called the Senate for the Republicans the week before the election, but we also suggested that a GOP Senate was likely in the months prior to the election. The forecasters atfivethirtyeight.comsuggested the toss-up lasted past Labor Day. They calculated the likelihood of a GOP takeover at just over 50 percent as late as mid September, before rising again, ultimately to 76 percent on the eve of the election. TheNew York Times in-house forecast saw much the same pattern, narrowing to essentially a coin flip in mid September before climbing to a 75 percent chance of a GOP takeover by Election Day. All told, this suggests that an expectation of a GOP takeover didnt emerge until the beginning of September at the earliest, and possibly as late as the second half of September. This leads to our next question. Has there been an economic uptick that appears to coincide with this timeline? McConnells office pointed us to the announcement that the economy grew at an annualized 5 percent rate in the third quarter of 2014, the biggestexpansionin more than a decade. So well start there. Thefigurewas indeed impressive. But there are two problems with citing this as evidence for McConnells point. First, the third quarter covers July, August and September. So the bulk of this growth occurred before the expectation of a GOP Senate began to jell. Second, GDP growth for thesecondquarter -- covering April, May and June of 2014 -- was almost as impressive, 4.6 percent. And that was well before the expectation of a GOP takeover seemed to take hold. (In fact, for much of that quarter, theNew York Timesmodel showed the Democrats likelier to win control than the Republicans.) Indeed, the longer-term trend for GDP growth shows that three of the past five quarters -- that is, since mid 2013 -- have exceeded 4 percent growth, and another quarter came close to that. Only one quarter, the first quarter of 2014, was a dud. So its not as if the impressive third-quarter growth of 2014 came totally out of the blue. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis We also looked at another major yardstick for the economy -- the monthly change in employment. During 2014,total monthly employment gainsaveraged 241,000. In October -- the month after the expectation of a GOP takeover would have taken hold -- the gain was almost exactly that, 243,000. The November total was 321,000 -- the highest of the year, but not far out of line when compared with the general trend for job creation since early 2011 (see chart below). Its too soon to tell whether Novembers figure kicks off a new, higher threshold or whether the number settles back again into the 240,000 range. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics The strongest evidence for McConnells point is consumer confidence. TheUniversity of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentimentdid experience an uptick between November and December, but even with this measurement, confidence had been rising consistently since July. And other evidence actually points in the opposite direction. Data fornew orders of capital goods-- a good statistic for gauging how much confidence there is in future economic conditions -- actually fell every month between August and November. The question of causation Even if the statistical timeline fit perfectly, its worth remembering that correlation does not equal causation. I don't think that either party has that much power to affect short-run economic movements, except by royally screwing up, and I haven't seen any evidence that theexpectationof a regime change of this sort would affect economic outcomes, said Tara Sinclair, a George Washington University economist. Its even possible to draw up a theory that runs the opposite direction as McConnells linkage. Gary Burtless, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution, said one reason GDP and employment have increased a bit faster in recent months is that government investment, government consumption, and public employee payrolls have recently been rising instead of falling. Given this, McConnells comments linking the GOP and accelerated economic growth are ironic, Burtless said, since Republicans have been at the forefront of cutting government spending and payrolls. Our ruling McConnell said a recent economic uptick appears to coincide with the expectation of a new Republican Congress. Even leaving aside the question of causation, key statistics show that the economic recovery was under way well before September, which is our best estimate for when the expectation of a GOP Senate solidified. We rate the statement False. Help fund PolitiFact's Kickstarter to live fact-check the 2015 State of the Union and GOP response. | 0 | [
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FMD3704 | 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: Jeremy Allen White and Gene Wilder Are Related? Claim summaries: Stars of "The Bear" and "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" share a startling resemblance.
contextual information: Here at Snopes, celebrity doppelganger rumors are very common. In 2023, a rumor targeting actors from different eras had the internet abuzz: TikTok videos and Reddit posts compared the remarkably similar appearances of actors Jeremy Allen White and Gene Wilder, who died in 2016. The posts alleged a familial connection between the two. doppelganger TikTok Reddit 2016 Online ads spread the rumor with photos of the two actors and clickbait headlines such as, "[Photos] These Grandchildren Look Exactly Like Their Celebrity Grandparents," or the claim that Wilder was White's father. (Screenshot via People.com) There was no publicly available evidence to confirm, a consanguineous connection between Wilder and White. We reached out to Wilder's nephew, filmmaker Jordan Walker-Pearlman, through his production company (Harlem, Hollywood), as well as representatives for White via his talent agency, to pose the question. Walker-Pearlman, through a spokesperson for his production company confirmed that Wilder and White were not related. As such we have updated our rating to False. The spokesperson told us, "Jordan can confirm with you that as much as he admires the talent of Jeremy Allen White and believes Gene would have as well, and clearly sees the family resemblances, they are in fact not related." Wilder whose real name was Jerome Silberman was known for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in the 1971 movie, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," as well as roles in "Young Frankenstein" and "Blazing Saddles." While he adopted a stepdaughter during his second marriage in 1967, he died without any biological children, according to The Guardian and his IMDb profile. He was reportedly estranged from his stepdaughter later in life, according to The Guardian. name known adopted without The Guardian profile reportedly In a 2002 interview with Larry King, he discussed her: "I had a daughter and lost her a long while ago. That's too sad a story to go into." He added that he "lost" her when she was 22 or 23 years old. discussed However, Wilder has at least one nephew, Walker-Pearlman. When Wilder died in 2016, Walker-Pearlman announced the news in a statement for the public. In an interview with NPR around that time, Walker-Pearlman mentioned other relatives, a cousin and aunt of his, who were also in the company of Wilder when he died. nephew announced mentioned It is unknown, at present, whether Pearlman has biological children of his own, though there's no indication of a link between him and White. White, a Brooklyn native, is known for his roles on television shows "Shameless" and "The Bear." He was born in 1991, and his mother, Eloise Zeigler, is of Ukrainian descent, according to his IMDb page. native known 1991 Eloise Zeigler IMDb Meanwhile, according to the New York Times and IMDb, Wilder's father was a Jewish immigrant from Russia, and his mother was reportedly of Russian descent. immigrant Russian In other words, not only is there no evidence of a familial connection between the two actors, Wilder and White seemingly do not share the same ancestry. White is aware of the comparisons, though. In an August 2022 video interview with InStyle magazine, he mentioned the rumor saying he agrees, "I look a lot like Gene Wilder" though he did not outright deny or confirm its legitimacy. He said: interview Yeah I've been made aware of some of the stuff out there. There's one in particular. Everyone's decided I look a lot like Gene Wilder, which I agree. But I guess someone called me 'Ketamine Gene Wilder.' Or called Carmy 'Ketamine Gene Wilder,' which I thought was weird and funny. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxxG_AoRTlo&t=150s There is no proof of a familial connection between the two actors regardless of whether that hypothetical link was through marriage or blood. Wilder also had no biological children, and White, when publicly referencing the rumor, did not confirm or deny its legitimacy. Given that Wilder's nephew has also refuted the rumor, we rate this as "Alum Call Board: January 2021." VCUarts, 13 Jan. 2021, https://arts.vcu.edu/community/news/alum-call-board-january-2021/.Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. Evon, Dan. "Is Morgan Freeman Really Jimi Hendrix?" Snopes, 26 Sept. 2019, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/morgan-freeman-jimi-hendrix/.Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. "Family: Wilder Passed to 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow.'" USA TODAY, https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2016/08/29/gene-wilder-death-statement/89556566/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. "Gene Wilder | Actor, Writer, Director." IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000698/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. "Gene Wilder Death: Star of Willy Wonka Dies Aged 83." BBC News, 1 Sept. 2016. www.bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37248049.Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. "Gene Wilder's Nephew Remembers Late Actor Who Starred In 'Willy Wonka.'" NPR, 29 Aug. 2016. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2016/08/29/491856240/gene-wilders-nephew-remembers-late-actor-who-starred-in-willy-wonka.Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. "Interview With Gene Wilder." CNN.Com, May 2, 2002. https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2002-05-02/segment/00. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. "Jeremy Allen White | Actor, Writer, Producer." IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2087739/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. Lewis, Daniel. "Gene Wilder Dies at 83; Star of 'Willy Wonka' and 'Young Frankenstein.'" The New York Times, 29 Aug. 2016. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/movies/gene-wilder-dead.html.Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. Sidahmed, Mazin. "Gene Wilder, Star of Willy Wonka and Mel Brooks Comedies, Dies Aged 83." The Guardian, 30 Aug. 2016. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/29/gene-wilder-death-willy-wonka-mel-brooks-comedy.Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. "'The Bear's' Jeremy Allen White Has a Crush on Carmy, Too." GQ, 11 July 2022, https://www.gq.com/story/jeremy-allen-white-the-bear-profile.Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. Nov. 30, 2023: The story rating was updated to "False" along with a statement from Wilder's family member denying the claim. | 0 | [
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FMD3705 | 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: Amelia Bassano: The True Shakespeare? Claim summaries: Did a black woman named Amelia Bassano really write all of the plays attributed to William Shakespeare? Unlikely.
contextual information: In August 2015, a meme claiming that a black woman named Amelia Bassano Lanyer was the true (uncredited) author of all of William Shakespeare's plays began circulating online: Although the authorship of Shakespeare's plays remains a topic of some debate among scholars, the above-displayed meme contains several factual errors. First, Aemilia Bassano (later Emilia Lanier) was indeed a published author, not someone whose work was suppressed because of her race or gender. In fact, the Shakespearean Authorship Trust notes that Bassano became the "first woman to publish a book of original poetry" when her work Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum was put into print in 1611: Brought up opposite the theatre district in a family of Venetian Jews of Moroccan ancestry, at the age of 7 she was given to be educated by Countess Susan Bertie, in the family headed by Peregrine Bertie, Lord Willoughby. At the age of 13 she became mistress to Lord Hunsdon, the man in charge of the English theatre. When she got pregnant a decade later she was expelled from court and married off to a minstrel. She was one of the first women to own and operate a school and the first woman to publish a book of original poetry Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum (1611). She died in poverty. Second, Bassano was not black. She was born to Baptista Bassano (a Venice musician at the court of Elizabeth I) and Margaret Johnson in 1569, and biographies of her note that she "was part of a family of Italian court musicians of Moroccan/Semitic ancestry who lived as clandestine Jews." born No contemporaneous accounts describe Bassano as "black" (or "African"), and although its provenance is uncertain, many historians believe that this miniature portrait by Nicholas Hilliard depicts Amelia Bassano: portrait Amelia Bassano may have been dark-complected, however. A 2009 paper published in the Oxfordian, the journal of Shakespearean authorship studies, stated that some of Bassano's relatives were referred to as "black" when they arrived in London, likely due to their dark complexions: referred Brought to London from Venice in 1538/9, the dark-skinned Bassanos, some of whom were described in contemporary records as 'black' and who may have been of Moroccan as well as Jewish ancestry, became established as the Court recorder troupe." Lastly, the claim that Amelia Bassano wrote all of William Shakespeare's plays is a decidedly fringe notion, even within the world of Shakespearean authorship controversies. While she is listed as a potential candidate by the Shakespearean Authorship Trust (a group seemingly determined to credit Shakespeare's work to anyone but Shakespeare himself), even among that group she is included as just one of 66 candidates identified so far: candidate She has long been identified as the 'dark lady' of the Sonnets. Her candidacy was announced in March 2007 in a lecture at the Smithsonian Institution as part of the Washington Shakespeare Festival by John Hudson, artistic director of the Dark Lady Players, a New York company who perform the underlying Jewish allegories in the plays. A 5000 word major article on her appears in the Summer/Fall 2009 special issue of The Oxfordian dedicated to the top authorship candidates. | 0 | [
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FMD3706 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: President Barack Obama’s administration institutionalized a drone program that involves a targeted assassination policy for individuals put on kill lists. It not only devastated the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in countries, like Afghanistan, but it traumatizes the military officers, who are part of the system which makes strikes possible. But for them, there is little to no support for the depression, suicidal ideations, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) they develop as a result of the horrible things they are asked to do.
As the documentary, “National Bird,” shows, the officers struggle with the morality of their actions, but they face a presidential administration, which has criminalized more whistleblowers than all other previous presidential administrations combined. Officers who speak out about the drone program face the prospect of harsh prosecution under the Espionage Act, as if talking about what they saw as officers is treasonous. That weighs heavy on veterans of the drone program and makes them terrified to be labeled whistleblowers because they know how the government could destroy their lives if they become known to the public as whistleblowers.
The film highlights the lives of three former officers: Heather, a former drone imagery analyst, Daniel, a former private contractor and signals intelligence analyst, and Lisa, a former technology sergeant for a drone surveillance system. Director Sonia Kennebeck centers their experiences instead of simply using them to explore the mechanics of the drone program. Each one of them is painfully aware of how they could attract the government’s attention by participating in the film, and the credits note, “No person on this film disclosed classified material to the filmmakers.”
Lisa travels to Afghanistan with a friend named Asma, who was born in Afghanistan. Once a population she viewed remotely through a massive surveillance system, it is her chance to see Afghans as human beings. She shares, “I lost part of my humanity working in the drone program,” and plans to make reparations for the role she played in the drone program with this trip.
The trip provides a means for the filmmakers to highlight the perspectives of survivors of a drone attack by U.S. forces on February 21, 2010, which according to an official military investigation was carried out by a Predator drone crew at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. The attack killed 23 people, including children. General Stanley McChrystal signed off on the investigation, and a reenactment of the drone crew’s exchanges during the bombing highlights the bloodlust of those involved.
“Why didn’t he say possible child? Why are they so quick to call fucking kids but not a fucking rifle?” the pilot asks. The sensor replies, “I really doubt that children call, man. I really fucking hate that.” Later, the pilot says, “Adolescent near the rear of the SUV.” The sensor replies, “Well, teenagers can fight.” A military officer states, “12-13 years old with a weapon is just as dangerous.” Right before the strike, the sensor cheers, “Let the party begin.”
The video footage, combined with the reenacted radio exchange, evokes memories of the infamous “Collateral Murder” video disclosed by Manning and released by WikiLeaks. The drone crew is quite eager to kill. If they can claim in the aftermath the children were teens with possible access to weapons, they have no qualms with putting a Hellfire missile through a pickup truck with kids.
Daniel considers whether he is afraid of possibly going to prison for speaking out (Credit to Ten Forward Films)
What stands out about Daniel’s story is how careful he is to choose his words and even backtrack during his answers to questions. He wears a pin for U.S. Army whistleblower Chelea Manning in one scene in the film. He watches “Democracy Now!”, including a broadcast covering CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling’s prosecution. He has a copy of Wired magazine with Snowden on the cover wrapped in the American flag. There are posters with radical political messages in his apartment, and he participates in antiwar demonstrations. But he does not want to take any chances that he will invite the ire of the global security state. Nevertheless, as the film progresses, Daniel winds up in the crosshairs. The FBI conducts a raid against him on August 8, 2014, while the film is still in production. It deeply frightens Daniel, and clearly undermines his ability to contribute to the film. He reaches out to prominent whistleblower attorney, Jesselyn Radack—just as Heather did—and receives legal assistance in order to defend himself while the government investigates him for “espionage.”
Radack communicates the severity of the situation. Such an investigation paints a person as an “enemy of the state.” It is a “David versus Goliath struggle,” a “single person against the entire executive branch of the United States government.”
Heather grapples with the anxiety and fear of whether speaking to citizens at public libraries or bookstores or through a column published by the Guardian will make a difference. At a bookstore, she breaks down, as she shares the fact that she does not speak out for herself. She does it for her veteran friends struggling with alcoholism, who cannot talk to citizens as well as she can. Or, she does it in honor of veteran friends who died. But will it make a difference? Is it really worth it to detail how the government does not want to acknowledge the drone program traumatizes the people carrying out attacks?
She shudders at the thought that anyone would cast her as the “next Edward Snowden,” especially if policymakers are not going to listen to the message she has for the public. “If I am going to get all this awful horrifying attention from the government, what’s the point? If someone comes to my house and puts a bag over my head and hauls me away, what was the point in anything I did? Am I really changing people’s minds or are people going to just share it on Facebook and move along?”
It is a tremendously powerful moment that communicates the sacrifice of former military officers or government officials, who speak out about the unspeakable things they did. As Heather says, she could try to live a normal life. She has psychological problems and was a suicide risk before she left the U.S. Air Force. She would be better off spending time with family and friends. Plus, she adds, the left sees people like her as “baby killers.” They believe she should be put on trial for war crimes. The right is unconvinced that drone strikes cause trauma because officers involved are not in combat zones. So, why open up about what drone crew do and attempt to educate the public when insensitivity and indifference is what follows?
“National Bird” gives voice to people on both sides of a Hellfire missile. These are individuals who the U.S. government will not hesitate to silence if at all possible. It also challenges the way in which the drone program normalizes and makes war permanent. And, as Donald Trump prepares to take over control of this apparatus entrenched by Obama, the film encourages audiences to reflect on whether they have any problem with a government that assassinates and destroys the lives of entire villages and punishes any officers involved, who cannot bear the sins they committed and dare to speak out so they may heal their soul.
The post Film Review: ‘National Bird’ Confronts Perils Of Becoming Drone Whistleblower appeared first on Shadowproof . | 0 | [
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FMD3707 | 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: Checking the Facts About 'Dreamers' Claim summaries: An Internet meme cites extremely dubious statistics to convince readers that the young undocumented immigrants known as "Dreamers" are a detriment to society.
contextual information: First introduced in Congress in 2001 and last revisited in 2017, the so-called DREAM Act (which stands for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act) was aimed at providing a path to permanent residency in the United States for children of undocumented immigrants. Every attempt to pass the legislation has failed to date, as politicians continue to kick the can down the road to the next administration. DREAM Act However, in June 2012, the DREAM Act begat DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), an executive action signed by President Obama that allowed qualified undocumented minors to apply for work permits and protection from deportation. To be eligible, applicants had to be under the age of 31, must have arrived in the U.S. before turning 16, lived in the country continuously since 2007, be enrolled in school or possess the equivalent of a high school diploma, and never been convicted of a serious crime. DACA By the time the Trump administration rescinded the program in September 2017 (on the spurious grounds that it was an abuse of executive power), an estimated 800,000 people most of them under the age of 25 had applied for DACA protection. In honor of the ill-fated DREAM Act, and to reflect that they have a dream of someday becoming citizens, they have come to be known as "Dreamers." rescinded 800,000 With DACA gone, the Dreamers' future once again rests with Congress. Members of both parties have vowed to pass legislation granting them protections comparable to DACA's, an idea supported by the majority of the American people. Even President Trump backs the effort, having suggested to the New York Times that Dreamers be given a path to citizenship: supported suggested Over a period of 10 to 12 years, somebody does a great job, they work hard, that gives incentive to do a great job. Whatever they're doing, if they do a great job, I think it's a nice thing to have the incentive of, after a period of years, being able to become a citizen. A vocal minority opposes that idea, however, and some of its detractors have taken to social media to spread anti-Dreamer (and other anti-immigrant) propaganda. One example making the rounds on Facebook consists of a list of so-called "fun facts" intended to persuade readers that Dreamers are bad people and any government efforts to help them amount to a "scam": These two groups differ not only in size, but also in attributes such as how well educated their members are and how many have criminal records. This is because DACA imposed strict requirements in those areas. For purposes of this fact check, we're defining "Dreamers" as those who actually enrolled in the DACA program between 2012 and 2017. We've chosen this route for two reasons: one, it has been, to date, the working definition used by major news and polling organizations such as the New York Times, Associated Press, and the Pew Research Center; and two, in the single instance where we determined that the "Dreamers fun facts" meme reported a statistic accurately (the military participation of Dreamers), it pertained (and only makes sense if it pertains) to the group of actual DACA enrollees, not the larger DACA-eligible group. (Barring a change in regulations, non-DACA undocumented immigrants cannot enlist in the military.) Associated Press CLAIM: "792,000 Dreamers (88 percent) are over 25 years old." . Only about 280,000 (35 percent) of the 800,000 Dreamers who were active DACA recipients as of September 2017 were over 25 years old. None are older than 36 because of the age-of-entry requirements imposed by DACA. The average age of Dreamers is 24. [Source: Pew Research Center] Pew Research Center CLAIM: "900 Dreamers (less than 1 percent) serve in our military." . Generally speaking, undocumented immigrants aren't allowed to join the U.S. military, so this statistic can only apply to DACA enrollees, who were granted special permission to enlist in 2014. granted As of September 2017, there were close to 900 Dreamers serving in the military thanks to that program, according to the Pentagon. That is less than .1 percent of all DACA recipients. For comparison, according to a USA Today report .4 percent of the general population currently serves in the military. [Sources: USA Today; Pew Research Center] USA Today Pew Research Center CLAIM: "743,000 Dreamers (83 percent) do not have a college degree." . In a 2017 survey of approximately 3,000 Dreamers, the portion of those aged 25 or older who said they hold a four-year college degree (or higher) was close to 35 percent. That means 65 percent (approximately 520,000) do not yet have a college degree. Comparing that to the larger U.S. population, 2015 census figures say that roughly 32 percent of Americans 25 or older have a least a four-year college degree (meaning 68 percent do not). [Sources: T. Wong DACA Survey; U.S. Census Bureau] survey T. Wong DACA Survey U.S. Census Bureau CLAIM: "189,000 Dreamers dropped out of high school early (That is roughly 21 percent)." . The only statistic we were able to find comparable to this applied not to Dreamers, but to the larger population of potentially DACA-eligible immigrants. According to a 2014 study, roughly 20 percent of those aged 19 or older had not completed high school or the equivalent (as compared to a 5.9 percent high school dropout rate for the entire U.S. population). We found no such statistic for DACA enrollees, who in any case would have been required under government guidelines to be "currently in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States." [Sources: Migration Policy Institute; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; National Center for Education Statistics] Migration Policy Institute U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services National Center for Education Statistics CLAIM: "9,000 Dreamers (1 percent) are incarcerated." We were unable to find any sources documenting the claim that 9,000 Dreamers are (or were) incarcerated. It may be that the 1 percent figure was loosely derived from a Cato Institute policy brief which said that the incarceration rate among the 1.1 to 1.9 million immigrants who were otherwise DACA-eligible in 2015 was .98 percent. (What's most interesting about that figure is that it's actually a lower incarceration rate than that of the native-born population, according to the Cato Institute). brief The closest comparable statistic we found for actual DACA enrollees came from an accounting by USCIS of the number of those whose "deferred action" status was terminated between 2012 and 2017 due to criminal convictions or arrests: 2,030 (or approximately .25 percent of the entire Dreamer population). [Sources: Cato Institute; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] Cato Institute CLAIM: "657,000 Dreamers (73 percent) receive some form of welfare." . By law, undocumented immigrants (including DACA recipients) are not eligible for means-tested welfare benefits such as cash assistance, food stamps, or Medicaid. Under a provision of DACA, enrollees who reached retirement age after having worked and paid taxes in the United States for at least 10 years could have qualified for Social Security and Medicare benefits. [Source: National Immigration Law Center] law National Immigration Law Center It is important in policymaking matters to carefully weigh the facts and how populations will be affected. One can only hope that those same legislators do not govern by meme. Bier, David. "Five Myths About DACA."
The Washington Post. 7 September 2017. Broder, Tanya, Moussavian, Avideh, and Blazer Jonathan. "Overview of Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs."
National Immigration Law Center. December 2015. Chishti, Muzaffar and Bolter, Jessica. "Trump Administration Rescinds DACA, Fueling Renewed Push in Congress and the Courts to Protect Dreamers."
Migration Policy Institute. 15 September 2017. Dickerson, Caitlin. "What Is DACA? Who Are the Dreamers? Here Are the Basics."
The New York Times. 23 January 2018. Gonzalez, Roberto, et al. "Taking Giant Leaps Forward."
Center for American Progress. 22 June 2017. Greenwood, Max. "Poll: Nearly 9 in 10 Want DACA Recipients to Stay in U.S."
The Hill. 18 January 2018. Haberman, Maggie, Rogers, Katie, and Shear, Michael. "Trump Says He Is Open to a Path to Citizenship for 'Dreamers.'"
The New York Times. 24 January 2018. Horton, Alex. "The Military Looked to 'Dreamers' to Use Their Vital Skills. Now the U.S. Might Deport Them."
The Washington Post. 7 September 2017. Kessler, Glenn. "The Debate Over DACA: A Guide to the Numbers Used by Politicians."
The Washington Post. 23 January 2018. Korte, Gregory, Gomez, Alan, and Johnson, Kevin. "Trump Administration Struggles With Fate of 900 Dreamers Serving in the Military."
USA Today. 7 September 2017. Krogstad, Jens Manuel. "DACA Has Shielded Nearly 790,000 Young Unauthorized Immigrants From Deportation."
Pew Research Center. 1 September 2017. Landgrave, Michelangelo and Nowraster, Alex. "The Dreamer Incarceration Rate."
Cato Institute. 30 August 2017. Lopez, Gustavo and Krogstad, Jens Manuel. "Key Facts About Unauthorized Immigrants Enrolled in DACA."
Pew Research Center. 25 September 2017. McHugh, Margie. "Diploma, Please: Promoting Educational Attainment for DACA- and Potential DREAM Act-Eligible Youth."
Migration Policy Institute. September 2014. Ryan, Camille L. and Bauman, Kurt. "Educational Attainment in the United States: 2015."
U.S. Census Bureau. March 2016. Siskin, Alison. "Noncitizen Eligibility for Federal Public Assistance: An Overview."
Congressional Research Service. 12 December 2016. Wong, Tom K. "New Study of DACA Beneficiaries Shows Positive Economic and Educational Outcomes."
Center for American Progress. 18 October 2016. Wong, Tom K., et al. "DACA Recipients' Economic and Educational Gains Continue to Grow."
Center for American Progress. 28 August 2017. Zong, Jie, et al. "A Profile of Current DACA Recipients by Education, Industry, and Occupation."
Migration Policy Institute. November 2017. National Center for Education Statistics. "Dropout Rates."
Accessed 25 January 2018. National Immigration Law Center. "DACA and DAPA Access to Federal Health and Economic Support Programs."
30 January 2015. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. "DACA Terminations Related to Criminal and Gang Activity by Fiscal Year."
2017. | 1 | [
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FMD3708 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: it s certainly an old lesson by now. Depending on what your view of communism is | 0 | [
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FMD3709 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Long after government regulators had confirmed the lethal consequences of cigarette smoking, Mike Pence mocked their warnings as “hysteria†in 1998. “Time for a quick reality check,†he wrote. “Smoking doesn’t kill. †Long after most members of Congress had abandoned the quaint practice of delivering morning speeches, Mr. Pence eagerly held court in an empty chamber, musing about sports and Scripture. And long after Republicans’ war on big government was fading, Mr. Pence defiantly opposed his own party over the creation of signature programs like No Child Left Behind and a Medicare prescription drug benefit. Throughout his career as a congressman, radio host and governor, Gov. Michael Richard Pence of Indiana, Donald J. Trump’s running mate, has been deeply and proudly out of sync with his times. With his formal bearing, shiny helmet of white hair and carefully chosen, slowly delivered words, he is a throwback in his demeanor. With his deep social conservatism, public religiosity and aversion to negative campaigning, he is a throwback in his political style. He is so abstemious that he once declared that to avoid temptation, he would never appear anywhere alcohol was served unless his wife was with him. This has earned Mr. Pence, 57, both the admiration of Republican voters who identify with his homespun manner and the frustration of outsiders who see him as a dangerous anachronism. Leslie Lenkowsky, a former professor at Indiana University who has known Mr. Pence for 20 years, said that in an age of governors who deliberately avoid touchy social issues, “Mike sees himself as a champion of a very culturally conservative set of values that represent Middle America. †“He sees his role,†Mr. Lenkowsky said, “as protecting them. †In interviews, Mr. Pence describes himself as “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order. †Those animating forces were at the center of the most consequential — and controversial — decision Mr. Pence made as governor: signing a 2015 law that could have made it easier for religious conservatives to refuse service to gay couples just as marriage was spreading across the country. The national firestorm generated by the law was so fierce that sports leagues, trade groups and technology companies threatened to boycott Mr. Pence’s state, forcing him to revise the law in a compromise that infuriated both sides of the debate. For many Americans, it was a searing introduction to Mr. Pence. But for those who have closely tracked his career, it fit a longstanding pattern: the winds of change might blow, but Mr. Pence is slow to bend. By the time he was elected to Congress in 2000, after two failed tries, Mr. Pence had missed the Republican revolution led by Newt Gingrich and his scrappy, fiscally conservative acolytes who stormed Washington in 1994. Nobody, it seemed, had told Mr. Pence that the rebellion was over. He arrived in the House determined to slash federal spending and shrink the role of government. It was not to be: House Republicans, led by President George W. Bush, created giant new programs like Medicare Part D and spent trillions bailing out Wall Street after the financial crisis. “I was like the frozen man,†Mr. Pence said of his poor timing in a 2004 speech. “Frozen before the revolution thawed after it was over. A minuteman who showed up 10 years too late. †He left little mark on the institution: During his congressional career, he introduced 90 bills and resolutions. None became law. Showing up late, by many accounts, was his fate as governor, too. By the time he was elected, his popular predecessor, Gov. Mitch Daniels, along with a Republican legislature, had checked off almost every box on the conservative wish list: shrunken budgets, privately managed health care for state workers, and a voucher program that allowed public students to attend private schools. “Mitch Daniels dominated Indiana politics for the better part of 10 years,†said Michael D. McDaniel, who was the Indiana Republican chairman from 1995 until 2002. “Mike Pence would be the first person to tell you that he knew that was going to be a tough act to follow. †So far, he has struggled to carve out a national reputation beyond his polarizing pursuit of socially conservative causes. In an echo of his actions on gay rights, he signed a strict new law in March that bans abortions based solely on the fetus having a disability such as Down syndrome. The measure inflamed many women and activists across the country and now faces a court challenge. “A society,†Mr. Pence said at the time, “can be judged by how it deals with its most vulnerable — the aged, the infirm, the disabled and the unborn. †His conservatism, friends said, is firmly rooted in his Indiana childhood, a postcard from a tranquil Midwest of the 1960s. The son of a gas station manager, he was a quiet altar boy whose favorite childhood memory was playing in a neighborhood creek. In college, he gravitated from his family’s Catholicism to evangelical Christianity after a fraternity brother at Hanover College “challenged me to take seriously the claims of Christ,†Mr. Pence later recalled on the House floor. His personality was the centerpiece of his early campaigns. In 1988, during his first run for Congress, he rode a bicycle across 261 miles of his district to meet voters. He lost. But his feel for the local mood and mores allowed him to master a form of communication that proved pivotal to his political rise: talk radio. After he lost the 1988 campaign, and another in 1990, “The Mike Pence Show†became his tether to voters across Indiana and a springboard into the world of national conservatives. The show’s origins reveal much about its host. The head of a local station had sold Mr. Pence (and his mother, who attended the meeting) on the idea by reminding him that radio was Ronald Reagan’s ticket to stardom in the 1930s. “Our idea was just to keep his name out there,†said Sharon Disinger, who is a of the station with her husband. The broadcast, an amiable discussion of politics, weather and local life that ran from 1993 to 1999, was a hit. It eventually aired on 18 local stations. “It was pleasant radio, like a fireside type chat,†Ms. Disinger said. Mr. Pence described it this way: “Rush Limbaugh on decaf. †And it paved the way for his eventual victory in a 2000 race for Congress. By then, Mr. Pence had made a declaration that could complicate his new political partnership with Mr. Trump, whose style leaves no rival unscathed. He swore off personal attacks on campaign opponents, saying he regretted his tactics against his Democratic rival, Representative Phil Sharp. In one 1990 campaign commercial, Mr. Pence hired an actor to play an Arab, dressed in stereotypical garb, who theatrically thanked Mr. Sharp for American dependency on foreign oil. “Negative campaigning, I now know, is wrong,†Mr. Pence wrote in a contrite essay after he lost to Mr. Sharp. In it, he quoted from the Bible about Jesus and sin. “A campaign,†Mr. Pence posited, “ought to demonstrate the basic human decency of the candidate. †Mr. Sharp, in an interview, seemed unmoved. “To me, neither he nor Trump are of presidential timber,†Mr. Sharp said. But friends said it was a sincere conversion. Curt Smith, the president of the Indiana Family Institute, a conservative group, said Mr. Pence still talked about his regret over that poisonous campaign years later. “Mike talks about his mistakes,†Mr. Smith said. “He is coming from a place of conviction. †Admission of error did not come as easily in the case of the religious exceptions law that Mr. Pence signed in 2015. After offending gays across the country, enduring a backlash from the state’s business community and undergoing a painfully awkward nationally televised interview in which he struggled to explain the law’s impact, Mr. Pence acknowledged only that he could have better handled the TV encounter. Soon after, he accepted a revision to the law that he said would prevent businesses from denying services to gay couples, or anyone else. “It was badly mishandled,†said Mr. Lenkowsky, the former Indiana University professor. On that, even Mr. Pence’s conservative allies agree. The compromise Mr. Pence struck, said Mr. Smith, “turned out to be a dramatic unraveling, and I was very disappointed. †Mr. Pence, however, seems unperturbed by the politically costly decision and the resulting cultural clash that has come to define his time in office. “I don’t think it’s something he regrets,†said Mr. Lenkowsky. “If that’s his identity, that’s his identity. He can live with it. †| 1 | [
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FMD3710 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: President Donald Trump does not intend to trade away U.S. jobs for China’s help on North Korea, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Monday, adding that there were “constructive†talks with Beijing underway on trade issues. In an interview with CNBC, Ross rowed back from Trump’s comments in a CBS interview on Saturday that China’s help on North Korea “trumps trade.†Asked if the need for China’s help to contain threats from North Korea had made it more difficult to be tough with Beijing on trade issues, Ross said he did not think so. “We’ve been having some very constructive discussions on trade with the Chinese in parallel†to discussions on North Korea, Ross told CNBC. “I think what the president was trying to say is that we’re trying to have an overall constructive relationship with China on a variety of topics, the most pressing of which, because it directly involves human lives, is the North Korea situation. I don’t think he meant to indicate at all that he intends to trade away American jobs just for help on North Korea,†Ross said. Ross also reaffirmed that the administration intended to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, not withdraw from it. He called NAFTA “an ancient treaty†that does nothing to address the digital economy, very little to address services, and has many “obsolete†provisions, such as those on rules of origin, allowing in too many components and products from outside the United States, Canada and Mexico. He said, however, Mexico’s July 2018 national elections could become an obstacle if negotiations were not completed well before then. “The closer we get to the election, the more difficult it will be to get anything through,†Ross said. Asked about White House National Trade Council Director Peter Navarro’s role in trade policy, Ross said he was “not a trade negotiator,†but was working with the U.S. Trade Representative, and the Commerce Department as “a kind of triumvirate†on trade. Ross added that Navarro was spending a lot of time on “Buy American, Hire American†initiatives as part of his focus on U.S. trade deficits. Trump created the role for Navarro after he served as the principal economic advisor to his 2016 election campaign. | 1 | [
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FMD3711 | 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 Ford Make Colin Kaepernick the Face of Their New Ad Campaign? Claim summaries: A joke posted to the political humor section of Reddit was mistaken as genuine news by a number of social media users.
contextual information: As social media users sorted through a flurry of news articles, opinion pieces, calls for boycotts, and other hot takes in September 2018 about Colin Kaepernick's involvement in a new Nike ad campaign, some stumbled across what appeared to be a news article reporting that Ford USA was following Nike's example by making the former NFL quarterback the face of their new ad campaign: articles This item was not a social media link to a genuine news article, nor did the featured image show a genuine Ford advertisement featuring Colin Kaepernick. This item was created as a joke for the political humor section of the Reddit social news site. Kaepernick became a controversial figure in 2016 when he started kneeling during the pre-game performance of the U.S. national anthem in protest of racial inequality and police brutality. A number of conservative football fans, including President Trump, maintained that Kaepernick's protest was disrespectful to veterans, so when Nike announced that the former football star would be featured in their latest ad campaign, social media users urged each other to boycott the brand and started posting images purportedly showing them destroying various pieces of Nike apparel. 2016 Twitter user @Patterico apparently found the videos of people burning their shoes to be amusing but noted that the entertainment value would increase if people were burning Ford F-150 trucks instead: I'll pay Ford $10 if they put Kaepernick in a commercial for F-150s so I can watch some dumbass torch his pickup on Twitter, who's with me Patterico (@Patterico) September 4, 2018 September 4, 2018 Reddit user u/fakenewsanchorman saw this tweet and decided to create a fake news item (note the username) stating that Ford USA had indeed named Kaepernick as their new brand ambassador. On 5 September 2018, his meme was posted to the Political Humor subreddit under the title "Please Make This Actually Happen." Political Humor That Reddit user admitted in the comments section that his image did not reflect a genuine news item, but we double-checked with FoxNews.com to see if reporter Judson Berger had filed any such report. This article does not appear on Berger's author page nor anywhere else on the Fox News web site. author page This bit of fake news may have sparked sparked interest in a genuine, albeit outdated, article about Ford's stance on the national anthem protests. In September 2017, the company officially took the side of the protesting players, saying that they respected the "individuals' right to express their views": article "We respect individuals' rights to express their views, even if they are not ones we share," the company said. "That's part of what makes America great" ... Martha Firestone Ford, owner and chairwoman of the Detroit Lions and a member of the Ford family, issued a statement criticizing President Trump for his comments. "Our game has long provided a powerful platform for dialogue and positive change in many communities throughout our nation," she said. "Negative and disrespectful comments suggesting otherwise are contrary to the founding principles of our country, and we do not support those comments or opinions." Abad-Santos, Alex. "Why the Social Media Boycott Over Colin Kaepernick Is a Win for Nike."
Vox. 6 September 2018. Sandritter, Mark. "A Timeline of Colin Kaepernicks National Anthem Protest and the Athletes Who Joined Him."
SB Nation. 25 September 2017. Wiener-Bronner, Danielle. "Ford: We Respect the Right of NFL Players to Protest."
CNN. 25 September 2017. | 0 | [
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FMD3712 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: This is a powerful story of a courageous young woman who is fighting for the rights of women and children everywhere in America to feel safe in public bathrooms and locker rooms. It is a MUST read and SHARE story.A few months ago, Kaeley Triller, from the Keep Locker Rooms Safe organization and a victim of rape registered for a workshop called The Story Workshop at the Allende Center in Seattle. It was primarily aimed at helping survivors of sexual abuse find the purpose and weight in their fractured personal narratives, the conference promised to be intense but deeply healing.I don t know exactly what I expected. I was naively hopeful that I would get a few good writing tips that would enable me to beautify my past and approach it like one of Aesop s fables third-person fiction with a perfect little moral at the end of the story.That s not what happened. One of the pre-assignments was to write 700 words about a painful childhood memory. I was surprised at the one I chose. It wasn t a heavy hitter, so to speak. I wrote about a Polaroid picture I kept rediscovering in a shoebox at my parents house, and my inability to figure out why looking at it made me want to rip it to shreds.I m about ten years old in the picture, with scraggly hair, pale skin, and a vacant expression. I m wearing my mom s oversized knit sweater and Oxford shoes my dad had bought me. In my hands is a piece of green felt I d cut into the shape of New York for a school report about a U.S. state. Coincidentally or not, New York is the place my abuser had recently moved. I think I wanted to be closer to him. Don t try to understand it. I still don t.My small group dissected the story with grace and insight that could only be offered by those who spoke the same horrific language of shame and rage and grief. I felt nothing as I spoke about it. It is what it is, I remember saying, committed to my ambivalence. My group leader brushed away a tear and said, Kaeley, this story breaks my heart. Why do you hate the little girl in that picture so much? I couldn t access her understanding or her empathy. I recognized the accuracy of her assessment, but I didn t know how to change it.Later that evening, one of the workshop presenters tasked us with a seemingly benign activity. We were instructed to play with crayons and miniature tubs of play dough on the tables in front of us. I hated these types of exercises. I thought they were such a waste of time. I reached for a purple crayon and reluctantly complied. I drew a picture of a flower and rolled a snake out of my play dough. And I burst into tears.The invitation to engage as a child had revealed my whole dilemma: I didn t hate the little girl in the photo. I hated her need. I hated her anonymity. I hated the visible proof that she loved her abuser. I hated that she didn t know any better, that it took her another ten years to figure out why she still slept with the light on and showered in her underwear and vigilantly lined the crack under the bathroom door with a beach towel and destroyed her teeth with gum she relentlessly chewed as a means of escaping the recollection of his breath on her face. I hated that he fooled her. He fooled everybody. He was really good. Wake up! I wanted to scream at her. Can t you see what s going on? Do something about it! It s the same desperate inclination I m fighting today. Everywhere I read in the news, there s talk of another school or gym or business that is boldly adopting progressive new locker room policies designed to create equal rights for people who identify as transgender. These policies allow transgender individuals to use the locker room consistent with the sex they identify as their own, regardless of anatomy.While some have proposed a third option for transgender people (single-occupancy restrooms and showers), this option has been largely struck down, and employees are prohibited from suggesting it, as it is considered discriminatory and emotionally damaging to a group of people who are working so hard to fit in. The solution? Anyone can use whatever restroom he or she wants without being questioned.I read these reports, and my heart starts to race. They can t be serious. Let me be clear: I am not saying that transgender people are predators. Not by a long shot. What I am saying is that there are countless deviant men in this world who will pretend to be transgender as a means of gaining access to the people they want to exploit, namely women and children. It already happens. Just Google Jason Pomares, Norwood Smith Burnes, or Taylor Buehler, for starters.While I feel a deep sense of empathy for what must be a very difficult situation for transgender people, at the beginning and end of the day, it is nothing short of negligent to instate policies that elevate the emotional comfort of a relative few over the physical safety of a large group of vulnerable people.Don t they know anything about predators? Don t they know the numbers? That out of every 100 rapes, only two rapists will spend so much as single day in jail while the other 98 walk free and hang out in our midst? Don t they know that predators are known to intentionally seek out places where many of their preferred targets gather in groups? That perpetrators are addicts so committed to their fantasies they ll stop at nothing to achieve them?Do they know that more than 99 percent of single-victim incidents are committed by males? That they are experts in rationalization who minimize their number of victims? Don t they know that insurance companies highlight locker rooms as a high-risk area for abuse that should be carefully monitored and protected?Don t they know that one out of every four little girls will be sexually abused during childhood, and that s without giving predators free access to them while they shower? Don t they know that, for women who have experienced sexual trauma, finding the courage to use a locker room at all is a freaking badge of honor? That many of these women view life through a kaleidoscope of shame and suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, dissociation, poor body image, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, difficulty with intimacy, and worse?Why would people knowingly invite further exploitation by creating policies with no safeguards in place to protect them from injury? With zero screening options to ensure that biological males who enter locker rooms actually identify as female, how could a woman be sure the person staring at her wasn t exploiting her? Why is it okay to make her wonder? Wake up! I want to scream. Can t you see what s going on? Do something about it! Despite the many reports of sexual abuse and assault that exist in our world, there s an even larger number of victims who never tell about it. The reason? They re afraid no one will believe them. Even worse, they re terrified of a reality they already innately know to be true: even if people did know, they wouldn t do anything to help. They re not worth protecting. Even silence feels better than that.There s no way to make everyone happy in the situation of transgender locker room use. So the priority ought to be finding a way to keep everyone safe. I d much rather risk hurting a smaller number of people s feelings by asking transgender people to use a single-occupancy restroom that still offers safety than risk jeopardizing the safety of thousands of women and kids with a policy that gives would-be predators a free pass.Is it ironic to no one that being progressive actually sets women s lib back about a century? What of my right to do my darndest to insist that the first time my daughter sees the adult male form it will be because she s chosen it, not because it s forced upon her? What of our emotional and physical rights? Unless and until you ve lined a bathroom door with a towel for protection, you can t tell me the risk isn t there.For me, healing looks like staring at the little girl in a Polaroid photo and validating her need to be seen, heard, and protected instead of hating it. It looks like telling my story, even the parts I can never make pretty, in hopes it will help break the anonymity of survivors and create a sense of responsibility in others to act.I still battle my powerlessness to do anything that feels substantial to affect change, but the good Lord didn t bring me out of Egypt and set my feet upon a rock so I could stand idly by in the face of danger. So even if a little article or Facebook post doesn t ultimately change the world, it s better than silent resignation to negligence and harm. I feel a sense of urgency to invite people to consider the not-so-hidden dangers of these policies before more and more of them get cemented into place. Once that happens, the only way they ll change is when innocent people get hurt.Even if there aren t hundreds of abusers rushing into locker rooms by the dozens, the question I keep asking myself is, What if just one little girl gets hurt by this? Would that be enough to make people reconsider it? And what if that little girl was me? It s a question I really don t want to ask. But God s grace has enabled me to value the face in the photo enough to realize that I have to. And even if I don t like the answer, at least I wasn t silent.Author Kaeley Triller Via: The Federalist | 0 | [
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FMD3713 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Donald Trump s lies and empty threats are finally catching up to him. Just a day after the hearing of former FBI Director James Comey, Committees in Congress are announcing that they not only want to see Comey s memos of his conversations with Trump, but they also want to see the supposed White House tapes that Trump says exist.The Senate Judiciary Committee released a letter to Daniel Richman, a friend of Comey who had leaked Comey s memo to the press after receiving instruction from the former FBI Director to do so. This letter requests that Richman provide copies of every memo Comey gave him:The Senate Judiciary Committee has asked Comey s good friend at @ColumbiaLaw for copies of the memos Comey provided him. pic.twitter.com/kgOip24e7m Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) June 9, 2017Trump is currently freaking out over this, and his own personal lawyer Marc Kasowitz will be filing a complaint about the leak in response.In another move that will leave Trump tweeting in anger, the House Intelligence Committee put out a separate statement requesting the memo and tapes , which Trump had threatened to release to get back at Comey:The letter demands that the tapes, to the extent they exist now, must be given to the committee by June 23rd.Already, Trump is sh*tting his pants. Earlier today, Trump accused Comey of perjury, and also wouldn t directly back up his previous statements about the tapes, which allegedly contain his conversations with Comey.Trump may be having a meltdown over this, but Comey is likely tickled pink that the committees want to see the tapes. When Trump threatened to release the likely nonexistent tapes, Comey said: Lordy, I hope there are tapes. It s almost certain that Trump has been lying all along, and he s about to be exposed in a truly humiliating way.Featured image via Pool / Getty Images | 0 | [
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FMD3714 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The hypocrisy of these liberal entertainers is astounding. They will criticize and label a man a sexual predator with absolutely no proof or evidence, while simultaneously supporting a woman who is married to, and provides cover for a proven sexual predator Lena Dunham told a prestigious panel of women she is terrified that a predator will soon be moving into the White House, the socially aware celebrity.Dunham was discussing Donald Trump s surprise electoral victory during a panel at Glamour magazine s Women of the Year summit in Los Angeles. I think so many women are feeling scared, unsafe, ignored by the fact that somebody who is a predator, and is openly a predator, will soon be residing in the White House, the HBO star said. That s a very terrifying fact that we are all going to have to reckon with every single day. Heat Street In 2014, in her collection of personal essays, Not That Kind of Girl, Lena Dunham describes experimenting sexually with her younger sister Grace, whom she says she attempted to persuade to kiss her using anything a sexual predator might do. In one particularly unsettling passage, Dunham experimented with her six-year younger sister s vagina. This was within the spectrum of things I did, she writes.In the collection of nonfiction personal accounts, Dunham describes using her little sister at times essentially as a sexual outlet, bribing her to kiss her for prolonged periods and even masturbating while she is in the bed beside her. But perhaps the most disturbing is an account she proudly gives of an episode that occurred when she was seven and her sister was one. Truth Revolt | 0 | [
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FMD3715 | 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 Biden Once Tell Racially Mixed Crowd That Republicans Will 'Put Y'All Back in Chains'? Claim summaries: Biden spoke at a campaign rally attended by a mixed audience that included hundreds of Black attendees on Aug. 14, 2012.
contextual information: In the early months of 2024, as U.S. President Joe Biden ramped up his campaign for reelection in November, a controversial, years-old quote attributed to him was resurrected on social media. Biden, whose public verbal blunders are so legendary he has described himself as a "gaffe machine," allegedly told a racially mixed audience at a Danville, Virginia, campaign rally in 2012 that the Republican Party was going to "put y'all back in chains." gaffe machine That notorious statement, which surfaced in late April and early May 2019 (shortly after Biden announced his 2020 candidacy), was cited anew on platforms from X to TikTok as an instance of his "playing the race card" to disparage Republicans: X TikTok (@PatriotsStevie / X) Although it's unclear, based on contemporaneous press coverage of the event, whether the audience was most accurately described as "predominantly" or "largely" Black (more about which later), Biden did in fact utter the words attributed to him at an Aug. 14, 2012, rally attended by a racially mixed crowd that included hundreds of Black attendees. The following report is from the New York Times blog "The Caucus," posted the same day as the event: The Caucus Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. created a stir at a campaign speech in Virginia when he told the crowd that Mitt Romney's policies would enable the banking and financial sectors to "put you all back in chains." The remark came roughly two-thirds of the way through Mr. Biden's 30-minute speech, which was delivered to a crowd that included many African-Americans at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, Va. "Romney wants to let the he said in the first hundred days, he's going to let the big banks once again write their own rules, unchain Wall Street," Mr. Biden said. "They're going to put you all back in chains." The moment was captured for posterity in a C-SPAN video. C-SPAN video We would probably not be talking about this today had Biden's remark not been widely interpreted as a direct reference to slavery. As such, it drew instant condemnation, beginning with the Romney campaign, which released a statement saying: "After weeks of slanderous and baseless accusations leveled against Governor Romney, the Obama campaign has reached a new low. The comments made by the vice president of the United States are not acceptable in our political discourse and demonstrate yet again that the Obama campaign will say and do anything to win this election." Romney himself echoed that statement in a speech he gave later the same day in which he held President Barack Obama responsible. "His campaign and his surrogates have made wild and reckless accusations that disgrace the office of the Presidency," Romney said at a rally in Chillicothe, Ohio. "Another outrageous charge came a few hours ago in Virginia. And the White House sinks a little bit lower." Though he didn't specifically mention race, Romney accused Obama of pursuing a strategy of divisiveness: "Over the last four years, this President has pushed Republicans and Democrats as far apart as they can go. And now he and his allies are pushing us all even further apart by dividing us into groups. He demonizes some. He panders to others. His campaign strategy is to smash America apart and then cobble together 51 percent of the pieces." Media pundits and campaign surrogates were more explicit in their criticism of Biden. In an opinion piece for Breitbart, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said the vice president's statement was "race-baiting at its finest." Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, declared on "Face the Nation" that it was "an absolutely blatant appeal to racism." Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, also a Republican, accused Biden of "play[ing] the race card." Some Democrats agreed with the criticism. "First of all, without question they were appeals to race," said former Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder. "The important thing I got out of this was Biden separated himself from what he accused the people of doing. As a matter of fact, what he said is they are going to do something to y'all, not to me. Not us. So he was still involved with that separate American." said CBS News reported that then-U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., called Biden's comment "stupid" during a radio interview: reported "Was he talking about slavery? You bet your a** he was. Was he using the vernacular? Yes, he was," said Rangel, a longtime New York Democrat who is a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. "Did he think it was cute ... Yes, he did. Was it something stupid to say? You bet your life it was stupid." Rangel added that if an African-American had made the joke, "We would have been laughing, because we would know that deep down, they may be beating the hell out of us but they ain't thinking about putting us into any chains." Ebony magazine contributor Jamil Smith agreed with Rangel's perception that Biden was "using the vernacular," or "code-switching," as Smith called it, "to acclimate to a particular environment or audience." Phonetically rendered, this is what Biden actually said: "They gonna put y'all back in chains." But the vice president stood by the remark in an Aug. 14 campaign stop in Raleigh, North Carolina, insisting that the message he was trying to convey wasn't about race, but rather the negative impact the opposition party's vow to "unshackle Wall Street" would have on middle-class Americans: The last time these guys unshackled the economy, to use their term, they put the middle class in shackles. That's how we got where we are. Nine million jobs lost, wage stagnation, 16 trillion dollars in wealth you all lost, in your home equity, in your 401ks, and your pension plans you're the ones that got nailed. All of America except for the very few. And I'm told when I made that comment earlier today in Danville, Virginia, the Romney Campaign put out a Tweet, you know Tweets, and went on the air, went on the airwaves saying "Biden's outrageous in saying that I think I said, instead of unshackled, unchained or anyway, outrageous to say that, that's what we meant. I'm using their own words. I got a message for them, if you want to know want to know what's outrageous, it's their policies, and the effects of their policies on middle class America, that's what's outrageous. Biden had, in fact, used precisely the same trope before to characterize the impact of Republican economic policies on the middle class. The day after a Republican primary debate in October 2011, Biden said, referring to economic conditions under the George W. Bush administration: "The last time we liberated the economy under their proposals, the last eight years put the middle class in chains. My lord, how many times we have to go back to that horror movie?" said Obama took Biden's side, defending the Danville speech in an interview with People magazine: interview Biden's comment sparked Romney to call the Obama campaign one of "division and hate and anger." But Obama, speaking to PEOPLE in Dubuque, Iowa, seemed unrattled by the controversy. He said Biden's words needed to be considered in context; that he was only saying "you, consumers, the American people, will be a lot worse off if we repeal these [Wall Street reform] laws as the other side is suggesting." "In no sense was he trying to connote something other than that," Obama added. The racial composition of the audience is relevant to this debate, though not decisive, partly because estimates in the press were rough and contradictory. Although it was consistently reported that approximately 900 people were in attendance, and we know, from both press reports and video of the event, that a significant percentage of the attendees were Black, the media couldn't agree on whether more Black people were present than white people, fewer Black people than white people, or roughly the same number of each. The majority of mainstream news outlets reported that the audience was "predominantly," "largely," or "mostly" Black. Among these were the Los Angeles Times, Politico, CBS News, Fox News, The Daily Beast, National Public Radio, and NBC News. Significantly fewer outlets reported that the audience was "about 50%" Black. Some described it as "racially mixed." A small minority of venues said the makeup of the crowd was "partially" Black. We asked Tiffany Holland, a reporter who live-blogged the event for the Richmond Times-Dispatch website, for her impression of the racial makeup of the crowd. "If memory serves, the crowd was about half-African-American and half-white," she said in an email, adding that in her experience, Democratic Party events in Danville usually drew a "healthy mix of diversity." But she also said that this was just the impression she came away with, and could be remembering it wrongly. In any case, even if only 50% of the attendees were Black, Biden would have found himself gazing out over an audience that included hundreds of Black faces. The crowd need not have been "predominantly" Black to inspire a politician so inclined to engage in racial pandering. That Biden uttered the sentence "They gonna put y'all back in chains" before just such a crowd stands confirmed. Whether it should taken as a racially charged, pandering reference to slavery we leave it to readers to judge for themselves. Berg, Rebecca. "Biden Warns Romney Policies Would Put Crowd 'Back in Chains.'" The New York Times ("The Caucus" blog). 14 August 2012. Cain, Andrew. "In Danville, Biden Says Romney's Policies Will 'Put Y'all Back in Chains.'" Richmond Times-Dispatch. 14 August 2012. Condon, Stephanie. "Rangel: Biden's Gaffe Was Clearly About Slavery." CBS News. 24 August 2012. Holland, Steve and Jeff Mason. "Biden Draws Romney's Ire with 'Chains' Comment." Reuters. 14 August 2012. Holland, Tiffany. "Biden: We Need to Finish What Obama Started." Richmond Times-Dispatch. 14 August 2012. Montopoli, Brian. "Joe Biden Clarifies 'in Chains' Remark." CBS News. 14 August 2012. O'Neil, Luke. "I Am a Gaffe Machine': A History of Joe Biden's Biggest Blunders." The Guardian. 25 April 2019. Rainey, James. "Joe Biden Used 'Chains' Metaphor Before to Hit Republicans." Los Angeles Times. 15 August 2012. Roberts, Allison. "Before VP Visit, Lots of Prep." GoDanRiver.com. 17 August 2012. Schwarz, Gabriella. "Biden Hits Cain's '9-9-9' Plan." CNN. 12 October 2011. Shapiro, Ben. "Biden in 49% Black Danville, VA: 'They Gonna Put Y'All Back in Chains." Breitbart. 14 August 2012. Shield, Gerry. "Republicans Blast Biden for 'Chains' Remark." New York Post. 20 August 2012. Smith, Jamil. "Biden 'Unchained.'" Ebony. 17 August 2012. Tau, Byron. "Obama Defends Biden on 'Chains' Remark." Politico. 15 August 2012. Westfall, Sandra Sobieraj. "President Obama: No Apologies, No Scolding for Joe Biden's Remark." < em>People. 15 August 2012. Wise, Scott. "Doug Wilder Criticizes Biden, 'Chains' Comment." WTVR. 16 August 2012. C-SPAN. "Vice President Joe Biden in Danville, Virginia. 14 August 2012. MSNBC. "Obama Campaign Backs Biden's Controversial 'Chains' Remark." 16 August 2012. | 1 | [
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FMD3716 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Cincinnati (CNN) While Republicans rally in Cleveland this week, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, with help of the Democratic National Committee, will set up shop in the "Rock and Roll Capital of the World" to cast the Republican ticket as out-of-touch with what voters actually want.
But the Clinton campaign also plans to spend a substantial amount of time on defense this week, especially around Clinton's exclusive use of a private email server as secretary of state.
In a fact sheet written and distributed by Brian Fallon, Clinton's national press secretary, the Clinton campaign argues that while Donald Trump will focus on Clinton's emails and FBI Director James Comey's investigation and comments about the issue, most of what the presumptive Republican nominee will say will be false.
"With the Republican National Convention set to take place next week, Trump is likely to continue distorting Comey's words about Clinton's emails," Fallon wrote, adding that while some comments Comey made did provide initial fodder for Trump, his testimony on Capitol Hill earlier this month on the topic "ended up substantiating what Clinton has long said."
The prepared as defense is not just a nod to the fact that Clinton's email controversy continues to nag her, but it's also an acknowledgement to the fact that the one thing that may unite all Republicans in Cleveland this week is disdain for the idea of a Clinton presidency.
Dozens of Clinton aides, from a headquarters less than a mile from the Quicken Loans Arena, will also push their counter-convention plan -- titled "Better Than This" -- this week, trying to "amplify the idea that America is better than the divisive and dangerous rhetoric Donald Trump has offered us," said Christina Reynolds, Clinton's rapid response director.
Clinton's top dollar super PAC, Priorities USA, will also blanket the city in anti-Trump advertising, making sure anyone who gets into a cab in Cleveland gets the question, "Does Donald Trump really speak for you?"
The super PAC has paid for their ad to play in 125 cabs in Cleveland for the entirety of the Republican convention. The spot, which features women and fathers with the daughters wearing Trump shirts and reading some of his more controversial lines about women, will be played an estimated 28,000 times, said the group's spokesman, Justin Barasky.
Clinton herself will not be in Cleveland, but unlike past year when opposing candidates would stay dark most of the week, the former secretary of state has stops scheduled in Ohio, Minnesota and Nevada.
On Monday, when Republicans plan to focus on the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi at their convention, Clinton will announce a plan to register 3 million new voters by Election Day in November when she speaks at the 107th NAACP Annual Convention in Cincinnati, an aide said Sunday.
After the speech, Clinton will attend a Cincinnati voter registration rally for volunteers who have completed at least one shift for Clinton's campaign.
The aide added that voter registration will be a primary campaign focus during the week of the RNC, with the campaign and other Democratic groups hosting more than 500 registration events across the country. Multiple events will take place in swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Clinton will also travel to Minneapolis on Monday to attend the American Federation of Teachers Convention and headline a fundraiser.
Clinton will then travel to Nevada on Tuesday, where she will speak at the 42nd International AFSCME Convention and headline another fundraiser.
With much of the political world focused on the Republicans in Cleveland, it is expected that Clinton will respond to Republicans at these events.
Earlier this month in Virginia, Clinton knocked the Republican convention as a great event "If you are into bigotry, bluster and bullying."
"We are going to have a great convention in Philadelphia," Clinton said. "I have no idea what is going to happen in Cleveland."
She added, "It is going to be entertaining I am sure if you are into bigotry, bluster and bullying, if you are into drawing lines between Americans, if you are into insulting groups of Americans, if you are into saying you don't want to let Muslims into the country, you want to round up and deport 11 million people with a quote deportation force, if you enjoy seeing women demeaned."
The Democrats will have an uphill battle to get attention, though. Conventions are a boon for the hosting party, in part, because of the blanket coverage they get by the press. Trump will likely lead cable and broadcast news every night, so the goal Democrats have is to muddy his message and break in at all.
Clinton's aides in Cleveland will try to break through the media's focus on the Republicans with a series of press conference, press calls and events.
"We believe the Republican convention will be a great recruiting tool -- reminding voters how important it is to help Hillary Clinton make history and ensure that Donald Trump never takes the White House," Reynolds said.
According to Reynolds, Democratic events in Cleveland will includes appearances by Sen. Al Franken, Rep. Tim Ryan and Rep. Xavier Becerra, all Democrats who have been talked about as possible vice presidential options for the former secretary of state.
Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz will also headline events, along with Rep. Marcia Fudge, Rep. Joyce Beatty, Ohio Senate candidate Ted Strickland, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Rep. Joe Crowley and Rep. Bennie Thompson. | 1 | [
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FMD3717 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: That’s not to say that his campaign was especially successful. Many observers felt Kasich was pursuing a replay of former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman’s failed 2012 bid for the Republican nomination. Huntsman and Kasich even shared a campaign architect, the heterodox GOP strategist John Weaver. The playbook may have gotten Kasich farther than it did Huntsman, but that still wasn’t enough to win the nomination, or even to come close. (As for Huntsman, he now backs Trump .)
While hardly anyone predicted Trump’s success in the Republican campaign, few expected Kasich would get this far either. In a crowd of young, charismatic GOP figures, Kasich was the odd man out, a somewhat more grizzled figure who had run abortively for president in 2000, and a comparatively moderate figure in a party trending increasingly to the right. Somehow, Kasich managed to hold on to the bitter end, the final challenger to Trump.
The Ohio governor’s exit leaves Donald Trump as the last man standing in the Republican field. Though he’d already assumed the mantle of presumptive nominee with Senator Ted Cruz’s exit Tuesday night —after Trump trounced both of them in the Indiana primary—Kasich’s exit seals the deal. Kasich has been mentioned for weeks as a potential vice-presidential candidate for Trump, who will need to shore up his policy and political credentials ahead of the general election.
John Kasich will end his bid for the presidency Wednesday afternoon in Columbus, according to multiple reports. Kasich had planned to hold a press conference at Dulles Aiport near Washington Wednesday morning, but he never took off—perhaps an apt metaphor—staying home and scheduling a press conference for 5 p.m., where he is expected to make his announcement.
For a time, before Trump’s ascendancy became inevitable, Kasich’s plan seemed plausible. In New Hampshire, the nation’s first primary and second nominating contest, he placed (a distant) second to Trump, and hoped to portray himself as the reasonable alternative to the entertainer. But having placed a huge bet on the Granite State, Kasich had little infrastructure in place for the rest of the campaign, and was a non-entity in the South Carolina primary. By the time the campaign reached his home state, Kasich was effectively out of the running. Ohio turned out to be the only state that he won. He closes out the campaign with fewer delegates than Senator Marco Rubio, who dropped out on March 15.
Kasich’s sell to voters was that amid a sea of volatile, unpredictable characters like Trump and wild-eyed radicals like Cruz, he was an old-style true conservative who could also win swing states like Ohio. To the extent that his campaign had a policy theme, it was his advocacy for a balanced-budget amendment—a vague promise, tethered to his work on balancing the national budget while in the U.S. House in the 1990s. (Opinions about just how central Kasich had been in that work differed widely.)
But some of his other policy stances were at odds with much of the Republican Party. As governor, he had circumvented the GOP-led Ohio legislature to accept Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. As though that were not bad enough, he compounded his offense in the eyes of conservatives by justifying his choice by faith. “Now, when you die and get to the meeting with St. Peter, he’s probably not going to ask you much about what you did about keeping government small,†he said. “But he is going to ask you what you did for the poor. You better have a good answer.’â€
Many of Kasich’s former colleagues viewed his image as a soft, cuddly, friendly politician with skepticism—they remembered a more irritable, angry Kasich—it seemed to take with many voters. The problem was that Republican primary voters didn’t want a sane, rational nominee in 2016. They wanted a Trump. | 1 | [
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FMD3718 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Early last year, in an article in The New York Times Magazine, I defined what I called a “Megyn moment,†in a profile of the Fox News host Megyn Kelly: “When you, a Fox guest — maybe a regular guest or even an official contributor — are pursuing a line of argument that seems perfectly congruent with the Fox worldview, only to have Kelly seize on some part of it and call it out as nonsense, maybe even turn it back on you. †When I wrote that article, the Megyn moment was notable because it was so unusual. Normally, if guests hewed close to Fox News’s perspective (President Obama, woefully incompetent or frighteningly efficient Democrats, bad, especially Hillary Clinton Republicans good, mostly all of them) they were pretty much safe from challenge. In letting Ms. Kelly break from that orthodoxy here and there, the Fox News chief Roger Ailes seemed to be experimenting with ways to expand his channel’s audience, which was older, whiter and in danger of atrophying despite its longtime perch atop the cable news ratings. Ms. Kelly’s youth and divergent approach had the potential to draw in new viewers. The question at the time was, how far would he be willing to let these Megyn moments go? And what did that mean for Fox? That question arose again after Ms. Kelly had another one of her moments on Tuesday night, with a longtime Fox guest and contributor, Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker. But this time the question has taken on a more existential quality. The network’s longtime chairman, Mr. Ailes, was ousted over sexual harassment accusations last summer a potential new challenger is threatening to emerge from the right in Trump TV, however uncertain it might seem and Ms. Kelly and Fox’s other big star, Bill O’Reilly, are nearing the end of their contracts. Fox News’s very future is on the line. Ms. Kelly’s moment on Tuesday night initially fit the classic pattern. It began with Mr. Gingrich citing signs of positive news for Donald J. Trump from early voting counts, which he said augured a surprise victory for Mr. Trump. Ms. Kelly, clearly mindful of four years ago, when so many Fox News hosts doubted polls showing an Obama challenged him. “He’s been behind in virtually every one of the last 40 polls that we’ve seen over the past month, that’s the reality,†she said of Mr. Trump. But what really set Mr. Gingrich off was when Ms. Kelly said the sexual assault accusations against Mr. Trump were clearly taking a toll, raising questions about whether the candidate was “a sexual predator. †Mr. Gingrich asked why Bill Clinton’s accusers weren’t getting covered, and Ms. Kelly replied by saying that on her show they were. The exchange became edgier, and more personal. Mr. Gingrich told her she was “fascinated with sex,†and she told him she was “fascinated by the protection of women. †She signed off by telling him, “You can take your anger issues and spend some time working on them,†and he more or less said back atcha. (Mr. Trump provided his assessment of the exchange on Wednesday, saying “Congratulations, Newt, on last night. That was an amazing interview. â€) Although the pattern was typical, the rancor was not. And it represented a bigger split at Fox News. By all accounts, in the absence of Mr. Ailes, Ms. Kelly has been freer to pursue her show on her own terms, which are certainly not in line with those of either Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Trump and therefore not in line with many in the Fox News core audience (let alone those of her old boss Mr. Ailes, who informally advised Mr. Trump before the debates). The same has held true for the Fox contributors who have not embraced Mr. Trump’s candidacy — like Dana Perino, the Republican of “The Five,†and the Weekly Standard writer Stephen F. Hayes. They have been given ample time and freedom to call it as they see it in ways that were not as obviously apparent earlier this year. In that vein, the Fox News host Chris Wallace emerged as an exceptional debate moderator in the third presidential debate, holding firm with both candidates and asking tough questions of each. But there’s a flip side. In this “Free( er) to Be You and Me†environment at Fox, network personalities have become even none more than Sean Hannity, the host whose show follows Ms. Kelly’s. An informal adviser to Mr. Trump, his rhetoric has grown as incendiary as that of his candidate. On the same day as Ms. Kelly’s confrontation with Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Hannity announced on his radio show that if Trump won, he would personally pay to fly President Obama to Canada or, for that matter, Kenya or Indonesia. It was a nod to the fake, old “birther†conspiracy that even Mr. Trump has eschewed after promoting it for years. So there, on Tuesday, were two distinct futures of Fox. Rupert Murdoch, whose family controls Fox News’s parent company, 21st Century Fox, has so far mostly kept it in its Ailesian mode, which, after all, has made Fox News a major profit driver for its corporate parent and kept it atop the cable news ratings. And Mr. Murdoch’s son Lachlan recently said it would be “foolish of us†to depart from “a winning strategy. †But CNN is nipping at Fox News’s heels, managing to beat it in the news demographic that advertisers care most about — people between the ages of 25 and 54 — over the last four weeks, the first such sustained victory in 15 years. Still, nothing forces decisions in television news like the hard deadlines of talent contracts. Ms. Kelly’s comes up later next year, followed by that of Mr. O’Reilly. Every rival network has expressed interest in picking her up, and Tuesday night’s Megyn moment can only help her in that regard. The Murdochs have made it clear they would like Ms. Kelly to stay, which they showed with the $6 million advance their book imprint HarperCollins paid for her coming memoir, “Settle for More. †On Wednesday night, The Wall Street Journal — a Fox News corporate sibling — quoted Rupert Murdoch as saying he viewed Ms. Kelly as important to the network and was hoping to have her contract locked down “very soon. †But, he added, the network has a “deep bench†of personalities, any of whom would “give their right arm for her spot. †But if the Murdochs persuade Ms. Kelly to stay, will there be room for her, Mr. Hannity and Mr. O’Reilly? Both Mr. O’Reilly and Mr. Hannity have openly feuded with her, though Mr. Hannity’s fights have been more bitter and more recent. If Ms. Kelly stays, will they? Who knows if Mr. Trump will pursue some sort of television venture (he says he has no interest). But if he does, he could conceivably hire Mr. O’Reilly and Mr. Hannity, who has a contract provision that would allow him to follow Mr. Ailes out the door (though the window is tight and it would presumably have to happen in relatively short order). A Trump venture raises the prospect of a more moderate — if still plenty — Fox News combating not just CNN and MSNBC but also a challenger from the right. Television news would never be the same. | 1 | [
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FMD3719 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Margaret Kimberly Global ResearchThe U.S. public loves fascists; they elect them, constantly. Donald Trump, who says he would raise the minimum wage and stop the endless efforts at regime change, is called a fascist by some. But Hillary Clinton is happy to bomb Libya or Syria or any other country, and played a major role in mass Black incarceration. Barack Obama is the war-maker and deporter-in-chief. All of the major party candidates fit the F word description in some way. Donald Trump is the ill spoken, boorish, graceless version of every American president in modern history. He differs from them only in his unconcealed appeals to white nationalism. But Democrats aren t much better. They pretend to work on behalf of human, civil and economic rights but those claims are lies. They are meant to hide their partnerships with corporate America, very wealthy individuals and the worldwide imperialist project.If Trump is a fascist then he will fit in nicely with the pantheon of horrific men we are told to respect and venerate. Barack Obama charges and convicts whistle blowers with the little used espionage act from the era of Woodrow Wilson. He claims and has exercised an invented right to kill Americans. His predecessor invaded and occupied Iraq but he continues the dirty deed there and in Afghanistan. He tries to fool the public by assassinating al Qaeda number two, over and over again. Al Qaeda certainly doesn t lack for plan B staffers.Bush the younger cut tax rates for rich people but Obama didn t change that. Under the guise of compromising with intransigent Republicans he did the same thing. When he and the Democrats controlled Congress in 2009 and 2010 they raised the minimum wage a paltry 70 cents.Conversely, Donald Trump says he would raise the minimum wage and says he would stop the endless efforts at regime change. Neither Hillary Clinton nor Bernie Sanders have questioned that fundamental premise of American foreign policy. Hillary Clinton has already proven herself to be particularly blood thirsty. She is happy to bomb Libya or Syria or any other country. Her so-called expertise amounts to nothing more than an expansion of state sponsored terror committed by the United States.Trump says he wouldn t cut Social Security while Barack Obama famously declared that he and his 2012 Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, agreed on the need to cut this program that was once called the third rail of politics.Every president since the 1980s has grown the horrific mass incarceration industry. Using wars on drugs as a pretext they have locked up 2 million people, half of whom are black. No one comes into office with any intention of undoing America s leadership as the world s worst jailer.American history teaches black people to be, at the very least, wary of public officials who are beloved by red necks as much as Trump is. When Trump speaks of preventing Muslim immigration or deporting all of the estimated 11 million undocumented people in this country he is making inherently racist appeals.That is why he is protested and rightly so. But the protesters have already missed the mark by giving a pass to equally questionable policy actions and statements coming from Democrats.It is a Democratic president who brought back a cold war against Russia and recklessly brought troops to the edge of that country s borders.This scenario was unheard of during the worst days of the cold war and now risks nuclear confrontation. That is because George W. Bush unilaterally abrogated the missile defense treaty with Russia. Perhaps he can be called a fascist also.The trade deals passed by American presidents with congressional connivance grow worse. There is no longer any pretense that their goal is to help corporations maximize profits and minimize everyone else s rights. Not even members of Congress were allowed access to the text of the Trans Pacific Partnership legislation.If Trump is protested, Obama ought to be as well. He is spending his last year in office on an imperialism tour. He goes to Hiroshima for photo opportunities with atomic bomb survivors while building more nuclear warheads than any other president. He tells endless lies about Russian aggression but he is the provocative head of state.Trump should be disliked by Latinos and everyone else when he says that Mexican immigrants are rapists and murderers. But Obama is the deporter in chief, sending a record number of Latino immigrants out of the country with dubious rationales, devastating them and their families.Apparently all of the major party candidates fit the F word description in some way. Trump s bombast and ignorance make him the easiest to pick out of the crowd but appearances are deceiving. It seems that if a politician has the right establishment credentials and knows how to give prepared speeches he or she can get away with committing any outrage.In just the last 40 years American presidents or their allied partners in crime have killed people in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Congo, Somalia, Haiti, Grenada, Gaza, Kosovo, Serbia, Sudan, Syria, Libya and Yemen. What do they have to do to be called fascists? Showing bad manners seems to be the only thing that sets off expressions of outrage among Americans.There is already fascism in the White House, the Justice Department, the State Department and Congress. The only question is who will be the next person to keep that sick machinery running.This article originally appeared on Global ResearchGet 10% off a 21WIRE TV membership package today using promo code: STU21WIRETVEVERYTHING ON ELECTION 2016: 21st Century Wire Election Files | 0 | [
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FMD3720 | 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 ICE conducting a 'Citizens Academy' program to train civilians in apprehending individuals classified as 'undocumented' immigrants? Claim summaries: An ICE initiative in Chicago aims to "debunk myths" about the agency known for its detention centers and targeting of immigrant communities.
contextual information: As so-called undocumented immigrants in the U.S. struggled to avoid deportation and risked their health during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, government agencies created potential new challenges for them. In July, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) department announced they would be offering a six-day Citizens Academy training starting in September in Chicago, which would allow civilians and ICE officers to engage with each other. struggled risked their health announced Snopes readers shared the following letter from ICE, reportedly sent to potential participants across Chicago, and asked us if it meant the agency would be training civilians to assist in the apprehension of undocumented people. The answer is complicated. letter We found that this was an actual letter sent by ICE. Although they said they were planning to conduct trainings in September and would show civilians how they made arrests, the notion that this would lead to civilians actually apprehending undocumented people was disputed by the agency. Immigration advocates, however, were skeptical. In order to understand the actual nature and likely outcome of these trainings, we reached out to ICE, as well as immigration advocates, and looked at past examples of such academies. According to an ICE press release, the interactive program would occur once a week over six weeks. Participants would learn about ICE policies and procedures from ERO officers, while officers would hear participants perspectives and debunk myths about ICE. press release The curriculum will include, but is not limited to, classroom instruction, visiting an immigration detention center, learning more about the health care ICE provides to those in its custody, and examining ICEs role in ensuring dignity, respect and due process of an immigration case from start to finish. Many in Chicago received letters from ICE inviting them to apply. The letter said, attendees will participate in scenario-based training ... including, but not limited to defensive tactics, firearms familiarization, and targeted arrests. received Nicole Alberico, an ICE spokesperson, responded to Snopes' request for more information about the training (emphasis ours): ...the academy is not to train members of the public to do the work of trained, federal law enforcement officers. ICE ERO Citizens Academy is modeled after other law enforcement community outreach programs including ICEs Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), FBI and local police departments all with the goal of directly engaging and educating the public. Chicago ERO is looking for a diverse set of influential community leaders regardless of their stance on ICE to apply. The spokesperson said that they also had not determined whether media would be permitted to attend the training, as they were considering health precautions because of the pandemic and privacy concerns. In sum, according to their own descriptions, ICE plans on showing civilians how they as an agency carry out arrests but will not be training civilians to do arrests themselves. According to one report, such a Citizens Academy has already taken place in Los Angeles for years, with participants simulating drug busts, arrests, and stakeouts. According to one graduate, the course immersed people in what the agents do. While the Chicago program was to be run by ERO, the Los Angeles Academy was being run under ICEs Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) department. one report simulating The goal of such training appeared to be to get more people to understand ICEs perspective, see how they operate, and eventually construct a positive image of the agency in various communities. There is no available evidence that such trainings led to civilians participating in actual arrests. Testimony from activists, human rights organizations, and reporting show ample proof of ICEs history of violating detainees rights, inhumane arrests of undocumented immigrants, separating children from their parents, and the lack of accountability surrounding their operations. ICE has also used civilian informants before. violating detainees rights arrests lack of accountability civilian informants The Citizens Academy announcement faced swift backlash from activists and government officials, including Chicago's alderman, Rossana Rodriguez, who labeled it a vigilante academy. In July, Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley put forward an amendment to the Homeland Security spending bill, barring agencies like ICE from using government funds to run Citizens Academy courses. vigilante academy forward Immigration activists said these classes were at best propaganda and at worst would train civilians to "snitch" on undocumented immigrants. Lam Nguyen Ho, executive director of Beyond Legal Aid, an organization that provides legal services to immigrants in Chicago, spoke to Snopes about the dangers of such academies: said propaganda ... the best case scenario for this training is ICE doing a marketing campaign to justify continuing to deport undocumented immigrants indiscriminately and separating families inhumanely ... We have immigrants afraid of opening their doors and applying for immigration rights to which they are actually eligible due to the fears and violence they see ... I cant imagine the misinformation and fears that will be created when an agency of our government is basically sanctioning and coordinating neighbors surveilling, profiling, or worse against each other. (Update: The Chicago Citizen's Academy was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic, and a new date had not been announced. According to a statement from an ICE official, it will be tentatively scheduled for the spring of 2021.) In sum, ICE confirmed that the Citizens Academy course will take place, but denied they will train civilians to carry out arrests. Based on ICEs history of abuses against immigrant populations, the fears surrounding this particular training aren't unreasonable, but the exact nature and outcome of the training remains to be seen. Based on all of the above factors, we rate this claim a Mixture. Da Silva, Chantal. "DHS Spending Bill Amended to Ban Funding for ICE's Citizen's Academy."
Newsweek. 15 July 2020. Da Silva, Chantal. "ICE Offering 'Citizens Academy' Course with Training on Arresting Immigrants."
Newsweek. 9 July 2020. Gonzalez, Christina."ICE Citizen Academy Causing Uproar in Chicago, Has Been Going on in Los Angeles - for Years."
Fox11 Los Angeles. 11 July 2020. Human Rights Watch. "US: Stop Using Untrained, Abusive Agencies at Protests."
5 June 2020. Kaplan, Emily. "What Isolation Does to Undocumented Immigrants."
The Atlantic. 27 May 2020. Katz, Ryan. "Play to Stay."
The Intercept. 24 September 2018. McFarling, Usha Lee. "Fearing Deportation, Many Immigrants at Higher Risk of Covid-19 Are Afraid to Seek Testing or Care."
StatNews. 15 April 2020. Mejia, Brittny. "At Citizen Academies, Devoted Participants Get Their Law Enforcement Fix."
Los Angeles Times. 3 December 2018. Tashman, Brian. "Congress Needs To Hold ICE Accountable for Abuses."
ACLU. 2 February 2018. Torres, Adry. "ICE Is Offering a Six-week Course on How to Arrest Immigrants - Including 'Firearms and Defensive Training' - as Critics Warns They Are Using Private Citizens As Their Eyes and Ears."
The Daily Mail.8 July 2020. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "ICE Offers First Citizens Academy for Public to Learn More About Agencys Mission in Chicago."
13 July 2020. Zamudio, Maria Ines. "ICE Citizens Trainings May Be a 'Vigilante Academy,' Chicago Alderman Warns."
NPR. 10 July 2020. | 2 | [
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FMD3721 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Malaysia s Prime Minister Najib Razak presents the government s 2018 budget on Oct. 27. Below are some items that it could feature, according to analysts research notes and Malaysian media reports. OCBC Bank expects another year of cash handouts, estimating that the allocation will rise to 7.5 billion ringgit ($1.78 billion) from the 6.8 billion ringgit spent in 2017. The government may consider expanding the scope of the goods and services tax, which was introduced at 6 percent in April 2015, to cover e-commerce transactions, according to a note by UOB. Middle income earners could get tax breaks as Najib looks to soften the blow from rising living costs, according to Nomura economist Brian Tan. The last time the government announced tax cuts was 2014. Najib has said that civil servants can expect good news in the 2018 budget. Salaries were last raised between 7 and 13 percent in 2012, and in July 2016 the minimum wage was raised from 832 ringgit to 1,200 ringgit, according to data from HSBC. The government announced in April that minimum wage will be reviewed for a possible adjustment in 2018. The current rate is 1,000 ringgit in the peninsula and 920 ringgit in Sabah and Sarawak. The government is expected to raise its allocation to develop affordable housing for 2018. In this year s budget, 700 million ringgit was allocated to build affordable options such as Rent-To-Own schemes offering properties for as low as 35,000 ringgit to low-income earners. | 1 | [
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FMD3722 | 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: George Carlin 'Bad American' Claim summaries: Did comedian George Carlin author a piece about his being a 'Bad American'?
contextual information: Just about any unsourced list of witty observations about our politics and social mores gets credited to humorist George Carlin these days, even when it doesn't really sound like anything he would write. George Carlin I'm Your Worst Nightmare. I am a BAD Republican. I like big cars, big cigars and naturally big racks. I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some mid-level governmental functionary with a bad comb-over who wants to give it away to crack addicts squirting out babies. I don't care about appearing compassionate. I think playing with guns doesn't make you a killer. I believe its called the Boy Scouts for a reason. I think I'm better than the homeless. I am not the real Slim Shady, so I think that Im gonna stay seated right here in this damn comfy chair. I don't think being a minority makes you noble or victimized. I don't care if you call me a racist, a homophobe or a misogynist. I am not tolerant of others because they are different. I know that no matter how big Jennifer Lopezs toilet gets, Ill still want to see it. I don't celebrate Kwanzaa. I believe that if you are selling me a Big Mac, you do it in English. I like my porn without silicon. I don't use the excuse "it's for the children" as a shield for unpopular opinions or actions. I want to know when MTV became such crap. I think getting a hummer is sex, and every man is entitled to at least one extremely sloppy one per month. I know what the definition of is is. I think Oprah's eyes are way too far apart. I didn't take the initiative in inventing the Internet. I thought the Taco Bell dog was funny. I want them to bring back safe and sane fireworks. I believe no one ever died because of something Ozzy Osbourne, Ice-T or Marilyn Manson sang. I think that being a student doesnt give you any more enlightenment than working at Blockbuster. Ive never mourned a dead goldfish. I dont want to eat or drink anything with the words light, lite or fat-free on the package. I believe everyone has a right to pray to their God or gods, while I pray that the test results come back negative. I think the Clippers should play in the WNBA. My heroes are Abraham Lincoln, Orson Wells, Ronald Reagan and whoever canceled Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I think creative violence makes movies more interesting and Iraqis more dead. I don't hate the rich. I don't pity the poor. I know wrestling is fake, but I still think The Rock could kick my butt. I think global warming is junk science. Ive never owned or was a slave, I didn't wander forty years in the desert after getting chased out of Egypt, I havent burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks and neither have you, so shut-the-f-up already. South Park still makes me laugh. I think you can respect and admire women while mentally undressing them. I believe a self-righteous liberal with a cause is more dangerous than a PlayStation. I want to know which church is it exactly where the Rev. Jessie Jackson preaches. I think explosions are cool. I don't care where Ellen puts her tongue. I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry ass if youre running from them. I thought Spinal Tap was great, but Rob Reiner can still kiss my backside. I worry about dying before I get even. Ive discovered that DVD is better than Laserdisc. I like the convenience of buying oranges while I'm waiting at a stop-light, and I'm pretty sure the Latina midget selling them to me is glad she no longer lives in a refrigerator packing carton outside Ensenada. I figured out Bruce Willis was dead midway through The Sixth Sense but enjoyed it anyway. I think turkey bacon sucks. I want somebody to explain to me exactly why it's wrong to point out that when I watch a freeway chase, I know the losers the police eventually pull out of the car are gonna be a gang-banging hommies or vatos. I believe that it doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes a parent. I think tattoos and piercings are fine if you want them, but please dont pretend they are a political statement. I want to know what the hell is going on when Geena Davis has a sitcom. I like hard women, hard liquor and a hard bowel movement first thing in the morning. I believe you dont have to speak with a lisp to pick out a couch for your living room. I'll admit that the only movie that ever made me cry was Field of Dreams. I didn't realize Dr. Seuss was a genius until I had a kid. I will not conform or compromise just to keep from hurting somebody's feelings. Sometimes I throw my soft drink can in the trash, even when the recycle bin is just a few more steps. Making love is fine, but sometimes I wanna get laid. I'm neither angry nor disenfranchised, no matter how desperately the mainstream media would like the world to believe otherwise. Yes, I'm a bad Republican. And I vote... even if it rains. Yes, I Guess I am A BAD American. I like big cars, big boats, big houses, and naturally big tits. I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some mid-level governmental functionary with a bad comb-over who wants to give it away to crack addicts squirting out babies. I don't care about appearing compassionate. I think playing with toy guns doesn't make you a killer. I believe it's called the Boy Scouts for a reason. I think I'm doing better than the homeless. I don't think being a minority makes you noble or victimized. I have the right not to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird or piss me off. I know what SEX is and there are not varying degrees of it. Hell, just ask my wife. I don't celebrate Kwanzaa. But if you want to that's fine; just don't feel like everyone else should have to. I believe that if you are selling me a Dairy queen shake, pack of cigarettes, or hotel room you do it in English. As of matter of fact, if you are an American citizen you should speak English. My father and grandfather shouldn't have to die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come disrespect ours. I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you're running from them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word freeze or stop in English, See the previous line. If I received a blow job from one of my subordinate employees in my office, it wouldn't be a private matter or my personal business. I would have been FIRED immediately. I know how to count votes and I feel much safer letting a machine with no political affiliation recount when needed. I know what the definition of lying is. I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you qualify for any special loan programs, gov't sponsored bank loans, etc., so you can you can open a hotel, c-store, trinket shop, or any damn thing else. I thought the Taco Bell dog was funny. I want them to bring back safe and sane fireworks. I believe no one ever died because of something Ozzy Osbourne, Ice-T or Marilyn Manson sang, but that doesn't mean I want to listen to that crap from someone else's car when I'm stopped at a red light.But I respect your right to. I think that being a student doesn't give you any more enlightenment than working at Blockbuster or Jack In The Box. I don't want to eat or drink anything with the words light, Lite, or fat-free on the package. I did not go to some foreign country and risk my life in vain and defend our constitution so that decades later you can tell me it's a living document ever changing and is open to interpretation. I don't hate the rich. I don't pity the poor. I know wrestling is fake. I've never owned or was a slave, and a large percentage or our forefathers weren't wealthy enough to own one either. I think you can respect and admire women while mentally undressing them. I believe a self-righteous liberal with a cause is more dangerous than a Hell's Angel with an attitude. I want to know which church is it exactly where the "Rev." Jesse Jackson preaches; and besides what exactly is his job function. I don't care where Ellen puts her tongue. I own a gun, you can own a gun, and any red blooded American should be allowed to own a gun, but if you use it in a crime then you will serve the time. A rubber band and a paper clip is a dangerous weapon in the hands of someone with malicious intent. I worry about dying before I get even. I didn't take the initiative in inventing the Internet. I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it pisses you off, invent the next operating system that's better and put your name on the building. Ask your buddy that invented the Internet to help you. I don't believe in hate crime legislation. Even suggesting it pisses me off. You're telling me that someone who is a minority, gay, disabled, another nationality, or otherwise different from the mainstream of this country has more value as a human being that I do as a white male. Hell, if someone kills anyone, I'd say that it's a hate crime. I like the convenience of buying oranges from a sidewalk vendor or while I'm waiting at a stop-light, and I'm pretty sure the Latin midget selling them to me is glad she no longer lives in a refrigerator box in East LA or is sleeping in the streets of her home country. We don't need more laws! Let's enforce the ones we already have. I think turkey bacon, turkey beef, turkey fake anything sucks. I believe that it doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes a parent with the balls to stand up to the kid and spank his butt and say "NO". I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement. I'll admit that the only movie that ever made me cry was Ole Yeller. I didn't realize Dr. Seuss was a genius until I had a kid. I will not be frowned upon or be looked down upon or be made to keep silent because I have these beliefs and opinions. I thought this country allowed me that right I will not conform or compromise just to keep from hurting somebody's feelings. I'm neither angry nor disenfranchised, no matter how desperately the mainstream media would like the world to believe otherwise. Yes, I guess by their definition, I'm a bad American. Carlin may sometimes use the format of stringing together a few dozen pithy comments about a wide variety of topical subjects, but the tone of his humor is nothing like this reactionary piece. If any doubt remained, Carlin himself swept it away by announcing on his web site that he is not the author of the article. web site If not Carlin, then who did write it? This piece has also been credited to a number of decidedly conservative, outspoken media figures, such as rock star Ted Nugent, talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, and other comedians, such as Denis Leary, but the even if the article might seem to echo the political opinions of these men, it doesn't quite match any of them, nor does the language used sound quite right for any of these figures. (Leary, like Carlin, has been credited with creating some other Internet favorites, such as a vituperative discourse on e-mail chain letters and the "Are You Man Enough?" essay.) Ted Nugent Rush Limbaugh Denis Leary chain letters Are You Man Enough? The essay quoted at the head of this page appeared in the FreeRepublic.com on-line forum back in September 2000 under the title "I Am a Bad Republican" (picking up title changes and additions since then as it was forwarded around the Internet), and the person who posted it there has taken credit for it in a another message in that same forum, stating that he wrote it in response to list sent to him by a Democrat friend about how to be a "good Republican." FreeRepublic.com message Last updated: 2 October 2005 <!-- Sources: Rooney, Andy. "My Name's Been Stolen." Sacramento Bee. 24 July 2003.--> | 0 | [
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FMD3723 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Monday said he had written to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urging bipartisan effort to stabilize the U.S. health insurance market. Schumer noted that McConnell had been quoted recently as saying Congress will need to shore up that market if lawmakers fail to repeal Obamacare. | 1 | [
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FMD3724 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: 21st Century Wire says In the wake of the Charlottesville m l e, reactionary social justice flash mobs and assorted vigilantes have begun a campaign of attacking and destroying statues and monuments all over the country. The irrational rationale of these activists is that these historic monuments represent oppression and slavery, and therefore they must marked for ceremonial destruction. Watch this scene in Durham, North Carolina this week where, bizarrely, the hysterical mob of liberal progressive protesters lines up to take turns kicking the inanimate bronze statue on the ground, after it was pulled down in an impromptu ceremony. This is an emotive crowd, clearly carried away by the political hysteria: Question: Should a small violent, reactionary mob be allowed bypass any sensible public discussion or forum thereby litigating and dictating history for the rest of the community and country?So this is really happening. George Orwell was a prophet. #Durham #Confederate #Monuments #WrongThink pic.twitter.com/7seUcanqyD Mark (@markantro) August 17, 2017In many ways, are rapidly heading towards a 1984-style thought police environment now. Viewed from a police state perspective, this contrived disorder is designed to further breakdown social cohesion in American in effect, finishing the job which Barack Obama started in 2008. This is an invitation for the federal state to then move in with more emergency powers to restore order . For the populace at large, less rights of expression will be the outcome. While the New Left in American appoints itself as policeman of history, its ranks seem to be more ignorant than ever of it. They fail to note Mao s purge, and other such examples in history. After Charlottesville the Culture Wars have begun.What happened to this judge in Georgia may be a taste of things to come. The culture war has arrived RT International news reports The nut cases tearing down monuments are equivalent to ISIS destroying history, Judge Jim Hinkle wrote on Facebook Tuesday, the same day protesters in Durham, North Carolina toppled a statue honoring Confederate soldiers.Judge Jim Hinkle suspended: The nut cases tearing down monuments are equivalent to ISIS destroying history." https://t.co/xVPslLurWJ pic.twitter.com/BIQcy5bnZ8 Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) August 16, 2017On Saturday, Hinkle had written that protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia were snowflakes with no concept of history, as they came to counter a rally of white nationalists who gathered to oppose the planned relocation of a statue to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. In Charlottesville everyone is upset over Robert E. Lee statue, Hinkle s post said. It looks like all of the snowflakes have no concept of history. It is what it is. Get over it and move on. Leave history alone those who ignore history are deemed (sic) to repeat the mistake of the past. That post was written approximately an hour before a car crashed into a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, killing a woman and injuring 19 other people. Police have charged the driver, who reportedly took part in the white nationalist rally, with second-degree murder. I have suspended Judge Hinkle effective immediately while I consider the appropriate final action, Gwinnett County Chief Magistrate Judge Kristina Hammer Blum told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) Tuesday.Hinkle told the AJC he didn t see anything controversial about the posts. But you know, with the way things are going in the world today, I guess everything s controversial, he told the outlet Full text of Chief Judge s statement about suspending Judge James Hinkle: pic.twitter.com/WcSe2wQhFg Tony Thomas (@TonyThomasWSB) August 15, 2017Continue this report at RTREAD MORE CULTURAL MARXISM NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Cultural Marxism FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @ 21WIRE.TV | 0 | [
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FMD3725 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: MAGOODHOO, Maldives — As long as anyone can remember, life on the island of Magoodhoo in the Maldives has revolved around fishing in the crystal clear waters that wash the coral reefs, and kicking back under palm trees on deck chairs made from coir rope. “This is a very fun, happy life,†said Islam Ahmed, 24, a tall, lean man chewing on areca nuts and betel leaves at one of two cafes on the less than island. It is one of nearly 1, 200 islands that make up the Republic of Maldives, a nation southwest of India in the Indian Ocean. But Mr. Ahmed and others here are bracing for a life change they fear could be catastrophic, after the Maldivian president’s announcement in January that leaders of Saudi Arabia were planning a $10 billion investment in the group of islands where Mr. Ahmed lives, known as Faafu Atoll. Most alarming to the residents were reports that the government was breaking with a longstanding policy of leasing the islands that are home to some of the world’s premier resorts and selling the atoll outright to the Saudis. The inhabitants fear they might be moved off the islands. “It is worrying that we may be taken from here and put in tiny apartment boxes,†said Sobira Aboobukaru, 58, near the farm where she grows chilies and cucumbers. “It would be hard beyond our imaginations. †The Maldivian president, Abdulla Yameen, has denied that the atoll will be sold, and the Saudi embassy said it had no intention “of investing in a megaproject or buying an island or atoll in the Maldives. †But the fact that Mr. Yameen pushed to change the Constitution in 2015 to allow the sale of property to foreign entities has continued to fuel rumors of a potential sale. All of this has left Mr. Ahmed and the approximately 4, 000 residents of the 19 coral islands in Faafu Atoll guessing about what the future holds. It has also underscored how new allies and investors have gained a foothold in this strategic archipelago. The country has pivoted from its traditional partners — India and the European Union — amid growing international pressure over accusations of human rights abuses by Mr. Yameen. Saudi Arabia has for decades spread its conservative strand of Islam in the Maldives by sending religious leaders, building mosques and giving scholarships to students to attend its universities. The Saudis are building a new airport terminal, and have pledged tens of millions of dollars in loans and grants for infrastructure and housing on an artificial island near the capital, Malé. Similarly, China, which sees the Maldives as a strategic outpost in its quest for regional dominance, has underwritten hundreds of millions of dollars in loans for a new airport runway and a bridge connecting the airport to the capital. The $10 billion Saudi investment seemed to be a crowning achievement for Mr. Yameen, but now the Saudis seem put off by the negative publicity, and the deal may be unraveling. King Salman of Saudi Arabia was expected to visit the Maldives last week, but canceled at the last minute, citing a flu epidemic on the islands. It was widely assumed here that he wanted to avoid inflaming the dispute or facing protests. The Saudi interest in Faafu Atoll began with a 2014 visit by King Salman, then the crown prince, and his son Mohammed bin Salman, now the deputy crown prince. A year later, Prince Mohammed returned to host a week of parties. He and his entourage took over two resorts, said a person familiar with the plans. That person said guests had flown in night after night on private jets to attend the parties, which featured famous entertainers including the rapper Pitbull and the South Korean singer Psy. Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, formerly a member of Mr. Yameen’s economic and youth council, said that he had attended the signing of a memorandum of understanding between representatives of the Saudi royal family and the Maldives two years ago. He said he had been told that it involved selling the atoll, although he was not privy to the details. The precise plans remain a secret, but Mr. Yameen has said the Saudis envision developments similar to the French Riviera. A million people would be drawn to the atoll, on which airports, resorts and housing would be built, he said. For centuries, life in Magoodhoo has revolved around fishing. The populated of the Maldives’ 20 administrative atolls, Faafu is steeped in history. The mosque on the Maldives, built more than 800 years ago, lies on island of Nilandhoo, which is the atoll capital. The Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl said in his 1986 book, “The Maldive Mystery,†that he had found ruins of ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples on the same island. About half of the men in Magoodhoo, including Mr. Ahmed, spend much of their lives at sea. Six yellowfin tuna fishing boats operate from here, each with a crew of at least 16 men. Their wives and children stay behind on the island, an oval nub of silver sand rising out of the ocean with a clump of coconut and breadfruit trees in the center. In small, concrete buildings in the center of town stand a school, a police station, a health center and an island council office. Residents live in small houses built with coral limestone along the several roads that crisscross the center of town. The streets are not paved but covered in sand and kept passable by women who sweep them several times a day. By the beachside, many women spend their days cutting palm leaves and weaving thatch, a valued commodity for resorts. With its tiny population spread over hundreds of such islands, the government has struggled to meet its people’s demands for fresh water, sanitation and education. It has a history of pushing people off the smaller islands onto the larger ones, where it can provide centralized services, further fueling the fears of the people of Magoodhoo. Not everyone dreads the potential Saudi embrace. Many are hopeful that Saudi investment will bring jobs and development, even as they worry they could be forced to move off the island. More than a third of the Maldives population of nearly 350, 000 is crowded onto the capital island, Malé, on just 2. 2 square miles of land that is a speedboat ride northeast of Faafu Atoll. Even Mr. Ahmed said he was willing to move off the island, under the right circumstances. “Anyone who has a bit of wealth is going to Malé to educate their kids,†he said. “If I get enough money, I, too, will go to give my kid an education. †But with the prospective Saudi development, he worries that he and his family could be forced to move whether they want to or not. Many residents fear they may be moved to apartments the government is building on an artificial island near Malé, financed in part by an $80 million loan from the Saudi Fund for Development. When Mr. Yameen visited Magoodhoo island in late January, he tried to assuage such fears. The president came to announce that King Salman had donated a new mosque to the people of Magoodhoo. But much more Saudi development would be coming, Mr. Yameen promised. “They have planned a huge project for Faafu Atoll,†he said. “All the charts and drawings have been completed. †| 1 | [
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FMD3726 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The United States suggested on Tuesday it could cut U.S. aid to Pakistan or downgrade Islamabad’s status as a major non-NATO ally to pressure the South Asian nation to do more to help it with the war in Afghanistan. A day after President Donald Trump committed to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan and singled out Pakistan for harboring Afghan Taliban insurgents and other militants, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington’s relationship with Pakistan would depend on its help against terrorism. “We are going to be conditioning our support for Pakistan and our relationship with them on them delivering results in this area,†Tillerson told reporters. U.S. officials are frustrated by what they see as Pakistan’s reluctance to act against groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network that they believe exploit safe haven on Pakistani soil to launch attacks on neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan denies it harbors militants fighting U.S. and Afghan government forces in Afghanistan. Tillerson said the United States could consider withdrawing Pakistan’s status as a major non-NATO ally, which provides limited benefits such as giving Pakistan faster access to surplus U.S. military hardware, if cooperation did not improve. “We have some leverage that’s been discussed in terms of the amount of aid and military assistance we give them, their status as non-NATO alliance partner | 1 | [
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FMD3727 | 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: Redrawn Map of the United States Claim summaries: Is the federal government planning to eliminate 16 states from the U.S.?
contextual information: The America you know and love could look completely different in a matter of weeks. Under a plan circulating in the D.C. corridor right now, up to 16 states are at risk of being terminated due to epic fiscal mismanagement. These states would simply be wiped from existence and merged into their neighbors. We've even seen the redrawn map of the U.S., and it's nothing less than terrifying. California may be forced to become a part of Mexico without any state strong enough to absorb it! This item about a plan "circulating in the D.C. corridor right now" to eliminate 16 states from the U.S. is nothing but more of the usual financial scare lore put out in conjunction with an investment come-on by the folks at Wall Street Daily. This latest panic piece is offered in a Wall Street Daily video featuring a number of talking heads issuing scary-sounding statements about how the "U.S. government is only months away from a total financial collapse," then lurches head-on into tinfoil hat territory by describing some nebulous plan supposedly being hatched in Washington (by whom, exactly, is never explained) to carve the United States into ten economic regions, eliminating 16 states in the process by merging them into neighboring states (and, apparently, getting rid of a 17th state by kicking Hawaii out of the U.S. altogether). According to Wall Street Daily, this remarkable, radical transformation of the United States, which hasn't yet been discussed, proposed, or voted upon by Congress, and which has somehow escaped the notice of the entire U.S. news media (other than Wall Street Daily, of course), is going into effect in a mere matter of weeks, by 15 October 2013. Not surprisingly, this "redrawn map of the United States" just happens to correspond exactly with a map of administrative regions for the government agency most frequently mentioned in crazy conspiracy theories, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Aside from its sheer ridiculousness, this purported scheme for the federal government to enact a forcible redrawing of the United States has a major problem: it isn't possible because the U.S. Constitution specifically prohibits it. Article IV, Section 3 of that document declares that states cannot be formed from, or merged with, other states without the consent of both Congress and the legislatures of the affected states. So, if this is nothing but nonsense, what's the point of it? The point is that if you make up a bunch of stuff that sounds sufficiently alarming, and you promote your product as something that will help protect people against this scary thing that isn't really happening, you might be able to lure some gullible folks into sending their money (i.e., a "very limited, introductory offer" price of $49.50, plus a yearly "discounted rate" of $79) to you. It's crucial that you obtain a copy of the redrawn map of the United States and spread the word quickly about its existence. Circulate it among your friends and family. Let them know that this threat is real. That soon, the very state that they call home—where they've raised their family, paid taxes, and planned their future—may soon no longer exist. Whether or not your state is targeted for termination, it's essential that you begin taking steps, such as those contained inside the Mayflower Maneuver, to best position yourself for the future. And that means staying continually informed about this developing situation. Last updated: 18 September 2013. | 0 | [
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FMD3728 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Brexit negotiators in Brussels, Dublin and London are working on a new text on the post-Brexit Irish land border with Northern Ireland that might be modified somewhat from a version that was almost agreed earlier this week, a member of the European Parliament from Ireland s governing party said on Thursday. My understanding is all the parties are working on a new text, Fine Gael s Brian Hayes told Irish broadcaster RTE. It s not that the text is changed in substance from the original but that it might be modified somewhat, new language, but as we speak those negotiations are continuing and have intensified. | 1 | [
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FMD3729 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The mental competency of the ailing media mogul Sumner M. Redstone is, once again, at the center of a bitter dispute. Viacom and its chief executive, Philippe P. Dauman, fired back with everything they had on Saturday, attempting to discredit a sudden move by Mr. Redstone to change succession plans for his $40 billion media empire. Not only did Mr. Dauman and two Viacom directors raise questions related to Mr. Redstone’s competency, but they also declared that Mr. Redstone had been manipulated and used by his daughter. The renewed scrutiny over Mr. Redstone’s capacity came less than two weeks after a California judge dismissed a case on a similar issue without ruling on whether Mr. Redstone was mentally competent. It was sparked by an unexpected development on Friday, in a family and corporate tale that becomes messier by the week. Mr. Redstone ousted Mr. Dauman from the trust that will control his companies when he dies or is declared incompetent. He did so after expressing dissatisfaction with the performance of Viacom, according to a lawyer working on behalf of Mr. Redstone. Mr. Dauman was also removed from the board of National Amusements, the private theater chain company through which Mr. Redstone controls both Viacom and CBS. Also ousted from both positions was George Abrams, a representative of Mr. Redstone, a Viacom director for 29 years and an ally of Mr. Dauman. The development set off a new round in a battle pitting Mr. Dauman, Mr. Redstone’s longtime confidant, against Shari Redstone, Mr. Redstone’s once ostracized, recently reconciled daughter. Ms. Redstone has publicly opposed Mr. Dauman’s leadership at Viacom, and his removal from the trust is a significant victory in her effort to shape the future of her father’s companies. Ms. Redstone is vice chairman of Viacom and CBS and is one of seven members on the trust. But in biting language on Saturday, Viacom executives and directors joined forces to depict the ousting of Mr. Dauman and Mr. Abrams as a shameful attempt by Ms. Redstone to influence her father and gain control of his companies. They also portrayed Mr. Redstone as being in such failing health as to be unable to make such a decision. Carl Folta, a spokesman for Viacom, said in a statement that Mr. Redstone had been unduly influenced by his daughter “to accomplish her goal, which Mr. Redstone has always opposed, of gaining control of National Amusements and Viacom. †Mr. Folta said the move to oust Mr. Dauman and Mr. Abrams was “completely inconsistent with his long expressed wishes and intent, and extremely disruptive and damaging to Viacom and all of its shareholders. †For his part, Mr. Abrams said, “The Sumner Redstone I knew would never have taken this action. †And Frederic V. Salerno, Viacom’s lead independent director, raised questions about Mr. Redstone’s competence, saying the board decided last week to eliminate Mr. Redstone’s compensation “based upon his recent complete lack of communication with the Viacom board and management team and his silence during recent board meetings, as well as recent public disclosures raising concerns about his health. †In a statement on Saturday, Ms. Redstone said, “I fully support my father’s decisions and respect his authority to make them. †Removing Mr. Dauman from the trust has raised the question of whether Mr. Redstone, or the trust after he dies, will move to oust Mr. Dauman as a director and as chief executive of Viacom. The company, the owner of the MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon cable networks and the Paramount Pictures film and television studios, has suffered a 40 percent decline in its stock price over the last year and has reported persistent weak results. “Is Philippe Dauman dead man walking now?†asked Richard Greenfield, a media analyst with BTIG Research. Referring to Mr. Redstone, he said, “If he is competent enough to change the trust, he is competent enough to use his voting power to change management. †Whether Mr. Dauman will pursue legal action is not clear. During the public sparring on Saturday, two questions persisted. Did Mr. Redstone have the capacity to eject Mr. Dauman and Mr. Abrams from their positions? And to what extent was Ms. Redstone involved? Mr. Redstone, who has not been seen publicly since his 92nd birthday party last May, will turn 93 on Friday. While he continues to control Viacom and CBS, much about his condition has been shrouded in mystery beyond the fact that he has suffered minor strokes and has a severe speech impediment. The transcript of videotaped testimony presented during the trial showed a fiery, if somewhat feeble man who responded to some basic questions but could not answer others, such as his birth name. If Mr. Redstone lacked the capacity to make corporate decisions, as Mr. Dauman asserted, analysts said that would raise questions about whether Mr. Redstone’s control should already have passed to the trust. Yet until Friday, neither Mr. Dauman nor Mr. Abrams, nor other directors of Viacom or CBS, publicly claimed that Mr. Redstone lacked mental capacity. In a declaration six months ago for the civil suit challenging Mr. Redstone’s mental capacity, Mr. Dauman described his boss as “engaged, attentive and as opinionated as ever. †Mr. Redstone’s lawyers, in a statement issued Friday, sought to use Mr. Dauman’s own words against him. Citing his remarks, Michael C. Tu, a partner at the law firm Orrick, Herrington Sutcliffe, said “that is exactly the Sumner Redstone who made these decisions. †In his statement on behalf of Mr. Redstone, Mr. Tu said his client took “decisive and lawful action†to remove Mr. Dauman and Mr. Abrams from their positions after he had “expressed his concerns regarding Viacom’s performance to Messrs. Abrams and Dauman, both Viacom directors, and received no response from them. †Mr. Folta of Viacom said that there had been no communication from Mr. Redstone and that the only contact came through “written communication on Tuesday from Mr. Tu, a lawyer previously unknown until this week to anyone associated with Sumner other than Shari Redstone. †Mr. Folta added that during a Viacom board meeting on Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday, “not a sound was heard from Sumner, who was connected by phone,†and that Ms. Redstone, also connected by phone, “did not raise a single concern during the board session on any topic. †Mr. Redstone engaged the new law firm after the suit challenging his capacity was dismissed on May 9. “Sumner had concerns related, as everybody knows, to the potential sale of Paramount and with respect to other corporate matters,†said Robert N. Klieger, a partner of the law firm Hueston Hennigan who represented Mr. Redstone during the suit over his competency. “I recommended to Sumner that he engage corporate counsel to represent him on those matters and helped facilitate getting Orrick on board to represent him. †Mr. Folta and Mr. Salerno said that Ms. Redstone had denied Viacom directors access to her father. Dr. Brian Crowley, a psychiatrist in Washington who has frequently testified in civil and criminal trials at what he called the “intersection of psychiatry and law,†said there were two related issues in the situation: mental competency and “undue influence. †“There is no rigid definition of civil competence,†he said. “Does he have the mental capacity to know what he’s doing? Does he have the ability to exercise judgment and free will?†While Mr. Redstone is a vulnerable person and may be subject to undue influence, not all influence is undue, Dr. Crowley said. “Have they used their influence to in effect meet their own needs, rather than to help him make his own decision?†he asked. | 1 | [
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FMD3730 | 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 to Sell B-2 Bomber Blueprints to China to Pay Off Debt Claim summaries: Is the Obama administration selling plans for the B-2 Stealth Bomber to China in exchange for debt relief?
contextual information: Claim: The Obama administration is selling blueprints for the B-2 Stealth Bomber to China in exchange for debt relief. Example: [Collected via e-mail, July 2009] Is this true ? 6/5/2009: Security News Brief: Obama To Sell B-2 Stealth Bomber Blueprints To China The Defense Department is reportedly furious with Obama's proposal to sell blueprints of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber to the People's Republic. Gates has flatly rejected Obama's plan, but has since been asked to step down if he will not facilitate the process. According to the deal, the United States would sell the plans for the B-2, along with radar-absorbing paints and metals in exchange for $50 billion in debt relief. The B-2 cost the US government $23 billion to develop the bomber in the 1980s. According to the Administration, this proposal will help the United States resolve its debt issues. They point out their belief that the B-2 bomber is "strategically obsolete", according to a source in the White House Press Office. In addition, the source claims that the Chinese would be unable to create their own functioning stealth bomberfleet for "at least eight years." [Rest of article here.] article Origins: Although a weak economy and a growing foreign debt (held by nations not necessarily overly friendly to the U.S.) might be issues of pressing concern, the concept of raising funds by openly selling vital military secrets to a Communist country isn't quite a reality yet. The notion that the Obama administration would sell plans for the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber (a "low-observable, strategic, long-range, heavy bomber capable of penetrating sophisticated and dense air-defence shields") in exchange for a mere $50 billion in debt relief is simply another bit of humorous fiction, a satirical piece published by the Jumping in Pools blog on 1 June 2009 (where it was tagged as such). B-2 Jumping in Pools such Other satirical articles from the Jumping in Pools blog include "Biden, Obama to Have Gaffe-Off," "US in Chaos as Teleprompter Assassinated," and "Palin to Join Obama Cabinet." Biden, Obama to Have Gaffe-Off US in Chaos as Teleprompter Assassinated Palin to Join Obama Cabinet Last updated: 28 July 2009 | 0 | [
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FMD3731 | 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: Posts on 'Little People, Big World' that discuss a 'Loss' can be deceptive. Claim summaries: Strange rumors made the rounds around the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022.
contextual information: On Jan. 4, 2022, a strange Facebook ad appeared that claimed: "The Sudden Loss That Hit 'Little People, Big World.'" It led to a lengthy article that claimed to reveal news of a death, "shocking truth," or some sort of sad development about the Roloff family. claimed However, this was all very misleading. For readers unfamiliar with "Little People, Big World," it's a reality TV show that follows the lives of the Roloff family. reality TV show "Matt and Amy Roloff, both 4 feet tall, face a variety of challenges in raising their four children: twins Jeremy and Zach, who is 2-feet shorter than his brother, and younger siblings Molly and Jacob, who like Jeremy are average height," a synopsis on TheTVDB.com reads. "The family's 34-acre Oregon farm serves as part playground and part moneymaker. As the series ages, Matt and Amy deal with personal strife, embrace their kids getting older and leading lives of their own, become grandparents, and attempt to keep Roloff Farms operational." synopsis The show began airing on TLC in 2006 and is often referred to by the acronym, "LPBW." Matt and Amy divorced in 2015. airing on TLC divorced In the Facebook ad about the Roloff family's "sudden loss," the caption contained several grammatical errors. It said: "Since the allegation were confirmed to the public, the cast of 'Little People, Big World' has ask for some privacy. Here is all the information given to the public so far." In other words, the ad appeared to imply that there were recent developments about a death that involved someone on "LPBW" or in the Roloff family. This strange Facebook ad came from a page named P-15897-2. The ad was posted on a Facebook page with a strange name: P-15897-2. It was described as a "clothing store." However, the truth was that this was nothing more than a quickly-created page that was being used to profit off of tragic and outdated news. It was likely managed from outside of the U.S. One of the photos showed a young Zach Roloff in a hospital bed. The picture was a screenshot from a 2006 episode of "LPBW" named "Zach's Emergency" where he experienced a "mysterious illness." episode The ad led to a lengthy slideshow-style article on foodisinthehouse.com. Its headline read: "Little People, Big World: Learn the Shocking Truth About the Roloff Family." article However, the Facebook ad and this article were both misleading. The story was nothing more than an extremely long history of the Roloff family. It mentioned several tragic developments. Matt had a brother named Josh who died at the age of 34 in 1999. He had experienced multiple medical problems since his birth, according to a report. Additionally, the story mentioned the August 2021 death of Felix, who was Amy's dog. She posted about his passing on Instagram. This news, which was reported by People.com and others, was around four months old by the time the misleading article was published and the Facebook ad went live. There's no evidence that the family asked "for privacy" about either of these two past deaths, as the Facebook ad claimed. report posted reported by People.com The lengthy article also documented two unrelated, sad developments about Dr. Jennifer Arnold, the star of the former TLC series, "The Little Couple." According to Chron.com, the show provided a "deeper look into the married life of Dr. Jen Arnold and Bill Klein, who happen to be dwarfs." According to Chron.com In 2013, Today.com reported that Dr. Arnold was "diagnosed with stage 3 choriocarcinoma, a rare cancer that began with a September pregnancy loss." reported In sum, an unknown person was paying Facebook to display an ad about "Little People, Big World" that seemed to indicate there were new and tragic developments. It said that the Roloff family asked "for privacy" and hinted with the words "so far" that more information was coming about a recent "loss" or death. However, this was misleading and appeared to be little more than an attempt to profit from past tragedies from two TLC TV shows. For these reasons, we have rated this claim as "Outdated." attempt to profit 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 lots of pages. It's called advertising "arbitrage." 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. submit ads to us | 2 | [
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FMD3732 | 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: Delta Air Lines Scams Promise '$500 Gift Card for $1' and '$100 Reward' Claim summaries: We looked at the origins of two supposed gift card or "reward" promotions that seemed way too good to be true.
contextual information: In May 2023, a reader informed us by email about a scam appearing in Facebook and Instagram ads that claimed Delta Air Lines was holding a promotion to give away $500 gift cards for $1 each. On the same day, we reviewed a second "Delta Airlines Online Shopper" scam in an email from an address ending in asahi.com that promised a "$100 reward" or gift card simply for taking a survey. Needless to say, these were not legitimate giveaways, nor were they offered by Delta Air Lines. Always remember that with online offers, if they seem too good to be true, they probably are. Worse, they are likely to be phishing scams that can result in both privacy and monetary losses for victims. First, Delta Air Lines was not giving away $500 gift cards for $1 each. Even something as small as $5 gift cards for $1 each would make little sense, as it would put Delta or other airlines in a position of losing money to the throngs who would buy up the cards. The scam ads read as follows: "Elevate your travel experience with Delta! We're giving you an extraordinary opportunity to fuel your dreams of exploration. For only $1, you can get a $500 gift card - a limited-time offer that's too good to pass up. It's time to see why Delta isn't just an airline; it's the Delta difference. Apply now and book your next Delta journey today!" The paid ads on Facebook and Instagram led to a fake survey on onduwucuu.info. After filling out the survey, the scam directed users to towbgiftgiveaways.xyz, where they were asked to provide personal information and a credit card number. As for the email scam that promised $100 Delta Air Lines "rewards" or gift cards for taking a survey, the messages often came from "ozdxuofbqh.asahi.com via loi5sir.classyield.site." Clicking the link in the message led to a strangely labeled "Hitech Research" website on ignitesurge.org. The page instructed users to take a survey and then pick a "free" offer on gadgetspromodeals.com or other websites. However, these "free" offers came with monthly subscription fees that were hidden in the terms and conditions. Nowhere on these pages did we find a box for customers to check to indicate that they agreed to the fine print that appeared on another page. The domain name giftgiveaways.xyz was last registered on May 15, just seven days before we looked into the "$500 gift cards for $1" scam. Meanwhile, ignitesurge.org, the website associated with the $100 Delta Air Lines "reward" email scam, was last registered on April 5. Newly registered domain names are often a significant red flag associated with scams. We advise all readers to do their due diligence before giving their credit card number to a website they've never heard of. Scammers often hide subscription fees in terms and conditions and purposely do not mention these fees anywhere on the product checkout pages. Contact your credit card company immediately if you believe you have given your credit card number to scammers. Delta Air Lines hosts a page about the scams they've seen over the years, including gift card promotional websites. Over the years, Delta has received reports of attempts by parties not affiliated with them to fraudulently gather customer information in various ways, including fraudulent emails, social media sites, postcards, gift card promotional websites claiming to be from Delta Air Lines, and letters or prize notifications promising free travel. These messages were not sent by Delta Air Lines. They do not market to their customers in this way, but individuals or groups intending to gather and use your personal data for their gain can be inventive in their approach, often adding messages to generate a sense of urgency so you take action. Scammers know that airfare can be quite pricey. By pushing fake offers for cheaper airline tickets, they attempt to scam the masses with their fraudulent schemes. If readers encounter offers in the future that seem suspicious, we recommend contacting the airline company directly to ask questions. For further reading in the realm of "way too good to be true," we once covered another scam that claimed Delta Air Lines was giving away first-class air travel tickets and $10,000 in cash. | 0 | [
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FMD3733 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: It is endlessly suspicious when politicians control the process by which they and their allies are elected. Yet Arizona lawmakers had been battling their own citizens for precisely this power, in a lawsuit that culminated Monday in a 5-4 Supreme Court decision upholding the right of voters — not legislators — to control how electoral districts are drawn.
In 2000, Arizonans voted to take the state legislature out of the redistricting process. They hoped to curb partisan gerrymandering by creating an independent, bipartisan commission that would handle the duty of redrawing state and federal voting districts after every Census.
The commission’s redistricting plan led to Democratic wins in 2012, which upset the GOP-controlled legislature. Republicans claimed that the whole process was unconstitutional because the founding fathers specifically commanded state legislatures to run elections.
They were referring to the Constitution’s Elections Clause, which reads as follows:
Yes, this is another Supreme Court case that hinges on the meaning of a word. Here, the word is “legislature.†Does the Constitution refer solely to a state’s body of elected representatives? Or does the term “legislature†here lend itself to a broader interpretation, one that would allow citizens to have a direct say in how elections are conducted?
Writing for the majority, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg argued that the power of regulating elections should ultimately lie with the people — such is the spirit of democracy, after all.
“[I]t would be perverse to interpret the term ‘Legislature’ in the Elections Clause so as to exclude lawmaking by the people, particularly where such lawmaking is intended to check legislators’ ability to choose the district lines they run in,†she wrote.
In his dissent, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. accused his fellow justices of fudging the law to bless a policy that they liked. “The majority today shows greater concern about redistricting practices than about the meaning of the Constitution,†he wrote.
Let’s stop there for a second. Regardless of how the decision was achieved, it protects an important attempt by citizens to ensure fair elections at a time when politics is become increasingly bitter and undemocratic.
One unfortunate fact of American politics is that election districts are becoming more and more misshapen. Recently, Stephen Ansolabehere, a professor at Harvard, and Maxwell Palmer, an assistant professor at Boston University, crunched the numbers on the past 200 years of congressional district shapes.
The researchers used several different ways to measure how convoluted a district’s borders are. All of the methods tend to agree that district complexity has substantially increased since the 1970s. The changes occurred across the board. Both simple and raggedy districts are starting to look weirder and weirder.
Of course, just because a district looks ugly doesn’t mean it’s unfairly drawn. It’s important to create districts that represent natural communities, and communities often have irregular boundaries. It’s equally important to preserve minority representation, and sometimes districts look like spaghetti in order to prevent the minority vote in a state from being diluted.
Partisan gerrymandering can’t be detected solely by examining geography and geometry. There’s culture and history to consider. That’s also why courts and lawmakers have struggled to define what is an unacceptable level of gerrymandering. The process is subjective.
For instance, Ansolabehere and Palmer also found that the weirdest-looking districts tend to vote Democratic. That doesn’t prove that Democrats are the more shameless gerrymanderers, though.
Besides, Democratic voters tend to concentrate in urban areas, which can make it hard to draw compact voting districts that are also fair.
A 2013 paper published in the Quarterly Journal of Political Science argued that the clustering of Democratic voters creates a natural Republican bias when districts are drawn up. Political scientists Jowei Chen, of the University of Michigan, and Jonathan Rodden, of Stanford, call the phenomenon “unintentional gerrymandering.â€
To demonstrate, Chen and Rodden used a computer to randomly draw district plans using data from the 2000 presidential election in Florida. Famously, the popular vote in Florida split more or less evenly between George W. Bush and Al Gore. So in a fair, representative plan, you might expect half the districts to go for Bush, and half for Gore.
But across hundreds of versions of these randomly generated district maps — paragons of disinterested district making — a bias emerged. On average, three-fifths of districts went for Bush, even though half of the population was voting for Gore.
The explanation, according to Chen and Rodden, is that Democratic voters are at a disadvantage by dint of their living patterns.
Democratic voters concentrate either in big cities, or in Democratic enclaves (black suburbs, college towns) scattered across the state. The downtown districts are overwhelmingly Democratic, while the small Democratic outposts tend to get engulfed by their Republican neighbors.
More equal representation might result if planners could better distribute Democratic voters — perhaps, say, by appending some solidly Democratic urban neighborhoods to purplish suburban districts.
But at some point that starts to look like gerrymandering, doesn’t it?
The complex, cross-cutting considerations involved in redistricting provide cover for partisan shenanigans. When legislators start to get creative with district borders, are they adjusting for a state’s uneven political geography? Or are they angling for an advantage?
Putting the process in the hands of an independent body is one way to make matters a little more fair. Political scientists have generally observed that courts and independent commissions tend to design more competitive districts.
In a study of congressional elections from 1972–2012, researchers at the University of Georgia and the University of Texas at Austin found that districts drawn by legislators are significantly less likely to result in close elections, even after controlling for polarization, candidate quality and regional differences. But this effect is only prominent from 1992 onward:
The researchers suspect that computers deserve much of the blame. By 1991, all but four states were using geographic information programs to guide their redistricting efforts. Nowadays, any legislator with a laptop can call on software to concoct districts with whatever characteristics they like. Gerrymandering has never been this easy, or data-driven.
Perhaps, then, it is no coincidence that some of the most tortured-looking districts were designed in recent years, as these maps from Ansolabehere and Palmer show:
Independent redistricting commissions are supposed to curb gerrymandering but most lack full control of the redistricting process. Some are restricted to making suggestions, which legislatures can vote down or amend. Others step in only after the legislature has stalemated. Like the filibuster, the power of redistricting is a political tool that both parties are loath to give up. Legislatures in 42 states still have the final say when it comes to determining districts for House seats in Congress. And in 37 states, legislators control the redistricting process for their own state legislative districts.
In Arizona and California, citizens used ballot initiatives to wrest that power away from their legislators. The independent commissions in these states are completely in charge of redistricting. Their maps cannot be changed or overruled by the legislature. To keep politics at bay, these committees are kept strictly bipartisan, with reserved seats for Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Selection rules exclude politicians and those who work for them. California went as far to use a lottery to pick some of the commissioners.
Despite the cautionary measures, these committees have been the site of considerable partisan bitterness. There have been allegations that the non-partisan members on the commission secretly favor one side, and that the technical staff assisting the commissions introduced bias into the process. For these and other reasons, the resulting district plans have consistently been challenged in court. As political scientist Bruce Cain writes:
In fact, Monday’s case was merely the first of two GOP lawsuits before the Supreme Court involving redistricting in Arizona.
Now after the Court has established that Arizona’s independent commission is constitutional, it will consider whether the commission’s most recent redistricting map apportioned Republicans fairly. On Tuesday, the Court announced that it will hear this second lawsuit some time next session.
Many political scientists say that all the fuss over gerrymandering amounts to wasted breath. Recent decades have seen large decreases in the number of competitive House districts, and large increases in political polarization — but these twin trends can’t be blamed on gerrymandering alone.
In a 2006 paper published in the Journal of Politics, Emory researchers pointed out that House elections have been getting less competitive even during years when district boundaries haven’t changed.
If gerrymandering alone were the culprit, the number of competitive seats should plummet after each redistricting — between 1990 and 1992, or 2000 and 2002, or 2010 and 2012. But the changes that happen between redistricting years have been modest.
Furthermore, Princeton political scientist Nolan McCarty has noted that political polarization increased just as fast in the Senate as in the House. Since senators are elected in statewide races, they aren’t affected by gerrymandering. Yet, the Senate, too, has been paralyzed by partisan rancor.
[What we know and don’t know about our polarized politics]
Gerrymandering, it seems, is a symptom of increasing viciousness in politics — not the root cause.
But that’s even more of a reason for states to safeguard the district-making process from partisanship. The ongoing fight in Arizona has demonstrated that political parties will battle tooth and nail to tilt the electoral map in their favor.
Arizona and California’s experiments in independent redistricting attempt to de-politicize redistricting by appointing citizen committees. It’s possible to take that idea one step further. These days, software and cheap computing gives every citizen the power to create their own district maps. Opening up the redistricting process to public participation and review would offer one more check against legislators acting in their own self interest.
That tracks the spirit of Monday’s decision, in which Ginsburg borrowed liberally from founding father James Madison. “The genius of republican liberty seems to demand . . . not only that all power should be derived from the people, but that those intrusted with it should be kept in dependence on the people,†she quoted.
She wrote: “The people of Arizona turned to the initiative to curb the practice of gerrymandering and, thereby, to ensure that Members of Congress would have ‘an habitual recollection of their dependence on the people.'â€
Independent redistricting commissions won’t heal the nasty rift in American politics. But at the very least, they would ensure that any nastiness be entirely representative of the American public. | 1 | [
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FMD3734 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration told state and local officials on Wednesday that it will use its infrastructure plan to create incentives for the private sector to finance or take over public entities like bridges, tunnels and highways. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told about 150 transportation officials at the White House the administration wants the private sector to play a bigger role in managing and financing public infrastructure. Mulvaney said the administration wants to give states and cities “incentives to move stuff you might own off of your books and into the private sector.†He said that would result in states and cities “getting more money to do new stuff.†The administration has said it wants to spend $200 billion on infrastructure over 10 years, an amount the administration hopes will encourage another $800 billion in infrastructure investment by the private sector, but has not offered a detailed plan. The administration will need congressional approval, and some members of Congress in both parties do not expect to take up the issue until 2018. “The largest piece of the package is going to be wrapped around incentives,†Mulvaney said. He said the incentives will work well in densely populated urban areas in airport, bridge, tunnel, port and other projects. It is harder for rural areas to have private sector-backed projects, citing the lack of potential “cash flow,†Mulvaney said. For example, a bridge in a rural area would have less traffic and potentially less likely be a candidate for private funding. He said the administration plans to target some funds solely for rural infrastructure projects that may not work as private sector-backed projects. Chao said the plan is not yet final but said states and cities that secure some private-sector financing “will be given higher-priority access to new federal funds.†Democrats want more direct federal spending. Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer has pointed out that the Trump budget unveiled in May cuts $206 billion in infrastructure spending across several Cabinet departments, including $96 billion in planned highway trust fund spending. “$200 billion is a lot | 1 | [
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FMD3735 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: McCarthyism has returned.Donald Trump is literally letting a white nationalist publication dictate personnel decisions in his administration.Sahar Nowrouzzadeh is an American citizen of Iranian descent. She is an expert on Iran and has played a crucial role in shaping U.S. policy in the Middle East. She was born in America, first served at the State Department under the George W. Bush administration in 2005 and was on the team that negotiated the Iran Nuclear Deal under President Obama.But because she is of Iranian descent, Breitbart and other conservative outlets believe she is in league with Iranian leadership against the United States. Seriously.According to Politico,Nowrouzzadehad had been detailed since last July to the secretary of state s policy planning team, where she handled ongoing issues related to Iran and Gulf Arab countries. Her yearlong assignment was cut short earlier this month, after critical stories about her and others appeared in the Conservative Review and on Breitbart News, according to the State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter. Nowrouzzadeh did not want to be reassigned, according to the official.Indeed, being reassigned is basically a demotion and one based on racism and fear instead of one based on her job performance.Nowrouzzadeh will now be working in the Office of Iranian Affairs despite the State Department praising her work as valuable in furtherance of U.S. national security. Nowrouzzadeh is the kind of State Department employee America needs right now as tensions between Iran and the United States remain strained because Trump and his Republican allies have repeatedly threatened to trash the nuclear deal.Former State Department official Phillip Gordon slammed the Trump administration for caving to pressure from conservative media. Like many civil service experts and career foreign service officers, she possesses just the sort of expertise political leaders from either party should have by their side when they make critical and difficult foreign policy decisions, Gordon said.The bottom line is that this smacks of McCarthyism from the right-wing just as it did when Joe McCarthy led a witch hunt against government employees in pursuit of alleged communists.Only this time, conservatives are targeting anyone who has a name that sounds Middle Eastern or Muslim.Breitbart should not have the power to affect personnel decisions at the State Department and Donald Trump should not listen to them. Doing so only makes us weaker because the experts we need on the front lines are being persecuted or living in fear of being persecuted.It also makes America less safe because this demotion will be used as an example of how the current United States government treats people of Middle Eastern descent in order to recruit terrorists.Sahar Nowrouzzadeh already swore an oath to defend the United States Constitution when she was hired by the State Department in 2005. It s the same oath that members of Congress swear when they enter office. Questioning her loyalty based on the color of her skin or her birth name is wrong and constitutes discrimination. Frankly, she should file a lawsuit against Trump.Featured Image: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images | 0 | [
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FMD3736 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Saudi Arabia has released 23 of the 200-or-so powerful individuals detained since November on corruption charges after they reached deals with the government, Okaz newspaper reported on Tuesday. The report did not name those involved in what appeared to be the first large-scale release since the royals, business people and government officials were detained in a crackdown spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The suspects have been held at Riyadh s luxurious Ritz Carlton hotel since early November and told to hand over assets and cash in exchange for their freedom. Okaz said more detainees would be released in the coming days and trial proceedings would begin soon for those who continue to deny the charges against them. Saudi authorities see the settlements not as blackmail but as an obligation to reimburse money taken illegally from the world s top oil producer over several decades. Video posted on social media showed a smiling Saoud al-Daweesh, the former chief executive of Saudi Telecom, telling well-wishers he had been treated decently. Private Affairs (a unit of the Royal Court) brought us a full lamb dish day and night. They treated us well and did a good job, he said. Saudi officials did not respond to requests for comment. | 1 | [
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FMD3737 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Tucker Carlson and Mark Steyn should be on together more often. Steyn is right on in the discussion about the controversy over a teacher who called Dr. Seuss books racist propaganda . The teacher sent back Dr. Seuss books sent by First Lady Melania Trump. Steyn s take on this is brilliant AND so funny!(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=v2.10"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));'The Cat in the Hat' is now "racist propaganda". Mark Steyn responds Posted by Tucker Carlson on Friday, September 29, 2017In case you missed the story of the teacher:Of course, as America has come to expect, Melania fired back at the hateful, liberal, public school librarian with class and dignity. It s so refreshing to finally have a First Lady with class in the White House First lady Melania Trump fired back Friday at a Massachusetts elementary school librarian who rejected her donation of Dr. Seuss books, claiming their illustrations are examples of racist propaganda. Stephanie Grisham, director of communications for the first lady s office, said in a statement to Fox News that the response was unfortunate, and Mrs. Trump wanted to use her platform to help as many children as she can. She has demonstrated this in both actions and words since her husband took office, and sending books to children across the country is but one example, she said. To turn the gesture of sending young students some books into something divisive is unfortunate, but the First Lady remains committed to her efforts on behalf of children everywhere. To celebrate National Read a Book Day, the first lady had sent out a collection of 10 Dr. Seuss books to one school in each state across the nation. The titles included: The Cat in the Hat ; One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish ; Wacky Wednesday ; Green Eggs and Ham ; and Oh, the Places You ll Go! She followed in the footsteps of her predecessor, Michelle Obama, who often read Dr. Seuss books to children. Former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Barbara Bush also read to children at Dr. Seuss-themed educational events.Remember when Mooch read Seuss to a room full of kids at the White House? Hmmm was Mooch promoting racism? To turn the gesture of sending young students some books into something divisive is unfortunate. First lady Melania Trump s office I wanted to send you a special gift. Dr. Seuss s Oh, the Places You ll Go! is a book my son and I have read over and over again, and one that we want to share with all of you, the first lady wrote in her letter to students. Please also remember that you are the future of America and that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. But despite the gesture, Liz Phipps Soeiro, a librarian at a public school in Cambridge, wrote a letter to the first lady, which was then published on The Horn Book blog, notifying Mrs. Trump that her school would not be keeping the titles for their collection, explaining that her school didn t have a NEED for the books, due to her school and library s award-winning status. FOX News100 Percent Fed Up Soeiro on Tuesday penned an editorial for the Horn Book s Family Reading blog explaining why her school did not need the donation. My students have access to a school library with over nine thousand volumes and a librarian with a graduate degree in literary science, she wrote. Multiple studies show that schools with professionally staffed libraries improve student performance, Soeiro added.Trump s package reportedly included such Seuss classics as Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Soeiro criticized Seuss for being the only author represented in Trump s donation, citing controversy over some of his illustrations. You may not be aware of this, but Dr. Seuss is a bit of a clich , a tired and worn ambassador for children s literature, she told Trump. Another fact that many people are unaware of is that Dr. Seuss s illustrations are steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes. I work in a district that has plenty of resources, which contributes directly to excellence, Soeiro wrote. My students have access to a school library with over nine thousand volumes and a librarian with a graduate degree in library science. Soeiro went on to slam the White House and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for not gifting the books to underfunded and underprivileged communities, which she suggested continue to be marginalized by DeVos policies.But Soeiro seemed to be the most offended by the books themselves.Another FACT that many people are unaware that the HYPOCRITICAL and smug liberal librarian was seen CELEBRATING Dr. Seuss only 2 years ago:Here's D.C. librarian who rejected Melania's Dr. Seuss book donation "steeped in racist propaganda" as Cat in Hat. pic.twitter.com/pek3pT5q2W Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 29, 2017 | 0 | [
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FMD3738 | 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 Unflattering Image of President Trump Real? Claim summaries: A doctored image of Trump circulated with a tongue-in-cheek request not to repost it.
contextual information: A doctored image created to mock President Trump by purportedly showing an unflattering view of his profile was recirculated on social media in October 2017 along with the claim that the president was unhappy with the photograph and didn't want it shared on the internet: recirculated This image was originally posted to Facebook on 14 July 2017 by Vic Berger, a viral video creator with a penchant for poking fun at Trump, along with the following tongue-in-cheek claim: Facebook Vic Berger A friend of a friend of mine works in the White House and said Trump is extremely unhappy with this photo of himself. Do NOT share this photo! I'm serious. It's not nice. Don't do it! The original post racked up tens of thousands of shares within a few weeks. When the image was re-circulated in October 2017 with a similar claim about Trump's dislike for the photograph, it gathered more than 400,000 shares. This image, however, is fake. Berger created it using a photograph that Getty Images photographer Matthew Cavanaugh took on 27 April 2011 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Berger flipped the original photograph, enlarged Trump's throat, and colored his skin a darker shade of peach. Here's a comparison between the genuine image (left) and the doctored image (right). We flipped the doctored image back to its original position for an easier comparison: Getty Images Berger scored several viral hits during the 2016 election with videos skewering the candidates. videos Raftery, Brian. "Meet Vic Berger, the Genius Behind This Elections Dopest Viral Videos."
Wired. 27 September 2017. | 0 | [
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FMD3739 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Patrick Henningsen 21st Century WireWhat s up with the millennials? The Clinton campaign may have felt a jolt after seeing the front page headline from this morning s Wall Street Journal which read, Millennials Have Cooled on Hillary Clinton, Forcing a Campaign Reset. Traditionally, the 21 to 35 year old age bracket (born 1980-1993 in our epoch) has been a bastion of the Democratic Party. According to a recent Quinnipiac poll, Hillary Clinton s lead over Republican Donald J. Trump among under 35 s plummeted in the month of August from 25 points down to only 5 points. Pretty shocking, but even more so in a week that has seen a Hillary health scare, resulting in Trump surging ahead of Clinton in multiple national polls, and also in perennially pivotal electoral patches like Florida and Ohio.So what s up? Why can t Hillary chill with the millennials, like Barack once did?Back when she was battling Bernie Sanders in the primaries, Clinton pulled out all the stops for the millennials even promising America s students a debt free college experience including free university tuition. Somehow, Hillary s sizzle has failed to produce the Bern with this crucial demographic. As much as they would love for it to be true, even the most optimistic of students knows that free tuition for all is nothing more than pie in the sky, with some left feeling patronized in a way that voters have come to expect from desperate politicians making increasingly desperate promises on the campaign trail these days. What s really being overlooked by Democrat Party elites here though, is the uncomfortable truth that the old party ways simply aren t working anymore, and the Clinton campaign is not viewed as transformative (as Colin Powell calls it) and thus, millennials are finding it difficult to get behind it.So if they are no longer with Hillary, where are they going? Definitely not to the GOP. Trump is a non-starter when it comes to millennials, many of which are already registered Democrats. No offense to Trump supporters, but that s just the way it is there s simply not enough young deplorable jugend to go around. Both Trump and Clinton are two of the oldest potential president elects ever to face off in a general election, at 70, 69 yrs old respectively. Instead, a sizeable number of young swing(ing) voters are flocking to Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, who is currently polling at around 9% nationally, and also to Green Party candidate Jill Stein who is polling around 4%.One aspect worth noting here is that, unlike their generational predecessors, 21st century millennials are not afraid to take a risk on what they might view as a political start-up like the Libertarian or Green party. While traditional two-party system dinosaurs dream of squeezing rich donors at fundraising dinners, millennials dream of Podemos and crowdfunding the next revolution. But digital Jerusalem is still a ways off, and here is where idealism inevitably clashes with hard-core political reality: with the Trump-Clinton race in a near dead heat, millennials who have migrated into those alternative Johnson and Stein camps will indirectly decide the 2016 Election in much the same way that Independent candidate Ralph Nader did in 2000 and to a lesser extent in 2004, although it s not so easy to calculate between Clinton and Trump exactly who will be the chief beneficiary from that alternative displacement vote. CHILLERY: Clinton is struggling to excite the millennial voters (Illustration: TrumpNews)There is another spanner in the Democratic machine which no one is talking about, and one which could certainly hurt Hillary Clinton, and help Donald Trump on November 8th. One pronounced crimp in the Clinton juggernaut came as a result of the Wikileaks DNC email leaks which revealed how, in its effort to shoe-in Clinton ahead of this past summer s party convention, the Democratic Party conspired to railroad the Bernie Sanders campaign effectively killing its mercurial millennial phenomenon. Old party hacks might not understand why this is so important because they are so wrapped up in time-honored Tammany Hall traditions, but to young idealistic millennials, this party betrayal would not only be viewed as unfair, but also as undemocratic, and rightly so. As a result, a nationwide write-in campaign for Sanders as President has begun to pick up steam. If this pulls in 2%, or even 1% away from Hillary s tally, especially in the key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Arizona or Michigan, then the race becomes even tighter still, and more unpredictable.This excerpt from the Reason report (below) should be the most sobering of all for Democrats, and it reveals the source of their fatal disconnect:A Reason-Rupe poll of millennials in 2014 found 66 percent of them believing government was wasteful and inefficient even as many said they planned to vote Democrat in that year and in 2016. The drop off in support for Democrats is unsurprising, given that the rhetoric about government that Democrats deploy does not match the reality on the ground.In other word: the Democrats are as addicted to lying as any other political organization, and this cannot be fixed it s an institutional thing.In order to shore-up the millennial gap, the Democratic Party has dispatched its cohort of rock stars to college campuses across the country in order to woo millennials. Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Warren, and even Sanders (how Bernie could go out stumping after the DNC Leaks is pretty amazing in itself) have been sent like missionaries to the four corners of the country, in order to try and win back those millions of lost liberal souls, and lead them back into the party flock.To millennials, Bernie Sanders primary election loss dashed their hopes in much the same way Ron Paul supporters felt in 2012 betrayed by a collusion between party mob bosses and the mainstream media. In both cases, aside from the obvious corruption, what was really dashed was the idealistic view that their generation had a real and meaningful stake in US politics and could even elevate its own candidate in a national election. Millions of previously disengaged voters finally found an original voice that resonated with their generation, and to see that voice crushed by political insiders and media operatives is a bitter pill to swallow. In America s winner-take-all system of Presidential elections, there is only room for one party winner a reality which will continue to frustrate young voters going forward, many of whom are well aware of parliamentary systems in other nation states, and systems which appear to allow more plurality when it comes to choosing a viable political leader. Like it or not, managing those global expectations in terms of party and leadership choice is a reality that America will have to contend with in the future.With so many free radicals still orbiting this election, it will be tricky to project a clear winner. Shades of 2000 perhaps, but this year there will be no hanging chads, but maybe something worse. Half the voters will be blaming either Obama (vote rigging), or Putin (vote hacking), as a reaction to any perceived electoral stitch-up (see #HashTagHell).It s a tricky year for the bookies, but one thing you can bet on is a serious fall-out after election day. So brace yourself, because in case you haven t noticed, many Americans are viewing this election as a true do or die moment.In a United States already polarized along very pronounced partisan lines, whichever the result, one side will be baying for blood. That s just the way it is this year.Author Patrick Henningsen is journalist and geopolitical analyst for 21WIRE and host of the SUNDAY WIRE weekly radio show and also ON THE QT [email protected]. Here s more useful analysis on the 2016 millennial dynamic from Ed Krayewski at Reason ReasonA number of new polls show Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson doing very well with millennials and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton underperforming with the same demographic that helped President Obama build winning coalitions in 2008 and 2012.A New York Times/CBS poll shows 26 percent of voters under the age of 29 supporting Johnson and a further 10 percent supporting Green presidential nominee Jill Stein. Similarly, a Quinnipiac poll shows Johnson at 29 percent of young voters, and Stein at 15. In that poll, Clinton barely edges out Johnson among young voters, getting 31 percent. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is at 26 percent among that demographic in the poll. Further, a Global Strategy Group poll of millennials in 11 battleground states found 73 percent of millennials saying that Trump was a racist, and just 38 percent supporting Clinton in a 4-way matchup.The results have yielded unsurprising hand-wringing from older liberals who feel the vote of millennials belongs to them. Clara Jeffrey, editor-in-chief of Mother Jones, tweeted that she has never hated millennials more in response to the NYT/CBS poll, which earned refreshing responses from millennials Continue this story at ReasonREAD MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files | 0 | [
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FMD3740 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: John Podesta is Hillary Clinton s former campaign chairman so you know he s a dirty bird. That s why this is such a fun video to watch. Podesta had a brutal exchange on CBS s Face the Nation on Sunday when asked about the campaign s failure to focus on so-called purple states in 2016.Host Nancy Cordes noted that an indictment handed down by special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday showed that Russian operatives who meddled in the election appeared to realize the importance of focusing on those battleground contests. Then she goes in for the kill with this question: But it does beg the question, how is it that these Russian operatives knew to focus on purple states like Michigan and Wisconsin and your campaign didn t? LOL! That s such a great snark-filled question!TRANSCRIPT OF FULL INTERVIEW:NANCY CORDES: Welcome back to Face the Nation. I m Nancy Cordes. Our next guest, John Podesta, was the chairman of Hillary Clinton s 2016 campaign. His private emails were hacked and released publicly by Russian-backed entities during the campaign. Mr. Podesta, thank you so much for being with us.JOHN PODESTA: Nice to be back, Nancy.NANCY CORDES: For anyone who voted for Hillary Clinton, these new indictments mean what?JOHN PODESTA: Well, look, it s a tragedy for the American people, really. As Mr. Mueller said in his indictment, this was an act of information warfare against the United States, against our democracy. So I think it s, obviously, disappointing to those of us who were on the receiving end of these Russian active measures, but I think the real victims here are the American people because there, there was direct interference with our democratic institutions.NANCY CORDES: The deputy attorney general was very careful on Friday to say that we don t know whether or not this operation swayed the election. You ve had a lot time think about this, where do you come down on that issue?JOHN PODESTA: Well, look, this was one part of a, of a complex, active interference in the measures. This didn t even deal with the hacking, this was only about what was going on in the social media and the, and the information campaign that was being done there, but there were 80 people, millions of dollars spent. And as one of your previous guests, Senator Coons noted, we won the popular vote by three million votes. They were pushing votes, just to give one example, to Jill Stein. Her vote in Michigan, in Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin was greater than the gap between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in those states. So you can t prove that it did affect the outcome, but it certainly seems likely that it had some impact.NANCY CORDES: But it does beg the question, how is it that these Russian operatives knew to focus on purple states like Michigan and Wisconsin, and your campaign didn t?JOHN PODESTA: Well, of course, we spent a lot of time, energy, and effort in all those states.NANCY CORDES: Hillary Clinton, herself, did not spend much time in those states.JOHN PODESTA: We, you know, we had Tim Kaine was there, Barack Obama was in and she spent enormous time in Pennsylvania and Michigan.NANCY CORDES: Sure.JOHN PODESTA: And we spent a lot of effort. We had more staff in Wisconsin than even President Obama had in 2012. But, but I think that begs the question, I think we, we focused on the places we thought were that were you know in contest, and at the end of the day, we fell short in those states. And I think that this active measures effort by the Russians could have tilted the election in, in Donald Trump s favor. But I think what the real issue is, is how he s reacted to that. And in that context, if we re if this is information warfare, then I think he s the first draft-dodger in the war. I mean, he has done nothing but tried to undermine the Mueller investigation, he hasn t implemented the sanctions that he was passed by the congress and that he signed in reaction to the, to the activities in the 2016 election. We learned this week, he s ordered no effort to try to get the intelligence community to get together to try to prevent further activities in the 2018 election.NANCY CORDES: Why do you think that is? Do you think it s because to do so would be to admit that somehow the Russians might have influenced this election?JOHN PODESTA: Well, you know, I think that Mr. Trump s psyche is complicated and people have said a lot, a lot about it, but he certainly can t accept that this activity may have helped him, and I think he just constantly tries to move the ball away, including what was, I think, really a despicable tweet about the fact that he s blaming the FBI for investigating the Russia investigation and somehow relating that to the tragic killings in Florida. But you know who knows with Mr. Trump? But he clearly, I think, has failed in carrying out his duty as president of the United States, which is to protect our democracy.NANCY CORDES: Midterm elections are coming up, and it s been reported that Democrats are telling your former boss, Bill Clinton, that in light of the Me Too movement, they, they think he should sit it out, he should be benched, and they re not looking for him to actively campaign for them. Is that true? And do you think that that s the right call?JOHN PODESTA: Look, I think he remains, I think, a figure who is popular with a lot of Democrats across the country. And I think that people are calling him, candidates are calling him and asking for advice. But whether he s going to be an active participant, I think that s not you know really on the top of his mind right now. I think he s doing other things, and, and people make their own judgments about whether he can be helpful in the campaign.NANCY CORDES: Do you think it s a good idea, very quickly, for him to sit it out?JOHN PODESTA: Well, you know, look, I think that, that if I was advising a campaign and a candidate about what to do, I would, I would sort of judge whether he can be helpful. And I think some places he can be, and probably some places he s more of a lightning rod.NANCY CORDES: All right, John Podesta, thank you so much. Campaign chairman for Hillary Clinton. And we ll be right back with our panel of Republicans who are leaving the House and Senate. | 0 | [
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FMD3741 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: NATO is a threat to the Republic of Moldova.
This collaboration with NATO, besides putting our budget on the brink, creates problems with Russia, which is our strategic partner.
Besides creating inter-ethnic problems, with 70 percent of the population being against NATO, [...] this collaboration with NATO creates serious problems for our peace and the political stability of the country. Look at all the NATO states, they all have terrorist acts. | 0 | [
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FMD3742 | 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 Germany Start a Campaign to Feed Americans? Claim summaries: Many Americans are truly food insecure, but the "Great Nations Eat" campaign ads are American made.
contextual information: In the fall of 2021, a series of videos started circulating on social media that supposedly showed a charitable campaign from Germany encouraging donations to feed hungry Americans. One posting of this claim on TikTok racked up more than 9 million views: TikTok racked up more than 9 million views While many social media users claimed that this "Great Nations Eat" campaign had been produced in Germany (some claimed China) in an effort to raise funds to feed hungry Americans, this video actually originated in the United States. This video comes from a 2015 campaign produced by the American charity Share Our Strength. The "Great Nations Eat" campaign was created by Share Our Strength and the creative agency BBG (Bartle Bogle Hegarty). In a news release, the group writes that it purposefully mirrored the public service announcements (PSAs) that often air in the United States to raise money to feed people in developing countries in an attempt to evoke an emotional reaction from American audiences. Great Nations Eat Share Our Strength Billy Shore, CEO and founder of Share Our Strength, told Fast Company in 2015: Fast Company This was really to try to think a little more disruptively to get peoples attention, to go right to the heart of the issue that people are not aware hunger is a problem in the United States ... Id say that historically theres been a genre of media around hunger that looks kind of alikestories of kids in rural areas like Appalachia or Alabama ... Those stories are important and compelling, but they all have the same kind of message. The idea was to do something different, and point out that America cant be great on an empty stomachreally tap into this notion that it has to do with our strength as a nation, as a people, as a society. Its not just about these childrenas important as that isbut it really impacts all of us. The non-profit wrote in a news release at the time of the campaign's debut: news release All of the advertising for the Great Nations Eat launch was created by the award-winning creative agency, BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty) New York. As the goal of the campaign was first and foremost awareness, the creative allows for the facts to evoke the emotion. The campaign PSAs use an unconventional approach to contrast the problem of hunger in America versus other countries, surprising viewers with the facts. While these ads were not actually produced in China, Germany, or Slovenia, the message in these ads that millions of people in the United States are food insecure is true. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), more than 10% of U.S. households (which amounts to about 38.3 million people) were food insecure in 2020. The USDA writes: writes Food insecure At times during the year, these households were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food. Food-insecure households include those with low food security and very low food security. 10.5 percent (13.8 million) of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2020.Unchanged from 10.5 percent in 2019. [...] 38.3 million people lived in food-insecure households. Here is one of the American-produced "Great Nations Eat" ads that is presented as if China made this ad to feed hungry Americans: Here's another version of this ad "from Germany": Millions of Americans truly struggle with hunger. While these ads were created to make it seem as if China, Germany, and other countries had released PSAs to feed hungry Americans, these videos were actually produced by an American charity and were designed to play on the tropes of similar PSAs. Anders Anglesey. German-Language Ad Asking to Help Feed Poor Americans Goes Viral. Newsweek, 9 Nov. 2021, https://www.newsweek.com/german-ad-asking-feed-americans-goes-viral-tiktok-1647405. Great Nations Eat Launches Unprecedented Billion Impression Media Campaign in 2015 to Transform the Conversation Around Hunger in America. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/great-nations-eat-launches-unprecedented-billion-impression-media-campaign-in-2015-to-transform-the-conversation-around-hunger-in-america-300104454.html. Accessed 10 Nov. 2021. Ha, Thu-Huong. Video: What If Other Countries Saw the Same PSAs about Hungry Americans That Americans See about Them? Quartz, https://qz.com/473786/video-what-if-other-countries-saw-the-same-psas-about-hungry-americans-that-americans-see-about-them/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2021. Peters, Adele. These Anti-Hunger Ads Ask People In Other Countries To Donate To Help Feed Americans. Fast Company, 15 July 2015, https://www.fastcompany.com/3048452/these-anti-hunger-ads-ask-people-in-other-countries-to-donate-to-help-feed-americans. Silva, Christianna. Food Insecurity In The U.S. By The Numbers. NPR, 27 Sept. 2020. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2020/09/27/912486921/food-insecurity-in-the-u-s-by-the-numbers. USDA ERS - Key Statistics & Graphics. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx. Accessed 10 Nov. 2021. | 0 | [
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FMD3743 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: The Minnesota Vikings have opened their stadium to provide shelter for homeless individuals. Claim summaries: Several news outlets filed reports incorrectly stating that the Minnesota Vikings had opened their stadium to shelter the homeless on a cold winter night.
contextual information: On 18 December 2016, Twitter user David Dellanave posted a message claiming that the Minnesota Vikings football team had opened up U.S. Bank Stadium to shelter the homeless on a particularly cold winter night: posted Although Dellanave is not a reporter or a spokesperson for the Minnesota Vikings, his message was picked up and reported as fact by several news outlets, including Yahoo News and CBS Sports: Yahoo News CBS Sports The Minnesota Vikings are embracing the Christmas spirit early and helping out the community on Sunday night. According to David Dellanave, U.S. Bank Stadium will be open to the local homeless population during a night with crazy cold temperatures. The Minnesota Vikings, however, did not open U.S. Bank Stadium on 18 December 2016 to shelter the homeless. Dellanave eventually deleted his original tweet and posted follow-up messages claiming that he had posted the false information as an attempt to draw attention to a social issue: Tweet deleted. Point was to highlight a social issue and waste of taxpayer money that could help people instead of make private profits 1/3 David Dellanave (@ddn) December 19, 2016 December 19, 2016 Zero interest in retweets or followers, have never cared and never will. 2/3 David Dellanave (@ddn) December 19, 2016 December 19, 2016 But most importantly if I thought for a second someone in need would take it seriously, wouldn't be worth the potential good. 3/3 David Dellanave (@ddn) December 19, 2016 December 19, 2016 I'm sorry if this obviously misguided attempt at highlighting a social issue hurt anyone. Didn't think a tweet would go so far & I regret it David Dellanave (@ddn) December 19, 2016 December 19, 2016 | 0 | [
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FMD3744 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: It was only a matter of time We can t keep our borders open to anyone who cares to cross over, offer them immunity from the law in sanctuary cities that basically give criminals the ability to move around freely and expect a positive result. We asked for it when most American citizens sat back and allowed Obama to bully our border agents into submission, while shaming our government officials and law enforcement agencies for daring to demand stricter immigration controls. There s a good reason Donald J. Trump rose to the top of the packed GOP Presidential field when he mentioned building a wall on our southern border and clamping down on the insane flow of unvetted immigrants and refugees into the United States.Hillary is on the same team as Obama when it comes to unchecked illegal immigration. BRENTWOOD, N.Y. Four dead teenagers. Two weeks. One town. And a ruthless gang, the authorities say, was most likely responsible for the toll. Again.On Sept. 13, Nisa Mickens, 15, and her best friend, Kayla Cuevas, 16, were murdered, their battered bodies found near an elementary school here. A week later and just two miles away, the skeletal remains of two more teenagers identified as Oscar Acosta, 19, and Miguel Garcia-Moran, 15 were found in the woods near a psychiatric hospital. Oscar had been missing since May, Miguel since February. Their deaths have been ruled homicides.Brentwood, a hardscrabble town of nearly 60,000 on Long Island, 40 miles east of Manhattan, has reached another crisis point. For nearly two decades, MS-13, a gang with roots in Los Angeles and El Salvador, has been terrorizing the town, the authorities say, especially its young people. Since 2009, its members have been accused of at least 14 murders, court and police records show.School officials are scrambling. Police officers are searching. Students are frightened. Parents are anguished. It s so hard, I m hurting, Eveylyn Rodriguez, the mother of Kayla, said last week. I wish I could hold my daughter again. In her first interview since Kayla s funeral, Ms. Rodriguez spoke measuredly about how her daughter had been bullied by gang members inside and outside of her high school. To me, it s worse than it was before; it s everywhere, said Ms. Rodriguez, a 1987 graduate of Brentwood Ross High School, where her daughter was a student. This is ridiculous, she added. We need some type of assistance to help our police officers here and see if they can come together to figure out a plan to make things better for the kids now. The path to such a plan, however, runs through a fractured Suffolk County. Its former police chief is headed to jail, its district attorney is under federal investigation and a Justice Department settlement mandated changes in the police department in 2013 after findings of bias against Latino residents.Tensions simmer here because some residents say they believe an increase in Central American migrants to town has led to the increase in gang violence. According to 2014 census figures compiled by Queens College, Brentwood s population is 68 percent Latino or Hispanic, with more than 17,000 residents claiming to be from El Salvador.Brentwood has 4,400 high school students divided into two schools, and administrators say the environment is safe. Gang members rarely present themselves in the schools, Richard Loeschner, the principal of Brentwood Ross High School, said. If they do, we take care of that pretty quickly. But ultimately, he said, after acknowledging that the administration knew of about 20 to 25 students in the district with possible gang affiliations, there is only so much they can do. We can t exclude a kid because we suspect they are in a gang, Mr. Loeschner said. That s state and federal law that they are entitled to an education. Even before the girls murders, students were subject to random screenings with metal detectors, which have increased over the past few weeks, he added. There are no detectors at the entrances of either high school, however.Some parents were concerned that the school s response to the violence was not proactive enough. Dr. Levi McIntyre, the school superintendent, sent an email to parents warning their children not to wear royal blue, the color identified with MS-13, or clothes displaying the Salvadoran flag. A student on the way to school, he wrote, recently had his blue shirt torn off by gang members and burned.MS-13 formed in Los Angeles in the 1980s by immigrants from El Salvador escaping civil war. The abbreviation stands for Mara Salvatrucha, which roughly translates to Salvadoran street posse. Authorities say it has been in Suffolk County since around 1998, and is organized in cliques bearing names like the Brentwood Locos Salvatruchas. Leaders gather to discuss their lines of business extortion, prostitution, robbery, drug dealing and to authorize the killings of chavalas, or members of rival gangs like the Bloods and Crips, court papers say.The recent murders have exacerbated disputes in the town over immigration policy, which Donald J. Trump, the Republican candidate for president, fueled during last week s debate by saying that the gangs roaming the streets were made up of illegal immigrants. There s been a huge influx, to be honest with you, said Ray Mayo, the president of the Brentwood Association of Concerned Citizens, who added that he was upset over undocumented immigrants crowding rental properties. It seems like a whole new set of gang members who have stirred the pot up. Two law enforcement authorities, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the continuing murder investigation, said that over the last several years the gang has sought to enlist recent immigrants from Central America because they are often more vulnerable to recruitment. For entire story: NYT s | 0 | [
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FMD3745 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: SANTA MONICA — The coastal town known affectionately — or pejoratively — as the People’s Republic of Santa Monica has decided to cut ties with Wells Fargo bank over its involvement in the Dakota Access pipeline, LAist. com reports. [The pipeline was the target of protests earlier this winter, when group camped out in the cold to obstruct construction at the site. Protesters claimed that the pipeline disturbed Native American sites and posed an environmental risk. In a an article favorable to the protesters, the Santa Monica Daily Press noted: Native Americans who live on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation say the pipeline threatens their sacred lands and water supply. … The motion for Santa Monica to change banks came from Councilmembers Tony Vazquez and Terry O’Day. “If you’re paying any attention to national media today or in fact global, you know one of the most symbolic fights for our future is happening at Standing Rock over the Dakota Access Pipeline,†O’Day said. “It is a fight over sovereignty and respect for native people. It is a fight over the respect of humanity and the future of humanity. †The article did not note that the pipeline does not, in fact, cross Native American land, and that other pipelines already cross underneath the water sources supposedly threatened by the pipeline’s slated route. Santa Monica currently uses Wells Fargo to handle some $1 billion in city transactions. The bank has also contributed nearly $1 million to local LAist. com notes. In one of his final acts as president, Barack Obama halted the construction of the pipeline. President Donald Trump signed an executive order resuming construction in his first week in office. Other cities have similarly cut ties with Wells Fargo over the pipeline. Joel B. Pollak is Senior at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential†people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak. | 1 | [
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FMD3746 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Every presidential candidate s economic plan has flaws. They either rely on deficit spending (Hillary Clinton), or they rely on magic mirrors (every Republican there is). Trump s plan will cost the U.S. more than $11 trillion, mostly from tax cuts for the wealthy that aren t paid for. Campaigns and their surrogates are supposed to rally around their candidates, but Newt Gingrich found himself unable to defend Trump s economic plan during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.Chris Wallace asked Gingrich point-blank whether Trump s numbers add up. Gingrich said: Of course not. Historically, no candidates have numbers that add up. Brilliant cover there, fanboy. You re still a campaign surrogate admitting that his candidate s economic plan is a worthless pile of steaming dog shit. Doing this is virtually unheard of. Even Romney s surrogates didn t admit outright that his economic plan was going to kill the economy, not stimulate it. When the Tax Policy Center said that Romney s plan would require raising taxes on the middle class to avoid ballooning the national debt, his campaign, and the entire GOP, came to his defense.Back in June, Moody s said that Trump s economic plan would cost us millions of jobs in addition to raising the national debt by $11 trillion. Trump only has a tiny part of his massive tax cuts offset. The rest amount to a massive black hole in the middle of the budget, which, in turn, would cause interest rates to skyrocket. Skyrocketing interest rates, when combined with other factors, harm corporate output, and eventually, stock prices.We all know what happens when the stock market crashes.Predictably, Trump s campaign said there were profound errors in Moody s analysis. Trump wants to rely on strong-arming China into a different trade agreement for his jobs plan, because of course he does. He s a master negotiator, so China will capitulate.This isn t the beginning of the end of Gingrich s love affair with Trump; not by a long shot. That s evident by his cover that no presidential candidate s economic plans ever add up. But a surrogate going so far as to say on television that it s nonsense, even with a cover, is virtually unprecedented.Featured image by T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images | 0 | [
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FMD3747 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: When the River Ran Red Arthur Kemp, American Renaissance, September 2008
The year is 1838. Dodging a flurry of spears, the Boer commander, Andries Pretorius, rides forward to seize a Zulu warrior. In the midst of an epic battle between more than 15,000 warriors and just 468 Boers, Pretorius has decided to take a Zulu alive. He wants to send the captive back to his king, Dingaan, to convey surrender terms to the Zulu nation.
The warrior has no intention of being taken alive, and jabs viciously at Pretorius with his assegai. This is a Zulu spear, normally a long-shafted throwing weapon, but the warrior broke its shank earlier for close-quarter stabbing. Pretorius gives up on capturing the Zulu, and tries to shoot him.
With a single-shot, muzzle-loading musket, he has only one chance of a hit. There is no time to reload in close combat. To his horror, Pretorius sees the smoke-trailing ball whiz past the Zulu’s ear. At the same time, the Zulu lunges forward, causing Pretorius’s horse to stumble backwards, throwing the white commander to the ground.
Leaping to his feet, he meets the attacking Zulu, who knows he is now on equal terms with the white man, who can no longer use his magic shooting stick and carries no weapon comparable to the assegai. Pretorius is now fighting for his life. He just manages to sidestep the spear point, striking it away with the butt of his gun.
Spinning round, the Zulu raises his spear high above his head and thrusts down, as he has been trained to do in the Zulus’ disciplined army. It is a blow that will be fatal if it strikes home, but Pretorius sees it coming. He grabs the spear point with his left hand to ward it away from his chest. The sharp point cuts deeply into his palm, embedding itself at an angle that makes it impossible for the Zulu to pull it out. Pretorius seizes the Zulu by the throat with his free right hand and throws him to the ground in an attempt to strangle him.
The Zulu struggles, and with the help of two good hands is about to break free, when one of Pretorius’s men comes upon the scene. He pulls the assegai out of the commander’s hand, and plunges it into the Zulu’s side, ending the struggle.
Pretorius remounts and heads back to the Boer camp for treatment. He is not worried, as he knows by now that this greatest of all battles between Boers and Zulus has already been won. The main Zulu army has been broken in two, and the river that runs along one side of the Boer camp is stained red with Zulu blood. The place and the tributary known previously as the Ncome will be renamed Blood River. Pretorius knows that the Zulu defeat, which will include some 3,000 killed on the battlefield, is a fit revenge for the deception and murder committed by the Zulus 10 months earlier.
Prelude to War
The great clash between the Boer and Zulu nations was not, as leftist historians like to claim, the result of ruthless white colonialism suppressing an indigenous people. It came about because the Zulus rejected an extremely reasonable attempt at negotiation by the Boers.
The Boers, pioneers of Dutch, French, and German descent, were the people who opened up much of what was later to become South Africa. Their first antecedents had landed on the southernmost tip of Africa in 1652, only 45 years after the Virginia Company settled on Jamestown Island.
When they arrived in the area now known as Cape Town, whites came into contact only with Hottentots and Bushmen. As the number of Europeans increased, they expanded east and north, only meeting their first black tribe, the Xhosa, some 500 miles away, on South Africa’s east coast. The Xhosas were migrating south, fleeing the warlike Zulu to the north, who were engaged in imperialist expansion of their own.
For just under a century white settlement halted at this eastern frontier border formed by the coast and firm Xhosa settlement. It was not, however, a time of peace, as Xhosa were constantly raiding the Boers who lived on the border. This caused much harm and discontent among the farmers, who blamed the Dutch-ruled colonial government back in Cape Town for the lawlessness.
It only added to the border farmers’ grievances when the British took the Cape Colony from the Dutch in 1806 to prevent the colony from falling into French hands during the Napoleonic Wars. It was vital to control the merchant and naval refitting station on the way to the Far East. The new colonial masters not only started anglicizing the colony, when they abolished slavery they offered compensation that amounted to hardly a quarter of a slave’s value.
Exasperated by incessant Xhosa attacks and British attempts to suppress their language and culture, groups of frontier farmers, filled with a sense of manifest destiny not seen again until the opening of the American West, set forth to the north and the east in a movement known as the Great Trek. The trekkers (they became known as Voortrekkers, or pioneers, only after 1880) bypassed the Xhosa in search of new, unsettled territory, in which they could establish independent Boer nations. All told, it was only a small minority of no more than 12,000 Boers who made the trek to the future Natal, Orange Free State, and Transvaal regions. They traveled in several waves of covered, ox-drawn wagons much like the Conestogas in which Americans opened the West.
The Boer leader of the time, Piet Retief, had written the trekker “manifesto,” in which he spelled out the farmers’ long-held grievances against the British. By1836, the Boer wagons had crossed the great mountain range into Natal, in an act of audacity that few thought possible. The range, the highest in southern Africa, had been named the Drakensberg—the Dragon Mountains—because they were said to be impassable.
Retief had identified a large piece of uninhabited land to the north of the Zulu kingdom, which lay open to settlement. Retief knew that if he wanted the land for his people, he could take it unopposed. However, he wanted to live in peace with his Zulu neighbors, and before taking possession, he opened negotiations with the Zulu king, Dingaan. He wanted no misunderstanding between the two peoples.
He sent a letter to the Zulu king explaining why he wanted to speak to him, and first visited Dingaan’s capital—a large circle of reed and grass huts—on November 5, 1837. Retief left the main body of trekkers and went to the Zulu king’s capital, Umgungundhlovo (“the place of the elephant”), to negotiate a treaty that would allow Boers peacefully to settle land adjoining the Zulu kingdom. Dingaan said he would let the Boers live in Natal if they recovered cattle stolen by a Tlokwa chieftain. Retief and his men did so, and Dingaan agreed to give the land to the Boers.
Retief returned to Umgungundhlovo on February 3, 1838, to finalize the agreement. He arrived with 60 volunteers, including his own son and three children of other men—it was common for children to accompany their fathers on expeditions of this kind. The next day, Retief and Dingaan formally signed a treaty—the Zulu king made his mark by scratching an “X” on the document—giving possession of the land to the Boers. Delighted, the Boers sent scouts back to the main encampments to report the successful outcome and made ready to leave. As Retief and his party were about to saddle up, a messenger arrived from Dingaan inviting the Boer party to a special celebration to mark the signing. Retief was suspicious but did not want to offend Dingaan. As they had on previous visits, the Boers stacked their firearms neatly outside the reed walls and entered the royal enclosure unarmed.
As they ate and drank, a Zulu impi, or warrior unit, put on a dance for the guests. According to the account of a white missionary who was present, the dancing warriors drew ever closer to the Boers, till they were just in front of the seated whites. When the Zulu king leaped to his feet and shouted, “Kill the white wizards!” the impi fell upon the surprised Boers. Some of them drew their hunting knives and tried to fight off the attackers, but they were quickly overwhelmed.
The Zulu warriors bound the whites with reed ropes and dragged them to Hlomo Amabutho, the Hill of Execution, near the Zulu capital. There they clubbed the Boers to death, one by one, with Retief kept until last and forced to watch his son being murdered. After Retief’s heart was extracted and presented to Dingaan as proof that the Boer leader was dead, the bodies were left for the vultures, in accordance with Zulu custom.
Dingaan then gave orders for the full might of his army to attack the Boer camps. The settlers had received the message Retief had sent earlier and believed everything had gone well. They were therefore completely unprepared and badly undermanned. The 60 men in Retief’s party were all dead. Many other men had gone hunting, leaving only a light guard for the women and children. The Boers were so confident there would be peace that they had not even posted sentries. Just before dawn, barking dogs aroused the outlying wagons. Then, thousands of Zulu warriors attacked the several hundred trekkers — women, children, and old men — as they lay sleeping.
The Boer historian, Gustav Preller, who interviewed survivors, left a harrowing account of the aftermath: “All around dozens and dozens of bodies … babies who had had their heads smashed open against the wagon wheels, women, dishonored and in some Zulu custom, their breasts cut off … [I]n a wagon, blood filled to a height of several inches, the life blood of an entire family ebbed out where they lay … Jan Bezuidenhout, one of the few young men who had not gone ahead with the Retief party, grabbed his four-month-old baby daughter out of her crib and ran off through the undergrowth … [H]aving lost his pursuers a few miles away, Bezuidenhout checked for the first time on his daughter in his arms. She was dead; a single spear stroke had killed her.”
The slaughter became known as the Weenen, the Dutch word for weeping, and a town of that name still stands near the site. Of the 600 Boers camped in the area, Zulus killed some 300, including 185 children. The rest survived because grazing requirements for their animals meant that the Boer camps had to be widely dispersed. If Dingaan’s men had scouted more thoroughly, found all the encampments, and attacked them simultaneously, the slaughter would have been far greater.
Pretorius arrives
The Boers now faced their greatest challenge. Their camps were full of wounded men, orphaned children, and widows. The Zulus had stolen an estimated 25,000 head of cattle and sheep during the Weenen slaughter, and ammunition was running low. The Zulu armies might return at any time, and they were a formidable force, as the Boers discovered when they launched a raid to avenge the massacre. On April 6, 1838, 347 trekkers under a divided command of Piet Uys and Hendrik Potgieter rode into Zulu territory only to be defeated by some 7,000 warriors not far from Umgungundhlovo in what became known as the Battle of Italeni.
This new disaster forced the Boers to face reality: They had to either abandon their quest for independence and return to the Cape Colony, or find some means to fight their way through. The widows and orphans argued strongly for pushing on. They knew that if they fell back to the Cape they would have to live on charity, whereas if Dingaan could be defeated they could at least recover their livestock. Many Boers were also convinced that God favored them, and that setbacks were only a test of faith.
It was at this moment of indecision that a popular lawyer named Andries Pretorius answered the trekker call for reinforcements, and rode into camp with 60 men and a brass cannon. The Boers appointed him commander in chief on November 25, and he immediately began preparing a strike against the Zulu.
His means were few. A force of only about 468 Boers, including three Scotsmen, set out on November 27 seeking battle. For extra protection, the Boer column of 64 wagons traveled four abreast, instead of the usual single file. Each night, they formed a circular defensive formation, known as a laager.
Pretorius realized that even with two front-loading cannon, his force was too weak to defeat the Zulu army in an open field. He therefore decided to draw the enemy into an attack on the Boer encampment. Each day patrols and scouting parties rode ahead, sometimes led by Pretorius himself, to make sure no unexpected surprises were waiting over the horizon.
On December 9, 1838, the Boer party reached the Zandspruit tributary of the Waschbank River. It was here that the Boer chaplain, Sarel Cilliers, first pledged during his nightly sermon that if God helped them defeat the Zulus, they and their descendents would celebrate that day in honor of God, and that they would build a church in commemoration. The Boers repeated this oath, known in Afrikaner folklore as “the covenant,” every night until they met the enemy.
There appeared to be no movement from the Zulu side. On December 12, Pretorius decided to move camp to the Buffalo River, hoping to provoke the Zulus by moving farther into their territory. That day, he sent out two patrols, one under the command of his deputy, Commandant Hans De Lange, and another, under the Scotsman Edward Parker. This latter group saw action when they came upon a small group of Zulus. They killed the warriors and took the women prisoner.
Pretorius drew up a message for Dingaan on a white cloth, explaining that he was leading a commando to punish the Zulus. If, however, Dingaan was willing to cooperate, Pretorius wrote, he was still willing to make peace—a generous offer in light of the earlier betrayal. He freed the prisoners and told them to give the message to Dingaan. He received no answer.
On December 13, the Boers spotted Zulus and what appeared to be a large number of cattle near their camp. Piet Uys had been tricked by such a ploy at the Battle of Italeni. Zulu warriors, crouching behind toughened animal-skin shields, looked like cattle from a distance, and Uys dropped his guard. He was killed in a surprise attack by the “cattle.”
Pretorius did not make the same mistake, and he sent a 120-strong mounted unit to investigate the “cattle.” They turned out to be Zulus, and in the short fight that followed the Boers killed eight warriors but suffered no casualties. Pretorius now suspected that the Zulus were preparing for battle.
On December 15 he moved the Boer camp to a position alongside the Ncome River, itself a tributary of the Buffalo River. A scouting expedition that day confirmed the presence of two huge Zulu armies a short distance away.
Pretorius prepared for battle. His men drew the wagons into a D-shaped formation, one side overlooking a large hippopotamus path facing the Ncome River, another side facing a soil erosion ditch, and the third side facing the open plain. Pretorius chose the site to limit the directions from which the Zulus could attack.
The laager was large enough to contain all the horses and oxen. The defenders tied the wagons together with leather ropes, and closed off all openings between and below the wagons with a Pretorius innovation, so-called fighting gates, which were slatted wood fixtures through which defenders could fire. They left two small openings, sealed with removable fighting gates, so cavalry could leave the laager. Finally, they attached lanterns to the ends of large ox-whips planted upright in the ground. These dangled in front of the laager and were to serve as forward lighting during the dark hours when Zulu usually attacked. Zulus captured after the battle said they had believed the lights waving in the breeze above the Boer camp were spirits, and that fear of the spirits kept them from attacking that night.
Battle is joined
In Pretorius’s own account of the battle, he wrote that as the mist cleared on the morning of December 16, he saw that the Boer camp was completely encircled by tens of thousands of Zulu warriors, even where the terrain would have made an attack difficult. Estimates placed the number of Zulus at between 15,000 and 25,000, although no official count was possible. Whatever the figure, Pretorius wrote that it was a “terrible sight.”
The Boers had been ready and armed since two hours before daybreak. The two cannon were in position, and the fighting gates closed. The defenders expected to run out of ammunition for the cannon, and had stacked up suitably sized stones at strategic points along the perimeter to fire as a last resort. The Boers would fire stones that day.
The front lines of the Zulu force were still, squatting, only about 40 paces from the wagons, waiting for the signal to attack. Pretorius decided to strike first. At his signal, three bursts of fire from the Boer guns and two blasts from the cannon broke the silence. The Boers’ orders were to then hold their fire. As the billows of gunpowder smoke lifted, they saw that the surviving Zulus had fled some 500 paces from their former front line, leaving behind dozens of dying and dead comrades.
The Boers then heard the noise of the Zulus breaking their spear shafts to make them into short, stabbing weapons. A frontal assault was coming. A few minutes later, the Zulu force stormed the wagons, screaming wildly, shields held high, and assegais in readiness. Withering gunfire ripped through the Zulu ranks, and while some managed to reach the wagons, they were gunned down before they could cut through the wagon canvasses.
Another group of Zulus tried to attack from inside the erosion ditch by standing on each others’ shoulders and scrambling over the edge. Pretorius ordered Cilliers, the fighting churchman, to see off the attack. He led a group of men out of the relative safety of the wagon perimeter, and they proceeded to kill some 400 Zulus. One Boer, Philip Fourie, was wounded when an assegai struck him in the side.
The Boers then wheeled one of their cannon out of the laager, pointed it into the ditch, and fired a shot that literally blew apart the assaulting party. The survivors fled the ditch in disarray. This sparked a temporary retreat by the Zulu, and marked the end of the second unsuccessful attempt to break the Boer lines. The wounded Boer, Fourie, returned to the wagon circle for treatment.
As the Zulus waited for new orders, Pretorius ordered another burst of cannon fire into their ranks, provoking a spontaneous charge against the wagons. Although it was the longest single assault of the nine-hour battle, it was utterly defeated, as the Boers cut down wave after wave of attackers. Gun barrels got so hot men had to hold them with wet cloths for reloading.
As the third attack fell back, the Boers launched their first surprise counterattack, as the mobile fighting gates swung open and a cavalry unit charged the Zulu lines. Shooting from the saddle, the Boers tried to turn the Zulu lines to their left. Desperate Zulu resistance, which saw hundreds more of their number killed, stopped the encircling action, and the Boer horsemen rode back to the wagons. They regrouped and launched a second attempt, driving the Zulus further away. A third mounted charge finally broke through the Zulu lines. The Boer cavalry then turned and attacked the Zulus from the rear. Pinned between the cavalry and cannon fire from within the wagon circle, the main Zulu force facing the open plain scattered.
A reserve Zulu force tried to cross the Ncome River to attack the laager but so many warriors were gunned down that their blood stained the water red. Pretorius himself then led another cavalry charge from within the laager. Cut to pieces, with thousands dead, the Zulu army, which had courageously charged repeatedly against a better-armed enemy, finally broke ranks and fled.
Pretorius divided his cavalry into two units and sent them in pursuit. Mounted Boers killed hundreds of warriors during a three-hour chase. It was during this pursuit that Pretorius was wounded. Two other Boers, including Fourie, suffered nonfatal assegai wounds, but these were the only Boer casualties. An estimated 3,000 Zulus died on the battlefield, and many more died later from wounds.
The Aftermath
Early the next morning, Pretorius ordered the camp broken, and marched the commando straight to the Zulu king’s capital. He was confident the Zulus no longer posed any significant threat, but he hardly expected the sight that awaited him on December 20 at Umgungundhlovo. Dingaan had fled with his wives and cattle, leaving the circular camp of reed huts burning, as a symbol of the destruction of Zulu power.
On the outskirts of the capital the Boers found the skeletons of Retief and his men. “Their hands and feet were still bound fast with thongs of ox hide,” wrote Cilliers, “and in nearly all the corpses a spike as thick as an arm had been forced into the anus so that the point of the spike was in the chest.” Retief, who was identified by the remains of a satin vest he had worn, still had a leather bag draped over his shoulder bone. In it was the treaty, signed by Dingaan, giving the Boers the unoccupied land to the north. According to one of the Boers who saw it, the treaty was astonishingly well preserved—as if it had been “left in a closed box.” Pretorius’s men buried Retief and his party on Christmas Day 1838.
Dingaan fled north but was captured by a rival tribe, the Swazis. Earlier, he had persecuted the Swazis, and they murdered him in revenge. The new Zulu king, Mpande, was officially installed in 1840, and confirmed the contents of the treaty with the Boers, who established their first republic in southern Africa. Also in 1840, in fulfillment of their covenant, the Boers built a church to mark the Blood River victory.
The Battle of Blood River entered the Afrikaner psyche as a divinely-inspired victory, and December 16 became a public holiday in South Africa, celebrated each year with festivals, church services, and reenactments. The battle represented the victory of European civilization over the darkness of Africa, of Christianity over heathens. It helped justify white supremacy and the self-appointed right of Afrikaners to rule over, not apart from, the black tribes.
Yet the Battle of Blood River, in many ways, symbolized all that was wrong with the white settlement of southern Africa, and why that experiment failed. The Boers are to be praised for wanting to settle unoccupied land peacefully, and for seeking the friendship of neighboring peoples, but neither they nor their descendents understood that demography is the arbiter of nations. Those who form the majority population of a territory will rule that territory, no matter how powerful a ruling elite may be. They will determine its culture and society. A majority-European population will create a society that reflects European values and norms. A majority-African population will create a society that reflects African norms.
The Boers never understood this. Even at the Battle of Blood River they had at least 60 black servants and an indeterminate number of mixed-race servants, who helped load weapons. Parker, one of the Scotsman, had more than 100 black servants.
To the present day, the overwhelming majority of Afrikaners have black servants who work on farms, in factories, and in homes. Afrikaners failed to understand that by giving the native population the benefits of European civilization, blacks would grow in numbers and overwhelm their society. The Cape Colony and the original Boer republics, which were largely uninhabited by natives when they were settled by Europeans, are today home to tens of millions of Africans.
The Church of the Vow, built by the Boers in 1840, still stands in the town of Pietermaritzburg, named after Piet Retief. But Pietermaritzburg, supposedly the symbol of the Boer victory over the Zulus, is today part of a municipality called Umgungundhlovo, named after Dingaan’s capital. It is also the capital of the South African province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, and its population is more than 95 percent black.
The Church of the Vow stands alone, graffiti-scarred and abandoned, in a dirty downtown slum. Its decay illustrates the fatal error made by the victors of the Battle of Blood River, that of ignoring the demographics of race. If whites had taken possession of those unoccupied lands and kept them for themselves alone the history of South Africa would have been entirely different.
If the Boers had inhabited and worked their own land rather than rely on black labor, the states they created might still be strong and independent today. Their decision to use non-white labor was a critical error that undid all of the sacrifices of the early pioneers.
The only way to maintain a civilization is for the majority to occupy its own land with its own people, and to do its own manual labor. This law governs the rise and fall of civilizations, and the victors of Blood River ignored it, to their cost. | 0 | [
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FMD3748 | 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: 'Ye, New York': Did Kanye West Try to Rename a City? Claim summaries: Viral reports claimed the entertainer submitted a formal request for the town of Rye, New York, to drop the "R" from its name.
contextual information: On March 11, 2021, a news outlet representing the city of Rye, in Westchester County, New York, reported that Kanye West was supposedly considering a move to the coastal town to start a new chapter after his divorce from Kim Kardashian. Kim Kardashian As part of that alleged change, The Rye Record claimed the famous rapper filed a formal request with officials to drop the "R" from the city's name so it's strictly "Ye" West's nickname and the title of his roughly 24-minute album released in 2018. 24-minute album "Rye officials may be 'highly motivated' by Wests offer to dedicate 10 percent of his wealth (estimated at $1,000,000,000 by Forbes) to erase both the City and School bond debt in full," the article alleged. "And in return, all West is asking is for the town to drop the R from its name." 1,000,000,000 In other words, the article claimed West was eyeing real estate in the town and willing to give millions of dollars to the municipal government if leaders agreed to change the name to "Ye." But no evidence substantiated the article's allegations, discrediting any assumptions that they authentically outlined West's plans. Namely, West's representatives did not respond to Snopes' questions to determine the validity of the name-change rumor, and nothing on his official social media channels or websites indicated that he was considering, or planning for, a move to Rye. Additionally, we deemed the rumors "false" because no reputable news outlet corroborated them, when, hypothetically speaking, they would be eminently newsworthy if they were indeed true. Let us unpack that decision fully. As the basis to its reporting, The Rye Record article titled, "Amid Divorce, Kanye West Files With Rye City Council To Drop 'R' From Name. Asks Town To Rename To 'Ye,'" cited one unnamed source who supposedly runs in the celebrity's circle. Amid Divorce, Kanye West Files With Rye City Council To Drop 'R' From Name. Asks Town To Rename To 'Ye,' "Kanye wants to move somewhere low-key where people will be receptive to the impact he can make," the person supposedly told the news outlet. "He has big, big plans for Ye and is highly motivated to make this happen." While it is a common practice for journalists to grant anonymity to people who fear personal or professional repercussions for speaking publicly, it was unclear why or under what circumstances the Rye Record writers decided to conceal the alleged source's identity. But aside from concerns over the credibility of the story's sourcing, the article does not explain the nature of West's alleged request to rebrand the city. It simply says that at an unidentified time after Kardashian filed for a divorce on Feb. 19, he "filed paperwork" for the proposed name change. The story's text did not elaborate on the nature of the purported documentation, nor identify a Rye agency West supposedly contacted. (As we noted above, the story's headline claimed he filed the alleged documentation with the Rye City Council, specifically.) Rye City Council Snopes contacted the Rye City Court, where an administrator told us West had not filed any type of documentation there, and we reached out to the City Council about the rumor. We did not receive a response from the legislative body. Next, no business owner substantiated the claims about West's alleged property-hunting in the town of roughly 16,000 people. According to the article, people saw the rapper looking at properties in Rye to potentially develop into his home, a "music/studio/creative think-tank," and a church. The existing buildings supposedly include a space that's currently being leased by the local YMCA. But Business Insider contacted multiple business owners in the area to talk about the rumor, and two of them appeared to be learning about West's purported venture for the first time. "We haven't heard anything about it," Rye YMCA's Executive Director Gregg Howells told the news outlet. But Business Insider Lastly, the labeling of Rye Record's article appeared inconsistent on its website. In at least one place on the website, creators categorized the story about Kanye as a "column" (a category of editorial content where, generally speaking, writers express their opinions), though the same article also appeared in news sections and the outlet's social media channels. As of this writing, the story about Kanye was among the site's top articles framed as "news" and purportedly based on factual reporting. Snopes reached out to multiple people listed as contacts on The Rye Record website to ask if, or to what extent, it fabricated the reporting, and, if not, how writers corroborated the anonymous source's assertions. We have not yet received a response. At least one other website -- a New York-based news outlet called Talk of the Sound -- recirculated the rumor, sourcing only The Rye Record article. "We will keep tracking this story until April 1st, which is, we would note, 3 weeks from today," that website said. other website Talk of the Sound Robert Cox, the publisher and managing editor of Talk of the Sound, reached out to Snopes after the initial publication of this report in mid-March. He dubbed The Rye Record article satire and said he attempted to make clear with his reporting that readers should not take the story seriously. "The Rye Record had opposed the recent bond referendum and their story was an inside joke," Cox wrote. In sum, while The Rye Record did not respond to our inquiry that would prove or disprove Cox's reading of the original article, we rate this claim "false" because no verified evidence corroborated its claims. This article was updated with a "false" rating given the information from Robert Cox, the publisher of a local news outlet. | 0 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 0 |
FMD3749 | 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: Norton Renewal Email Scam Lures Victims with Fake Invoice Claim summaries: We called the phone numbers listed in the emails. They had nothing to do with Norton or Norton products.
contextual information: Since at least 2021, an email scam has targeted victims with the claim that Norton had renewed their annual membership subscriptions. Some of the scam renewal emails mentioned Norton Total Protection, Norton Total All Round Security, Norton 360, Norton 360 Auto Edition, Norton PC Life, Norton Family All Device, and Norton LifeLock. Turns out, a few of these weren't even real Norton products. We looked into these emails, which are in fact part of a known "phishing" operation aimed at tricking recipients into divulge private information. scam Norton The phone number listed in some of the Norton scam emails was 760-248-4214. We called the number knowing that the whole thing was a ruse. We were connected to a scammer who may have been located in a foreign call center. The scammer asked for the invoice number in the email. Norton This is known as a refund scam. The emails claimed that a payment had been successfully processed to renew a Norton subscription. However, this was nothing more than a fake set up for the scam. Norton The goal for the scammers was for consumers to respond by email or phone to ask for a refund for the supposed Norton product renewal. The scammers eventually would ask for bank account or credit card details, claiming that a refund would be processed. In reality, they would take the financial information and attempt to steal funds. One Norton scam email we reviewed was from [email protected] and copied [email protected]. It claimed that an "annual product membership" for Norton Total Protection had been renewed. The email also listed the same phone number that began with the 760 area code. The email addresses and phone number were all managed by scammers: Norton Flashback to 2010 when it was more popular to buy McAfee and Norton security products in stores. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Another Norton scam email was from [email protected]. It mentioned Norton Total All Round Security. One little red flag in the fake product name was the fact that the scammers chose the words "All Round" instead of "All Around." Once again, [email protected] was copied onto the email, and the same phone number was there too. To restate, these email addresses and the phone number were all part of the scam and were not managed by Norton: Payment successfull, Invoice DYU24012022LAM Hello Customer! Thank you for your interest in our products. Your Annual membership for NORTON Total All Round Security has been renewed and updated successfully. ITEM Finish Date Qty Total Amount Method of Payment NORTON Total All Round Security In One year 1 $267.00 USD Auto Debit Invoice No. DYU24012022LAM Invoice Date: 2022-01-24 If you require urgent assistance, please call our Experts for refund and settlement issue on +1 ( 760 ) ( 248 ) 4214 --Thank you!,Patrick R.BILLING & SETTLEMENT DEPARTMENT On Jan. 24, a Reddit user posted a third example of the Norton email renewal scam. It appeared to be a variation of the same thing, likely leading to a fake refund: posted Your Order Has Been Received From: Purchase Team Hey, Thanks for being with us! We are glad to inform you that your order has been successfully placed, it will activated shortly. If you want to know more details about your order then go through the invoice attached with this mail.. With Regards, Billing Team! PDF-XXX224.pdf Scammers and hackers are often depicted in movies as hooded masterminds looking at code from "The Matrix" fly down the screen while sitting in a room lit in menacing colors. However, the reality of a scammer's life is usually far less glamorous. (Courtesy: Seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Getty Images) A fourth email we reviewed came from the email address [email protected]. The message copied in [email protected]. It read: order confirmation mail # MDI948__ID VALUABLE_______consumer thanks for joining norton 360 auto edition services. through us. we have receive an order PLACED by you in your norton account which is linked with your bank account. billing DESCRIPTION client ORDER I.d : - # MDI948__ID service details: - pc ANTIVIRUS (system) paid THROUGH: - auto debit PRICE cost : - $367.29 PURCHASE on : - 21ST jan 2022 your subscription has been ACTIVATED. thats the reason why we sent you this mail or if you want to continue this subscription THEN kindly forget this mail or if you are facing any kind of problems then please feel free to connect WITH our help care department. you can reach us ON: - 1+ 804-(742)-0254 BEST regards JOHN WILLIAMSON The scammer's phone number was emailed as 804-742-0254. We called the number but did not receive an answer. The goal here was once again to lure unsuspecting victims to contact the scammers to try to obtain a refund. This would again result in the theft of money from the consumer's financial accounts. A fifth example of the scam email came from the email address [email protected] (purportedly someone named Gerard Riou). We also noticed that [email protected] was copied into the message. It read: (KXWAGTRZY - ORDER) Dear Precious Customer, Your 1 year plan for NORTON - SUPPORT has been successfully renewed & restored. The full transaction will be reflected within next 24 to 48 hours on your account record. _PRODUCT DESCRIPTION_ Invoice No : KXWAGTRZY Product Code : NORTON - SUPPORT Starting Date : 25th January 2022 Ending Date : 1 year from the date of purchase Amount : $242.43USD Payment Method : AUTO RENEW * If you wish to claim a REFUND then please feel free to contact our billing department as soon as possible. * You can Reach us on +1 (844) 678 9560 Regards, Billing Department The phone number listed by the scammers was 844-678-9560. This email went around in November 2021 from an account named Bible Prophecy with the email address [email protected]: Payment Received for Help Call +1 (919) 617-6616 Hello, We have received your Payment, Kindly find the enclosed invoice. For any questions or queries, Kindly connect us on 24*7 customer support at +1 (919) 617-6616. Regards! Nortan Security Nortan Invoice.pdf The scammer's phone number was 919-617-6616. Another message that went around in January 2022 was purportedly from an account named Norton.Alert with the email address [email protected]. The end of the email mentioned someone named Erick McBride. It might not have been a renewal or refund scam, but it was definitely a scam: URGENT: Your Norton Subscription Expired... Your device has been infected (23) m8aUF5OyNI -This message was sent from a trusted sender. Protect your data and privacy. Click Here. Get a Norton 360 Deluxe annual membership for $29.99 your first year. "WARNING!!! The system has been infected (13) on your computer..." Norton Affiliate Program Your Devices May Be At Risk! Purchase or renew now to keep your PC protected! If your PC is unprotected, it is at risk for viruses and other malware. Get Protected. *Advertisement by an independent affiliate of Norton This is a third party advertisement from a marketing partner of Norton. This offer is brought to you by Erick McBride. Also in January 2022, an email from an account named Threat Protection showed the email address [email protected] and said it came "via nats.quarkfive.net." Just like the previous example, this one might not have been a refund or renewal scam, but it was definitely a scam: Don't leave your devices at risk - Get Antivirus Protection Now Hi Is your computer safe? Save big on Norton Antivirus Activate today to protect your devices It was received in the Comic Sans font: Norton would never use Comic Sans font in its messaging. In this ninth example, the scam email came from [email protected], copied in [email protected], and mentioned the phone number 937-340-1969: STATEMENT OF SUBSCRIPTION - ONK2022FY Dear User, Thank you for your interest in our products. Your Annual membership for NORTON 360 has been renewed and updated successfully. Product Title Finish Date Quantity Total Payment MethodNORTON 360 In 1 year 1 $548.00 USD Automatic Debit Invoice No. ONK2022FY Order Date: 2022-01-26 If you require urgent assistance, please call our Experts for refund and settlement issue on +1 ( 937 ) ( 340 ) 1969 --Regards,Aaron M.BILLING & SETTLEMENT DEPARTMENT This example claimed to come from the company Intuit from [email protected]. However, a check of the email's information showed it likely came from [email protected]. The email address [email protected] was also copied in. The phone number listed was 888-913-5992: Invoice 1242 has been paid... INVOICE NO. 1242 DETAILS Sales Team Norton DUE 02/03/2022USD 367.84Print or savePowered by QuickBooks Dear Customer, Your Order has been Processed as online delivery.Transaction Id: PTYRF-78945 For Norton Antivirus. Amount has been charged Successfully.. Any issues with the Invoice.Dial Us Now: +1 (888) 913-5992 Bill to CustomerTerms Net 3031/01/2022Sales USD 367.84All-in-one protection that includes device security with antivirus to help block hackers, Secure VPN to help keep your online activity private, Password Manager and more.1 X USD 367.84Balance due USD 367.84Dear Norton User, We have Processed the payment request Successfully.Amount will be charged in next 2 hours . Any issues with the Invoice Please get in touch Now +1 (888) 913-5992 Norton BillingPrint or saveSales Team NortonIf you receive an email that seems fraudulent, please check with the business owner before paying. Intuit, Inc. All rights reserved.Privacy | Security | Terms of Service The phone number 806-839-6579 showed up in this one, as did the email addresses [email protected] and [email protected]: ONE STEP STRONGER #TRF6849JO Dear respect user As part of the Norton family Your plan for computer protection has been successfully initiated and UPDATED. The amount will be reflecting in YOUR account between 24-48 hours or 3-4 working days The Product information ARE listed below: .. Invoice NUMBER : TRF6849JO Item name : Norton SECURITY .. Order DATE : 31th Jan 2021 Expiry date : 24 months from the date OF initialization .. AMOUNT :$350 USD PAYMENT METHOD : auto renewal toll FREE :+ 1 (806 - 839 - 6579) . If you do not wish to pursue further and wish to cancel the subscription kindly GET in touch with us You can reach us ON Regards BILLING department Another message from the same email address had a different subject line: "START A NEW ONE #IYG4762DC." This version of the scam email came from [email protected]: Invoice No. #INV80019PJC Sttroje Prrejui Dear Customer, Your Annual subscription for NORTON 360 PROTECTION has been renewed & updated successfully. The amount charged will be available within the next 24 to 48 hrs on your account profile. BILLING DETAILS]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] INVOICE NUM @ INV80019PJC PRODUCT NAME @ NORTON 360 PROTECTION START DATE @ 2022 Feb 07 FINISH DATE @ 1 year from Start Date GRAND TOTAL @ $249.96 USD PAYMENT METHOD @ Automatic Debit If you wish to not to continue and claim a REFUND then please feel free to contact our Billing Department as soon as possible!]]]]]]]]] You can Reach us on : +1 ( 855 ) ( 592 ) 1827 Sincerely,Billing DepartmentSB This one used the phone number 855-592-1827. The best course of action is to delete scam emails that make claims about Norton, renewals, and refunds. For more details, we recommend visiting the company's official website, Norton.com. The company published a page about these renewal refund scams. Norton.com page They also listed several email addresses Norton has used to send official correspondence: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]. These can be trusted, according to the company. Curious about how Snopes' writers verify information and craft their stories for public consumption? We've collected some posts that help explain how we do what we do. Happy reading and let us know what else you might be interested in knowing. help explain let us know | 0 | [
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FMD3750 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: WASHINGTON — Lael Brainard, a Federal Reserve governor and a leading proponent of the Fed’s efforts to stimulate the economy, said in a speech on Monday that she still favored “prudence†in raising interest rates despite recent signs of economic progress. The remarks reinforce expectations that the Fed will not raise its benchmark interest rate when its committee meets on Sept. 20 and 21, and investors celebrated accordingly. Stocks rose and interest rates fell, reversing much of the market movement on Friday, when investors worried the Fed might move toward a rate increase. But pressure continues to build for a rate increase before the end of the year. A few hours before Ms. Brainard spoke, Dennis Lockhart, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, joined a growing list of Fed officials arguing that the economy was strong enough to justify an increase in borrowing costs. He called for a “serious discussion†at the September meeting. The Fed also faced new pressure from Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, who said on Monday on CNBC that the Fed’s chairwoman, Janet L. Yellen, was keeping rates low “because she’s obviously political and doing what Obama wants her to do. †Ms. Yellen “should be ashamed of herself,†he added. Mr. Trump’s criticism of Ms. Yellen and the Fed breaks with the general practice of presidents and presidential candidates in recent decades to refrain from criticizing the Fed’s conduct of monetary policy. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, castigated Mr. Trump last week for similar remarks. “Words have consequences,†Mrs. Clinton told reporters. “Words move markets. Words can be misinterpreted. Words can have effects on people’s 401( k)’s, their pension funds, their stock portfolios. †“He should not be adding the Fed onto his long list of institutions and individuals that he is maligning,†she added. Fed officials insist they will not consider the political consequences of increasing rates. They may, however, hesitate to act before the November election out of concern for the economic consequences of political turbulence, the same way they hesitated before Britain’s referendum in June on its membership in the European Union. Ms. Yellen, presiding over an increasingly fractious group of policy makers, has sought to emphasize their common ground. She said in an August speech that the case for raising rates had become stronger in recent months, but she stopped short of saying that it was time to raise rates. Ms. Brainard’s speech Monday was the last before the Fed’s blackout period, effectively giving her the last word in the public debate among Fed officials ahead of the September meeting. Ms. Brainard agreed reluctantly to support the Fed’s first rate increase in December, but she has stiffened in her concerns. Since then, she has made a habit of laying down markers before important Fed meetings, making the case for patience in March and again in June. On Monday, she once again seized the spotlight to explain why she is still not ready to raise interest rates. Ms. Brainard said recent economic data raised some questions about the strength of growth, and there was certainly no sign of resurgent inflation. “In the presence of uncertainty and the absence of accelerating inflationary pressures, it would be unwise for policy to foreclose on the possibility of making further gains in the labor market,†she told the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She added that the context in which the Fed operates had also changed. A global decline in market interest rates means that the force of the Fed’s stimulus campaign has been reduced even without a rate increase. Moreover, she noted that the weakness of the global economy continued to weigh on the United States, contributing to an environment of persistently low growth and low inflation. Finally, she said that she remained more concerned about moving too quickly than waiting too long. The Fed has few tools to ward off fresh weakness in the economy, while it can easily respond to an inflationary resurgence. “This asymmetry in risk management in today’s new normal counsels prudence in the removal of policy accommodation,†Ms. Brainard said. “I believe that this approach has served us well. †Daniel Tarullo, another Fed governor, said in a CNBC interview on Friday that he too favored patience. Mr. Tarullo described himself as a member of the “‘ ’ camp†that wants to see evidence of stronger inflation before raising rates. So far, he said, there is not enough. “From my personal perspective, I think we have an opportunity to continue to get employment gains,†Mr. Tarullo said. Other officials argue that inflation always follows stronger growth if the Fed waits for the inevitable increase, they warn, the Fed may need to raise rates more sharply, causing a recession. Mr. Tarullo said in the interview, however, that officials who took this view should still have hesitations about the outlook for growth. He described the recent economic data as a mixed bag. A growing number of Fed officials argue that this caution is misdirected. Eric Rosengren, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, said in a speech on Friday that raising rates in the near term could actually help extend the economic expansion, now in its eighth year. The Fed may now be providing too much stimulus, he said, and overheating could end up forcing sharper rate increases. “If we want to ensure that we remain at full employment, gradual tightening is likely to be appropriate,†Mr. Rosengren said in Quincy, Mass. “A failure to continue on the path of gradual removal of accommodation could shorten, rather than lengthen, the duration of this recovery. †Esther George, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City — and, like Mr. Rosengren, one of the 10 Fed officials with a policy vote this year — has expressed concern that low rates are encouraging excessive speculation, birthing future financial crises. Ms. George is the only Fed official to vote to raise rates this year. Fed officials still could coalesce around a rate increase, as they did last year. After September, the Fed has two more meetings on the calendar, in November and December. Asked what it would take to win her vote, Ms. Brainard said she would like to see more inflation. She also noted recent weakness in some economic measures like corporate profits and investment. “It would be important, I think, to see some of those spending indicators starting to really move in a more positive direction going into the third and fourth quarter,†Ms. Brainard said. | 1 | [
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FMD3751 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: U.S. President Donald Trump has designated White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney to be acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau until a permanent director is nominated and confirmed, the White House said on Friday. The six-year-old bureau, which has been controversial since its creation, had been led by Richard Cordray, who formally resigned on Friday. | 1 | [
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FMD3752 | 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: Austin is number one in Texas in startups, venture capital and patents.
contextual information: Austins typically soft-spoken mayor recently popped a big-as-Texas boast. Theres a reason Austin is number one in Texas in startups and venture capital and patents, Steve Adler said. Adler, speaking outside City Hall, went on: Theres a reason that tech and transportation companies come to Austin to roll out their new initiatives. And thats because Austin is where good ideas become real. Claiming that Austin is anti-innovation has no basis in fact. Hear hear! Still, we wondered about the rankings Adler declared whilerevealing his plansto vote against a ballot proposition, later rejected by voters, affecting background checks of drivers for ride-hailing services. Startups Adler's office didn't immediately offer his backup. Meantime, our online search for information on startups led us to a June 2015 report from the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation stating that in the last year, the Austin metropolitan area ranked No. 1 nationally for the areas pace launching startups, which the foundation defined as firms less than one-year old employing at least one person besides the owner. Asked what last year means in the report, foundation researcher E.J. Reedy advised by phone the conclusion tied to data from 2012 and 2014. According to the foundation,which saysit focuses on improving lives through education and entrepreneurship, the nations top 10 metropolitan areas for startup activity among the 40 most-populous metropolitan areas were:Austin;Miami, Fla.;San Jose, Calif.;Los Angeles;Denver;San Francisco;New York;Houston;San Diego; andSan Antonio. Per Adlers Texas point, the Austin area had 180.8 startups per 100,000 residents, the foundation says, outpacing theDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area(142.5 startups per 100,000 residents),Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown(136.9 startups per 100,000 residents) and the San Antonio-New Braunfels area (111.9 startups per 100,000 residents). By email, foundation spokeswoman Lacey Graverson told us the presented concentrations drew on the U.S. Census BureausBusiness Dynamics Statisticsto tally startups matched with population data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Reedy agreed by phone that among the big Texas cities, the Austin area had the greatest concentration of startups. But generally, Reedy indicated, counts of startups can vary, partly because theres no single accepted definition of startups, which inherently come and go at a rapid pace. The government has official measures, Reedy added, but each one captures an aspect -- for instance new employer businesses or newly self-employed individuals. Also, Reedy said, observers differ over what merits counting. Some stress large firms that employ many, he said, others urge a fix on technology firms and others say that any count should recognize small businesses (including one-person endeavors) that grow by an employee or two a year. A foundation chart presenting Austins startup density since the late 1970s indicates the area has had peppier times--including in 2008 (201.7 startups per 100,000 residents), 2006 (214.9), 1999 (217.9) and, the charts high point, 1981 (499.5), which was up a huge measure from 1980 (31.4): SOURCE:Web page,Startup Activity, Austin Area, 2015,Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, June 4, 2015 (viewed May 5, 2016) Venture capital Next, we turned to exploring Austins ranking for venture capital, which describes money invested in a business or project at considerable risk. A January 2016Austin American-Statesmannews story, citing a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association, said Austin entities in 2015 were by far the states largest recipients of venture capital, with $740 million; Dallas firms placed second, fielding $214.4 million, ahead of Houston outfits, at $160 million. The Austin-connected investments added up to the largest annual dollar figure for Austin since 2001, the newspaper said, when 127 companies received $1.14 billion. By email, mayoral spokesman Jason Stanford pointed out another account of the survey results; a Silicon Hills Newsstorysaid the 99 Austin deals in 2015, mostly to develop software, were down from 114 in 2014. Also, the story said, Austins number one deal for the latest year was Civitas Learning, attracting $60 million in venture capital, followed by Aeglea Biotherapeautics with $44 million, Mirna Therapeutics with $41.8 million and SpareFoot with $30 million, the story said. Nationally in 2015, theStatesmanstory said, venture capital investments rose to $58.8 billion, up 22 percent from the year before. Silicon Valley, as usual, took in the most money, with the San Jose area receiving $27.3 billion in 1,333 deals, the story said. Patents Stanford said Adler made his claim about Austin leading Texas in patents based on a May 2010Forbes.com articleby Andy Greenberg stating that Austin and neighboring Round Rock had produced an impressive average 1.7 patents for every thousand residents over the last 12 months, the second-most per-capita of any metro area in the country, he wrote. Greenberg elaborated: Austins culture of innovation may be boosted by well-known tech credentials like the South by Southwest (SXSW) Web startup and music festival held annually in March, as well as the nearby headquarters of hardware industry giants Dell and Freescale Semiconductor. But they also have two secret weapons in the innovation race: the University of Texass Cockrell School of Engineering, and IBMs Austin research lab. IBM produces more patents than any other company in the world, and for the last seven years Austin has produced more of those patents than any other IBM office. In total the lab produced 880 patents in 2009. Thats just 30 less than all of Cisco, and 300 more than Sun Microsystems, Boeing, AT&T or Toyota. We were unable to confirm or duplicate Greenbergs Austin conclusion. To get our own sense of how Texas cities stand in patents originated, we reached out to the Dallas-basedregional officeof the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. By email, spokesman Ryan Elliott pointed outpatent counts posted by the officeindicating that in 2012-13 and from 2000 through 2013, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area generated more patents than the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area. However, the regions raw counts were close, according to the agency, while the Austin area was responsible for more patents than any other Texas area from 2009, 2010 and 2011 through 2013, by our reckoning. Snapshot: The Austin area was responsible for 12,387 patents from 2009 through 2013, according to the office, with the Dallas area accounting for 11,546 patents -- which we took to mean that the less populous Austin area ran well ahead of the Dallas area in patents per 1,000 residents. Our search for relevant analyses led to a2013 reportby the Brookings Institution finding that from 1980 to 2012, most U.S. patents--63 percent--had been developed by people living in just 20 metro areas home to 34 percent of the U.S. population. Reflecting the advantages of large metropolitan economies, the report said, 92 percent of U.S. patents are concentrated in just 100 metro areas, with 59 percent of the population. For patents applied for from 2007 to 2011, the metro areas with the highest number per capita are San Jose; Burlington, VT; Rochester, MN; Corvallis, OR; and Boulder, CO. The authors wrote: From 1980 to 2011, a few large metros notably changed their share of U.S patents. At the top, San Jose moved up from ninth to first, and San Francisco moved from seventh to fourth, moving ahead of Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Boston. Seattle and San Diego moved up 15 and nine places, respectively, to become seventh and eighth. Meanwhile, Austin and Raleigh moved up 41 and 55 places, respectively, to become 11th and 20th. Cleveland fell 10 slots from 13th to 23rd, while Philadelphia fell from fourth to 13th. Not only did Austin surge in total patents, it lately achieved a high ranking in per-capita patents. From 2007 through 2011, a chart in the report indicates, the Austin metro area had 1,503 patents per million residents, tops in Texas and placing the area fourth nationally among high-patent areas behind San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California (5,066 patents per million residents); Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, New York (1,829); and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (1,638). In Texas, the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metro area had 379 patents per million residents and the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area had 310 per million, according to Brookings. Next, we heard back from Mark Muro of Brookings who shared a chart that he said was based on a different data source -- global PCT patents,meaningthe international patent system rather than the U.S. PTO. By that metric, the chart suggests that from 2008 through 2012, the Houston metropolitan area generated more cutting-edge technology patents per 1,000 residents (1,598) than the Austin area (1,294). An excerpt: SOURCE:Chart ranking 100 U.S. Core Based Statistical Areas in tech patents invented per 1,000 population, 2008-2012 (received by email from Mark Muro, senior fellow and policy director, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings, May 5, 2016) Regardless of those results, Muro and a Brookings colleague, Nick Marchio, suggested we hew to the U.S. patent office counts as the best general way of assessing the mayors claim. Marchio even volunteered toadjust the patent offices raw counts for the population of each metropolitan area. Result: In 2013, the latest year of tabulated patents, the Austin area ranked No. 11 nationally with 1.55 patents per 1,000 residents, far outpacing the No. 2 Texas metro, Dallas, at 51st with 0.44 patents per 1,000 residents. Also, from 2009 through 2013, the Austin area ranked 10th nationally with 6.95 patents per 1,000 residents, far ahead of the No. 2 Texas metro, in this case the Houston area, which landed 52nd nationally with 1.81 patents per 1,000 residents. Our ruling Adler said: Austin is number one in Texas in startups, venture capital and patents. Houston has been running ahead in international technology patents, it looks to us, but Austin lately leads the state in overall patents, startups and venture capital. We rate the claim True. TRUE The statement is accurate and theres nothing significant missing. Click here formoreon the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. | 1 | [
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FMD3753 | 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: Rothschild Family Wealth Claim summaries: The Rothschild family is rich, but claims that they have a net worth of $500 trillion and own 80% of the world's wealth are grossly exaggerated.
contextual information: Images reflecting an old rumor about the Rothschild Family's unimaginable accumulated global wealth hold that the Rothschilds are worth $500 trillion and hold more than 80% of the world's total wealth: While the Rothschilds are indeed very wealthy, claims about their net worth such as the ones displayed above are grossly exaggerated. Conspiracy theories concerning the Rothschild family date back to the 18th century, and the family's wealth was largely responsible for the anti-semitic belief that "Jews control the world's money supply." The Rothschilds are frequently associated with theories about the Illuminati, the New World Order, and other dark money groups that supposedly pull the strings of world governments, and the Rothschilds have been blamed for everything from starting wars for personal gain to funding the Holocaust to assassinating U.S. presidents. Skeptoid delved into the Rothschild family history in 2012, noting that: history The greatest of these financial adepts was Mayer Amschel Rothschild, born in 1744 in a Jewish slum of Frankfurt. Not much is known about his early life, as his was one of tens of thousands of marginalized, outcast families. But once he came of age he became an apprentice at a small bank in Hamburg, where he learned the trade. Returning to Frankfurt at the age of 19, he offered his own banking services in a modest way, beginning with trading of rare coins and related investments. He was energetic, clever, and most of all he was charismatic. And he was smart, seeking out wealthy clientele, and associating with nobility whenever he could. By the age of 40, he had consolidated his most important business contact: the Landgrave William, the Elector of Hesse, one of only a tiny number of nobles empowered to elect the Holy Roman Emperor. When William was younger, he had engaged in the trading of rare coins with Mayer's father, and so the two had always known one another. When William inherited his own father's massive fortune, his friendship with Mayer Rothschild gave Mayer the ability to begin conducting larger international transactions. This was the point at which the Rothschild name became first involved with the manipulation of money behind the scenes of wars. Mayer was a firm believer in family business, and insisted on using his own sons by then he had five as his business partners. What he did next became the model for many powerful Jewish financiers who followed: He installed each of his five sons as his agents in the five major financial centers of Europe: the eldest Amschel Mayer Rothschild in Frankfurt, Salomon Mayer Rothschild in Vienna, Nathan Mayer Rothschild in London, Calmann Mayer Rothschild in Naples, and the youngest Jakob Mayer Rothschild in Paris. Although the Rothschild family has amassed great wealth since the 1700s, claims that they have a net worth of $500 trillion or that they own 80% of the world's wealth are problematic. For one, the world's total wealth was estimated as of 2015 to be only $250 trillion, half of what the Rothchilds alone are claimed to possess: wealth Global wealth reached 250 trillion US dollars in 2015, slightly less than a year earlier, due to adverse exchange rate movements. The underlying wealth trends do, however, generally remain positive, according to the Credit Suisse Research Institute's annual "Global Wealth Report." Also, the Rothschilds began acquiring their wealth in the 1700s, and since then the family has spawned hundreds of descendants, so there is no longer any centralized Rothschild family wealth. The closest thing to a "Rothschild Family" business in 2016 is the Rothschild Group, a multinational investment banking company, but that firm does not in itself generate nearly enough income to back up claims about the family's wealth. In 2015, the Rothschild Group's annual revenue was approximately $500 million. In comparison, the world's largest company, Walmart, has an annual revenue of nearly $500 billion. annual Walmart It should also be noted that only one member of the Rothschild family is included among Forbes' 2015 list of the world's billionaires: Benjamin de Rothschild, who was ranked at number #1121 with a net worth of $1.61 billion. list While the Rothschild family certainly was one of the world's most significant financial powers in centuries past, they no longer wield the same sort of influence over global affairs. Dunning, B. "The Rothschild Conspiracy."
Skeptoid Media. 22 May 2012. Kersley, Richard. "Global Wealth in 2015: Underlying Trends Remain Positive."
Credit Suisse. 13 October 2013. | 0 | [
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FMD3754 | 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 2009, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council ranked Ohio 11th in the nation and 1st in the Midwest for overall business climate.
contextual information: In the race for governor, the story of the states attractiveness to business is a tale of two Ohios. In Democratic Gov. Ted Stricklands version, the states tax laws, location and workforce make it appealing, especially to small businesses. In Kasichs narrative, Ohios tax system and regulations are driving away all businesses.Each cites different studies to help make his case. In 2009, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council ranked Ohio 11th in the nation and 1st in the Midwest for overall business climate, the governor said in a July 17 news release. We decided to take a closer look. Strickland, who made the statement in response to a Kasich ad that blamed the governor for Ohios jobs losses, was referring to a December 2009 study entitled Small Business Survival Index 2009: Ranking the Policy Environment for Entrepreneurship Across the Nation. The study was produced by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, or SBE, a trade group that represents small businesses and advocates for less government regulation.The 2009 study -- the SBEs 14th survival index -- is a more objective look than say, surveys of CEOs or other business professionals, which do not rely on hard numbers. The SBE rankings evaluate states in 36 categories, including corporate and income taxes, gas and diesel taxes, government spending, health care and energy costs, inheritance taxes, and workers compensation costs. Business and tax experts agree that these are among key factors business owners and entrepreneurs examine when considering where to locate.Ohio does rank 11th overall in the 2009 SBE index. But whether Ohio is No. 1 in the Midwest depends on how you define the Midwest.Strickland relies on the Ohio Business Development Coalition, which supports the states economic development efforts. In a news release, it defines the Midwest as Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.The U.S. Census Bureau defines the Midwest differently. It doesnt include Kentucky, which lands in the South, but it adds Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.Ohio still beats them all -- except South Dakota. While Ohio is more likely to compete with nearby states, the Mount Rushmore States ranking tops SBEs entire survey. One reason: South Dakota is among a handful of states without a personal income tax. Small business operators find that attractive because, as the SBE and other groups often point out, about 90 percent of them file taxes as individuals -- sole proprietorships, partnerships and S-Corps -- and dont pay corporate income taxes.Stricklands critics like to cite the personal income tax rate, which is high compared to about half of the other states. The conservative Tax Foundation, which Kasich frequently points to, and others say Ohios personal income tax, coupled with local taxes, makes the overall tax burden unattractive to business. The Federation of Tax Administratorstallyof total state and local tax burden ranks 29 states better than Ohio.But the Federation of Tax Administrators warns that state and local tax burden calculations dont tell the whole story of any business climate. In Ohio, for example, tax reforms begun in 2005 replaced the corporate franchise tax with an activity tax, a move that has made Ohio more attractive to businesses.What would make that a bad tax would be an increase in its rate, says Thomas Zaino, a tax attorney and Gov. Bob Tafts state tax commissioner who helped lead the tax reform. Where Ohios tax system is out of kilter with other states is with personal income tax, which includes both state and local and school income tax. We are way out of line.This brings us back the 2009 SBE survey.It looked at Ohios top personal income tax rate at the time of 5.925 percent. And it considers both personal and corporate taxes and other categories that reflect the states larger narrative about business climate. So while Strickland may overstate Ohios Midwest ranking, his claim about the SBEs rankings is on point and the SBEs methodology reflects the larger context of the tax debate.We rate Stricklands claim Mostly True. Comment on this item. | 1 | [
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FMD3755 | 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 Biden Set US 'Back 50 Years' on Energy Independence Progress? Claim summaries: It is true that 2019 was the first year since 1957 in which the U.S. was energy independent.
contextual information: The conservative group Turning Point USA created a meme that pushes a sophomoric and factually lacking political argument. The meme in question, watermarked with the logo of Turning Point USA's political action committee (Turning Point Action), makes two claims. First, it states that the year 2019 was the first year the United States achieved energy independence since 1957. Second, it argues that "in only ten days" Joe Biden "sent us back 50 years," implying policies enacted in the first 10 days of his administration reversed American energy independence: political action committee Turning Point Action's graphic, it bears highlighting, makes no reference to the year 2020, despite the fact that President Donald Trump was in office that year. The claim about 2019 being the first year in which the U.S. achieved energy independence since 1957 is true so long as we understand what the term "energy independence" really means. It means that the U.S. produced more energy than it consumed. Most importantly, from an energy security perspective, energy independence does not mean that the U.S. doesn't import foreign oil or isn't fundamentally reliant on foreign sources of energy. is true In 2019, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. imported 9.1 million barrels per day (MMb/d) of oil from about 90 countries, though at the same time it also exported 8.5 MMb/d of oil to about 190 countries. By email, Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist and energy systems analyst at the Breakthrough Institute, explained that "our local production does not meaningfully insulate us from potential future global oil price shocks." according Zeke Hausfather The energy independence experienced by the U.S. in 2019 was driven by record levels of total fossil fuel exports from the U.S. That record was set as part of a long-term trend dating back to 2006 and 2008, according to the EIA: according Domestic crude oil production has increased since 2008 and natural gas production has increased since 2006. The increases in crude oil production and the easing of restrictions on crude oil exports in December 2015 have contributed to increases in crude oil exports. Increases in natural gas production along with increases in liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity have contributed to increases in natural gas exports in recent years. In 2011, the United States became a net exporter of petroleum products for the first time since at least 1949. In 2017, the United States became a net exporter of natural gas for the first time since the late 1950s. In 2019, U.S. total annual energy exports exceeded total annual energy imports for the first time in 67 years, and the United States became a net total energy exporter. The Turning Point meme disregards entirely the existence of the year 2020. The omission of 2020 masks not only a decline in U.S. fossil fuel production that occurred, it also conceals a larger truth about U.S. presidents and the global energy market: Neither they nor their policies have a significant effect on the market compared to other global factors. a decline A significant factor in allowing the U.S. to increase its energy exports has been the rising cost of crude oil globally. Technological innovations like fracking and horizontal drilling have, in recent years, allowed the U.S. to exploit fossil fuel reserves that were previously inaccessible, but these technologies add cost. A high-cost, high-demand energy economy like the one present during the record-setting year of 2019 benefits the U.S. energy sector because it makes American fossil fuel exports financially viable. The flip side is that the viability of U.S. exports depends in large measure on the going rate for a barrel of oil. If the cost is too low, U.S. drilling operations become financially uncompetitive and exports drop off. The year 2020 saw a historic drop in the price of oil. add cost historic drop "In 2020, U.S. oil production fell by around 8% relative to 2019," Hausfather told Snopes. "This was primarily due to falling global oil prices making relatively high-cost US shale oil production uncompetitive." The drop in demand, and then price, was not the result of any policy decision; it was the result of a massive global pandemic. In a Feb. 3, 2021, news release, Acting EIA Director Stephen Nalley explained that 'the pandemic triggered an historic energy demand shock that led to ... decreases in energy production, and sometimes volatile commodity prices in 2020.'" news release Indeed, this volatility resulted in times during 2020 a year in which Joe Biden was not president when the U.S. dipped into consuming more energy that it produced. In July and August 2020, the U.S. was not energy independent, at least on monthly terms. By Turning Point USA's logic, this would mean that two months of Trump "sent us back 50 years" in terms of energy policy. In reality, the actions of any U.S. president cannot affect rapid change in the global energy market, and the effect of any domestic policy changes are dwarfed by global factors outside any one president's control. July and August As previously discussed, the U.S. had already experienced at least a brief period of energy "dependence" before Biden took office. While the most recent month for which we have data October 2020 indicates the U.S. was producing slightly more energy than it consumed toward the end of Trump's presidency, U.S. oil production has been dropping off and global demand remains depressed. These trends, which predate the Biden administration, are unlikely to change anytime soon. October 2020 It will take a while for the energy sector to get to its new normal, said the EIA's Nalley in February 2021. In its 2021 "Global Outlooks" annual report, the EIA argued that "total U.S. energy consumption will return to 2019 levels by 2029, though that is highly dependent on the pace of U.S. economic recovery." In terms of energy production, "EIA projects that the United States will continue to export more petroleum and other liquids than it imports, but the balance of imports to exports will be highly sensitive to supply, demand, and price factors." said argued The bottom line, according to the Breakthrough Institutes' Hausfather, is that "oil production changes in 2020 and 2021 are driven by larger changes in global demand and oil prices, rather than anything that either the Trump or Biden administration has done." Because the meme correctly states that 2019 was the first year the U.S. achieved energy independence in decades, but because it falsely implies a connection between the Biden administration and post-2019 trends in the global energy market that predate his time in office and are independent of the actions of either Trump or Biden, we rank its claims "false." | 0 | [
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FMD3756 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Says Texas tax legislation would save the average homeowner in Texas $20,000 a year over the next 20 years or so.
contextual information: Texas Lt. Gov . Dan Patrick made such a dramatic claim about must-pass tax-rate legislation--$20,000 in savings for the average homeowner every year!--we launched a fact check. Patrick, during17 minutes of remarks to Capitol reporters May 17, 2017, namedSenate Bill 2, authored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, as one of two measures--along with the Senate-backed proposal barring local governments and school districts from letting transgender residents use bathrooms of choice--that must pass, in Patricks view, for lawmakers to avoid one or more special sessions possibly called by Gov. Greg Abbott after the regular session that must end by midnight Memorial Day. Patrick, mindful the House then had yet to vote on SB 2, said the Senate-approved version of the measure would bring about the largest property tax reform in Texas history. It would bring local government spending under control, give the voters an automatic election on government spending, of anything over 5 percent, and, Patrick said, save the average homeowner in Texas $20,000 a year over the next 20 years or so. Patrick aide: He meant $20,000 cumulatively Is that correct? To our inquiry, Patrick spokesman Alejandro Garcia said by email that Patrick had intended to tout savings adding up to $20,000 over 20 years. He pointed out a Texas Tribunenews storyposted two days after Patrick spoke quoting an unnamed Patrick staffer saying the same. The Tribune story said Patrick provided its reporter with asheet of figuressuggesting $20,856 in cumulative savings to the average homeowner, a conclusionpredicatedon local tax-rate hikes running higher than usual. The story quoted Dick Lavine, a tax analyst for the liberal Center for Public Policy Priorities,which opposes SB 2, saying: This calculation certainly does not portray what an average homeowner could expect in any given year, to say nothing of experiencing these savings every year for the next 20 years. Bettencourt offers backup We didnt draw any backup from Patrick. But Bettencourt replied to our inquiry by offeringa chartsuggesting escalating savings for what he described as the owner of the median-valued Texas home based, he said, onresearch by the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, which drew on data on home sales culled monthly by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University: SOURCE:Chartprojecting homeowner savings from Senate-approved version of Senate Bill 2 (received by email from Lauri Saathoff, director of communications, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, May 17, 2017) In phone messages, Bettencourt noted that the associations analysis suggests that over five recent years, through 2015, the owner of a median-valued home saw a nearly 34 percent escalation in property taxes paid to the local government entities targeted by SB 2, which averages out to increases of more than 6 percent a year. Those entities are cities, counties and special districts though not school districts. How the chart gets to a $22,761 cumulative savings in year 20 figure: It shows first-year savings under SB 2 for the median-value homeowner of $46, second-year property tax savings of $99 with annual savings exceeding $1,100 starting in year 12--and topping $2,100 a year starting in year 17. Each years savings, the chart shows, reflects the difference between what the homeowner would face in local property taxes if all government units raised taxes 8 percent minus what the homeowner would face if the local government entities all raised taxes 5 percent. Under existing law, local governments may raise effective tax rates up to 8 percent without residents being able to petition for a rollback election.The effective raterefers to the rate needed for the governing unit to raise the same total amount of taxes from the same local properties as the unit garnered the year before. Under the Senates version of SB 2, any of the affected entities could raise such taxes up to 5 percent with any additional bump automatically touching off a rollback election. Realistic tax-rate assumptions? We asked Bettencourt about the basis of the charts assumption that local governments will every year across-the-board raise effective tax rates 5 percent and if its realistic to compare that to an assumption that such governments would otherwise uniformly be driving up rates 8 percent every year. In phone messages, Bettencourt stressed the TTARA chart showing the recent average 6-percent-plus increases in property taxes charged the owner of a median-valued home. Separately, Dale Craymer of TTARA declined to comment. Bettencourt also gave us analternate savings projectionpremised on all government entities affected by SB 2 annually raising effective rates 6 percent (rather than 3 percent) without a change in law. Upshot: Cumulative savings to the median-value homeowner would exceed $17,000 in year 20, the second chart suggests. We asked Bettencourt about available data showing local governments had widely maximized tax rates every year of late.In writing, he replied that hed heard testimony along those lines from an Arlington and a Dallas official during pre-session hearings of the Bettencourt-chairedTexas Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform and Relief. Actual county, city tax rate changes Advocates for cities and counties say the senators assumption--that local governments will always uniformly raise effective tax rates to the maximum level allowable without risking a rollback vote at the polls--doesnt reflect what Texas governments have been doing. By phone, Don Lee of the Texas Conference of Urban Counties,representing38 member-counties home to most of the states residents, said that from 2014 through 2016, the counties averaged 2.2 percent effective tax rate increases, falling far short of the 8 percent rate that would open the way to a rollback vote. Lee emailed us aspreadsheetindicating the member counties averaged effective tax rate increases of 3.1 percent in 2014; 3.2 percent in 2015; and 0.7 percent in 2016. We also queried the Texas Municipal League,which says it represents most of the states cities, and whose legislative counsel, Bill Longley, emailed spreadsheets he described as based on effective city tax ratesposted by the Texas state comptrollers officefor a couple of recent years. The sheets show, Longley noted, that the vast majority of cities havent been increasing their tax rates above the current 8 percent rollback rate. According to the sheets, in2014and2015, respectively, about 21 percent of the states cities adopted effective rates equal to or exceeding 8 percent. And, in keeping with SB 2s proposed 5 percent rollback rate, how many cities lately have escalated rates that much or more? According to the sheets, 38 percent (382 of 1,002 cities) in 2014 and 39 percent (376 of 963 cities) in 2015. In both cases, Longley wrote, more than 60 percent of cities were under a 5 percent rollback rate, if it had been in place. Texas A&M expert For an outside perspective, we askedJim Gaines, chief economist of the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, to appraise Bettencourts analysis and chart. By phone, Gaines said TTARA presented an accurate figure on its spreadsheet for a median-valued Texas home. But Gaines called highly questionable the assumptions behind the dollar figures in Bettencourts chart--both of local governments uniformly and annually driving up effective tax rates 8 percent without a change in law and of such governments under SB 2 all increasing rates 5 percent year after year. Counties, for instance, dont act identically, Gaines said. Each county is going to be unique, he said. Comptroller makes no homeowner savings estimate Next, we checked thefiscal noteon the Senate-approved version of SB 2 that was public by the time Patrick spoke (a more recentversionappeared May 19, 2017). The March 16, 2017,note, prepared by the advisory Legislative Budget Board staff, states up front that the financial effects of reducing the rollback rate cant be estimated. However, it also says, the table below is a hypothetical example of potential costs of the bill to counties, cities, and special districts based in part on assuming that no voters approve rates exceeding the 5 percent rollback rate and that future rate-setting practices would be similar to the rate-setting practices demonstrated in the available historical tax rate data. And in fiscal 2019, the first year of tax effects, cities, counties and special districts would lose nearly $199 million in revenue, the comptrollers office estimated, an indication of some taxpayer savings, it seemed to us. The hypothetical shows additional costs to affected government entities in subsequent years. Does the hypothetical lost revenue, we wondered, mean the comptroller got a fix on how much homeowners and other property taxpayers might save? By phone, a spokeswoman for the comptrollers office, Lauren Willis, said the agency has not estimated particular savings for homeowners. Tim Wooten, a comptroller consultant who worked on the table, told us by phone thats because we cant predict what local taxing entities will do in setting rates or if voters indeed will reject all increases at the polls. We asked Wooten to unpack how he reached the hypothesized revenue losses. Wooten said he applied the SB 2 limits to 2015 tax rates set by the targeted entities, finding that in that year, 60 percent of cities and special districts and 70 percent of counties did not set rates high enough to touch off the rollback elections envisioned in SB 2. Wooten said too that a lot of the remaining government entities would have sustained small 2015 losses in revenue if SB 2 had been law then. Bettencourt stands by $20,000-plus figure Following up, we asked Bettencourt if most local entities covered by SB 2 dont reach existing or proposed rollback tax rates, arent homeowner savings impossible to precisely forecast? Of course, Bettencourt saidin writing, because we are dealing with future projections to a 20-year degree. However, downward pressure on property tax rates means tax rate reductions across the board in probability. When we said it looked to us like his projected homeowner savings were based on unrealistic assumptions about all the affected government entities maximizing tax rates every year, Bettencourt replied: Disagree strongly, urging us to revisit the spreadsheet he attributed to TTARA. Our ruling Patrick said legislation targeting local tax rate growth will result in the average Texas homeowner saving $20,000 a year over 20 years. Thats an absurd amount. Even if we look at what Patrick purportedly meant to say $20,000 over 20 years we find major flaws in the assumptions underlying that calculation. To reach that amount, one must assume that every city, county and special taxing district will raise tax rates by 8 percent every year without this legislation in place and by 5 percent a year with it. Neither assumption is in line with recent history, making the total savings figure highly suspect, at best a wild guess. Pants on Fire! PANTS ON FIRE The statement is not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim. Click here formoreon the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. CORRECTION, 9:55 a.m., May 24, 2017: Thanks to a reader's nudge, we amended this story to correct our description of the second tax-rollback savings chart provided by Bettencourt. This revision did not affect our rating of the claim. | 0 | [
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FMD3757 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The U.S. judge overseeing a lawsuit against President-elect Donald Trump and his Trump University told both sides they would be wise to settle the case “given all else that’s involved.†Lawyers for the president-elect are squaring off against students who claim they were they were lured by false promises to pay up to $35,000 to learn Trump’s real estate investing “secrets†from his “hand-picked†instructors. Earlier on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel tentatively rejected a bid by Trump to keep a wide range of statements from the presidential campaign out of the fraud trial. Trump owned 92 percent of Trump University and had control over all major decisions, the students’ court papers say. The president-elect denies the allegations and has argued that he relied on others to manage the business. Trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 28, and Curiel told lawyers he was not inclined to delay the six-year-old case further. Trump lawyer Daniel Petrocelli said he would ask to put the trial on hold until early next year, in light of the many tasks the magnate has before his inauguration. Curiel said he would allow both sides to file briefs on whether to delay the case. He also indicated they should consider making a deal. “It would be wise for the plaintiffs, for the defendants, to look closely at trying to resolve this case given all else that’s involved,†Curiel said. Petrocelli told reporters after the hearing that Trump might have to be a “little more flexible†about settling the case now that he is president-elect, although the lawyer wasn’t sure his client would was willing. Curiel said that he would allow Trump to testify via video given his presidential obligations. In the tentative ruling Curiel, based in San Diego, said Trump’s lawyers can renew objections to specific campaign statements and evidence during trial. Trump’s attorneys had argued that jurors should not hear about statements Trump made during the campaign, including about Curiel himself. Trump attacked the judge as biased against him. He claimed Curiel, who was born in Indiana but is of Mexican descent, could not be impartial because of Trump’s pledge to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Trump’s lawyers argued that Curiel should bar from the trial accusations about Trump’s personal conduct including alleged sexual misconduct, his taxes and corporate bankruptcies, along with speeches and tweets. They argued the information is irrelevant to the jury and prejudicial to the case. In court papers, lawyers for the students claimed that Trump’s statements would help jurors as they weigh the Republican’s credibility. “Defendants have not identified specific evidence that they wish to exclude,†Curiel wrote on Thursday. “Accordingly, the court declines to issue a blanket ruling at this time.†The judge also barred Trump lawyers from telling jurors that the university had a 98 percent approval rate on student evaluations. That rating is irrelevant as to whether Trump University misrepresented itself, Curiel wrote. Curiel is presiding over two cases against Trump and the university. A separate lawsuit by New York’s attorney general is pending. | 1 | [
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FMD3758 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Waking Times
“We are not here to save the world. We are here to save ourselves, but in doing so, we save the world.” ~ Joseph Campbell
As I write this, some shit is probably going down at Standing Rock . For anybody awake to the tyranny at hand, the events of the last few months have weighed heavily on our hearts. But the thing people need to remember is this: We’re all Native Americans. If you were born in the USA, and you love the land you were born on (which includes the entire fucking planet, by the way!), you are a Native American. You are a Native Earthling, for shit’s sake. It’s all connected. Their fight is our fight. Skin color is irrelevant. Where you were born or where you migrated to is irrelevant. The only thing relevant is this: are you for freedom, life, cooperation, and love; or are you for statism, profit, divisiveness, and violence? As Derrick Jensen said, “We are the governors as well as the governed. This means that all of us who care about life need to force accountability onto those who do not.”
The media (even the alternative media, mind you) is trying to spin this as a land issue, or a Native American issue. But it’s not. This is a freedom versus tyranny issue. This is an anarchy versus statism issue. This is a life versus entropy issue. All land is free. We just need to quit focusing on imaginary lines and think cooperation first, competition second. All human beings are free. We just need to quit being obsequious to state-driven authority and start asking (and answering) the tough questions.
The only way to save the world is to save yourself. The only way to save the land from being poisoned is to save yourself from being poisoned (and from poisoning the land, yourself). The only way to save the environment from pollution is to save yourself from pollution (and from polluting the environment, yourself). In other words: The only way to save the Crashing Plane that is the Human Race is to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before attempting to put it on anybody else, and especially before attempting to right the plane. The oxygen mask, if you haven’t gathered already, is a metaphor for health, awareness, and truth. Save Yourself
“Only the individual can rise to the heights of consciousness and awareness. The more you belong to the crowd, the deeper you fall into darkness.” ~ Osho
Saving yourself is putting on the oxygen mask of health, awareness, and truth. But what does that mean? It means questioning yourself to the nth degree , to the point of self-interrogation, and then questioning some more. It means psychosocial upheaval. It means getting uncomfortable. It means admitting you are wrong. In short: It means pain, existential pain of monumental proportions.
Why is it so painful? Because much cognitive dissonance must be navigated. Everything that you’ve taken for granted as a fundamental truth must be turned inside out and given proper scrutiny. After such scrutiny, you will likely find that you were wrong about a great many things. But the only tool you need to weigh yourself against your deep questioning is the following anonymous quote: “When an honest man realizes that he is mistaken, he will either cease being mistaken or cease being honest.”
The question is: Do you have the courage to be honest with yourself? Because if you honestly choose the moral side of freedom, life, cooperation, and love, then you’re going to have to admit that statism provides none of these. It only sells the illusion of these.
Statism is about profit, ownership, divisiveness, and violence. It steals people’s freedom by enforcing, and profiting on, outdated and unjust laws (but only if the person believes in the law). It stifles life and human flourishing through calculative debt slavery and by convincing people into believing in an illusory debt. It creates physical divisiveness by drawing imaginary lines in the sand and declaring them “borders.” It creates psychological divisiveness through xenophobic nationalism and conditioned flag worship, setting up an us-versus-them mentality. When, really, the only us-versus-them mentality that holds any moral weight and intellectual validity is the freedom versus tyranny position.
Statism is tyrannical. There’s simply no way to wiggle out of this fact. It teaches authoritarianism and oppression. It teaches the individual to oppress and to tyrannize him/herself and others. It teaches people to blindly follow and obsequiously respect authority. It teaches extortion and violence. For if the authority of the state is not obeyed, or its many outdated and immoral laws are not followed, the individual is forced, violently if need be, to acquiesce. Comply or die, is what it comes down to. Either that or your freedom is taken away from you.
So, when it comes down to it, saving yourself is, first and foremost, waking yourself up from the spell that statism has over you . And then it’s breaking that spell. Break that particular spell, and freedom is at hand. Break that particular spell, and ( your ) life begins. Break that particular spell, and you free yourself to learn how cooperation and love actually work, because you will finally begin taking responsibility for your own shit. No Masters. No rulers. That means taking responsibility for yourself and your own actions as a social creature on an interdependent planet. No more leaning on the crutch of authority. No more codependence on the state. Saving yourself is choosing freedom. Save the World
“The modern hero, the modern individual who dares to heed the call and seek the mansion of that presence with whom it is our whole destiny to be atoned, cannot, indeed must not, wait for his community to cast off its slough of pride, fear, rationalized avarice, and sanctified misunderstanding. ‘Live,’ Nietzsche says, ‘as though the day were here.’ It is not society that is to guide and save the creative hero, but precisely the reverse. And so, every one of us shares the supreme ordeal––carries the cross of the redeemer––not in the bright moments of his tribe’s great victories, but in the silences of his personal despair.” ~Joseph Campbell
So, you’ve saved (freed) yourself from the grip of the state. What comes next? Freeing others, of course. But not so fast. Just because you’re free from the state, doesn’t mean the state isn’t still there, rearing its ugly head. It is still there, oppressing and extorting. It is still there, tyrannizing and destroying the planet under the guise of progress. It’s still there, trying to suck you back in. It is still Goliath and you are still David. And just because you recognize statism as tyranny and oppression, doesn’t mean that others do. Remember: most people are devoted statists who don’t even realize they are statists. Yes, the ignorance is that thick. But, I digress…
You’ve secured your “oxygen mask” on the crashing plane that is the human race. Now it’s time to start helping others to secure their own masks. The problem here is: you can’t control other people. And, really, you don’t want to. You want people to be free, after all. That means you’re going to have to convince them . You’re going to have to be creative. You’re going to have to use your imagination and come up with novel ways to persuade them into being healthy. Yes, sadly it has come to that. The only way to bring health to those who are all-too-well-adjusted to a sick society, is to sell it.
The real kick in the pants is: most people don’t want to hear what you have to say. People are wrestling with their own cognitive dissonance. People are caught up in their own state driven conditioning and brainwashing. Those cops “serving and protecting” the enforcement of the unhealthy, unsustainable, climate changing (game ender) North Dakota pipeline , are all wrestling with their own cognitive dissonance, conditioning, and brainwashing. They’re simply losing their own inner battle and coming up with the only thing they know: the cowardice and violence of a statist.
So, it comes down to this: What do we (those who are already free and have their oxygen mask securely fastened) do against the cowardice and violence of the inured statist? We teach. We use our imagination to persuade them away from the unhealthiness of the state and toward the healthiness of freedom. We lead by example, influencing them with our courageous words and our actions. We coax them into freely putting their own oxygen mask on. For we know that volition is paramount if freedom is to be had. Force is the way of the state. Violence is the way of the state. A free human being helping others to be free must never use force or violence, lest they wish to be a tyrant. An authentically free human being wishes other human beings to be just as authentically free.
But, and here’s the rub, as Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “Your right to waive your fist ends one inch from my nose.”
This means that when our health and freedom are under attack, we are morally justified to defend ourselves. And so, the most important thing we can do as free people, as individuals who have our oxygen masks securely fastened, is to stand our ground. To protect ourselves. Which, by extension, means protecting that which immediately sustains us: water, and the land that grows our food. The worst thing we can do is back down and play the pacifist. Like Derrick Jensen said, “ Love does not imply pacifism.” The Goliath that is the state will trample all over pacifism. Indeed, the road to an unhealthy, unsustainable, immoral, and violent world is paved with pacifism. It’s paved with people turning a blind eye. It’s paved with the inaction of people who recognized evil and did fuckall with it.
At the end of the day, Goliath (the state) is going to be Goliath. But Goliath is only Goliath because people believe in it. We dismantle goliath by convincing people not to give into Goliath’s unhealthy and unsustainable song and dance. First, we extract ourselves from being Goliath by transforming ourselves into courageous Davids. Then, we attempt to extract others from being Goliath. And if we cannot, we stand our ground and point out their cowardice and violence as unacceptable. We draw a line in the sand. We stand our ground. We protect our water. We declare, right in the face of the Goliath state, these courageous words by Thoreau : “I was not designed to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.” Read more articles by Gary ‘Z’ McGee . About the Author
Gary ‘Z’ McGee , a former Navy Intelligence Specialist turned philosopher, is the author of Birthday Suit of God and The Looking Glass Man . His works are inspired by the great philosophers of the ages and his wide awake view of the modern world. This article ( The Only Way to Save the World is to Save Yourself Waking Times and is printed here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Gary ‘Z’ McGee and WakingTimes.com . It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this statement of copyright. | 0 | [
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FMD3759 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The Trilateral Commission is international and is intended to be the vehicle for multinational consolidation of the commercial and banking interests by seizing control of the political government of the United States. The Trilateral Commission represents a skillful, coordinated effort to seize control and consolidate the four centers of power political, monetary, intellectual and ecclesiastical. Senator Barry Goldwater, from his book With No Apologies 21st Century Wire says Controversial globalist and banker David Rockefeller has died at 101 years of age.Rockefeller has been described as a philanthropist and banker, yet much of his legacy will forever be tied to the creation of the well-known think-tank the Council on Foreign Relations, The Trilateral Commission and his central role on the steering committee for the secretive Bilderberg Group established in 1954.The Bilderberg Group has often been passed off as an insignificant gathering of corporate CEO s, barons of oil, government top brass and royalty most mainstream outlets still continue to mask the group s influence on foreign policy and world finance but thankfully their exploits have been slowly uncovered with each passing year, as the list of attendees seem to change and grow with each new conference location.For those who still doubt there s a hidden element directing global interests, one only needs to look into the high-powered pursuits of Bilderberg attendees that have been linked to creating a multi-national sovereignty override through many transnational corporations with world trade partnerships like the Transatlantic partnership (TTIP) and Transpacific partnership (TPP), which now excludes the US via an executive order from Donald Trump.The following passage is from the NY Times: He spent his life in the club of the ruling class and was loyal to members of the club, no matter what they did, The New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote in 2002, citing the profitable deals Mr. Rockefeller had cut with oil-rich dictators, Soviet party bosses and Chinese perpetrators of the Cultural Revolution. There was also an immense sphere of influence held by various power-hungry groups such as The Trilateral Commission, brought to fruition in 1973 by David Rockefeller and perennial foreign policy advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. The Commission was also joined by fellow Bilderberg attendee and longtime policy advisor Henry Kissinger. Contrary to what most people think the vast majority of The Trilateral Commission s members have been from countries outside of America.Rockefeller, like George Soros, is ultimately tied to globalism and vast social engineering programs.More from RT below (Photo Illustration 21WIRE s Shawn Helton)Billionaire banker David Rockefeller dies aged 101RTRockefeller died in his sleep at home in Pocantico Hills, New York, on Monday morning as a result of congestive heart failure, according to a family spokesperson Fraser P. Seitel.The businessman, who had an estimated fortune of $3 billion, retired as head of Chase Manhattan in 1981 after a 35-year career.In the statement from the The Rockefeller Foundation confirming his death, Rockefeller was described as one of the most influential figures in the history of American philanthropy and finance, considered by many to be America s last great international business statesman . Rockefeller, also known as the banker s banker , according to the statement, is said to have donated almost $2 billion over his lifetime to various institutions including Rockefeller University, Harvard University and art museum.David was the youngest of six children born to John D. Rockefeller Jr. and the grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller.Rockefeller graduated from Harvard in 1936 and received a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago in 1940. Appointed president of Chase Manhattan in 1961, he became chairman and CEO eight years later.RT continues here READ MORE ON SOCIAL ENGINEERING: 21st Century Wire Social Engineering FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV | 0 | [
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FMD3760 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: A stunning Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) report circulating in the Kremlin today reveals that the Security Council (SC), this morning, authorized the sending to the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of an emergency communiquĂŠ requesting an immediate explanation as to why Hillary Clinton’s money laundering organization, known as the Clinton Foundation, this past week, purchased over $137 million of illegal arms and ammunition—and whose destination is to be the United States, with delivery being marked as “mid-November 2016â€. [Note: Some words and/or phrases appearing in quotes in this report are English language approximations of Russian words/phrases having no exact counterpart.]
According to this report, SVR analysts began expressing “urgent concern†earlier this year when the main “elements/factions†of the feared Viktor Bout’s international arms smuggling crime organization began arriving in the Republic of Albania—that is the only Muslim nation in Europe.
Viktor Bout, this report explains, is most popularly known in the West as the “Lord of War†for his workings with the CIA to smuggle illegal weapons throughout the world to further the maniacal interests of the United States—until 2011 when then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had him jailed.
Though a citizen of the Federation, this report continues, the SVR had no “complaint/concern†with Hillary Clinton having Bout jailed for 25 years as it was an internal matter of the CIA—but whose intelligence analysts expressed “worry/confusion†this past May (2016) when US Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin said he should have had a reduced sentence—and that led, yesterday, to Bout “suddenly/magically†being transferred out of maximum security to the “country club atmosphere†of the general ward of the US Federal Prison he’s been confined to.
CIA illegal arms smuggler Viktor Bout
Coinciding with Bout’s “mysterious/magical†prison transfer yesterday, this report notes, was Hillary Clinton’s money laundering Clinton Foundation transferring $137.7 million to the Socialist Party of Albania (SPA) controlled by that nations Prime Minister Edi Rama—who is not only the head of the Xhakja Clan (known in the West as the Albanian Mafia) but who was, also, and shockingly, put into power by the Obama-Clinton regime over the protests of the Albanian people who did not want a “mafia government†controlling them.
Hillary Clinton (left) and Albanian Xhakja Clan mafia crime leader Edi Rama (right)
With Hillary Clinton’s international arms merchant Prime Minister Rama having turned the entire Balkan region into one of the world’s largest areas for arms smuggling that now threatens its very security, this report warns, she has been aided in this effort by what many are calling her “puppet masterâ€â€”the Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros that recently released, and shocking, secret emails show him ordering Hillary Clinton to install this mafia criminal as the leader of Albania.
To fully understand why Hillary Clinton made this massive arms purchase, and no doubt was aided in doing so by the CIA’s arms smuggler Viktor Bout, SVR analysts in this report explain, is her adherence to George Soros’s radical vision of open borders—and that he singlehandedly began implementing by creating the European refugee crisis that will, likewise, engulf the United States should Hillary Clinton become president, and as exactly as her secret emails reveals she plans on doing.
Also, this report continues, and as the Federation knows all to well, the Soros-Clinton “master plan†to take down a nation begins with the establishment of what are called Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) to act as a “shadow government†ready to take power once the established order is thrown into chaos by massive protests—and why, in 2013, President Putin banned them from operating in Russia.
In the United States, however, this report grimly states, the American people have no defense against these “shadow government†NGO’s—and that SVR intelligence assests have documented in this report as being the “receiving parties†of Hillary Clinton’s massive arms purchase and include the George Soros created NGO’s called: Open Society Foundations, Media Matters, American Institute for Social Justice, The New America Foundation, The Migration Policy Institute, Tides Foundation, Center for American Progress, and the Democracy Alliance—every single one of which stands violently opposed to the US Constitution and the American people.
Once these weapons are in the hands of Hillary Clinton’s “new revolutionariesâ€, this report continues, they will then be used to unleash a “terror wave†across America protesting Donald Trump’s landslide victory—thus enabling President Obama to declare martial law to disarm all of these people, and once doing so, allow the US Electors to place Hillary Clinton in power. [Note: American presidents are NOT elected by the voting of citizens, but by the vote of the Electors selected from each of that nations 50 States.]
This report sadly concludes, though, by noting that the massive vote fraud already being committed by Hillary Clinton’s “new revolutionaries†throughout the United States, and that led this past week to former US Congressman Joe Walsh stunningly stating “If Trump loses, I’m grabbing my musketâ€â€”a reference to one of the darkest times in American history when that nation’s ordinary citizens banded together to fight the British Empire for their freedom—should strike fear into all Americans of what Hillary Clinton’s “new revolutionaries†are doing right now—and if not, nothing will. | 0 | [
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FMD3761 | 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 Robin Williams' Contracts Help the Homeless? Claim summaries: Comedian Robin Williams was lauded for his charitable initiative towards the homeless in a viral Facebook post.
contextual information: In the wake of comedian Robin Williams' death by suicide in August 2014, an item about Williams supposedly requiring in his work contracts that "the company hiring him also had to hire a certain number of homeless people and put them to work" quickly spread far and wide online. Years ago, I learned a very cool thing about Robin Williams, and I couldn't watch a movie of his afterward without thinking of it. I never actually booked Robin Williams for an event, but I came close enough that his office sent over his rider. For those outside of the entertainment industry, a rider lists an artist's specific personal and technical needs for hosting them at an event—anything from bottled water and their green room to sound and lighting requirements. You can learn a lot about a person from their rider. This is where rock bands list their requirement for green M&Ms (which is actually a surprisingly smart thing to do). This is also where a famous environmentalist requires a large gas-guzzling private jet to fly to the event city, but then requires an electric or hybrid car to take said environmentalist to the event venue when in view of the public. When I got Robin Williams' rider, I was very surprised by what I found. He actually had a requirement that for every single event or film he did, the company hiring him also had to hire a certain number of homeless people and put them to work. I never watched a Robin Williams movie the same way after that. I'm sure that on his own time and with his own money, he was working with these people in need, but he had also decided to use his clout as an entertainer to ensure that production companies and event planners learned the value of giving people a chance to work their way back. I wonder how many production companies continued the practice into their next non-Robin Williams project, as well as how many people got a chance at a job and the pride of earning an income, even temporarily, from his actions. He was a great multiplier of his impact. Let's hope that impact lives on without him. Thanks, Robin Williams—not just for laughs, but also for a cool example. This account appears to have originated with an article posted by Brian Lord ("A Little Known Robin Williams Story") on 12 August 2014, recounting the author's experience in attempting to hire Williams for an event. That bit of information took off virally when it was quoted in a Facebook post made on 25 August by a user named "Perry Marshall," whom many readers confused with Penny Marshall, an actress/comedienne who was friends with Robin Williams throughout his life. As of now, this story remains unverified: We've seen no mention or confirmation of it by anyone who ever worked with Robin Williams, nor has anyone to our knowledge produced a copy of a Robin Williams contract bearing the clause in question. The Smoking Gun document leak site long ago posted what may have been a backstage rider from a Robin Williams appearance in 2002, but it included no reference in its text to a requirement for employing the homeless. | 2 | [
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FMD3762 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: President al-Assad: United States and its Western allies are to blame for failure of latest ceasefire
November 3rd, 2016
Damascus, SANA – President Bashar al-Assad asserted that the United States and its Western allies are to blame for the failure of latest ceasefire, because terrorism and terrorists are for them a card they want to play on the Syrian arena.
In an interview given to the Serbian newspaper Politika , President al-Assad said that Russia is very serious and very determined to continue fighting the terrorists, while the Americans base their politics on a different value as they use the terrorists as a card to play the political game to serve their own interests at the expense of the interests of other countries in the world.
President al-Assad pointed out that Western countries wanted to use the humanitarian mask in order to have an excuse to intervene more in Syria, either militarily or by supporting the terrorists.
Following is the full text of the interview:
Question 1: Mr. President, why has the latest Syria ceasefire failed? Who is to blame for that?
President Assad: Actually, the West, mainly the United States, has made that pressure regarding the ceasefire, and they always ask for ceasefire only when the terrorists are in a bad situation, not for the civilians. And they try to use those ceasefires in order to support the terrorists, bring them logistic support, armament, money, everything, in order to re-attack and to become stronger again. When it didn’t work, they ask the terrorists to make it fail or to start attacking again. So, who’s to blame? It’s the United States and its allies, the Western countries, because for them, terrorists and terrorism are a card they want to play on the Syrian arena, it’s not a value, they’re not against terrorists. For them, supporting the terrorists is a war of attrition against Syria, against Iran, against Russia, that’s how they look at it. That’s why not only this ceasefire; every attempt regarding ceasefire or political moving or political initiative, every failure of these things, the United States was to be blamed.
Question 2: But which country is supporting terrorism? Saudi Arabia? Qatar?
President Assad: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey…
Journalist: Turkey?
President Assad: Because they came through Turkey with the support of the government, direct support from the government.
Journalist: Directly?
President Assad: Direct support from the government, of course.
Journalist: With money or with armament?
President Assad: Let’s say, the endorsement, the greenlight, first. Second, the American coalition, which is called “international coalition,” which is an American. They could see ISIS using our oil fields and carrying the oil through the barrel trucks to Turkey under their drones…
Journalist: This is the Syrian oil?
President Assad: In Syria, from Syria to Turkey, under the supervision of their satellites and drones, without doing anything, till the Russians intervened and started attacking ISIS convoys and ISIS positions and strongholds. This is where ISIS started to shrink. So, the West gave the greenlight to those countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, and actually those countries, those governments are puppets; puppets to the West, puppets to the United States, they work as puppets, and the terrorists in Syria are their proxy, the proxy of those countries and proxy of the West and the United States.
Question 3: But money for marketing this oil, who has the money? Turkey?
President Assad: In partnership between ISIS and Turkey. Part of the money goes to ISIS because this is how they can make recruitment and pay salaries to their fighters. That’s why ISIS was growing before the Russian intervention, it was expanding in Syria and in Iraq. And part of the money is going to the Turkish government officials, mainly Erdogan himself and his family.
Journalist: Erdogan himself?
President Assad: Of course, of course. They were directly involved in this trade with ISIS.
Question 4: Mr. President, do you believe the Russians and Americans can ever agree over Syria? Can Russia and the USA be partners in the war against terrorists in Syria?
President Assad: We hope, but in reality, no, for a simple reason: because the Russians based their politics on values, beside their interest. The values are that they adopt the international law, they fight terrorism, and the interest that if you have terrorists prevailing in our region, that will affect not only our region but Europe, Russia, and the rest of the world. So, the Russians are very serious and very determined to continue fighting the terrorists, while the Americans based their politics on a different value, completely different value, their value is that “we can use the terrorists.” I mean the Americans, they wanted to use the terrorists as a card to play the political game to serve their own interests at the expense of the interests of other countries in the world.
Question 5: The situation about bombing the Syrian Army near the airport in Deir Ezzor… How did the American air attack on the Syrian Army happen? Was it a coincidence or not?
President Assad: It was premeditated attack by the American forces, because ISIS was shrinking because of the Syrian and Russian and Iranian cooperation against ISIS, and because al-Nusra which is Al Qaeda-affiliated group had been defeated in many areas in Syria, so the Americans wanted to undermine the position of the Syrian Army; they attacked our army in Deir Ezzor. It wasn’t by coincidence because the raid continued more than one hour, and they came many times.
Journalist: One hour?
President Assad: More than one hour. There were many raids by the Americans and their allies against the Syrian position. At the same time, they attacked a very big area; they didn’t attack a building to say “we made a mistake.” They attacked three big hills, not other groups neighboring these hills, and only ISIS existed in Deir Ezzor. There is no… what they called it “moderate opposition.” So, it was a premeditated attack in order to allow ISIS to take that position, and ISIS attacked those hills, and took those hills right away in less than one hour after the attack.
Journalist: ISIS attacking Syrian position after American…?
President Assad: Less than one hour, in less than one hour, ISIS attacked those hills. It means that ISIS gathered their forces to attack those hills. How did ISIS know that the Americans would attack that Syrian position? It means they were ready, they were prepared. This is an explicit and stark proof that the Americans are supporting ISIS and using it as a card to change the balance according to their political agenda.
Journalist: And after that, America said sorry, huh?
President Assad: They said they regret, they didn’t say sorry. [laughs]
Question 6: Mr. President, who is responsible for the attack on the Red Cross convoy near Aleppo, and what weapons were used for the destruction of the Red Cross convoy?
President Assad: Definitely the terrorist groups in Aleppo, because those are the ones who had an interest. When we announced the truce in Aleppo, they refused it. They said “no, we don’t want a truce.” They refused to have any convoys coming to eastern Aleppo, and that was public, it’s not our propaganda, it’s not our announcement, they announced it. And there was a demonstration by those militants to refuse that convoy. So, they have interest in attacking that convoy, we don’t have. It wasn’t in an area where you have Syrian troops, and at the same time there were no Syrian or Russian airplanes flying in that area anyway. But it was used as part of the propaganda, as part of the narrative against Syria in the West; that we attacked this humanitarian convoy, because the whole war now in Syria, according to the Western propaganda, is taking the shape of humanitarian war. This is the Western mask now; they wanted to use the humanitarian mask in order to have an excuse to intervene more in Syria, and when I say intervene it means militarily or by supporting the terrorists.
Journalist: This is like the situation in former Yugoslavia, in the war in Yugoslavia, also in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the war in Kosovo, humanitarian problems.
President Assad: It’s a different era, maybe, a different shape, but the same core, what happened in your country, and what’s happening now in our country.
Question 7: And the Western propaganda spoke about the problem of using the chemical weapons and the barrel bombs.
President Assad: The same, to show that you have a black-and-white picture; very very bad guy against very very good guy. It’s like the narrative of George W. Bush during the war on Iraq and on Afghanistan. So, they wanted to use those headlines or those terms in their narrative in order to provoke the emotions of the public opinion in their countries. This is where the public opinion would support them if they wanted to interfere, either directly through military attacks, or through supporting their proxies that are the terrorists in our region.
Question 8: I see the news in the last days, the Amnesty International condemned a terrorist group for using the chlorine, the chemical weapons in Aleppo.
President Assad: In Aleppo, exactly, that happened a few days ago, and actually, regardless of these chemical attacks, we announced yesterday that the terrorists killed during the last three days more than 80 innocent civilians in Aleppo, and wounded more than 300. You don’t read anything about them in the Western mainstream media. You don’t see it, you don’t hear about it, there’s nothing about them. They only single out some pictures and some incidents in the area under the control of the terrorists just to use them for their political agenda in order to condemn and to blame the Syrian government, not because they are worried about the Syrians; they don’t care about our children, or about innocents, and about civilization, about infrastructure. They don’t care about it; they are destroying it. But actually, they only care about using everything that would serve their vested interests.
Question 9: And now, your army… you are the supreme commander of Syrian military forces. Your army now has not any chemical weapons?
President Assad: No, we don’t. Since 2013, we gave up our arsenals. Now, no we don’t have. But before that, we have never used it. I mean, when you talk about chemical weapons used by the government, it means you are talking about thousands of casualties in one place in a very short time. We never had this kind of incidents; just allegations in the Western media.
Question 10: Mr. President, when do you think the Syrian war will end?
President Assad: When? I always say less than one year is enough for you to solve your internal problem, because it is not very complicated internally. It’s becoming more complex only when you have more interfering by foreign powers. When those foreign powers leave Syria alone, we can solve it as Syrians in a few months, in less than one year. That’s very simple, we can, but providing that there’s no outside interference. Of course, that looks not realistic, because everybody knows that the United States wanted to undermine the position of Russia as a great power in the world, including in Syria. Saudi Arabia has been looking how to destroy Iran for years now, and Syria could be one of the places where they can achieve that, according to their way of thinking. But if we say that we could achieve that situation where all those foreign powers leave Syria alone, we don’t have a problem in solving our problem.
How? First of all, by stopping the support of the terrorists by external countries like the regional ones like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, and by the West, of course, mainly the United States. When you stop supporting terrorists in Syria, it won’t be difficult at all to solve our problem.
Question 11: Mr. President, is it true that Syria is the last socialistic country in the Arab world?
President Assad: Today, yes. I don’t know about the future, how is it going to be. We are socialist, but of course not the closed type.
Journalist: Humane socialism, because your government is supporting the education with the subvention, like the Swedish-type socialism.
President Assad: I don’t know a lot about the Swedish-type, but let’s say that in Syria, we have an open economy, but at the same time we have a strong public sector, and that public sector played a very important role in the resilience of the Syrian society and the government during the war. Without that public sector, the situation would have been much more difficult. So, we’re still socialist, and I think the war proved that the socialism system is very important for any country, taking into consideration that I’m talking about the open socialism, that could allow the freedom of the public sector to play a vital role in building the country.
Question 12: And your big companies… this is the state companies or private companies?
President Assad: We have both. But usually in such a situation, the public sector always plays the most important part. As you know, the private sector could feel the danger more and could suffer more and in some areas could quit the whole arena, the economic arena, because of the insecurity. So, that’s why you have to depend in such a situation more on the public sector, but still the private sector in Syria plays a very important part beside the public.
Question 13: And you have very very tolerance atmosphere with other churches, Christians, Muslims, and…
President Assad: It’s not tolerance, actually; they are part of this society. Without all different colors of the society – Christians, Muslims, and the different sects and ethnicities – you won’t have Syria. So, every Syrian citizen should feel fully free in practicing his rituals, his traditions, his beliefs. He should be free in order to have a stable country. Otherwise you won’t have Syria as a stable country. But I wouldn’t call it tolerance. Tolerance means like we accept something against our will; no, Muslims and Christians lived together for centuries in Syria, and they integrate in their life on daily basis, they don’t live in ghettos.
Question 14: No separate schools for Muslims, for Christians, young people, no?
President Assad: No, no. You have some schools that belong to the church, but they are full of Muslims and vice versa. So, you don’t have, no. We don’t allow any segregation of religions and ethnicities in Syria, that would be very dangerous, but naturally, without the interference of the government, people would like to live with each other in every school, in every place, in every NGO, in the government, that is the natural… That’s why Syria is secular by nature, not by the government. The Syrian society has been secular throughout history.
Question 15: And, Mr. President, it’s been one year since Russian air forces took part in the Syrian war, how much has Russia helped you?
President Assad: Let’s talk about the reality. Before the Russian interference, ISIS was expanding, as I said. When they started interfering, ISIS and al-Nusra and the other Al Qaeda affiliated groups started shrinking. So, this is the reality. Why? Of course, because it’s a great power and they have great army and they have great firepower that could support the Syrian Army in its war. The other side of the same story is that when a great country, a great power, like Russia, intervene against the terrorists, in coordination with the troops on the ground, and in our case, it’s the Syrian Army, of course you’re going to achieve concrete results, while if you talk about the American alliance, which is not serious anyway, but at the same time they don’t have allies on the ground, they cannot achieve anything. So, the Russian power was very important beside their political weight on the international arena, in both ways they could change the situation, and they were very important for Syria in defeating the terrorists in different areas on the Syrian arena or battlefield.
Question 16: Is the Syrian society divided by the war today?
President Assad: Actually, it’s more homogenous than before the war. That could be surprising for many observers because the war is a very deep and important lesson for every Syrian. Many Syrians before the war didn’t tell the difference between being fanatic and being extremist, between being extremist and being terrorist. Those borders weren’t clear for many, because of the war, because of the destruction, because of the heavy price that affected every Syrian, many Syrians learned the lesson and now they know that the only way to protect the country and to preserve the country is to be homogenous, to live with each other, to integrate, to accept, to love each other. That’s why I think the effect of the war, in spite of all the bad aspects of any war like this war, but this aspect was positive for the Syrian society. So, I’m not worried about the structure of the Syrian society after the war. I think it’s going to be healthier.
Question 17: And a question about the American presidential elections; who would you like to win in USA presidential elections, Trump or Hillary?
President Assad: I think in most of the world, the debate about this election is who’s better, Clinton is better or Trump. In Syria, the discussion is who’s worse, not who’s better. So, no one of them, I think, would be good for us, let’s say, this is first. Second, from our experience with the American officials and politicians in general, don’t take them at their word, they’re not honest. Whatever they say, don’t believe them. If they say good word or bad word, if they were very aggressive or very peaceful, don’t believe them. It depends on the lobbies, on the influence of different political movements in their country, after the election that’s what is going to define their policy at that time. So, we don’t have to waste our time listening to their rhetoric now. It’s just rubbish. Wait for their policies and see, but we don’t see any good signs that the United States is going to change dramatically its policy toward what’s happening in the world, let’s say, to be fair, or to obey the international law, or to care about the United Nation’s Charter. There’s no sign that we are going to see that in the near future. So, it’s not about who’s going to be President; the difference will be very minimal, each one of them is going to be allowed to leave his own fingerprint, just personal fingerprint, but doesn’t mean change of policies. That’s why we don’t pin our hopes, we don’t waste our time with it.
Question 18: Mr. President, the last question: The relation between Serbia and Syria, do you have any message for people in Serbia?
President Assad: I think we didn’t do what we have to do on both sides in order to make this relation in a better position, before the war. Of course, the war will leave its effects on the relation between every two countries, that would be understandable, but we have to plan for the next time because your country suffered from external aggression that led to the division of Yugoslavia and I think the people are still paying the price of that war. Second, the war in your country has been portrayed in the same way; as a humanitarian war where the West wanted to intervene in order to protect a certain community against the aggressors form the other community. So, many people in the world believe that story, the same in Syria; they use the same mask, the humanitarian mask.
Actually, the West doesn’t care about your people, they don’t care about our people, they don’t care about anyone in this world, they only care about their own vested interest. So, I think we have the same lessons, may be a different area, we are talking about two decades’ difference, maybe different headlines, but actually the content is the same. That’s why I think we need to build more relations in every aspect; cultural, economy, politics, in order to strengthen our position, each country in his region.
Question 19: But Syrian government, you and Syria’s state, supporting Serbia in the problem of the Kosovo?
President Assad: We did, we did, although the Turks wanted to use their influence for Kosovo, in Kosovo’s favor, but we refused. That was before the war, that was seven or eight years ago, and we refused, in spite of the good relation with Turkey at that time. We supported Serbia.
Journalist: Mr. President, thank you for the interview, thank you for your time.
President Assad: Not at all. Thank you for coming to Damascus.
The Essential Saker: from the trenches of the emerging multipolar world $27.95 | 0 | [
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FMD3763 | 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: Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan, and the Nobel Prize Parable Claim summaries: A popular tale claims that an act of kindness greatly impacted the lives of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy.
contextual information: A story about Helen Keller, a civil rights activist and lecturer despite being blind and deaf, her teacher the partially blind Anne Sullivan Macy (referred to hereafter as Sullivan), and an unnamed maid whose alleged act of kindness changed Sullivan's and Keller's lives, has been a topic of conversation for decades. In 2021, the following lengthy parable was shared on social media, along with a photograph supposedly showing Sullivan and Keller: The story reads: Dr. Frank Mayfield was touring Tewksbury Institute when, on his way out, he accidentally collided with an elderly floor maid. To cover the awkward moment Dr. Mayfield started asking questions. "How long have you worked here?" "I've worked here almost since the place opened," the maid replied. "What can you tell me about the history of this place?" he asked. "I don't think I can tell you anything, but I could show you something." With that, she took his hand and led him down to the basement under the oldest section of the building. She pointed to one of what looked like small prison cells, their iron bars rusted with age, and said, "That's the cage where they used to keep Annie Sullivan." "Who's Annie?" the doctor asked. Annie was a young girl who was brought in here because she was incorrigiblenobody could do anything with her. She'd bite and scream and throw her food at people. The doctors and nurses couldn't even examine her or anything. I'd see them trying with her spitting and scratching at them. "I was only a few years younger than her myself and I used to think, 'I sure would hate to be locked up in a cage like that.' I wanted to help her, but I didn't have any idea what I could do. I mean, if the doctors and nurses couldn't help her, what could someone like me do? "I didn't know what else to do, so I just baked her some brownies one night after work. The next day I brought them in. I walked carefully to her cage and said, 'Annie, I baked these brownies just for you. I'll put them right here on the floor and you can come and get them if you want.' "Then I got out of there just as fast as I could because I was afraid she might throw them at me. But she didn't. She actually took the brownies and ate them. After that, she was just a little bit nicer to me when I was around. And sometimes I'd talk to her. Once, I even got her laughing. One of the nurses noticed this and she told the doctor. They asked me if I'd help them with Annie. I said I would if I could. So that's how it came about that. Every time they wanted to see Annie or examine her, I went into the cage first and explained and calmed her down and held her hand. This is how they discovered that Annie was almost blind." After they'd been working with her for about a yearand it was tough sledding with Anniethe Perkins institute for the Blind opened its doors. They were able to help her and she went on to study and she became a teacher herself. Annie came back to the Tewksbury Institute to visit, and to see what she could do to help out. At first, the Director didn't say anything and then he thought about a letter he'd just received. A man had written to him about his daughter. She was absolutely unrulyalmost like an animal. She was blind and deaf as well as 'deranged.' He was at his wit's end, but he didn't want to put her in an asylum. So he wrote the Institute to ask if they knew of anyone who would come to his house and work with his daughter. And that is how Annie Sullivan became the lifelong companion of Helen Keller. When Helen Keller received the Nobel Prize, she was asked who had the greatest impact on her life and she said, "Annie Sullivan." But Annie said, "No Helen. The woman who had the greatest influence on both our lives was a floor maid at the Tewksbury Institute." This is a genuine photograph of Sullivan and Keller, and there is a lot of truth in this story. Sullivan really was partially blind, and she lived the early part of her life at an overcrowded facility in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, where conditions were deplorable. Sullivan was also educated at the Perkins Institute for the Blind, and would later become Helen Keller's teacher. The portion of this story about an anonymous maid's act of kindness are unverified, however, and the closing anecdote about Sullivan's response to Keller's Nobel Prize statement is factually impossible. The above-displayed anecdote is a near-verbatim reproduction of an article entitled "People Make the Place" by Leah Curtin, a registered nurse, that was published in the 1993 issue of Nursing Management Magazine. Curtin's version starts with two introductory paragraphs claiming that she heard this story from Dr. Frank Mayfield, a neurosurgeon who founded the Mayfield Clinic in Ohio, while she was a nursing student. It should be noted that this is not a contemporaneous story, but a third-hand retelling of a story the author (Curtin) reportedly heard "about 100 years ago" from a doctor (Mayfield) who supposedly heard it from an unnamed maid. People Make the Place neurosurgeon who founded the Mayfield Clinic While it is certainly possible that Mayfield heard some version of this story from a maid while touring the Tewksbury Almshouse, the quotes in this story are fabricated. And while it's possible that a maid at the Tewksbury almshouse showed some kindness to a young Sullivan, we have not been able to find any other sources to confirm this anecdote. The early years of Sullivan's life were difficult, to say the least. She was born in 1866 to two Irish immigrants who came to America during the Great Famine. At the age of 5, she suffered severe vision loss after contracting trachoma. When her mother died a few years later, her father abandoned Sullivan and her siblings at a poorhouse in Tewksbury. The American Foundation for the Blind described the conditions at the Tewksbury Almshouse, writing: American Foundation for the Blind Tewksbury was infamous throughout the state of Massachusetts. By 1874, the population included alcoholics requiring treatment, as well as those labeled "pauper insane." The largest group were poor immigrants from Europe. During Anne's time at Tewksbury, the majority of these were Irish Catholics. Rumors circulated throughout the state about cruelty to inmates at the institution, sexually perverted practices, and even cannibalism. Author Nella Braddy provided a detailed account of Sullivan's stay at Tewksbury (one that relied in part from Sullivan's own memory) in her 1933 book "Anne Sullivan Macy: The Story Behind Helen Keller." Braddy writes that Sullivan and her brother spent their first night at the poorhouse in a "cell" that was primarily used as the "dead house": Anne Sullivan Macy: The Story Behind Helen Keller The two children spent the first night in a small dark enclosure at one end of the ward. There was one bed in it, a table, and an altar. This enclosure, though they did not know it and would not have been troubled if they had, was the dead house into which corpses were wheeled to wait for burial. They slept together, unhaunted by the shades of the old women who had spent their last moments above the sod lying, just as they were lying, with their faces to the ceiling. But perhaps the ghosts were not there. With the wide world to choose from it is not likely that any of them had lingered in this sad, drab, dreary little cell. After they were processed the following morning, Sullivan and her brother were moved to the women's ward (a compromise to let the two children stay together) where they had a "cot apiece." Braddy continues: They had a cot apiece in the ward, and they had the dead house to play in ... The children were, on the whole, left to themselves. Most of the women were too near dead to care for anything. Most of them wanted to die and most of them did not have to wait long. Death was the most casual and the most common of occurrences. Nobody cared when it came ... Even the death of one of their number brought little comment, if any, from her neighbours. It evoked no fluttering of nurses, no calling the doctor, no fuss at all except what the patient madethe death rattle, a cry, or a groan, and often not even so much as this. The one friend still left to all of them was death. In a little while the cot would be wheeled into the dead house, the metal wheels clattering ominously over the wooden floor. The sound of the wheels was not so horrible to Annie during her first days at the almshouse, for she gave it no special meaning, but it made an indelible impression, and to-day, after she has been away from it more than fifty years, she can still sometimes at night hear its hollow and remorseless echo. The viral text claims that an anonymous maid brought brownies to Sullivan during her stay at Tewksbury in an attempt to win over an unruly child. While we can't confirm this portion of the story (this anecdote comes from a nurse who heard it from a doctor who reportedly heard it from a maid decades earlier), and while it's worth noting that descriptions of Sullivan as a child do not present her as particularly aggressive or wild, we can say that some staff members and residents at Tewksbury truly did show Sullivan kindness. Braddy notes that Maggie Hogan, a "quiet little woman with a crooked back" who oversaw the ward, introduced Sullivan to the small administrative library, and worked to get other residents to read books to her. Braddy writes: These three wards were under the care of a sad, quiet little woman with a crooked back, Maggie Hogan, who moved about among them like a grey angel, soothing them when they wept, calming them with soft sweet words when they cowered before the pain of bringing new life into the world. The girls called her Little Mother, and she was godmother to all their children. Those that seemed likely to die before the priest came she baptized herself, going through all the details of the familiar ceremony, even lighting the candles ... It was Maggie Hogan who introduced her to the small library in the administration building, and it was Maggie who selected her first books, taking only those whose authors were unmistakably Irish. And it was Maggie who persuaded a mildly crazy girl by the name of Tilly Delaney to read them to her. Later Annie selected the books herself. Her system was to choose from the titles (she could not see them) which the superintendent read out to her: Cast Up by the Sea, Ten Nights in a Barroom, Stepping Heavenward, The Octoroon, The Lamplighter, Darkness and Daylight, Tempest and Sunshine. Sullivan's thoughts about Tewksbury were recorded in Braddy's book, as well as in a manuscript she wrote entitled "Foolish Remarks of a Foolish Woman." While Sullivan acknowledged that there had been some "unexpected good" during the "chinks of frustration in my life," we didn't find any record of Sullivan claiming that her life had been changed by a random act of kindness. Rather, she wrote in her manuscript that she was still haunted by her time at Tewksbury. Foolish Remarks of a Foolish Woman Unexpected good has filled the chinks of frustration in my life. But at times melancholy without reason grips me as in a vice [sic]. A word, an odd inflection, the way somebody crosses the street, brings all the past before me with such amazing clearness and completeness, my heart stops beating for a moment. Then everything around me seems as it was so many years ago. Even the ugly frame-buildings are revived. Again I see the unsightly folk who hobbled, cursed, fed and snored like animals. I shiver recalling how I looked upon scenes of vile exposurethe open heart of a derelict is not a pleasant thing. I doubt if life, or eternity for that matter, is long enough to erase the errors and ugly blots scored upon my brain by those dismal years. The conditions at Tewskbury were so bad that Samuel Gridley Howe, a founder of the Perkins School for the Blind, launched an investigation into the school. As officials toured the facility, Sullivan approached them and begged to attend their school for the blind. Perkins describes this moment on their website, writing: Perkins describes this moment on their website, writing: In 1880, Anne Sullivan learned that a commission was coming to investigate the conditions at Tewksbury Almshouse. On the day of their visit, Sullivan followed them around, waiting for an opportunity to speak. Just as the tour was concluding, she gathered up all of her courage, approached a member of the team of inspectors, and told him that she wanted to go to school. That moment changed her life. On October 7, 1880, Sullivan entered the Perkins Institution. Sullivans life experience made her very different from the other students at Perkins. At the age of 14, she couldnt read or even write her name. She had never owned a nightgown or hairbrush, and did not know how to thread a needle. While Sullivan had never attended school, she was wise in the ways of the world, having learned a great deal about life, politics and tragedy at Tewksbury, a side of society unknown even to her teachers. In the viral version of the story, Sullivan returns to Tewksbury to visit, and is told by the director that he had just received a letter from a parent asking for a teacher for their "deranged" daughter, Helen Keller. This, however, does not quite line up with the historical record. Here's a photograph of Keller and Sullivan from 1888: Keller and Sullivan from 1888 In 1886, at the recommendation of Alexander Graham Bell (yes, the inventor of the telephone) Keller's parents sent a letter to Michael Anagnos, the director of Perkins, seeking a teacher for their daughter. Anagnos immediately thought of Sullivan for the position and sent her a letter. Sullivan was not only a gifted student who overcame severe difficulties to graduate as the valedictorian of her class, but she also had experience working with deaf-blind people, as she had befriended Laura Bridgman, regarded as the first deaf-blind American to receive a significant education, during her time at Perkins. This letter, as well as several other pieces of correspondence between Perkins, the Kellers, and Sullivan, is available via the Digital Commonwealth of Massachusetts. befriended Laura Bridgman Digital Commonwealth of Massachusetts Anagnos wrote: "Please read the enclosed letters carefully, and let me know at your earliest convenience whether you would be disposed to consider favorably an offer of a position in the family of Mr. Keller as governess of his little deaf-mute and blind daughter. I have no other information about the standing and responsibility of the man save that contained in his own letters: but, if you decide to be a candidate for the position, it is an easy matter to write and ask for further particulars." It's the viral story's ending, however, that conflicts the most with reality. In the viral version, Keller receives the Nobel Prize, thanks Sullivan, and is then reminded that neither of them would have been successful if it weren't for the kindness of a maid. There are two problems with this ending. First, Sullivan died in 1936, more than 15 years before Keller was first nominated for the prize in 1954. And second, while Keller was nominated multiple times, she was never actually awarded the prize. died in 1936 nominated for the prize in 1954 nominated multiple times While this viral story does mirror some true events from the lives of Keller and Sullivan, it fudges a few details, invents quotations, and incorrectly states that Keller won a Nobel Prize. This story would be more accurately described as an inspirational parable loosely based on a true story, not a historically accurate account of the lives of Keller, her teacher, and the random act of kindness that changed their lives. Anne Sullivan. Perkins School for the Blind, 25 Sept. 2014, https://www.perkins.org/anne-sullivan/.Article from the New York Times about Nella Braddys New Biography of Anne Sullivan Macy. "People Make the Place." Nursing Management Magazine.https://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/Citation/1993/05000/People_Make_the_Place.1.aspx. Accessed 5 Oct. 2021. Death of Anne Sullivan Macy. The American Foundation for the Blind, https://www.afb.org/about-afb/history/online-museums/anne-sullivan-miracle-worker/final-years-and-legacy/death-anne. Accessed 5 Oct. 2021. Letter from Michael Anagnos to Annie Sullivan, August 26, 1886. https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:b8516440c. Accessed 5 Oct. 2021. Manuscript by Anne Sullivan Macy Entitled Foolish Remarks of a Foolish Woman. https://www.afb.org/HelenKellerArchive?a=d&d=A-HK01-03-B071-F11-009.1.13&e=-------en-20--1--txt--------3------------------0-1. Accessed 5 Oct. 2021. Menand, Louis. Lauras World. The New Yorker, June 2001. www.newyorker.com, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/07/02/lauras-world. NELLA BRADDY. ANNE SULLIVAN MACY THE STORY BEHIND HELEN KELLER. DOUBLEDAY,DORAN & COMPANY,INC, 1933. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/annesullivanmacy000333mbp. Tewksbury Almshouse. The American Foundation for the Blind, https://www.afb.org/about-afb/history/online-museums/anne-sullivan-miracle-worker/formative-years/tewksbury-almshouse. Accessed 5 Oct. 2021. | 2 | [
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FMD3764 | 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 Congress Designate Confederate Soldiers as United States Veterans? Claim summaries: Debates over monuments led to a rumor that Confederate soldiers are legally considered veterans of the United States military.
contextual information: In August 2017, a national debate about the display of Confederate flags and monuments once again gained momentum after a protest against the planned removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a park in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned deadly. In the wake of that incident, several cities and protesters quickly moved to take down monuments, statues, and plaques. Meanwhile, rumors emerged that Congress had passed two laws retroactively declaring Confederate soldiers as United States veterans, which would mean that removing the statues is illegal. Some of these claims were supported by a link to an extremely dubious website: it stated that Confederate soldiers, sailors, and Marines who fought in the Civil War were made U.S. veterans by an act of Congress in 1957, U.S. Public Law 85-425, Sec 410, approved on May 23, 1958. This law made all Confederate Army, Navy, and Marine veterans equal to U.S. veterans. Additionally, under U.S. Public Law 810, approved by the 17th Congress on February 26, 1929, the War Department was directed to erect headstones and recognize Confederate grave sites as U.S. war dead grave sites. Just for the record, the last Confederate veteran died in 1958. So, in essence, when you remove a Confederate statue, monument, or headstone, you are, in fact, removing a statue, monument, or headstone of a U.S. veteran. The rumor also appeared as a meme on the Facebook page "Uncle Sam's Misguided Children" on August 16, 2017. The same image had previously been shared by the same Facebook page in July 2015, just after a gunman in Charleston, South Carolina, killed nine black churchgoers. According to the meme, two acts of Congress (Public Law 810 of 1929 and Public Law 85-425 of 1958) bestow upon Confederate soldiers the benefits and status of United States military veterans. Public Law 810 refers to Part II, Chapter 23 of U.S. Code 38, which states that the government should, when requested, pay to put up monuments or headstones for unmarked graves for three groups of people: (1) Any individual buried in a national cemetery or in a post cemetery; (2) Any individual eligible for burial in a national cemetery (but not buried there), except for those persons or classes of persons enumerated in section 2402(a)(4), (5), and (6) of this title; (3) Soldiers of the Union and Confederate Armies of the Civil War. No portion of the law appears to confer any privilege other than markers for the graves of Confederate soldiers, nor does it grant Confederate soldiers status equal to that of veterans of the United States military. As of 1901, 482 individuals (not all soldiers) were already interred in the Confederate section of Arlington National Cemetery. In 1868, President Andrew Johnson pardoned Confederate soldiers but did not grant them U.S. veteran status. Public Law 85-425 was passed on May 23, 1958, entitling the widows of deceased Confederate soldiers (what few were left by 1958) to military pensions. This law aimed to increase the monthly rates of pensions payable to widows and former widows of deceased veterans of the Spanish-American War, Civil War, Indian War, and Mexican War, and to provide pensions to widows of veterans who served in the military or naval forces of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. A National Archives and Records Administration document details the matter of Confederate soldiers and pensions, showing that the law seems to recognize those who fought for the Confederacy as veterans of a war, but not necessarily of the United States military. The last recorded Confederate soldier deaths were in 1959, meaning that the 1957 law had negligible effects for those under its provisions, and in any event, the law again conferred no status or other benefit to Confederate soldiers themselves. We reached out to several historians, none of whom wished to be quoted on the record. Several were dubious about the purported laws. One scholar who specializes in the Civil War and Reconstruction told us that he, too, had trouble locating them: "[It's] clear that Public Law 85-425, section 410 of 1958 was intended solely to provide a symbolic, Civil War Centennial gesture late-life pension to Walter Williams, the supposed only surviving Confederate veteran, and did not apply in any way to any other Confederate soldiers." Of course, it turned out (as many people knew then) that Williams was not, in fact, a Confederate veteran, but the desire to still have a living link to the War proved more important than fact. I have been no more successful than anyone else in finding the supposed Public Law 810 passed in 1929. However, given my experience with other claims based on legislation introduced or passed in Congress during that era, I would surmise that any such law was symbolic and meant as a gesture. On the other hand, there was the 1906 Foraker Law that began federal involvement in caring for Confederate graves. You have probably seen this VA publication and consulted John Neff's important work, "Honoring the Civil War Dead" (University Press of Kansas, 2005) about that issue. Neff makes clear that federal money spent on maintaining federal graves always kept the distinctions between the graves and the service of federal versus Confederate soldiers. There is, however, the decision in the case of Patrick G. Griffin, III vs. Department of Veterans Affairs issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals 4th District. The decision ultimately affirmed the VA's contention that the Confederate prisoners buried at Point Lookout were buried and honored as American soldiers and, therefore (the issue before the court), there was no obligation to allow Confederate flags to fly over their graves. The cited ruling did not recognize the flag of the Confederacy as a legitimate American flag suitable for display in veterans' memorials. The Veterans' Affairs document to which the historian pointed, "Federal Stewardship of Confederate Dead," contained historical context about Confederate burials and the evolution of federal involvement in the interment of their dead, and included President William McKinley's 1898 remarks to legislators in Georgia, noting that it was a time when "no disabled Confederate veteran was eligible to live in a federal soldiers' home, receive a pension, or, when they died, be buried in a national cemetery." The Department of War had been content to allow Northern cemeteries where Confederates were interred to languish. However, after the Spanish-American War (1898), the federal government, led by President William McKinley, in the spirit of national reconciliation and in the postwar glow of recent victory, proposed that a loving nation would reach out and care for the graves of fallen Confederates. Recognition of these places as hallowed ground and the individuals interred in them as deserving of honor began with the creation of the Confederate section at Arlington National Cemetery in 1900 and continued with the renewal through 1916 of 1906 legislation that authorized federal funds to mark all Confederate graves. Until the turn of the 20th century, United States government interment of Confederate soldiers generally involved deceased prisoners buried during the Civil War on Union lands. In 2013, The Atlantic reported that the United States government continued to follow through on its subsequent promises to provide for all Confederate war dead. Providing headstones for America's fallen soldiers is a tradition that goes back to laws passed in 1867 and 1873 that ordered the Department of War to properly establish national cemeteries and furnish graves with headstones. It wasn't until the 20th century, though, that Confederate veterans were included in this tradition. It started with legislation passed in 1906, initially providing headstones for a very limited number of Confederate veterans, specifically prisoners of war, "who died in federal prisons and military hospitals in the North and who were buried near their places of confinement." That mandate for the Department of War was expanded to all Confederate graves with a law passed in 1929. Responsibility for headstones was transferred to the VA in the National Cemeteries Act of 1973, which declared, "The Administrator shall furnish, when requested, appropriate government headstones or markers at the expense of the United States for the unmarked graves of" a number of categories of veterans and those who had served the country or were buried in a national cemetery, including specifically, "Soldiers of the Union and Confederate Armies of the Civil War." It's no coincidence that many of these changes in attitude and law, and the erection of so many Confederate monuments and memorials, occurred around the turn of the 20th century. They followed the federal withdrawal from the South in 1877, a strategic retreat from the failed policies of Reconstruction. When a debate over Confederate monuments and flags came under the national spotlight in June 2015, codified changes in burials and pensions enacted in 1929 and 1958 were exaggerated to suggest that a nebulous act of Congress, either in the 1920s or the 1950s, officially declared that Confederate soldiers were the same as United States veterans in the eyes of the federal government. However, no legislation either explicitly or implicitly granted Confederate soldiers status as United States veterans. Survivors of deceased Confederate soldiers often took offense at measures appearing to equate them with Union soldiers, objections that faded as Southerners from the Civil War era passed away. | 0 | [
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FMD3765 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Key members of the U.S. Congress said Friday they had reached a compromise to shift more than $1 billion to try to keep struggling families together, including those with babies born dependant on opioids. The proposal is driven in part by an opioid crisis that threatens thousands of families. The bill would allow mental health, substance abuse and parenting assistance whenever a child is deemed at “imminent risk†of entering foster care. The measure also offers support for relatives who unexpectedly assume responsibility for a child when a parent cannot. Under current law, such funds may only be spent after a child enters foster care. A spokesman for the Child Welfare League of America, John Sciamanna, called the proposed change “a landmark…, potentially historic.†The legislation involves more than $1 billion over 10 years. Related opioid bills have not included funding. “This bill would make a historic shift in child welfare funding by offering a way for moms and dads to get help and treatment rather than pitching in only after children are removed from home,†said Sen. Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. The bill is a compromise between four powerful members of Congress: Wyden; the Senate Finance committee’s Republican chair, Orrin Hatch of Utah; the Republican chair of the House Ways & Means Committee, Kevin Brady of Texas; and the ranking Democrat on Ways & Means, Sander Levin of Michigan. The plan offers “bipartisan solutions for families and children affected by the opioid addiction crisis,†Hatch said in a statement. In December, a Reuters investigation revealed that at least 110 babies had died since 2010 after being born opioid-dependent and sent home with parents ill-prepared to care for them. No more than nine of the 50 U.S. states followed a federal law requiring them to help those newborns, the news agency found. In response to the Reuters series, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services asked all states to report by June 30 whether and how they are following the existing law, known as the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. In May, the House passed legislation to improve safety planning for children born dependent on opioid drugs. Reanne Pederson of Devils Lake, N.D., one of the women portrayed in the Reuters series who accidentally smothered her newborn in bed while on drugs, said she was happy to hear about new funding possibilities. “It’s important to me that moms who are struggling with addiction get help,†she said. | 1 | [
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FMD3766 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Waking Times – by Alex Pietrowski
The most important ecological crisis of the world has ever seen has been underway since March 11th, 2011, yet there is nary a mention of it in the corporate media, and no political body in the world is championing its resolution. Widespread Denial and Willful Ignorance
The effects on nature are already being seen, yet even among the environmentalist factions of media, there is strong denial of the damage already done and of what is to come as the crisis approaches its sixth year. Some 300 tons of radioactive water are dumped into the Pacific Ocean each day , and signs are showing that this catastrophe is gravely affecting sea-life and wildlife in and around the Pacific .
The FDA maintains that there is no evidence of contamination by Fukushima borne radionuclides in the American food supply, yet this opinion is contested by some independent researchers. A report by the Fairewinds Energy Education says that cancer is on the rise in areas around the failed power plant, and that millions will die in coming years as a result. “[T]he second report received from Japan proves that the incidence of thyroid cancer is approximately 230 times higher than normal in Fukushima Prefecture… So what’s the bottom line? The cancers already occurring in Japan are just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sorry to say that the worst is yet to come.” [ Source ]
As election year in the U.S. approaches its dramatic climax, it has been striking to observe that neither of the major two-party candidates, or third-party candidates for that matter, have mentioned this crisis at all during the entire election run up. It is a non-issue in American politics, and if you’re listening, the silence is deafening. The 40-Year-Plan
Thus far, all plans to stop radioactive contamination of the Pacific Ocean and the Japanese Islands have failed, the most impressive of which is the construction of a $320 million underground wall of frozen dirt to block the seepage of groundwater into surrounding areas. 1oo feet deep and over a mile long, the ‘ land-side impermeable wall ‘ is already failing as rainfall from recent typhoons has caused partial melting of sections of the ‘ice wall.’ Workers examine pipes for the wall of frozen soil at the embattled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Image Credit: http://www.asahi.com/
A previous and ongoing cleanup effort requires the on site storage of contaminated water near the Fukushima Daiichi is merely a band-aid as radioactive water continues to accumulate by the day , with no long term plan for proper disposal.
“…the filtered water is still full of tritium , a radioactive version of hydrogen. (When two neutrons are added to the element, it becomes unstable, prone to emitting electrons.) Tritium bonds with oxygen just like normal hydrogen does, to produce radioactive “tritiated water.” It’s impractical—or at least extremely difficult and expensive—to separate tritiated water from normal water.” [ Source ] Storage tanks at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.
The reality here is that this crisis is untouchable in its scope and unparalleled in its lethality, and TEPCO’s 40-year-plan to decommission the plant will be a failure. Final Thoughts
No one of significant import is talking about this crisis or working to elevate it as a national and international priority. The American political scene is focused instead on the selection of the next president being chosen between two candidates who clearly have zero interest in addressing this dire issue.
Is this because nothing can be done about it? Is this because the energy industry is controlling the conversation and covering up the truth ? Or is this because the agenda for the U.S. at present is geared to destabilization and a push for expansion of the Orwellian Permanent War , and ecological disasters are supportive of the global depopulation scheme in play?
In any case, the Fukushima meltdown is a slow-burning apocalyptic event that desperately needs our attention.
For more background, please view the following video summary:
Read more articles from Alex Pietrowski . About the Author
Alex Pietrowski is an artist and writer concerned with preserving good health and the basic freedom to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com and Offgrid Outpost , a provider of storable food and emergency kits . Alex is an avid student of Yoga and life.
This article ( Fukushima – The Untouchable Eco-Apocalypse No One is Talking About ) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to AlexPietrowski and WakingTimes.com . It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement. | 0 | [
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FMD3767 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: You know how we can tell Rand Paul s campaign for president is out of money and out of hope?He produced a cartoon that attacks his former ally in the Senate, Ted Cruz, which features ugly, simplistic animation and voices performed by a cheap online vocal processor, Xtranormal style.The cartoon shows two stick figures, a man and a woman, standing in a the middle of nowhere discussing how Ted Cruz borrowed money from Goldman Sachs, while also accepting huge donations from the financial sector and special interests to pay for his campaign for U.S. Senate.The title of the video? Audit the Ted. Get it? The characters suggest we should engage in a process similar to the conspiracy theory meme about auditing the Federal Reserve.Here s a typical exchange:MALE STICK FIGURE: Does the Goldman Sachs want to audit the Fed? FEMALE STICK FIGURE: I don t think so. They are the Fed. Huh?The male stick figure goes on to pitch Rand Pand, saying in his inexplicably British-sounding robot voice, He is for individual liberty, the free market and auditing the Fed. Yes, Rand Paul is for individual liberty except for a woman s individual liberty to have a safe and legal abortion, or to acquire inexpensive birth control through Obamacare, which Rand Paul wants to repeal.The female stick figure, whose stick figure lady parts aren t included in Rand Paul s definition of individual liberty, replies, Yes, I like this Rand Paul. And his hair. Maybe he should audit the Ted as well. Now we know for sure it s a robot voice. No living human being would say they liked Rand Paul s ridiculous wig.The cartoon is part of an Audit the Ted website being launched by the Rand Paul campaign, targeting Ted Cruz s failure to vote on an audit-the-Fed bill proposed just before the president s final State of the Union address. The whole thing is a huge pander to the Alex Jones wing of the GOP.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdxyDPl9Wl0&w=560&h=315]Featured image via video screen grab. | 0 | [
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FMD3768 | 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: Parkland Memorial Hospital and Illegal Immigrants Claim summaries: Fact Check: Were 70% of the women who gave birth at Parkland Hospital in 2006 illegal immigrants?
contextual information: Claim: 70% of the women who gave birth at Parkland Memorial Hospital in the first three months of 2006 were illegal immigrants. Example: [Collected via e-mail, 2006] Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas is a fairly famous institution and for a variety of reasons: 1. John F. Kennedy died there in 19632. Lee Harvey Oswald died there shortly after3. Jack Ruby, who killed Lee Harvey Oswald, died there a few years later by coincidence On the flip side, Parkland is also home to the second busiest maternity ward in the country with almost 16,000 new babies arriving each year. (That's almost 44 per day every day) A recent patient survey indicated that 70 percent of the women who gave birth at Parkland in the first three months of 2006 were illegal immigrants.' Crikey, that's 11,200 anchor babies born every year just in Dallas. According to the article, the hospital spent $70.7 million delivering 15,938 babies in 2004 but managed to end up with almost $8 million dollars in surplus funding. Medicaid kicked in $34.5 million, Dallas County taxpayers kicked in $31.3 million and the feds tossed in another $9.5 million. The average patient in Parkland's maternity wards is 25 years old, married and giving birth to her second child. She is also an illegal immigrant. By law, pregnant women cannot be denied medical care based on their immigration status or ability to pay. OK, fine. That doesn't mean they should receive better care than everyday, middle-class American citizens. But at Parkland Hospital, they do. Parkland Memorial Hospital has nine prenatal clinics. NINE. The Dallas Morning News article followed a Hispanic woman who was a patient at one of the clinics and pregnant with her third child her previous two were also born at Parkland. Her first two deliveries werefree and the Mexican native was grateful because it would have cost $200 to have them in Mexico. This time, the hospital wants her to pay $10 per visit and $100 for the delivery but she was unsure if she could come up with the money. Not that it matters, the hospital won't turn her away. (I wonder why they even bother asking at this point.) How long has this been going on? What are the long-term effects? Well, another subject of the article was born at Parkland in 1986 shortly after her mother entered the U.S. illegally now she is having her own child there as well. (That's right, she's technically a U.S. citizen.) These women receive free prenatal care including medication, nutrition, birthing classes and child care classes. They also get freebies such as car seats, bottles, diapers and formula. Most of these things are available to American citizens as well but only for low-income applicants and even then, the red tape involved is almost insurmountable. Because these women are illegal immigrants they do not have to provide any sort of legitimate identification no proof of income. An American citizen would have to provide a social security number which would reveal their annual income an illegal immigrant need only claim to be poor and the hospital must take them at their word. My husband is a pilot for the United States Navy (yes, he fought in Iraq) and while the health care is good, we Navy wives don't get any of these perks! Car seats? Diapers? Not so much. So my question is this: Does our public medical care system treat illegal immigrants better than American citizens? Yes it does! As I mentioned, the care I have received is perfectly adequate but it's bare bones, meat and potato medical care not top of line. Their (the illegals) medical care is free simply because they are illegal immigrants? Once again, there is no way to verify their income. Parkland Hospital offers indigent care to Dallas County earn less than $40,000 per year. (They also have to prove that they did not refuse health coverage at their current job. Yeah, the 'free' care is not so easy for Americans.) There are about 140 patients who received roughly $4 million dollars for un-reimbursed medical care. As it turns out, they did not qualify for free treatment because they resided outside of Dallas County. So the hospital is going to sue them! Illegals get it all free! But U.S. citizens who live outside of Dallas County get sued! How stupid is this? As if that isn't annoying enough, the illegal immigrant patients are actually complaining about hospital staff not speaking Spanish. In this AP story, the author speaks with a woman who is upset that she had to translate comments from the hospital staff into Spanish for her husband. The doctor was trying to explain the situation to the family and the mother was forced to translate for her husband who only spoke Spanish. This was apparently a great injustice to her. In an attempt to create a Spanish-speaking staff, Parkland Hospital is now providing incentives in the form of extra pay for applicants who speak Spanish. Additionally, medical students at the University of Texas Southwestern for which Parkland Hospital is the training facility will now have a Spanish language requirement added to their already jammed-packed curriculum. No other school in the country boasts such a ridiculous multi-semester (multicultural) requirement. Origins: Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital is familiar even to many non-Texans as the site where both President John F. Kennedy and his assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald (who was himself shot by Jack Ruby), were transported for emergency life-saving procedures in November 1963. Now, in 2006, Parkland Memorial is well known for its maternity program, which includes nine prenatal clinics and employs 72 doctors training to become obstetricians-gynecologists and 45 nurse-midwives. According to the Dallas Morning News, in 2005 Parkland Memorial staff delivered 15,590 babies, an average of more than 42 infants per day. In a pair of June 2006 articles, the Morning News reported that a recent patient survey indicated 70% of the women who gave birth at Parkland in the first three months of 2006 were illegal immigrants (while a similar New York Times article pegged the yearly tally for 2005 as "at least 56%"). The hospital spent $70.7 million delivering babies born there in 2004, with taxpayers covering about 40% of the costs ($31.3 million) directly, and federal and state funds (primarily Medicaid) making up the remainder. Because of large payments from the Medicaid system, Parkland still ended 2004 with a $7.9 million surplus in obstetrics. A recent hospital analysis concluded that the average maternity ward patient at Parkland is a 25-year-old, married Hispanic woman giving birth to her second child. The Parkland staff does not ask maternity patients whether they are illegal immigrants, so the preponderance of illegal aliens among this group has to be inferred through other means.) (Under the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act [EMTALA], hospitals are obligated to provide care to pregnant women in need of emergency help, and those that fail to do so are subject to fines of up to $50,000 per violation and exclusion from Medicare and state health care programs.) EMTALA Parkland's policies contrast with those of the public hospital system in neighboring Tarrant County: Uninsured Hispanic immigrants with uncertain immigration status have flocked in recent years to public hospital emergency rooms and maternity wards in Texas, California and other border states. Their care has swelled costs for struggling hospitals and increased the health care bills that fall to states and counties, giving ammunition to opponents of illegal immigration who complain of undue burdens on local taxpayers. As a result, health care has become one of the sorest issues in the border states' debate over illegal immigration. Facing harsh criticism from residents, public hospitals are confronted with an uneasy decision: demand immigration documents from patients and deny subsidized care to those who lack them, or follow the public health principle of providing basic care to anyone who needs it. In Texas, two of the biggest public hospitals chose differently. The Parkland Health and Hospital System, which serves Dallas County, offers low-cost care to low-income residents with no questions asked about immigration status. "I don't want my doctors and nurses to be immigration agents," said Dr. Ron J. Anderson, the president of Parkland. "We decided that these are folks living in our community and we needed to render the care." In Fort Worth, in neighboring Tarrant County, JPS Health Network requires foreign-born patients to show legal immigration documents to receive financial assistance in nonemergencies, like elective surgery and the treatment of routine or chronic illnesses. Executives said that their first responsibility was to legal residents, but that they were uncomfortable about having to make such distinctions. Administrators from both hospital systems indicated that some of the common assumptions made about immigrants who seek medical care at those facilities (and at other Texas hospitals) are misconceptions: While Texas border hospitals often get "anchor babies" children of Mexican women who dart across the border to give birth to an American citizen most illegal immigrants who go to major hospitals in Texas can show that they have been living here for years, said Ernie Schmid, policy director at the Texas Hospital Association. Many immigrant families have mixed status; often a patient with no documents has a spouse or children who are legal. Most immigrant patients have jobs and pay taxes, through paycheck deductions or property taxes included in their rent, administrators at the Dallas and Fort Worth hospitals said. At both institutions, they have a better record of paying their bills than low-income Americans do, the administrators said. The largest group of illegal immigrant patients is pregnant women, hospital figures show. Contrary to popular belief here, their care is not paid for through local taxes. Under a 2002 amendment to federal regulations, the births are covered by federal taxes through Medicaid because their children automatically become American citizens. These cases are not affected by new regulations that went into effect on July 1 [2006] requiring Medicaid patients to provide proof of citizenship, Texas health officials said. They said they believed that only small numbers of illegal immigrants had received other Medicaid benefits. Last updated: 25 August 2015 Sources: Jacobsen, Sherry. "Parkland Is Brimming with Babies." Dallas Morning News. 11 June 2006. Jacobsen, Sherry. "Parkland Will Treat All Moms-to-Be." Dallas Morning News. 12 June 2006. Preston, Julia. "Texas Hospitals' Separate Paths Reflect the Debate on Immigration." The New York Times. 18 July 2006 (p. A1). | 0 | [
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FMD3769 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: France has appointed Philippe Leglise-Costa as its new permanent representative to the European Union (EU), replacing Pierre Sellal in a crucial role dealing with matters such as Brexit and the EU s budget. The experienced Leglise-Costa was EU adviser to former Socialist President Fran ois Hollande, when current President Emmanuel Macron was deputy chief of staff. It s a key position, said government spokesman Castaner, commenting on the appointment. He is certainly the one who knows European topics the best. | 1 | [
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FMD3770 | 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: Photograph Shows Alton Sterling with Children, Guns Claim summaries: A years-old image purports to show a man who was fatally shot by police in July 2016.
contextual information: On 7 July 2016, a photograph purportedly showing Alton Sterling and two of his children holding guns was posted to the "White Rights" section of Reddit. There is no evidence, however, that the man pictured in this image is the same man who was shot and killed by police officers in Baton Rouge. The image displayed above has been circulating since at least 2010 (a time stamp on the image shows it was taken even earlier in 2007) when it was posted to comedian Dan Goodman's "Ghetto MySpace" web, where it was accompanied by several other images of this family: Ghetto MySpace A few of these photographs have also been featured on "Parenting Fails" lists. While Goodman did not provide an exact source for the images displayed here, the pictures from "Ghetto Myspace" were purportedly culled from real MySpace profiles: Parenting Fails GhettoMyspace.net, recently featured on Tosh.0, Bossip.com, and Death and Taxes Mag, is a site dedicated to real photos from peoples myspace profiles. On this site you will find kids with guns, drug dealing, ghetto booty, hood funerals, and in general people having a great time. May we all have as much fun as the people in the pictures. Goodman removed the post containing these images from Ghettomyspace.net shortly after this article was published. He explained the decision in an email, writing that he wanted "zero association" with the community claiming that the images showed Alton Sterling: I've deleted the post. I want zero association with that community. I'm saddened anyone would use these pictures in how i'm guessing they're using them. I don't think it's him and furthermore if you look closely all the guns in the picture are Airsoft guns and not the real thing. Ghettomyspace was always meant to be funny and more commentary on the crazy stuff people share on social media and the gun culture, and at the time the social divide that was happening in 2010 when some people were only on myspace and some were only on facebook. There is no evidence that this image is of Alton Sterling (it bears little more than a passing resemblance to later photographs of him) or that it came from Sterling's MySpace profile: | 2 | [
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FMD3771 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Well, here s a Twitter post that backfired on Donald Trump.Over the weekend, billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns a stake in Fox News, along with several other princes and former cabinet officials, were arrested for corruption by order of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.Ironically, Trump tweeted out his support of the sweeping arrests on Monday.I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing . Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2017 .Some of those they are harshly treating have been milking their country for years! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2017Let that sink in for a minute. Donald Trump, the man who has literally spent every moment of his adult life milking his own country and continues to do so now from the Oval Office, agrees that people who do what he does should be treated harshly.Trump and his administration are currently under investigation for colluding with a foreign state to undermine our democratic process. Trump is also a tax evader and has made deals with some very shady people including people with mob and terrorist connections.In fact, Trump s own tax plan would especially benefit him and his family. And he has placed his own family members in high White House positions, all while using the executive branch to promote his businesses, all of which violates ethics rules.Some Twitter users pointed out the irony and hypocrisy of Trump s tweet.Like your team is doing??? pic.twitter.com/51L89Rrnfs sweetsallysue (@sweetsallysue) November 7, 2017RELEASE YOUR TAXES and we'll see who has been "milking" their country for years! #PutinsPuppet #FakePresident RandeMande (@almondleafer) November 7, 2017Like you have been milking US for years? #Traitor Reap what you sow (@2017moderate) November 7, 2017That is a hilarious statement coming from you, that's exactly what you are doing to us. jbarton (@jlbarton618) November 6, 2017Make no mistake, Trump has milked the United States more than anyone and he intends to milk much more out of taxpayers unless he is removed from office and put in prison where he belongs.Featured Image: Drew Angerer/Getty Images | 0 | [
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FMD3772 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Patrick Henningsen 21st Century WireRemember when the Obama Administration told the world how it hoped to identify 5,000 reliable non-jihadist moderate rebels hanging out in Turkey and Jordan, who might want to fight for Washington in Syria? After all the drama over its infamous train and equip program to create their own Arab army in Syria, they want to give it another try.This week, Pentagon officials announced their new plan to train up to 7,000 more moderate fighters, but this time the project would take place inside Syria (and to hell with international law).We re told that this was requested by Ankara, and with all NATO allies singing the same hymn claiming that this new effort will help in securing Turkey s porous border with Syria, or so the story goes. Washington s political cover for this is fashioned from the popular post-Paris theme: to protect civilized Europe from invading hordes and the terrorists who hide among them, as stated in the Wall Street Journal: The program would address part of the tense and long-running dialogue between Washington and Ankara over sealing the border, which Western governments have long complained is an avenue for extremists to leave Syria and travel internationally, The timing of this announcement seemed uncanny against the backdrop of an unlikely ISIS suicide bomb terrorist attack, in Turkey, of all places, where the victims just happened to be 14 German tourists, feeding perfectly into Europe s new binary fear set of terrorism and immigration. Shades of GLADIO, undoubtedly (but you won t see western journalists entertaining such conspiracy theories).Our friends at Nation Builders Inc are banking on the global public suffering from Syria fatigue, but now is the time to really pay attention. The west s real agenda for the region is starting to unfold Despite all of US-led Coalition s scandals, lies, epic failures, false flags and official conspiracy theories, the mainstream narrative on Syria persists. It s on our TV screens and in our newspapers constantly from Los Angeles to London, from Paris to Riyadh, every politician and pundit seems to have an opinion about, what to do with Syria? Everyone, except the Syria people themselves, who like the people of Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen and ever other country that s found itself under the cleaver of western interests are never afforded any say in their own destiny. As is tradition in Washington, London and Paris, the only Syrian voices which count are the ones who have been hand-picked by western technocrats and approved by the Saudi royal family to form their ever-changing recognized government-in-exile, the Syrian National Council. Currently, that could be Riad Hijab, George Sabra or Khaled Khoja. Next week, it could be three others, depending on who has fallen in, or out of favor with Washington or Riyadh.To anyone who was listening close enough early on in the conflict, you would have heard determined members of the western-backed Syrian Opposition admitting how they would, make a deal with the devil if that s what it takes to win power. Four years later, we now see that is exactly what happened, but whether you believe that this devil is US-led Coalition, or terrorist armies fighting groups (or both) might be cause for debate. Others will argue over which is the bigger devil is it the Wahabist-Salafist terrorist brigades like al Nusra Front and Islamic State, or is it the West and its GCC partners?The unfortunate reality is that these two devils are not mutually exclusive. The West and its partners not only created this terror crisis, but did so with the intent of unveiling a grand solution to the problem.Plans A-ZThe terrorist enclave in Syria is designed for purpose to implant a hostile metastasis right in the middle of the very territory which neocolonial powers plan to tear away from the barely sovereign nations of Iraq and Syria.Since 2011, the western-led cartel has deployed various levels of international subterfuge in Syria, starting with Plan A: the Arab Spring method igniting a popular street uprising that might capture the world s attention for 15 minutes enough to generate some high-quality evocative imagery and a social media storm to carry memes of liberty around the globe, inspiring the people on the streets (and on Twitter) to demand change . Their cries for freedom would then be backed up by the US State Department, along with its functionaries at Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International America, and other Open Society Institute-funded NGOs and human rights organizations. Obviously, this did not work. Next, Plan B: the political opposition suddenly transcended into an armed, paramilitary opposition, followed by brutal violence and killing on both sides. The US and its allies wasted no time, pledging weapons, training, cash and logistical support to the armed opposition. The west set up its own parallel government for Syria abroad, but it failed to gain any traction with the Syria people. Then came Plan C: this opposition would be quickly overrun and absorbed into a massive array of mostly foreign jihadi and mercenary soldiers of misfortune and other assorted terrorists. This fed into an already established War on Terror western narrative. Now the west had a familiar entry point into the fight. The Washington-London-Paris-Tel-Aviv-Riyadh-Doha-Ankara Axis hoped that these terrorists would do the job of overthrowing the government of Bashar al Assad in Damascus, and collapse the country into a spirally pit of sectarian and tribal chaos. Who could blame them? After all, it worked in Libya in late 2011.Fast forward to 2016, having failed to overthrow Assad and implode the nation-state of Syria, the men and women of Nation Builders Inc and their muscles in Brussels (NATO), are quickly moving to Plan D: take territory. That s not to say plans A through D weren t always in the schematics they certainly were, and further back than many people would dare to speculate.We now know from Wikileaks cables that this operation goes back to at least 2006, but in reality, it s probably much earlier than that. Taking the long view of history and the audacious building, and rebuilding, of a Euro-centric empire in the Middle East, one could say the process began the day the Sykes-Picot Agreement was signed in 1916. Concealed between those post-colonial lines drawn exactly 100 years ago, was the latent potential for the very conflicts and uncivil wars we are seeing today. If those borders are redrawn once again, you can be certain that they will be drawn by the very same powers involved a century ago. Whatever the arrangement, it will be to weaken, not strengthen the region, and certainly not strengthen any of the present nation states in the region, especially Syria. Proprietary powers will want any new states to be stuck in a perpetual state of neocolonial dependency, with an emphasis on financial and security dependency.Mice and Men21WIRE was one of the first news sources to warn about Washington s initial impulse back in 2014 when it began calling for a No Fly Zone in Northern Syria. It was clear that a problem, reaction, solution dialectic was in play, with ISIS being the object of the public s reaction. That plan might have come to fruition in the fall of 2015, but a funny thing happened on the way to the UN General Assembly in New York City. Later that week, Russia announced that it would be inserting itself, and its Air Force, into the Syrian quagmire, and with that, thwarted any master plan for a US-Turkey (NATO) controlled No Fly Zone along the Turkish-Syrian border. Suffice to say, that Russia already knew NATO s next move and acted accordingly, and with purpose.When asked two days ago about the prospect of the Washington DC latest brainchild, Train and Equip 2.0, this time inside Syria, here were my initial thoughts: We now know why, and it has more to do with what s beneath the sand than what s on top.As any good pirate will tell you if you want to claim your share of the booty, you have to do your share of the killing. The Truth About Train and Equip The previous train and equip program ended with Washington s military brass paraded in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, before being roundly lambasted for failing to train even a handful of moderate rebels , this after being awarded $500 million by the US taxpayer to get er done. When originally announced amid much fanfare, the public were told that the US government, in conjunction with the CIA, would be arming and training moderate militants in Turkey, Jordan or at a base in Saudi Arabia before sending them to fight inside Syria. Washington claims that these new trainees were meant to fight ISIS, and not the Syrian government forces, but judging by the unwavering regime change rhetoric from the west, it would be highly naive to think that all this was strictly for ISIS.Nine months into the train and equip project, US Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III, acknowledged in Sept. 2015 that they had only managed to get four or five on the battlefield by then. Not one member of the media challenged this statement, probably because most were happy with the answer given one which gave any hawkish critics of the Obama administration the pound of flesh they wanted and served to only intensify more calls before the new year for US boots on the ground in Syria. Doves loved it because it seemed to prove that backing proxies doesn t work, and that the best solution was to call it quits. For the sanguine mainstream media, it served-up that all-too familiar government narrative, of a cock-up, not a cover-up. This is the media s natural default position. In other words, Well, it didn t work out, but that s nothing new with our incompetent government. Nothing to see here, move along. To ask how the money disappeared, or really inquire into how it costs $500 million to train only five men apparently was way too much work for the media. Not one journalist stopped to ask, if only 5 fighters were trained and dispatched, then what happened to the half a billion dollars?The real answer to that question should be self-evident to anyone studying reports on the ground in Syria, and is way too uncomfortable for the US media to stomach that the US train and equip program provided the necessary official cover to allow the prosecution of a dirty war under the table. It wasn t a failure like fall guy Gen. Lloyd Austin will have you believe, it was a success.Judging by the proliferation of heavy weaponry and other lethal arms that have made it into the hands of al Qaeda in Syria (al Nusra Front), ISIS, Jaysh al Islam and others it s clear that Uncle Sam s generous donation of $500 million has definitely been used to equip, if not train, those rebels in Syria.Middle East commentator and analyst Sharmine Narwani explains the West s perennial dilemma when trying to identify who their moderates are in Syria: For years, Washington has insisted there are armed moderate groups in Syria, but have gone to great lengths to avoid naming these moderates. Why? Because if moderates were named and identified, the US would have to be very, very certain that no past, present or future atrocity video would surface to prove otherwise. And the US could not guarantee this with any of the groups they have armed, trained or financed in Syria over the past five years. The next train and equip round will be more focused, and will be used to secure the following The map above is from July 2015, but still represents the current military chessboard in Syria.Safe Zone = Sunnistan Somehow it feels like 1998 all over again, with bad memories of the KLA in Kosovo, imported jihadist fighters in Bosnia, and NATO lording over a newly balkanized region.When you hear US officials like John McCain or clueless Republican presidential candidates like Marco Rubio or Carly Fiorina, all crowing for a Safe Zone in northern Syria, this is what they are referring to (see map above). Their safe zone just so happens to be in the exact same area where ISIS is currently holding court. It s a safe zone alright, but not for refugees and Syrians fleeing the evil Bashar al Assad rather, the safe zone will be for an array of rebel and terrorist fighters, part of a defacto Sunni state-lette in waiting.So the US-led Coalition s safe zone is the very Caliphate that Americans are decrying.For anyone requiring proof that such a grand chessboard is in play in Syria, they need look no further than a set of US airstrikes that took place before Christmas. On December 6, 2015, US fighter bombers struck a Syrian military base located in the village of Ayyash in Deir Ezzor Province, east of Raqqa, which killed 3 Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers and wounded additional others. Naturally, the Pentagon swiftly denied that any such attack took place. What happened after this incident was extremely telling, as explained by global affairs analyst Mike Whitney from Counterpunch Magazine: It s also worth noting, that according to South Front military analysis, the US bombing raid coincided with a a full-scale ISIS offensive on the villages of Ayyash and Bgelia. In other words, the US attack provided sufficient air-cover for ISIS terrorists to carry out their ground operations. Was that part of the plan or was it merely a coincidence? So the US air force was coordinating with ISIS boots on the ground, to achieve a common military objective. But it didn t end there. Less than 24 hours after the attack, US warplanes bombed the village of Al-Khan in north-eastern Syria killing 26 Syrian civilians including at least four women and seven children and four women. The message the US military is sending with these lethal attacks is that it wants to control the air-space over east Syria where it plans to remove ISIS and establish a de facto Sunni state consistent with its scheme to break Syria and Iraq into smaller cantons governed by local warlords, Islamic fanatics, and US puppets. Also taking place at the same moment on Dec 6th, was Turkey s quiet little invasion into northern Iraq, sending hundreds of troops and at least 20 tanks into territory north of Mosul, right between the Kurds and ISIS. It should be noted that this illegal incursion by NATO member Turkey was not approved by the Iraqi government in Baghdad, and Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi called for Turkey to immediately withdraw its troops. Judging by Washington s silence on the matter, it s obvious that the US gave Turkey its full blessing. Here, Zero Hedge astutely points out the obvious: Most importantly of all, right on what Al-Araby al-Jadeed claims is the smuggling route for illegal ISIS crude into Turkey from Iraq. Not surprisingly, Turkey s sudden move also came at the same time that Russia began to publicly expose Turkey s clandestine role in facilitating the ISIS oil trade, as well as launching airstrikes to destroy ISIS oil convoys moving from Syria into Turkey. And then Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdo an (photo, left) places his military assets at the very location where stolen ISIS oil makes its way from Iraq into Turkey? Hardly a coincidence.Make no mistake, both ends of NATO s military axle, the United States and Turkey, along with their Saudi-backed boots on the ground in ISIS and al Nusra have each made critical strategic moves in unison, and with a specific military purpose each time, nudging towards securing territory. Once each key piece is finally in position, all that is required is a new crisis , either in the region, or in Europe, or in America to allow the Axis powers to move in quickly and take what is needed to implement the next phase of the game, whether that s creating a Kurdish canton, or a Sunni state-lette. Such moves will rarely be covered by the western international media.To be perfectly clear, the terms Sunni and Shia are the favored sectarian lexicon used by Nation Builders Inc and its international partners in Riyadh and Tel Aviv. My intention here is not to reduce the Muslim world down to this paradigm, but the architects of instability will use these terms, over and over in their attempt to both marginalize and dehumanized Muslims for their own selfish ends.What s the safe zone for? As the US-led Coalition steps up its 18 month-long Punch n Judy air operation to supplant ISIS from Raqqa, those western-backed jihadis will later require a safe corridor to flee but still remain connected to their Turkish supply lines. Washington s safe zone would also provide a much-needed safe haven for rebels who have been sent packing by the Syrian government from towns like Homs and others, as part of a painstaking disarming and reconciliation process between the Assad government and opposition rebels who are willing to participate in the program. Once the NATO-GCC Axis has established a mini protectorate inside of Syria, this will provide everything ISIS, al Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, Turkmens et all will need; a secure launching pad for incursions further inside Syria which will certainly guarantee a longer, protracted conflict in Syria and beyond.This little Sunni wedge is also conveniently located next to a large rebel-terrorist contingent in Syria s northwestern Idlib governorate (province). Syria s border with Turkey has been porous from the beginning of the conflict, so the proposed safe zone will allow Turkey to maintain this status quo where it has been continuously allowing the free-flow of weapons, rebels and terrorist fighters alike, along with oil, narcotics and human trafficking to move freely through its southern border with Syria.If regime change rhetoric is anything to go by, along with turning a blind eye to NATO member Turkey s role in facilitating supply lines and safe passage for al Qaeda and ISIS, then Washington s agenda is fairly transparent here. If they can establish a internationally recognized safe zone and a No-Fly Zone on top of it, central planners believe they will have the platform they need to eventually destroy Damascus, install their own western puppet, and then carve up Syria and northern Iraq accordingly. ISIS RAT-LINES: Black market oil has been a key component to carrying on both conflicts in Syria, and Iraq.For the architects of instability in Washington, one crucial benefit of carving out Sunni territory in both northern and eastern Syria is that available oil will help fund all of their paramilitary and terrorist needs making it sustainable. To guarantee this uninterrupted income stream from black market oil which is presently making its way out of Syria and into Turkey and via Kurdistan, help is required from the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and other stakeholders, including the British-Turkish firm Genel Energy, just one firm who is providing the end-run to market for illicit ISIS oil. Ditto for a key mover and shaker in Raqqa s new Rockefeller class, Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish president, who according to numerous recent reports has already amassed a small fortune from the lucrative oil-for-terror trade.This is a problem, but one which Washington, London and Paris are not overly concerned with, much less upset about. Iraqi, Kurdish and Turkish opposition officials have accused Turkish governments and the KRG of deliberately allowing some of these smuggling operations to take place.Even as provisional state-lettes and cantons are conjured around it, there is no guarantee that Greater Kurdistan will ever see the light of day if Nation Builders Inc having anything to say bout it. The promise of Greater Kurdistan is as important to neocolonialists, than the reality of a Greater Kurdistan. Turkey also has its own interests and ambitions, and a Greater Kurdistan is not compatible with them. Iraq is not crazy about the idea either, because of obvious financial and energy resource reasons. So they remain in limb indefinitely, even as smaller quasi-Kurdish entities sprout up around the KRG. Turkey has its own ongoing Kurdish problem within Turkish borders, so Ankara will naturally view any expressions of Kurdish autonomy around it as a threat and potential inspiration for international Kurdish solidarity. Ruling over the Kurds means keeping them divided, and playing them off against their neighbors.There are those within the Turkish establishment who believe there are old scores still unsettled in reclaiming Turk territory in both Syria and Iraq.SEE ALSO: SPECIAL REPORT: ISIS Oil? Follow the Money (Back to Europe)Here is where Sunnistan proper can emerge, coming into its own once set pieces are in place in Iraq and across Kurdistan, as Mike Whitney explained: So it looks like an agreement has been struck between Turkey, the KRG and the United States to seize parts of northern Iraq and eastern Syria to create a de facto Sunni state that will be jointly-controlled by Ankara and Washington. It also looks like Obama has agreed to use dodgy jihadi-proxies (aka Terrorists) to work alongside US Special Forces to carry out future military operations. So while the effort to remove Assad has been temporarily put on the backburner, the determination to destroy Syria is as strong as ever. Another dismembered part of old Syria and Iraq which central planners are hoping to hack-off is an area called Rojava (see map above), or Western Kurdistan . This region in northern Syria, formerly known as Syrian Kurdistan, gained its autonomy in November 2013 as part of the ongoing Rojava Revolution. The Kurdish defense forces here are known as the YPG (People s Defense Units) and are not on friendly footing with neighboring Turkey, for a number of reasons, not least of all because YPG defense forces present resistance to both al Nusra and ISIS encroachments into all three Rojava cantons. For Turkey, this is bad for business. How Rojava will factor into Washington s plans is not clear yet, but it occupies the most strategic squares on the chessboard.Make no mistake, the history s actors are all in for this plan. Do not be fooled by talk of peace and stability or humanitarian platitudes from western leaders, the UN, or the fair weather international community.Another indication that these plans have the full backing of the neoconservative illiterati, and Israel too, was PNAC walrus and former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton s recent article in the establishment s daily journal of political posterity, the New York Times, where he states: Today s reality is that Iraq and Syria as we have known them are gone. The Islamic State has carved out a new entity from the post-Ottoman Empire settlement, mobilizing Sunni opposition to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and the Iran-dominated government of Iraq. Also emerging, after years of effort, is a de facto independent Kurdistan. Central planners will happily frame this geopolitical scenario within the preferred theme of Sunni vs Shia sectarian strife in the region, which just happens to suit the interests and desires of both Saudi Arabia and Israel. Bolton confirms this: If, in this context, defeating the Islamic State means restoring to power Mr. Assad in Syria and Iran s puppets in Iraq, that outcome is neither feasible nor desirable. Rather than striving to recreate the post-World War I map, Washington should recognize the new geopolitics. The best alternative to the Islamic State in northeastern Syria and western Iraq is a new, independent Sunni state. Not so fast Mr. Ambassador. The Islamic State is the Sunni State.So for all intents and purposes, he s calling for the establishment of the Caliphate (funny how this goes right over the heads of conservatives ). This is just one of many geostrategic moves which will guarantee instability and military conflict in the region for another 100 years, as well as provide a timely entr e through to Azerbaijan and into Iran, and later towards the Eurasian heartland of Dagestan (Russia s emerging energy center and geographic underbelly).In the meantime, expect to be pelted with endless propaganda about starving children in one town or another, changing week to week with the usual slogans like, we must act now! , and blaming Bashar al Assad for the suffering of his people. It s already wearing thin.Until the US and its NATO-GCC Axis stops flooding Syria and the region with weapons and terrorist fighters, and continues its policy of toppling secular nation-states then any attempt at holding peace talks will end up back at square one, and stand as another exercise in futility.If the Syrian conflict has been good for one thing (and that s not to say it has), it s that the scripted western narrative, in all of its variations, has finally hit the wall of truth.***Author Patrick Henningsen is a writer, lecturer and global affairs analyst for international TV and radio. He is also the founder and co-editor of 21stCenturyWire.com.READ MORE SYRIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Syria Files | 0 | [
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FMD3773 | 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: Silicon Valley Bank donated $73M to 'BLM Movement' Claim summaries: A conservative think tank reported that since 2020, Silicon Valley Bank donated or pledged to donate more than $70 million to causes related to the Black Lives Matter movement.
contextual information: After Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, some pundits and news organizations suggestedwithout evidencethat woke investments contributed to the collapse. Silicon Valley Bank donated $73M to BLM Movement, one March 15 Newsmaxheadlinecirculating on social media read. Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson andJesse Wattersalso made similar claims. Silicon Valley Bank brace yourself spent more than $73 million on donations to BLM and related organizations, CarlsonsaidMarch 14. The Newsmax article and similarpostswere flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about ourpartnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.) The Newsmax article pointed to adatabasefrom the Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank. The database tracks pledges and contributions to the BLM movement and related causes, according to the institute. In the databases explanatory notes, the institute said its definition of the BLM movement includes organizations such as Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation; Movement for Black Lives; grassroots groups; independent BLM chapters; the fiscal sponsors of BLM organizations; and BLM partners such as the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union. The Claremont Institute defined Black Lives Matter related causes as organizations and initiatives that advance one or more aspects of BLMs agenda. However, Black Lives Matter is not one entity with a set agenda. It is a decentralized international activistmovementwith no formal hierarchy. The Claremont Institute and Silicon Valley Bank did not respond to PolitiFacts requests for comment. An institute spokespersontold MarketWatchthat most of Silicon Valley Banks roughly $70.5 million in contributions fell in the related causes category. He also said the bank donated to the NAACP and ACLU. The banks charitable contributions included in Claremonts $70 million-plus total went primarily to groups and initiatives with no clear tie to the Black Lives Matter movement: A 2021 pledge to invest more than $50 million over five years into the banksAccess to Innovation program, which works to connect people who are often underrepresented in the innovation economy including women, Blacks and Latinos with hiring, mentorship, educational and networking opportunities. A $20 million donation that the banksaidwould be used to support COVID-19 relief; a needs-based scholarship program; economic development; and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. A 2-to-1 matchingcampaignthe bank created in 2020 for employees who donated their money or time to social justice organizations. A $250,000 allocation from the Silicon Valley Bank Foundation to support grants for social justice organizations where bank employees volunteer. A prominent Black Lives Matter organization, Black Lives Matter Global Foundation Network, told PolitiFact in a statement that the Black Lives Matter movement includes thousands of organizations, so there is no way for the group to say with certainty whether Silicon Valley Bank donated to any one of them. The group also said the banks possible contributions to Black causes are irrelevant to what caused the banks collapse. Flags fly in Black Lives Matter Plaza as President Joe Biden is sworn in during 59th Presidential Inauguration, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington. (AP) A report in the newsletterPopular Informationfound an error in the databases calculations: Nearly $3 million in contributions that the database had initially counted occurred in 2019, not 2020. The Claremont Institute, which started tracking this data in 2020, updated the database to reflect that information, meaning the banks total contributions for 2020 were $70.65 million, rather than over $73 million, as the initial claims said. As of March 22, Newsmax had not corrected its headline to reflect that change. Facebook posts claimed Silicon Valley Bank donated $73M to 'BLM Movement.' The claim stemmed from a database kept by the Claremont Institute. It showed that since 2020, Silicon Valley Bank had donated or pledged to donate more than $70 million to causes related to the Black Lives Matter movement. The institute defined related causes as organizations and initiatives that advance one or more aspects of BLMs agenda. Black Lives Matter is not one entity with a set agenda; it is a decentralized international activist movement with no formal hierarchy. A close look at the Claremont list shows that Silicon Valley Banks charitable contributions went primarily to groups and initiatives with no clear association to the Black Lives Matter movement. We rate this claim False. RELATED:Was Silicon Valley Bank demise caused by Trump easing regulation, 'woke' efforts, or something else? | 0 | [
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FMD3774 | 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 it advisable to refrain from receiving a flu vaccination? Claim summaries: Its flu season, and that means a whole new wave of recycled anti-vaccine fearmongering.
contextual information: Every flu season sees an increase in viral web stories making largely unsubstantiated allegations about the health risks of the flu shot that include claims about their scary-sounding ingredients, connections to a variety of diseases (including Alzheimer's), and their supposed lack of efficacy in general: The pharmaceutical industry, medical experts and the mainstream media are candid in telling us that flu vaccines contain strains of the flu virus. What they are less likely to reveal though is the long list of other ingredients that come with the vaccine. It is now a known fact that flu vaccines contain mercury, a heavy metal known to be hazardous for human health. Mercury toxicity can cause depression, memory loss, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory problems, ADD, oral health problems, digestive imbalances and other serious health issues. The article quoted above, which is representative of the text and claims that appear nearly identically in hundreds of Facebook posts, makes a number of claims that need to be investigated on their own merits: identically Claim: The flu shot makes you sick to begin with. Flu shots work by introducing dead (inactivated) strains of influenza virus, which trigger your immune system to create antibodies to fight those strains. These antibodies make your body more prepared to fight if should it be exposed to an active strain in the future. Because the strains are inactive, any sickness you develop after the shot is not caused by influenza, according to the Harvard Medical School: according The vaccine is made from an inactivated virus that can't transmit infection. So people who get sick after receiving a flu vaccination were going to get sick anyway. It takes a week or two to get protection from the vaccine. But people assume that because they got sick after getting the vaccine, the shot caused their illness. It is, of course, possible that feelings of sickness come from some of the side effects of the injection, but the vaccine itself is not infecting you in any way. side effects Claim: Flu vaccines contain other dangerous ingredients such as mercury. false Flu shots administered from multi-use vials may contain a preservative called thimerosal, which breaks down into ethylmercury in the body. Mercury is an element and as such it can be found in many different chemical forms. But when people are concerned about mercury toxicity, they are concerned about methylmercury, which is indeed toxic at high levels and could cause some of the problems listed above. may contain methylmercury Ethylmercury, on the other hand, passes through your body quickly, and numerous studies have found it safe for use in vaccines (though there is some evidence that its use could be problematic for infants a population that CDC does not recommend for flu shots anyway). Saying ethylmercury is dangerous because is contains mercury is like saying that your table salt is at risk of spontaneous combustion because it contains sodium. passes for infants recommend spontaneous combustion Thimerosal, additionally, has been used for decades by the anti-vaccine movement to stoke vaccination fear by suggesting it causes by suggesting it causes autism. This link has been discredited over, and over, and over, and over, and over again and is further compromised by the fact that autism rates are still climbing despite the fact that childhood vaccines no longer contain this ingredient. over over over over over climbing contain Claim: The flu shot can give you Alzheimer's disease. false The leading immunogeneticist Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, whom the article cites as the authority on this claim, had his medical license revoked in 1995 for ethical misconduct and was an outspoken proponent of the widely discredited MMR-autism link. His claim of the link between Alzheimer's and vaccines, though hard to trace, may or may not come from a talk he gave at the 1997 NVIC International Vaccine Conference. The statement has not been backed up by any published peer-reviewed research since then. In fact, a 2001 study found that adults exposed to vaccines were at a lower risk of Alzheimers. revoked in 1995 may or may not study Claim: The very people pushing flu vaccinations are making billions of dollars each year. Pharmaceutical companies (sometimes) profit from vaccines, but the fact that a company makes a profit is an appeal to emotion and is not evidence to support the claim of a faulty product or of nefarious intent. It also may not be accurate. A recent Atlantic article covered this question extensively, stating: article Not only do pediatricians and doctors often lose money on vaccine administration, it wasn't too long ago that the vaccine industry was struggling with slim profit margins and shortages. The Economist wrote that "for decades vaccines were a neglected corner of the drugs business, with old technology, little investment and abysmal profit margins. Many firms sold their vaccine divisions to concentrate on more profitable drugs." The suggestion of massive profits from flu shots ignores the fact that profits margins are generally much higher for other drugs than for flu vaccines, as well. The same Atlantic article cites one estimate that puts the vaccine market at around $24 billion. This sounds like a large number, but it would, in fact, account for only two to three percent of the pharmaceutical market worldwide. article Claim: There is a lack of real evidence that young children even benefit fromflu shots. Many anti-vaccine articles parrot the claim that "51 studies involving 260,000 children showed no benefit compared to a placebo for children under the age of two". This stems from a 2008 meta-analysis that did indeed conclude that there is less efficacy for children under the age of two, something the CDC already recognizes on their website. However, of the 51 studies analyzed and the 260,000 observations those studies included, only one study (at the time) was performed on children below the age of two using inactive strains (the kind found in flu shots). A later study in 2011 that reviewed over 5,000 research articles concluded that flu shots consistently show highest efficacy in young children (aged 6 months to 7 years), categorically rejecting the claim that there is a lack of real evidence that young children benefit from the shot. 2008 meta-analysis recognizes study Claim: The flu shot makes you more susceptible to pneumonia and other contagious diseases. false People with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of complications from vaccines when those vaccines contain live strains (which, again, the flu shot does not), and some skin reactions are possible immediately following an injection. risk possible However, the notion that the flu shot weakens the immune system is false. According to a review paper in the journal Pediatrics: paper Vaccines may cause temporary suppression of delayed-type hypersensitivity skin reactions or alter certain lymphocyte function tests in vitro. However, the short-lived immunosuppression caused by certain vaccines does not result in an increased risk of infections with other pathogens soon after vaccination. Claim: The flu shot causes vascular disorders such as fever, jaw pain, muscle aches, pain and stiffness in the neck, upper arms, shoulder and hips and headache. MISLEADING While the term vascular disorder is fear-inducing, it merely describes anything having to do with veins and arteries. The flu shot does not, de facto, cause any of these problems, but all the complications listed above are listed by the CDC as possible side effects. It is worth noting, however, that the flu will almost certainly give you some or all of these symptomsand with a much greater intensity than the symptoms resulting from a flu shot. CDC almost certainly give you some or all Claim: Children under the age of 1 are at risk of a neurotoxic breach of the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is the medical term for the chemical and physical adaptations humans and other animals have that prevent pathogens and other chemicals in the body from entering the central nervous system. For this claim about neurotoxic breach be true, an infant would have to have a relatively weaker blood-brain barrier than an adult. The idea that the barrier is weaker in young infants, however, is a long-held but unsubstantiated myth. Numerous studies have refuted the claim, showing that the blood-brain barrier is fully developed in the womb, long before a child is born. blood-brain barrier myth fully developed Claim: Flu shots carry an increased risk of narcolepsy. false There is a well-documented, though statistically minor, connection between a specific H1N1 flu vaccine (Pandemrix) and narcolepsy. But such reports concerned only that one vaccine, which was produced for a specific flu strain, and have limited relevance to the seasonal flu shot. Pandemrix is available in Europe but not the United States or Canada. well-documented connection not Claim: The flu shot weakens immunological responses. This claim, from a scientific standpoint, is a repeat of the earlier false claim (above) that suggests your body is more susceptible to infection or disease after a flu shot. Harmful immunological responses is a broad and unhelpful term that, while it may have aided in turning up literally thousands of responses in an academic search, is not really all that surprising as the term would includes the already documented risk of a skin and allergic reactions that come with pretty much any injection. already documented Claim: The flu shot can cause serious neurological disorders. false The neurological disorder specifically associated with flu vaccines is the Guillain-Barr Syndromea terrifying disease that causes nerve damage and sometimes paralysis. A widely cited study on a population of individuals who received the H1N1 vaccine in 1976 showed an increased risk of contracting this disease whose cause is unknown compared to those who did not receive the vaccine: Guillain-Barr Syndrome The Institute of Medicine (IOM) conducted a scientific review of this issue in 2003 and found that people who received the 1976 swine influenza vaccine had an increased risk for developing GBS. The increased risk was approximately one additional case of GBS for every 100,000 people who got the swine flu vaccine. Scientists have several theories about the cause, but the exact reason for this link remains unknown. The link between GBS and flu vaccination in other years is unclear, and if there is any risk for GBS after seasonal flu vaccines it is very small, about one in a million. Studies suggest that it is more likely that a person will get GBS after getting the flu than after vaccination. It is important to keep in mind that severe illness and death are associated with flu, and getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent flu infection and its complications. This topic has been heavily researched for decades, and no specific consensus regarding the link or mechanism behind the flu virus and the disease has been established. What has been established, however, is how small the risk is relative to the risks of contracting complications from flu itself. A 2013 study in The Lancet stated that: study The relative and attributable risks of Guillain-Barr syndrome after seasonal influenza vaccination are lower than those after influenza illness. Patients considering immunisation should be fully informed of the risks of Guillain-Barr syndrome from both influenza vaccines and influenza illness. Current iterations of the seasonal flu shot do not have any live strains in them (though the nasal spray includes weakened strains), nor do they have any mercury (in the United States), detergent, antifreeze, or aluminum. They contain, at most, 50 times less formaldehyde than a pear. nasal spray nor aluminum pear We, of course, are not healthcare providers and cannot make any medical decisions for you. The purpose of this post is to correct misinformation on the Internet, and there are few topics that lend themselves to as much misinformation as vaccines. All healthcare decisions, however, should be made between you and your doctor. Harvard Medical School. "10 Flu Myths."
November 2009. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Possible Side-Effects from Vaccines."
Accessed 8 October 2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary."
Accessed 8 October 2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Thimerosal in Vaccines."
Accessed 8 October 2016. World Health Organization. "Statement on Thimerosal."
July 2006. Dorea, J.G. "Low-Dose Mercury Exposure in Early Life: Relevance of Thimerosal to Fetuses, Newborns and Infants."
Current Medical Chemistry. 2013. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine."
Accessed 8 October 2016. Verreault, Rene et al. "Past Exposure to Vaccines and Subsequent Risk of Alzheimer's Disease."
CMAJ. 27 November 2001. Gorski, David. "Oh, Come On, Superman!: Bill Maher Versus 'Western Medicine.'"
Science Based Medicine. 7 September 2009. Casewatch. "Disciplinary Actions Against Herman Hugh Fudenberg, M.D."
20 April 2005. Pediatrics. "Joint Statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the United States Public Health Service (USPHS)."
September 1999. Taylor. Luke E. et al. Vaccines Are Not Associated with Autism: An Evidence-Based Meta-Analysis of Case-Control and Cohort Studies."
Vaccine. 17 June 2014. Ball, L.K. et al. An Assessment of Thimerosal Use in Childhood Vaccines."
Pediatrics. May 2001. Madsen, Kreesten, M. et al. A Population-Based Study of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccination and Autism."
New England Journal of Medicine. 7 November 2002. Hviid, Anders et al. Association Between Thimerosal-Containing
Vaccine and Autism."
New England Journal of Medicine. October 2003. The National Academies. "Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism."
2004. Vaccine Knowledge Project. "Vaccine Ingredients."
Accessed 8 October 2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Vaccines Adjuvants."
Accessed 8 October 2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Flublok Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Vaccine."
Accessed 8 October 2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Guillain-Barre Syndrome."
Accessed 8 October 2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Narcolepsy Following Pandemrix Influenza Vaccination in Europe."
Accessed 8 October 2016. Miller, Elizabeth et al. Risk of Narcolepsy in Children and Young People Receiving As03 Adjuvanted Pandemic A/h1n1 2009 Influenza Vaccine: Retrospective Analysis."
BMJ. 26 February 2013. Moretti, Raffella et al. Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Disorders of the Developing Brain."
Frontiers in Neuroscience. 17 February 2015. Volodin, N.N. et al. Status of the Blood-brain Barrier in Newborn Infants of Various Gestational Ages in the Normal State and in Pathology."
Pediatriia. 1989. Saunders, Norman R. et al. The Rights and Wrongs of Blood-brain Barrier Permeability Studies: S Walk Through 100 Years of History."
Frontiers in Neuroscience. 16 December 2014. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Flu Symptoms & Complications."
Accessed 8 October 2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine."
Accessed 8 October 2016. Osterholm, Michael T. et al. Efficacy and Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccines: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis."
The Lancet. January 2012. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Vaccine Effectiveness How Well Does the Flu Vaccine Work?"
Accessed 8 October 2016. Jefferson, T. et al. Vaccines for Preventing Influenza in Healthy Children."
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 16 April 2008. Lam, Bourree. Vaccines Are Profitable, So What?"
The Atlantic. 10 February 2015. | 0 | [
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FMD3775 | 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 a Noah's Ark Theme Park Destroyed in a Flood? Claim summaries: Reports that a Christian theme park featuring a Noah's Ark exhibit was destroyed by a flood which meteorologists termed "an act of God" are fake news.
contextual information: On 21 April 2016, the web siteThe Good Lord Above published an article reportingthat a Noah's Ark Christian theme park then under construction in Kentucky had been destroyed by a flood: The new 'Noah's Ark' Theme Parkin Williamstown, Kentucky, was destroyed in a flood earlier today. The sudden flash flood only seemed to affect the location of the Ark Encounter Theme Park, which was in the final phases of construction. "From a meteorological standpoint, this is quite confusing," said Dan Schmidt, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. "There were no storm clouds in the area. We're calling this flood an act of God." While it's true that a Noah's Ark-themed attraction was built in Kentucky, the project was not destroyed by a flood. Thereporting of such was a spoof fromThe Good Lord Above, a web site responsible for several other religiously-based fake news stories, such as anarticle proclaiming that Donald Trump had called Jesus a "socialist loser" and astory reporting thatBernie Sanders savedthree children from a house fire. To their credit, The Good Lord Abovemakes the site's humorous nature very clearon their "About" page: attraction built socialist saved God made the world. Then he flooded it. Then God went to sleep for 2000 years or so. Anyway, eventually God woke up and felt pretty bad for what he'd done in the past. In 2011, after years of therapy, God started his Divine God Facebook Page to restore his good name. In his infinite wisdom, in 2015 God launched this Holy Website, TheGoodLordAbove.com. Thou shalt remember that The First Amendment protects satire as a form of free speech and expression. TheGoodLordAbove uses invented names in all of its stories, except in cases where public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental. TheGoodLordAbove is not intended for readers under 18 years of age. The Ark Encounter Christian theme park finally opened in Kentucky on 7 July 2016, with a fully intact ark as one of its exhibits: opened | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD3776 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: The new tax will make soda sold in Chicago among the most expensive in the country.
contextual information: On Aug. 2, Cook County became the largest government in the United States to charge a tax on sweetened drinks. The debut of the penny-an-ounce charge for drinks sweetened with sugar or non-caloric sweetenerswasnt exactly smooth, nor was it particularly well received with the soft drink-consuming public. Customers who examined their receipts at some stores found they had been charged extra for flavored seltzer water -- which is not subject to the new tax -- while restaurant patrons discovered those free refills now cost one cent per ounce. Cook County sweetened beverage tax applies to free refills of lemonade.pic.twitter.com/PDztyTDIBl As soft drink consumers and sellers came to grips with the new charges, the libertarian Illinois Policy Institute never a fan of any tax, and a particularly harsh critic of the tax habits of Cook County and Chicago framed the drink tax in a consumer unfriendly light. The new tax will make soda sold in Chicago among the most expensive in the country, the institute said in a tweet and in theheadline of an articleon its website. That is a little like proclaiming the sun rises in the east, but given intense public interest in the soda tax we thought it was a worth a look anyway. Accompanying the institutes tweets were graphics illustrating the various taxes that now will be paid by those purchasing sweetened drinks in Chicago. The new soda tax makes soda sold in#Chicagoamong the most expensive in the countryhttps://t.co/2JYANKDrcspic.twitter.com/KiUS5vzIYT The new soda tax makes soda sold in#Chicagoamong the most expensive in the countryhttps://t.co/2JYANKDrcspic.twitter.com/KiUS5vzIYT Chicago already charged a 3 percent soft drink sales tax, and that was on top of a10.25 percent sales taxthat includes state and local portions and is thehighest of any major city in the United States. For a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans or bottles of any sweetened soft drink, regular or diet, the sweetened beverage tax adds another $1.44. Thus, a 12-pack priced at $4 costs $5.97 at the register. The new tax adds 67 cents to a two-liter bottle. If marked on the shelf at $2.49, the new tax means youll pay 40 percent more at checkout. Thats how it works in Chicago, where the total price figures to be slightly higher than in the rest of Cook County even though the soda tax applies in the suburbs as well. Does that make Chicago-bought soda among the most expensive in the country? The institute grants its statement a lot of leeway by using the word among. Wherever the thirsty buy it, a Big Gulp is a Big Gulp is a Big Gulp. So the add-on cost of taxes is likely the prime factor behind any significant price differences. To date, the list of places embracing a soda tax is an extremely short one, hence Chicagos (and Cook Countys) emergence as among the most expensive places to pop for a pop. As it stands today, Cook County is one of only eight U.S. locations to impose or plan to impose a per-ounce tax on sweetened drinks. The other seven are cities and, with a population of 5.2 million, Cook County is by far the largest jurisdiction to adopt such a tax. Issue-wise, this is right in the Illinois Policy Institutes wheelhouse. It not only piles expense onto an extremely popular category of consumer products, but it also comes swathed in nanny state good intentions for the health of Cook County residents. By strange coincidence, this health concern arrives just as Cook County finds itself in desperate financial straits. (Inanother article,the institute claims Cook County cant even get its nanny state act right, as federal rules prohibit applying the new tax to sweetened drinks purchased with food stamps. It notes that polling shows people with lower incomes are more likely to drink soda.) At one cent per ounce, Cook County is on the lower end of the soda tax scale. In Boulder, Colo., that two-liter soda will cost an extra $1.35 and a 12-pack will be $2.88 more. Cook County is also one of the three jurisdictions in which voters did not voluntarily adopt the tax by referendum. (Illinois has no provision for such referenda.) There have been many complaints that Cook Countys soda tax was sold to voters as an anti-obesity measure but also includes drinks containing non-caloric sweeteners. But theordinance itselfcontains extensive language citing studies that link even diet drink consumption to kidney disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Cook County and the city of Philadelphia are the only places where drinks sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners also are subject to the tax. Thus, even among the eight places in the nation taxing or preparing to tax consumers by the ounce for sweetened soft drinks, Cook Countys measure reaches an especially broad swath of consumers. The Illinois Policy Institute cites Cook Countys new sweetened drink tax as making soda sold in the city of Chicago among the most expensive in the country. With Chicago already charging the nations highest sales tax of any major city plus a 3-percent soft drink tax, its almost certain that consumers in the city paid among the highest prices for soft drinks in the country even before the Aug. 2 arrival of the sweetened drink tax. But Chicago truly moved into a select group when its home county joined the seven other cities that have enacted or are poised to enact by-the-ounce taxes on sweetened soft drinks. With a nod toCaptain Obvious, we raise a glass of flattened, left-out-in-the-open Coke in the direction of the Illinois Policy Institute as we rate this statement True. | 1 | [
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FMD3777 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Elon Musk to Completely Revolutionize the Energy Industry with New Tesla Solar Roof Home / BREAKING NEWS / New Clinton Probe Dead from the Start, John Podesta’s Best Friend at DOJ In Charge of Investigation New Clinton Probe Dead from the Start, John Podesta’s Best Friend at DOJ In Charge of Investigation Claire Bernish November 1, 2016 Leave a comment
Late on Friday evening, the FBI announced the reopening of its investigation of Hillary Clinton and her opprobrious emails, and the Department of Justice quickly followed suit on Monday, vowing to “dedicate all needed resources to quickly review emails in [the] Clinton case,” according to a tweet by the Associated Press . BREAKING: Justice Dept. says it'll dedicate all needed resources to quickly review emails in Clinton case.
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 31, 2016
Both announcements, made after Clinton aid Huma Abedin’s emails were discovered on estranged husband Anthony Weiner’s computer, come amid growing internal contention, as the FBI and DOJ parse out how to deal with the pressure of a rapidly approaching presidential election, as well as public perception the original investigation had been purposely bumbled in favor of the Democratic nominee.
However welcome or unwelcome the news of reopened investigations might be, one major detail — revealed in Wikileaks ongoing publications of Clinton campaign chair John Podesta’s emails — presents evidence the Justice Department’s probe could amount to little more than a smoke screen to placate an irate public.
Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik promised Congress in a letter the Justice Department “will continue to work closely with the FBI and together, dedicate all necessary resources and take appropriate steps as expeditiously as possible.” #BREAKING Senior DOJ official sends letter to lawmakers responding to request for more information about email review. #8days pic.twitter.com/PCgT2ODkQd
— Just the Facts (@JTF_News) October 31, 2016
Perhaps that vow, from a government branch putatively dedicated to ensuring the criminal element is duly punished for misbehavior, should reassure those increasingly suspicious of an obviously-rigged system.
Perhaps, before Wikileaks revealed interdepartmental communications and corruption, that promise might have held weight beyond a symbolic gesture of obligation — but as Podesta’s emails reveal, it’s entirely possible this reopened investigation is failed from the start.
Kadzik, in fact, maintains a cozy enough relationship with Podesta to have had dinner with the Clinton insider just one day after the former secretary of state testified before the House Select Committee on Benghazi last October.
And the pair’s familiarity isn’t held to a simple dinner party, as the Daily Caller reported , “Podesta and Kadzik, the assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, were in frequent contact, other emails show. In one email from January, Kadzik and Podesta, who were classmates at Georgetown Law School in the 1970s, discussed plans to celebrate Podesta’s birthday. And in another sent last May, Kadzik’s son emailed Podesta asking for a job on the Clinton campaign.”
So, Kadzik — an extremely close friend to the chair of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign — is tasked with heading the newly reopened investigation of Hillary Clinton.
Clinton couldn’t ask for an arrangement better situated to again find insufficient evidence worthy of bringing charges against her. As far as conflicts of interest go, this takes the cake.
“The political appointees in the Obama administration, especially in the Department of Justice, appear to be very partisan in nature and I don’t think had clean hands when it comes to the investigation of the private email server,” executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, Matthew Whitaker, told the Daily Caller .
If political wranglings and connections marred transparency and neutrality the first time around, it would be reasonable to assume the players haven’t since magically unentangled themselves from Clinton and her campaign mere days before Americans take to the polls.
“It’s the kind of thing the American people are frustrated about is that the politically powerful have insider access and have these kind of relationships that ultimately appear to always break to the benefit of Hillary Clinton,” Whitaker continued, also noting the controversial meeting between Bill Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch on an airport tarmac in Phoenix during the DOJ’s previous investigation.
In fact, Kadzik, as an Obama appointee to the Justice Department beginning in 2013, also initiated the effort to have Loretta Lynch appointed to the role of Attorney General.
And the friendship between Kadzik and Podesta — as well as their connections to the Obama administration and additional officials overseeing the Clinton investigation — spans decades.
In 2008, for example, as the Washington Free Beacon reported from one of the leaked emails, Podesta emailed an Obama campaign official to recommend Kadzik have a supportive role in Obama’s presidential campaign — particularly because the latter was a “fantastic lawyer” who managed to keep Podesta “out of jail.”
Although Kadzik, as head of the Office of Legislative Affairs, does not have a direct role in ‘chain of command’ for the Clinton investigation, he does field inquiries from Congress concerning her emails.
Noted by the Daily Caller , in “November, he denied a request from Republican lawmakers to appoint a special counsel to lead the investigation,” which sparked outrage by the GOP over potential conflicts of interest.
Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis voiced particular concerns about Lynch’s longtime connections to the Clintons in a February 1, 2016 letter , and that Obama’s appointees “are being asked to impartially execute their respective duties as Department of Justice officials that may involve an investigation into the activities of the forerunner for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.”
While the Daily Caller ’s report goes much further in depth concerning the relationships of Podesta and Kadzik with the Clintons and their insiders, it can be easily surmised in even a simple perusal of facts there could be no possible way an investigation this critical — and with resounding implications — would maintain any semblance of impartiality.
When Julian Assange vociferously denounces the U.S. electoral and political systems as rigged beyond repair, these connections are precisely what he’s referring to.
It might calm an irate public to hear an investigation had to be reopened — but when the effort involves the same players as the first round, the outcome is all-too predictable. Share Social Trending | 0 | [
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FMD3778 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Opponents of a proposal to create a U.S. border tax on imported goods are targeting lawmakers in their home states for the next two weeks while Congress is in recess, according to organizers of the lobbying effort. The anti-border tax coalition, known as Americans for Affordable Products, includes large corporations that require imports like automakers and retail giants like Target (TGT.N) , Best Buy (BBY.N) and Walmart (WMT.N). The tax opponents will target 40 members of Congress in 11 states, said coalition spokesman Joshua Baca. “We’re talking to businesses, local associations, having a frank conversation with them about how dumb this idea is,†Baca said. His group argues the proposal will raise consumer prices. As part of a total overhaul of the U.S. tax code, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan has proposed lowering the corporate income tax to 20 percent from 35 percent, imposing a 20 percent tax on imports and excluding export revenue from taxable income. The proposal has some strong corporate backers who say it will boost American jobs and not raise prices, including companies that do considerable amount of exporting, such as Boeing (BA.N), Caterpillar (CAT.N) and Pfizer (PFE.N). The anti-border tax group is planning to host a town hall meeting next week in Nevada with Republican Senator Dean Heller, which will also be co-sponsored by local business groups and Americans For Prosperity, the conservative group funded by the Republican Koch brothers which also opposes the border tax. Town hall meetings have gained more attention recently as events featuring Republican lawmakers have been targeted by activists to voice their opposition to several proposals, including repealing the Affordable Care Act which widened health insurance coverage for about 20 million Americans. Additionally, the anti-tax group will hold a discussion in Ohio with Republican Representative David Joyce, where he will hear from local furniture store owners who would be affected by a border tax, Baca said. Concurrently, members of the Retail Industry Leaders Association, which is comprised of large retailers like Autozone (AZO.N) , Walgreens Boot Alliance, Inc. (WBA.O) and J.C. Penny Company, are using the recess to give members of Congress behind-the-scenes tours of both their headquarters and stores in an effort to persuade them against the tax, spokesman Brian Dodge said. Both groups are hoping to make more voters aware of their position and are armed with an opinion poll by a pollster who also works for several Republican members of Congress. The poll, shared first with Reuters and which was conducted with funding from opponents of the tax, found 63 percent of voters are against the tax, including 70 percent of women. Additionally, the poll makes the case that 56 percent of voters say they would be less likely to vote for a member of Congress who supports the tax proposal. | 1 | [
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FMD3779 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: A former Vietnamese official who Germany says was kidnapped in Berlin to face charges in Hanoi over financial losses at a state construction firm had been cleared of wrongdoing by the previous government, according to documents seen by Reuters. The decision to re-open the case and aggressively pursue prosecution shows the tougher stance taken by the ruling Communist Party since Vietnam s security establishment emerged stronger from a power struggle last year in which ex-Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung lost out. The party says it wants to tackle corruption but some critics have accused Vietnam s rulers of embarking on a witch-hunt following the launch of investigations implicating increasingly senior figures. The internal crackdown drew global attention last month when Germany accused Hanoi of kidnapping Trinh Xuan Thanh, a former official with state oil firm PetroVietnam. He was accused of financial mismanagement that caused losses of $150 million at PetroVietnam Construction (PVC) during the time he served as chairman from 2009 to 2013. But according to a letter dated May 18, 2015 from then trade minister Vu Huy Hoang to then Prime Minister Dung, the official had stated his responsibility but the government had not found negative signs relating to his actions. Therefore, authorized agencies and units agreed not to take disciplinary action over Thanh, it said, noting that he had moved to a role at the trade ministry, where he had worked hard to try to resolve the problems at PetroVietnam Construction. Corrective work and post-inspection handling of PVC were done effectively and in accordance with the prime minister s requirements, the letter said. Responding to questions about the letter and whether there would be further prosecutions over the case, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said the party and state were resolute in dealing with corruption or lawbreaking by any organization or individual. Based on the results of the investigation, the functional agencies shall strictly handle those who violate the law in accordance with the provisions of Vietnamese law, she told Reuters. Reuters was unable to contact Thanh, former trade minister Hoang or former prime minister Dung either directly or through government offices. Thanh ran PetroVietnam Construction, a subsidiary of a sprawling state enterprise that is also involved in everything from oil and gas to power generation, ship building and insurance. After his return to Vietnam, Thanh was shown on state television saying that he had decided to surrender himself in order to face justice. The government has not said how he returned home. Thanh was a relatively junior figure among those who are under investigation in relation to PetroVietnam s dealings as well as in the banking sector. The most senior political casualty so far is Dinh La Thang, a former PetroVietnam chairman who was sacked from his role in the politburo. A vice-minister who had been responsible for appointing Thanh has also been sacked. Hoang has also been symbolically stripped of his title of former trade minister for violating state and party rules. Investigations continue into PetroVietnam and the trade ministry which oversaw it as well as into the central bank. There are widespread expectations that more members of Dung s administration will be prosecuted. Dung lost out last year in the battle to secure the post of Communist Party General Secretary, Vietnam s most powerful position. The post remained in the hands of Nguyen Phu Trong, whose modest public profile contrasts with the conspicuous wealth that some members of Dung s administration displayed. Fighting and preventing corruption, waste and negativity are no longer handled slowly and case by case. It has become a movement, Trong said in July. According to a survey by Transparency International conducted between July 2015 and January 2017, Vietnam had become the most bribery prone country in Asia after India and a majority of Vietnamese believed corruption had worsened. | 1 | [
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FMD3780 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The Ultra Music Festival in Miami is one of the largest electronic dance music festivals in the World. Over 170,000 people attended this year, and with it came several arrests, but one of the most horrific was the rape of a tourist from Brazil, which was blamed by a Florida judge due to the festival.Transit worker for the Department of Transportation and Public Works in Miami, Carl Lee Wilt, allegedly took the 22-year-old girl into a utility closet after she was prevented from boarding a public transit train for being too intoxicated, according to the police report.A witness harassed police officers in the area for 15 minutes until they decided to knock on the utility door, which Wilt opened five minutes later with his pants undone. Police said Wilt admitted to sexually assaulting the girl, but apparently stopped when she defecated herself.The girl told officers she had no recollection of how she met Wilt or what happened during their encounter.Miami-Dade judge Nushin Sayfie ordered Wilt be held without bond, who faces kidnapping and sexual battery charges, but then proceeded to blame the victim and the Ultra Music Festival for the rape. This is why we shouldn t let our kids go to Ultra right here, Sayfie said, who was appointed by former Republican Florida Governor Charlie Crist in 2007. Her argument is straight out of the 1984 Kevin Bacon film, Footloose, in which a small town has banned dancing and rock music. Unlike policing victims behavior, educating people about rape can make lasting progress toward prevention. One study showed that after just one hour of education on sexual assault, men were less likely to believe myths about rape or consider being sexually coercive, wrote Suzannah Weiss in a 2015 article for Bustle. Once we recognize that sexual assault can happen to anyone, we can stop wondering what the victim did to deserve it and start wondering what allowed the perpetrator to go through with it. That s the only way we can gain the control we crave and create the just world we want to believe in. It is deeply disturbing this type of blame-the-victim language is coming from a judge in one of the biggest cities in the country. Carl Lee Wilt would have raped someone given the opportunity to, no matter whether there was a dance festival going on or not. Judge Sayfie should reevaluate her own judgment on these issues before presiding over another similar case. Featured image via Flickr | 0 | [
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FMD3781 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Egypt's airstrikes came in response to the mass beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians by IS militants in Libya. The Libyan government has called for the US-led coalition in Syria and Iraq to turn its attentions to Libya.
Did Pluto's icy heart sink into that depression all by itself?
A man is comforted by others as he mourns over Egyptian Coptic Christians who were captured in Libya and killed by militants affiliated with the Islamic State group, in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers (135 miles) south of Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 16, 2015. Egyptian warplanes struck Islamic State targets in Libya on Monday in swift retribution for the extremists' beheading of a group of Egyptian Christian hostages on a beach, shown in a grisly online video released hours earlier.
Egypt claims to have launched airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Libya, in retaliation for the gruesome execution of 21 Egyptian Christians shown in a video released Sunday. The mass murder threatens to open a new front in the greater battle against the self-declared Islamic State, potentially drawing Western powers once more into military intervention in Libya.
Egyptian state television declared that government warplanes struck targets in the eastern Libyan city of Darna, a militant stronghold on the coast about 150 miles from the Egyptian border. The BBC reports that the strikes, made in coordination with the military of the recognized Libyan government based in Tobruk, targeted "camps, training sites and weapons storage areas" of the IS affiliate in Libya. According to a Libyan air-force commander, 40 to 50 militants were killed in the strike, Reuters reports.
The Associated Press reports that a second airstrike is underway.
The strikes were made in response to an IS video released Sunday showing the execution of 21 Egyptians, all Coptic Christians, at the hands of masked IS supporters. The Christian Science Monitor's Dan Murphy writes that the video, shot in IS signature style, shows that the group's Libyan branch has "the numbers, the wherewithal, and the operational security to hold 21 captives for weeks and then carry out a highly-produced murder show in a beach without fear of intervention from Egypt or anyone else."
But Mr. Murphy also notes that Egypt's ability to respond is limited.
[Egypt's] military is mostly trained for domestic control and running the expansive business empires of its senior officers. What Egypt will actually be able to do about the group in Libya - rather than its hundreds of followers in the Egyptian Sinai peninsula - remains to be seen. However, the days of ignoring IS in Libya will be over. Unlike in Iraq, where there's a central government to work with, or in Syria, where there's both a strong national army and outside support for Bashar al-Assad's side of the fight against Syria, Libya barely has any functioning institutions anymore. The country could prove richer pickings for the group long term - than its two current struggles to the east.
Already the recognized Libyan government in Tobruk has called for the US-led coalition attacking IS forces in Syria and Iraq to turn its attentions to Libya. Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni, speaking to Reuters, asked for Western military intervention against IS and Al Qaeda members he says are present in his country.
Reuters notes that the Islamist rival government in Tripoli, a group called Libyan Dawn, says it has no affiliation with either IS or Al Qaeda. The New York Times adds that at least three groups among the multitude fighting in Libya's civil war have declared loyalty to IS, "one in each of the country’s component regions: Barqa in the east, Fezzan in the desert south, and Tripolitania in the west, around the capital."
In a commentary published in the Daily Telegraph, Shashank Joshi warns that "it’s important to separate [the IS] role in Libya from the broader civil war there. Not every Libyan opposition faction is jihadist, and acting as if it were, by taking firm sides, is a recipe for disaster." | 1 | [
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FMD3782 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: JERUSALEM — The fragile treaty between the two former enemies was not even three years old when a Jordanian soldier went on a shooting rampage and killed seven Israeli schoolgirls visiting a park in a border area known as the Island of Peace. On Sunday, almost 20 years after that March 13, 1997, attack, the Jordanian authorities released the soldier, Ahmed Daqamseh, a former corporal, after he effectively completed his term. Amid the grief and outrage over what became known as the Island of Peace massacre, King Hussein, then the ruler of Jordan, managed to salvage the spirit of reconciliation and provide some balm. The king paid a rare visit to Israel and made condolence calls to each of the bereaved families. Kneeling to speak with them as they sat on the floor in their homes as part of the Jewish mourning custom of shiva, he apologized and said: “Your daughter is like my daughter. Your loss is my loss. †While the visit angered many in Jordan, it was seen as a gesture of friendship and humility by many in Israel and the West. Two decades later, Mr. Daqamseh’s release rekindled some of those emotions. The peace has proved firm and lasting, but it still exists mainly at the government level and has not been popularly embraced. The Island of Peace, about 12 miles south of the Sea of Galilee, was formally returned to Jordan when it made peace with Israel in fall 1994, but was then leased back to an Israeli kibbutz. Mr. Daqamseh fired on the girls, who were on a class outing, from a border post in Jordanian territory. After the attack, a Jordanian medical team gave Mr. Daqamseh a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder a military court sentenced him to life in prison. Life sentences are not in Jordan, and can essentially be commuted after 20 years. Mr. Daqamseh, who also injured five other girls and a teacher in the rampage, said at the time that the seventh and eighth graders had mocked him as he was performing his prayers. Early on Sunday, Mr. Daqamseh returned to his family’s home in Ibdir, a village in the governorate of Irbid in northern Jordan. Roya News, an independent Jordanian station, broadcast video of his homecoming, and photographs spread widely in the local news media. Israeli radio and news sites described the reception Mr. Daqamseh received from his family and other as a hero’s welcome, also posting photographs and video of the local celebrations. A Jordanian military spokesman confirmed the release, but the government appeared to be trying to keep it low key. The police prevented reporters from reaching Ibdir later on Sunday, citing orders from the local governor, who demanded that journalists obtain permission from the Ministry of Interior. Mr. Daqamseh, now in his 40s, emerged from prison with patches of gray hair and sunken eyes. He was defiant and showed no remorse. In his first statement to the news media from his home, he said, “There is no country named Israel,†adding that any normalization of ties with Israel and the notion that the conflict would be resolved by means of a solution were both “lies. †Some Jordanians continued to see Mr. Daqamseh as a symbol of an movement against the treaty. The Israeli government and the bereaved families had protested earlier calls in Jordan for Mr. Daqamseh’s prison term to be cut short. There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials on Sunday, and relatives who spoke to the news media appeared mostly resigned to his release. “I always say that our peace with Jordan is with the royal family, not the people or their parliament,†Yisrael Fatihi, whose daughter, Sivan, 13, was killed in the attack, told Ynet, a Hebrew news site. Hezi Cohen, the father of Nirit, 13, another victim, described his family’s daily pain. On one hand, he said, Mr. Daqamseh had served his full sentence. On the other, he said, “If he had received 20 years for each girl he murdered, he would have rotted in prison for the rest of his life. †| 1 | [
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FMD3783 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: On Aug. 4, 1997, Jeanne Calment passed away in a nursing home in France. The Reaper comes for us all, of course, but he was in no hurry for Mrs. Calment. She died at age 122, setting a record for human longevity. Jan Vijg doubts we will see the likes of her again. True, people have been living to greater ages over the past few decades. But now, he says, we have reached the upper limit of human longevity. “It seems highly likely we have reached our ceiling,†said Dr. Vijg, an expert on aging at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “From now on, this is it. Humans will never get older than 115. †Dr. Vijg and his graduate students Xiao Dong and Brandon Milholland published the evidence for this pessimistic prediction on Wednesday in the journal Nature. It’s the latest volley in a debate among scientists about whether there’s a natural barrier to the human life span. Leading figures in the debate greeted the new study with strong — and opposing — reactions. “It all tells a very compelling story that there’s some sort of limit,†said S. Jay Olshansky, a professor of public health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who has made a similar argument for over 25 years. James W. Vaupel, the director of the Odense Center on the Biodemography of Aging, has long rejected the suggestion that humans are approaching a life span limit. He called the new study a travesty. “It is disheartening how many times the same mistake can be made in science and published in respectable journals,†he said. Dr. Vaupel bases his optimism on the trends in survival since 1900. A child born in the United States in 1900 had an average life expectancy just short of 50 years. An American child born today can expect to live on average to age 79. Japan’s average life expectancy at birth has risen the most of any country so far, to 83 years. But when Dr. Vijg and his students looked closely at the data on survival and mortality, they saw something different. The scientists charted how many people of varying ages were alive in a given year. Then they compared the figures from year to year, in order to calculate how fast the population grew at each age. The portion of society has been old people, Dr. Vijg found. In France in the 1920s, for example, the group of women was the . As average life expectancy lengthened, this peak shifted as well. By the 1990s, the group of Frenchwomen was the . If that trend had continued, the group today might well be the . Instead, the increases slowed down and appear to have stopped. When Dr. Vijg and his students looked at data from 40 countries, they found the same overall trend. The shift toward growth in populations started slowing in the 1980s about a decade ago, it stalled. This might have occurred, Dr. Vijg and his colleagues said, because humans finally have hit an upper limit to their longevity. To further test this possibility, the researchers analyzed the International Database on Longevity, assembled by Dr. Vaupel and his colleagues. It contains detailed reports on 534 people who have lived to extremely old age. Dr. Vijg and his colleagues combed through the data, noting the year that each person in the database died, and charted the greatest age that someone had reached in each year since the 1960s. In 1968, the oldest age attained was 111. By the 1990s, that figure had increased to around 115. But then this trend stopped, too. With rare exceptions like Mrs. Calment, no one has lived beyond 115 years. The stall is evident not just among the . “When you look at the person — and the third and the fourth and the fifth — the trend is always the same,†Dr. Vijg said. On the researchers’ graph, Mrs. Calment is “clearly an outlier,†Dr. Vijg said. He and his students also calculated how likely it would be for someone to live much past her, given current trends. The verdict: practically nil. “You’d need 10, 000 worlds like ours to have the chance that there would be one human who would become 125 years,†Dr. Vijg said. Given the data, the scientists predict the future will look a lot like the present. “We expect that the oldest person alive will be around 115 years for the foreseeable future,†said Mr. Milholland, who worked with Dr. Vijg on the study. Scientists have long debated whether there’s a limit to life span — not just for humans, but for any species. Only now, thanks to the long increase in average life expectancy, are people living long enough to hit the ceiling, Dr. Vijg said. But Dr. Vaupel points out that in some countries, such as Japan, the cohort enjoying the fastest growth is continuing to shift older. As for the world records for life span, Dr. Vaupel argued that Dr. Vijg had failed to use the most powerful statistical methods available to analyze the data. On the other hand, Leonard P. Guarente, a professor of biology at M. I. T. praised the new study, saying it confirms an intuition he has developed over decades of research on aging. “This paper is a good dose of medicine, if you’ll pardon the expression, for those who would say there is no limit to human life span,†Dr. Guarente said. Starting in the late 19th century, average life expectancy started to rise because fewer children were dying. In recent decades, adults have also enjoyed better health. Some of those improvements have come from quitting smoking and having better diets. Antibiotics and drugs for chronic disorders like heart disease have also helped. But all of the improvements of modern life, Dr. Guarente and others argue, have not turned back the underlying biological process of aging. Based on his own experimental research, Dr. Vijg describes aging as the accumulation of damage to DNA and other molecules. Our bodies can slow the process by repairing some of this damage. But in the end it’s too much to fix. “At some point everything goes wrong, and you collapse,†Dr. Vijg said. The best hope for our species is not to extend our life spans, Dr. Vijg argues, but to lengthen our years of healthy living — with healthy habits and perhaps drugs that can repair some of the cellular damage that comes with time. “There’s a good chance to improve health span — that’s the most important thing,†Dr. Vijg said. | 1 | [
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FMD3784 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: A poll released Wednesday found that 83 percent of Trump voters believe the media is hostile towards them — with 60 percent saying the media is “enemies to people like†them. [The Huffington Post reports that’s an uptick from February, when 51 percent of Trump voters thought the media is “an enemy to people like you. †Well over half, or 68 percent, of Hillary Clinton voters say media are an “ally†or friendly to people like them. ( ) Men are more likely to see the press as hostile to them, with nearly half, or 49 percent, saying media is unfriendly or “enemies†to people like them, including 28 percent who agreed media outlets were “enemies to people like you. †Forty percent of women also saw the media as biased against them. Over half, or 57 percent, of Americans aged 65 and older, said the media is “unfriendly to people like you†or “enemies to people like you,†as did 35 percent of respondents between 18 and 29. Black respondents had a more positive view of media: 45 percent believed the media were allies to or friendly to people like them, compared to 26 percent who said the media is “unfriendly to people like you†or “enemies to people like you. †Half, or 50 percent, of white respondents thought the media was unfriendly or outright enemies of people like them, while 29 percent viewed media as friendly or allies. Only 18 percent of Hispanic respondents thought the media was positively inclined towards them, while 39 percent thought the opposite, and 43 percent were unsure. Only 12 percent of Republicans saw the media as friendly towards them, while 44 percent believed the press was an enemy and 68 percent said the press was opposed to them overall. Meanwhile, 60 percent of Democrats thought media was “friendly to people like you†or “allies to people like you. †Only seven percent thought the press was an enemy. Overall, 25 percent of respondents said media were “enemies to people like†them, while another 19 percent said they were “unfriendly,†for a total of 44 percent who believed the media was hostile towards them. Only 30 percent said media were friendly to or allies of people like them. ( ) Coverage of Trump’s brief time in office has been relentlessly hostile. A Media Research Center (MRC) study released in early March found 88 percent of Trump administration coverage from ABC, CBS, and NBC was negative, with “anchors and reporters often [injecting] their own editorial tone into the coverage. †A study released by by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center in May found 93 percent of CNN and NBC’s coverage of the president was negative, as well as 52 percent of Fox News’ coverage and 70 percent of the Wall Street Journal‘s: “Trump has received unsparing coverage for most weeks of his presidency, without a single major topic where Trump’s coverage, on balance, was more positive than negative, setting a new standard for unfavorable press coverage of a president. †As Breitbart Senior Large Joel Pollak reports: “The media, furious that Trump defied them by winning the election, denied him any semblance of a ‘honeymoon’ in office … Trump has never been given the same chance — or any chance — to carry out his agenda. And for months, Trump voters have watched the media fawning over the hysterical opposition, praising the ‘pussyhat’ protesters and downplaying the extremists in their ranks. †Trump has frequently bashed the “fake news media†for attacking him and allegedly fabricating sources to damage his agenda on Twitter. I win an election easily, a great â€movement†is verified, and crooked opponents try to belittle our victory with FAKE NEWS. A sorry state! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2017, Any negative polls are fake news, just like the CNN, ABC, NBC polls in the election. Sorry, people want border security and extreme vetting. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2017, Don’t believe the main stream (fake news) media. The White House is running VERY WELL. I inherited a MESS and am in the process of fixing it. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2017, Whenever you see the words ’sources say’ in the fake news media, and they don’t mention names … . — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017, … . it is very possible that those sources don’t exist but are made up by fake news writers. #FakeNews is the enemy! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017, It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017, The Fake News Media works hard at disparaging demeaning my use of social media because they don’t want America to hear the real story! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2017, Pollsters questioned 1, 000 U. S. citizens from May 26 to May 27. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3. 9 percentage points. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD3785 | 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 Facebook 'Write Off' Your Birthday Donations? Claim summaries: "Donating your birthday" on Facebook is a simple way to raise money for charities.
contextual information: In November 2019, some people encountered a meme on Facebook that claimed the social media company was using the contributions its users made to birthday fundraisers as a tax-deductible write-off for the company. While this meme contains four separate assertions, we will focus mainly on the second one for this article: that "Facebook is allowed to declare your donation for a tax write-off." Facebook launched its birthday-donation program in 2017, a feature that allows users to "donate their birthdays" to raise money for various charities. A few weeks before a Facebook user's birthday, the user receives a message asking about a possible fundraiser centered on that day. If the user decides to raise funds, they may choose from 750,000 non-profits, set a fundraising goal, and then share the fundraiser with Facebook friends. Here's how Facebook explained the feature in its announcement: "Two weeks before your birthday, you'll see a message from Facebook in your News Feed giving you the option to create a fundraiser for your birthday. You can create a fundraiser for any of the 750,000 US nonprofits available for fundraising on Facebook. Your friends will receive a notification inviting them to support your cause in honor of your special day." When birthday fundraisers were initially rolled out, Facebook retained 5% of the donations to cover processing fees and fraud protection. The company eliminated those fees at the end of 2017, so as of now, 100% of such donations go to the designated charities. In August 2018, Facebook announced that it had helped facilitate $300 million in charitable donations. The claim that Facebook was able to use the $300 million raised by its users via birthday fundraisers as a tax-deductible write-off is not substantiated by any evidence. In fact, it seems that Facebook users, and not the company itself, are actually the ones who get to write off these donations, as Facebook states: "A donation to a nonprofit through its Facebook Page or a fundraiser on Facebook may be tax-deductible. Since tax laws vary by country and region, you should consult a tax professional or review the laws for your area to determine whether a donation is tax-deductible." After you make a donation, a confirmation will be sent to the primary email listed on your Facebook account. This confirmation shows that you've made this donation as a charitable contribution and that you're not receiving any goods or services in return. We reached out to Facebook for comment on this meme, and a spokesperson told us that these claims were "completely false": "These claims about Facebook Fundraising tools are completely false. We are a donation platform, and payments to charities are processed by our licensed, regulated subsidiaries. 100% of what’s raised using donate buttons and fundraisers created on Facebook goes to the benefiting nonprofit. Nonprofits either receive funds directly from Facebook or via Network for Good, a Donor Advised Fund we partner with." While Facebook does not write off donations made by users, the company's birthday fundraisers have nonetheless spurred some criticism. In October 2018, some users reported that their one-time donations turned into recurring donations. (In fact, some billing irregularities occurred, but no users were actually charged more than they agreed to donate.) Tech Crunch also noted that this program has raised concerns about privacy, and one fundraising consultant was leery of the program for further distancing donors from charitable organizations: "As with almost every other Facebook feature, its fundraising tools have prompted concerns about privacy, particularly donor privacy, which is considered sacrosanct by many organizations (Facebook lets users decide if they want to share their donation with friends). Some charities also have qualms about benefiting from Facebook fundraisers until the company does a better job of policing hate speech, especially if the purpose of their work is aiding marginalized or persecuted minority groups." In an insightful blog post from last November, fundraising consultant Jeremy Hatch argued that fundraising on Facebook also eliminates the relationship between donors and organizations, where there are established norms and ethical practices. He added that non-profits should reconsider before they grow increasingly reliant on a company whose ultimate goal is to gather and monetize user data. We've yet to come across any credible reporting, however, documenting that Facebook was using individual donations from users as a tax write-off. | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD3786 | 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 Biden from the identical Scranton as the setting of 'The Office'? Claim summaries: And is the home of world's most famous fictional paper company real?
contextual information: Voting in the 2020 U.S. Election may be over, but misinformation continues to spread. Never stop fact-checking. Follow our post-election coverage here. Throughout the 2020 presidential campaign, U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden frequently referred to his roots in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Some social media users questioned whether this was the same "Scranton" from the U.S. sitcom "The Office" and whether Scranton was indeed a real American city. Meanwhile, Biden's political rival, U.S. President Donald Trump, accused Biden of exaggerating his connections to the small Pennsylvania city. This topic arose once again during the final presidential debate of 2020. Twice during the debate, Biden mentioned his small-town roots while discussing middle-class families. Here are transcripts from these two moments: "Where I come from, in Scranton and Claymont, the people don't live off the stock market. This isn't about me. There's a reason why he's bringing up all this malarkey. There's a reason for it. He doesn't want to talk about the substantive issues. It's not about his family and my family. It's about your family, and your family's hurting badly. If you're making less than, if you're a middle-class | 1 | [
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FMD3787 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Russian President Vladimir Putin got sassy with the press when he was approached by a reporter and asked about Comey: What do we have to do with it? I m off to play hockey with my fans Putin s answer when asked how Comey s firing will affect Russia PRICELESS!HAHAHA #Putin reacts to #ComeyFiring What do we have to do with it? I m off to play hockey with my fans #RussiaInvestigation pic.twitter.com/jLEe6Qw8Uu TRUMP ANOMALY (@ANOMALY1) May 10, 2017THIS ISN T THE FIRST TIME PUTIN S GOTTEN SASSY WITH THE PRESS: PUTIN Steals Famous President Bush Quote In Forceful Denial Of Russian Interference In U.S. ElectionsRussian President Vladimir Putin has denied interfering in the U.S. elections, and he did it by using a famous quote from a U.S. president. Watch my lips, no, Putin said.The Russian strongman made the claim when asked point-blank whether Russia had interfered and whether any evidence to the contrary would get found.He invoked former President Reagan, although the Read my lips quote was actually used by his successor, George H.W. Bush, speaking at a CNBC event on Arctic issues.Putin said claims of Russian interference were lies used for domestic American politics.All those things are fictional, illusory and provocations, lies, Putin continued. All these are used for domestic American political agendas. The anti-Russian card is played by different political forces inside the United States to trade on that and consolidate their positions inside. Then he delivered a friendly message to U.S. audiences. We said on numerous occasions and I reiterate that we are confident And know for sure that opinion polls in the Unites States show that very many people are friendly towards the Russian Federation and I d like to tell these people that we perceive and regard the United States as a great power with which we want to establish good partnership relations. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday in an interview with CBS News, We all knew Russia was trying to meddle with our election. And we already know right now they re trying to do it with other countries. Ryan continued: The world s super power, the American government needs to do everything we possibly can, not only to undercut what they re trying to do but to uncover what they re trying to do and help our allies prevent it from happening. Putin also said Thursday he is ready to meet with Trump if Finland hosts an Arctic summit. Finland is set to take over the rotating leadership of the Arctic Council.For entire story: Daily Mail | 0 | [
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FMD3788 | 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: 'Card Not Present' Scams Claim summaries: Should vendors be wary of doing business with Nigerians who are looking to charge large purchases to credit cards?
contextual information: Scam: Vendors have been duped into shipping large orders to Nigeria, only to find they've been paid with stolen credit cards. REAL FRAUD WHICH COSTS ITS VICTIMS HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS Origins: Nigeria is recognized as one of the most corrupt places on Earth, having become notorious as a hotbed of international theft, chicanery, and fraud. Within that country almost no business transaction is free from the taint of bribery, and it has been estimated that seventy percent of the goods entering Nigeria are smuggled in. This West African country gained its dubious international reputation in the 1980s after government corruption and a fall in oil prices crippled its economy. It is crushed under an estimated $30 billion debt, soaring unemployment, and galloping inflation. According to the United Nations Development Program, seven of every ten Nigerian citizens earn less than $1 a day. In this environment, chicanery has become a way of life because very little else pays nearly as well. Although the country's leaders have pledged to tackle the international fraud rings and clean up the graft that thrived during the lawless years of military dictatorships, theft has become so much a part of Nigerian culture that those who perpetrate it do so with little fear of punishment, let alone possess any real sense of wrongdoing. Many of those Nigerians who make their living through larceny believe that if caught they need only return a part of what they've taken for the matter to be fully resolved the concept of going to jail for having victimized others is just not a part of the thought process. Nigerian scam artists are masters at defrauding those who live in other nations. They have been highly successful at this endeavor through the venerable Nigerian scam, and they just recently have begun scalping many via the cashier check scam. But of late they have seemingly also discovered the potential of "card not present" (CNP) credit card transactions. CNP sales offer enterprising thieves the opportunity to have the goods they are stealing shipped directly to them all it takes are seemingly valid credit card numbers and less-than-savvy merchants to victimize. Given that Nigeria is host to a thriving black market that makes disposing of ill-gotten goods not only an easy but lucrative undertaking, CNP theft is a natural for that land's swindlers to have turned their hands to. Nigerian scam cashier check Prior to the Internet, CNP (card not present) transactions were termed MOTO (Mail Order/Telephone Order) sales. CNP sales differ from point of sale (POS) transactions in that merchants do not ever see the actual cards or the persons proffering them. Whereas charge card sales made in stores conclude with prospective buyers presenting themselves and their chargeplates to the vendors, credit card purchases made over the phone, through the Internet, or by mail are effected merely by providing the data printed on the cards. These transactions are thus far less secure undertakings for merchants to engage in, given that the information being provided can't be even somewhat confirmed by a glance at the cards, or the identities of the buyers established by having them show additional proofs of who they are. The CNP scam works like this: A retailer is contacted by phone or through e-mail by a prospective buyer looking to purchase a largish quantity of goods with a credit card. Often these goods are to be shipped to Nigeria, with the buyer unconcerned about the tremendous cost of transporting the order. In some cases, the buyer will look to split the cost of the order across a number of credit cards. In a number of cases, Nigerians looking to disguise their identities have taken to placing calls through relay telephone systems that had been set up to assist the deaf. (As to how that works, hearing-impaired phone users type text messages on teletypewriters [TTY]. These text messages are relayed to specialized call centers where they are converted into spoken word for the people at the other ends of the phone lines. When these other parties reply, their messages are converted into text and relayed back to the hearing-impaired users.) Such "relaying" disguises what would have been otherwise telltale accents. Also, because there is no cost for this service, Nigerians can make these calls to businesses in the U.S. without racking up international phone charges. Only after the goods have been shipped does the seller come to the realization that the credit card used to effect the transaction was stolen. By then it is too late the goods are gone, as is the "buyer." Merchants have to be especially wary of fraudulent credit card purchases because they bear the financial burden of any losses so incurred. Whereas a shopper who is robbed of his chargeplate is liable for only the first $50 of charges subsequently made against it, the merchant who accepts a purloined card is left holding the bag. If a thief uses hot plastic to "buy" thousands of dollars worth of goods from an overly trusting shopkeeper, that shopkeeper is out the value whatever the thief left the store with or had shipped to him there is no $50 cap on the seller's losses. We've grown accustomed to thinking of "businesses" as large financial entities, the sorts of mercantile behemoths that can easily weather a little theft here, a little fraud there. However, often the retailers who fall victim to this form of theft are small businesses run by single proprietors dependent on their shops' income for their livelihood. In those instances, there is no big, thick cushion of profits piled on profits, no built-in allowance for "shrinkage" (the retail term for losses due to pilferage) the theft is a direct blow to people struggling to make a go of it. Indeed, larger businesses are less likely to fall prey to such fleecings in that their employees responsible for dealing with credit card transactions have been trained in what to look out for. In Mom 'n' Pop stores, training often amounts to only whatever instructions the person doing the hiring comes up with; if that person isn't savvy in fraud circumvention, the clerks he or she trains won't be either. Also, those operating or working for small outfits are far more likely to let desire to make sizable sales temporarily blind them to the dangers inherent to big CNP orders. Larger sales mean more in small shops, and they mean more not just to the owners but also to the employees involved because, being fewer of them, they are far more likely to benefit from the shop's success vis--vis more money being available with which to fund raises or underwrite improved incentive and benefit plans. Here is a sampling of some Nigerian-run CNP frauds that successfully scammed small businesses out of their goods: In December 2003, an Omaha firm that made Christmas lights and decorations found itself taken to the tune of about $10,000 it had shipped goods to a buyer in Nigeria who had used a stolen card. The defrauded company became suspicious only when the buyer then looked to order American flag displays and five expensive Sony telephones, the latter not even being something the company vended. In April 2004, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, man who ran his own computer business was defrauded of $15,000. He filled and shipped three orders (including one for 65 ink-jet cartridges) before being asked by his customer for one hundred disc drives which the buyer planned to pay for by dividing the bill among eight credit cards. The proposed transaction raised enough of a red flag for the man to realize what had been going on. The thief had taken the added precaution of covering his tracks well: because the calls had been placed through a relay operator, they could not be traced and no voice was heard. (Such calls are typically placed by the deaf.) In the summer of 2002, a bookstore owner in Richmond, Virginia, was duped out of $9,200 worth of goods when she accepted four orders in August and September via the Internet for a total of 270 Bibles and 31 electronic hand-held Bibles to be mailed to Nigeria. The loss put the bookstore into further financial distress sales had been languishing before that, and the owner hadn't taken a salary since May of that year. In April 2003, a non-profit organization in Albuquerque lost close to $1,000 in goods when it accepted a credit card charge for a large number of T-shirts. Its losses could have been far greater in that the thief was attempting to place a further 12 orders when the first theft was discovered. (Even then, the "buyer" had the gall to call the non-profit to insist the bad credit card number was simply a mistake.) Sometimes those looking to move stolen merchandise to Nigeria do so by way of having the goods first shipped to U.S. addresses before being repackaged for transit to their final destination of the black market in Nigeria. They position innocent parties in the U.S. to act as temporary guardians of the incoming bounty, an act that gives vendors the false security of their goods being delivered to American addresses (from which they would assume they could be reclaimed if anything went wrong with the sale). Those desperate to make a bit of money will find themselves approached by Nigerians who will claim they are in the business of provisioning shops in that faraway land, but that their having to ship items piecemeal is killing their bottom line because the freight charges are murder. Would the dupe consent to their using his house as a central collection point where they could assemble their various purchases into one super shipment, or even doing the repackaging and shipping on their behalf? But of course they would be willing to pay a fee for the use of the premises for as long as their consignments were taking up space and to recompense him for his trouble. The best such unwitting dupes can hope for are understanding police officers, in that sooner or later the boys in blue are bound to come knocking as one defrauded vendor after another reports having shipped goods to that address. In a worse scenario, those whose homes are being used as way stations will be assumed to have been in on the racket and will find themselves charged with receiving stolen goods: In January 2004, a Mishawaka, Indiana, man fell in with such a scheme, storing items for a Nigerian woman who had convinced him she was starting up a business in her land and needed him to serve as a central collection point for her purchases prior to mailing them to her. The dupe met the woman (known only as "Brown Sugar") in an Internet chat room. Computer company Hewlett-Packard twigged police to what was going on after two computers bought from it with stolen cards showed up as having been shipped to the Mishawaka man's address. Police recovered DVD players, cameras, boots, clothing, and herbal and sexual supplements from the man's home. No charges were laid against the man because the investigation into the matter showed him to be a victim, not one of the perpetrators. In July 2003, 42-year-old Leonett G. Knoll of Albany, New York, was charged with receiving stolen property after police discovered $50,000 worth of purloined goods at his house that he was preparing to ship to a confederate in Nigeria. Like the unnamed Mishawaka man, he too had been befriended in a chat room and persuaded to serve as a collection point for items to be freighted to Nigeria. In February 2003, a New Hampshire couple were arrested after local police and U.S. Postal inspectors found a large amount of stolen merchandise in their home that they intended to reship to Nigeria. A December 2003 news story out of Anchorage, Alaska, reports that at least two people in that city were roped into becoming receivers of stolen goods via a newspaper ad looking for folks interested in making money at home using the Internet. On the promise of being paid later by check, these folks received goods from local companies and shipped them off to Nigeria, only long afterwards realizing they'd been part of a crime. Most of the time those who are using stolen credit cards to move goods to Nigeria are operating from that distant land and thus lie well outside the grasp of U.S. law enforcement. It is the sad reality of such thefts and frauds that they go unpunished because their perpetrators are safe in another jurisdiction. But sometimes the perpetrators make the mistake of operating where American justice can get its hooks into them. In March 2003, 19-year-old Ikemefuna Iwunoh was arrested in Wichita on federal charges for his part in such thefts. The young man had been part of a group of Nigerian nationals who had hacked into computer systems to steal credit card numbers from across the country and had used some of the numbers so collected to order a variety of goods delivered to his home (for later reshipment to Nigeria, where they would fetch double their value on the black market). Some days as many as 40 boxes (containing computers, printers, shoes, and clothing) were delivered to his door. Three others in Pittsburgh were charged along with Iwunoh: Itobore Oshobe, 24; Ote Kadana, 23; and Andrew Ikepeme, 19. Investigators estimated that the apartment in Wichita was the base for about $100,000 in fraudulent charges between August 2002 and March 2003. Barbara "charge of the light-fingered brigade" Mikkelson How To Avoid Falling Victim To CNP Scams: Always keep in mind that electronic approval of a credit card vets only that the charge account itself is valid; it does not guarantee that the person presenting it to you is its legitimate holder. Verify with the issuer that the card has not been reported stolen before proceeding with any large order. Be wary of any CNP transactions (Internet, mail, telephone order) where one or more of the following indicators are present: Larger than normal orders. Orders placed where card numbers used are similar and/or sequential. Orders going to international addresses. Orders consisting of several of the same item. Many orders shipped to a single address. Orders shipped rush or overnight. Orders originating from free e-mail addresses. Orders where the "ship to" and "bill to" addresses are different. Orders with requests that costs be split on one card or across several cards. When faced with a suspect order, verify the customer's billing address, either electronically or by an automated phone system via accessing an Address Verification System (AVS). Turn down orders which involve shipping goods to Nigeria. Stop believing in the chimera of "something for nothing." Additional Information: Foiling Credit Card Fraud (Bankrate.com) Last updated: 11 July 2011 Johnson, May Lee. "Internet Fraud Reported." South Bend Tribune. 10 January 2004 (p. A1). Jordon, Steve. "Nigerian Scam Fools Omaha Firm." Omaha World Herald. 12 December 2003 (p. B1). King, Ronette. "Scams Thrive on Corruption, Rampant Poverty." [New Orleans] Times-Picayune. 9 June 1996 (p. F1). Murphy, John. "Reform in a Country of Cons." The Baltimore Sun. 20 February 2004 (p. A2). Tsong, Nicole. "Internet Scammers Succeed in Schemes Duping Alaskans." Anchorage Daily News. 15 December 2003 (p. B1). Albuquerque Journal. "AG Warms of Net Scam." 10 April 2003 (Business Outlook, p. 20). Associated Press. "Former Community College Student Arrested in Black-Market Scam." 7 March 2003. Associated Press. "Arrests in Wichita and Pittsburgh in Credit Card Scam." 7 March 2003. Lancaster New Era. "Business Here Loses $15,000 in Scam." 5 April 2004 (p. B1). The [Albany] Times Union. "Cops Link Scam, Web, Nigeria." 25 July 2003 (p. B14). WMAQ-TV, Chicago. "Caller Gives Two Credit Card Numbers." 26 April 2004. | 0 | [
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FMD3789 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The Islamic State terrorist group, also known as ISIS, is beginning to admit that the military strategy authorized by President Obama and executed by the United States and its international allies is destroying its grip on the Middle East.The admission is a validation of the President s strategy, which has faced never-ending criticism from the Republican Party and the conservative movement.ISIS has declared for years a caliphate, or a sphere of influence and control across several countries including Syria and Iraq, with the eventual goal of a worldwide caliphate. But now, after U.S.-led bombing runs, drone strikes, and engagement on the ground by forces trained and armed by America and its allies, the caliphate is weakening.In public messages and in recent actions in Syria, the group s leaders are acknowledging the terrorist organization s declining fortunes on the battlefield while bracing for the possibility that its remaining strongholds could fall.While the death tolls are horrific and the loss of human life unacceptable, recent suicide bombings from those associated with ISIS are more evidence that it is losing in the territory it gained.At the same time, the group is vowing to press on with its recent campaign of violence, even if the terrorists themselves are driven underground. U.S. counterterrorism experts believe the mass- casualty attacks in Istanbul and Baghdad in the past month were largely a response to military reversals in Iraq and Syria.In 2014, under President Obama s orders, the United States launched Operation: Inherent Resolve. In a release announcing the operation, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) explained the operation was in place to reflect the unwavering resolve and deep commitment of the U.S. and partner nations in the region and around the globe to eliminate the terrorist group ISIL and the threat they pose to Iraq, the region and the wider international community. Since then, American-led fighter jet missions have been operating in Iraq and Syria to eliminate the ISIS threat, even as conservatives, Republicans, and their presidential candidates like Donald Trump continued to attack Obama as weak on terrorism.According to the Department of Defense, as of July 12, the coalition has flown 13,803 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against ISIS targets. Of those, 10,577 airstrikes were executed by American fighter pilots.The Department also reports as of May this year Operation Inherent Resolve had destroyed or damaged 26,374 target under ISIS control. This includes 143 tanks, 6,545 buildings, and 1,620 parts of the oil infrastructure that ISIS has been using to finance their missions.The conflict isn t over, but ISIS is not expanding. It s getting smaller.Featured image via Flickr | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD3790 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: The proposed transportation tax plan revokes a tax-credit for consumers electric cars while the state retains similar credits for similar vehicles for businesses.
contextual information: With state lawmakers revving up plans to tackle Georgias underfunded transportation system, some readers are confused about the often-changing plan. As it stands, the House has passedHB 170to raise about $700 million next year toward a $1 billion annual need to maintain existing roads and bridges. The proposal is now before the Senate, which could adjust or completely overhaul the proposed taxes and cuts in the legislation. One alert reader reached out on Twitter, remembering a claim in a story earlier this year and wondering if the House version still revokes a tax-credit for consumers electric cars, while leaving a similar break in place for businesses. PolitiFact Georgia decided to check it out. The necessity of tax hikes has long threatened talk of tackling the states backlog of transportation projects and resulting gridlock. Amendments that would have undercut the tax rates in HB 170 were introduced right up until the House approved the proposal intact. As is, the legislation would eliminate the state percent sales tax on gasoline and replace it with an excise tax of 29.2 cents per gallon. Key to our question, it also would eliminate the popular $5,000 state tax credit for all-electric vehicles ($2,500 for low-emission vehicles) as of July 1. Owners of low-emission and zero-emission vehicles, meanwhile, would be required to pay a $200 annual registration fee. State Rep. Jay Roberts, R-Ocilla, said that included the changes in the transportation tax bill he pushed through the changes because electric vehicle owners practically pay nothing to lease and operate those cars. The tax credit cost the state $13.6 million in 2013. When combined with the $7.500 federal tax credit for buying a zero-emission electric vehicle, the state credit covers about 23 percent of the lowest-priced Nissan Leaf. Atlanta was the top market in the nation last year for the Leaf, the nations top plug-in electric car, in part due to the generous state tax incentive. Eliminating the credit and adding the annual fee is estimated to generate about $68 million in new revenue in 2016, according to the state Department of Audits and Accounts. Not addressed in the pending legislation, though, is any change to tax credits for businesses. PolitiFact Georgia had to go back to last years legislative session to find those breaks. Roberts was among 116 House members (and 41 Senators) who approved House Bill 348 last year. That measure, which Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law last April, provides an income-tax credit of up to $20,000 for firms that purchase a heavy-duty alternative fuel vehicle and $12,000 for the purchase of medium-duty alternative fuel vehicles. The credits are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to $2.5 million each year for vehicles that run on electricity, liquid petroleum gas, natural gas or hydrogen. (The break does not include vehicles under 8,500 pounds. That eliminates the Leaf, which weighs between 3,000 and 3,500 pounds, according to various automotive blogging and news web sites.) Those tax credits expire on June 30, 2017. But it took no time for some firms to make good use of the breaks to switch to alt-fuel vehicles. Sandy Springs-based UPS, for instance, said last spring it was buying 1,000 propane-powered delivery trucks as part of a $70 million investment. Those trucks are used in more rural areas, where propane is more readily available, and can go up to 200 miles on a single tank. So that means the current legislation does revoke a tax break available for consumers alternative-fuel vehicles, while leaving alone a similar credit for business use. Several studies suggest the Georgia economy actually benefits from both of the tax credits, though. The break for businesses spurs investment and can create the bulk buying that encourage the rest of the market, said Bruce Seaman, an economics professor at Georgia State University. The breaks for consumers electric vehicles keep more money in Georgia, in large part because the state does not have a very large interest in the oil industry but does generate a lot of economic activity around electricity. One study, by the Keybridge Public Policy Economics consulting firm, concludes the state stands to lose $107 million to its GDP in the next five years if it eliminates the consumer tax break. Over 16 years, from now until 2030, the amount is $252 million. The analysis also showed that without the credit, Georgia car owners would pay $155 million more to pump gas into their cars in the next five years, offset by saving about $60 million in electricity. That means a double-hit to Georgias overall economy: lost fuel savings and an increase in spending on fuel (gas), whose profits leave the state. Its pretty hard, economically, to justify one credit and not the other, Seaman said. Eliminating the electric vehicle credit is a quest for funding. But its short-sighted not to consider the overall economic impacts, especially on commuting and our roads. Senators may well weigh those considerations as they take up the legislation. House members, too, could discuss changes if the proposal returns to them with any amendments. But the question here is whether, today, Georgias transportation legislation eliminates a popular consumer tax credit while retaining a similar break for businesses. It does. One caveat: the tax credit for businesses, which is not mentioned in the latest proposal, would expire in two years anyway. Both of those issues may be the topic of debate to come. But as it stands, we rate the claim True. | 1 | [
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"1",
"2"
] | 1 |
FMD3791 | 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: Nebraska School Bans Genders in Favor of 'Purple Penguins' Claim summaries: Did a Nebraska school district mandate that gendered references be retired in favor of neutral expressions like 'purple penguins?'
contextual information: A school district in Lincoln, Nebraska, has banned the use of gender pronouns and ordered teachers to use neutral terms such as "purple penguins" instead. Lincoln Public Schools have provided educators with materials to help them better understand gender identity issues. The Lincoln school district has banned all references to gender in favor of calling students "purple penguins." For example, a Nebraska school district has instructed its teachers to stop referring to students with "gendered expressions" such as "boys and girls" and to use "gender-inclusive" terms like "purple penguins" instead. "Don't use phrases such as 'boys and girls,' 'you guys,' 'ladies and gentlemen,' and similarly gendered expressions to get kids' attention," instructs a training document given to middle-school teachers at Lincoln Public Schools. On 8 October 2014, the National Review published an article concerning gender identity and inclusiveness training at Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) in Lincoln, Nebraska. According to that article, educators within the school district had been ordered to refrain from using specifically gendered terms when speaking or referring to students in favor of gender-neutral terms such as "purple penguins." The article made specific reference to materials provided by Gender Spectrum, an organization whose website states a goal of fostering a "gender-sensitive and inclusive environment for all children and teens." National Review cited paraphrased materials purportedly provided to educators that painted a picture of a full-scale ban on genders in the Lincoln school district. "Don't use phrases such as 'boys and girls,' 'you guys,' 'ladies and gentlemen,' and similarly gendered expressions to get kids' attention," instructs a training document given to middle-school teachers at Lincoln Public Schools. "Create classroom names and then ask all of the 'purple penguins' to meet on the rug," it advises. The document also warns against asking students to "line up as boys or girls" and suggests asking them to line up by whether they prefer "skateboards or bikes/milk or juice/dogs or cats/summer or winter/talking or listening." "Always ask yourself ... 'Will this configuration create a gendered space?'" the document says. Word of Lincoln Public Schools' gender inclusivity training quickly spread across blogs and Twitter, morphing into a cautionary tale of political correctness run rampant. Teachers are encouraged to hang signs on their classroom doors insisting that "all genders" are welcome while discontinuing the time-tested practice of lining boys and girls up separately before leaving class. "Instead," the guidelines dictate, "use things like 'odd and even birth dates.'" Educators should prominently display photographs of gender-benders in the classroom, the new policy insists, and give students at least four choices when it is imperative that gender be determined. Much of the airtime given to the matter of gender sensitivity training in Lincoln framed the materials supplied as mandates or rules imposed on all schools within the district. However, as Brenda Leggiardo, LPS coordinator of social workers and counselors, clarified to the Lincoln Journal Star after the issue gained widespread attention, the materials were provided as guidelines for educators to better understand gender identity issues and were not intended to impose rules mandating how those issues should be addressed. The handouts, provided by a staff member on a district equity team, were meant only for teachers, not for students or parents, she said. They were not meant as rules staff had to follow, but as suggestions for how teachers can make students feel comfortable. It also stresses the impact words can have on others, Leggiardo said. "If there's a staff member that's uninformed and unsupportive, that can be pretty scary for a family maybe struggling to understand transgender issues themselves," she said. LPS Superintendent Steve Joel also held a press conference to assert that the district had made no changes to their policies and imposed no mandates; the material in question consisted only of suggestions for "how teachers could reach all students in their classroom." Joel pushed back against what he said was a misinformed reaction to the district's gender identity training by national commentators and news outlets. "It's indeed regrettable that for the last week and a half we've had to dedicate as much staff time and resources to address an issue that is not founded in fact," he said at a news conference. "Never once has anyone inside our system mandated that a teacher take the words 'boys' and 'girls' or 'ladies' and 'gentlemen' out of their interactions with children or interaction with adults. There's no policy, there's no procedure, there's no changes being made to bathrooms in schools." Fox News and other national outlets picked up on local news reports about the district's gender identity training, specifically handouts used with teachers at Irving Middle School that included one from the nonprofit organization Gender Spectrum entitled "12 Easy Steps to Gender Inclusiveness." Joel said the handouts were suggestions and strategies, not mandates, about how teachers could reach all students in their classrooms. The training occurred at the request of an Irving teacher looking for guidance in dealing with students. "This was about adults, professional educators, who care deeply about trying to reach and establish relationships with children," Joel said. "They are looking for strategies about how to be more effective in the classroom." During administrative leadership days prior to the beginning of the school year, LPS officials shared several recent news stories about transgender persons to help administrators better understand the issues that face some students so they feel comfortable and welcome at school. | 2 | [
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FMD3792 | 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: Major Oil Companies Claim summaries: E-mail criticizes U.S. environmental regulations on the oil industry.
contextual information: Claim: E-mail criticizes U.S. environmental regulations on the oil industry. OF AND INFORMATION Examples: [Collected via e-mail, June 2008] Bill Phillips spent nearly 50 years in the US oil and gas industry; most of his career was with the Phillips Petroleum Company. Bill is a descendant of Frank Phillips. Frank Phillips, along with his brother Lee Eldas (L.E.) Phillips, Sr., founded the original Phillips Petroleum Company in 1917 in Bartlesville, OK. Do you remember Phillips 66 gas stations? Phillips Petroleum Company merged with Conoco, Inc. in 2002 to form the current ConocoPhillips oil company. So, when Bill talks about oil and gas issues, I tend to listen - very closely. I think that you will find Bill's thoughts and facts very revealing, very compelling and very difficult to argue with. As you prepare to cast your crucial ballots this Fall, please think long and hard about the far-reaching, cumulative effects of the US political philosophies, policies and legislation that have contributed to the current and future US oil supply situation. Did you know that the United States does NOT have any big oil companies. It's true: the largest American oil company, Exxon Mobil, is only the 14th largest in the world, and is dwarfed by the really big oil companies all owned by foreign governments or government-sponsored monopolies that dominate the world's oil supply. With 94% of the world's oil supply locked up by foreign governments, most of which are hostile to the United States, the relatively puny American oil companies do not have access to enough crude oil to significantly affect the market and help bring prices down. Thus, ExxonMobil, a "small" oil company, buys 90% of the crude oil that it refines for the U.S. market from the big players, i.e., mostly-hostile foreign governments. The price at the U.S. pump is rising because the price the big oil companies charge ExxonMobil and the other small American companies for crude oil is going up as the value of the American dollar goes down. They will eventually bleed this country into printing even more money and we will go into runway inflation once again as we did under the Carter Democratic reign. This is obviously a tough situation for the American consumer. The irony is that it doesn't have to be that way. The United States unlike, say, France actually has vast petroleum reserves. It would be possible for American oil companies to develop those reserves, play a far bigger role in international markets, and deliver gas at the pump to American consumers at a much lower price, while creating many thousands of jobs for Americans. This would be infinitely preferable to shipping endlessbillions of dollars to Saudi Arabia, Russia and Venezuela to be used in propping up their economies. So, why doesn't it happen? Because the Democrat Party aided, sadly, by a handful of Republicans deliberately keeps gas prices high and our domestic oil companies small by putting most of our reserves off limits to development. China is now drilling in the Caribbean, off Cuba but our own companies are barred by law from developing large oil fields off the coasts of Florida and California. Enormous oil-shale deposits in the Rocky Mountain states could go a long way toward supplying American consumers' needs, but the Democratic Congress won't allow those resources to be developed. ANWR contains vast petroleum reserves, but we don't know how vast, because Congress, not wanting the American people to know how badly its policies are hurting our economy, has made it illegal to explore and map those reserves, let alone develop them. In short, all Americans are paying a terrible price for the Democratic Party's perverse energy policies. I own some small interests in tiny, 4 barrel-per-day oil wells in Wyoming. We have 14 agencies that have iron-hand jurisdiction over us. If we drop any oil on the ground when the refinery truck comes to pick up oil from our holding tanks, we are fined. Yet down the road the state will spray thousands of gallons of used oil on a dirt road to control dirt. When it rains that oil runs into rivers and creeks. Yet a cup of oil on the ground at our wellhead is a $50,000 EPA fine plus additional fines from state regulating agencies. They treat oil as if it were plutonium that has the potential to leak into the environment. We are fined if our dirt burms are not high enough around a holding tank, yet the truck that picks up our oil runs down the road at 60 mph with no burm around it. People wonder why there is no more exploration in this country. It's because of the regulators; people who have lived their whole lives doing nothing but imposing fines on small operators like us for doing mostly nothing. So, America enjoy your $4.00 per gallon gasoline. Your dollar is now worth 0.62 Euro-Cents. The lack of American production of GNP, the massive trade deficit (as labor markets have moved overseas to fight insanely high union imposed labor costs in America) and the run away printing of money (backed by nothing of value here in America) has caused the dollar to become more worthless on the international market. And that's where our oil comes from. It's paid for with dollars that become more worthless everyday. If we had just kept par with the Euro we'd be paying $62 dollars per barrel for oil (42 gallons) or about $1.50 instead of $2.50 a gallon for crude oil. What the US government also does not tell you is that it is the leaseholder and royalty recipient of most oil production and receives 25% of the gross oil sales before we pay for electricity to lift the oil, propane to keep the oil-water separators from freezing in the winters. We pay a pumper to visit each well everyday plus we have equipment failures all the time. We pay for that out of our 75% of gross sales. The government does not share in any expenses to run any production well. So, if the Big Oil Companies are making record profits, then so is the federal government from it's 25% tax on every molecule of oil sold to a refinery in this country. Why isn't the government on the stand for "Record" profits? What you don't see is this 25% of the sales price of crude oil being siphoned away by the government. That money plus the road taxes, state taxes, etc. amounts to over $1 per gallon of gasoline you are buying while the governments only admit to about 50 cents per gallon. To all you Democrats, when you go vote for your candidate, a blazing liberal like Barrack Hussein Obama just keep in mind that their liberal spending habits will further decrease the value of the American dollar on the world market and your gasoline costs will hike even higher. As they introduce more give-away programs, raise taxes on everyone to pay people not to produce or work, your dollar will continue to dwindle on the world market and you will be paying $10.00 per gallon at the next election. Cheap hydrocarbon fuel is all over. Enjoy! Enjoy the fruits of your decision to elect these folks when you are there in that voting booth and you stab your pin through a Democrat's name. William "Bill" Phillips Origins: Several readers (including members of the Phillips family) have maintained to us that there is no descendant of Frank Phillips matching the description of the putative author of this piece, which itself appears to be a rewritten/expanded version of an earlier article (one not originally attributed to William "Bill" Phillips). Given the uncertain provenance of the "Phillips" authorship version, we'll address our analysis primarily to the wording of the (presumed) original: article I hadn't realized, until the hearings on energy that were held this week in House and Senate committees, that the United States doesn't have any big oil companies. It's true: the largest American oil company, Exxon Mobil, is only the 14th largest in the world, and is dwarfed by the really big oil companies all owned by foreign governments or government-sponsored monopolies that dominate the world's oil supply. With 94% of the world's oil supply locked up by foreign governments, most of which are hostile to the United States, the relatively puny American oil companies do not have access to enough crude oil to significantly affect the market and help bring prices down. Thus, Exxon Mobil, a small oil company, buys 90% of the crude oil that it refines for the U.S. market from the big players, i.e., mostly-hostile foreign governments. The price at the U.S. pump is rising because the price the big oil companies charge Exxon Mobil and the other small American companies for crude oil is going up. Ranking businesses according to "bigness" can be based on a variety of different metrics: geographic reach, scale of operations, market value, gross revenues, net profits, etc. Exxon Mobil is certainly one of the world's largest (in terms of gross revenues) and most profitable public companies. (Many of the world's largest non-public companies are also in the oil business.) The statement here about Exxon Mobil's being "only the 14th largest [oil company] in the world" refers to the amount of oil and gas reserves that company controls, and it is generally true that the major (public) oil companies have much less access to oil and gas resources than they did a few decades ago, most of which are now controlled by national oil companies: largest profitable non-public reserves Despite record crude prices, the major oil companies are struggling to access resources that are being jealously guarded by national companies with whom they are forced to establish partnerships. As paradoxical as it may seem, high oil prices do not mean a golden age for the likes of ExxonMobil, Chevron, Totalor BP. Of course, with a barrel of oil at more than 140 dollars, they are seeing major profits, but the future has never seemed so uncertain. The problem is access to reserves. The oil majors now control less than 10 percent of world resources of gas and oil, against 70 percent in the 1970s, according to figures released by the office of Ernst and Young at the World Petroleum Congress in Madrid. As a result they are being forced to explore in increasingly extreme conditions. The statement that "94% of the world's oil supply [is] locked up by foreign governments, most of which are hostile to the United States" might be a considered a bit misleading since many of those "hostile" countries have relatively small oil reserves, while the country with the second-largest oil reserves, Canada, is U.S.-friendly (and both Mexico and the United States are also among the countries with the largest oil reserves). reserves This is obviously a tough situation for the American consumer. The irony is that it doesn't have to be that way. The United States unlike, say, France actually has vast petroleum reserves. It would be possible for American oil companies to develop those reserves, play a far bigger role in international markets, and deliver gas at the pump to American consumers at a much lower price, while creating many thousands of jobs for Americans. This would be infinitely preferable to shipping endless billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia, Russia and Venezuela. So, why doesn't it happen? Because the Democratic Party aided, sadly, by a handful of Republicans deliberately keeps gas prices high and our domestic oil companies small by putting most of our reserves off limits to development. China is now drilling in the Caribbean, but our own companies are barred by law from developing large oil fields off the coasts of Florida and California. Enormous shale oil deposits in the Rocky Mountain states could go a long way toward supplying American consumers' needs, but the Democratic Congress won't allow those resources to be developed. ANWR contains vast petroleum reserves, but we don't know how vast, because Congress, not wanting the American people to know how badly its policies are hurting our economy, has made it illegal to explore and map those reserves, let alone develop them. Drilling for oil off of most of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts has largely been barred due to a moratorium imposed by Congress in the early 1980s and by an executive order signed by President George H.W. Bush (a Republican) in 1990. The congressional moratorium has to be renewed every year, and it has remained in place for nearly three decades through a succession of administrations and Congresses, both Democratic and Republican alike. (On 14 July 2008, President George W. Bush lifted the executive order barring offshore drilling that had been signed by his father eighteen years earlier.) The congressional moratorium is due to expire on 1 October 2008 unless Congress votes to extend it. Some analysts have claimed that if the oil industry could extract oil and gas from oil shale in a cost-effective manner, oil shale deposits in the U.S. (particularly on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, site of the world's largest such deposit) could produce viable oil reserves of about 800 billion barrels (three times the current proven reserves of Saudi Arabia). However, the cost and effectiveness of oil shale development (and the resource use and environmental effects attendant to accomplishing it) remain a subject of considerable debate, and oil companies remain barred from undertaking commercial oil shale projects on federal land: At best production is years away, while unpredictable oil markets, growing water demand, sizable electricity needs and climate change all pose potentially huge hurdles. Democrats have barred the Bureau of Land Management from leasing any federal land for commercial-scale oil shale projects. Skeptic Randy Udall of nearby Carbondale, Colo., argues that oil shale is but a poor cousin to other fossil fuels, with an energy content per ton less than one-third that of cattle manure and only slightly better than the potato. Any oil shale project in this region would mean new water demands on the Colorado River and its tributaries, vital waterways for much of the western U.S. and northern Mexico. That potential demand for water worries rancher David Smith of nearby Meeker, Colo., who relies on water from the White River that he fears will be diverted to the oil shale operations. The oil companies, Smith said, could help ease concerns by sharing in the cost of a water storage project. "They have not offered to do that," Smith said. Besides water, Shell's oil shale project would require far more electricity than the existing power grid could supply. That likely means construction of a new power plant. In this part of the country, the most economical way to fire a power plant would be with coal. But in the next Congress, lawmakers are likely to pass legislation to limit greenhouse emissions, and coal-fired plants are huge emitters of carbon dioxide. That would add to cost, ever oil shale's nemesis. The subject of opening the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration and development is another issue that has been pursued across the years through a succession of administrations and Congresses, both Democratic and Republican alike. The issue has been complicated by the uncertainty of many factors involved in the opening of ANWR to U.S. oil production, such as the total amount of oil underlying the area, the size of the oil fields that might be found in ANWR, the quality of the oil that might be found in ANWR, the potential production capacity of ANWR drilling operations, how long it would take before ANWR operations began providing significant amounts of oil for the U.S. market, what effects the oil extracted from ANWR would have on world oil supply and prices, and the environmental impacts of oil exploration and development in ANWR. As of now, both major-party presidential candidates, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, are opposed to opening ANWR to oil exploration. pursued factors Last updated: 14 July 2008 Dechaux, Delphine. "Despite Rocketing Prices, Outlook Is Bleak for Oil Majors." Agence France Presse. 6 July 2008. Feller Ben. "Bush Trumps Congress; Moves First on Drilling." Associated Press. 14 July 2008. Forbes, Steve. "Will We Rid Ourselves of This Pollution?" Forbes. 16 April 2007. Guerrera, Francesco and Carola Hoyos. "Hidden Value: How Unlisted Companies Are Eclipsing the Public Equity Market." Financial Times. 15 December 2006. Ivanovich, David. "Despite 800 Billion Barrel Potential, Oil Shale a Hard Sell." The Houston Chronicle. 12 July 2008. Simon, Richard. "Bush Lifts Presidential Ban on Offshore Drilling." Los Angeles Times. 14 July 2008. | 0 | [
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FMD3793 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: A judge in Brazil has ordered the detention of several top political figures in Rio de Janeiro, including the president of the state assembly, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday. Police were also serving 10 arrest warrants in the capital Brasilia regarding more than $100 million in contracts involving state bank Caixa Economica Federal in a separate investigation, prosecutors said, suggesting a years-long anti-corruption push may be far from over. According to a prosecutors s statement, Judge Abel Gomes has put out a bench warrant for Rio state assembly president Jorge Picciani, two other state assemblymen, and 10 other persons, including legislative aides. They are accused of accepting bribes from the state s transportation industry body in exchange for favorable legislation going back to the governorship of S rgio Cabral, who held power from 2007 to 2014 and was arrested in 2016 on corruption charges. The arrested deputies were members of embattled President Michel Temer s PMDB party. Also on Tuesday, Brazil s federal police said in a statement that it was carrying out 10 search and detention orders in the capital Brasilia, some of them relating to employees of state bank Caixa Economica Federal. The police said the accused illegally skimmed money from about 385 million reais ($117 million) in information technology contracts received from the bank. None of the accused parties could immediately be reached for comment. | 1 | [
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FMD3794 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: British Prime Minister Theresa May failed to secure a breakthrough in Brexit talks on Monday with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Here is a timeline of the coming 10 days that will determine whether Britain avoids further costly delays in giving business assurances of a smooth exit from the European Union and of free trade with its biggest market in the future: May wants the EU to open the second phase of Brexit negotiations concerning relations after Britain s withdrawal on March 30, 2019. The EU will only do that if there is sufficient progress in agreeing divorce terms, notably on three key issues: a financial settlement, guaranteed rights for EU citizens in Britain and a soft border with Ireland. A deal on money is effectively done, EU officials said last week. There are indications of agreement on citizens rights. But opposition from key allies in Northern Ireland to treating the province differently from the mainland in a bid to maintain on open EU land border with Ireland scuppered a deal on Monday. As part of the choreography for a political deal, the EU set May an absolute deadline of Monday to provide new offers in time for the other EU leaders to approve a move to Phase 2 at a summit of the EU-27 on Friday, Dec. 15. Now, however, that has been pushed back by a few days, EU officials have conceded. May is pushing for a simultaneous, reciprocal guarantee from the EU of a soft transition and future trade deal, which she may use to show Britons what her compromises have secured. The EU wants to have firm British offers which the 27 can discuss before leaders commit. The result is some complex dance steps: Tuesday, Dec. 5 EU summit chair Donald Tusk, having canceled a visit to Jerusalem, had expected to call around EU leaders to discuss common guidelines for launching trade negotiations with Britain. This and a series of other steps are now on hold. Monday, Dec. 11 EU-27 sherpas meet to prepare the summit. Tuesday, Dec. 12 EU affairs ministers of EU-27 meet to prepare summit. Thursday, Dec. 14 4 p.m. | 1 | [
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FMD3795 | 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 Delta Air Lines Encourage Employees to Buy Video Game Consoles Instead of Joining a Union? Claim summaries: In May 2019, social media users shared evidence of the company's controversial campaign to discourage its workers from unionizing.
contextual information: In May 2019, Delta Air Lines came under scrutiny after a photograph emerged on social media that appeared to show a poster encouraging Delta employees to spend their money on video game consoles rather than union dues. Eoin Higgins, an editor and writer at the left-leaning website Common Dreams, tweeted the photograph on May 9. The poster contained the following text: "Union dues cost around $700 a year. A new video game system with the latest hits sounds like fun. Put your money towards that instead of paying dues to the union." The poster featured the Delta logo and the URL of the website Don'tRiskItDon'tSignIt.com. Eoin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) tweeted, "lol fuck off @Delta pic.twitter.com/fMNOeW9uFG" on May 9, 2019. The union in question, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), posted photographs of similar fliers encouraging Delta employees to spend their money on watching baseball and football instead of becoming union members. They tweeted, "Oh wow. There's another one. And it's just as bad. Really, @Delta? #GameOverDelta pic.twitter.com/JsSMg1aBRb" on May 9, 2019. The Machinists Union (@MachinistsUnion) added, "Safe to say @Delta didn't hit a home run with this one either. Three strikes and you're out. Let 'em have it, Twitter. #GameOverDelta pic.twitter.com/veEk8rvtXY" on May 10, 2019. These photographs prompted multiple inquiries from Snopes readers about whether the fliers were authentic and whether Delta was responsible for producing them. A spokesperson for Delta confirmed to Snopes that the airline had indeed created all of the flyers mentioned above, including the "video game" one, and that Delta was also behind the website Don'tRiskItDon'tSignIt.com, which discourages employees—at times in provocative terms—from becoming IAM members. In a statement, the Delta spokesperson wrote: "The direct relationship we have with our employees is at the very core of our strong culture, and it has enabled continuous investments in Delta people. Our employees have the best total compensation in the industry, including the most lucrative profit-sharing program in the world. They want and deserve the facts, and we respect our employees' right to decide if a union is right for them. Delta has shared many communications, which on the whole make clear that deciding whether or not to unionize should not be taken lightly." In a press release on May 9, the IAM criticized what it called Delta's "union-busting propaganda," writing: "Delta Air Lines' all-out assault on their employees' legally protected right to unionize with the Machinists Union is confirmation that our campaign to bring the benefits of IAM representation to more than 40,000 Delta ground workers and flight attendants is succeeding... Delta has resorted to defaming and spewing lies and misrepresentations about the IAM. They also continually display anti-IAM propaganda in the workplace. These are all hallmark signs of how well the IAM campaigns are doing and how scared Delta is of their employees having a voice in their careers." International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. "Press Release -- IAM Campaigns Strike a Nerve With Delta Bosses." May 9, 2019. | 1 | [
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FMD3796 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Two U.S. senators from both parties are close to finalizing a bipartisan deal to shore up the health insurance exchanges created under Obamacare, the chamber’s top Democrat said on Thursday. The move, which Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said was “on the verge†of completion, would stabilize the market for individuals who buy their own insurance plans on the federal or state-based exchanges. The potential agreement comes after Republicans have repeatedly failed to carry out their years-long pledge to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Act, former Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare overhaul. Schumer said Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, a Republican, and ranking Democrat Patty Murray had resurrected a bipartisan approach, which had been cast aside amid the latest near-vote on a repeal bill. Alexander and Murray had been working to protect the government payments made to insurers to help reduce medical expenses for low-income Americans enrolled in Obamacare. Alexander also wanted states to have more flexibility to design insurance plans under the program. “They both inform me that they’re on the verge of an agreement, a bipartisan healthcare agreement to stabilize markets and lower premiums,†Schumer said on the Senate floor on Thursday. The pact could buoy health insurance companies, which came out forcefully against the Republican repeal effort and have faced uncertainty since the November election of Republican President Donald Trump, who vowed to sink the law. While the majority of insured Americans receive coverage through their employers or government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, more than 10 million people have individual plans through the online exchanges, and about 11 million are expected to sign up next year. Most of these consumers receive income-based tax credits and subsidies to reduce costs. Insurers have filed their premium rates for 2018, many of which are expected to rise at least 20 percent because of uncertainty that the government will continue paying some of those subsidies. Despite those worries, insurers on Wednesday signed contracts with the government that will result in every U.S. county having at least one company selling Obamacare plans. Trump has signaled that his administration would take other action to unwind the law, and on Wednesday said he would sign an order next week allowing people to buy insurance coverage across U.S. state lines. Republican Senator Rand Paul, who has been pushing for the move, says Trump can do this by legalizing nationwide health associations that individuals could then join. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD3797 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Doors were bolted shut and parking lots emptied at ITT Technical Institutes around the country this week after the chain of colleges announced it was closing for good. At some campuses, though, this was not the first time students and employees found themselves locked out. More than a decade ago, in 2004, federal agents, search warrants in hand, swooped into the company’s offices in eight states, closing schools briefly as they hunted for evidence of fraud related to student recruitment, enrollment, dropout rates, grade inflation, loans, and reported job placements and salaries. The collapse of ITT, one of the nation’s largest educational chains, may have seemed sudden, coming less than two weeks after the Education Department — citing financial instability and the likely loss of accreditation — barred the parent company from enrolling new students using federal funds. But the unraveling stretches further back, to a time when ITT was a Wall Street darling, raking in record profits. “It has been a long time coming,†said Carrie Wofford, president of the nonprofit Veterans Education Success and the former senior counsel to a Senate committee investigating colleges. There was “a lack of fair play that was particularly true at ITT and some others. †Founded at the end of World War II as part of the original International Telephone Telegraph, the career schools operation split off into an independent, publicly traded corporation in the . The switch came as liberals and conservatives began a wholehearted embrace of privatization on the theory that professionally managed, businesses could do a better job of delivering public services than nonprofits or the government. Investors, thinking that the education sector was the next big thing, swarmed. With transformations in the economy, more and more working adults were turning to training programs where factory hands could learn to use computers or home health care aides could earn a nursing degree. Providers like ITT Technical Institutes held out the promise, not just of a good job for eager young prospects, but of steady growth in enrollment and revenue as well. From 2000 to 2003, the sector outran every other on Wall Street. Publicly traded shares climbed 460 percent, according to one analysis, compared with a 24 percent loss for the Standard Poor’s index. Some mutual fund managers boasted that the schools’ owner, ITT, had been their most profitable stock. Yet even as business was booming, troubling accusations of abusive practices in the industry like the ones that resulted in the 2004 federal raid bubbled up. That investigation, brought initially by the United States attorney’s office in Houston, was ultimately closed, but suspicions continued to trail ITT and other giants. The next year, ITT agreed to a $725, 000 settlement with California after employees revealed that the company inflated grades to qualify students for state financial aid. Several investors, convinced company officials had lied to them, filed securities fraud lawsuits. A major grievance was that the industry was overselling programs that left enrollees with deep debt and degrees that had little value in the job market. Students weren’t the only potential victims so were taxpayers. The company said it was more concerned with the present than the past. “We’re involved in the complicated and process of closing our academic institutions after approximately 50 years of outstanding service to students and employers who hire them,†said Nicole Elam, a spokeswoman for ITT Technical Institutes. “When students have been abruptly forced into the streets and employees’ livelihood ripped from them,†she added, “regurgitating unproven allegations as a means to justify this horrific end is shameless. †colleges were a magnet for billions of dollars in federal student loans and grants to students. In 2010, they gobbled up more than $32 billion, a quarter of all federal financial aid, nearly double their share less than a decade earlier, the Senate committee inquiry found. Hundreds of millions more flowed in from the Pentagon and veterans’ programs through the G. I. Bill. For ITT, the total haul in federal dollars that year equaled $1. 1 billion. Absent that steady stream of public funds, these privately managed businesses would collapse. With Wall Street demanding steady growth, the pressure on the company’s managers was relentless. The chain was adding eight to 10 new campuses a year, according to the Senate committee. Former employees said recruiters pushed to enroll more and more students — regardless of their preparation, chances of graduating or ability to repay their loans — even as the company pared instructional costs and raised tuition to increase profits. Although the investigations temporarily depressed ITT’s stock, within a few years, the company was soaring to new heights thanks to an otherwise disastrous development: the Great Recession. As employers shed workers, many more people returned to school, taking on enormous debts in the hope of bolstering their credentials and skills and improving their chances on the job market. Profits took off, but so did disenchantment with the industry. Aggrieved students, graduates who found their degrees of little value, even insiders who became turned to online websites and watchdog groups. Many filed complaints with state prosecutors and regulators, the Education Department and lawmakers. They reported deceptive marketing recruitment tactics misleading information about costs, courses, graduation and job placement rates inflated enrollment numbers schemes subpar instruction and more. Ms. Wofford of Veterans Education Success said that every time the government tried to clamp down on an abuse, some colleges would come up with a scheme to circumvent the rule, like a private loan program set up by ITT to keep the pipeline of federal funds flowing. “There’s a perniciousness that’s disturbing,†Ms. Wofford said. Some employees tried to change company practices. Rodney Lipscomb, the former dean of academic affairs at an ITT campus in Tallahassee, Fla. said he was on the job six months, “when I really started to say something’s not right. †Hired in the spring of 2011, he was disturbed by the aggressive recruitment, something he had never seen during his two decades at public educational institutions. Former students returned to the school, stunned by letters demanding payment for loans they knew nothing about. Worst of all, he said, staff members would then persuade those same students to in unrelated programs and take on even more debt as a way of deferring the loans that were already due. He started filing reports, detailing his concerns. “I really believed at that time, I could fix it if I got to the right folks,†said Mr. Lipscomb, who now works for a community college in Texas. “But the higher I reported up the chain, the worse the environment got for me. †Finally he was told a lawyer from the company’s headquarters in Indiana and the district manager were coming to Florida to meet with him. “I was very happy,†he said. “I thought they were going to take action. †Instead, Mr. Lipscomb said, they told him that if he continued to report his complaints, he would be fired. In 2015, he was. He has since filed a suit against ITT Technical Institutes in federal court, accusing the company of defrauding the government of money and wrongful termination. Beyond the spate of private lawsuits, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and 19 states have either investigated or sued ITT. The Education Department actively monitored the company’s finances starting in 2014. But it was last month’s ban on enrolling new students with federal funds that delivered the death blow. Now many current as well as former students have been left stranded. “This has a huge impact on my life,†said Chris Blank, a former Marine who was studying electrical engineering at an ITT campus in California. “I relied on G. I. benefits. They are all basically wasted and I can’t get any of those back. †| 1 | [
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FMD3798 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Says with the ongoing economic downturn, child abuse is on the rise.
contextual information: Sen. Jeff Merkley appeared at the new Childrens Center in Clackamas County to raise awareness about an increase in child abuse and, according to his news release, to highlight the correlation to the economic downturn.Even one case of child abuse or neglect is too many, and with the ongoing economic downturn, the numbers of Oregon children suffering from abuse is on the rise, said Merkley. We must do everything in our power to reduce the number of children being abused and help provide sanctuary to those in need.The Childrens Center received some federal money last year. And the visit was a good photo op for a freshman senator during a congressional break.But at Politifact Oregon, we wondered if child abuse really is on the rise and if there is actually a cause-and-effect connection between child abuse and dismal economic times.Merkley is correct about the increase: More Oregon children are suffering abuse and neglect.The Oregon Department of Human Servicesreportsthat 11,090 children were victims of abuse or neglect last year, a 6.4 percent increase from 2008.Population growth isnt the only culprit behind the higher numbers. The state reports that the rate of abuse increased from 11.8 victims per 1,000 children to 12.5 per 1,000.A check with the agencys number-crunchers indicates the trend holds this year, with abuse reports up between 6 percent and 7 percent between July 2009 and July 2010. Though reports dont always turn out to be confirmed cases, officials say they expect the number of child victims will rise again for 2010.But is the increase because of high unemployment?Merkleys spokeswoman, Courtney Warner Crowell, said she hadnt seen any research linking a rise in abuse to an economic downturn. But she said several people shed talked to blamed the increase in child abuse on the economy.But there isnt any statistical evidence drawing a direct link between increased child abuse and a bad economy.We cant say that factually and we cant prove it, says Katharine Cahn, executive director of the Child Welfare Partnership at Portland State University.The number of child abuse victims can rise, even in good times, Cahn says, simply because more people are reporting the abuse.State stats do show alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence and parental run-ins with police among the common stress factors that contribute to child abuse.Cahn concedes that people do feel stressed and depressed when the economy goes bust and may drink or use drugs in an attempt to cope. And that, she says, may be the indirect tie to Oregons rising numbers.So, it appears that while Oregons junior senator was right about the numbers of kids abused, the sour economy may not be deserve all the blame. We find the claim Mostly True. Comment on this item. | 1 | [
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FMD3799 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Learning Horrors of War from Vets November 9, 2016
Americans shed some guilt for sending young soldiers to war by saying “thank you for your service” but it’d be better to ask vets about their war experiences, says ex-U.S. Army chaplain Chris J. Antal who served in Afghanistan.
By the Rev. Chris J. Antal
Veteran’s Day too often only serves to construct and maintain a public narrative that glorifies war and military service and excludes the actual experience of the veteran. This public narrative is characterized by core beliefs and assumptions about ourselves and the world that most citizens readily accept without examination.
The U.S. public narrative reconciles deep religiosity with a penchant for violence with an often unexamined American National Religion. The core beliefs of this religion include the unholy trinity of governmental theism (One Nation Under God, In God We Trust, etc.), global military supremacy, and capitalism as freedom. These core beliefs provide many U.S. citizens with a broad sense of meaning and imbue the public narrative with thematic coherence. U.S. Marines patrol street in Shah Karez in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Storm)
War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning , as Christopher Hedges wrote. Yet this kind of coherence has a moral and psychological cost. The consequence of an unexamined faith in American National Religion is a moral dualism that exaggerates U.S. goodness and innocence and projects badness on an “other” who we then demonize as the enemy and kill.
Walter Wink described this moral dualism as a “theology of redemptive violence,” the erroneous belief that somehow good violence can save us from bad violence.
Veteran’s Day, in the context of American National Religion, enables selective remembering, self-deception, and projected valorization. In short, it serves to perpetuate lies in order to avoid facing uncomfortable truths about who U.S. citizens are and what kind of people we are becoming.
Imagine a Veteran’s Day where citizens gathered around veterans and asked, “what’s your story?” Citizens who risk this bold step begin to bridge the empathy gap between civilians and veterans and open up the path for adaptive change and post-traumatic growth.
I believe one citizen who approaches a veteran with the invitation, “what’s your story?” does more for the veteran than a thousand patriotic platitudes like “Thank you for your service” could ever do.
Only a First Step
Asking the question is only the first step. A citizen who wants to give back to veterans should cultivate narrative competence, the capacity to recognize, absorb, interpret, and be moved by the stories one hears or reads. The voice of veterans, if we open our ears to hear them, often provides an essential counter-narrative to the U.S. public narrative. Coffins of dead U.S. soldiers arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware in 2006. (U.S. government photo)
Violent, sudden, or seemingly meaningless deaths, the kind of deaths often experienced by veterans, can make the world appear dangerous, unpredictable, or unjust. The experience of warfare can often undercut our sense of meaning and coherence and shatter assumptions. Because of this many veterans carry a depth of pain that is unimaginable to many citizens.
The voice of the veterans often reveals uncomfortable truths and invites collective examination of core beliefs and assumptions, especially those that form the bedrock of American National Religion.
Imagine a Veteran’s Day where communities join together for authentic dialogue between veterans and civilians. Such a gathering would empower veterans to share the kind of stories that would help the community face real problems. What new story might emerge in the process? How might we become a better people as a result?
The Reverend Chris Antal was a chaplain with the US Army in Kandahar, Afghanistan and later in the US Army Reserve. While in Afghanistan, he delivered a sermon that said, “We have sanitized killing and condoned extrajudicial assassinations…” He nearly lost his job. This past April, in an open letter to President Obama, he resigned his commission in protest over the use of drones, nuclear proliferation and our government’s claims of impunity to international law. He is minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Rock Tavern, New York. More background here.) | 0 | [
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