Us Tax System

Did a woman give birth to a premature baby and they both have coronavirus? No, that's not true: This photo predates the 2020 coronavirus outbreak. The photo shows a grieving mother holding the hand of one of her premature twin daughters who was stillborn on June 21, 2018. The story of what happened was told in several articles published in…

Did House Democrats sneak into their $3 trillion stimulus bill tied to coronavirus relief a recess that would keep them out of having to work -- but with fully pay -- until July 21? No, that is not true. HR 6800, which passed the House on May 15, 2020, does not contain the word "recess." Speaker Nancy Pelosi would not…

Does House Resolution 6666 include billions of dollars to fund forced quarantining for Americans who test positive for COVID-19? No, that's not true: the bill earmarks funding to improve Americans' health through mobile testing units in medically underserved areas. The claim that this bill is bad, based on its number, comes from a video posted on May 9, 2020, titled…

Did Italy decide not to treat its elderly population with coronavirus? No, that's not entirely true: because of the immense strain being put on the Italian health care system from the novel coronavirus outbreak this year, doctors may be forced to decide to give priority care to patients with the highest chance of survival. As it is, guidelines including rationing…

Can the novel coronavirus survive the heat? And, specifically, will 15 minutes in a sauna kill the virus? No, that's not true: An internationally recognized expert in infectious disease epidemiology has quashed those assertions. The claims originated in a post (archived here) published on Facebook by Irina Maryanchik on March 7, 2020. It opened: Viruses cannot live in the hot…

Did police threaten a West Hollywood, California, homeowner with jail if he removed a tent erected in his yard by a homeless person? No, that's not true: West Hollywood laws allow for the removal of trespassers from private property, including homeless people who erect tents. A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who specializes in dealing with complaints about homeless intruders…

Does the United States spend $900 billion on welfare for undocumented immigrants - money that could go toward funding veteran programs? No, that's not true. The suggestion has been making its way - again - around the internet and has evolved since the earliest discovered claim in 2009. With the evolution, the cost has shot up dramatically, from $338.3 billion…

Did Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders say he wants to raise taxes to 52 percent on anybody making over $29,000 a year during this week's fiery Democratic debate in Nevada? No, that's not true: it is fake news being spread over social media, and the avowed Democratic socialist has only said he wants a 52 percent tax on income over…

Do the policies of Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg support lenient sentences for drug traffickers that would lead to them avoiding serving time for their crimes? No, that's not true: Buttigieg has said he wants to decriminalize prison time for possession of illicit drugs to keep people struggling with addiction out of prison and get them into rehab. He never…

Did an Inspector General's Report say Hillary Clinton committed 'sexual crimes against children'? And did Barack Obama lie to cover up Clinton's supposed crimes? No, neither are true: The IG report did not refer to any sexual crimes against children having been committed by Clinton, and the stories making the claims are taken way out of context. The claim originated…