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Harris’ Position on Health Care for Transgender Prisoners and Detainees

October 4, 2024

Update, Oct. 18: Vice President Kamala Harris expanded on her position on gender-affirming care for prisoners during an Oct. 16 Fox News interview, following a question prompted by a Trump television ad on the topic. “I will follow the law, and it’s a law that Donald Trump actually followed,” Harris said, likely referring to legal requirements that the government provide medical care to prisoners, including necessary gender-affirming care. “You’re probably familiar with —

The Humanitarian Parole Program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans

March 14, 2024

Q: Did the Biden administration secretly fly over 300,000 migrants to the U.S.?

A: As of January, the Department of Homeland Security had admitted about 357,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans it vetted and authorized to fly to the U.S. through a humanitarian parole program. The travelers pay for the flights.

Online Claims Misrepresent Washington Bill Aimed at Runaway Transgender Youth

May 3, 2023

Q: Does a proposed law in Washington state say that the government can take children away from parents who don’t agree to gender transition surgery?

A: No. Under the bill, licensed youth shelters no longer have to report the location of a runaway child to the child’s parents if the child is seeking gender-affirming or reproductive care. Instead, the shelters must notify the state’s child services department.

U.S. Selling Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Highest Bidding Companies

July 14, 2022

Q: Is the Biden administration selling crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to other countries?

A: The oil is sold to eligible companies that make the highest offers. Some of the companies are U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, and some that purchased oil have then exported a portion to buyers overseas. Exports increase the global supply and still help with U.S. gas prices, experts told us.

Border Patrol Required to Provide Formula to Detained Infants

May 24, 2022

Q: Has the Biden administration sent “pallets” of infant formula to the border amid a nationwide shortage?
A: Yes. Customs and Border Protection, the agency that first encounters and then processes immigrants, is legally required to provide formula to infants in its care and has been doing so during the recent shortage.

Pope Francis Continues to be Active, Despite Unsupported Report of Declining Health

December 10, 2021

Q: Is Pope Francis dying?
A: There is no credible evidence that he is terminally ill. The viral claim is based on a single news story published Dec. 7 by Newsmax, a conservative news outlet, which attributed the information to an unidentified Vatican source. No other publication has reported it.

Answering Questions About #BeagleGate

November 2, 2021

Q: Did Dr. Anthony Fauci fund experiments on beagles?

A: Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which has provided grants for medical studies using the dogs as test subjects. But the NIAID denied funding one particular project in which sedated beagles had their heads placed in mesh cages so sand flies could bite them.

What We Know About the Claims of Military Dogs Left in Kabul

September 1, 2021

Q: Did the U.S. abandon its military dogs during its withdrawal from Afghanistan?

A: The Department of Defense maintains that none of its military service dogs were left behind. But animal welfare groups say some contract working dogs — which did not belong to the U.S., though some may have been contracted by the military — were left at the Kabul airport.

Understanding Pennsylvania’s Proposed Bill on Handling Fetal Remains

June 4, 2021

Q: Did Pennsylvania lawmakers vote to “fine” women who miscarry?

A: No. But a bill proposes to mandate that health care providers bury or cremate fetal remains, regardless of when or how the pregnancy ends. Experts say such requirements could translate to additional costs for women or their insurers.

No Evidence Vaccines Impact Fertility

February 26, 2021

Q: Do the COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility?
A: There’s no evidence that approved vaccines cause fertility loss. Although clinical trials did not study the issue, loss of fertility has not been reported among thousands of trial participants nor confirmed as an adverse event among millions who have been vaccinated.