Skeptics Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [united-states]

Use this tag for questions about claims based in the United States, or limited to the United States.

The United States of America (also referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, the States, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district.

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Do [US] states with the most gun laws tend to have the fewest gun deaths?

In his statements on the Umpqua Community College shootings (video), President Obama said We know that states with the most gun laws tend to have the fewest gun deaths. I'm interested to know how strong the evidence is for this.
user69715
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You have the right to one phone call when arrested - A Hollywood myth?

(Image Source) According to Cracked.com the "one phone call" rule is a Hollywood invention. They base this on the information this attorney gives: The one phone call is another one of the urban myths. You may or may not be permitted to use…
Oliver_C
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Are guns the number one killer of children in the US?

Joe Biden, in his speech on June 2, said that guns are the number one killer of children, even more than car accidents. Is this claim true? According to new data just released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, guns are the No. 1…
Amir reza Riahi
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Did protesters block metal detectors at Trump's Tulsa rally?

"Sadly, protesters interfered with supporters, even blocking access to the metal detectors, which prevented people from entering the rally," Tim Murtaugh, the campaign's communications director, said in a statement. Source Is there any proof of…
Mawg says reinstate Monica
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As of May 2020, are there twice as many deaths from Covid-19 in New York City as there are on a usual day from all other causes combined?

From CNN Dr. Tom Frieden, the former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, laid out "10 plain truths" about Covid-19 on Wednesday as he spoke at a House Appropriations Committee hearing on the pandemic response. [...] "Even…
Fizz
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Were Vietnam veterans spat on?

The idea that Vietnam veterans in the United States were spat on when they returned seems to have taken hold. It's mentioned in the movie First Blood ("Rambo"): Then I come back to the world and I see all those maggots at the airport protesting me,…
dont_shog_me_bro
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Does the AMA limit the number of doctors to increase current doctors' salaries?

A suggested reason why doctors get paid so much more in the US as opposed to other developed countries is that the American Medical Association (AMA) artificially limits the physician supply in order to drive up salaries. I found this article which…
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Are 10% of food stamps put towards soda?

I just came across a video that was also shared on Facebook, that claims that a recent US Department of Agriculture study found that 10% of food stamp purchases go to soda, or $8.5 billion annually. They also say that the #1 item purchased through…
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Is it prohibited to marry more than one woman in US?

It's a wide belief between Islamists in my country that in the West, men are not allowed to marry more than one woman even if all parties (both women and the man) accept it, As Islamists view it, this is a restriction of freedom, because those…
Fawzy Hegab
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Did/does the US government keep secret papers by Nikola Tesla?

A popular conspiracy theory holds that Tesla invented a free energy device, but that the powers that be prevented him from publishing it, because it would hurt their investments. Of course, free energy as such does not exist, and literally speaking,…
gerrit
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Is it true that there is not enough electricity to power all vehicles in the United States if they were electric?

According to Scotty Kilmer, in his video, "The Truth About My Worsening Condition": There is not enough electricity [currently] to charge the batteries of cars like Tesla that have lithium ion or lithium iron phosphate batteries. There would have…
Evan Carroll
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Were a large number of votes from suspiciously old Pennsylvanians received in the 2020 US presidential election?

There have been many claims that votes were received from dead voters in the 2020 US presidentil election. For example, @AndySwan tweeted: Joe Biden was so inspiring that all the 90+ year olds in Pennsylvania registered to vote this year, setting a…
Flying Thunder
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Was the Obama administration responsible for the decision to move the US embassy in London and the sale of the old location?

President Donald Trump claims that moving the US embassy in the United Kingdom to a different location was a bad decision and a "bad deal". He puts the blame on the Obama administration. Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big…
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Did Donald Trump say that muslims should be visibly marked?

Donald Trump has been reported in the news and over the internet for suggesting that Muslims should wear some visible id or badge of some sort. Raw Story headlined with: Trump crosses the Nazi line: Maybe Muslims should wear special ID…
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Was the original version of the Statue of Liberty of a Black slave?

A few people I know on social media are passing this image around this week. The claim is the original Statue of Liberty was a black women, given to celebrate the end of the Civil War, and the US end to slavery. For example, Urban Intellectuals…
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