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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Does the TSA have a fail rate of 95% in breach tests?

Does the TSA fail at a rate of 95% at detecting (fake, "test") terrorists in breach tests, as reported in this news story? The best information that I have about this is a news report. Is there any official source confirming it?
Quora Feans
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Was 19 the average age of a combat soldier in Vietnam?

The anti-war song 19 by Paul Hardcastle claims that: In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26... In Vietnam he was 19. Are these figures accurate? I'm more interested in the claim about Vietnam, but ideally I'd like an answer…
Tom77
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Was the passport of one of the 9/11 terrorists found, while "nothing else" from the airplane was recovered?

Someone who "believes branches of the U.S government planned 9/11" said that: The passport of one of the terrorists was "found". How is it that this passport survived the crash, while nothing else of the planes' content was recovered from…
ripper234
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Do the majority of Americans take the Noah's ark story from the Bible literally?

From Most Americans take Bible stories literally: An ABC News poll released Sunday found that... ...Sixty percent believe in the story of Noah’s ark and a global flood This claim is often repeated, including in a number of lists such as The 10…
Brian M. Hunt
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Did a plane hit the Pentagon on September 11, 2001?

Is it possible that a plane hit the side of the pentagon, but did not even scuff up the grass? There are some claims of other anomalies that don't quite match the idea of a plane hitting there; like a lack of broken plane parts. Grass…
geoff
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Has a weapon functionally equivalent to the AR-15 been available for U.S. civilian purchase since 1907?

According to a (since-deleted) widely shared LinkedIn post (emphasis added): A hundred and twelve years ago, in 1907...our great grandparents were first able to buy the rifle pictured. The semi-auto Winchester Model 1907. This is a gun they could…
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Would the median household income in the USA be $140K and mean net worth $800K if wealth were evenly distributed

In his book (Evil Geniuses) about how the USA got where it currently is, Kurt Andersen speculates about how far wealth and income inequality has risen in the last few decades. He attempts to visualise in concrete terms the implications by using this…
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Did "Antifa in Portland" issue an "anonymous tip" in Nov that John E. Sullivan be “locked out” of their circles because he is "agent provocateur"?

A Jan 15 OpIndia article says: On the 23rd of November 2020, Antifa in Portland is said to have issued an ‘anonymous tip’ demanding that John Sullivan be “locked out” of their circles. “While it’s easier, and generally more fair, to believe he is a…
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Are "bait bricks" real?

I've seen this image shared on social media, original source unknown. Is there clear evidence that piles of bricks have been placed in the path of protestors far away from any construction site in order to induce destructive rioting, and if so, how…
curiousdannii
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Did Don Young threaten John Boehner with a 10 inch blade to the throat?

In American Carnage, Tim Alberta's new book, he claims that Don Young (the Republican Congressman from Alaska) threatened John Boehner (then Speaker of the House) with a ten inch blade to the throat over proposed budget earmarks. Boehner later…
user36356
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Is the Clinton Foundation currently under investigation?

Marc Lotter, former special assistant to President Trump, just said this to CNN's Erin Burnett in the course of defending President Trump from the fact that the Trump foundation is shutting down after being investigated by the state of New…
Keshav Srinivasan
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Were 3 million votes cast by non-citizens in the 2016 US presidential election?

Various websites are repeating the claim in this tweet, which says: Completed analysis of database of 180 million voter registrations. Number of non-citizen votes exceeds 3 million. Consulting legal team. and this tweet which says: We have…
user21795
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Are rich, black kids imprisoned more often than poor, white kids, in the USA?

The Washington Post gives a detailed report of a recent study: A stark new finding epitomizes that reality: In recent decades, rich black kids have been more likely to go to prison than poor white kids. "Race trumps class, at least when it comes to…
Jacob Blaustein
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Did Martin Luther King, Jr. say that "I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy"?

Did Martin Luther King, Jr. say I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy It's been going around the tweeterwebs today in response to Osama bin Laden's death.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Andrew Grimm
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Were Michael Brown's hands up when he was shot according to grand jury testimony?

Joe Scarbrough blasted the media and the St. Louis Rams for coming onto the field in a silent protest in support of Michael Brown. SCARBROUGH: Yeah, guys came out, hands up don’t shoot for the St. Louis Rams. Here’s a video of it. And what is…
user1873
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