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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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Were all but one of the US presidents descended from King John of England?

The Daily Mail says: A 12-year-old girl created family tree linking 42 of 43 U.S. presidents to King John of England, who signed the Magna Carta in 1215. Only the eighth president, Martin Van Buren, was not related to John. This has been…
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Did US President Bill Clinton pay down the national debt by $223 billion in 2000?

CNN has this statement about the Clinton Surplus: President Clinton announced Wednesday that the federal budget surplus for fiscal year 2000 amounted to at least $230 billion, making it the largest in U.S. history and topping last year's record…
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Did Eleanor Roosevelt say that the Jews brought the Holocaust on themselves?

Glenn Beck this morning claimed that Eleanor Roosevelt made the argument at the time of WWII that the Jews had brought the German actions on themselves because of their control of finance and media. Is there any record or her making statements that…
Chad
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Did Henry Kissinger call Bangladesh a bottomless basket?

The Bottomless Basket It is often said in Bangladeshi newspapers that ex-US Foreign Minister Henry Kissinger once called Bangladesh a "Bottomless Basket". If so, why and when did he say this? I.e., what was the context? Also, did he ever revoke…
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Did vehicle registration occur before automobiles?

I found an article online that makes the claim: "... registration plates having been used on carriages and wagons in the U.S. as far back as the early 1800s." The article can be found here: A License to Collect. Unfortunately, as it's always the…
David G.
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Were "Fabricated abortion statistics" used to influence the Roe vs Wade decision?

I read in the National Catholic Register an assertion that the numbers that Justice Blackmun cited in Roe vs. Wade came largely from a book called "Abortion" and that ex-Abortionist Bernhard Nathanson confessed to making up those numbers cited in…
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Does California have a dress code for drivers?

Many "crazy law" sources claim that California motor vehicle law contains a bizarre sartorial proscription. On CNN.com, the article "Do you know why I pulled you over?" by Craig Howie claims: Some antiquated state driving laws are flat-out crazy.…
Robert Columbia
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Did Elon Musk pay "the most [income] taxes ever in history for an individual last year"?

After Senator Warren went on TV and said Elon Musk paid $0 in taxes in 2018, he responded in a Tweet dated 20 Feb 2022 saying (emphasis added): Will visit IRS next time I’m in DC just to say hi, since I paid the most taxes ever in history for an…
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Did Bill Barr attempt to visit Ghislaine Maxwell the day she was arrested?

Bill Barr is the current United States Attorney General. AP reports British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested Thursday [July 2] on charges she helped lure at least three girls — one as young as 14 — to be sexually abused by the late…
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Did Police spray fake blood on themselves in Philadelphia on August 14th 2019?

According to this video police officers sprayed fake blood on themselves in response to the August 2019 Philadelphia shooting. Is this account of the incident true?
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Does an American taxpayer fund $870 in corporate subsidies for every $36 in food stamps?

I recently saw this Occupy Democrats claim on Facebook: Now, obviously a lot of those categories are vague and open to interpretation (I've known people who would argue most of the U.S. defense budget is "corporate subsidies"), but are any of…
T.J. Crowder
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Is asking about U.S. citizenship an illegal interview question?

From About.com, Are you a U.S. citizen? Every interview I have had has asked this. Even pre-interview screening includes this question. Is it really illegal for them to ask this? Note: Not really permissible on this site, but what would a good…
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Was the United States the equal fifth deadliest country for journalists in 2018?

As reported in the CNN article In a violent year for journalists, United States among the deadliest countries for first time, the group Reporters Without Borders has claimed that the United States is the equal fifth deadliest country in 2018. The…
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Is it illegal for pharmacists to tell their patients that their drugs are cheaper than their co-pay if they pay cash without using their insurance?

I read in the news article Why do the insured pay more for prescriptions? (mirror): Eight states (including Texas) have enacted legislation authorizing pharmacists to tell their patients that their drugs would be cheaper if they just paid cash…
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Are there 2400 bank robberies per year in the US?

At the beginning of the movie Den of Thieves it is stated that: 2400 TIMES A YEAR. 44 TIMES A WEEK. 9 TIMES A DAY. EVERY 48 MINUTES. A BANK IS ROBBED HERE.[sic] Anyway, I don't know whether HERE refers to the entire US or just the city of Los…
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