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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Is America “the only nation where this [a mass shooting] regularly happens”?

The Onion, a satirical newspaper, re-uses a headline each time a mass shooting occurs in the US: “No Way To Prevent This,” Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens Most recently for the shooting in Uvalde, TX. This tradition has its own…
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Have any financial traders gotten a large shipment of a commodity sent to themselves by mistake?

Certain oil futures contracts went negative in April 2020 over the difficulty of storing crude oil. With this came a resurgence of stories of hapless traders receiving the actual commodities that were trading purely as financial instruments. From…
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Did the maps for services such as Snapchat, CitiBike and StreetEasy label New York City as “Jewtropolis” for a brief amount of time?

While checking my Twitter feed this morning (August 30, 2018) I came across this tweet that claimed that services like Snapchat, CitiBike and StreetEasy renamed New York City as “Jewtropolis.” Screenshots below. Did this event actually happen? Were…
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Is any male over 15 years of age considered a combatant if killed by a drone strike?

In the essay "We have always fought" by Kameron Hurley, she makes the following claim: We don’t kill “fifteen year old boys” but “enemy combatants” (yes, every boy 15 and over killed in drone strikes now is automatically listed as an enemy…
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Does Shell get $2 billion a year in subsidies from the US government?

While browsing reddit, I saw the following graphic from the Late Stage Capitalism subreddit: (Two stick figures are shown, the second one with Shell's logo for a head) This is Bob. Bob gets $1,500/year in food stamps so his family doesn't…
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In Massachusetts, can someone be "arrested and fined up to fifty-thousand dollars" for reporting suspicious behavior in a women's bathroom?

A Massachusetts political advertisement No On 3, Keep MA Safe says: What does Massachusetts Question 3 mean to you? It means any man who says he is a woman can enter a women's locker room, dressing room, or bathroom at any time. Even convicted…
Rebecca J. Stones
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Is there a death penalty if you jump off a building (and don't die) in New York?

According to dumblaws.com, in New York (City? State? or both?): The penalty for jumping off a building is death. It is the second most-voted weird law in NY in ranker.com also: If Jumping Off a Building Doesn't Kill You... the City of NYC Will…
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Are thousands of Islamic terrorists entering the United States?

In an interview with an Ohio television station, the 2016 Republican nominee for President said: when you have radical Islamic terrorists probably all over the place, we’re allowing them to come in [to the United States] by the thousands and…
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Did the National Rifle Association (NRA) block research into statistics related to gun control?

About 30,000 Americans die every year from gun-related deaths (a number likely to exceed those dying from automobile-related accidents very soon if trends continue). About 1 in 3 of those are homicides and the remainder suicides. Together this…
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Are there 300,000 items in the average American household, and 10,000 items in the average European household?

There is a trope that can be found in many articles discussing topics such as consumerism or minimalism: the average number of items that can be found in an average household. The number that is usually cited for the average American household is…
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Did Trump order tear gas to be used on protesters to clear a pathway to a church for a photoshot?

There are dozens of articles out there like this one which states that Trump ordered the use of tear gas to disperse peaceful protesters so he could do a photoshoot. However I recently read that reporter Neal Augenstein (whom I am otherwise…
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Does Melania Trump's security cost double the National Endowment for the Arts' budget?

This viral post was found at The Resistance with 16,000 shares in less 12 hours. It's from @chapmanchapman who seems to be commenting on Trump cutting the National Endowment for the Arts. The est. security cost for Melania living 200mi away from…
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Did a computer error lead to 6,000 votes switching from Joe Biden to President Trump?

thegatewaypundit writes: A so-called computer ‘glitch’ fix in one of Michigan’s counties has led to 6,000 votes switching from Joe Biden to President Trump. The Head of the Republican Party has asked for an additional 47 counties be recounted…
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Did Martin Gugino, 75, who was injured at the Buffalo, NY protest, provoke the police?

Today on Twitter, Trump has made a claim that a 75-year old man previously filmed being pushed and falling to the pavement by police might be an ANTIFA provocateur. Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old…
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Did thousands of women die every year due to illegal abortions before Roe v. Wade?

Dr. Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood, has repeatedly said that thousands of women died every year as a result of abortions prior to Roe v. Wade: We face a real situation where Roe could be overturned. And we know what will happen, which…
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