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Fake news about the coronavirus can do real harm. Polygraph.info is spotlighting fact-checks from other reliable sources here​.Daily DebunkClaim: “The overall lethality of [COVID-19] (IFR) is about 0.1% to 0.3% and thus in the range of a severe influenza.”Verdict: InaccurateRead the full story at: Health Feedback Social Media DisinfoScreenshot Circulating on social media: Claim that a contact tracing program developed by Apple and Google has been secretly inserted onto phones and tracks user’s location.Verdict: MisleadingRead the full story at: Agence France-Presse Factual Reads on CoronavirusThe coronavirus may shut down the immune system’s vital classrooms
In many infections, the immune system builds so-called germinal centers in the spleen or lymph nodes to train cells that make antibodies, but the structures fail to develop in some COVID-19 cases.
— Science, August 25
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One person has been shot and killed during a third consecutive night of protests in the midwestern U.S. city of Kenosha, Wisconsin over the shooting of a Black man by police on Sunday. The victim was one of several people who were shot and wounded as protests stretched from Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning.  News outlets say the shooting occurred during a confrontation between protesters and several bystanders several blocks from the city courthouse, where protesters had clashed with police for several hours until they were forced out of the area.   Cell phone video on social media reportedly showed a man firing into a crowd after he fell to the ground.  Tuesday’s violent protests came hours after the father of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot Sunday, said his son is paralyzed from the waist down.  Blake’s father, who is also named Jacob Blake, told the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper Tuesday his son has “eight holes” in his body from his confrontation with police. He said doctors do not know if the paralysis will be permanent.   Ben Crump, the lawyer for the injured man, said it would “take a miracle” for him to walk again. He said Blake’s spinal cord was severed and his vertebrae shattered. Another family lawyer said several organs were damaged as well.A protester tosses an object toward police during clashes outside the Kenosha County Courthouse late Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis., on third night of unrest following the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake.Police have so far released almost no information about what led up to the shooting Sunday evening other than to say they were responding to a domestic dispute.   Wisconsin Governor Police clear a park during clashes with protesters outside the Kenosha County Courthouse late, Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis., during demonstrations over the Sunday shooting of Jacob Blake.Cellphone video of the incident on Sunday shows Blake walking around the front of an SUV, in which three of his children were sitting. Two police officers appear to be following with their guns pointed at him. When Blake opens the car door and leans in, an officer appears to grab his shirt from behind and fires. In the video, seven shots were heard along with people screaming and shouting.  Crump told ABC News one officer fired all seven shots, four of which hit Blake. Crump said there is no sign Blake was armed, adding he was trying to break up an argument between two women. It is unclear who the women are and their ties to Blake and his children.   Sunday’s shooting came after a spring and summer of nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in May while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. There have also been other highly publicized killings of African Americans by police.  The shootings gave new life to the Black Lives Matter movement, and elevated racism and law and order into key issues for the presidential campaign.  The officers involved in Sunday’s shooting are on administrative leave.   The president of the Kenosha police union, Pete Deates, is urging people not to jump to conclusions about Sunday’s incident.  “As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident,” he said.    Pastor Norma Urrabazo of the International Church of Las Vegas included Blake as she led the opening prayer on the second night of the Republican National Convention Tuesday.     “We pray for healing and comfort to Jacob Blake and his family. We pray for your protection over those who put their lives in harm’s way to bring safety and security to our streets,” she said.    Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Monday “These shots pierce the soul of our nation. Equal justice has not been real for Black Americans and so many others … we must dismantle systemic racism.”  
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Two Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers have been arrested and charged in relation with  anti-government protests last year that rocked the semi-autonomous city. Lam Cheuk-ting and Ted Hui were arrested early Wednesday morning at their homes, according to a post on the Facebook page of the Democratic Party.   Lam was arrested on suspicion of taking part in a riot on July 21 of last year, when more than 100 men attacked pro-democracy protesters and passengers at the Yuen Long  subway station with steel rods and canes.  Protesters have accused police of arriving late on the scene and allowing some of the armed attackers to leave.   Lam has also been charged with Hui in connection with a July 6 protest in the Tuen Mun district.Pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui (R) speaks to the media outside the West Kowloon Court in Hong Kong on August 24, 2020.At least 14 other people were also arrested Wednesday in relation to last year’s massive protests, which began when the government announced plans to approve an extradition bill that would have sent criminal suspects to mainland China to face trial.  The controversial measure was eventually withdrawn, but the protests continued and evolved into a demand for greater democracy for Hong Kong, which was granted an unusual amount of freedom when Britain handed control of the city back to China in 1997. The often violent protests prompted Beijing to impose a new national security law on Hong Kong that would subject anyone believed to be carrying out terrorism, separatism, subversion of state power or collusion with foreign forces to trial and possible life in prison if convicted. Lam and Hui are the latest high-profile pro-democracy figures who have been arrested since the law went into effect on July 1.  They include 72-year-old Jimmy Lai, the publisher of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, and 23-year-old Agnes Chow, a former leader of Demosisto, a political party founded by fellow activist Joshua Wong.  The party disbanded shortly after the new security law went into effect last month.    Hong Kong authorities have also disqualified 12 pro-democracy candidates from running in September’s legislative elections that have since been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The disqualified candidates included Wong, who was one of many pro-democracy activists who were nominated in an unofficial primary held back in July.  
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Bahrain for talks Wednesday before heading to the United Arab Emirates. Pompeo’s schedule in Manama includes meetings with Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and King Hamad Al Khalifa.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is welcomed by Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa after arriving at Manama International Airport in Manama, Bahrain, Jan. 11, 2019.In Abu Dhabi, the State Department said Pompeo would be discussing the agreement the United Arab Emirates and Israel signed earlier this month to normalize their relations as he meets with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Pompeo is on a multi-nation trip this week amid a Trump administration push for other Arab nations to follow the UAE in normalizing ties with Israel. He was in Sudan on Tuesday where, according to a statement from State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus, Pompeo and Sudanese Sovereign Council Chair General Abdel Fattah el-Burhan discussed the “continued deepening of the Israel-Sudan bilateral relationship.”US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives in Khartoum, Sudan, Aug. 25, 2020.Ortagus said they also discussed “the importance of the military’s continued support for the civilian-led transitional government and Sudan’s path toward democracy.”  Pompeo began his trip Monday in Israel where he said the United States will ensure Israel’s military advantage in the Middle East under any potential U.S. arms deals with the United Arab Emirates.   “The United States has a legal requirement with respect to qualitative military edge.  We will continue to honor that,” said Pompeo after his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.      “But we have a 20-plus year security relationship with the United Arab Emirates as well, where we have provided them with technical assistance and military assistance,” he added.      The top U.S. diplomat’s trip to the Middle East comes after Washington helped broker the Israel-UAE deal earlier this month, a pact that Netanyahu said heralds a new era for the region.      But Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the deal is a “betrayal” of Palestinians.  The Israel-UAE deal is seen as breaking a tradition among most Arab countries not to make peace with Israel until Israel and the Palestinians make peace.   Pompeo is also traveling to Oman to close out his trip. Bahrain and Oman are seen as the next Gulf countries to establish diplomatic ties with Israel. 
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This week the Republican Party is hoping to pave the way for a repeat of President Donald Trump’s 2016 win by energizing the party faithful and wooing undecided voters. Public opinion polls show the president trailing Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden. At the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, VOA’s Carolyn Presutti spoke with several voters who said they did not back Trump in 2016, but they will this year.Camera: Mary Cieslak 
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In claiming that the 2020 election could be “rigged” by the Democrats, U.S. President Donald Trump recently hinted he may deploy federal authorities to polling places around the country on Election Day to root out corrupt practices that would impact the presidential election. Asked during a Fox News interview last week if he planned to deploy federal monitors to polling stations Nov. 3 to prevent fraudulent voting, Trump replied, “We’re going to have everything.” “We’re going to have sheriffs, and we’re going to have law enforcement, and we’re going to have, hopefully, U.S. attorneys. And we’re going to have everybody, and attorney generals,” he told conservative host Sean Hannity. “But it’s very hard.”   Trump has steadily stepped up his largely groundless assertions that the U.S. voting system — especially the surge in voting by mail in the face of the coronavirus pandemic — is rife with corruption and needs a watchful federal eye. FILE – Voters drop off ballots in the Washington State primary, in Seattle, March 10, 2020.While it was not clear if Trump was engaging in idle speculation or if he was serious, some observers took his latest remarks to suggest he not only wants “poll watchers” but law enforcement officers posted at voting precincts. Poll watchers, often appointed by political party committees, are deployed by the tens of thousands every election cycle. Their job is to monitor voting irregularities and to challenge the qualifications of a voter if they have suspicions.  FILE – A poll watcher watches as voters sign in at the Martha O’Bryan Center community building in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 8, 2016.But law enforcement presence at U.S. polling places is uncommon. Federal laws prohibit the deployment of troops and armed agents to the polls, while a number of states restrict their presence. Here is a look at the legality of deploying law enforcement officers at the polls. Can Trump send local sheriffs to the polls?   The United States has a system of limited government. While the national government is “supreme” under the U.S. Constitution’s “Supremacy Clause,” states are accorded broader “police powers” under the Tenth Amendment.   In a landmark decision in 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court “interpreted the Tenth Amendment to specifically mean that the federal government cannot directly order state and local law enforcement officials as if they were agents of the federal government,” said Edward Foley, a constitutional law professor and director of the election law program at Ohio State University.  Can the president send armed federal agents to the polls?  A FILE – Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf testifies in Washington, March 3, 2020.Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in a recent interview with CNN that the Department of Homeland Security lacks the authority to deploy agents to the polls.  Hans von Spakovsky, a former federal prosecutor, said it is highly unlikely that Trump will order the deployment of troops and agents to polling places.  However, “if the president ordered someone at DHS or DOJ to do something that violated the statute, I don’t think they would follow the (order),” said von Spakovsky, now a senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation.   Is there any precedent for sending law enforcement officers to the polls?  During the 1981 gubernatorial campaign in New Jersey, the Republican Party posted off-duty sheriffs and police officers at polling places in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods. The Democratic National Committee sued, claiming the “ballot security program” was part of a broader voter intimidation effort. Under public pressure, the Republicans agreed to settle the following year by entering a “consent decree.”    The decree, in force for 35 years, prohibited the Republican Party from undertaking “ballot security” at polling places in heavily minority communities.    Von Spakovsky said that while political parties cannot post armed personnel inside polling places, they should be allowed to hire former law enforcement officers as poll watchers.    What do state laws say about police presence at polls?  A patchwork of state laws governs law enforcement presence at polling stations, Foley said. While some states such as Iowa allow police officers to provide security on Election Day, others such as Pennsylvania and Florida explicitly prohibit their presence, unless they are there to cast ballots.   “There is a sense that sometimes the presence of local police officers carrying their firearms could be an intimidating factor,” Foley said. “The idea is to try to make voting as less of a hostile environment as possible.”  Conservatives say they do not object to local jurisdictions using police officers to guard polling stations.  “I don’t have a problem if states want to do it. If they simply want to post an officer at the polls to make sure there is no violence, there is no violation,” von Spakovsky said. 
 
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This week, Valdya Baraputri had been scheduled to broadcast live from the Republican National Convention. Instead, she and a colleague were on a flight home to Indonesia on Monday, after the U.S. Agency for Global Media did not renew the J-1 visas that allowed them to work for Voice of America.  Baraputri is one of at least 15 VOA language service journalists due to return to their country of origin in coming weeks. Their J-1 visa renewals came up as USAGM’s new leadership initiated a review into the specialized entry permits for individuals with unique skills. Another 20 journalists, including some who are from repressive countries, have visas expiring by the end of the year.  FILE – The facade of the Voice of America building is seen in Washington, June 15, 2020.VOA, which broadcasts in 47 languages, relies on the specialized regional knowledge, contacts and language skills provided by its journalists from around the world.  USAGM, which oversees Voice of America and four other networks, announced last month it was conducting a case-by-case assessment of J-1 renewal applications. The chief executive is responsible for giving the final approval of visa renewals submitted by the broadcasters.  Visa review The review was aimed at improving agency management, protecting U.S. national security and ensuring that hiring authorities are not misused, a USAGM spokesperson said in a July statement.FILE – Congressman Eliot Engel addresses the media in the Riverdale section of New York, June 23, 2020.In a statement Friday, Rep. Eliot Engel, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said USAGM has failed to provide answers to Congress about the visa renewal process.  “It’s unconscionable that a U.S. government agency would create such fear and uncertainty for people whom we asked to do a job,” Engel said. “Congress’ attempts to seek answers from USAGM on this matter have been met with silence. It’s clear that the agency is just trying to run out the clock until these journalists are forced to leave.”Pack is scheduled to testify before the House committee on Sept. 24.Engel, a Democrat Party representative for New York, warned that some VOA journalists were at risk, especially those returning to repressive countries that regularly jail or harass the media. US Media Agency Reports Years-long Problems With Vetting Employees Report published by USAGM’s new CEO says problems with vetting employees, including some foreign nationals, go back almost a decade Grant Turner, a former CEO and chief financial officer for the agency, who is one of at least seven staff the USAGM placed on administrative leave on August 12 over investigations into security issues, said the security review and the J-1 visa issue are part of a pattern of mismanagement in recent months.  Turner told VOA the loss of staff in VOA’s language divisions could lose VOA vital audiences in countries such as Iran, China and Venezuela, where citizens have very limited access to independent news. He added that not renewing visas was “a betrayal of promises” the agency made to foreign reporters who came to work for VOA.  The USAGM said Turner and others were placed on leave to restore “respect for the rule of law in our work.” Turner said he rejects the reasons given for his being placed on leave.  J1 visa status  Since 1961, the Exchange Visitor Program, which includes J-1 visas, has provided short-term work opportunities in the United States for professionals, teachers and foreign students. This April, Trump issued a proclamation suspending some economic immigration as part of measures aimed at assisting the domestic job market during the coronavirus pandemic.  A lawsuit challenging the legality of the order is pending.  Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell Law School and co-author of “J Visa Guidebook,” told VOA that J-1 and other work-based visa holders bring “substantial economic benefits” to the U.S.  “Many of these jobs are specialized and, depending on the nature of the job, it may not be feasible for an employer to find a U.S. worker to replace them,” he added. Yale-Loehr said that while visa sponsors do not have legal obligations to renew visas of employees, “They may have a moral obligation if they’re sending J-1 workers back to harm’s way.”  Visas holders fearing persecution if they return to their home countries have a right to seek asylum, Yale-Loehr said.  Baraputri, who co-hosts a weekly news program for the VOA Indonesian service, said it is much easier to cover issues deemed sensitive in Indonesia from the U.S.  As well as losing their jobs, the journalists are forced to return on flights during the coronavirus pandemic. In Baraputri’s case, she will have to pay for two weeks in a hotel as a quarantine measure before returning to her multigenerational home in Jakarta.  
 
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