The latest COVID-19 fact-checks

This week:  Steve Scalise on ABC News … Biden exaggerates GOP support for his plans … Buck Sexton on the Truth-O-Meter …  How does COVID-19 compare with other causes of death? A weekly note from the editor-in-chief of    (AP) Republicans parse whether the 2020 election was 'stolen' More than a month after President Joe Biden's inauguration, some Republicans still have trouble saying his November election was valid, giving air to the lie that the election was fraudulent.   In an interview on ABC News' This Week, Rep. Steve Scalise, second in command of the House Republicans, refused to acknowledge that Biden won fair and square.  "Joe Biden won the election," said Jonathan Karl of ABC News. "He is the legitimate president of the United States. The election was not stolen, correct?" "Look, Joe Biden's the president," Scalise replied. "There were a few states that did not follow their state laws. That's really the dispute that you've seen continue on." Karl tried again: "Do you concede that this election was not stolen? Very simple question. Please just answer it." "Look, once the electors are counted, yes, he's the legitimate president," Scalise said. "But if you're going to ignore the fact that there were states that did not follow their own state legislatively set laws, that's the issue at heart, that millions of people still are not happy with and don't want to see happen again." Courts at every level, though, have not validated those concerns, including most recently the U.S. Supreme Court, and have rebuffed legal challenges to the 2020 election. Theories of systemic vote manipulation have crumbled under examination by local officials. Scalise avoided the positive affirmation that trickery played no role. We wanted to know: What about other congressional leaders?  While some Washington Republicans share his view, among Republican leadership, Scalise stands out. Few have faced the pointed questioning he encountered on ABC — it's possible they've purposefully avoided it — but post-impeachment, we found no comparable claims from GOP leaders in Congress. (We've found no Democrats who have questioned Biden's election.)  The three top Senate Republicans, Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., John Thune, R-S.D., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo., acknowledged Biden's victory, at the very latest by Dec. 15, after the Electoral College voted.  On the House side, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said Jan. 13 that former President Donald Trump "correctly pointed out unconstitutional behavior, voting irregularities, concerns over tabulations, dead people voting." Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was another who refused to discard the election fraud myth. The top House Republican, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has in the past advanced the theme of an improper election.His actions come close to affirming fraud, but we were unable to find a moment since inauguration when McCarthy was asked point blank if he believes the election was fair and honest. Scalise's determined pivot on ABC's This Week points to the Republicans' preferred focus going forward. They say the issue is not stolen votes, but the rule of law. Pennsylvania and other states must follow their own rules. The pandemic that prompted states to modify voting to protect public health is insufficient reason. It's a cause that enjoys greater support among Republicans than affirming that the 2020 election was legal and valid. — Jon Greenberg Share Tweet Forward The Latest from PolitiFact Do Republicans support Biden COVID plan? "According to the polls, there is overwhelming bipartisan support," Biden said about his aid plan for COVID-19. "The vast majority of the American people — more than 70% of the American people, with all the polls you all conduct, including a majority of Republicans — want us to act, and act big and quickly and support the plan." We rated that Half True. The White House cited one poll that found 70% of Republicans approve of Congress passing an economic relief package to provide funds to people and businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak. But two other polls that included more details in their questions found less than majority support among Republicans. Back to normal? We wish. Conservative radio host Buck Sexton said scientific research indicates life should return to normal now despite the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Here's what the science tells anyone who is being honest about it: open the schools, stop wearing masks outside, and everyone at low risk should start living normal lives. Not next fall, or next year — now," he said. We rated that False. School openings depend on social distancing and ventilation; masks are still recommended. Getting sick is still entirely possible for the healthy.  What did impeachment cost? Facebook post says Trump's second impeachment "cost $33 million." We rated that False. There is no concrete estimate for Trump's second impeachment, which lasted just a few weeks and involved no travel for witnesses. Experts told us congressional salaries and other institutional costs are built into the budget. Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help   Yes, I support PolitiFact! Make a tax-deductible donation to make this message go away. 1 year in: How does COVID-19 compare with other causes of death? Now that the coronavirus has been in the United States for roughly a year, new numbers are revealing the scale of COVID-19's impact on American health: COVID-19 has become the country's third leading cause of death, and could be on its way to outpacing cancer. Through Feb. 23, 2021, a total of 502,005 Americans died of the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University data. And a closely watched model from researchers at the University of Washington projects that this number will rise past 589,000 by June 1. "The toll of death is simply staggering — worse than I would have predicted," said Arthur L. Caplan, founding head of the division of medical ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. "COVID has been nothing short of the worst failure of public policy in modern memory." With a year's worth of data, it's possible to look more precisely at how the coronavirus compares with the more routine causes of death in the U.S. The takeaway is that the coronavirus killed more Americans in the past year than any cause of death in 2019, other than heart disease and cancer. And if the University of Washington model proves accurate, then by June, the 15-month toll from the coronavirus will be close to matching the annual number of deaths from cancer. Read our full story for charts with all the statistics. — Louis Jacobson What we know about Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick's death Four people died Jan. 6 as supporters of former President Donald Trump violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to overturn the election, and one Capitol Police officer died the next day. What caused the death of officer Brian Sicknick is not yet clear. The circumstances are still being investigated by the Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department and federal agencies, which haven't given out details.  We surveyed the available evidence to find out more. Our key takeaways: Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick died Jan. 7 after he was injured "while physically engaging" with rioters at the U.S. Capitol, according to a Capitol Police press release. But the cause of his death remains under investigation. An early report from the New York Times said Sicknick was struck during the riot with a fire extinguisher. The Times recently revised that report, prompting criticism. CNN reported that investigators are considering whether a chemical irritant like pepper or bear spray played a role. On Jan. 8, Sicknick's brother told ProPublica that Sicknick had texted about being pepper sprayed. ProPublica's report also mentioned a stroke.  Sicknick's mother recently said she thinks he suffered a stroke, the Daily Mail reported. Read our full report for more details. — Bill McCarthy Quick links to more fact-checks & reports  Are COVID-19 vaccines safe for pregnant women? Here's what we know, and don't know Tucker Carlson's false claim downplaying role of white supremacists at Capitol riot No, Ted Cruz's wife and Goldman Sachs don't oversee Texas utilities In Context: What Joe Biden said about the vaccine supply he found when he took office Do you smell smoke?  Here's your Pants on Fire fact-check of the week:  "Joe Biden's Dept. of Energy Blocked Texas from Increasing Power Ahead of Killer Storm" No, it didn't. See what else we've rated Pants on Fire this week.  Have questions or ideas for our coverage? Send me an email at holan@politifact.com. Put "Fact-checking" in the subject line. Thanks for reading! Angie Drobnic Holan  PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief  Send this link to your friends so they can sign up for this email! Copyright © 2021 PolitiFact, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website, attended one of our events, or communicated with us. Our mailing address is: PolitiFact 801 3rd St S 33701 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Add us to your address book PolitiFact.com Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.  Subscription Information This email was sent to Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog   *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally