Biden and Harris to discuss economic plans during joint appearance in Wilmington on Monday
The Democratic duo will speak "on the economic recovery and building back better." The scale of their plans will hinge on control of the Senate.The duo will speak "on the economic recovery and building back better in the long-term," in their first speech addressing the country’s economic situation since their victory in the presidential election.
The claim: A video shows Joe Biden celebrating his birthday last week without a face mask
Last week, President-elect Joe Biden celebrated his 78th birthday.
To mark the occasion, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms tweeted a video of herself next to Biden, leading a crowd in a chorus of "Happy Birthday."
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Fact check: What's true and what's false about the 2020 election
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"Wishing our President-Elect @joebiden a VERY Happy Birthday from the great Blue state of Joe’gia!" she wrote.
Soon, the video had spread across the internet as apparent proof that Bottoms, Biden, and others were not wearing masks to protect against the coronavirus.
Conservatives Today and Daily Patriot Post — conservative online news websites — pointed to the video as evidence of hypocrisy.
"You’re not allowed to have Thanksgiving with a few of your family members, but Joe Biden and his hundreds of pals can all get together, mask-free, and party like it’s 1999," their identical articles read. "Why, if you looked at this video and didn’t know better, you’d think there was absolutely no 'COVID pandemic' at all," both articles also read.
Pfizer to seek approval from FDA 'within days' after further analysis finds COVID-19 vaccine 95% effective
Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to produce up to 50 million doses globally in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. The news comes days after Moderna, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company, announced early Monday its candidate vaccine, mRNA-1273, developed in collaboration with the U.S. government, appeared to be 94.5% effective against COVID-19.
Conservatives Today and Daily Patriot Post could not be reached for comment.
The Cambodian Broadcasting Network shared a different clip of the birthday celebration with Bottoms and Biden and claimed that it had occurred "yesterday."
"So Biden can have a birthday party yesterday but we can’t have Thanksgiving? Not a single mask. No social distancing," its post read. "They’re singing happy birthday in a crowd but singing in Church is dangerous? It’s time to #FightBack."
The Cambodian Broadcasting Network has not responded to a request from USA TODAY for comment.
Fact check: Some inauguration prep is underway, but a viral photo of it is actually from 1993.
Wishing our President-Elect @joebiden a VERY Happy Birthday from the great Blue state of Joe’gia! pic.twitter.com/knv2XtcqYq
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) November 20, 2020
The video was made in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic
In reality, the footage of Biden, Bottoms and others celebrating without masks was made in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic.
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President-elect Biden hopes the reputation he has as a deal maker will help him push an agenda in Congress. But skepticism about that outcome is high.“John, are you saying air strikes would not help the people in Srebrenica right now? Is that what you're telling me?” Biden, then a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said as he pressed McCain, the Arizona Republican who died in 2018.
After the outcry, Bottoms took to Twitter to clarify the context of the video she had shared.
"Pre-Covid! This was in the @TPStudios White House following the @DNC @msnbc debate on 11/20/19," she wrote, referring to Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta.
Details in the video confirm the time and place the footage was taken.
For example, the red tie that Biden is sporting in the clip is the same tie he wore at that night's debate, per the New York Times.
Television screens with the words “Debate Viewing Party” are also visible in the video that The Cambodian Broadcasting Company shared, and in clips from other angles.
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In 2020, Biden spent his birthday masked and in meetings
In 2020, Biden spent his birthday meeting with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer D-N.Y., in Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden, Harris, Pelosi, and Schumer all wore face masks and sat several feet from each other around a large rectangular table, per the New York Times. It was their first in-person meeting since the election.
We Tested Tons of Face Masks So You Don’t Have To — and These Are the 15 Best
Including celeb-loved options and under-the-radar finds Lapcos Face Mask Christina Butan, Amazon eCommerce Writer: When someone asks me what face masks I like the best, Lapcos is always one of my first recommendations. They’re lightweight and fit my face perfectly — it’s one of the only face masks that doesn’t leave any gaps for me. Not to mention, they look good, and are only $10 for a pack of three. They’re also celeb-approved — Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Vanessa Hudgens, Joe Jones, and more have been spotted wearing them.
Though the meeting focused on coronavirus and the economy, Pelosi still brought a birthday present for Biden — a white orchid.
This is not the first time photos of Biden and other Democrats from before the pandemic have been used to claim that they are not following public health guidance on mask-wearing and social distancing.
In fact, USA TODAY has debunked at least fourothersimilarclaims since July.
Fact check: False claim that electronic voting software companies Dominion and Smartmatic have closed
Our rating: False
Based on our research, the claim that a video shows Joe Biden celebrating his birthday last week without a face mask is FALSE. The video was from 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic necessitated the use of masks. On his birthday in 2020, Biden wore a mask for a meeting with fellow Democratic leaders.
Our fact-check sources:
Keisha Lance Bottoms, Nov. 20, tweet
Keisha Lance Bottoms, Nov. 20, tweet
New York Times, Nov. 23, No, Joe Biden did not have a maskless birthday party last week.
New York Times, Nov. 20, Meeting With Schumer and Pelosi, Biden Keeps Focus on Virus and Economy
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.
Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
Judge dismisses last election-related case pending in Arizona
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Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., stands at left.
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Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden leaves St. Joseph On the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church with his granddaughters Natalie Biden, center, and Finnegan Biden, right, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Wilmington.
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Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden hugs his wife Jill Biden after speaking during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, and his wife Jill Biden, join Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and her husband Doug Emhoff, during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del.
August 18, 2020; Milwaukee, WI, USA; (Editors Note: Screen grab from Democratic National Convention video stream) Former Vice President Joe Biden greets Former Second Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden after she delivered a speech for viewers during the Democratic National Convention at the Wisconsin Center. Mandatory Credit: Democratic National Convention via USA TODAY NETWORK ORIG FILE ID: 20200818_ajw_usa_209.jpg
(Editors Note: Screen grab from Democratic National Convention video stream) Former Vice President Joe Biden reacts as he was nominated to be the Democratic candidate for President during the Democratic National Convention at the Wisconsin Center.
August 18, 2020; Milwaukee, WI, USA; (Editors Note: Screen grab from Democratic National Convention video stream) Former Vice President Joe Biden and Former Second Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden react after Joe was nominated to be the Democratic candidate for President during the Democratic National Convention at the Wisconsin Center.
Democratic presidential nominee, former US Vice President Joe Biden, speaks to the press after receiving a briefing on COVID-19 in Wilmington, Delaware, on Aug. 13, 2020.
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and her husband Douglas Emhoff, right, applaud to Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden after a campaign event at Alexis Dupont High School in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden retrieves his face mask from the podium as his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., prepares to speak at a campaign event at Alexis Dupont High School in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden invites his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) to the stage to deliver remarks at the Alexis Dupont High School on August 12, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Harris is the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated at the top of the presidential ticket by a major party in U.S. history.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden speaks as his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) looks on during an event at the Alexis Dupont High School on August 12, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Harris is the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated at the top of the presidential ticket by a major party in U.S. history.
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Biden signs the drawer of the vice president's desk in the vice president's ceremonial office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Jan. 6, 2017.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Joe Biden didn't have a birthday party without masks. The video is from 2019.
Fact check: False claim that George Soros arrested for election-related crimes .
Claims that George Soros has been arrested are false. They were based on a doctored version of an indictment brought against six hackers in October.Some claimed false associations between Soros and Moderna, one of the companies working to develop a coronavirus vaccine. Others baselessly claimed he helped to finance and transport protesters to Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
The Democratic duo will speak "on the economic recovery and building back better." The scale of their plans will hinge on control of the Senate.The duo will speak "on the economic recovery and building back better in the long-term," in their first speech addressing the country’s economic situation since their victory in the presidential election. 
False claims about the election process are spreading online in wake of the 2020 election. Here's a list of recent fact-checks.Fact check: Pennsylvania voters exposed to COVID-19 can still vote 
Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to produce up to 50 million doses globally in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. The news comes days after Moderna, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company, announced early Monday its candidate vaccine, mRNA-1273, developed in collaboration with the U.S. government, appeared to be 94.5% effective against COVID-19. 
President-elect Biden hopes the reputation he has as a deal maker will help him push an agenda in Congress. But skepticism about that outcome is high.“John, are you saying air strikes would not help the people in Srebrenica right now? Is that what you're telling me?” Biden, then a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said as he pressed McCain, the Arizona Republican who died in 2018. 
Including celeb-loved options and under-the-radar finds Lapcos Face Mask Christina Butan, Amazon eCommerce Writer: When someone asks me what face masks I like the best, Lapcos is always one of my first recommendations. They’re lightweight and fit my face perfectly — it’s one of the only face masks that doesn’t leave any gaps for me. Not to mention, they look good, and are only $10 for a pack of three. They’re also celeb-approved — Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Vanessa Hudgens, Joe Jones, and more have been spotted wearing them. 
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge tossed out a lawsuit on Friday, dismissing the last election-related case pending in Arizona. Your browser does not support this video © Getty Images Legal claim against Tucson police settled. Judge Margaret Mahoney did not elaborate on her reasoning for throwing out the case at the end of the hearing but said she would issue an order in writing. Whatever Mahoney decided, the case — involving only two ballots — would not have changed the outcome of the election.Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. 
The Democratic duo will speak "on the economic recovery and building back better." The scale of their plans will hinge on control of the Senate.The duo will speak "on the economic recovery and building back better in the long-term," in their first speech addressing the country’s economic situation since their victory in the presidential election.
© Alex Brandon, AP President-elect Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, in Wilmington, Delaware. 
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