How hydroxychloroquine went from obscure to '100% coronavirus cure' The world is hungry for good news in the fight against covid-19. President Trump has repeatedly touted old malaria drugs — hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine — as both good news and a solution. Asked about the drug, he told reporters on April 4, "What do you have to lose? I'll say it again: What do you have to lose? Take it. I really think they should take it." Let's start here. Scientists say there is not yet reliable evidence that hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine work to successfully combat covid-19. What they do have is a series of flawed studies and anecdotal reports. So how did it get to President Trump? It appears, at least in part, through the Internet. In late January, investors and state media outlets in China highlighted past studies where the drugs were examined for their effectiveness against SARS. Despite the fact that those studies never made it to human trials, rumors of their potential travelled to Nigeria and then to France. Fact Checkers in both countries refuted claims the drugs were a cure. But a French researcher published a report about the drug's potential in late February. That report has since been rescinded by the journal that published it, but not before it made it to the U.S. Over the course of the first weeks in March, tweets by the conservative author Paul Sperry and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk touting the drugs went viral. It was featured on several Fox News programs and in conservative media outlets including Breitbart, the Blaze and the Gateway Pundit. Days later, Trump pointed to the drug as a possible solution. The World Health Organization and the Federal Drug Administration are examining the drug's potential — along with other promising therapeutics — but that does not mean these drugs are the cure. Trump's incorrect comments on the drugs and his role in advocating for their use, based on minimal and flimsy evidence, sets a bad example. His advocacy for this unproven treatment provides potentially false hope and has led to shortages for people who rely on the drugs. He earns Four Pinocchios. For the full fact check, click here. To watch the video, click here. Sign up for The Post's Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked within the newsletter are free to access. Enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to someone else who'd like it! If this email was forwarded to you, sign up here. Did you hear something fact-checkable? Send it here; we'll check it out. The President of the United States is not a kingAt a White House news briefing, President Trump declared, "When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that's the way it's got to be. It's total." When asked about the debate around his authority to reopen the country, he retorted, "Well, I have the ultimate authority." The vast authority of the president does expand during a national emergency like the one that the country currently faces, but that doesn't mean the president can micromanage state's public health actions. A variety of legal and constitutional experts point to the 10th Amendment, writings by James Madison in the Federalist Papers and Supreme Court decisions that refute the idea Trump has "ultimate authority." Yet, Trump claimed numerous clauses of the constitution supported his claim. But when we asked for clarity on which clauses, we did not hear back. The president— it seems — missed the section of U.S. history where the Founders of the United States overthrew the king and adopted a system of government in which power would be split between the states and a centralized federal government. Put simply, no American president is a king. For the full fact check, click here. 18,000 false or misleading claims in 1,170 daysThe Fact Checker last updated our ongoing database of the president's false and misleading claims on Jan. 19, 2020, marking the end of his third year in office. That was two days before the U.S. would confirm the first positive case of covid-19. For the last 75 days, Trump has not slowed down, averaging just over 23 claims per day, many involving the coronavirus. That's slightly higher than the 22 a day he recorded in 2019. As of April 3, The Fact Checker found President Trump made 18,000 false and misleading claims. For the full article, click here. To review the ongoing database, click here. We're always looking for fact-check suggestions. You can reach us via email, Twitter (@GlennKesslerWP, @rizzoTK, @mmkelly22, @SarahCahlan) or Facebook. Read about our process and rating scale here, and sign up for the newsletter here. Scroll down for this week's Pinocchio roundup. |  ● By Glenn Kessler, Salvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly ● Read more » | | | | 
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