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Speaker 1: So here's the question, how did Donald Trump get to

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Speaker 1: the point where he said this in the debate last

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Speaker 1: night in Springfield. They're eating the dogs, the people that

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Speaker 1: came in. They're eating the cats, They're eating they're eating

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Speaker 1: the pets of the people that live there. One news correspondent,

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Speaker 1: Logan Church, was at the debate. Hay Logan, good evening, Logan.

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Speaker 1: This has come from that Facebook page, a from the

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Speaker 1: Springfield Local private Facebook page, and it's just gone from there.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. I came originally from a social media post where

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Speaker 2: someone sited a friend of a neighbors also claims that

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Speaker 2: the cats have been found carved up to the easan

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Speaker 2: and the remains hanging from a branch of a Haitian

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Speaker 2: person's home. Now, I need to be very clear, there

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Speaker 2: was absolutely no proof or evidence of anything like this

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Speaker 2: actually happening, but that rumor started spreading like wildfire online,

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Speaker 2: particularly among conservative circles. There were claims about other cats

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Speaker 2: and dogs, and then there were geese apparently being beheaded

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Speaker 2: in the past. And I was actually at my desk

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Speaker 2: the other day a couple of days before the debates,

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Speaker 2: and I saw the rumor published as fact by newsletters

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Speaker 2: affiliates with the Donald Trump campaign. So this essentially internet

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Speaker 2: conspiracy then starts have been repeated the basin by a

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Speaker 2: you know, a political candidate in this highly contentious political race. Now,

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Speaker 2: as of every conspiracy theory, there is always a kernel

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Speaker 2: of truth, and there is a kernel of truth from

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Speaker 2: this one has got nothing to do with dead cats

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Speaker 2: and dogs and geese. It is to do with the

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Speaker 2: fact that the small city of Springfield does have challenges

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Speaker 2: worth dealing with an influx of migrants. Now they're all

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Speaker 2: there perfectly legally, but there are of course challenges of

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Speaker 2: having large numbers of people come and cecil in assc

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Speaker 2: many cities across America and the world. I'm dealing with

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Speaker 2: this problem. But then Donald Trump comes on to the

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Speaker 2: presidential debate stage and repeats this conspiracy theory. And it

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Speaker 2: gets even more bizarre from there, because you heard from

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Speaker 2: Donald Trump before what exactly he said. Now, straight after that,

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Speaker 2: one of the modern racers jumped in and fact checked him, saying, well,

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Speaker 2: the ABC News vision had contacted the local city authorities

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Speaker 2: and they said there were no reports of anything like

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Speaker 2: this actually happening. And Donald Trump then said, well, he

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Speaker 2: saw the claims being talked abous on television. That was

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Speaker 2: his proof that he said live in the debate. So

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Speaker 2: today the poor city manager of the City of Springfield

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Speaker 2: actually put out a video statement saying, and I'm going

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Speaker 2: to quote here, it is disappointing that many of the

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Speaker 2: narratives surrounding our city has been skewed by misinformation circulating

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Speaker 2: on social media and further amplified by political rhetoric and

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Speaker 2: the highly charged presidential election cycles. So a conspiracy theory

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Speaker 2: that started in a small city that's now gone around

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Speaker 2: the world and back again.

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Speaker 1: Now, logan, I don't want to sound like I believe it,

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Speaker 1: but I've got to ask this question. Okay, they are

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Speaker 1: saying that there is no evidence to prove that this

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Speaker 1: is happening, But can they say it definitely isn't happening.

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Speaker 1: You see the distinction.

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Speaker 2: Well, jdie Vance, the VP pick for Joe Biden, was

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Speaker 2: asked about this on CNN last night after the debate,

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Speaker 2: and he said exactly the same thing. He said, oh, well,

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Speaker 2: the local officials, and I'm summarizing here, but local officials

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Speaker 2: say there are no reports. That doesn't mean it's actually happening,

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Speaker 2: and that he said that his constituents on the ground.

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Speaker 2: The people he were talking to say that it was

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Speaker 2: happening through first and second hand accounts. But I have

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Speaker 2: to reiterate that reporters have been on the ground there.

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Speaker 2: Even though JD. Vance challenged reporters to go on the

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Speaker 2: ground and investigate it themselves, they have been there and

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Speaker 2: there has been no evidence that has emerged showing that

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Speaker 2: migrants have been beheading geese in the local park. At

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Speaker 2: this stage, it remains a conspiracy theory. That is all

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Speaker 2: that it remains. Yet it is has, I guess, developed

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Speaker 2: into this life of its own after this presidential debate.

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Speaker 2: There's been quite astonishing to watch, and I think just

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Speaker 2: listening to the you know, the local city official. He

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Speaker 2: gave out that statement and then he continued on for

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Speaker 2: the next two minutes or so talking about all the

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Speaker 2: wonderful things about Springfield, and I almost felt sorry for

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Speaker 2: the guy, because now if anybody thinks about the city

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Speaker 2: of Springfield and Ohio, the only thing they think about

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Speaker 2: is be headed cats and dogs and geese. So, you know,

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Speaker 2: certainly a very bizarre turn and this very serious presidential debate.

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Speaker 1: You have very good point, Logan, Thank you very much.

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Speaker 1: Logan Church One uses US correspondent For more from Heather

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Speaker 1: Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to news talks. It'd be

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