Did Rep. Jim Jordan slap former Special Counsel Robert Mueller during a congressional hearing? No, that's not true: The social media post making the claim provides no proof. More importantly, such an assault on Mueller by Jordan never hap
Publication: Fact Check
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Lead Paint Was NOT Banned In Order To Defeat Potential Protection From Radiation
Was lead paint banned from residential use in the United States because homes coated in lead paint could protect residents from radiation that someone wanted them to be exposed to? No, that's not true: Laws regulating lead paint, starting
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: mRNA Vaccination Of Animals Does NOT Cause Involuntary Vaccination Of Humans Who Eat Their Meat
Do mRNA vaccines used on animals cause the involuntary vaccination of the people who eat their meat? No, that's not true: The Nebraska Center for Virology says there are "no commercial veterinary mRNA vaccines," but even if the shots were
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Switzerland Did NOT Order ‘Immediate Halt’ To COVID-19 Vaccinations Claiming ‘More Harm Than Good’
Did Switzerland health officials declare in April 2023 that COVID-19 vaccines do "more harm than good" and order an "immediate halt" to immunizations? No, that's not true: In a statement, the Swiss government reported that 98 percent of t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Russian Fighter Jet Intercepting US Navy Aircraft On April 10, 2023
Does this video show a Russian fighter jet intercept a U.S. Navy aircraft and order it to leave on April 10, 2023? No, that's not true: This event shown in the video did not happen on April 10, 2023, but on July 7, 2021. The source of the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Protestors ‘Destroying One Of The HAARP Platforms in Brazil’ — Or Anywhere
Does a viral clip show protesters attacking what is described as "one of the HAARP platforms in Brazil"? No, that's not true: The footage in question portrays an unrelated local protest in Brazil. The High-frequency Active Auroral Researc
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Did NOT Suppress Results Of Study On Safety Of Hepatitis B Vaccine In Infants — Results Available For Decades
Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suppress the results of a study that purportedly showed an increased risk of neurodevelopmental delays in newborns who were given a Hepatitis B vaccine during the first month of lif
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Castor Oil Compresses NOT Proven To ‘Heal’ Colon, Treat Diarrhea and Constipation
Do castor oil compresses applied to the abdomen "heal" the colon to treat for diarrhea and constipation? No, that's not true: There is no scientific evidence that suggests castor oil has therapeutic benefits beyond its approved laxative p
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Data Does NOT Show ‘Net Zero’ Warming In Antarctica For Over 70 Years
Have temperatures in Antarctica not increased in more than 70 years? No, that's not true: A climatologist and global climate expert told Lead Stories that it is "evident that temperatures are increasing across the Antarctic." According to
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Did Anheuser-Busch’s CEO Resign After Bud Light Campaign?
Dylan Mulvaney at the Rainbow Room on March 13, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) Claims are circulating online that the CEO of Anheuser-Busch—the brewing company that owns Budweiser, Michelob, Stella Artoois, and other brew
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Biggie Smalls Did NOT Predict COVID-19 In 1994
Did Biggie Smalls predict the COVID-19 pandemic in his 1994 song lyrics? No, that's not true: The rapper, real name Christopher Wallace, did not write about the SARS-CoV-2 virus outbreak decades before it occurred. The video claiming to s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Nike Is Giving Away Gift Cards For $1
Did Nike lose a lawsuit and as a result have to give away gift cards to their customers for only one dollar? No, that's not true: This is a scam post. Nike's verified Facebook and Twitter pages have not mentioned such a giveaway. There ha
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Anheuser-Busch CEO Did NOT Resign After ‘Record Low’ Sales Of Bud Light
Did the CEO of the brewing company Anheuser-Busch resign following "record low" sales of Bud Light, one of the company's brands? No, that's not true: Not only is the claim based on inaccurate information about the company's CEO and leader
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Woke’ Did NOT Originally Come From ‘Willingly Overlooking Known Evil’
Did the expression "woke" originate from the phrase "willingly overlooking known evil"? No, that's not true: The term "stay woke" was first used in a 1938 song by blues musician Lead Belly about Black teenagers accused of raping white wom
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pepsi Does NOT Produce Parasites When Poured On Raw Pork
Does pouring the soft drink Pepsi on raw domestic pork cause parasites to appear on the pork's surface? No, that's not true: A parasitologist told Lead Stories that this claim has been "fabricated." Claims about Pepsi's effects on pork pa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: New COVID Variants Did NOT Stop ‘All The Sudden’ After Fauci Retirement At End Of 2022
Did the world suddenly stop having new COVID-19 variants after Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), retired at the end of 2022? No, that's not true: More than a year befo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Vitamin D Is NOT ‘A Rat Poison’
Does getting vitamin D "from anywhere other than the Sun" poison people? No, that's not true: A video on social media misrepresents the properties of vitamin D. The claim appeared in a clip published on Facebook on April 4, 2023, under th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Claim That Obama Will ‘Relocate To Kenya In June’ Is NOT News Story — It’s April Fool’s Day Joke
Will former President Barack Obama move to Kenya in June 2023 as a Senate-confirmed special envoy for U.S. diplomacy? No, that's not true: The article that makes this claim has a disclaimer that states it's an April Fool's Day story. Some
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Easter’ Does NOT Have Etymological Link To Babylonian Deity And Infant Sacrifices
Did the tradition of Easter and egg-dying originate as a celebration of Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of fertility and sexuality? No, that's not true: Easter is related to the Germanic Ostern, a Christian holiday that celebrates the deat
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CNN Did NOT Cut Off Benjamin Watson Because He Spoke About Jesus During Brooke Baldwin Interview
Did CNN cut Benjamin Watson off in mid-sentence during an interview because the NFL star started talking about Jesus? No, that's not true: Watson, who was at the time a tight end for the New Orleans Saints, was interviewed via satellite f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Appearance Of ’33 COVID Cases’ Phrase In Multiple News Clips Does NOT Prove Pandemic Conspiracy
Does a string of edited-together U.S. news clips with the words "33 COVID cases" in one form or another in each prove that COVID-19 and the pandemic were fabricated or orchestrated? No, that's not true: The cherry-picked soundbites -- all
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Poster Does NOT Show A Real War Recruiting Campaign Launched By Ukraine In The U.S. To Target Low-Income Populations
Does a viral snapshot of a poster portray authentic recruiting efforts of Ukraine to encourage the homeless and welfare recipients in the United States to join the fight against Russia? No, that's not true: The rumor was promoted by Kreml
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Zelenskyy Did NOT Say He Won’t Take A Call From Chinese Leader Xi Jinping
Did Volodymyr Zelenskyy announce that he would "no longer take a call from Xi Jinping?" No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the Ukrainian president made the comment about Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Lead Stories previously debun
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Manhattan DA Arrested — Video Just Shows Alvin Bragg Leaving His Office
Does this video show Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, arrested? No, that's not true: Video used in a claim is from The Associated Press (AP) and in reality the AP caption is, "Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg seen leaving office" on
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Image of Donald and Melania Trump With Stormy Daniels Has Been Altered
A digitally altered image is circulating online purporting to show Donald and Melania Trump alongside Stormy Daniels, who has alleged she had a sexual encounter with Donald Trump in 2006. The original photograph was taken of the Trumps at the 2005 Fas
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Joe Biden Stepping On Cat — Squeal Was Digitally Added
Does a video clip on social media contain genuine audio of President Joe Biden stepping on a cat that squeals in response? No, that's not true: According to an official White House transcript, Biden stumbled over a floor wire at a New Yor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Eating Chicken Does NOT Causes Herpes Infections In Humans
Can a person get infected with the herpes simplex virus by eating chicken? No, that's not true: Herpes is a virus contracted by direct skin-to-skin contact, not from eating poultry. A chicken herpes virus called Marek's disease does affec
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Found Dog’ Posts Are NOT Legit Effort To Find Owner — It’s A Ruse To Get Shares And Harvest Personal Info
Was a dog picked up on the road in some town and is she "really depressed and not eating," and will sharing the post help to locate the owner of this "sweet girl"? No, that's not true: This found dog post is one of many narratives that ar
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump ‘Mug Shot’ Is NOT Real — It Was Made Using AI
Is this booking photograph of Donald Trump real? No, that's not true: This is a picture created using artificial intelligence. Media outlets including AP and CBS reported that former President Trump did not have a mug shot taken when he w
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show A ‘Cost Of Living March’ In London On April 1, 2023 — It’s A 2018 Anti-Brexit March
Does a video circulating on social media show crowds protesting the increasing cost of living in London on April 1, 2023? No, that's not true: The footage is from a 2018 anti-Brexit rally. The claim appeared in a video posted on Facebook
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Russian ‘Retaliation Strike’ On Secret NATO Bunker
Does a social media photo show the aftermath of Russian bombing of a NATO "secret underground bunker," possibly in Ukraine? No, that's not true: The image is a screenshot from a March 2021 video showing the aftermath of explosions at an o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mercedes That Crashed In Paris Tunnel Was NOT Same Car Diana Was In Earlier That Evening — Thus Different License Plates
Is there a mystery regarding the license plate of the Mercedes that was purportedly carrying Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed on the night they were both killed in a car crash? No, that's not true: The couple rode together in two differen
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Analysis’ Does NOT Prove $147 Billion In Economic Damage, Tens Of Millions Injured Or Disabled
Does a "new report" prove that an estimated "26.6 million people were injured, 1.36 million disabled, and 300,000 excess deaths can be attributed to COVID-19 vaccine damages in 2022 alone"? No, that's not true: The Centers for Disease Con
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Uyghur Women On ‘The Second Day Of Ramadan’ in 2023
Does a video that resurfaced on social media show Uyghur women consuming alcohol against their will on "the second day of Ramadan" in 2023? No, that's not true: The clip was initially published in 2018, but the exact date and circumstance
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Surveillance Footage Does NOT Show Nashville School Shooter Wearing Different Shoes And Pants
Does police body camera footage from the March 27, 2023, mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, show that the active shooter had changed clothes and shoes sometime during the incident? No, that's not true: Two still
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Ingesting Pavana Leaf Will Treat Cancers
Does the pavana leaf treat cancer? No, that's not true: A surgical oncologist told Lead Stories that there is no medical evidence supporting that claim. The FDA warns consumers to be wary of products that claim to treat cancer. The implie
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Ukraine Staging War Scenes ‘To Maintain Morale In The Ranks’
Did Ukraine stage war scenes to boost the morale of its soldiers at the frontlines by exaggerating their success? No, that's not true: A clip used as "proof" by social media users actually shows backstage footage from a real movie set loc
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Joe Biden Is NOT Being Led By A Blind Man In Video
Does a video show President Joe Biden being led into a room by a blind man? No, that's not true: Biden was escorting a blind man into an event in Kansas City, Missouri, allowing the man to hold his arm as they were ushered to their places
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Morgan Freeman Did NOT Criticize Biden’s Ice Cream Comments — It’s An AI Mask
Did actor Morgan Freeman make a video criticizing President Joe Biden for talking about ice cream? No, that's not true: This is a deepfake of Freeman. Someone has put on a filter that looks like Freeman's face while also trying to speak l
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show ‘Boy Dressed Like A Girl’ On Biden Plane
Was a "little boy" in female clothes videotaped while traveling on the same plane as President Joe Biden? No, that's not true: A video making that claim on social media shows Biden's granddaughter Natalie Biden going down steps from the a