Do COVID-19 shots cause "vaccine-induced AIDS" (VAIDS) and did they cause a 500 percent increase in HIV in the U.S. military during 2021? No, that's not true: "The claims are false," U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Lisa Lawrence t
Publication: Fact Check
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Is NOT Offering To Pay Homeowners To Install Solar Panels — Site Harvesting Personal Info
Did Elon Musk offer to pay 100 homeowners to test the "newest technology of solar panels"? No, that's not true: This offer that's too good to be true is a ruse to collect personal information and is not associated with Musk or Tesla in an
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show ‘Zelensky’s Double’ With Ukrainian Leader And President Joe Biden
Did Polish media "accidentally" catch on camera Volodymyr Zelenskyy's lookalike as he followed the Ukrainian leader during President Joe Biden's February 20, 2023, visit to Kyiv? No, that's not true: The person seen following the Ukrainia
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: McDonald’s Was NOT Caught Using Human Meat In Its ‘Oklahoma City Meat Factory’
Was human meat discovered in a McDonald's meat factory in Oklahoma City? No, that's not true: The video in this post was taken from a now-defunct satirical website and has been around since at least 2014. The claim resurfaced in a post on
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Medicare Data Do NOT Show COVID Vaccines Increase Risk Of Dying
Do Medicare data show that COVID-19 vaccines increase your risk of dying? No, that's not true: "There is no credible scientific evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are causing excess deaths," or deaths that wouldn't have otherwise happened, t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: WHO Pandemic Treaty Does NOT Supplant US Sovereignty
Does a draft of a World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic treaty supplant U.S. sovereignty, giving the international organization the authority to dictate American policies? No, that's not true: Nothing in the draft states the U.S. will
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Harvard Medical Student Discovered Secret Mineral That Can Help Someone Lose ’52 Lbs in 28 Days’
Is there proof that a Harvard Medical student discovered a "secret mineral" that can help someone lose "52 lbs in 28 Days"? No, that's not true: There is no scientific evidence for this claim in an online article. The images in the articl
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Homeless Couple Was Found Living In Walmart Attic
Was a homeless couple found living in a Walmart's attic with a hot plate, meth lab and 42-inch TV? No, that's not true: This story has been ripped from a fake news website called Now8News and reposted to another fake news website. No othe
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fentanyl Does NOT Kill On Skin Contact
Can fentanyl be lethal during brief contact with the skin? No, that's not true: While this drug can alleviate pain in cancer and post-surgery patients in hospital settings via skin patches, this type of absorption is an extremely slow pro
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Did Volodymyr Zelensky Say that U.S. Troops Would Have to Fight in Ukraine?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media on February 24, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images) A video clip of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been taken out of context to supp
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That 90-Day Herbs, Water, Juice Diet Cures Diabetes, Impotence
Will a 90-day diet of "herbs, water and juice" eliminate diabetes and impotence? No, that's not true: The assertion, made by "Dr. Sebi," a self-proclaimed healer and non-doctor whose health claims have been repeatedly debunked, is not bac
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Picture Does NOT Show Biden’s Senior Adviser John Podesta
Was John Podesta, a career politician and high-ranking operative of the Democratic Party serving as President Joe Biden's senior clean energy adviser, caught on camera dancing while naked? No, that's not true: In 2023, a tweet recycled pr
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Colorful Image Is NOT A Real Photo Of A ‘Complete Rainbow’ Captured By Pilot At 30,000 Feet
Did a pilot capture a photo of a complete full-circle rainbow while flying 30,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean? No, that's not true: This image is not a real photograph -- it's a fabricated image. Several key features present in real rainb
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Is NOT Buying Facebook
Is Elon Musk buying Facebook? No, that's not true: The article saying so has a clear disclaimer at the end that reads, "Recall that this is satire and not actual news." The claim originated in an article (archived here) published by Topad
The Dispatch→ Fact Checking Claims About ‘15-Minute Cities’
Protesters gather in Broad Street to demonstrate against 15-minute cities and listen to speeches on February 18, 2023, in Oxford, England. (Photo by Martin Pope/Getty Images)It’s a concept designed to make cities more livable, not reduce movement or
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: UK Government Report Does NOT Prove 92% Of COVID Deaths Occurred In ‘Fully Vaccinated’
Do 92 percent of COVID-19 deaths occur in fully vaccinated individuals, according to official data released by the U.K. government in February 2023? No, that's not true: That report is not meant to be a measure of vaccine effectiveness, a
The Dispatch→ Did George Soros Endorse Ron DeSantis for President?
Hungarian-born U.S. investor and philanthropist George Soros. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images) Claims are circulating online that billionaire businessman and philanthropist George Soros has endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Zelenskyy Did NOT Say US Should Send Its Sons, Daughters To War Now — He Was Speaking Hypothetically If Ukraine Were To Lose War
Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy say the United States should send its sons and daughters to war now to fight for Ukraine against Russia? No, that's not true: His quote was taken out of context. Zelenskyy was addressing a hypot
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Eating Chicken Does NOT Cause UTIs
Does eating chicken cause a urinary tract infection (UTI)? No, that's not true: A food science professor told Lead Stories that while there may be research showing a genetic similarity between E. coli found in poultry and the bacteria tha
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: War In Ukraine Is NOT Proved Fake By Before-And-After Photos Of Repairs After Missile Strike
Do a pair of photos that show completed repairs to a high-rise building in Ukraine only one year after it was damaged by a missile strike prove that the war in Ukraine is "fake"? No, that's not true: There is footage of the missile strike
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show HIMARS And Gepard Systems In Romania Heading To Moldova
Does a video show HIMARS and Gepard military weaponry on a street in Romania heading to Moldova? No, that's not true: The footage was shot in November 2022 of a military rehearsal for the National Day Parade in Alba Iulia, Romania, approx
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Posts About Missing Teenager Brandon Smith Are Rent-To-Own Scam
Did a teenager named Brandon Smith go missing on February 28, 2023, in multiple American cities simultaneously? No, that's not true: Lead Stories analysis shows that a series of social media posts about a boy and his dog has characteristi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Credible Evidence Arizona Lawmakers, Judges, Other Public Officials Taking Bribes From Sinaloa Cartel, Fixing Elections
Are lawmakers, judges and other public officials in Arizona taking bribes from the Sinaloa cartel and fixing elections? No, there's no reliable evidence that's true: Jacqueline Breger, an insurance agent who made the allegations during a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Study Does NOT Prove Drinking Coke, Pepsi Results In Larger Testicles, Increases Testosterone
Does a study published by Chinese researchers prove that drinking Coke or Pepsi causes larger testicles and increases testosterone? No, that's not true: The study was only done on mice, not humans, so it doesn't directly apply. An associa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Vaccinated People Do NOT Become The Property Of mRNA Vaccine Patent Holders — mRNA Does NOT Alter Natural DNA
Do gene editing mRNA vaccine patent holders own vaccinated people outright once injected, and does mRNA alter natural human DNA? No, that's not true: A Stanford University professor of law specializing in bioethics told Lead Stories that
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Charles Darwin Predicted ‘The Rise Of The Woke’
Did British naturalist Charles Darwin, best known for his contributions to the evolutionary theory in biology, who died in 1882, predict "the rise of The Woke," a modern-day slang term frequently used by the opponents of those raising awa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: MiraLAX Does NOT Contain Ethylene Glycol, The Active Ingredient In Antifreeze
Does the laxative MiraLAX contain ethylene glycol, a chemical commonly used in antifreeze that can be poisonous if ingested? No, that's not true: MiraLAX contains polyethylene glycol, a compound commonly used in medications. Although the
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Did Donald Trump Send 13-Year-Old Drinking Water to East Palestine?
Former President Donald Trump stands next to a pallet of water before delivering remarks at the East Palestine Fire Department station on February 22, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Swensen/Getty Images) Claims are circulating online t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Man Pictured With Stethoscope Is NOT Sen. John Fetterman’s Doctor — He’s Porn Actor Johnny Sins
Is the man presented as "John Fetterman's doctor" in a post about the U.S. senator's condition a doctor? No, that's not true: He is porn actor Jonny Sins and the post is the latest version of spoofs in which Sins, who plays a doctor in fi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Bill Gates Is Creating A Seed To ‘Target Black People’
Is Bill Gates engineering a seed that "will target Black people" and possibly kill them? No, that's not true: A video making that claim offers no evidence that Gates is producing a seed for plants that can attack the immune system of Blac
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Graph Does NOT Claim Paxlovid Starts Working Before Taken
Does a line graph in a peer-reviewed medical study published by The Lancet show that the oral anti-COVID-19 medication Paxlovid starts working before the patient ingests it? No, that's not true: The lead author of the study told Lead Stor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Twitter Did NOT Institute Policy Banning Flag Of Ukraine
Did Twitter make a rule that users may not display the flag of Ukraine on their profile because it is considered a political statement against Russia? No, that's not true: A post from Walter Report contained a fabricated image which appea
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine NOT First Time 100,000 Troops Invaded Another Country Since World War II
Was Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the first time 100,000 troops had invaded another country since World War II? No, that's not true: There are many examples of military forces totaling more than 100,000 inv
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ’19-Year-Old Girl In Texas’ NOT Sentenced To ’96 Years In Prison’ After Abortion
Was a 19-year-old girl in Texas sentenced to "96 years in prison" after traveling across state lines to gain access to an abortion procedure? No, that's not true: The social media account that shared this post is a satirical one. Furtherm
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: HAARP Does NOT ‘Send A Billion-Watt Microwave’ To Cause Disasters On Earth
Can the Alaska-based HAARP project, a former military research facility for studying the ionosphere, remotely initiate natural disasters such as earthquakes anywhere on Earth? No, that's not true: An "explanation" of its purported capabil
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Definition Of Word ‘Horizontal’ Does NOT Prove Earth Is Flat
Did the word "horizon" come from the word "horizontal," and is this evidence that the Earth must be flat? No, that's not true: The word "horizon" came first, and the adjective "horizontal" followed. The adjective describes something "rela
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pennsylvania Dog Did NOT ‘Test Positive’ For Vinyl Chloride Exposure Following Ohio Train Derailment
Did a dog in Pennsylvania test positive for exposure to vinyl chloride, a chemical that officials have confirmed has leaked from the train derailment site near East Palestine, Ohio? No, that's not true: In an interview with Lead Stories,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Report Does NOT Prove ‘Bill Gates’ Lab-Grown Meat Causes Cancer In Humans’
Does a report assessing the safety of a plant-based meat product made by a company in which Bill Gates has invested prove that meat grown in a laboratory causes cancer in humans? No, that's not true: Since the report doesn't even consider
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The ’15-Minute City’ Is NOT About Restricting Movement
Will the "15-minute city" require residents to carry permits for more than 15 minutes of travel, track "in real time" their carbon footprints and block violators of city rules from accessing "daily activities"? No, that's not true: The 15
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Did Ron DeSantis Ban Teaching About Slavery In Florida Public Schools?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack/ Washington Post/ Getty Images.) During an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on February 17, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell asked, “What does Gov. Ron DeSantis not know about black history