Charges against lawyer Michael Avenatti accuse him of trying to shake down Nike.
Snopes→ Barbara Bush Saw Trump as a ‘Symbol of Greed’
A new biography of the former first lady finds that her disdain for the Republican president dates as least as far back as a 1990s diary entry.
Lead Stories→ April Fools Day 2019: Running List of Jokes, Pranks and General Foolery…
If you are a fan of pranks and jokes today is undoubtedly the day you have been waiting for. Here is a roundup of some of the funniest or weirdest April Fools jokes we have spotted today, in no particular order. Note: we are not fact checking
Snopes→ Democrats to Prepare Subpoenas for Full Mueller Report
Democrats want all of the information, even if some of it can't be disclosed to the public.
Lead Stories→ Malinformation, Misinformation, Disinformation: Lead Stories NOT Using The Term F*ke N*ws Anymore
Update: Yes, of course this was an April Fools joke :-) For years we here at Lead Stories have put the term "F*ke N*ws" in every headline but it is time to put a stop to the practice. For a long time academic experts like Claire Wardle have ar
Washington Post→ President Trump has made 9,451 false or misleading claims over 801 days
The president has added almost 5,000 claims in just 200 days
Snopes→ Rapper Nipsey Hussle Shot and Killed at 33
Nipsey Hussle, the skilled and respected rapper who earned a Grammy nomination this year for his major-label debut and was heavily respected in South Los Angeles where he grew up, has died.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Delta Airlines NOT Celebrating 55th Birthday By Providing Free Tickets To All
Did Delta Airlines celebrate its 55th birthday by giving two free tickets to everyone? No, that's not true: It is from a click bait post intended to lure you into visiting a website that is potentially loaded with bad things for you and your c
Snopes→ Fox News Graphic Says Trump Cut U.S. Aid to ‘3 Mexican Countries’
The "Fox & Friends Weekend" show issued an apology after displaying an embarrassingly inaccurate graphic.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Did NOT File for Divorce, Did NOT Say ‘I just Can’t Take It Anymore’
Did Nancy Pelosi's 4th husband file for divorce saying he just can't take it anymore? No, that's not true: Pelosi only married once and she is still married. The story was made up by a liberal satire weblog that tries to get gullible Republica
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Nude Beach NOT Coming to Marshall County on Lake Texoma
Is a nude beach soon opening in Marshall County on Lake Texoma? No, that's not true: some joker put up a fake article about that on a prank website where anyone can create a story to fool their friends in a few clicks. The story is not real.
Snopes→ No AI in Humor: R2-D2 Walks Into a Bar, Doesn’t Get the Joke
Humor is what makes humans special. When people try to teach machines what’s funny, the results are at times laughable but not quite in the way intended.
Snopes→ Biden Defends His Behavior with Women
Former Vice President Joe Biden said he doesn’t believe he ever acted inappropriately toward women but will “listen respectfully” to suggestions he did.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: BJJ Trained Kid Does NOT Put His Mom To Sleep When She Takes Away His Fortnite Video-Game
Did a boy trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu put his mother to sleep with a head lock when she took away his Fortnight video game? No, that's not true: A video featured in a much-shared story showing a boy wrestling with a woman does not indicate
Snopes→ Facebook Says Some of Mark Zuckerberg’s Posts Were Deleted
Facebook says the posts were mistakenly deleted a few years ago and the work required to restore them was extensive and might not have worked.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Driver Of Corvette Pictured Crushed Under A Tractor-trailer Did NOT Die While Texting
Did the driver of the red Corvette pictured crushed under a tractor-trailer die while texting, and was the phone was found in his hand, while his head was in the back seat? No, that's not true: The image used in the viral post was from a July
Snopes→ Alex Jones Blames Conspiracy Claims on ‘Psychosis’
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones blamed the various claims he’s made over the years, including that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was a hoax, on “psychosis."
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Unnamed Source Said Jussie Smollett Phone Records Showed Over 200 Calls And Texts From Kamala Harris and DNC operatives
Did an "unnamed source" say Jussie Smollett's phone records showed over 200 calls and texts from Kamala Harris and DNC operatives? No, that's not true: the source of this rumor appears to be a Reddit post by someone speculatively making a joke
Snopes→ Judge Blocks California’s High-Capacity Ammunition Ban
"Individual liberty and freedom are not outmoded concepts," San Diego-based U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez wrote.
Snopes→ Snapshot of Extinction: Fossils Show Day of Killer Asteroid
It was the day that nearly all life on Earth went extinct, including the dinosaurs.
Snopes→ Trump Issues New Permit for Stalled Keystone XL Pipeline
A lawyer for environmentalists who sued to stop the project called President Trump's action illegal.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Jussie Smollett Did NOT Receive Prestigious NAACP Award For His Work Creating Jobs For Nigerian-Americans
Did actor Jussie Smollett receive a NAACP award fro creating jobs for Nigerian-Americans? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a satire website to mock the news that Smollett was nominated for a real NAACP award after having charges d
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Great Lakes Whoppers
Falsely declaring that he has “always” been a supporter of the Great Lakes, President Donald Trump announced that he would fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with $300 million, telling a Michigan crowd he would finally get done somet
FactCheck.org→ Meme Misleads on Russia Sanctions
Quick Take A social media post falsely claims that President Donald Trump “immediately dropped our sanctions against Russia” after his election. Full Story Days after Attorney General William P. Barr issued a summary of Special Counsel Ro
Snopes→ Did 250 Scientists Warn that Apple Airpods Pose a Cancer Risk?
One error in one news report can lead to many more.
Snopes→ Redacted Mueller Report Expected to Be Released by Mid-April
Attorney General William Barr described Mueller's report as nearly 400 pages long, not including the tables and supporting materials.
FactCheck.org→ Fake Elizabeth Warren Quote About Rape
Quick Take For over two years, memes have been circulating with a picture of Sen. Elizabeth Warren next to a fake, Islamophobic quote condoning rape. Full Story An old meme that has been debunked before is circulating again on Facebook. It features a
Truth or Fiction?→ Monster Supercell in Burwell, Nebraska
On March 18 2019, a Facebook user shared the image below (archived here) with the caption “monster supercell, burwell, nebraska”: Several commenters expressed their concerns for the original poster’s safety, while others pointed out
Truth or Fiction?→ Were 70 Christians Massacred by Muslims in March 2019?
On March 19 2019, a Facebook user shared the status update below (archived here), claiming that 70 Nigerian Christians had been massacred by Muslims one day previously: Yesterday, muslims marched into a college in Nigeria, separated out the Christian
Snopes→ Ban on Plastic Bags Comes Close to Reality in a 3rd State
The ban would prohibit New York grocery stores from providing plastic bags for most purchases.
Snopes→ Trump Threatens to Close Border with Mexico Next Week
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about whether his possible action would apply to commercial and air travel.
Snopes→ 3 Sumatran Tiger Cubs Explore Jungle Habitat in Sydney Zoo
Three boisterous 10-week-old rare Sumatran tiger cubs have play-wrestled and explored their jungle habitat in their first public appearance at a Sydney zoo.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Neuroscientists Did NOT Say Your Forgetfulness Is A Sign Of Extraordinary Intelligence
Did neuroscientists claim forgetfulness is a sign of extraordinary intelligence? No, that's not true: an article cribbing from an old CNN report about a scientific paper added a headline with a hyperbolic claim that does not match what the pap
Snopes→ Is this Crystal Methodist Church Sign in Effiing, SC, Real?
This fictional town certainly seems like an interesting place to live.
Truth or Fiction?→ Asylum-Seekers Held Under a Bridge in El Paso
On March 28 2019, a Twitter user shared the following tweet, purportedly showing a large number of people being detained under an overpass in El Paso, Texas: This concentration camp full of children is in El Paso, Texas, United States. It’s 2019. p
PolitiFact→ Fact-checking Donald Trump’s Grand Rapids rally after the Mueller probe
This story has been updated. In his first rally since being cleared of criminally conspiring in Russia’s 2016 election interference, President Donald Trump in Grand Rapids, Mich., opined on everything from the end of the special counsel probe to
Snopes→ Did the Trump Administration House Undocumented Immigrants Under a Bridge in El Paso?
Alarming photographs emerged in March 2019, prompting renewed scrutiny of U. S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
Snopes→ Australian Man Loses Bullying-by-Breaking Wind Court Case
An Australian appeals court has dismissed a bullying case brought by an engineer who accused his former supervisor of repeatedly breaking wind toward him.
Snopes→ Pipe Dream Turns Nightmare for Pit Bull Chasing Opossum
A pit bull intent on chasing down an opossum was foiled when he ended up wedged around 100 feet (30 meters) into a pipe in North Carolina.
Snopes→ Rangers Free 6 Trapped Baby Elephants in Thailand
Rangers patrolling the park's forest areas found the animals stuck in the pit.