Is it likely that a church with a sign advocating for a particular vote on an issue will lose its tax-exempt status? Not really: Although the IRS suggests that 501(c)(3) organizations refrain from publicly supporting a particular vote on an issue when it's a part of an upcoming election, an outcome as drastic as the church losing its tax-exempt status…
Was a pedophile who molested a 2-year-old girl whipped to death by Eddie Lavelle Wilson, a man who "loves the child dearly"? No, that's not true: These stills were taken from a real video that was filmed in the area around Kommunar in eastern Ukraine and widely distributed in 2016. The video shows a man taped to a post who…
Was there a drug lab bust at a NATO nuclear base in Belgium? No, that's not true: The Belgium defense press office told Lead Stories that the drug lab bust was a few kilometers away from the Kleine-Brogel Air Base, a NATO facility. The Federation of American Scientists estimates there are 10 to 20 nuclear weapons stored at the base.…
Did Dutch farmers protesting against government measures aimed at curbing emissions buy a tank to block supermarket distribution centers? No, that's not true: tweets making that claim actually show video of a restored World War II vintage Sherman Firefly tank being returned to the owner's warehouse after an exhibition. The claim appeared in a tweet published by Keean Bexte on…
Did a judge seal the court case of Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell? No, that's not true: The majority of the documents from the case are available to the public and were shown during her trial. Only one piece of evidence remains sealed from the trial. U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan ruled in November 2021 that only the portions…
Did "Mr K Brendon" kill his wife's cat and go missing from his home, causing the police to issue a public warning to be on the lookout for this "very dangerous" man? No, that's not true: The post is designed to trick people to urgently share it from a local online group where it was posted. Commenting is turned off…
Did Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas claim "aborted fetus cells" are in COVID vaccines in writing a decision by the Court to not take up a legal challenge by New York health care workers who opposed the state's vaccine mandate on religious grounds? No, that's not true: Thomas was quoting the petitioners' argument in the case. COVID vaccines are developed…
Did Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tweet that Jesus Christ made a single day's worth of bullets last eight days and allowed the Continental Army to defeat socialist Mexicans and liberal Muslim British? No, that's not true: This is a fake tweet. There is no evidence of this tweet being on the Georgia Republican's Twitter profile. The claim appeared in a…
Did Dominion Voting Systems pay former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr millions in cash and stock awards, according to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings? No, that's not true: Barr has no documented financial connection with Dominion Voting Systems. Barr served on the board of directors of Dominion Energy, a distinct and unrelated company, from 2009 until 2019, when he…
Does this video prove the United States is sending fighter jets to help Ukraine fight Russia? No, that's not true: U.S. Air Force Capt. M. Ryan Goss said the video doesn't show U.S. fighter jets, and the video was published on an Egyptian news website in 2016. The claim appeared in a Facebook video on June 30, 2022, under the…
Does a video show Sen. Ted Cruz revealing documents that expose House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden? No, that's not true: The video just shows clips of Cruz speaking about unrelated matters during two separate legislative meetings and appears to be clickbait to draw attention to a Facebook page. The claim appeared in a…
Was Sam Hyde (or someone named Seth Sergio) the shooter at the July 4, 2022 shooting during a parade in Highland Park, Illinois? No, that's not true. Pictures of comedian Sam Hyde being shared on social media do not depict the shooter. Internet trolls use the same picture after every mass-casualty incident to blame the comedian in a twisted internet…
Was the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision on abortion only passed because Norma McCorvey, who was called "Jane Roe" during the case, had lied about her pregnancy being caused by rape? No, that's not true: The question of how McCorvey had become pregnant was not a factor in the Supreme Court decision. According to 1987 reporting by UPI, Sarah Weddington,…
Are Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines associated with an increased risk of serious adverse events of special interest? No, that's not true: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in an email to Lead Stories that the vaccines meet the agency's rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality. In addition, the authors of this study created their…
Is the Apple logo honoring Alan Turing, whose theoretical work led to the computer and died, possibly by suicide, after eating an apple that may have been poisoned? No, that's not true: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs denied it, saying, "It isn't true, but God we wish it were!" The designer of the logo gave an interview in 2009 where he…
