Is Joe Biden not in charge and is the military in control of the White House? No, that's not true. Biden is the president of the United States per the U.S. Constitution Article 20. The military is not in charge of the White House, and the president is the commander in chief of the military according to Article 2 Section…
Is Sony PlayStation "shutting down forever" its PlayStation 3 (PS3) servers on June 3, 2021? No, that's not true: at the time of this writing on May 11, 2021, PlayStation has made no announcement saying that PS3 servers will shut down in their entirety. The gaming company previously announced that the PlayStation Stores on the PS3, PSP and PS Vita…
Is the Keystone Pipeline closed and is that causing a gas shortage? No, that's not true. The gas shortage on the East Coast of the United States in May 2021 was triggered by a cyberattack that caused the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline, which runs from Houston to New Jersey and supplies 45% of the gasoline to the East Coast.…
Did scientists spot fungi growing on the surface of Mars? No, that's not true: Mars does not have all the capabilities to support plant life. According to a NASA spokesperson, the pictures are actually from the 2003 Opportunity mission and show mineral formations. Scientists relied on chemical, visual and mineral information to authenticate the shapes are minerals and not a…
Did Trevor Noah, host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," express anti-mask and anti-COVID-19 vaccine opinions during a segment of his show? No, that's not true: Noah was expressing his discontent with changes in the message from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), not with masks or vaccines. The claim appeared in a TikTok video posted on May…
Did the CDC "admit" that COVID-19 vaccines have killed more Americans than all vaccines since 2001, combined? No, that's not true: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which monitors vaccine reactions and safety, says the opposite: There have been no documented deaths due to the Pfizer, Moderna and J&J/Janssen vaccines. The article making the claim cites only the false…
Did Michigan authorize a full forensic audit of the 2020 presidential election? No, that's not true: No new audits are planned, a spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state told Lead Stories on May 11, 2021. Since the election, more than 250 audits have been completed, reflecting the largest number of audits ever conducted in Michigan's history. The claim appeared…
Is the audio track accompanying a TikTok video of President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden boarding the Marine One helicopter unusual (or fake)? No, that's not true: While someone has set the sound balance on this video clip extremely loud, it is typical for the Marine One helicopter to be making noise while the rotors are not yet…
Is a video of an assault on a female police officer a recording of recent events? No, that's not true: The video of the attack in Carthage, Texas, is old. It's from 1997, not 2021. The officer in the video survived and the man who attacked her remained behind bars in May, 2021. The claim appeared in a Facebook post…
Did Chelsea Clinton say "if Jesus were alive today he'd be working at Planned Parenthood"? No, that's not true: There's no evidence she ever said that. The source for the claim is a fake tweet, which cannot be found on Clinton's verified Twitter account. A spokesperson for Clinton confirmed that she did not post the purported tweet. The alleged quote…
Did a video featuring Lt. General Tom McInerney and Maria Zack show proof of election fraud? No, that's not true. The retired general and the Nations in Action website founder repeated previously debunked claims about election fraud in the 2020 presidential race, offering no new proof or evidence of their claims. The claims appeared in a video (archived here) published…
Did McDonald's in Japan run an ad campaign that featured a shirtless Ronald McDonald in red briefs overflowing with french fries? No, that's not true: In 2019, this french fry ad was promoting a much smaller Japanese restaurant chain called Yotteba. The artwork at the center of the campaign, "Sexy Ronald," was created in 2011 by a Brooklyn artist who…
Did a traffic reporter "melt down" on live TV, first correcting the anchors' pronunciation of his name and then expressing annoyance to the news anchors about how live roadside traffic reporting is obsolete? No, that's not true: This is a comedy skit by John Crist. The video opens with a short clip from a real channel 2 Houston newscast. The…
Was a 4-year-old child kidnapped in an Omaha Sam's Club, only to be found assaulted in the store's bathroom stall? No, that's not true: There is no evidence the incident took place and police in Omaha have flagged the oft-recycled story as an urban legend. The claim, which has appeared on the Internet with varying details for at least two…
Does a video of a blank product insert inside a box of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine show anything unexpected or untoward? No, that's not true: The insert's front and back panels were intentionally left blank, according to the makers of the vaccine. There is a QR code, as well as a website, on the back of the box…
