Did an artificial intelligence (AI) drone kill its operator in a U.S. Air Force simulated test? No, that's not true: Although a report of a conference stated that the Air Force conducted such a test, the official who gave the details later clarified that he "mis-spoke" and that the anecdote was a "thought experiment" rather than a real-world simulation. The…
Did Sen. Lindsey Graham publicly proclaim that spending U.S. resources on "killing Russians" is "the best money we've ever spent"? No, that's not true: Graham's words from two different sentences have been run together into what amounts to a misquote, distorting both the meaning and rhetoric of his message. The story appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on…
Is Target selling clothing with satanic imagery? No, that's not true: A search for clothes depicting satanism on Target's website did not result in the images seen in the Facebook post, or any relevant images that could back up this claim. A software developer from Pennsylvania confirmed to Lead Stories that he created the images seen in the Facebook post…
Does a black-and-white video show a nighttime explosion at the Nova Kakhovka Dam on the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, causing flooding downstream on June 6, 2023? No, that's not true:. This footage was widely circulated before the June 6 incident. It shows a blast damaging the bridge at the dam in November 2022, not the June 6, 2023,…
Do photos of members of European royal families prove that they are transgender and part of a purported "Elite Gender Inversion"? No, that's not true: There is no publicly available evidence that the monarchs of various European countries are transgender men or women and the photographs and the audio on the video give no evidence for the claim that anyone…
Did Commander In Chief Of The Armed Forces Of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyy disappear during the battle of Bakhmut in May 2023 or on June 3, 2023, as the country was moving forward with its counteroffensive plans? No, that's not true: The claim reused an already debunked rumor from mid-May 2023. The story appeared in a video published on Facebook on…
Does a video presentation prove that the spike protein in COVID-19 mRNA vaccines replaces the sperm in men? No, that's not true: No scientific evidence supports the claim. The spike protein is a harmless protein found on the surface of the coronavirus. It is the target of the immune response COVID-19 vaccines aim to trigger. The mRNA vaccines, such as…
Did a legitimate, peer-reviewed study successfully demonstrate that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna were shown to contain simian virus 40 (SV40), a DNA virus that has been linked to certain cancers? No, that's not true: The research in question was not published in a peer-reviewed journal and as such, has not been vetted for accuracy by scientific…
Did the Italian government announce "Family Pride Month" to celebrate heterosexual "mothers and fathers" instead of the LGBTQ+ community? No, that's not true: While Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been criticized domestically and internationally for her government's policies on LGBT+ issues, the country did not officially replace Pride Month with the celebration of heterosexual families. The claim appeared in…
Is the French monument known as the Arc de Triomphe decorated with a giant rainbow for Pride Month? No, that's not true: This is work done by an artist who works in the medium of videos. Video artist Ian Padgham used three-dimensional animation processes and "lots of hand-edited details" to create this artwork. There are no credible news outlets reporting…
Is Apeel, a company that makes an edible coating for fruits and vegetables, injecting "shots," or vaccines, into produce because Bill Gates owns the company? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Apeel has anything to do with vaccines. Gates gave Apeel grants in 2012 and 2015, but did not found and does not own Apeel. Yahki, the…
Does a video on Mexico's Milenio Television channel show a Mexican cartel member carrying a U.S.-made Javelin anti-tank missile? No, that's not true: Raytheon Technologies, which makes the Javelin, told Lead Stories that the video shows another type of shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon. The claim appeared in a post on Twitter (archived here) by Mexican journalist Azucena Uresti on May 31,…
Is Walmart required to provide a refund of $500 to consumers who shopped there in 2022, and will consumers have to answer four questions to receive this refund? No, that's not true: This post is an online scam. Lead Stories has previously debunked similar claims about Walmart issuing a store credit of $500. The senior director of national media relations…
Did the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus vow in a song to convert children to homosexuality? No, that's not true: The satirical song titled, "Message from the Gay Community," was sharing the specific and direct message that they wanted to convert children to be "tolerant and fair"; not to convince them to become homosexuals. The claim appeared in a video…
Does a video on social media portray "a hidden world of underground cities" and "tunnels for trafficking"? No, that's not true: The clip shows the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland. The claim originated in a video (archived here) posted on TikTok on May 28, 2023. The text overlay said: There Is a Hidden World of Underground Cities Tunnels for Trafficking!?…
Did Elon Musk promote a brand of sea moss as a remedy to help a variety of health issues? No, that's not true: This video footage that appears to show Musk volunteering an endorsement during an interview is fake. The clip was taken from an appearance at the TED2022 conference, where Musk discussed purchasing Twitter and other topics but did…
Are conservatives or Republicans now taking issue with "manufactured" rainbows that appear when there is water spray from a fountain? No, that's not true: This viral 2007 video of unscientific musings about rainbows was mashed up and posted to mock conservative Republicans in 2023. In the original video, the person's political party affiliation is not readily apparent. Remixed in 2023,…
Did seven people show up for former President Donald Trump in Iowa as the 2024 election season began? No, that's missing context: The video of Trump with seven people was taken inside a radio station office where he was recording an interview -- it was not an event open to the public. He spoke at public events in Iowa that…
Does this video show former President Barack Obama's son at a political rally in Kenya? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Obama has a son. The original video was found on YouTube using the words, "barack obama look-alike." Obama's only children are his two daughters, Malia and Sasha, whom he shares with his wife, Michelle. The claim…
Did the mother of Michelle Obama, former first lady of the United States, leave her inheritance to a son named "Michael Robinson Obama," insinuating that "Michael" is Michelle Obama's real name? No, that's not true: The claim was made on a website that described itself as satirical. Although the claim originated on a now-defunct satirical website called Obama Watcher, it…
