Did schools ban Dr. Seuss books? No, that's not true: Lead Stories has not found any recent reports of schools which have banned all Dr. Seuss books in the wake of Seuss Enterprises' decision to cancel six titles of dozens because of "hurtful" images. In early March 2021 there were rumors circulating that Dr, Seuss was being 'cancelled', more specifically,…

Does the video "The One About Vackseenz," correctly describe the genetic impacts of COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true. The video peddles multiple COVID-19 conspiracy theories, including that messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines "alter the function of your genetic code," which government and private experts have told Lead Stories is not how mRNA works. The post uses the misspelling of "vaccine"…

Are juveniles under the age of 18 eligible for the death penalty? No, that's not true: Neither of the teenage Texas killers in the meme can be executed. A 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling held it is unconstitutional to put to death those convicted of a crime committed while they were under the age of 18. The meme's claim -…

Are Ghislaine Maxwell and Bill Gates first cousins through Gates' mom, Mary Maxwell Gates? No, that's not true. Public records show multi-billionaire Gates is not related to the woman arrested in October of 2020 for luring young women Jeffery Epstein then sexually abused. For Bill Gates and Ghislaine Maxwell to be first cousins sharing Bill's mother's maiden name, Maxwell would…

Is there something mysterious about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's net worth multiplying eight-fold from $2,962,015 in 2005 to $23,965,520 in 2015 on a salary of $193,400 a year? No, that's not true: The Republican from Kentucky did see a dramatic increase in his net worth, but context is missing from a post questioning the increase. Both Senate disclosure documents…

Did a laboratory analysis commissioned by a German children's charity find bacteria and mold on a mask? Yes, that is true, but it does not mean these microorganisms are harmful or abnormal. According to experts, it is likely that the bacteria found on the mask are just the regular bacteria found on the skin and in the mouth. Without further…

Did Nevada voter Christina Gupana "disappear"? Is the "Louder With Crowder" show correct in saying her vote in the 2020 general election was fraudulent? No, that's not true: Lead Stories located Gupana and spoke to her on several occasions. She is registered to vote in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her listed address, 353 East Bonneville Avenue, Unit 435, was her address…

Did a feminist conference use platform shoes of various heights to negate "height privilege" and lobby to make such shoes mandatory on college campuses? No, that's not true: This post is from a satire page that mocks various social justice causes. The photo used to illustrate this made-up outrage over 'height privilege' actually shows a 1997 conceptual art piece from…

Does the proliferation of "white van" warning videos show that vans in the most common truck and van color are to feared as the tools of kidnappers engaged in human trafficking or organ harvesting? No, that's not true: Governmental and private anti-trafficking organizations with expertise do not single out white vans on their websites. These videos show ordinary work vans…

Did a Fox affiliate broadcast a segment with a chyron that read, "90% of women have a back-up lover"? No, that's not true: This photo of an on-screen chyron has been photoshopped. Images that closely match this one date back to September 26, 2014, and show that the chyron originally said 50%, not 90%. Lead Stories discovered additional reporting citing…