Covid-19

Is Nate Ward, who confronted Dr. Anthony Fauci, then-director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser over the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, dead? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found Ward alive and still living in the District's eighth ward. "Nate Ward is not deceased, because you're speaking to him right now,"…

Does a video of doctors and nurses in masks and protective gear show medical professionals treating a hantavirus patient during the 2026 outbreak? No, that's not true: The video is from 2020 and shows doctors and nurses in Italy treating a patient with COVID-19. The video does not depict a patient with hantavirus in May 2026. The claim appeared in…

Was Jake Rosmarin, the hantavirus cruise ship influencer, the same COVID-19 patient featured in a 2022 BBC report? No, that claim is false: The BBC segment focused on another individual, Henry Dyne, who, during the pandemic, was falsely accused of being a "crisis actor" pretending to have COVID-19. No credible evidence supports the claim that Dyne and Rosmarin are the…

Does a document show hantavirus as a side effect of COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: The document shows a government-required adverse event (AE) report prepared by pharmaceutical companies. It is not a list of side effects proven to be caused by or associated with the vaccine but a broad list of health conditions that researchers want to look out…

Does a real unmanipulated video show Robert F. Kennedy Jr. saying "conspiracy theorists were right" and the COVID-19 vaccine maybe causes "gayness" and calling Anthony Fauci a "goblin"? No, that's not true: The audio in the video has been altered. An un-altered original video of RFK Jr. originally making the speech shows that he never claims the vaccine causes those…

Does a video from the Epstein Files show Kamala Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, in a private helicopter at an airport? No, that's not true: There is no evidence this video came from the Department of Justice (DOJ) public release of "Epstein Files". None of the social media posts with the video contained a file number from the release. Additionally, Doug…

Did Chuck Norris die on March 19, 2026? Yes, that's true: His family released the statement cited by multiple credible media organizations. Previously, the actor had been the subject of multiple death hoaxes. The news was reported in an article (archived here) published by the AP on March 20, 2026, under the title: Chuck Norris, martial arts master and actor…

Is it true that Cuba has no access to Tylenol and virtually no autism? No, that's not true: This rumor is false on both counts; Tylenol, usually marketed in Cuba as Paracetamol, is available -- although there can be shortages. The rate of diagnosed autism in Cuba is lower than world averages. There are nine schools for autistic children in…

Did a video capture an exchange in which a "Queer for Palestine" supporter wanted to join a rally in Amsterdam but was told by other participants that "We are Muslims and you disgust us"? No, that's not true: A viral post reused a 2021 recording documenting a Dutch-language exchange that did not contain such a phrase. At the time, news…

Did a "first population-wide peer-reviewed study" confirm that COVID-19 vaccines cause "turbo cancers"? No, that's not true: The study referred to its results as preliminary. The corresponding author told Lead Stories that more research is needed to confirm the findings about cancer among those vaccinated against COVID-19. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published on The Gateway Pundit…