Health

Did Sen. Mitch McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, go to China after he was hospitalized following a "cardiac arrest"? No, that's not true: Chao, a former U.S. transportation secretary, was already in China when her husband was taken to the hospital on June 14, 2026. She met with university officials in Shanghai on June 12, 2026. McConnell's office has not disclosed…

Is a review of an unpublished draft study a statistically valid analysis comparing chronic disease outcomes in vaccinated versus unvaccinated children? No, that's not true: The analysis is based on a 2020 draft study that was never published because an internal review identified "serious flaws in the data and methodology," according to Michigan-based Henry Ford Health System. Public health and…

Did author and media personality Jordan Peterson die in early June 2026? No, that's not true: At the time of publication, no evidence suggested that Peterson had died. None of his social media accounts or mainstream news organizations had reported on his supposed death. The claim appeared in a post published on X on June 4, 2026 (archived here). It…

Did Newsweek report that Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, gives President Donald Trump the "cough test" every day? No, that's not true: The quoted passage does not appear anywhere in the article reviewed by Lead Stories, and no credible evidence shows that Oz made such a statement. The alleged quote is fabricated.…

Does a real selfie taken by Barack Obama show him with fellow presidents Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter? No, that's not true: There is no evidence the image is authentic. No official White House photographer or news outlet has ever documented such a gathering and Carter had died before the image appeared online. The claim…

Did the family of three sisters who drowned in Brighton, England, in May 2026 previously run a GoFundMe campaign for their mother, whose body was never found? No, that's not true: The body of the mom, Janice Adetoro, was recovered from a lake in Birmingham, England, in early February 2010. There is no evidence that a GoFundMe was ever started,…

Is a video that shows an elderly Michael Jackson sitting on a bus in Brazil legitimate? No, that's not true: The video was originally posted by an account with a bio that states it is an artificial intelligence portal. An AI-generated content detection tool rated the video 94.2% likely to be AI-generated. Jackson died in 2009 and Lead Stories obtained…

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…

Did X user @iamasoothsayer write in 2022, "2026: Hantavirus"? Yes, that's true: The original post, from June 2022, read, "2023: Corona ended" and "2026: Hantavirus." A copy of the post was archived by The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine in 2022. X's user documentation does not currently list a way for users to retroactively edit the publication date or time of…

Is a viral video showing President Donald Trump falling asleep during a press event at the White House real and did he actually hit his head on his desk? No, that's not true: The video and screenshots of it shared by social media users originated from a self-described meme account. The clip was digitally altered, likely using AI. The claim…