Karl Marx

Does a photo show a well-dressed French detective working the case of the Crown Jewels stolen from the Louvre? No, that's not true: The original poster later said it was a "fantasy version" she did not regret posting. There is no indication that this man is a detective working this case. The viral photo, and one other from the same…

Is an image of a catastrophic plane crash on a bridge authentic? No, that's not true: The image is a digital art creation by Canadian graphic designer Steve McGhee. The original piece of art titled "All Is Lost - Redux" was altered to make it harder to trace its origin through a reverse image search. The claim appeared in a…

Is "unburdened by what has been," part of a phrase often used by Vice President Kamala Harris, drawn from a quote by philosopher Karl Marx? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Marx publicly made such a statement in his lifetime. Harris has not credited Marx with the phrase. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…

Did "leaked reports" say George Soros paid ABC moderators $1 million each to fact check Donald Trump during the September 10, 2024, presidential debate? No, that's not true: The story came from a website whose satire disclaimer reads: "These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up." No credible evidence of "leaked reports" or such payments…

Did authentic social media posts offer genuine concern over a missing teen named Kaniesa Perez? No, that's not true: The posts exploit a real missing teen story and falsely say that Kaniesa Perez went missing on the same day from Dover, Pennsylvania, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, among other locations more than a thousand miles apart. In reality, the teen went…

Is FedEx getting rid of all unclaimed packages after New Year's Eve by sending Facebook users a shipping pallet of packages if they answer four questions? No, that's not true: Lead Stories received a statement from a FedEx representative who stated that the post "appears to be fradulent" and their brand is not associated with this post. The link in…

Did the UK's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) reveal in August 2023 that the wildfires in Hawaii were caused by a "weather weapon" developed by the U.S. government? No, that's not true: The claim is part of a Chinese disinformation campaign. Additionally, there is no credible information or evidence to suggest that the wildfires in Hawaii were caused by such a…

Does the video "Plandemic 3: The Great Awakening" assemble the "forbidden puzzle pieces to reveal the big picture of what's really happening in America and beyond"? No, that's not true: The video repeats an unsubstantiated claim of a plan by global elites to replace national sovereignty with a one-world government and rehashes previously debunked false and misleading claims made by…

Do eight families make up a "Federal Reserve Cartel" and own the BIS (Bank for International Settlements), IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank? No, that's not true: These three institutions are not privately owned and are run by international governments, not eight of the wealthiest families in the world. Jewish control of major banks and financial institutions is…

Is the ESPN tweet about "a noose found in Bubba Wallace's stall at Talladega Superspeedway" correct? Yes, but it is missing context that makes it clear the noose's message was not likely intended for Wallace. The tweet is a 2:54 video trailer for an ESPN TV special documentary titled, "E60: Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace," that includes…