Us Tax System

Did Walmart announce that it would shut down 23 "neighborhood markets" locations in New York City due to the "tax system Mamdani has planned"? No, that's not true: As of this writing, Walmart has no stores of any type in New York City. The earlier variations of the claim showed a satire label linking it to the self-professed liberal troll…

Is there any evidence for a story being spread online about "Olena K.", a Ukrainian anti-corruption official who supposedly defected to Europe and revealed real-estate corruption involving President Zelenskyy worth $1.2 billion ? No, that's not true: The story did not contain any verifiable details or documents and no media reported on the supposed events. The London Telegraph, the website…

Does the scientific community as a whole share the notion that a newly discovered interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is an alien spacecraft heading to Earth for a "surprise attack" in November 2025? No, that's not true: The NASA website says that it's a comet and that it doesn't pose any risk to Earth. Three astronomers told Lead Stories that, as of…

Was TikTok influencer Khaby Lame arrested by ICE and was he "deported"? No, that's not true: A video on X making that claim showed a 220963977 A-number from ICE's detainee locator system that currently does not show any results. An ICE spokesperson said Lame was briefly "detained" on June 6, 2025 at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada…

Is the pyramidal peak in Antarctica's Ellsworth Mountains the topic of an expert debate over whether it is a masonry pyramid constructed during Antarctica's last warm period, millions of years ago? No, that's not true: There is no credentialled scholar or explorer with on-the-ground knowledge making that case. The nameless mountain in Antarctica's Ellsworth Range sits in a well-studied range…

Did President Donald Trump cancel taxes on all overtime starting Monday, March 31, 2025? No, that's not true: The video used in a social media post making the claim is from a September 12, 2024, campaign rally when Trump vowed to make overtime pay exempt from federal taxes if he were elected. As of March 25, 2025, congressional Republicans were…

Was former U.S. president Barack Obama caught "laundering money through the Cayman Islands" for private gain in March 2025, as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: The viral post misrepresented the words of a guest on the Joe Rogan podcast. That person was talking about U.S. government funding of a "Cuban Twitter", not about Obama's direct involvement…

Does a video clip authentically show DOGE employees breaking into government offices, with one of them saying "ChatGPT could do all your jobs"? No, that's not true: The viral clip was taken from a video from Youtube channel that publishes scripted prank videos. The title of the original video called it a "fake DOGE prank". The clip was uploaded in…

Did New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announce plans for a $1 walking fee or walking tax on people moving around on foot in New York City? No, that's not true: Viral videos that claimed existing congestion tax cameras would be used for facial recognition of pedestrians in order to charge them a walking tax were not based on any actual…

Is a quote describing birth certificates as enslaving tools really found in Woodrow Wilson's private papers or those of his adviser Edward Mandell House? No, that's not true: Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library staff said they found no such quote in their archive. A spokesperson for the library that holds House's papers told Lead Stories they found no reference to…