Covid

Did Nicole Sirotek get a 4 a.m. call from the husband of a pregnant woman dying of liver failure after she took a large dose of Tylenol to disprove President Donald Trump's declaration that acetaminophen causes autism? Here's what we know: Sirotek, who Lead Stories has previously fact-checked for COVID misinformation, posted the anecdote on social media September 24, 2025,…

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 authorities confirm Charlie Kirk was shot by "Michael Mallinson", a registered Democrat from Utah? No, that's not true: Authorities have not yet released the identity of the shooter. Pictures being shared online do not match pictures from the scene of the shooting. The suspect was identified by authorities as Tyler Robinson on September 12, 2025. The name and image…

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…

Was Silas Kruger identified as the gunman in the shooting near the Emory University campus? No, that's not true: The gunman, who was killed at the scene, was officially identified as Patrick Joseph White by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation the next day. Before the shooter's identity was made public, internet trolls used the breaking news event to post a…

Do Canadian researchers propose to mass-vaccinate people with crop duster-style spraying of the populace, as a social media post implies? No, that's not true: The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) have paid researchers to develop a needle-free inhaler to inoculate people one at a time against the virus that causes COVID-19. The post that pushes the crop duster idea…

Did California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife create Cal Volunteers to steal money raised by FireAid? No, that's not true: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, not Newsom, created California Volunteers, also known as Cal Volunteers, in 2006. FireAid, which was organized to help victims of the Los Angeles fires in January 2025, has listed the California Volunteer Fund as a potential…

Did Barron Trump announce, as a social media post claims, that he's dating Sasha Obama and that she "will be his one and only wife"? No, that's not true: The TikTok video says the announcement put Barron's father, President Donald Trump, in the hospital, a made-up event corroborated by no credible information sources. A president disappearing from his announced-in-advance schedule…

Did Sky News publish a headline that read "Ice agents quitting in droves due to low morale, doxxing fears"? No, that's not true: The headline did not appear on the website of Sky News at the time of writing. It appears to have originated as a meme from the "South Dakota Department of Propaganda", a website with a satire disclaimer.…