David Berger

Was American racism engraved in its coins, with Abraham Lincoln's penny being copper because he freed the slaves and the other coins showing presidents facing the opposite direction as Lincoln, as a protest against him? No, that's not true: Lincoln was the first American president to be put on a coin in the country's history. The penny had previously been…

Was the "REAL" Epstein list leaked on the dark web? No, that's not true: The article that made the claim in the headline offered no evidence and zero proof in the body of the story that a list belonging to convicted pedophile Jeffery Epstein was found on the dark web. A list on the dark web was not mentioned once…

Did the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps find U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona guilty of child endangerment? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories that this claim is false. Also, Lead Stories recently debunked the claim that Cardona was arrested by the U.S. military, and both claims were made on a website that publishes…

Did police in Kennesaw, Georgia, investigate a toxin-laced tissue that was reportedly placed on a gas pump handle by human traffickers to incapacitate their victims? No, that's not true: Lead Stories contacted two law enforcement agencies in Cobb County, Georgia, where the incident allegedly took place, and neither had any record of that, nor of it being reported. The person…

Did the U.S. military heighten protection on Donald Trump "amid assassination chatter"? No, that's not true: A spokesman for the U.S. Marine Corps denied this claim. Lead Stories contacted the Marine Corps because the article making the claim mentions Gen. David H. Berger, commandant of the Marines. Real Raw News, the website that originated the claim, has a disclaimer on…

Did President Joe Biden use "crisis actors" to portray U.S. Marines for a speech? No, that's not true: Real Marines were standing guard when Biden delivered a speech on September 1, 2022, that called out former President Donald Trump and his "Make America Great Again" ideology. The claim was made on a website known for fictitious content. The claim originally…

Did the U.S. military find scopolamine in COVID-19 vaccines for children? No, that's not true: As of July 22, 2022, only Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were approved for people 17 and under in the United States. Neither of them includes the anti-nausea medication. In a phone interview the same day, a U.S. Department of Defense official told Lead Stories, "This…

Did the U.S. military destroy child trafficking tunnels in South Carolina? No, that's not true: There has been no mention of this event from major news outlets like The Associated Press (AP) and The New York Times. A shaking of the ground that was alleged to be the explosion of these tunnels was an earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological…

Did the U.S. military find pesticides in Moderna COVID-19 vaccine vials? No, that's not true: Not only are there no pesticides on the ingredients list for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, but the Department of Defense press office issued a statement saying, "There is no truth to this." The claims appeared in an article (archived here) published by Real Raw News (RRN)…

Did the U.S. military destroy a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine warehouse? No, that's not true: The claim was made on the website Real Raw News, which has a history of publishing completely made-up and false stories. "There is no truth here," a Pentagon spokesperson told Lead Stories of the claim. The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News…