Did California pay the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) more than $100 million mainly to fund protests as a viral social media post said? No, that's not true: California's payments to CHIRLA were overwhelmingly tied to immigration legal services and social welfare programs. There is no evidence in state budget records that any funds were used to pay or…
Did Barbra Streisand, British politician Nigel Farage and Kevin Costner each say "Our country would be safer without Somali immigrants -- starting with Ilhan Omar!"? No, that's not true: Nearly identical stories featuring those and other famous people were published by a network of foreign websites and Facebook pages. There were no news articles about such an event and the…
Does a viral post accurately summarize Zohran Mamdani's words from a podcast recorded more than five years before he was sworn in as New York City mayor? No, that's not true: The quote was shortened, and it changed its meaning. A longer, more elaborate fragment of his speech shows that he suggested that it shouldn't be the police, but specially…
Does Sweet Angel Child Care's phone number dial directly to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's office? No, that's not true: The child care center's phone number as listed on the state licensing website and several other online directories does not connect to the governor's office. The number dialed in an online video making the claim was on a Google map listing,…
Silvia Cernan Gutierrez is a multidisciplinary professional with almost two decades of experience spanning journalism, digital media, education, marketing, and international program management. She joined Lead Stories in November 2025. Silvia discovered her passion for investigative journalism in New York City, where she worked as part of a newsroom team producing digital news content and managing web and social coverage…
Did the man charged with planting pipe bombs found near the Republican and Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, sue the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security over illegal immigration? No, that's not true: Legal disputes referenced in a Daily Wire article making that claim confused suspect Brian Cole Jr. with his father Brian Cole Sr. It…
Did a "new" viral video posted Nov. 18, 2025 show "In Germany, large crowds of Muslims walk directly through a Christmas market chanting 'There is no God but Allah , Allah Akbar'"? No, that's not true: No chants of "Allah Akbar" (God is Great) can be heard on the clip's audio. The video was not new, either, having been on…
Does a viral video show Muslims protesting against a Christmas fair in Germany? No, that's not true: The video has circulated since October, 12, 2024, showing a demonstration in Hamburg, Germany, against Israel and in solidarity with Palestinians. The time stamp on the 2024 posts puts the march a full month before Germany's traditional Christmas markets begin, according to tour…
Does a video show illegal immigrants in the UK stealing from the dead by taking things from graves to sell? No, that's not true: The video was first posted by a TikTok account from Ukraine, on April 27, the day the Ukrainian and Eastern Orthodox Churches observe "Thomas Sunday" or "Provody." The specific observance of the tradition varies by region,…
Is this real dash cam video showing a truck driver cooking curry at 90 mph just before crashing into other vehicles and killing three people on California's I-10? No, that's not true: The California Highway Patrol, which investigated the accident and released the original dash cam video, had not seen the "cam 2" version, according to a CHP spokesman. The…
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