Was U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's sister charged in the city of Yonkers in New York in April 2025 in connection with a supposed attack on a Tesla dealership? No, that's not true: She has no sister. The claim originated from a source known for spreading made-up stories. It was first published by an account with a satire label. The claim…
Did Dr. Anthony Fauci petition the State Department for an emergency travel visa to China so he can take up a position at the Wuhan Institute of Virology? No, that's not true: A Facebook post making that claim originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and…
Did the federal government pay Barack and Michelle Obama $30 million over the course of the Biden administration, from 2021 to 2025? No, that's not true: That claim originated in an April 2025 post by a Facebook account that labels its content as satirical in nature. We found no corroboration whatsoever for the claim. The story appeared in the form…
Did Casey Anthony, a Florida woman cleared of murdering her daughter in 2008, open a daycare center in Branson, Missouri in April 2025? No, that's not true: A widely-shared Facebook post was created by an account that labels its output as satire. In March 2025, Anthony described herself as a legal advocate and researcher. The claim that Anthony opened a…
Is there a real news story saying every FBI agent involved in the Mar-a-Lago raid was fired and did they have their pensions stripped? No, that's not true: A meme making that claim originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The meme…
Did Representative Jasmine Crockett "conveniently overlook" social security checks going to her dead grandmother for 13 years and did this come out during a DOGE audit? No, that's not true: A meme making that claim originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content…
Are there news reports about FBI Director Kash Patel seizing phone and bank records for "everyone on Pelosi's staff on January 6th"? No, that's not true: A meme making that claim originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The meme appeared in…
Did the family of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez overlook 14.5 years of cashing the social security check of their dead grandmother? No, that's not true: The "news" about the social security check originated on a website with a clear satire disclaimer. It is run by a man known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The claim appeared in…
Did commentator Ben Shapiro criticize the work of American painter Georgia O'Keeffe for "not looking like anything"? No, that's not true: quotations attributed to Shapiro actually originated in a 2021 article by the self-described satire website The Hard Times, and were re-shared again in March 2025. Similarly, Shapiro never posted a video to YouTube with the title "Ben Shapiro DESTROYS…
Did the U.S. State Department deny Dr. Anthony Fauci's passport renewal application in March 2025? No, that's not true: The original source of that claim about the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was an article on a website that describes its own content as "fiction" and "satire." The article attributed quotations to two fictional…
Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
Spotted something? Let us know!.
Have a tip or a question? Chat with our friendly robots on WhatsApp!
Add our number +1 (404) 655-4223, follow this link or scan the image below with your phone:
@leadstories
