Tariffs

Does a CNN video show Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau crying in response to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pledge in November 2024 to slap tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S.? No, that's not true: The video is from 2017 and shows Trudeau becoming emotional over the death of Canadian musician Gord Downie. The 2017 clip has been edited, and…

Did Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum say that migrant caravans will no longer reach the U.S. border from her country in response to President-elect Donald Trump's threat of tariffs? No, that's not true: Sheinbaum actually said migrant caravans are "no longer arrive at the border" because of her country's "comprehensive policy to assist migrants." The other reason is a U.S. program…

Did the president of Mexico say she won't recognize Donald Trump as president as of November 7, 2024? No, that's not true: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum did acknowledge Trump's victory on her official X account on November 6, 2024. She said, "my most sincere congratulations to Donald Trump, who won the presidential election of the United States of America." The…

Did Joe Rogan say "he will not be voting for Trump after having him on the podcast"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories reviewed Rogan's podcasts and public statements in the days after Donald Trump's appearance. Neither subsequent episodes of Rogan's podcast, his social media accounts nor credible news reports included any statements by Rogan that he had decided not…

Did Donald Trump say in a speech that there would be a "bloodbath" if he weren't elected in November 2024? Yes, that's true, here's more context: The former American president used the term on March 16, 2024, while campaigning in Vandalia, Ohio, in a speech that painted a dire picture of the country if Joe Biden were to win a…

Did Americans keep "100%" of their earnings up until 1913? Not exactly: While the 16th Amendment, which taxed individual income, was ratified in 1913, some higher-earning Americans paid income taxes between 1862 and 1872 to pay off the cost of the Civil War to the U.S. government. A tax expert with whom Lead Stories spoke listed additional pre-1913 taxes that…

Did a 2010 video "expose" climate change "fanatics" by proving that General Motors (GM) admitted that electricity for its hybrid car the Volt came 95 percent from coal? No, that's not true: The video is being used misleadingly and as of 2021, more utilities use natural gas than anything else. The GM Chevrolet Volt (which is no longer made) in…

Did the prices of lumber, gas, wheat, coal and corn suddenly increase in 2021-- ever since President Joe Biden took office? No, that's not true: The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous effect on national and international economies. This, coupled with other issues unique to each item, has produced many unprecedented swings in prices. The five commodities featured in…

Is China putting California garlic growers out of business? No, that's not true. The amount of garlic the United States imports from China has gone down for the past four years, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The claim appeared as a post (archived here) where it was published on Facebook on May 5, 2020 under the title…

Did ICE raids that detained 680 workers at Mississippi food plants fill three buses with workers from a Koch Brothers' plant? No, that's not true: The Koch Foods plant that was raided in Morton, Mississippi, is not owned or affiliated with the billionaire Koch Brothers, who are infamous for large donations to Republican causes -- although not friendly with President…