Did the CDC lift mask guidelines "out of the blue with no solid explanation"? No, that's not true: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised the rules to allow fully vaccinated individuals to stop wearing masks outdoors and in many indoor settings on May 13, 2021, after COVID-19 case numbers had dropped significantly, more people were getting vaccinated and…

Do these photos show watermelons with a viral infection that make them dangerous to eat? No, that's not true: These ailments -- ring spot virus and hollow heart disorder -- do not make a watermelon dangerous for people to eat, though a watermelon producer might be upset as it could affect their crop's marketability or quality of the fruit. The…

Did the CDC quietly release data showing that 7 out of 10 Americans are declining the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50.1% of the total population, or 166,388,129 people, had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 40.2% of the total population, or 133,532,544 people, were fully…

Is a batch of 950 military ballots for Joe Biden in Fulton County, Georgia, proof of election fraud? No, that's not true: Posts making that claim say the ballots were in sequential order but ballots aren't numbered, according to a county spokesperson. Also, the fact that all 950 ballots in one batch went for Joe Biden can be explained by…

Did the military arrest Adam Schiff? No, that's not true: This is a completely made-up story, published by a website that posts false and fictionalized allegations. Lead Stories has previously debunked many of those. "This story is completely false and without basis in reality," a spokesperson for Rep. Schiff, D-Calif., told Lead Stories via email on May 28, 2021. The…

Did the Jacksonville Jaguars sign the free agent football quarterback and activist, Colin Kaepernick, to the position of tight end? No, that's not true: Tim Tebow holds that position, while Kaepernick is not with any NFL team at the moment. This is a satirical post poking at the Jacksonville Jaguars because some football players and activists have complaints about a…

Does this photo show a new species of shiny blue, purple and yellow Atlantic Ocean sea turtle? No, that's not true: It's a piece of glass artwork. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (now unavailable but archived here) on May 27, 2021. The post was the picture of the sea turtle art with the caption: No, it's not pottery,…

Does titanium dioxide in food kill children and mentally disable them? No, that's not true: The Food and Drug Administration approves the compound as safe as long as it meets the allowed concentration levels of no more than 1% by weight of the food. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on October 8, 2018. The post…

Is there an image of an extraterrestrial or humanoid hidden in plain sight on a dollar bill, which will appear if you "change the contrast"? No, that's not true: This transformation of the Great Seal of the United States on a dollar bill into an image of a stereotypical sci-fi extraterrestrial was created by an artist darkening some areas and…

Did a local Popeyes post a sign saying they reserve the right to refuse service to white people? No, that's not true: Lake St. Louis, Missouri, police say the sign was a prank posted by someone who does not work for the company and that they are currently looking for the person who did it. The story originated from a…

Did Israel mint a shekel coin 33 years before the 9/11 attacks that included images of a plane crashing into New York's World Trade Center twin towers? No, that's not true: The image included in a meme implying prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks by the Israeli government is not of a coin, but a medallion produced privately to commemorate…

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…

Does a video back up its claim that Dr. Anthony Fauci had Nobel laureate Kary Mullis murdered to silence the chemist, who often criticized Fauci? No, that's not true: The claim is made without reference to physical or documentary evidence and with one piece of circumstantial evidence that scarcely deserves that label. Mullis' unchallenged obituaries say he died of pneumonia.…

Do antibiotics stop birth control from working? No, that's not true: Most antibiotics do not hinder the effectiveness of birth control. There is only one antibiotic known to reduce steroid levels in women taking oral contraceptives. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on November 18, 2018. The post was a Twitter screenshot turned meme that states…

Does a new study confirm the COVID-19 vaccine is not 95% effective? No, that's not true: It's not a study at all but a comment in The Lancet, and it says vaccines do work at a high efficiency level, the author told Lead Stories. The claim appeared as an Instagram post (archived here) on May 26, 2021. It opened: "@TheLancet…

Does a video about COVID-19 present only factual and proven statements about the disease and the COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: It recycles claims that have been disproven and leaves out important context. For example, the video alleges that the vaccines aren't really vaccines, that they're experimental, that certain therapies exist to prevent COVID-19 and that the PCR tests…

Did Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier say that all vaccinated people will die within two years? No, that's not true: Montagnier, a prominent virologist, is a Nobel Prize winner who in recent years has said some controversial things, but he did not say this. Montagnier was interviewed by Pierre Barnérias, the director of an anti-vaccine conspiracy documentary produced by Hold-Up Media…

Did a 9-year-old child go to prison for changing the theme-song lyrics to the classic Nickelodeon cartoon, "SpongeBob SquarePants"? No, that's not true: The picture used with the claim is of a young murder victim who was not named "Jake Sanders." Lead Stories could find no evidence of anyone named Jake Sanders sentenced to 15 years in prison for changing…

Does the American Red Cross say you cannot donate blood plasma if you've had the vaccine because the vaccine wipes out the body's natural antibodies? No, that's not true: The COVID-19 vaccine does not override or change the body, according to an infectious disease specialist. And the medical director of the American Red Cross says in most cases the organization…

Do the briefing documents filed in support of Moderna's application for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permission for its COVID-19 vaccine say it causes death and autoimmune disease? No, that's not true: The FDA had, as of May 26, 2021, documented no cases in which death or autoimmune disease onset that coincided with Moderna vaccination was caused by the vaccine.…