Is Georgia the first state to decertify 2020 election results? No, that's not true: Georgia officials have done no such thing. The claim appears based on speculation, not the circumstances as of the day it was published. The claim relates to the audit of absentee ballots in Fulton County, Georgia's most populous county. The claim apparently assumes both that the…

Did 10,000 Canadian doctors say the COVID-19 pandemic was a "fraud"? No, that's not true: The petition listed as proof does not declare the pandemic a fraud. It is a protest against the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), which cautioned doctors against spreading misinformation. In addition, more than 600 of the names on the petition do not…

Is the Chicago Police Department now requiring its officers to ask for consent before arresting criminals? No, that's not true: The claim came from a satirical website, and a spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department said the claim is "not accurate." The story originated in The Babylon Bee, a conservative news satire website (archived here). It was then published on…

Did Popular Science magazine publish a tip that said disposing of used engine oil in the ground is OK in January 1963? Yes, that's true: however, it is not a good idea and should not be done, then or now. There is no need to dump used motor oil on the ground, where it soaks into soil and can make…

Did a teen make headlines for sleeping with his bullies' mothers to "assert dominance"? No, that's not true: the claim is just a part of a refurbished meme that has circulated on social media platforms since at least 2019. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) using an image of a Black youth. Five women are also pictured…

Do "USA crime statistics" for 2015 show the correct percentages for Blacks and Whites killing each other, and for police killings of both races? No, that's not true. A meme that claims to show the percentage of killings of Black and White people by race, and victims of police killings by race, has completely wrong numbers, according to the FBI…

Is it illegal for businesses to ask for proof of vaccination or to require proof of vaccination as a condition of entry? Furthermore -- if a private business owner or employee were to ask for proof of vaccination would that constitute a violation of the protection of a person's rights guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution or by…

Does a video about COVID-19 vaccines and their supposed side effects contain only factual and proven statements? No, that's not true: It's a mash-up of false, unproven and cherry-picked claims. Among the allegations are that the vaccines are not FDA-approved, that they could kill you, alter your genetic code and cause a severe allergic reaction. The first three claims are…

Will Donald Trump be sworn in as the 19th president of the United States and is the military in charge because Joe Biden is not the legitimate president? No, that's not true. Attorney L. Lin Wood made those false claims -- all of which Lead Stories has previously debunked -- in an interview. Under the 20th Amendment to the U.S.…

Did Chelsea Clinton tweet about Bill Gates with, "What kind of man pursues a physical relationship with an underling and has relations with her in their office???"? No, that's not true: The tweet is fake; it does not show up on her verified Twitter account. The claim originated in a Facebook post (archived here) published on May 19, 2021. As…

Did a whistleblower claim that Dominion changed 3.8 million votes in the 2020 election? No, there's no evidence that's true: A post making the allegation against Dominion Voting Systems did not identify the alleged whistleblower and did not offer any proof to substantiate its claim. Previous claims about purported vote flipping have been repeatedly disproven. A spokesperson for Dominion dismissed…

Is a video showing helicopters being taken down by rapid missile fire actually footage of the Israeli defense system at work? No, that's not true: The video is taken from the video game ARMA 3, a tactical shooter video game developed by Bohemia Interactive. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on May 23, 2021. The caption read:…

Does an anti-vaccine advocate prove his claims of vaccine dangers with "undercover" video of private World Health Organization meetings and does he provide credible citations of scientific research to prove his claims? No, that's not true: The video caption promises "an undercover footage - the media don't want you to see" but delivers less than a quarter-minute -- without audio.…

Can a man receive $35,000 for donating one of his testicles? No, that's not true: It is not legal to sell your own body parts for organ donations. The testicle purportedly worth $35,000, according to the original story, was not intended to be a transplant. The payment was for participating in a clinical trial where a testicular implant would replace…

Did South Africa approve a new marriage act that allows women to marry multiple men, and did such a marriage already occur? No, that's not true: The South African government is considering such an option in its Green Paper on Marriages in South Africa. This green paper discusses the possibility, among other potential changes to the country's marriage laws, of…

Does this video show a Palestinian girl was killed by an Israeli settler and that a weapon was planted next to her body to "falsify the truth"? No, there's no evidence that's true: The video posted with the allegation does not prove the claim and other recordings of the event do not support the claim. A weapon is seen near…

Were Democrats "caught" not wearing masks at the White House? No, that's not true: They were not wearing masks at a May 20, 2021, event at the White House because they were following the Centers for Disease Control guidelines. As of May 13, 2021, the CDC said vaccinated individuals could gather indoors without masks. The claim appeared in a video…

Can your Social Security card be used like a credit card? No, that's not true: The Federal Reserve Bank deals with banks only, not serving individual customers. The FBI is aware of this false claim, and people who try to extract money from the Federal Reserve could face criminal charges. The claim appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) where…

Did a Russian hacker figure out how to get personal information from a chip injected into people who had taken the coronavirus vaccine? No, that's not true: The person doing the voiceover of this video used a server that is no longer in use to pull a prank. Using an impressive-looking computer display, IT knowledge and an inexpensive server, anyone…

Is life insurance unavailable for a claimant who passes away due to taking an "experimental" COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for emergency use authorization (EUA) and life insurers do not penalize claimants who have received these vaccines. The claim appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) published on May 19, 2021. The text in…