Fact Check

Did a July 2023 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conclude that children are being harmed by masks, resulting in a 17 percent rise in developmental disabilities in children 3-17? No, that's not true: A misleading headline on a paywalled Substack blog post mentions a "New CDC Report" as if it offers evidence supporting the claim that…

Did a large lightning bolt and strange lights appear in this video right before the earthquake struck Morocco on September 8, 2023? No, that's not true: The video, originally posted on TikTok (archived here) on May 1, 2020, was removed from its original context and a false caption added by someone else. It does not show the moments before the…

Do an unburned blue car and beach umbrella seen in a social-media video about the August 2023 wildfire that ravaged the town of Lahaina on Hawaii's island of Maui prove that lasers caused the blaze since the color blue can resist lasers? No, that's not true: The video that touted this widespread claim was marked "For entertainment only." Two additional…

Did the NFL's ethics committee deny Colin Kaepernick's request to return to "active status" and suggest "he should go sell hair products"? No, that's not true: This claim comes from a satirical website that has a history of fabricating content surrounding popular topics, and that features a disclaimer stating, "Everything on this website is fiction." Lead Stories could not find…

Were 2,000 kids missing in Maui a month after the wildfires of August 2023? No, that's not true: There are not 2,000 missing children on the island of Maui, Hawaii Governor Josh Green's office told Lead Stories on September 11, 2023. The claim was built on school enrollment data and not missing persons data. The official count of missing people…

Does a BBC report from September 11, 2001, saying World Trade Center Building 7 (WTC 7) fell more than 20 minutes before it actually did prove a conspiracy? No, that's not true: There's no evidence of a WTC 7 conspiracy. The discrepancy in the reporting of WTC 7's collapse time, after the Twin Towers' collapse, can be explained by the…

Does this video show a real asteroid crashing into the moon, prompting an explosion following the collision? No, that's not true: Lead Stories determined through a reverse image search that the footage in question was first posted by a YouTube creator in February 2023 and was later shared by an account on Instagram that confirmed the clip was created using…

Did the World Economic Forum (WEF) issue an "order" banning elections in the United States and will Americans from now on be ruled by a global elite? No, none of it is true: A non-governmental organization such as the WEF doesn't have the capacity or power to override the existing American laws. The article's headline notwithstanding, the source cited to…

Did talk show host and podcaster Megyn Kelly say she "contracted Vaccine Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (VAIDS)" after getting the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine? No, that's not true: On "The Megyn Kelly Show" in early September 2023, she said, "I tested positive for an autoimmune issue at my annual physical." She never mentions VAIDS, which is not a real medical condition.…

Is a massive jump in Rep. Nancy Pelosi's net worth proof that she engaged in some sort of illegal activity? No, that's not true: Although it may be true that Pelosi's net worth has increased sharply since 2007, when she became the first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, such an increase does not prove her gains were…

Do 222 contributions with "zero donor information" to the campaign of Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis prove there was fraud? No, that's not true: An Emory University political science professor emeritus told Lead Stories, "Looks like they're all very small donations for which donor info is not required under Georgia law." Other political scientists said the same. The…

Did New England Patriots football coach Bill Belichick overrule the players' vote to allow "protest" kneeling? No, that's not true: This claim comes from a satirical website that has a history of fabricating content surrounding popular topics, and features a disclaimer that states, "Everything on this website is fiction." Lead Stories could not find evidence on Google News to substantiate…

Did President Joe Biden announce in September 2023 that his administration intends to "increase the number and intensity of the extreme weather events"? No, that's not true: A social media video used incomplete footage of a speech to imply that Biden intends to use weather wizardry to bolster fears about climate change. In remarks on September 2, 2023, Biden discussed…

Did the timing of President Joe Biden appointing a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director before the Maui fires and subsequently saying that director was already in Hawaii when the fires broke out confirm Biden knew the wildfires would occur? No, that's not true: Biden appointed Robert J. Fenton Jr., a regional administrator for FEMA, as chief federal response coordinator…

Is this video showing a Jeep partially buried in the mud from the 2023 Burning Man gathering, and was that event "declared a national disaster"? No, that's not true: The online presence of the video predates the 2023 Burning Man gathering by at least a week, and there was no national disaster declaration stemming from Burning Man. The claim appeared…

Was Russian President Vladimir Putin toppled, as of September 7, 2023? Did Dmitry Medvedev, a former president and prime minister, lead the coup, "acting in partnership with the United States"? Did Medvedev maintain close contact with the Wagner mercenary boss Evgeny Prigozhin who attempted to march on Moscow two months before the plane crash that killed him in August 2023?…

Did American soccer player Megan Rapinoe say she's leaving America because she gets "no respect"? No, that's not true: This claim is coming from a satirical website. It has been reported by multiple major news outlets that Rapinoe is going to retire from her international career at the end of the 2023 National Women's Soccer League season. The claim appeared…

Are the heads of vaccinated people exploding and combusting when the 5G signal in Israel is turned up? No, that's not true: These video clips are real, but the headline is baseless as the video clips have nothing to do with Israel, COVID-19 vaccines or 5G. The first two graphic clips show 2019 footage of Iraqi protestors who were killed…

Did "enthusiastic crowds" chant "We want Trump" at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis while he spoke in Jacksonville, Florida? No, that's not true: The audio in one of the three videos in this post has been edited. While DeSantis was heckled at an event in Jacksonville in August 2023, the original video shows him being booed without the crowd mentioning former…

Did 850 deaths occur in two weeks in Monterrey, a city in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, that were caused by myocarditis? No, that's not true: The increased number of deaths in Mexico during June 2023 occurred during a heat wave, and it wasn't 850 deaths. Myocarditis is a term for the inflammation of the heart muscle and is…