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Did Donald Trump issue a statement on his "Save America" letterhead that encouraged "all the Great MAGA Patriots" to boycott the midterm elections in November? No, that's not true: According to Trump's chief spokeswoman, that April 27, 2022, statement is fake. The fabricated statement appears to have originated from The Halfway Post, a Twitter account that describes itself as liberal…

Is Snickers removing the "beloved 'dick vein'" from their candy bars? No, that's not true: Snickers said on Twitter, "THE VEINS REMAIN!" The edited image is a spoof of Fox News Channel TV host Tucker Carlson and cancel culture. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on April 24, 2022, under the title "He's just mad cause he…

Is there a successful self-made billionaire prison investor offering tips and advice to Twitter followers about how to get rich buying private prisons? No, that's not verified: The @prisoninvestor1 account of "Dallas Liam" uses inflammatory tweets to get attention, but does not appear to be a verifiable real person who is investing in private prisons. There is also no record…

Did Arnold Schwarzenegger post a picture of himself sleeping outside by his own statue because a hotel refused him service? No, that's not true: The image was posted by the former California governor as a joke while he was filming a movie in Ohio. The image had nothing to do with the caption of a social media post that claimed…

Was a fourth batch of stimulus checks approved and "coming" in December 2021? No, that's not true: According to information from the U.S. government, by December 2021 the most recent batch of stimulus payments had been sent to qualifying Americans in March 2021. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on December 13, 2021. The post has a…

Did former President Donald Trump dedicate a tweet to billionaire businessman Elon Musk on April 15, 2022, as a thank you for allowing him back on Twitter? No, that's not true: Trump's account @realDonaldTrump is still suspended as of April 15, 2022. Additionally, there is no evidence that Musk is in a position to bring Trump's account back: although Musk…

Is the "Doctor" of Dr. Oz a branded nickname with no meaning, like the name of the soft drink Dr Pepper? No, that's not true: Before Dr. Oz became a household name as a regular guest on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and then in 2009, as the host of his own daytime TV show, "The Dr. Oz Show," he was…

Is the proposed bill in Tennessee that would create a common-law marriage between "one man" and "one woman" actually intended to pave the way for adults to marry children of any age? No, that's not true: According to the sponsor of HB 233, Rep. Tom Leatherwood, the bill is intended to create a form of marriage for just adult men…

Did an airport in New York take "legal possession" of former President Donald Trump's personal Boeing 757 over unpaid storage fees? No, that's not true: A post making the claim appears to be satirical. In reality, Trump's plane left the New York Stewart International Airport in Orange County, New York in November 2021 and arrived in Louisiana, where it was…

Did Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel photoshop his face onto the body of a Black soldier? No, that's not true: A Mandel spokesperson told Lead Stories that this claim is false. A Cincinnati.com article reported that the image is legitimate and that the photo was simply darkened "to make the text clearer" in one of Mandel's campaign ads. This…

Did the prime minister of New Zealand say that she never allowed Rupert Murdoch, the creator of Fox News, to set up a media outlet there? No, that's not true: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern did not say she would not allow Murdoch to set up a media outlet in New Zealand, her press secretary said. The claim appeared in an…

Was a man arrested at a state legislature meeting for wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with "We The People" and an image of the Statue of Liberty? No, that's not true: The man was arrested at a Utah state Senate committee meeting held on March 1, 2022, for failing to follow requests from state troopers regarding the Legislature's rules on what…

Did a man named William Chester, who was born in 1744, live for 235 years with "McNulty Syndrome," which caused his body to age slower? No, that's not true: This video is made with digitally altered images and footage of actor Charlton Heston who died in 2008 at the age of 84. The images of Heston were taken from various…

Is there a national boycott of gasoline on April 15, 2022, to emulate a successful national protest from April 1997? No, that's not true: A post making that claim is a recycled post - "copypasta" that has circulated in various iterations online since at least 2004, with a new date slapped on it. Except for the date, wording in the…

Did the Florida legislature ban the word "gay" in the state? No, that's not true: Florida lawmakers did pass the Parental Rights in Education bill on March 8, 2022. The word gay never appears in the seven pages of legislation. The terms "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" show up twice. LGBTQ activists have dubbed it the "Don't Say Gay" bill…

Have American megachurches failed to offer help to the Ukrainian people? No, that's not true: An informal survey by Lead Stories shows several of America's largest congregations and denominations are actively soliciting and distributing relief to the people impacted by the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his "special military action" in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The…

Did former President Donald Trump pass a bill in 2017 that increased tax rates for taxpayers making $75,000 or less starting in 2021 and ending in 2027? No, that's not true: Although an analysis of the 2017 Tax Cuts And Jobs Act (TCJA) suggested that the tax rate would increase for low-income earners in 2021, that analysis is misleading. The…

Was former President Donald Trump being forced to sell The Mar-a-Lago Club, a private club and residence, as of February 16, 2022? No, that's not true: Although Trump is facing potential financial consequences because of various controversies, he has not been forced to let go of Mar-a-Lago as a result. The assertion is just a prediction from commentators. The claim…

Was former President Donald Trump charged with treason by authorities? No, that's not true: A clickbait headline made the claim but the video in the post does not provide any evidence of the claim. In the video, Christo Aivalis says he thinks Trump should be charged with treason and espionage if he illegally took top secret classified documents from the…

Does the U.S. State Department forbid U.S. citizens from smiling in their passport photos? No, that's not true: The State Department's webpage on passport photos features multiple photos marked "acceptable" showing smiling faces. In the section on expressions in passport photos, the U.S. government says passport photos should "Have a neutral facial expression or a natural smile, with both eyes…