Society

Did NBC News say that former President Barack Obama, who left the White House in January 2017, was serving a "third term" in 2023 as a shadow president? No, that's not true: NBC did not report that. Its news article only referred to claims about Obama "somehow secretly still in power" as an example of election-related misinformation, emphasizing that such…

Did the United Arab Emirates (UAE) send eight planes to Israel, carrying military aid and equipment in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel? No, that's not true: There's no proof to support that assertion. Additionally, the UAE has condemned Israeli ground operations in Gaza and also denied reports of the U.S. military using an Emirati…

Did London officials take down a United Kingdom flag before a march in support of Palestinians to "maintain peace"? No, that's not true: According to an X post from the local police, the flag was taken down to be cleaned. A Google News search of thousands of credible information sources using related key words did not supply evidence that the…

Did President Joe Biden say there's now a $2,880 Medicare flexible spending card for all American seniors over the age of 64? No, that's not true: Biden did not make an announcement about a Medicare flexible spending card on any official White House accounts. A spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services told Lead Stories the link that…

Did the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps place New York State Attorney General Letitia James under arrest for committing "treason and other high crimes and misdemeanors"? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories that this claim is false. The website where this claim was made also has a disclaimer that states it publishes satirical content.…

Does a video posted on social media show a genuine British police officer questioning a driver, who is waiting for a friend at a train station, to exclude him as a suspect in a crime "that may or may not be currently in progress"? No, that's not true: This is a skit staged for social media. The man playing the…

Does the cover of the October 2023 issue of the German satirical magazine Titanic feature a cartoon of people wearing masks depicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with a title that translates to "This time there won't be enough sweets for everyone"? No, that's not true: Titanic's webmaster confirmed to Lead Stories that this supposed cover is fabricated. The official cover…

Did former President Donald Trump write on November 2, 2023, that he would nominate Judge Aileen Cannon, the federal judge overseeing his classified documents case in Florida, to the Supreme Court? No, that's not true: Trump's purported Truth Social post, which made the claim about Cannon, is not real. There's no record of the post. Furthermore, if Trump had made…

Did 80 percent of COVID-19 patients put on ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic die? No, that's not true: A Johns Hopkins public health expert told Lead Stories that "80% is high," adding that the actual number is "around 30-40%." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed that such deaths are far less than 80 percent. Ventilators are used for…

Does a nighttime video on social media showing a large group of people marching down a street depict a pro-Palestinian protest in France? No, that's not true: It shows soccer fans in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The video was shot on October 5, 2023, two days before the start of the 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict. The claim was implied in a post…

Did actor Jason Statham install a Palestinian flag on his Jeep amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in 2023? No, that's not true: A close-up picture from a video included in the claim clearly shows that the man in it is not Statham, a well-known Hollywood actor. Statham has not made any public comments about the Hamas-Israel conflict as of this writing.…

Did Elon Musk promote an investing platform on SABC News South Africa? No, that's not true: This video post uses inauthentic audio dubbed over an authentic video of Musk speaking during a Fox News interview in April 2023. No such report on the South African Broadcasting Corporation website was found. This resembles multiple prior posts making false claims that Musk…

Did a "survey" find that COVID-19 vaccines "killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus"? No, that's not true: A medical professional who treats patients of long COVID told Lead Stories that the so-called survey "lacked scientific rigor" and could not be extrapolated to the broader public -- it was not scientifically sound and included methodological flaws. The claim originated in…

Did CNN air footage of a Palestinian crisis actor wrapped in a white shroud pretending to be a corpse who moved their head instead of staying perfectly still? No, that's not true: The CNN footage shows the body of a dead person wrapped in a shroud that was gathered and tied at their head. When a man adjusted the shroud,…

Did actor Matthew Perry vow to expose "child predators" before his death? No, that's not true: The social media post purportedly by Perry that makes the claim is fake -- there is no proof of its existence on his Instagram account and it does not show his verified check mark. The site that made the claim has a history of…

Was U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen "hanged at GITMO"? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories that this claim is false. The website where this claim was made has a disclaimer that states it publishes satirical content. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) where it was published by Real Raw News on October 31,…

Do posts on social media show that Israel is registered as a company in the United Kingdom? No, that's not true: Companies House, an executive agency of the British government that maintains the register of companies, told Lead Stories that "it's not." However, Israel, which is officially listed as a "state," must register as an "overseas entity" because it owns…

Is castor oil a safe and effective method to cure eye floaters in just a few days? No, that's not true: There is no FDA-approved castor oil treatment for eye floaters, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. They recommend that people with problems with their eyelids or vision see an eye doctor before self-medicating with unproven and potentially dangerous…

Is there a "Balfour lease" for Israel that expired on October 31, 2023? No, that's not true: Israel's creation did not stem from any agreement indicating that its land is temporary. There is a Balfour Declaration, a statement made by the British government in 1917 that set the stage for Israel to become a country; however, the declaration did not…

Did Yemen officially declare war on Israel in October 2023? No, that's not true: No credible sources have reported that as of November 1, 2023. Posts on social media making the claim misrepresented the role of the Houthi movement, which tried to launch drones and missiles targeting Israel in October 2023. This group is not internationally recognized as Yemen's government.…